European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
democracy
The Twitter activity of members of the European Council
Over recent years, the members of the European Council have, in a number of landmark declarations such as the Bratislava Declaration, pointed to the need to improve communication with citizens, as part of the process of building greater trust and confidence in the European Union and its institutions. Continue reading
Outcome of the meetings of EU leaders on 10 and 11 December 2020
On Thursday 10 and Friday 11 December 2020, the European Council agreed on clarifications to the rule-of-law conditionality mechanism, which pave the way for the adoption of the Multiannual Financial Framework and the Next Generation EU recovery fund. Continue reading
Outlook for the meetings of EU leaders on 10-11 December 2020
On 10 and 11 December, EU leaders will meet for their 13th meeting of 2020, bringing to a close a year of exceptionally intensive activity for the European Council. Continue reading
Key issues in the European Council: State of play in December 2020
Established as an informal summit meeting in 1975, the European Council became a formal European Union institution, with a full-time President, in 2009, on the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon. Continue reading
Digital human rights and the future of democracy: Lessons from the pandemic
Digital technologies are increasingly shaping our economy, politics, and society. As many online activities leave a digital trace, our digital activity allows automatic gathering of a wealth of behavioural data. Continue reading
Outcome of the European Council meeting of 15-16 October 2020
Without reaching any new decisions, the European Council meeting of 15-16 October 2020 addressed a series of important issues, including the coronavirus pandemic, EU-United Kingdom relations and climate change. Continue reading
Key issues in the European Council: State of play in October 2020
The role of the European Council is to ‘provide the Union with the necessary impetus for its development’ and to define its ‘general political directions and priorities’. Continue reading
Outlook for the European Council of 15-16 October 2020
Only two weeks after the last European Council meeting, EU Heads of State or Government gather again on 15-16 October 2020, to address future EU-UK relations, EU-Africa relations and climate change. Continue reading
Plenary round-up – Brussels, October I 2020
During the first October 2020 plenary session in Brussels, Parliament held a debate on the rule of law and fundamental rights in the context of introducing conditionality measures in the framework of the 2021‑2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF) and Next Generation EU. Continue reading
Foresight for resilience: The European Commission’s first annual Foresight Report
Strategic foresight can help near-term recovery become resilient over the long term. This is the key message of the European Commission’s first ever annual Foresight Report. Continue reading
European Council Leaders’ Agenda 2020-21
At the special European Council meeting of 1-2 October 2020, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, presented a new Leaders’ Agenda outlining his view of ‘the key challenges confronting the Union’ and setting a timetable for the Heads of State or Government to address these issues at meetings between October 2020 and June 2021. Continue reading
Outcome of the special European Council meeting, 1-2 October 2020
The European Council meeting of 1-2 October 2020 was largely dedicated to external relations. EU leaders discussed a wide range of foreign policy issues, including relations with China, Nagorno-Karabakh and the Navalny poisoning attempt. Continue reading
European Parliament Plenary Session – October I 2020
Despite Parliament’s efforts to return to Strasbourg for its plenary sessions, the first session of October will again take place in Brussels, to avoid hundreds of people travelling to France during the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading
Protecting EU common values within the Member States: An overview of monitoring, prevention and enforcement mechanisms at EU level
Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) lays down the founding values of the European Union, referring to ‘human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities’. Continue reading
Disruption by technology: Impacts on politics, economics and society
Disruption is a specific form of change which occurs relatively quickly or dramatically. Technology has long been seen as a source of disruption to our lives, communities and civilisations, provoking disruptive change at all scales, from individuals’ routine daily activities to dramatic competition between global superpowers. Continue reading
Outlook for the special European Council meeting of 1-2 October 2020
At the special European Council on 24-25 September 2020, EU Heads of State or Government are expected to dedicate much of their time to external relations issues, notably to a strategic discussion on Turkey and a debate on relations with China. Continue reading
Mapping threats to peace and democracy worldwide: Normandy Index 2020
The ‘Normandy Index’, now in its second year, aims to measure the level of threats to peace, security and democracy around the world. It was presented for the first time on the occasion of the Normandy Peace Forum in June 2019, as a result of a partnership between the European Parliament and the Region of Normandy. Continue reading
Peace and Security in 2020: Overview of EU action and outlook for the future
This is the third Peace and Security Outlook produced by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS). The series is designed to analyse and explain the contribution of the European Union to the promotion of peace and security internationally, through its various external policies. Continue reading
Outcome of the European Council video-conference of 19 August 2020
The European Council video-conference meeting of 19 August 2020 was called by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, due to the increasingly worrying situation in Belarus after the recent national elections. Continue reading
European Parliament Plenary Session – July 2020
The agenda for the July session – the last regular session before the summer, and likely the last in Brussels, with Parliament planning for a return to Strasbourg in September – opens with Council and European Commission statements. Continue reading
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