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Non-cash payments constitute the lifeblood of the developed economies, and a threat to their resilience is automatically a threat to wider economic resilience. The ECON Committee has commissioned two papers from members of its academic expert panel for Banking Union scrutiny in order to analyse threats to the resilience of non-cash payments and possible measures to strengthen resilience. This briefing reviews the two papers and puts forward the main lessons they offer.

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 ...

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 ...

Following a strategy of maximum pressure since January 2025, the United States intervened militarily in January 2026, captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and arraigned them in New York on drug trafficking charges. After their capture, Venezuelan Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as President. Venezuela's constitution provides for elections when the president is incapacitated, although the deadline by which elections are required to take place is not clear. Trump's message ...

The Commission's proposal for the 2028-2034 Global Europe instrument seeks to ensure a more strategic approach, in line with the objectives of the EU's internal policies – particularly migration control, while taking on board EU and partner countries' mutual interests. It deeply restructures the EU's external financing architecture, introducing a new system of geographic pillars, a global pillar, and a flexible 'cushion', while integrating several existing instruments ranging from development cooperation ...

During the January plenary session, the European Parliament is expected to vote on the report adopted by its Committee on Public Health (SANT) on the European Commission's proposal for a critical medicines act, which aims to tackle persistent shortages of medicines, reduce dependencies relating to critical medicines and ingredients, and ensure the supply of affordable medicines across the EU.

The latest annual review of EU external action to promote human rights and democracy, covering 2024, highlights a challenging situation, shaped by 'multiple and cascading crises'. During its January plenary session, the European Parliament is expected to vote on a resolution on its own yearly report on human rights and democracy in the world, responding to the annual review and recommending further EU action.

During the January plenary session, the European Parliament will vote on its 2025 annual report on implementation of the common foreign and security policy (CFSP).

In the context of the wars in Ukraine and other parts of the world, the increasingly global effects – material and political – of war make it more important than ever to measure the level of threats to peace, security and democracy around the world. The Normandy Index has presented an annual measurement of these threats since the 2019 Normandy Peace Forum. The results of the 2025 exercise suggest the level of threats to peace is at its highest since the index was launched, confirming declining trends ...

This is the tenth edition of an annual EPRS paper aimed at identifying and framing many of the key issues and policy areas that will feature prominently in public debate and on the political agenda of the European Union over the coming year. The topics analysed encompass, the next long term EU budget, Ukraine's integration into the EU, defence, EU-China relations, the impact of artificial intelligence on the web, the potential of startup companies, irregular migration, climate policy, action for ...