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This European implementation assessment supports the European Parliament's implementation report on the EU Youth Strategy (EUYS) 2019-2027 prepared by the European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education (CULT). Part I of this study examines recent European Commission developments on the EUYS, Parliament's oversight of the EUYS, and the results of consultations. Part II of the study examines EUYS implementation at the EU level and in six selected Member States, drawing on the most recent ...

Located in south-east Asia, Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with a long history of instability, alternating between military rule and unstable civilian governments. The Constitutional Court's decisions have often had an impact on Thai politics. King Vajiralongkorn (crowned as Rama X in May 2019) has been the king of Thailand since December 2016. Anutin Charnvirakul has been the Prime Minister since September 2025. The bicameral National Assembly consists of an elected 500-member House of Representatives ...

The highlight of the first plenary session of 2026 was the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Spain and Portugal's accession to the European Union, marked with a formal sitting addressed by His Majesty Felipe VI, King of Spain, and His Excellency Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Republic of Portugal. Members debated with the European Council and European Commission on the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 18 December 2025 and the geopolitical tensions currently facing Europe ...

A special plenary session will take place in Brussels on 27 January, International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The date marks the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp in 1945, and provides an opportunity to remember the victims of the Holocaust and to reaffirm the need for overcoming stereotypes and prejudice.

This study examines the perpetrators and methods of transnational repression within the European Union (EU) and suggests possible counter-strategies for EU institutions. The study explains how transnational repression relates to associated issues faced by the EU, such as foreign interference, disinformation, abuse of migration frameworks and hybrid threats. Whilst the scale, scope and methods of transnational repression comprise a global phenomenon, this problem is specifically prevalent within the ...

A number of stakeholders have warned that civic space in Europe is shrinking, with civil society organisations (CSOs) facing a growing range of threats, from attacks on their staff to smear and disinformation campaigns. Against this backdrop, the Commission proposes a strategy to protect CSOs, focusing on three main pillars: strengthening effective engagement with CSOs as partners in governance; supporting and protecting CSOs; and ensuring long-term, predictable and sufficient financing. The strategy ...

On 25 November 2021, the European Commission submitted a proposal to modify Directive 93/109/EC on the right of mobile European Union (EU) citizens – those residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals – to vote and stand as candidates in elections to the European Parliament. Directive 93/109/EC gave EU citizens the same rights to vote and to be elected to the European Parliament as the citizens of the Member State in which they reside. However, Member States have varying rules on the ...

Recent climate related disasters, health crises and security threats have highlighted the need to build a resilient Union, capable of anticipating and effectively managing future disasters and crises based on an all hazards approach. More comprehensive and integrated crisis management, requiring close and efficient cooperation between the EU and Member States, is essential for addressing complex and long lasting crises impacting several sectors simultaneously. To this end, and as part of the proposed ...

The communication on the European Democracy Shield (EDS) aims to boost the protection of democracy against attacks, including from foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and disinformation. Proposed actions reflect the EU's whole-of-society approach, with a new Centre for Democratic Resilience complementing a broad set of proposed actions across three key pillars.

Portugal became a Member of the European Communities (EC) in January 1986, alongside Spain, in the third enlargement of the European Union. It has since played an active role in European integration. In its 40 years of membership, Portugal has experienced profound political, economic, and institutional changes. On 21 January 2026, Parliament marks the 40th anniversary of the country's accession to the EU, with an address by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal, in plenary.