Following the adoption of various items of EU legislation, both international and cabotage road haulage and passenger transport services have been gradually liberalised. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

This paper examines EU–US economic relations, presenting evidence on trade and investment patterns and analysing transatlantic differences in short-term macroeconomic developments, productivity trends, economic structures, and policy orientations. It outlines three plausible trajectories of the future EU-US economic relations, the risks they entail and the need for EU action. Finally, the paper assesses the adequacy of the current European Parliament oversight framework in monitoring and responding to evolving transatlantic macroeconomic dynamics. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The EU and Singapore concluded negotiations on a Digital Trade Agreement (DTA) in May 2025. The DTA is a self-standing agreement, separate from – and complementing – the 2019 Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Singapore. Parliament is called on to give its consent during the November I plenary session. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The current EU gender equality strategy concludes in 2025. A new strategy is scheduled for early 2026, following the adoption by the European Commission of a roadmap for women's rights and a public consultation. In response, the Parliament's Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality calls for a comprehensive framework to address persistent inequalities, with its own-initiative report due for debate during the November I plenary session. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

During the November I plenary session, the European Parliament is due to vote on its (non-binding) report on the 2023 proposal for a Council Directive on Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation (BEFIT). The purpose of the proposal is to create a common corporate tax framework for large EU multinationals. For the directive to be adopted, the Council must vote unanimously, after consulting Parliament. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

In November, Parliament is expected to adopt its position on a proposal to integrate into EU law a landmark agreement concluded in 2023, under the auspices of the United Nations, for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the high seas. The high seas are of great ecological, economic and geopolitical importance. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

In response to Russia's full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, which started in February 2022, the European Union (EU) and its Member States have provided unprecedented financial, military and humanitarian support to Ukraine. According to European Commission figures, Team Europe, consisting of the EU and its Member States, has made available around €177.5 billion in support to Ukraine. This support encompasses macro-financial assistance, financial support through the Ukraine Facility, humanitarian aid and military assistance from Member States and the European Peace Facility, as well as support to Ukrainian refugees in the EU. The overall support for Ukraine provided by Team Europe is larger than the support provided by the United States, including, for the first time, in terms of allocated military support, based on figures provided by the Kiel Institute. The disbursement of EU payments is conditional on Ukraine implementing the Ukraine Plan – an ambitious reform and investment plan drafted by Ukraine's government and endorsed by the EU. The G7 have agreed upon a further €45 billion loan, with €18.1 billion of the whole amount to be financed by the EU, of which €14 billion has already been disbursed to Ukraine. For that purpose, a Ukraine Loan Cooperation Mechanism has been established, which uses extraordinary revenues originating from Russian sovereign assets immobilised in the G7 member states to repay loans and associated interest costs. The European Parliament has repeatedly called for a full confiscation of immobilised Russian sovereign assets with the objective of making Russia pay for the destruction it has brought on Ukraine. The European Commission has proposed to use those assets for a 'reparation loan' to Ukraine. On 23 October 2025, the European Council welcomed the idea, but did not adopt any concrete proposal. It will revert to the issue at its December meeting. This 'state of play' briefing is updated regularly. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

This note describes the treaty provisions and appointment procedure for ECA members at EU level. In addition, it provides information on the national nomination procedure for the ECA member in Greece and the country’s candidate. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

This note describes the treaty provisions and appointment procedure for ECA members at EU level. In addition, it provides information on the national nomination procedure for the ECA member in France and the country’s candidate. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

On 13 June 2002, the Council adopted the Framework Decision on the European Arrest Warrant (EAW). Among EU Member States, the EAW replaced the previous system of extradition with a simpler and quicker mechanism for surrendering requested persons for the purposes of conducting a criminal prosecution or executing a custodial sentence or detention order. The EAW is based on the principle of mutual recognition and requires a high level of confidence between Member States. Its implementation may be suspended only in the event of a serious and persistent breach by one of the Member States of the principles set out in Article 6(1) of the Treaty on European Union, namely the rights, freedoms and principles set out in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Since its introduction, the EAW has provided an efficient mechanism to ensure that open borders in the EU are not exploited by those seeking to evade justice. However, implementation of the Framework Decision on the EAW has revealed tensions between the objectives of achieving effective judicial cooperation and ensuring the protection of fundamental rights. Moreover, implementation has come up against a variety of practical problems. As a result, extensive case law has developed over the past two decades. In July 2024, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the Commission's intention to strengthen the EAW. The European Parliament has described the EAW as an effective instrument to bring perpetrators of serious crimes to justice, but also pointed out that certain aspects of the EAW have consistently been problematic. This briefing complements the May 2025 EPRS publications on Use of the European Arrest Warrant and The European arrest warrant – Key steps in the surrender procedure. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

'Delivered on all fronts' was the main message from European Council President António Costa on the results of the 23 October European Council meeting. On defence, the European Council defined a timeline and priorities for achieving EU defence readiness in 2030 – the more immediate priorities being air defence and Europe's eastern flank. On competitiveness, EU leaders strongly pushed the simplification agenda, and stressed the need for a competitive and pragmatic green transition and for decisive progress towards EU digital sovereignty. On Ukraine, however, the outcome was mixed: even though EU leaders adopted the 19th sanctions package against Russia, and committed to covering Ukraine's financial needs for 2026-2027, they failed to agree on methods for doing so, postponing a decision on the matter to December 2025. In addition to the three core topics, the European Council discussed housing for the first time, stressing the need to focus on European citizens' daily concerns and to launch complementary initiatives at EU level to promote affordable housing. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Based on practices from the EU Member States and beyond, academics highlighted practical solutions for improving legal clarity, structure and usability without requiring major legislative reform. The event further demonstrated the value of structural innovation and linguistic adaptation in closing the gap between legislation and citizens. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The Sudanese are caught in a devastating civil war, driven by deep political fragmentation, with far-reaching humanitarian and human rights consequences. While President Al-Bashir's ousting in 2019 had raised hopes for a democratic transition, deep divisions between the regular Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) derailed power-sharing attempts. This has triggered violent conflict across the country since April 2023, exacerbating hostilities between communities and resulting in competing administrations, further weakening prospects for reconciliation. Many thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict, while abuses such as sexual violence and forced recruitment of children to armed groups are widespread. Natural disasters compound the impact of violence, leaving the majority of Sudan's population in urgent need of assistance. International humanitarian law is routinely violated, by restrictions on humanitarian access, attacks on aid workers, destruction of health facilities, and the weaponisation of hunger. The conflict has unleashed massive displacement, with millions forced to flee their homes both within Sudan and across borders, overwhelming neighbouring states and threatening to further destabilise the Horn of Africa. Regional and international players back rival factions according to complex geostrategic interests in this resource-rich country on the Red Sea. These external alliances fuel the conflict, notably contributing to the proliferation of arms, and make it particularly difficult to achieve consensus or pursue a sustainable solution at the United Nations level. Several competing peacemaking initiatives have been launched with little progress, although a roadmap agreed on 12 September 2025 has raised cautious optimism among international mediators. The European Union (EU) has intensified its humanitarian response and plays a leading role in coordinating peace initiatives. The European Parliament has consistently urged the EU and other stakeholders to maintain pressure on all parties to cease hostilities and to ensure that Sudanese civil society is genuinely included in dialogue towards a sustainable solution. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

In her mission letter, the Commission President had requested Commissioner Albuquerque to establish a structured dialogue with the competent committee in the European Parliament. This is the first such dialogue to take place in the ECON Committee which is the competent committee for most files entrusted to the Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union. The present briefing reviews the input received from the Commissioner for this exchange of views (i.e., her 2025 Annual Progress Report on Simplification, Implementation and Enforcement); the briefing also discusses several topical issues in the portfolio of Commissioner Albuquerque. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Iraq will hold its legislative election on 11 November 2025. Over 21 million Iraqis are eligible to vote for the 329 seats in the Council of Representatives. The election occurs amid significant political instability, sectarian divisions, and socioeconomic pressures exacerbated by corruption and a heavy reliance on oil. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The purpose of aviation security is to prevent malicious acts against aircraft, passengers and crews. In response to the devastating 9/11 attacks, the EU established a set of security rules for safeguarding civil aviation. These rules are regularly updated to reflect evolving risks. Member States retain the right to apply more stringent measures. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

REACT-EU is a programme to repair the social and economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to prepare for a green, digital and resilient recovery. REACT-EU seeks to mobilise an additional EUR 47.5 billion from the structural funds for the years 2021 and 2022, and to increase flexibility in cohesion policy spending. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The European System of Financial Supervision is a system of EU agencies that aims to ensure consistent and coherent micro- and macro-prudential financial supervision in the EU. It includes the national supervisors, the three European supervisory authorities (EBA, ESMA and EIOPA) and the European Systemic Risk Board. There is a separate fact sheet (‘Financial Services Policy’) on the material rules that apply to the financial sector. After the ESFS had been created, the European Central Bank, as part of the Single Supervisory Mechanism, was appointed to directly supervise the largest banks within the Banking Union (2.5.5). For the material rules that apply to the financial sector, see the fact sheet on the EU financial services policy (2.5.13). Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The European Union has established a common classification of territorial units for statistics, known as ‘NUTS’, in order to facilitate the collection, development and publication of harmonised regional statistics in the EU. This hierarchical system is also used for socioeconomic analyses of the regions and the framing of interventions in the context of EU cohesion policy. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central institution of the Economic and Monetary Union, and has been responsible for monetary policy in the euro area since 1 January 1999. The ECB and all EU national central banks constitute the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). The primary objective of the ESCB is to maintain price stability. Since 2014, the ECB has been responsible for tasks relating to the prudential supervision of credit institutions under the Single Supervisory Mechanism. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

In her mission letter, the Commission President had requested Commissioner Albuquerque to establish a structured dialogue with the competent committee in the European Parliament. This is the first such dialogue to take place in the ECON Committee which is the competent committee for most files entrusted to the Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union. The present briefing reviews the input received from the Commissioner for this exchange of views (i.e., her 2025 Annual Progress Report on Simplification, Implementation and Enforcement); the briefing also discusses several topical issues in the portfolio of Commissioner Albuquerque. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

This study quantifies the impact of geopolitical risk on euro area banks using the 2025 EU-wide stress test, the first to include an explicit geopolitical scenario. Comparing outcomes with earlier stress tests, we find that geopolitical shocks measurably erode capital ratios, with smaller and less diversified banks most affected and considerable heterogeneity across countries. The results highlight how stress testing can capture structural vulnerabilities and inform supervisory responses through Pillar 2 requirements and Systemic Risk Buffers within the Banking Union framework. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Geopolitical tensions have emerged as a major source of macro-financial instability, with conflicts, sanctions, and global rivalries introducing risks that differ from traditional credit or market shocks. These events are difficult to anticipate and propagate through financial markets, the real economy, and operational channels, often amplifying into systemic consequences. Recent research shows that banks reallocate rather than withdraw—cutting cross-border lending but maintaining affiliate activity—while capital requirements calculated at consolidated level may transmit foreign shocks to domestic credit supply. Stronger capital buffers cushion these effects. Overall, major geopolitical shocks raise funding costs, weaken bank stability, and disrupt financial infrastructure, underscoring the need for robust governance, releasable buffers, scenario-based supervision, more coordinated micro and macro prudential regulation, and overall strengthened international coordination. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

This report, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Justice, Civil Liberties and Institutional Affairs at the request of the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI), examines the use of AI techniques to support monitoring the application of EU Law. First an overview is provided of the state-of-the-art AI solutions used in application of law. Then AI applications in the legislative process are considered, from pre-enactment information analysis, impact forecasting and public engagement, to drafting support and monitoring impacts and compliance. AI in monitoring the implementation of EU law is then analysed, considering both existing applications and prospects for new AI technologies. First the transposition of directives is considered. The application of binding provisions is then addressed, having regard to implementing rules, judicial decisions, administrative action, and social behaviour. Finally potential contributions of AI to a principled approach to EU law is examined, for consistent interpretation and the respect of fundamental rights and principles. Recommendations are finally proposed on using AI to make monitoring more accurate and efficient.). Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act), adopted in June 2024, is the world’s first comprehensive regulatory framework for AI. It sits at the centre of the EU’s broader digital rulebook, alongside the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Data Act, the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), and the NIS2 Directive. Together, these laws aim to promote safety, trust, and competitiveness in Europe’s digital economy. However, questions arise about how they interact and whether their combined effect strengthens or burdens the EU’s AI ecosystem. The full study examines how the AI Act interrelates with other EU digital instruments and how their cumulative obligations affect innovation, coherence, and competitiveness in Europe’s AI market.This AAG was prepared at the request of the ITRE Committee. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

This paper presents findings from the European Parliament’s public consultation on women’s health in the EU. It covers a wide range of topics including care, education, workplace impact, information, and policy context. The results reflect the views of a selected population and offer exploratory insights into perceived gaps and priorities. This document was prepared at Erasmus MC by the Department of Public Health in collaboration with The Netherlands Women's Health Research & Innovation Center at the request of the European Parliament’s Committee on Public Health (SANT). Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

This study explores how the AI Act relates to various other crucial pieces of EU digital legislation, such as the GDPR, the Data Act and the Cyber Resilience Act. It assesses overlaps and gaps between these acts, and shows that, while each of them is individually well targeted, their interplay creates significant regulatory complexity. Finally, it also provides reflections and suggestions for possible evolutions of the AI Act, and of EU digital legislation as a whole, keeping in mind the objective of ensuring that Europe can establish a competitive AI industry. This study was prepared at the request of the ITRE Committee. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

This briefing has been prepared for the public hearing with the Chair of the Single Resolution Board (SRB), Dominique Laboureix, scheduled for 5 November 2025 in the ECON Committee. Content: 1. The SRB’s simplification agenda 2. A more branch-based Banking Union: opportunities and challenges ahead 3. Liquidity in resolution 4. Further lessons from the Credit Suisse AT1 bail-in? 5. Guidance for communication by banks 6. Guidance on resolvability testing 7. Guidance on separability 8. Guidance on resolvability self-assessments Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Chile will hold presidential and congressional elections on 16 November 2025, with a possible runoff between the two best placed presidential candidates on 14 December, if no candidate secures the absolute majority in the first round. The two most promising candidates according to the latest polls are Jeannette Jara, from the Communist Party, and far-right candidate José Antonio Kast from the Republican Party. Crime and immigration are among the top issues that dominate the election campaign, even though Chile remains one of the safest countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Since the Estallido Social, the 2019 2020 social uprising, which brought left-wing incumbent Gabriel Boric to the presidency in 2022, there has been a trend of polarisation in Chilean politics. The 2021 elections resulted in a highly fragmented and diverse Congress with no coalition winning a clear majority of seats. From the EU perspective, in particular because of its rich natural resources and critical raw materials, Chile will be of strategic importance in the years to come. The recently signed Advanced Framework Agreement (AFA) between the EU and Chile (provisional application as from 1 June 2025), including the Interim Trade Agreement (ITA), which entered into force on 1 February 2025, are important instruments to realise the potential of the EU-Chile partnership. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Following the entry into force of the Treaty of Rome, Member States’ agricultural policies were replaced by intervention mechanisms at Community level. The foundations of the common agricultural policy (CAP) have remained unchanged since the Treaty of Rome, with the exception of rules relating to the decision-making procedure. The Treaty of Lisbon recognised codecision as the ‘ordinary legislative procedure’ for the CAP, in place of the consultation procedure. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The European Commission has proposed a budget expenditure tracking and performance framework for the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) to track horizontal principles and performance in the EU budget. Part of this framework aims at monitoring gender equality through a gender budgeting methodology. The methodology proposed is a continuation of the one currently used with one difference: the score 0* has been removed. Within the framework, the Commission added a specific list of programmes with gender equality as principal objective (‘gender equality score 2’). Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Council Directive 2011/64/EU, known as the Tobacco Taxation Directive (TTD), entered into force in 2011 with two main objectives: to ensure the proper functioning of the internal market and provide a high level of public health protection. More than ten years after its adoption, the directive is no longer fit for purpose. The European Commission's 2020 evaluation highlights several key issues regarding the TTD's effectiveness, and recommends updating it to address emerging tobacco products, such as e cigarettes. As part of the EU's Beating Cancer Plan, the Commission suggested revising the TTD to achieve the target of a tobacco-free generation by 2040. In July 2025, the Commission presented its proposal for a revision of the TTD, focusing on three main aspects: i) increasing the EU's minimum tax rate to address disparities between Member States; ii) extending the directive's scope to new products, such as e cigarettes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches, which would make them subject to new minimum taxes; and iii) strengthening controls on raw tobacco to prevent diversion to illicit markets. This implementation appraisal (IA) analyses the existing legal framework and outlines its core components. It also examines the key findings of the 2020 evaluation and the main features of the Commission proposal for revision of the TTD. Finally, it considers the European Parliament's position, the written questions submitted by its Members and the views of a sample of relevant stakeholders, including institutional bodies. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

At no point in more than 30 years have Armenia and Azerbaijan been closer to achieving lasting peace, and yet the so far bumpy road to peace continues to appear vulnerable to domestic and external factors. On 8 August 2025, in Washington DC, the leaders of both countries signed a Joint Declaration committing to achieve peace and initialled a 17-article peace agreement, the product of months of closed-doors and exclusively bilateral negotiations between the two countries. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been in conflict over Nagorno Karabakh since the end of the Cold War, in the longest-running conflict in the post-Soviet space. Two bloody war episodes, in the 1990s and in 2020, have alternated with periods of frozen conflict over three decades, leaving behind more than 30 000 casualties, over a million displaced people from both sides, and a long list of seemingly inextricable mutual grievances running deep in both countries' societies. Decades of international mediation, within the OSCE Minsk group, then in parallel strands under the aegis of Russia, the EU and the US, ended abruptly in September 2023, with Azerbaijan's lightning military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, leading within days to the dissolution of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) and to the forced exodus of some 100 000 ethnic Armenians. In the dangerous security vacuum created after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which altered the power balance in the region and discredited the role of Russia as security guarantor and peace broker, fears over a third war intensified. Against all odds, after months of exclusively bilateral negotiations, both parties announced in March 2025 that they had agreed on a draft peace treaty, establishing the basis for future peaceful mutual relations but leaving aside contentious issues, such as border delimitation and connectivity. However, the announcement came with Azerbaijan's precondition, ahead of the final signature, of removing from the preamble of the Armenian constitution a reference that Azerbaijan considered to be an implicit territorial claim. The seemingly impossible task for Armenia, where a constitutional change must be approved by popular referendum, appeared to put the peace process in limbo sine die. The 8 August Washington Summit gave a decisive new impetus to the process, although Azerbaijan maintains its precondition regarding what it sees as necessary changes to the Armenian constitution. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

This study investigates the integration and effects of artificial intelligence and algorithmic management (AM) technologies within European workplaces, extending beyond the realm of platform work. It thoroughly examines the European regulatory framework for the use of AM technologies, engages in stakeholder interviews, and analyses case studies within the logistics, healthcare, telecoms, automotive and manufacturing sectors, revealing notable gaps in worker protection and regulatory oversight. The study estimates that exposure to AM could rise from 42.3 % to 55.5 % in the medium term, generating productivity opportunities but also challenges in employment relations, working conditions and workers' wellbeing. It identifies key regulatory gaps in AM use at work, and explores the role EU legislation could play both in addressing the gaps and in guaranteeing responsible use of AM in the workplace. It develops three policy options: adopting a recommendation; amending a package of existing legislation; and adopting a new legislative instrument to regulate the use of AM. The added value of acting at EU level has been identified in ensuring the same level of protection for all workers, improving working conditions and safeguarding fundamental rights. For companies, having a common set of rules would enhance the level playing field and increase legal certainty. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

In this paper, we propose a multistep algorithmic method that enables us to determine the seat allocation for the European Parliament on a permanent basis applicable across various scenarios, including different numbers of Member States and their population sizes. According to the Lisbon Treaty, the allocation of seats must take into account a number of constraints regarding the minimum and maximum number of seats allocated to each Member State, the maximum size of the European Parliament, and degressive proportionality. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP