Europäische Union

The Council agreed new rules to support the fight against value added tax (VAT) fraud in the EU by strengthening cooperation between member state national authorities, the EPPO and OLAF.

Approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

Approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

President of the European Council António Costa presented the outcome of the 1st EU-Armenia summit held in Yerevan (Armenia) on 5 May 2026.

On World Press Freedom Day, the European Union reaffirms its resolute commitment to defending media independence and the safety of journalists as fundamental pillars of democracy, particularly in response to rising global violence, legal intimidation, and the proliferation of disinformation.

President of the European Council, António Costa, outlined the main results of the discussions of the leaders during the meeting of the European Political Community held in Yerevan, Armenia, on 4 May 2026.

The European Council will take place on 18 and 19 June 2026 in the Europa building in Brussels.

Information about accreditation requirements for the one-year badge (2026)

Queere Menschen sind in Bundesbern anteilsmässig untervertreten. Nun sind zwei Politikerinnen aufs Mal ins Parlament nachgerutscht, die offen queer leben. «Sichtbarkeit darf keine individuelle Mutfrage sein», sagt SP-Nationalrätin Tamara Funiciello.

Mit keinerlei Erwartungen reiste sie ans andere Ende der Welt. Nach drei Wochen kehrt die Sängerin erfüllt und voller wunderbarer Eindrücke zurück.

Neue Arbeitsgewohnheiten ändern auch die Verpflegung: Während die klassische Mensa einen schweren Stand hat, boomen innovative Anbieter. Sie bringen frische Mahlzeiten direkt in die Büros – und wachsen stark.

«GNTM»-Model Diana Emmer und ihr Ex Claudio D. haben ihre Kosmetikkette in Zürich verkauft und zogen nach Abu Dhabi. Recherchen zeigen: Die beiden hinterliessen einen Scherbenhaufen und einen Schuldenberg. Weiss das ihr neuer Freund Jimi Blue Ochsenknecht?

La route des Balkans reste toujours l'une des principales voies d'accès l'Union européenne, pour les exilés du Proche et du Moyen Orient, d'Afrique ou d'Asie. Alors que les frontières Schengen se ferment, Frontex se déploie dans les Balkans, qui sont toujours un « sas d'accès » à la « forteresse Europe ». Notre fil d'infos en continu.

- Le fil de l'Info / Bosnie-Herzégovine, Albanie, Kosovo, Bulgarie, Questions européennes, Populations, minorités et migrations, Migrants Balkans, Courrier des Balkans, Croatie, Turquie, Grèce, Moldavie, Macédoine du Nord, Monténégro, Slovénie, Roumanie, Serbie, Gratuit, Grèce immigration

On 6 May, SEDE Members will have an exchange of views with Herald Ruijters, Deputy Director-General at DG DEFIS, on the stepping-up EU military support to Ukraine, focussed on the priorities for the 60 billion defence pillar of the Ukraine Support Loan. The following day, Members will discuss enhancing EU support to Veterans in Ukraine with representatives from EEAS, the EU CSDP Advisory Mission and the Commission. EU-Canada relations will also be high on the agenda this week,

with an exchange of views with the Canadian Ambassador to Belgium, Nicholas Brousseau, on the EU-Canada Security and Defence Partnership ahead of an upcoming SEDE visit to the country, as well as the vote, jointly with ITRE, on the agreement for Canada to join the EU's Security Action for Europe (SAFE) loan programme.

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Dauer des Videos : 60'

Haftungsausschluss : Die Verdolmetschung der Debatten soll die Kommunikation erleichtern, sie stellt jedoch keine authentische Aufzeichnung der Debatten dar. Authentisch sind nur die Originalfassungen der Reden bzw. ihre überprüften schriftlichen Übersetzungen.
Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2026 - EP

Dauer des Videos : 60'

Haftungsausschluss : Die Verdolmetschung der Debatten soll die Kommunikation erleichtern, sie stellt jedoch keine authentische Aufzeichnung der Debatten dar. Authentisch sind nur die Originalfassungen der Reden bzw. ihre überprüften schriftlichen Übersetzungen.
Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2026 - EP

Dauer des Videos : 90'

Haftungsausschluss : Die Verdolmetschung der Debatten soll die Kommunikation erleichtern, sie stellt jedoch keine authentische Aufzeichnung der Debatten dar. Authentisch sind nur die Originalfassungen der Reden bzw. ihre überprüften schriftlichen Übersetzungen.
Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2026 - EP

EU citizens should have more ways to get a car checked, but frequency of mandatory tests should not change, say Transport and Tourism Committee MEPs.
Committee on Transport and Tourism

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Dauer des Videos : 30'

Haftungsausschluss : Die Verdolmetschung der Debatten soll die Kommunikation erleichtern, sie stellt jedoch keine authentische Aufzeichnung der Debatten dar. Authentisch sind nur die Originalfassungen der Reden bzw. ihre überprüften schriftlichen Übersetzungen.
Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2026 - EP

Written by Alessandro D’Alfonso, Marin Mileusnic and Tim Peters.

CONTEXT

On 16 July 2025, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation establishing a budget expenditure tracking and performance framework and other horizontal rules for the Union programmes and activities (‘performance regulation’), as part of a wide-ranging package on the next EU long-term budget – the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework (MFF). The proposal aims to simplify and harmonise how EU spending is tracked and its performance measured, moving towards a single system with standardised indicators. It defines horizontal spending principles with a view to streamlining their application across the EU budget: climate and biodiversity, ‘do no significant harm’ to the environment, social policies, and gender equality. Although competitiveness and preparedness play a major role in the next long-term budget, and the European Parliament had requested to include them as horizontal spending principles, the Commission did not include them.

Ahead of the proposal, Parliament had called for further improvements in performance reporting under the EU budget, while underlining that the ‘implementation of horizontal principles should not lead to an excessive administrative burden on beneficiaries’. A stronger performance framework can improve Parliament’s decision-making on EU spending through more transparency. However, increased transparency from a proposed single portal to access EU budgetary data will depend on what information is made available. A briefing requested by Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control underlined that improved access to information – such as exchanges between the Commission and Member States, or to information about suspended milestones – was essential for public accountability. According to the European Court of Auditors, the proposal can improve processes for performance reporting and integration of EU horizontal policy priorities, but has design weaknesses to be addressed, including vague indicators, lack of clear results-based linkages, and risks of measuring implementation rather than achievements. The Court estimates that the proposal may achieve simplification between the Commission and the Member States, but that the administrative burden at national, regional and beneficiary levels may remain unchanged or even worsen.

Legislative proposal

2025/0545(COD) – Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a budget expenditure tracking and performance framework and other horizontal rules for the Union programmes and activities – COM(2025) 565,

NEXT STEPS IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

For the latest developments in this legislative procedure, see the Legislative Train Schedule: 2025/0545(COD)

Read the complete briefing on ‘Budget expenditure tracking and performance framework‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.