MEPs from S&D, Patriots for Europe, ECR, Renew, Greens, ESN and EPP set out contrasting visions on a European Defence Union, debating a stronger European pillar of NATO and a ‘plan B’ for EU‑led defence, opposing or supporting supranational command structures, treaty change and majority decision‑making, and raising concerns about budgetary realism, sovereignty, and the design of bodies such as a European Security Council and wartime HQ.
Debate turns to stronger sanctions and net financial corrections, possible funding of a specific citizens’ initiative, and rule‑of‑law enabling conditions in Poland and Hungary, before the chair thanks participants, confirms pending written follow‑ups and formally closes the discharge hearings and CONT meeting.
In the joint SEDE–AFCO session, the chairs open the meeting and procedure on the joint report, while rapporteurs Herbst and De Meo outline the proposed structure of a European Defence Union, its governance pillars, instruments like a European Security Council and strategic HQ, and the need to clarify Article 42(7) and ensure NATO–EU interoperability.
Under a Rule 52 simplified procedure, the Chair presents and confirms without amendment the extension of optional VAT reverse‑charge and quick‑reaction mechanisms until June 2030 pending ViDA implementation, announces referral to the November II plenary, and formally closes the ECON meeting.
Rapporteur and MEPs scrutinise high cohesion error rates, weak management systems, slow 2021–27 absorption, the impact of the RRF, and the effectiveness of the Commission’s 22‑measure action plan, while the Commission explains reservations, payment interruptions and how ECA findings translate into corrective actions.
MEPs question NATO on capability gaps and US dependence, Black Sea limitations, deterrence and attribution of hybrid attacks, monitoring of Russia’s shadow fleet and cost asymmetries, while Dr. Buck and colleagues explain remaining dependencies, the role of MainSail and forensic networks, the political nature of Article 4, and the division of responsibilities between NATO, member states and the EU for sanctions enforcement.
MEPs query Baltic Sentry’s capability gaps, US–EU roles, Black Sea applicability, attribution of hybrid attacks, tracking of the Russian shadow fleet and cost asymmetries, with NATO detailing dependency areas, Article 4 use, deterrence via attribution, maritime surveillance tools and the role of EU sanctions and national legal action.
The rapporteur and groups debate the DAC recast’s balance between simplification and tax transparency, including access to beneficial‑ownership and real‑estate data, use of Unshell‑type substance criteria, treatment of Pillar Two groups, anti‑duplication and anti‑gold‑plating clauses, reporting burdens for platforms and SMEs, and future extensions to high‑value movable assets, before the rapporteur stresses protecting member states’ revenues while seeking compromise.
The chair closes the Heading 3 debate and opens the cohesion, resilience and values discharge hearing, with the ECA presenting cohesion error rates and procurement issues, and Commissioners Mînzatu and Fitto detailing ESF+ implementation, error handling, performance, and new anti‑fraud and management‑improvement tools.
The Chair launches a NATO briefing where Dr Buck outlines Russia’s hybrid threats, NATO’s deterrence and defence concept and Baltic Sentry’s enhanced vigilance activities, explaining its multi-domain design, sharp reduction of incidents and complementarity with EU initiatives like the Cable Security Action Plan.
Chair Gomart and NATO’s operations chief present the strategic context of Russian hybrid attacks, explain SACEUR’s peacetime authorities and Enhanced Vigilance Activities, and detail the launch, functioning and early results of EVA Baltic Sentry, including its tools, multi-domain set‑up and links with EU cable security measures.
Presentation of the draft ECON report on the ECB and group reactions on inflation control, ECB independence, forecasting and bond‑purchase assessment, interaction with fiscal and green policies, and the digital euro’s necessity, design and safeguards, culminating in the rapporteur’s clarifications on cash coexistence, digital euro caps and tackling inflation and profiteering.
The Commission presents the planned Construction Services Act and the 2027 Housing Simplification Package, then answers MEP questions on timing, scope, digital construction site cards, worker and migrant rights, environmental safeguards, subsidiarity and impacts on SMEs, before Chair Tinagli closes the meeting with a warning against unintended side‑effects and notice of next steps.
Rapporteur and political groups set out competing visions for reforming PEPP/“Europension”, including its role alongside public and occupational pensions, fee caps, advice and disclosure rules, asset allocation limits, workplace use, gender pension gap measures, tax treatment and EIOPA’s role, with the rapporteur closing on possible compromises and rebranding while underlining Parliament’s responsibility on retirement policy.
Procedural opening of the ECON meeting with adoption of agenda, minutes and coordinators’ decisions, followed by the Chair’s debrief on trilogue states of play for securitisation, the Single Currency Package including the digital euro, SFDR and commercial real estate statistics, outlining provisional agreements, outstanding political issues and next steps.
MEPs question how to accelerate capability delivery, reduce fragmentation and improve SME access, prompting exchanges on mutual recognition, legal and doctrinal barriers, national liability, AGILE and EDIP tools, and the link between multinational testing, interoperability and avoidance of duplicated specialised ranges.
MEPs from S&D, Renew, Greens, Left and EPP engage with the panel on housing as a right versus an asset, EU and national powers to curb speculative investment and vacancies, scope of public support and safeguards in Italy’s private‑fund pillar, institutional investor impacts, Berlin’s experience, homelessness and worker shortages, and the adequacy of the Affordable Housing Act and upcoming Commission work on speculative practices.
SAFE, Rheinmetall and AVL set out proposals for an EU‑wide connected testing ecosystem, highlighting support for SMEs and startups, long‑range and high‑tech battlefield requirements, GNSS‑denied trials, export control and IP constraints, and the need for efficient, trusted, and reusable test and simulation results across Member States.
SAFE, Rheinmetall and AVL present operational, technological and industrial requirements for modern test ranges, advocate SME-friendly iterative campaigns and reusable evidence, and call for a federated European T&E ecosystem with common methodologies, digital qualification and coordinated high-end capacities.
Rapporteur and MEPs question Commissioners and the ECA on eco‑scheme performance, high national error cases (Greece, Czechia, Slovakia), social conditionality, ‘do no significant harm’, the pace and cost of green regulation, and climate‑related spending oversight, prompting detailed replies on corrections, reforms and legal risks.
The chair launches the agenda point on strengthening EU cooperation in defence testing and evaluation, and the European Defence Agency presents its DTEB strategy, fragmentation challenges, and the ‘test once, accept everywhere’ mutual recognition approach, including an explainer video on capacity gaps and iterative testing lessons from Ukraine.
The Chair opens the SEDE item on strengthening European defence testing and evaluation, while EDA sets out its DTEB 2025–2035 strategy, mutual recognition aims and readiness 2030 goals, complemented by a video detailing the planned EU-wide test network and SME access needs.
Academic, national, local and NGO speakers present analytical frameworks and policy instruments on housing markets, covering market vs state roles, vacancy and speculation, Italy’s Piano Casa architecture, Croatia’s municipal three‑pillar strategy, and The Shift’s human‑rights‑based approach and proposed EU anti‑speculation toolbox.
The 2025 discharge hearing on Natural Resources and Environment is launched with presentations from the ECA on CAP error rates and land‑eligibility risks, followed by Commissioners Hansen and Hoekstra outlining CAP assurance, performance, climate policy delivery and the use of ETS‑related funds.
Chair Tinagli and ECON Vice‑Chair Niedermayer formally open the HOUS committee meeting, adopt the agenda, outline the mandate and format of the public hearing, and frame the EU‑level questions on speculation, taxation, state aid and financial policy for restoring housing affordability.
The chair opens the SEDE meeting, reports on the second trilogue on the military mobility regulation, and political groups set out their positions on worker protection, national sovereignty, dual‑use infrastructure, references to Ukraine and Moldova, and the goal of a ‘military Schengen’ ahead of the planned December agreement.
The committee chair opens the CONT meeting, adopts the agenda and minutes, and leads voting on the anti‑fraud architecture report and the enlargement since 2004 report, with rapporteur presentations and final adoptions.
The ECA and OLAF respond on recommendations, data and bans, describe planned follow‑up via the Customs Data Hub and streamlined reporting, underline the difficulty of reliable market quantification, and the Chair concludes the debate and closes the meeting.
DG Costello clarifies that the financed body is an Energy Regulatory Academy, not an agency, involving all 27 member states and hosted at the EUI in Florence to support common implementation of the EU energy acquis via a three‑year, €10 million project; he notes that TSI still supports both single‑country and sub‑national projects but resource constraints drove a reorientation toward larger projects with EU‑wide relevance, and stresses that framework contracts, consortia compositions and contract beneficiaries are publicly available, before the Chair closes the session and thanks the participants.
College read-out / Press conference (with international sign language) by European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna VIRKKUNEN and Commissioner Michael McGRATH on the Digital Fairness Act and a Consumer enforcement initiative
College read-out / Press conference by European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna VIRKKUNEN and Commissioner Michael McGRATH on the Digital Fairness Act and a Consumer enforcement initiative
Committee on Budgetary Control Ordinary meeting CONT Committee meeting
Upcoming
Committee on European Democracy Shield (special committee) (EUDS)
Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting
Upcoming
Committee on Housing Crisis (special committee) (HOUS)
Special Committee on the Housing Crisis in the European Union Ordinary meeting
Upcoming
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE)
7th Inter-Parliamentary Committee Meeting On Evaluation Of The European Union Agency For Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) Activities
Upcoming
Committee on European Democracy Shield (special committee) (EUDS)
Issues raised by bot farming and social media anonymity in elections
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