Ireland is a parliamentary republic, with a bicameral parliament. The country currently elects 14 Members to the European Parliament. This will be the country’s eighth EU Council presidency. This year ...

Parliament’s final plenary session before the summer recess will see Members discuss the priorities of the Irish EU Council Presidency alongside key decisions on enlargement, foreign affairs, ...

You can use our collection of graphs, charts, tables and maps with statistical data for any purpose (just please credit the European Parliamentary Research Service). The images were created by the ...

In response to United States (US) tariffs, and citing national security interests as a reason, China introduced two waves of export controls for rare-earth elements (REEs) in April and October 2025 ...

Written by Tim Peters with Elena Bersani. The European Parliament is fully committed to ensuring an ambitious EU long-term budget that meets the Union’s many challenges in the years to come. On 28 ...

The EU-Israel action plan, adopted in 2005 and extended several times by the Association Council, implements the Association Agreement. On 26 March 2025, the Commission issued a proposal for a Council ...

In 2022, collective annual EU defence budgets had already increased to €240 billion, of which €58 billion (+24.2 % compared to 2021) was for defence investment (defence R&D and defence procurement), a ...

Russia’s escalating hybrid attacks, including drone incursions, have prompted NATO’s Operation Eastern Sentry and the European Union’s (EU) plans for a European Drone Wall and Eastern Flank Watch. The ...

Between 2021 and 2023, at least 51 433 unaccompanied minors were reported as missing across Europe, averaging nearly 47 children a day. Written by Maria Margarita Mentzelopoulou. Between 2021 and 2023 ...

EU Member States’ defence expenditure rose significantly between 2021 and 2024. The EU has introduced several initiatives to complement national efforts in order to boost defence spending and ...

Under current EU law, EU Member States are free to set their minimum national voting age for European elections. This age is set at 16 in Austria, Germany and Malta, 17 in Greece, and 18 in the ...

Written by Polona Car with Filippo Cassetti. Dark patterns are deceptive techniques used by online platforms to manipulate users’ behaviour, often without their knowledge or consent. The EU regulatory ...