Hearings
A committee is permitted to organise a hearing with experts, where this is considered essential to its work on a particular subject. Hearings can also be held jointly by two or more committees. Most committees organise regular hearings, as they allow them to hear from experts and hold discussions on the key issues. On this page you will find all the available information relating to committee hearings, including programmes and contributions from speakers.
The Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) and the Committee on Development (DEVE) held a joint public hearing on “The Human Rights Situation in Sudan and the EU Strategy” on 11 November 2025. The hearing brought together Sakharov Prize Laureate Salih Mahmoud Osman and experts from the United Nations and civil society.
On 24 September (15.00-17.00) the DROI Subcommittee and the FEMM Committee organised a public hearing on ‘The EU strategy to promote and to protect human rights of women worldwide (notably in Afghanistan & Iran, with a focus on fighting gender apartheid)’. Representatives of the EU, the United Nations, the International Criminal Court and Amnesty International will participate in the exchange while human rights defenders and journalists will share their personal testimonies.
On 25 June 2025, DROI Subcommittee organised a public hearing on "The Human Rights dimension of the EU memoranda of Understanding in its Southern Neighbourhood (Mauritania, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, with a focus on the use of EU funds)". It allowed to reflect upon the EU cooperation policy in the region from a human rights perspective and discuss solutions for the monitoring of the informal agreements and related funding and improving the human rights conditionality in the EU policy tools.
Public hearing on "Advancing International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL) in Conflict Zones and Fragile Contexts to Protect the Most Vulnerable"
On 8 April 2025, the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) is organising a public hearing on the "Human rights situation in Cuba". In the programme of the hearing – two main topics: 1) Human rights situation and fundamental freedoms in Cuba; 2) EU response, state of play and future perspectives.
On 4 December, the Subcommittee on Human Rights held a hearing on the Rights of the Child in the EU external policy on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.