European Union

Written by Clare Ferguson with Sara Raja.

Members gather in Brussels this week for the first plenary session of November, with an agenda featuring plans for the new 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework, among other issues. Members are also set to hear Council and Commission statements on the conclusions of the European Council meeting held on 23 October 2025.

On Wednesday, Members will hear Council and Commission statements on the first European Annual Asylum and Migration report and the setting up of the Annual Solidarity Pool. This regular report, still to be published by the Commission at the time of writing, aims to describe the migration and asylum situation in the Member States and is accompanied by a decision determining which Member States are under migratory pressure, at risk of migratory pressure or facing a significant migratory situation. The Annual Solidarity Pool is aimed at allocating solidarity contributions, like relocations and financial support, to Member States facing migratory pressure. While Parliament does not have a formal role in its implementation, it supported the establishment of the solidarity mechanism under the migration pact.

The EU plans to adopt a new gender equality strategy in early 2026. Based on feedback on the current strategy gathered in 2025, citizens, civil society and public institutions want a binding and inclusive EU framework that prioritises protection from gender-based violence, ensures equal pay and economic participation and improves access to quality healthcare. On Wednesday, Parliament is scheduled to debate a report from its Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) outlining priorities for the 2026 strategy. The report calls for a comprehensive and ambitious approach to tackling violence against women, including its possible definition as a ‘euro-crime’, and to close gaps in political representation, pay and the sharing of care responsibilities. On Thursday, Members are set to address an amendment to the European Electoral Act which would allow Members to benefit from proxy voting in plenary during pregnancy and after giving birth.

Businesses that operate across EU borders face different corporate tax systems in every Member State, with varying rules on depreciation, tax deductibility of losses, treatment of interests and more. As a result, EU businesses have to spend time and resources on complying with complex distinct local corporate tax rules, which is a significant administrative burden. To tackle the issue at EU level, the Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation (BEFIT) aims to create a common corporate tax framework for large EU multinational businesses. On Wednesday, Parliament is due to vote on a (non-binding) report on BEFIT from the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON). The report strongly supports the proposal’s overall objectives but calls for improvements to address the challenges of taxing the digital economy. It recommends that a business be treated as tax resident in any Member State in which it generates a substantial level of sales, ensuring it pays fair taxes to the community that supports its operations. Once Parliament has been consulted, the file requires a unanimous vote in the Council.

On Thursday, Members are set to consider a digital trade agreement (DTA) between the EU and Singapore. Digital trade agreements can contribute to securing access to new markets, simplifying electronic transactions, protecting consumers, removing administrative obstacles to trade and increasing legal certainty. Under the EU-Singapore DTA, citizens will benefit from privacy and data protection rules, safeguards against online fraud, and limits on spam. The agreement ensures electronic contracts and signatures are legally valid, duty-free online transmissions and promotes open access to government data. It also supports secure, affordable cross-border digital payments and cooperation to combat cyber threats. Any disputes will be settled under the same rules that already apply under the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.

In a debate on Wednesday afternoon, Members are set to consider a report on the proposal to set a 2040 EU emissions reduction target as a step towards ensuring a cost-efficient and realistic pathway to climate neutrality by 2050. Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Climate and Food Safety (ENVI) would like to see higher ambition on environmental and human rights and to safeguard against funding for projects that contradict EU strategic interests, in relation to international credits which can be used for 2040 but not for the other targets of the climate law. The committee also proposes to delay the new ETS2 emissions trading system for one year (currently set to start in 2027). The vote on amending the European Climate Law will set Parliament’s position for negotiations with the co-legislators.

Almost two thirds of the world’s oceans are outside any national jurisdiction. These marine areas play a vital role in supporting ecosystems, regulating the climate and sustaining economic activities such as fisheries and tourism, but they face threats from overfishing, pollution and climate change. The landmark 2023 United Nations High Seas Treaty, or Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, aims to address the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national borders. Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety (ENVI) has adopted a report on a proposal to establish rules on international management of the high seas, which introduces clarifications for closer alignment with the BBNJ text. The proposed changes aim to improve transparency by requiring that Member States publish the measures they take regarding biodiversity in the high seas and improve flexibility in the process of submitting measures taken related to area-based management tools to the BBNJ secretariat, especially in emergencies. Parliament is set to consider the report on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Members are set to vote on a provisional agreement on a proposal to revise the founding regulation of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The revision, supported by Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN), would expand EMSA’s mandate, strengthening its contribution to the green and digital transitions and enhancing its ability to tackle emerging security risks, including cyber and hybrid threats. It also establishes a flexibility mechanism that allows EMSA to take on new tasks at the request of the Commission or Member States. In addition, it updates governance rules to ensure a better balance between oversight and efficiency in the EU’s efforts to improve maritime safety and prevent pollution from shipping.

• European Parliament Plenary Session, November I 2025, agenda
• Conclusions of the European Council meeting held on 23 October 2025
• The first European Annual Asylum and Migration report and the Annual Solidarity Pool
• Gender equality strategy post-2025
• Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation (BEFIT)
• The EU-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement
• Amending the European Climate Law
• Protecting marine biodiversity in the high seas
• Revision of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) founding regulation

Newsletter - 12-13 November 2025 - Brussels plenary session

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Critics warn that concern about upsetting the US has further softened a Commission plan to tackle disinformation

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Bucharest says drone debris likely from Russian strikes on Ukrainian ports across the Danube

The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs is calling on the Commission to introduce a law to regulate the use of algorithmic technologies, including AI, within European workplaces.
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs is calling on the Commission to introduce a law to regulate the use of algorithmic technologies, including AI, within European workplaces.
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Experts say the industry’s argument that higher taxes fuel smuggling doesn’t stand up to scrutiny

Similar trends are being observed across Europe

As the EU is hardening its stance towards China, Madrid's warm relations with Beijing have stood out; Sánchez has made three visits to the Asian country since 2023 and this royal visit aims to strengthen "political, economic and cultural" ties

The new farm rules should enter into force by 2026

On Monday, Parliament and Council negotiators agreed to simplify EU common agricultural policy requirements.
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

On Monday, Parliament and Council negotiators agreed to simplify EU common agricultural policy requirements.
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Anti-graft agency says $100 million laundered through kickbacks at nuclear firm Energoatom

The Commission defends the plan, saying the changes add up to €64 billion more than the original proposal

Length of video : 60'

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Written by Eric Pichon.

The Sudanese are caught in a devastating civil war, driven by deep political fragmentation, with far-reaching humanitarian and human rights consequences. While President Al-Bashir’s ousting in 2019 had raised hopes for a democratic transition, deep divisions between the regular Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) derailed power-sharing attempts. This has triggered violent conflict across the country since April 2023, exacerbating hostilities between communities and resulting in competing administrations, further weakening prospects for reconciliation.
Many thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict, while abuses such as sexual violence and forced recruitment of children to armed groups are widespread. Natural disasters compound the impact of violence, leaving the majority of Sudan’s population in urgent need of assistance. International humanitarian law is routinely violated, by restrictions on humanitarian access, attacks on aid workers, destruction of health facilities, and the weaponisation of hunger. The conflict has unleashed massive displacement, with millions forced to flee their homes both within Sudan and across borders, overwhelming neighbouring states and threatening to further destabilise the Horn of Africa.
Regional and international players back rival factions according to complex geostrategic interests in this resource-rich country on the Red Sea. These external alliances fuel the conflict, notably contributing to the proliferation of arms, and make it particularly difficult to achieve consensus or pursue a sustainable solution at the United Nations level. Several competing peacemaking initiatives have been launched with little progress, although a roadmap agreed on 12 September 2025 has raised cautious optimism among international mediators.
The European Union (EU) has intensified its humanitarian response and plays a leading role in coordinating peace initiatives. The European Parliament has consistently urged the EU and other stakeholders to maintain pressure on all parties to cease hostilities and to ensure that Sudanese civil society is genuinely included in dialogue towards a sustainable solution.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Understanding the war in Sudan: The human cost of geopolitics‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Sudan: areas controlled by the SAF, the RSF and other groups; regional countries’ support

Over 70,000 newborns have gone without valuable screening since 2024

MEPs want a 90% reduction target for emissions by 2040 compared with 1990 levels to achieve a climate neutral EU by 2050.
Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP