Diplomacy & Crisis News

In building ties with these countries, India will need to factor in China.

Persian spread as it was a prestigious and developed language that worked as a lingua franca for trade and administration across much of the eastern Islamic world.

The arrangement with Tehran is likely to alleviate some of the worst impacts of the fuel shortages that threaten further to constrain the country's economy.

L’Afrique est une victime collatérale de la guerre au Moyen-Orient. Une pénurie de médicaments menace le contient qui importe plus de 70% de ses médicaments, principalement d'Inde et de Chine. En cause, le blocage du détroit d’Ormuz qui rallonge les trajets et augmente le coût du transport.

La première des préoccupations des dirigeants est de "regarder dans la culotte des sénégalais".   Au Sénégal, une nouvelle loi durcit les sanctions contre l’homosexualité, avec des peines pouvant aller jusqu’à 10 ans de prison et une extension à la “promotion” de l’homosexualité. Au-delà du débat sociétal, quelles conséquences concrètes sur le plan judiciaire ? Analyse avec l’avocate camerounaise Alice Nkom, figure majeure de la défense des personnes poursuivies dans ce type d’affaires. Un éclairage sur les mécanismes du droit, entre textes, application et libertés fondamentales.

/ Décolonisation, Histoire, Mozambique, Botswana, République démocratique du Congo, Namibie, Zimbabwe, Zambie, Angola, Malawi, Tanzanie - Afrique / Décolonisation, Histoire, Mozambique, Botswana, République démocratique du Congo, Namibie, Zimbabwe, Zambie, Angola, Malawi, Tanzanie

Was the single market and production base a fantasy?

/ Arabie saoudite, Iran, Irak, Émirats arabes unis, Oman, Qatar, Bahreïn, Koweït, Syrie, Liban, Israël, Jordanie, Pétrole, Conflit, Transports, Mer - Proche-Orient / Arabie saoudite, Iran, Irak, Émirats arabes unis, Oman, Qatar, Bahreïn, Koweït, Syrie, Liban, Israël, Jordanie, Pétrole, Conflit, Transports, Mer

Dans un premier temps, il s'agirait d'atteindre l'objectif affiché à la conférence du parti en septembre 2025 : élargir l'électorat. À Birmingham, M. Farage a enjoint à ses cadres de « prendre modèle sur les libéraux-démocrates, qui ont établi des antennes territoriales. Cette force leur a (…) / Royaume-Uni, Extrême droite, Parti politique

When every encounter requires a transaction, some encounters never happen at all.

Guided by geopolitical realities, the framework is recalibrating into a highly practical alliance centered on advanced technology and economic security.

History suggests the energy crunch is just the beginning of a chain reaction that ends with a food and social stability crisis. 

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2026 - EP

Australia must decide whether to remain an active, trusted participant in regional discourse or to relinquish that role to competing actors. 

Whatever happened to India’s promotion of a multipolar world?

Until Western analysts honestly grapple with what U.S. and allied conventional capabilities look like from Beijing, no stable strategic relationship with China is achievable.

Both sides want to dictate the terms—but neither truly can.

China’s quest for global leadership in AI and cybersecurity threatens free expression and information integrity around the world.

China’s sustained higher defense spending has altered the military balance in the region.

Written by Clare Fergurson and Katarzyna Sochacka.

European Union–United States trade deal

Against a background of trade tariff instability, and to pave the way for negotiations with the Council on implementing the 2025 framework agreement between the EU and the United States (the ‘Turnberry deal’), Parliament debated and adopted its first-reading position on Committee on International Trade (INTA) reports on the two regulations proposed. The report on the main proposal covers EU industrial tariff liberalisation/agricultural tariff rate quotas, proposing a ‘sunset’ date of 31 March 2028, defensive measures in case of additional demands, and a safeguard clause. The second report, which deals specifically with trade in lobster, proposes a ‘sunset’ date of 31 December 2028, and includes defensive measures in case of US imposition of additional tariffs, breaches of human rights or threats to EU security interests. Both reports propose to evaluate the situation six months after implementation of the EU-US framework agreement.

Deposit protection and early intervention measures

Members remain determined to protect taxpayers from the consequences of failed banking institutions. A joint debate took place on deposit protection and early intervention measures, followed by a vote on agreed texts on a package of proposals that seek to further harmonise the current EU bank crisis management and deposit insurance framework. The agreements would facilitate access to industry support for failing banks, with resort to national deposit guarantee schemes set as a last resort. They also clarify the criteria for choosing whether to liquidate or rescue a bank and retain the current two-tier system for deposit protection.

Combating corruption

Following lengthy negotiations, Members approved a provisional agreement on the proposed directive to combat corruption. Aimed at developing a more robust legal and policy framework, the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs’ report on the proposal called for an extended definition of a ‘public official’ potentially subject to criminal proceedings in the case of ‘abuse of function’, and to introduce new categories of offence. It also sought enhanced rights for the public to participate in corruption-related proceedings and called for EU countries to adopt anti-corruption strategies. Parliament’s recommendations shaped the compromise text in this latter respect, but with limited extensions to definitions.

Digital omnibus on artificial intelligence

The development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) is changing many aspects of daily life, and at considerable speed. The EU’s flagship Artificial Intelligence Act introduced measures to encourage development whilst also protecting citizens. However, setting up the governance structure to apply the act takes time. To ensure safe AI development can continue in the interim, Members adopted Parliament’s position for trilogue negotiations on proposed measures to simplify application of the AI Act. A report from Parliament’s Committees on Internal Market and Consumer Protection and on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs agrees with the Council position that fixed deadlines should be set for delaying the rules governing high-risk AI systems. The report also introduces a targeted ban on AI generation of non-consensual sexual and intimate content.

Global gateway

The EU’s global gateway strategy seeks to promote clean and secure energy connections by working with international partners worldwide. Members debated and adopted an own-initiative report from the Committees on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and on Development (DEVE), assessing the first four years of the strategy’s implementation. While noting the funding has been successfully spent on promoting sustainable and inclusive growth in non-EU countries, the report nevertheless proposes improvements. These include moving to a more demand-driven strategy, based on partners’ needs and greater private sector involvement. The committees recommend revising the governance structure for greater democratic legitimacy, and advocate simpler and more predictable financing, as well as avoiding global gateway projects exacerbating debt in third countries.

Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive

In the EU, citizens largely enjoy access to clean water. The EU’s urban wastewater legislation was updated in 2024, to bring it into line with the EU’s climate neutrality targets. The new Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) introduced stricter requirements for urban wastewater treatment, water re-use and sanitation. Members posed an oral question to the Commission on the implementation of this directive, with Members debating how to uphold the ‘polluter pays’ principle without risking production of vital medicines, as the pharmaceutical industry is a major user of water resources. During negotiations on the file, Parliament insisted on measures to avoid unintended consequences for vital products like medicines and to promote the re-use of wastewater and plant modernisation.

European Citizens’ Initiative – ‘Ban on conversion practices in the European Union’

Against the backdrop of several national bans on conversion practices in EU countries, Parliament debated a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), with over one million signatures in support, calling for an EU-wide ban on conversion practices targeting LGBTIQ+ individuals. Conversion practices (also known as conversion ‘therapies’) are widely condemned as constituting torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, resulting in severe physical and psychological harm. The European Parliament firmly opposes conversion practices and has long denounced all forms of LGBTIQ+ discrimination.

Opening of trilogue negotiations

One decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations from the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) on the common system for the return of third-country nationals staying illegally in the Union (Return Regulation), announced on 12 March 2026, was approved by vote.

This ‘at a glance’ note is intended to review some of the highlights of the plenary part-session, and notably to follow up on key dossiers identified by EPRS. It does not aim to be exhaustive. For more detailed information on specific files, please see other EPRS products, notably our ‘EU legislation in progress’ briefings, and the plenary minutes.

Read this ‘at a glance note’ on ‘Plenary round-up – March II 2026‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.