Humanitarian aid is an area of EU external action that responds to needs in the event of human-made or natural disasters. The Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations funds relief operations and coordinates Member States’ policies and activities. Parliament and the Council act as co-legislators in shaping the EU’s humanitarian aid policy and take part in the global debate on more effective humanitarian action. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Cyprus assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 January 2026 and will be in office until 30 June 2026. The country takes over from Denmark and will hand the baton on to Ireland. Cyprus is the last member of the presidency trio with Poland and Denmark. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and hydroelectric power, ocean and geothermal energy, biomass and biofuels offer cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels. They reduce pollution, broaden our energy options and decrease our dependence on volatile fossil fuel prices. In 2023, lawmakers increased the EU target for the share of renewable sources of energy in gross energy consumption from 32% to at least 42.5% by 2030, while aiming for 45%. In 2023, renewable energy accounted for 24.5% of the EU’s final energy consumption. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

The common fisheries policy (CFP) has come a long way since it was first formulated in the Treaty of Rome. Initially linked to the common agricultural policy, it gradually developed a separate identity. The core area of the CFP – conservation and management of fish stocks – was launched in 1983. The policy was reformed in 1992, 2002 and 2013. The current framework, resulting from the 2013 reform, is aimed at ensuring that EU fisheries are sustainable – environmentally, economically and socially. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

The Trans-European Networks (TENs) – large, infrastructure networks that enable essential services and efficient connections between national networks – are jointly funded by the European Union and the Member States. Financial support from the EU serves as a catalyst, with the Member States providing the bulk of the financing. The financing of the TENs can be complemented by Structural Fund assistance, aid from the European Investment Bank (EIB) or contributions from the private sector. A major reform was introduced across the TENs with the establishment of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) in 2013, renewed in 2021. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

This is the tenth edition of an annual EPRS paper aimed at identifying and framing many of the key issues and policy areas that will feature prominently in public debate and on the political agenda of the European Union over the coming year. The topics analysed encompass, the next long term EU budget, Ukraine's integration into the EU, defence, EU-China relations, the impact of artificial intelligence on the web, the potential of startup companies, irregular migration, climate policy, action for the oceans, and lessons from the post-COVID 19 Recovery and Resilience Facility. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

The ECB’s Governing Council set up a High-Level Task Force to recommend simplifications of banking regulation and supervision, chaired by Vice-President Luis De Guindos. On 11 December 2025, the ECB published the task force’ report. This briefing reviews and analyses the proposals and provides context in view of the ECON committee exchange of views with Vice-President De Guindos on 15 January 2026. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

This study assesses the evolving structural divergence between the US and EU economies, driven by widening productivity gaps and asymmetric financial integration. It identifies a “Competitiveness Trilemma” constraining EU policy responses to US industrial activism. The paper analyses new transmission channels of economic shocks and proposes a strategic playbook for the European Parliament to enhance industrial sovereignty and rebalance the transatlantic partnership. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

The establishment of a European road safety area has been one of the EU’s long-standing objectives since 2010. While each Member State has the power to make its own decisions related to certain aspects of road traffic and safety provisions, the EU also carries out work in this field and has been focusing its measures on vehicle conditions, the transport of animals and dangerous goods and road safety in general. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

The trans-European networks (TENs) in transport, energy and telecommunications are developed to connect the regions of the EU and to contribute to the growth of the internal market and employment. They strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion. The trans-European transport network (TEN-T) has evolved over time, including a fundamental reform in 2013 and a major revision in 2024. The energy infrastructure (TEN-E) guidelines were adapted to the European Green Deal in 2022. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

The rise of generative AI has presented a global challenge to copyright law regarding authorship and human creativity. This has implications for the ability of creators to control and monetise their work, in addition to incentives to use innovative technologies. Currently, the EU lacks specific rules on the copyrightability of AI-generated works, but existing case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and developments at Member State level demonstrate a strong need for human creativity. The European Parliament has also advocated a human-centric approach while calling for further analysis of how intellectual property rights are applied to content created with the use of AI tools. Most countries, including the United States, maintain a human-centric approach, limiting copyright to works with significant human involvement in the creative process. However, not all the international approaches and practices are aligned, and this briefing gives examples from a selection of different jurisdictions. Certain common-law countries, including the United Kingdom, grant copyright to 'computer-generated' works without a human author while, in a slightly contradictory manner, assigning authorship to the person responsible for the arrangements for the creation of the work. Chinese courts show mixed rulings, sometimes granting copyright based on sufficient human effort in selecting and editing prompts. Cases like the artwork called 'Suryast', produced with the help of AI, reveal conflicting copyright decisions across the world, with AI being recognised as a co-author in some countries. Uniquely, Ukraine has adopted a 'sui generis' right to provide alternative protection for AI-generated images, distinct from traditional copyright. As a result, there may be a need for greater coordination globally to reduce legal uncertainty and to determine the level of human involvement needed for copyright protection. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

This European implementation assessment of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive 2014/89/EU in regard to fisheries in selected fishing areas and sea basins aims to inform the ongoing work of the European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries (PECH) on an own-initiative implementation report, ' The impact of the implementation of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive 2014/89/EU on fisheries in selected fishing areas and sea basins (2024/2126 (INI)), ahead of the Directive’s planned revision at the end of 2026. The assessment is composed of two parts. The first part, an introduction by the European Parliamentary Research Service provides historical background to the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive and presents the European Parliament’s position, setting the scope of the external evaluation study. The second part is an evaluation study undertaken by a team of external experts that assesses the implementation and effects of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive on the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, based on five evaluation criteria - effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance and EU added value - and drawing on desk research, interviews and six regional case studies (Baltic Sea, Channel, Bay of Biscay, North Coast Portugal, Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea). Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

As part of the European Union's budget for the 2028-2034 period, the European Commission presented a short proposal for a regulation establishing the European Fund for Regional Development (ERDF), including territorial cooperation (Interreg) and the Cohesion Fund (CF), and establishing conditions for the implementation of Union support to regional development from 2028 to 2034. However, support for regional and cohesion policy would be integrated into a larger fund (the 'Fund') that also covers areas such as fisheries and agriculture. The 'Fund' is covered by a separate regulation. Consequently, rather than launching separate, fully fledged legislative proposals on the ERDF and CF, as happened in the 2021-2027 programming period, the Commission published a much shorter ERDF/CF sectoral proposal which briefly includes these two funds but also outlines some basic conditions for funding in regional policy. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The creation of the single aviation market in the late 1990s has profoundly transformed the air transport industry in the EU and has greatly contributed to the strong growth in air transport in Europe over the past 20 years. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Transport policy has been one of the EU’s common policies for more than 30 years. Alongside the opening up of transport markets and the creation of the Trans-European Transport Network, the ‘sustainable mobility’ model will take on even greater importance – particularly in view of the constant rise in greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector, which threatens to jeopardise the European Union’s efforts to achieve its climate goals. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The EU budget is financed in large part from own resources, and supplemented by other revenue. Annual revenue must completely cover annual expenditure, as a budget deficit is not allowed. The system of own resources is decided by the Council on the basis of unanimity, having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament, and needs to be ratified by each Member State. A reform of the own resources system was proposed by the Commission together with the proposal for the multiannual financial framework 2028-2034. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The EU’s energy efficiency measures aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy bills and improve energy security while reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels. The Energy Efficiency Directive requires EU countries to cut their energy use by 11.7% by 2030 compared to 2020 projections. The directive sets annual energy savings targets that increase over time, requires public buildings to reduce energy consumption and undergo renovations, and introduces measures to tackle energy poverty. Separate rules aim to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption in the building sector. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

This European implementation assessment of the 2020 Council Recommendation on A Bridge to Jobs – Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee and replacing the Council Recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee (the 'reinforced Youth Guarantee' or 'RYG') aims to inform the ongoing work of the European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) on an own-initiative implementation report on the RYG (2025/2184(INI)). The assessment is composed of two parts. The first part is an introduction by the European Parliamentary Research Service that provides the essential historical background, including an overview of selected evaluations, Parliament's position and a complementary analysis on young people not in education, employment or training. The second part is an evaluation study undertaken by a team of external experts that aims to provide an updated assessment of the RYG's implementation. It is guided by three core objectives: (i) to assess current trends in implementation at Member State level; (ii) to analyse the impact of the 2020 reinforcement in addressing previously identified challenges; and (iii) to examine the role of EU funding and governance mechanisms. Based on interviews, a survey, desk research, and extended national research in 10 selected Member States, the study provides key findings and policy recommendations to tackle the implementation gaps identified. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

On 16 July 2025, the European Commission published a set of proposals outlining the multiannual financial framework (MFF) for the 2028-2034 programming period. Among them is the proposal for a regulation establishing the European Social Fund, the main EU tool to support social and employment policies. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

On 3 December 2025, the European Commission unveiled a package of five legislative proposals underpinning two possible options for funding Ukraine in 2026 and 2027: a reparations loan, borrowing cash balances from banks and other financial companies holding immobilised Russian Central Bank assets; or joint EU borrowing, guaranteed by the 'headroom' in the EU budget. These proposals form the basis for discussions at the 18-19 December European Council meeting. Without new additional financial support from the EU and other international donors, Ukraine is expected to run out of funds early in 2026. The value of Russian assets immobilised worldwide is estimated at around €300 billion. The European Parliament has repeatedly demanded those assets be used to support Ukraine's defence against Russia's occupation forces. At the same time, Russian assets have become a major point in discussions towards a peace plan, escalating the pressure on the EU to take a decision. Belgium continues to resist use of the immobilised assets and recently received support from other Member States, such as Italy and Bulgaria, on that issue. Hungary has voiced opposition to any further support for Ukraine, blocking the option to use the 'headroom' of the EU budget, which would necessitate a unanimous amendment. If both options proposed by the Commission are blocked, a 'coalition of the willing' could be the option of last resort. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

This study examines housing needs across the EU, focusing on inequalities in affordability, accessibility, and quality. It provides a mapping of the current housing needs in the EU across territories, including across Member States, rural and urban areas, outermost regions, and islands and across population groups. The study analyses key factors affecting housing demand and supply challenges, and the impacts of housing scarcity on health, education and employment. It also reviews how EU legislation and funding shape and support national policies in the area of decent, sustainable and affordable housing. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The European Commission adopted its proposal for a regulation establishing Union support for internal security for 2028 to 2034 on 16 July 2025. Funding for the policy would come from the proposed European fund for economic, social and territorial cohesion, agriculture and rural, fisheries and maritime, prosperity and security. The proposal should therefore fall under the same funding framework as those for a regulation establishing Union support for asylum, migration and integration; and for a regulation establishing Union support for the Schengen area for European integrated border management and the common policy on visas. The regulation aims at strengthening European Union and Member State capabilities to prevent and combat organised and serious crime, enhance the resilience of critical entities against hostile acts and manage security-related incidents, risks and crises. It would also seek to improve and enhance the exchange of information and improve law enforcement cooperation. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The action of the European Union (EU) in the field of budgetary control is based on two principles: on the one hand, ensuring that the EU’s budget is properly spent and, on the other, protecting the Union’s financial interests and combating fraud. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has the power to investigate fraud against the EU budget, corruption and serious misconduct and develops anti-fraud policy. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) investigates, prosecutes and brings to justice crimes against the EU budget. Even if their primary focus is not strictly on protecting the Union’s financial interests, EUROPOL and Eurojust provide additional support. Finally, the anti-fraud landscape was marked by the establishment of a further decentralised EU agency, the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA), in June 2024. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

EU directives and regulations have, over the years, greatly improved safety standards in sea transport. The majority of these improvements were brought about by the three legislative packages adopted in the wake of the Erika and Prestige oil tanker disasters. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Moves towards closer European integration have altered the role of the national parliaments (NPs). A number of instruments for cooperation between the European Parliament and the NPs have been introduced with a view to guaranteeing effective democratic scrutiny of EU legislation at all levels. This trend has been reinforced by provisions introduced by the Lisbon Treaty. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

EU rail transport policy is geared towards the creation of a single European railway area. Three packages and a recast were adopted in the space of 10 years following the opening-up of the railway sector to competition in 2001. A fourth package, designed to complete the single European railway area, was adopted in 2016. In 2020 the European sustainable and smart mobility strategy launched, emphasising the importance of rail within the EU Green Deal targets. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Over the past decade, the EU has experienced major macroeconomic imbalances and serious divergences in competitiveness. These have both exacerbated the negative effects of the financial crisis that began in 2008 and prevented the effective use of common monetary policy measures to resolve them. In 2011, the EU set up the macroeconomic imbalance procedure to identify and correct such imbalances at national level, particularly those with the potential to spill over and affect other EU countries. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Europe’s digital ecosystem remains heavily dependent on non-EU software and cloud providers. This study maps these dependencies, as well the geopolitical and economic risks they raise. It finds that US firms dominate all major software layers, exposing Europe to strategic vulnerabilities. The report also outlines policy options and areas of action to strengthen Europe’s technological autonomy and resilience. This report was prepared for the Policy Department for Transformation, Innovation and Health at the request of the ITRE Committee. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The last European Council meeting of the year usually has a heavy agenda, and the December 2025 meeting will be no exception. This meeting will clearly be decisive for Ukraine. Amid diplomatic efforts to achieve a 'just and lasting peace', the European Council – as its President, António Costa, stated – 'will deliver' on its commitment and set the framework for financing Ukraine over the next few years. The other central topic is the next multiannual financial framework, with Costa hoping to get EU leaders to commit to a timetable, governance provisions and the Danish 'negotiating box' as a starting point. Other agenda points are enlargement, migration, the Middle East, competitiveness and defence. Other topics - the new US National Security Strategy, Mercosur, the Pact for the Mediterranean, and the fight against intolerance - could be raised by EU leaders during their discussions. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

This study examines housing needs across the EU, focusing on inequalities in affordability, accessibility, and quality. It provides a mapping of the current housing needs in the EU across territories, including across Member States, rural and urban areas, outermost regions, and islands and across population groups. The study analyses key factors affecting housing demand and supply challenges, and the impacts of housing scarcity on health, education and employment. It also reviews how EU legislation and funding shape and support national policies in the area of decent, sustainable and affordable housing. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The deployment of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites is rapidly transforming global communications, providing low-latency and high-speed internet from altitudes generally below 2 000 km. However, this vital infrastructure is vulnerable to sophisticated cyber threats such as jamming and hijacking. In response, existing EU frameworks on cybersecurity and physical resilience are being complemented with the proposed EU space act. This new regime is set to reinforce binding cybersecurity and resilience measures – including encryption, secure authentication and comprehensive supply-chain risk management – to strengthen the security of space assets and operations. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The global digital information sphere has become a contested geostrategic and ideological battleground. In this online 'marketplace of ideas', democracy is increasingly under pressure not only from traditional authoritarian governments, but also corporate actors who seek to further their interests. In democratic open information spaces, citizens would ideally be free to express and inform themselves. Authoritarian actors, on the other hand, continue to fine-tune techniques to manipulate public opinion abroad, to undermine democratic societies and processes, all the while tightening control of the information sphere at home to further their own agenda. At the same time, a corporate scramble to lead the development and rollout of new technologies – with artificial intelligence (AI) positioned as a game changer in this quest – is increasingly visible in the geostrategic technology arena. Potential opportunities for tech industrialists, however, come with challenges for citizens and open democracies. Whereas generative AI (Gen AI) tools are already widely used to find, consume and share information, they can also accelerate and transform information manipulation, challenging information integrity in new ways. As pressures on the information space continue to grow, mirrored in public concern, regulators are pushed to act fast. In a changing geostrategic landscape, upholding universal values in the digital realm is particularly pertinent for the EU. Legislation relevant to Gen AI-enabled information manipulation includes the Artificial Intelligence Act, the Digital Services Act (DSA), including the Code of Conduct on Disinformation, the European Media Freedom Act and the Directive on Combating Violence against Women. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Drawing attention to migrants' human rights and highlighting their contribution to society, International Migrants Day is observed every year on 18 December. The day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly on 4 December 2000 in response to growing migration numbers around the world. This updates a 2024 'At a glance' note by Anita Orav. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

In the 10 years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the Parties to the agreement have achieved a lot of progress in response to climate change. A Loss and Damage Fund was established in 2022. Rules for international carbon trading have been established under Article 6 of the agreement. A new goal for climate finance was agreed in 2024. The COP30 climate conference in November 2025 adopted indicators for climate adaptation and agreed to triple adaptation finance. The first global stocktake under the Paris Agreement in 2023 called for accelerating climate action, tripling renewable energy capacity, doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvements and transitioning away from fossil fuels. Building on the global stocktake, Parties submitted their third round of climate pledges in 2025, ahead of COP30. Full implementation of the pledges would lead to a global temperature increase of around 2.4°C, a large improvement compared to the 3.5°C increase projected before the Paris Agreement but still falling short of the agreement's target to keep global warming well below 2°C and ideally 1.5°C. With global carbon emissions still rising, the 1.5°C target will only be achievable after a temporary overshoot. As every fraction of a degree of global warming will result in increasing damages, additional efforts will be needed to keep the overshoot as short and as close to 1.5°C as possible. The current geopolitical situation hinders swift progress on collective climate action. The United States has decided to leave the Paris Agreement, a third of the Paris Agreement Parties failed to update their climate pledge, and a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels was blocked at COP30. The EU, traditionally a leader in international climate policy, struggled to build strong coalitions to drive an ambitious outcome at COP30. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP