The highlight of the first plenary session of 2026 was the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Spain and Portugal's accession to the European Union, marked with a formal sitting addressed by His ...

A number of stakeholders have warned that civic space in Europe is shrinking, with civil society organisations (CSOs) facing a growing range of threats, from attacks on their staff to smear and ...

Tax fragmentation across Member States continues to undermine the functioning of the EU single market. Legal uncertainty and administrative complexity create persistent obstacles to cross-border ...

Following a strategy of maximum pressure since January 2025, the United States intervened militarily in January 2026, captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and arraigned them in New York ...

Conflict is rarely confined to the geographical space in which wars take place. The increasingly global effects – human, material and political – of wars and conflicts make a view of the level of ...

EPRS traditionally opens the year with a look ahead to the issues and trends that will be high on the EU agenda. On Wednesday 14 January it presented its outlook ‘Ten issues to watch in 2026’, a ...

The communication on the European Democracy Shield (EDS) aims to boost the protection of democracy against attacks, including from foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and ...

The liberalisation of the EU air transport market, completed in 1997 and consolidated under Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008, expanded routes, lowered fares, and increased passenger numbers to over ...

Members gather on 19 January for the first plenary session of 2026. The agenda features a debate on the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 18-19 December 2025, the presentation of the ...

This EPRS publication seeks to put into context, and offer insights on, 10 key issues and policy areas on the European Union's political agenda in 2026.