Governments, elections, EU geopolitics
Hungary’s Article 7 procedure remains the EU’s longest-running rule-of-law deadlock. In 2026, the file is shaped by frozen EU funds, Article 6 hearings and the political momentum after Orbán’s electoral defeat.
On 6 May 2026, the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee evaluates progress made by Albania and Montenegro towards EU membership in two key reports.
MEPs adopted on 30 April 2026 a resolution demanding harmonised EU definition of cyberbullying, strict enforcement of existing laws and increased platform responsibility to protect citizens online.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned in May 2026 that the Strait of Hormuz crisis could push tens of millions into poverty, trigger global hunger surge and tip the world toward recession.
Hungary remains the longest-running Article 7 case in EU history. Where the rule-of-law procedure stands in 2026, the political deadlock, and what could change.
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.
MEPs vote to reopen the debate on a common EU definition of rape after a consent-based approach was dropped from the violence against women directive in 2024.
Cyprus summit produces breakthrough as Hungary unblocks the Ukraine loan facility, with the 20th sanctions package targeting the Russian shadow fleet.
MEPs adopted their negotiating position on the next EU budget, calling for a 10 percent increase over the Commission proposal and embedding strong rule of law conditionality.