European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
Institutional and Legal Affairs
The six policy priorities of the von der Leyen Commission: State of play in spring 2021
During the new European Commission’s first one hundred days in office, however, the European Union, and indeed the whole world, were to be profoundly affected by the sudden outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, with the developing pandemic soon evolving into a multi‑faceted global crisis. Continue reading
Plenary round-up – April 2021
The April 2021 plenary session featured a debate on the outcome of EU-UK negotiations and the vote on the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Continue reading
EU legislation and policies to fight racial and ethnic discrimination [Policy Podcast]
Racial and ethnic minorities face discrimination and its consequences on a daily basis. The exact scale of the problem is hard to gauge owing to a lack of data and general under-reporting of racist incidents. Continue reading
Towards a more resilient Europe post-coronavirus: Options to enhance the EU’s resilience to structural risks
In April 2020, the participants in the inter-institutional European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS), which aims to identify and analyse medium- and long-term global trends facing the European Union, were invited by the Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for foresight to offer ‘food for thought’ on issues arising from the coronavirus pandemic, with a view to helping refine collective thinking on how to increase the long-term resilience of the Union over the coming decade. Continue reading
Addressing the dissemination of terrorist content online [EU Legislation in Progress]
Dissemination of terrorist content is one of the most widespread and most dangerous forms of misuse of online services in the field of internal security. Continue reading
The role of the European Council in negotiating the 2021-27 MFF
As a result of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU) and the coronavirus pandemic, the political and economic context for the negotiations on the 2021‑2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF) was extremely challenging – and quite different to the previous set of MFF negotiations – testing the (limits of the) EU’s resilience and solidarity. Continue reading
The EU strategic autonomy debate [What Think Tanks are thinking]
An increasing number of politicians and analysts argue that the European Union should boost its ‘strategic autonomy’ and/or develop a higher degree of ‘European sovereignty’. Continue reading
Outcome of the video-conferences of EU leaders on 25 March 2021
Due to the worsening epidemiological situation, EU leaders met on 25 March 2021 in a series of video-conferences instead of a two-day physical meeting. Continue reading
Plenary round-up – March II 2021
The highlight of the March II 2021 plenary session was the joint debate on the preparation of the European Council and Digital Green Certificates. Continue reading
Outlook for the meetings of EU leaders on 25-26 March 2021
One year after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the fight against the virus will again top the agenda of the European Council meeting on 25-26 March 2021. Continue reading
Electronic evidence in criminal matters [EU Legislation in Progress]
In December 2020, the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee adopted its reports on a pair of 2018 legislative proposals on electronic evidence in criminal matters, and mandates to start trilogue negotiations on the two proposals. Continue reading
Plenary round-up – March I 2021
The highlight of the March I 2021 plenary session was the official signature of the Joint Declaration on the Conference on the Future of Europe, allowing the Conference’s work finally to get under way. Continue reading
Pushbacks at the EU’s external borders
In recent years, the migration policy of the European Union (EU) has focused on strict border controls and the externalisation of migration management through cooperation with third countries. Continue reading
Reform of the Comitology Regulation [EU Legislation in Progress]
On 14 February 2017, the European Commission adopted a proposal amending Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 (the ‘Comitology Regulation’) in order to increase the transparency and accountability of the decision-making process leading to the adoption of implementing acts. Continue reading
Digital services act [EU Legislation in Progress]
The rules governing the provision of digital products and services in the EU have remained largely unchanged since the adoption of the e-Commerce Directive in 2000, while digital technologies and business models continue to evolve rapidly and new societal challenges are emerging, such as the spread of counterfeit goods, hate speech and disinformation online. Continue reading
Women in politics in the EU: State of play
One hundred years after women won the vote or were first elected to parliament in some EU countries, the data show that women continue to be under-represented in politics and public life, in the European Parliament, national parliaments and governments, and local assemblies. Continue reading
Covid-19: The need for a gendered response
In the midst of the current pandemic, adopting a gender perspective may seem a secondary concern. However, pandemics are known to affect women and men differently, making it essential to recognise these differences in order to understand the impacts on individuals and communities and to respond effectively and equitably. Continue reading
Outcome of the European Council video-conference of 25 February 2021
For the tenth time since the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, the European Council met by video-conference, however this time in two separate sessions. Continue reading
Plenary round-up – February 2021
The main debates held during the February 2021 plenary session concerned the state of play of the EU’s Covid‑19 vaccination strategy and the de facto abortion ban in Poland. Continue reading
European Commission: Facts and Figures
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. Under the Treaties, its tasks are to ‘promote the general interest of the Union’, without prejudice to individual Member States, to ‘ensure the application of the Treaties’ and adopted measures, and to ‘execute the budget’. Continue reading
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