Think Tank

The European Parliament is due to adopt its negotiating mandate for the EU's 2028-2034 budget during the April plenary session. The report adopted by the Committee on Budgets (BUDG) defends a budget set at 1.27 % of EU gross national income (GNI), with the debt servicing for the Next Generation EU (NGEU) recovery fund (0.11 % of GNI), set outside the budget ceilings. This is a 10 % increase compared with the Commission proposal. Adequate and distinct funding for EU priorities, proper democratic oversight ...

Europe's southern arc, spanning the Middle East, North Africa and the Sahel, is increasingly viewed as a potential arena for renewed great-power rivalry, with some observers contending that such competition is already underway. In parallel with the European Union's broad engagement in the region, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has, since its founding, developed a range of initiatives aimed at its southern periphery, to deepen situational awareness, strengthen its regional presence ...

During the April 2026 plenary session, the European Parliament is expected to vote on its mandate for negotiations with the Council regarding the proposal for a regulation to simplify rules for chemicals, cosmetics and fertilisers, also known as the chemicals omnibus (Omnibus VI).

In the context of the current threats to global governance, the European Union (EU) has constantly affirmed its support for multilateralism, with the United Nations (UN) at its core. The European Parliament strongly supports rules-based multilateralism, and closely follows the EU's activity in the UN. A plenary debate is due to be held in April 2026, followed by the vote on a recommendation for the EU’s position in the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) – which starts in New York on 8 ...

During its April 2026 plenary session, Parliament is set to vote on the provisional text of the revised Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Regulation, agreed in interinstitutional negotiations on 1 December 2025. Among other changes, the co-legislators have added several international human rights and environmental conventions to the list of international treaties that participating countries must ratify to benefit from trade preferences. MEPs also negotiated stricter criteria that must be met ...