The EU-Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement enters provisional force on 1 May 2026 after 25 years of negotiations, opening trade between 750 million consumers despite legal uncertainty.
MEPs voted in plenary in late April 2026 on the European Parliament’s negotiating position for the 2028-2034 EU long-term budget, demanding higher resources for defence, climate and competitiveness.
The General Data Protection Regulation marked its 10th anniversary on 27 April 2026. A decade of enforcement has reshaped global privacy norms but exposed persistent gaps.
MEPs voted on 30 April 2026 in favour of a draft report calling on the Commission to propose EU-wide legislation defining rape based on the absence of freely given consent.
Ursula von der Leyen confirmed on 29 April 2026 that the first €6 billion tranche of the EU’s €90 billion loan to Ukraine will be disbursed in Q2 and dedicated to Ukrainian-made drones.
The European Parliament voted on 28 April 2026 to set its negotiating position on the EU’s 2028-2034 long-term budget, pushing back against Commission proposals to centralise funds.
The European Parliament voted on 28 April 2026 to set its negotiating position on the EU’s 2028-2034 long-term budget, pushing back against Commission proposals to centralise funds.
Opinion: After two years of debate, the case for EU treaty reform — moving beyond unanimity in critical areas — is becoming harder to dismiss as enlargement looms.
European Heritage Days bring 70,000 events across 50 countries each September. How the largest cultural participation programme in Europe works, and what makes it durable.
European defence spending is rising sharply in 2026 as the bloc rearms. The political fight over how to fund it — joint debt, national budgets, or industrial policy — is intensifying.