As of May 2025, 29 countries were full members of the Schengen area, where checks at their internal borders with other Schengen states are abolished (see Figure 3): • Germany, Belgium, France, ...

You can use our collection of graphs, charts, tables and maps with statistical data for any purpose (just please credit the European Parliamentary Research Service). The images were created by the ...

In response to United States (US) tariffs, and citing national security interests as a reason, China introduced two waves of export controls for rare-earth elements (REEs) in April and October 2025 ...

The ‘fit for 55’ package, presented in July and December 2021, is designed to realise the European Climate Law objectives: climate neutrality by 2050 and a 55 % reduction of net greenhouse gas (GHG) ...

The Panama Canal is an artificial 82-kilometre (51-mile) waterway that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean, making it an important trade and logistics hub. President Donald Trump ...

Russia’s war on Ukraine has been a wake-up call for many EU Member States’ defence budgets. Rising from €218 billion in 2021 to €326 billion in 2024, a further increase of at least €100 billion is ...

The US Trump administration has set its sights on Ukraine’s vast mineral resources, and proposed a deal: to secure a portion of Ukraine’s rare earths in exchange for US support in the war against the ...

Russia’s escalating hybrid attacks, including drone incursions, have prompted NATO’s Operation Eastern Sentry and the European Union’s (EU) plans for a European Drone Wall and Eastern Flank Watch. The ...

In 2022, collective annual EU defence budgets had already increased to €240 billion, of which €58 billion (+24.2 % compared to 2021) was for defence investment (defence R&D and defence procurement), a ...

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 ...

Since 1973, the Schuman Building has been home to a number of departments of the European Parliament’s Secretariat. In spite of its austere look and administrative nature, it houses the first ...

Written by Polona Car with Filippo Cassetti. Dark patterns are deceptive techniques used by online platforms to manipulate users’ behaviour, often without their knowledge or consent. The EU regulatory ...