European Parliament

The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ceuta and Melilla must be upheld.   Parliament Members have condemned the mass illegal crossings into Ceuta - the Spanish exclave in North Africa - denouncing the use of migration as a tool of hybrid warfare.   At the end of July, an unprecedented number of people illegally crossed into Ceuta from Morocco.   Parliament Members have urged Spain to make full and effective use of the border asylum and return procedure laid out in the Pact on Migration and Asylum in force since June.   Parliament also called for stronger EU support to bolster security, stability and development of Ceuta and Melilla, improved conditions on the ground and the return to normality, warning that protecting the EU’s external borders is a responsibility shared between EU countries.   Any failure to act decisively undermines the integrity of the Schengen Area as a whole.   Read more: https://lnkd.in/eDBKVjFz

Strasbourg September 2026 plenary session:    🔝 State of the European Union debate  🍁 EU-Canada partnership  📱 Protecting children on social media  🛡️ Improving capacity to defend the EU  🚒 Disaster response: heatwaves and wildfires    👇 Read more in our newsletter 👇 

🎬 That’s a wrap on this year’s State of the European Union debate where Members of Parliament and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tackled the Commission’s work over the past year and the EU’s most immediate challenges.   From boosting the Single Market and removing barriers, strengthening security, staying on track on climate targets, expanding Europe’s AI capacity and protecting children online on social media were among the many key issues discussed this week.   Click through to revisit the debate and read what the political group leaders had to say.    Read more: https://lnkd.in/erV-XS9Q

Europe and Canada share the same fundamental values. “Where our strengths differ, they complement. Where they overlap, they create scale. We should build on each other’s strengths – deliberately, systematically, and rapidly," said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in his address today in the European Parliament. He spoke of Canada and Europe securing their strategic autonomy through deep cooperation on critical minerals, defence industrial capacity, AI, energy security and people-to-people ties, “allowing our youth to live, work and study where they want on either side of the Atlantic”. Welcoming the Canadian Prime Minister to the European Parliament, President Metsola emphasised: “Europe and Canada share a simple understanding: that we are always stronger when we work together. Today, we are looking to the future together, with huge potential to deepen our cooperation from defence and trade to energy, education and research.” Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eMxvFU8u

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addresses the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Yesterday, Mr. Carney attended the State of the Union debate as guest of honour, marking an opportunity to deepen EU-Canada ties.   At a time of growing geopolitical tensions, the Canadian prime minister is expected to focus on shared security and economic interests, including Russia's war against Ukraine, hybrid attacks, foreign interference, China's increasingly assertive policies, and relations with the US.

Members are discussing how the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is affecting small businesses and its challenges for the European Single Market.

Democracy is under attack. Parliament is fighting back. Foreign interference is becoming more sophisticated and coordinated, with Russia remaining the primary threat by targeting elections, spreading disinformation and trying to influence voters. Today, Parliament adopted its proposals to strengthen democracy in Europe, from protecting elections to tackling foreign interference and disinformation. Parliament recommendations include: • a strong EU Centre for Democratic Resilience to monitor threats, issue early warnings and coordinate responses when democratic processes are targeted; • faster action against bot-driven election interference and coordinated online manipulation; • action against malicious deepfakes and fraudulent political ads designed to deceive voters; • critical infrastructure for elections, protecting them better against attacks and disruption; • boosting cooperation between election authorities across the EU through the European Cooperation Network on Elections; • stronger safeguards against foreign and proxy financing of elections, including greater transparency around donors and crypto; • stronger sanctions against those enabling disinformation and foreign interference. Find out more on Parliament’s work to safeguard democracy: https://lnkd.in/eVGCQQRA

The stage is set for the 2026 State of the European Union debate. On Wednesday 16 September, join us live from the European Parliament, where Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will take stock of the past year and set out the EU’s priorities for the year ahead.   Members will question the Commission on key priorities and discuss the issues that matter most.

Do we keep waiting for a crisis to force our hand, or will we find the courage to take the leap while we still have the comfort of choosing it?   In this article, on the occasion of the State of the European Union debate, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola talks about how being courageous and forging ahead on the EU’s economy, security and foreign policy will bring the results Europeans are asking for. 

What’s on the agenda as Parliament returns to session next week?   Debating the EU’s priorities for the coming year, protecting the EU's democracy from foreign interference through the European Democracy Shield, and EU-Canada relations with Prime Minister Mark Carney.   MEPs will also discuss Russia’s hybrid attacks and defending the EU, as well as the impact of social media on young people and a possible ban on harmful practices. All this and much more will be covered. Learn more about the topics Parliament will discuss during September’s session here: https://lnkd.in/dS9C7-s9