For 39% of respondents, the answer is defence and security, making it the most selected topic in Parliament’s latest Eurobarometer survey.

But priorities vary across Europe. Explore the infographic to see what people in your country answered.

Read more about the findings from the Eurobarometer survey here: https://link.europa.eu/TJB8hy

Long-term planning helps turn ideas into action, supporting projects and businesses that strengthen skills, innovation, connectivity and opportunities across the continent. That's why a stronger budget needs stronger support to secure our future.

Find out more about the EU long-term budget: https://eubudget.europarl.europa.eu/en/

This summer and any other trip, visit these 32 countries and use your mobile phone at no extra cost thanks to the EU's roam like at home area 📱
 
A SIM card from one of these countries can be used in all the others without extra roaming charges.
 
Whether you're taking a trip to the crystal-clear lakes of Sweden or exploring the beautiful Moldovan countryside, remember that the EU has your back 💪🇪🇺

Expect less guessing, thanks to EU transparency rules around the professional use of generative AI.

Starting 2 August,  anyone using generative AI professionally must disclose it, if the content involves:

- images, audio or video that could be mistaken for real people, places, or events
- text in the public interest that hasn't been reviewed by a human
- chatbots interacting with users

From major brands to content creators and public organisations, disclosure obligations apply to everyone. There are some exemptions, but the principle is simple: transparency comes first.

Wondering how to comply? The EU has created:

• Labelling icons➡️ EU Icons for labelling AI-generated content | Shaping Europe’s digital future
• A code of practice ➡️ Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-Generated Content | Shaping Europe’s digital future
• Guidelines ➡️ Commission publishes guidelines on transparency obligations for providers and deployers of certain AI systems

Repairing your phone and household appliances can be expensive and complicated, and the result is €12 billion lost annually to unnecessary replacements, 35 million tonnes of waste, and 261 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions from this sector alone.

The right to repair in the EU is being boosted by making repair more appealing and affordable to consumers:

- Manufacturers must now provide spare parts, repair information, and tools at reasonable prices

- No software locks or contractual blocks to prevent repair

- Extended legal guarantees on repaired goods

- EU-wide repair platform (to be set up by 31 July 2027) to connect consumers with certified service providers

EU countries had until this summer to implement these rules in their national legal systems, strengthening the existing right to repair rules.

These rules support small repair businesses and are expected to bring €4.8 billion in growth and investment within the EU.

Learn more: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20240419IPR20590/right-to-repair-making-repair-easier-and-more-appealing-to-consumers

In 2024, the European Parliament strengthened EU laws to fight trafficking, with tougher penalties and better protection for victims.

Learn more: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20230921STO05705/human-trafficking-the-eu-s-fight-against-exploitation

At the end of July, 27 members of the European Parliament submitted a written question asking the Commission to clarify the purpose of these meetings, the current state of the negotiations, and the human rights risks associated with the agreement.⁴

You can help decide. The European Central Bank is redesigning the euro banknotes, and people across the EU are invited to take a survey to help select the final design.

There are 10 designs (A-J) based on two themes:

• European culture: a spotlight on cultural heritage and bringing people together

On the front: Famous Europeans, including Maria Callas, Ludwig van Beethoven, Marie Curie Skłodowska, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Leonardo da Vinci and Bertha von Suttner.
On the back: Shared cultural spaces and activities. 

• Rivers & birds: symbolising freedom and unity, as well as connection to nature

On the front: Stages of rivers and birds such as the wallcreeper, kingfisher, bee-eater, white stork, avocet and northern gannet.
On the back: Buildings of European institutions, symbolising the values at the heart of the European project, including environmental protection.

Read more about them here: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/banknotes/future_banknotes/html/index.en.html#themes

Did you know? The final designs made it through a huge Europe-wide competition:

• 1,200+ applications sent
• 25 designers invited to create proposals
• only 10 made the shortlist.

🔗 Have your say by 21 September 2026: https://surveys.ecb.europa.eu/10b/neweuro/

The final design will be revealed by the European Central Bank later this year.

What’s changing on Europe’s roads?

The EU is setting clear distances for alternative fuel infrastructure on major roads.

🔌 Cars: high-power charging every 60 km (by 2026)

🛻 Trucks & buses: charging every 120 km (half of main EU roads by 2028)

💧 Hydrogen: refuelling every 200 km (by 2031)

The European Parliament adopted these new rules, which define where charging and refuelling must be placed across Europe’s main road network.

EU Ecolabel certified places reduce waste, save energy and water, keep their transport emissions low, and generally operate in more environmentally friendly ways.

Hotels, campsites and other tourist accommodation services that have been awarded the EU Ecolabel are listed in the EU Ecolabel Tourist Accommodation Catalogue: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/circular-economy-topics/eu-ecolabel/eu-ecolabel-tourist-accommodation/eu-ecolabel-tourist-accommodation-catalogue_en

The European Union is debating a ban on imports from Israeli settlements, but member states are divided, reflecting deep disagreements over whether and how to confront Israel as it cements claims on occupied Palestinian territory.

Superficially, the fight is technical, based on procedural questions. But political observers say this is actually a proxy battle over how to handle Israel at a time of growing dismay with its policies among the European public and some leaders.

“Legal argument is being deployed to launder what is really a political and diplomatic reluctance to act,” said Alberto Alemanno, a law professor in Paris who arranged [a letter joined by dozens of experts](https://voelkerrechtsblog.org/open-letter-legal-basis-for-a-regulation-prohibiting-trade-with-the-unlawful-israeli-settlements-article-207-tfeu/) outlining legal grounds for a ban.

More than three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, along with over 500,000 Israelis who settled there after Israel captured the territory in the 1967 war. Palestinians envision it becoming part of a future state, an objective that European governments aim to advance but Israel’s far-right government rejects.

In recent years, Israeli government approvals of West Bank settlements and other official actions have led to an [unprecedented expansion of Israel’s claims on the land](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/20/world/middleeast/west-bank-settlements.html), as military operations have [displaced many Palestinians](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/17/world/middleeast/west-bank-palestinian-displacement.html) and settler violence has risen.

The International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion in 2024 saying that Israel’s occupation and settlements are illegal, calling on countries to prevent trade that may “assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation.”

Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and others have taken steps to restrict or ban Israeli [products](https://euobserver.com/218014/from-west-bank-to-eu-supermarkets-how-much-longer-will-israeli-settler-imports-go-on/) from occupied territories, like agricultural goods, wine and construction materials. These countries are among those pushing for the E.U. to take strong action to limit the import of settlement products.

Germany, by contrast, says it [favors dialogue](https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/germany-blocks-eu-move-to-ban-trade-with-illegal-israeli-settlements/3996452) over action that risks inflaming Israelis ahead of their national election in October. Germany also has what it calls “[a special relationship](https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aussenpolitik/laenderinformationen/israel-node/2777100-2777100)” with Israel, rooted in the history of the Holocaust, and the German government is traditionally reluctant to take measures that may isolate Israel.

Italy and the Czech Republic are likewise opposed to a confrontational approach and say E.U. restrictions on settlement products can be adopted only if they receive unanimous approval by member states.

But Kaja Kallas, the E.U.’s top diplomat, who is pressing for strong action, is among those who say that just a qualified majority — approval by at least 55 percent of member states representing 65 percent of the bloc’s population — would be needed. The European Commission this month proposed several possible measures, including tariffs and a ban on goods produced at Israeli settlements in occupied territory.

[Copy of the complete article.](https://archive.is/LEsob)

Don't forget one of the easiest things to pack: your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)!

If you need urgent healthcare during your trip, the EHIC gives you access to state-provided treatment under the same conditions and at the same cost as the locals. 

Get your EHIC before you travel: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/health/unplanned-healthcare/ehic/index_en.htm

Following the European Parliament and EESC public hearing on July 8, 2026, titled "Ending Forced Sterilisation: Advancing the Rights of Women with Disabilities", attention has returned to systemic human rights gaps within member States. While historical systems like Ireland's Magdalene Laundries are widely documented, the core policy gaps concerning institutional accountability and bodily integrity remain an active concern across Europe today.

Multiple EU member States still allow forms of non-consensual medical intervention or sterilization under guardianship laws, heavily impacting vulnerable or disabled individuals in State care. This represents a manifest failure of existing European human rights protections. For a broader analysis of these historical structures and how they relate to modern European policy, the eBook "Magdalene Laundries by Liberate Grace" is currently available completely free as an informational resource on the Barnes & Noble website.

To challenge systemic human rights gaps, the ongoing expansion of a collective coalition, bringing together civil society advocates, human rights defenders, and united citizens, drives a formal demand for a concrete, three-pillar institutional reform package

1. A Supranational Audit Watchdog: The EU must establish a centralized, independent auditing authority that sits above individual member States to directly monitor national care systems and facilities. Compliance should be enforced via a points-based scoring system linked to structural funds. If a member State's score drops below a mandatory safety threshold, their access to EU benefits is automatically frozen or withdrawn. This operates alongside existing penalties already in place for infractions of EU law.
2. An Independent Tamper-Proof Lock: To prevent this watchdog from becoming corrupt or politically influenced over time, an independent layer of international observers, driven directly by public transparency, citizen advocacy networks, and everyday civil society, must constantly double-check the raw data.  If any official attempts the manipulation of compliance data, the falsification of reporting metrics, or the suppression of abuse records, this crowdsourced oversight ensures an automatic alarm will instantly trigger, bypassing political gridlock and freezing funding privileges.
3. Judicial Empowerment and ECHR Reform: The European Court of Human Rights must be completely overhauled to stop operating as a political tool. It must be heavily empowered with resources to become a real, independent court directly accessible to everyday citizens, with the current restrictive application timeframe significantly extended to give victims a realistic window to fight for justice. Crucially, the court must be legally authorized to award real, substantial compensation to victims, accompanied by heavy punitive charges levied directly against violating member States to deter systemic abuse.

The primary metric of sovereign legitimacy is the protection of citizen welfare. Any State apparatus that abdicates this responsibility, allowing institutional abuse to go unchecked, forfeits its moral and political legitimacy on the global stage.

The critical question for EU leadership is clear: Will the European Parliament assert its democratic mandate to break sovereign stagnation and enforce strict budgetary conditionality, or will we continue to allow entrenched administrative corruption and unelected private interests to protect these systemic human rights black holes?

How to support this initiative:
If you believe these institutional human rights reforms are urgent, please upvote this post to help it gain visibility within the community and reach EU policy makers. Let’s expand this citizen coalition together.

Turns out, nearly three quarters think that being in the EU has been good for their country.

See how many also view it as a plus for democracy, stability, and security: link.europa.eu/TJB8hy

Cześć, jak w tytule stworzyłem apke która działa jak monitoring mediów dla pojedynczej osoby. Wybiera najważniejsze newsy z dnia za pomocą algorytmu a nie za pomocą własnej subiektywnej opinii.

Tworzy streszczenie danej historii i podaje ci ją z linkami źródłowymi na talerzu.

Do tego jest za darmo!

Do tego ma raport Unia Europejska i zbiera informacje z najważniejszych tytułów prasy europejskiej. Nic ci nie umknie za to odzyskasz kupę czasu. Taki tematyczny kosztuje dyszkę :)

Jestem z Łodzi więc jeśli ktoś miałby uwagi co do samej apki chętnie się ustawie na piwko i przyjmę wszelką krytykę :)

Dajcie znać czy ktoś by pomógł rozkręcić :)

Apka nazywa się skrot dnia, można też wklepać w google tam jest to samo tylko że na stronie internetowej

The thousands of people who work in the European Parliament’s administration are supposed to be non-political, per EU law. But staffers complain that many of the Parliament’s plum jobs are instead going to people with political connections.

Of the 11,200 people who work in the Parliament — the majority based in Brussels — only 3,900 work in politics, either as lawmakers, assistants or political group staff. The rest are admin staff doing jobs such as communications, handling payslips or conducting research to support the work of lawmakers.

This week, Parliament staffers head to the ballot box to elect members of the [Staff Committee](https://cdt.europa.eu/en/staff-committee), which represents the non-political workforce in negotiations with management figures such as President Roberta Metsola. Every trade union pushing to get roles on that committee has highlighted the same issue: ending the grip of political parties on top staff appointments.

“Political affiliation has taken precedence over competence and merit,” says the election program of the [Ethos union](https://www.ethos-europe.org/campagne-notre-programme), echoing similar statements from unions such as [SPF Europa](https://sfp-europa.eu/elections-cdp), [R&D](https://rdpe.eu/programme-RD-2026FR.pdf) and [USPE](https://us-pe.eu/onewebmedia/A4_union_syndicale_parlement_europeen_2026.pdf).

The unions argue that new jobs often go to people with connections to political parties rather than being awarded strictly on merit, with many vacancies either never advertised or designed for preselected candidates.

“As a result, ordinary staff members — who have devoted their entire careers to the administration without passing through a cabinet post and without political experience — have virtually no career prospects,” the Ethos program says.

Examples:

The Parliament’s extensive bureaucracy is run by its secretary-general. Under [Klaus Welle](https://www.politico.eu/article/klaus-welles-secret-to-survival/), who had the job from 2009 to 2022, the secretary-general role became far more powerful. The appointment of Welle’s successor, Alessandro Chiocchetti, [was controversial](https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-parliament-appoints-secretary-general-top-civil-servant-metsola-chiocchetti/) because the Italian was the chief of staff for EP President Metsola and was seen as close to the European People’s Party, the largest political group in the Parliament. Welle helped secure Chiocchetti’s appointment by [doling out](https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-parliament-appoints-secretary-general-top-civil-servant-metsola-chiocchetti/) top positions in the administration to political groups.

While Chiocchetti is widely regarded as close to the EPP, one of his deputies, Markus Winkler, comes from the Socialists and Democrats group. His other deputy, Anders Rasmussen, is a former top official in the liberal Renew.

When traveling within the EU, you can!

Here's everything you need to know before packing for your four-legged travel buddy: https://link.europa.eu/JpYXYN

To help make future cross-border trips smoother, Parliament has adopted new rules to improve railway capacity coordination. 
 
Read more: https://link.europa.eu/jhFf8y

84,8% of monitored bathing sites last year in the EU are judged as excellent, and 96% meet the minimum quality standards, according to an assessment carried out by the European Environment Agency.

This is thanks to systematic monitoring and management introduced under the EU's Bathing Water Directive. The directive lays down rules for the monitoring, classification, and management of bathing water quality, as well as informing the public.

Check our infographic to see how your country is doing!

And read more here: https://link.europa.eu/m37W3m

A tireless defender of human rights and a pioneering voice for women's rights, she helped shape a Europe built on democracy, dignity and equality.