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This study explores the competitiveness gap faced by the EU’s seafood sector. Five case studies illustrate how high input costs and relatively low productivity mean that imports, now supply over 80% of the EU’s consumption of fisheries and aquaculture products (FAPs). The policy recommendations provided aim to help secure a more self-sufficient, sustainable, and resilient seafood system. This document was prepared at the request of the Committee on Fisheries (PECH).

On 8 December 2025, the European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement on the 2023 Commission proposal for a regulation on the production and marketing of forest reproductive material (FRM). The new regulation would replace the current FRM Council Directive and widen its scope to include not only FRM for forestry purposes but also the FRM for conservation of forest genetic resources. The proposal would introduce a requirement for the basic material harvested for FRM production ...

In February 2026, two and a half years after the European Commission's proposal, trilogues started on a new regulation on the production and marketing of plant reproductive material (PRM). The proposal, put forward on 5 July 2023, would replace 10 of the 12 PRM directives that currently lay down the rules for seeds, tubers, cuttings, seedlings and young plants. It would introduce sustainability requirements for registering new varieties of agricultural plants, vegetables and fruits intended for professional ...

This study was prepared at the request of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO). It analyses the European Commission’s Digital Omnibus package proposals published on 19 November 2025, distinguishing administrative simplification from more substantive recalibration of safeguards across data, privacy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence areas. The study highlights key areas of controversy (legal certainty, enforcement capacity, and impacts on ...

On 20 February 2026, the United States (US) Supreme Court ruled, in a landmark case, that the US International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 does not authorise the US president to impose tariffs. The ruling invalidates all tariffs that President Trump imposed under IEEPA on US trading partners, including the April 2025 'reciprocal' tariffs. The ruling is without prejudice to the US sector- and country-specific tariffs that have been levied under different legal bases. While the ruling ...

This study maps funding gaps affecting EU customs and market surveillance authorities. It reviews existing EU and national financing mechanisms, identifies structural imbalances and operational challenges, and assesses policy options for complementary funding in light of the EU Customs reform and the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework. The study was provided by Policy Department A at the request of the European Parliament’s Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO).

The ECB anticipates stable growth and inflation, while Europe is faced with geopolitical threats, lack of competitiveness and fiscal challenges. At such a time, central bankers need to consider the dynamics of risk scenarios that arise from potentially mis-aligned or mis-perceived trends and policy-relevant parameters and prepare for timely policy responses. This paper focusses on potentially unsustainable fiscal trends, potential growth misperceptions and their implications for inflation developments ...

This paper examines the persistent upward bias in euro area households’ inflation perceptions and expectations, even when realized inflation is near the ECB’s target. It discusses behavioural and informational drivers of this bias, its implications for consumption, wage setting, and monetary policy transmission, and the challenges it poses for ECB communication and credibility. The study concludes that improved monitoring and household-oriented communication are essential. This document was provided ...

This study maps funding gaps affecting EU customs and market surveillance authorities. It reviews existing EU and national financing mechanisms, identifies structural imbalances and operational challenges, and assesses policy options for complementary funding in light of the EU Customs reform and the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework. The study was provided by Policy Department A at the request of the European Parliament’s Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO).

Transatlantic relations since early 2025 have been marked by rising tension and uncertainty regarding the reliability of the United States as an ally. Policy clashes are expected across multiple domains, including NATO, Greenland, Ukraine, trade, technology, climate, and relations with China, underscoring a fundamental divergence in the US and European outlooks and objectives. While the US under the Trump Administration increasingly prioritizes Asia and presses Europe to assume greater responsibility ...