European institutions marked Natura 2000 Day on 21 May with celebrations across the continent, highlighting the achievements of the EU’s flagship nature protection network which now encompasses more than 27,000 sites covering nearly a fifth of the bloc’s land area. The anniversary celebrations showcased a conservation initiative that has grown to become the world’s largest…
EU negotiators have reached a provisional agreement on modernising the bloc’s return system for irregular migrants, introducing harmonised detention limits and recognition procedures in what officials are calling the most comprehensive reform of return policy in over a decade. Parliament and Council representatives struck the deal on 22 May following intensive trilogue negotiations on the…
Kemi Badenoch’s net favourability of -17 is the highest recorded by any Conservative leader in over five years, suggesting a slow but discernible Tory recovery beneath the surface of Reform UK’s headline-grabbing surge. The trend has implications for UK-EU relations, where the Conservative posture differs sharply from both Labour and Reform.
Sir Keir Starmer’s net favourability has fallen to -46 in the latest YouGov tracker, with 69% of Britons viewing the Prime Minister unfavourably. As Labour grapples with the aftermath of local-election losses, the question of his leadership has moved decisively from speculation to open political debate.
The European Parliament gave its consent this week in Strasbourg to the EU’s accession to a major international cybercrime convention, marking a significant step in building a transnational framework against the rising tide of cyber-enabled crime affecting all 27 member states.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s approval rating has plummeted to minus 46 in a YouGov poll released on 21 May, marking the lowest point since he entered Downing Street last July. The dramatic decline signals mounting public frustration with Labour’s handling of key domestic challenges, including the cost-of-living crisis, NHS waiting times, and channel crossings,…
The European Parliament and Commission convened on 21 May to evaluate the EU’s health emergency response capabilities following a hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius in late April 2026, with lawmakers pressing officials on the adequacy of cross-border coordination mechanisms and surveillance infrastructure designed to prevent similar incidents. The session, which brought together MEPs from…
The European Parliament will vote in Strasbourg on Thursday 21 May 2026 on a resolution demanding an urgent EU response to democratic backsliding in Slovakia under Prime Minister Robert Fico, citing the dismantling of anti-corruption bodies and compromised judicial independence.
At a Strasbourg ceremony on Tuesday 19 May 2026, the European Parliament honoured the inaugural recipients of the European Order of Merit, among them former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Polish President and Solidarność leader Lech Wałęsa, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
By 508 votes to 64, with 90 abstentions, the European Parliament on 19 May 2026 approved the revised Foreign Direct Investment Screening Regulation, establishing mandatory screening across all member states for defence, semiconductors, AI, critical raw materials and financial services.
