European Union

Written by Clare Ferguson with Sara Raja.

Members gather for the second plenary session of November, with an agenda that underlines the European Union’s efforts to defend and protect our democracies, our trade and our borders. The European Commission is expected to make a statement on the proposed Democracy Shield, and the Council and Commission are expected to make statements on tackling China’s export restrictions, on continued Russian border aggressions, and on the situation in Sudan and in Myanmar. Members are also set to adopt the EU’s 2026 budget.

Parliament’s negotiators have reached a provisional agreement on next year’s budget. The final text reflects Parliament’s priorities, particularly increasing funding for competitiveness, research and defence initiatives. The budget for the year sets commitment appropriations at €192.77 billion and payments at €190.1 billion. Following the Council’s approval of the text, expected on Monday, Members are scheduled to consider the file on Tuesday afternoon. The vote on the 2026 EU budget will conclude the budgetary procedure for 2026, allowing Parliament’s President to sign the budget into law.

Seeking to strengthen Europe’s defence industry and guarantee reliable access to defence equipment when needed, Members are due to debate approval of a provisional agreement reached with the Council on the European defence industry programme (EDIP) on Tuesday morning. The negotiators succeeded in maintaining the €1.5 billion budget for 2025 to 2027, including €300 million to support Ukraine. The agreement on EDIP also sets a 35 % limit on non-EU components and excludes suppliers who pose a risk to EU security, a key Parliament priority.

Another security issue, third-country interference in democratic processes, is due for debate on Wednesday morning. The Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) has tabled two reports on proposed new lobbying rules, including a proposed directive setting harmonised transparency requirements. The proposal is part of a broader package aimed at protecting democracy from covert foreign influence. The IMCO report recommends a narrower definition of such activities and proposes strengthening enforcement through fully interoperable national registers and by withdrawing registration for serious or repeated infringements. Once voted, this will form the Parliament’s position for negotiations with the Council.

Migrant smugglers are responsible for over 90 % of irregular external EU border crossings. And migrants smuggled this way are at higher risk of falling victim to trafficking in human beings. On Monday, Members are set to consider an agreement reached with the Council on a proposal to strengthen Europol’s role in combating migrant smuggling and trafficking. The agreement proposes to establish a permanent European Centre against Migrant Smuggling within Europol. It also introduces greater information-sharing in immigration operations, strengthens Europol’s biometric data processing capabilities and provides additional staff and funding. As Parliament’s substitute impact assessment on the file raises serious concerns, the report seeks to clarify the situation.

On Tuesday, Members are set to consider an agreement reached between the Committees on Budgets (BUDG) and Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) negotiators and the Council to amend and simplify the InvestEU Regulation. The changes would mobilise a further €55 billion in investment through InvestEU, the EU’s public-private risk-sharing instrument, supporting greater competitiveness and innovation. Cost savings made by reducing the frequency and scope of reporting obligations could reach €350 million.

Parliament is expected to debate an IMCO report on Tuesday afternoon, recommending measures to address the growing problem of children accessing adult content online. Age-verification methods are uneven in the EU and often easy to bypass, putting children at risk of seeing harmful content, or encountering abusive adults. The report on digital safety for minors warns of the risks of addiction, mental health problems and exposure to illegal content and calls for stronger enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA), for the expected digital fairness act to close legislative gaps in online child safety, and for an EU-wide digital age limit.

Continuing in its efforts to protect children, Parliament is also scheduled to vote on Tuesday on an interinstitutional agreement on the proposed new toy safety regulation, replacing the current Toy Safety Directive. Following negotiations between the co-legislators, the revised proposal requires that assessing the safety of digitally connected toys considers children’s vulnerabilities, including risks to mental health. It also bans additional harmful chemicals including per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in toys. The IMCO committee recommends that Parliament approve the Council’s position, bringing the legislative procedure to conclusion.

Although the current European disability strategy runs until 2030, in the face of persistent inequalities Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) is calling for an updated framework. People with disabilities still face disadvantages in income, access to jobs, inclusive education, housing and healthcare. On Wednesday, Members are set to consider a report from EMPL, aimed at addressing these disadvantages in the remaining years of the European disability strategy. The report also highlights the situation of women and girls with disabilities, who face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and violence.

As ice melts rapidly due to climate change, previously inaccessible land areas and sea routes in the Arctic are opening up. This has led to increases in natural resource extraction, and security and defence activities, affecting local populations and the fragile environment. Competition between global powers for influence in the region is contributing to a growing sense of instability. Members are due to consider a report on Tuesday from Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), calling for a security-oriented strategy in the Arctic. The report recommends deeper partnerships with Arctic countries including Canada, Iceland, Norway, and self-governing Greenland – and supports future EU enlargement prospects and increased EU funding for the region.

The principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, which ensure the EU only acts where appropriate and where national governments cannot, is fundamental to the EU legislative process. Members are set to vote on a report from the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) on Thursday, which calls for improved definition and application of subsidiarity and proportionality and extending the deadline for national parliaments in the Member States to engage in the EU legislative process.

Further reading:

• European Parliament Plenary Session, November I 2025, agenda
• European defence industry programme (EDIP)
• Adoption of the European Union’s 2026 budget
• Interest representation activities carried out on behalf of third countries
• Stronger role for Europol to fight migrant smuggling and human trafficking
• InvestEU: New measures to unlock investment
• Online protection of minors
• Toy safety regulation
• EU strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities post-2024
• EU strategy and cooperation in the Arctic
• Subsidiarity, proportionality and the role of national parliaments in the EU

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