The Council of the European Union has adopted a new directive to harmonise the definition of corruption across Member States and to introduce common minimum penalty thresholds, ensuring that maximum penalties are not set too low. The directive replaces earlier EU legislation, including Council Framework Decision 2003/568/JHA on combating corruption in the private sector and the 1997 EU Convention on corruption involving EU and Member State officials. Under the new rules, individuals convicted of corruption offences may face prison sentences of between three and five years, while companies may be fined between 3–5% of their total worldwide turnover or €24 million–€40 million, depending on the offence. The directive also ensures that key corruption offences are consistently defined and addressed across the EU, including bribery in both the public and private sectors, misappropriation, trading in influence, obstruction of justice and enrichment from corruption offences, among others. Member States will additionally be required to establish specialised anti-corruption bodies and implement measures to raise public awareness of corruption. The directive will enter into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. Member States will have 24 months to transpose it into national law, with a 36-month deadline for provisions relating to risk assessments and national strategies.

The Council of the EU has formally adopted the first EU Soil Monitoring Directive, establishing a framework to assess and monitor soils with the goal of achieving healthy soils across Europe by 2050.The directive aims to strengthen soil resilience, improve contaminated site management and introduces land-take mitigation principles focused on soil sealing and removal. Member states will be required to establish monitoring systems based on a common EU methodology to track physical, chemical, and biological soil conditions, and report regularly to the Commission and the European Environment Agency. This will ensure comparable data across the EU and coordinated action against soil degradation. Monitoring will also cover emerging contaminants such as PFAS, pesticides, and microplastics.

The Council of the European Union has adopted its negotiating position on the proposal establishing European business wallets (EBWs), a digital business identity solution intended to facilitate secure digital interactions between businesses and public administrations across the EU. The adoption enables negotiations with the European Parliament to begin once Parliament has adopted its position.

The Council has agreed its negotiating position on a package of measures designed to enhance the EU wine sector’s competitiveness, sustainability and resilience. The proposals include rules to curb surplus production, extend planting flexibility, simplify labelling, support low-alcohol products, and promote wine tourism. The updated framework also introduces measures to tackle plant diseases and enhance climate adaptation. Negotiations with the European Parliament will begin once it adopts its position.

The Council of the EU has  adopted new legislation to enhance and expedite the handling of cross-border data protection complaints under the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (EU GDPR). The regulation harmonises rules on the admissibility of complaints, strengthens the procedural rights of complainants and organisations under investigation, and introduces a simplified cooperation mechanism for straightforward cases to reduce administrative burden. It also sets binding time limits, requiring most investigations to conclude within 15 months, extendable by 12 months for complex cases, and within 12 months for simplified procedures. Following the Council’s adoption, the measure completes the legislative process, entering into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the EU and applying 15 months thereafter, thereby reinforcing consistent and efficient enforcement of data protection rules across the EU.

The Council of the EU has adopted new regulations to enhance labour market statistics on businesses across EU member states. The legislation aims to improve data comparability between countries and expand economic coverage, while introducing mandatory reporting on the annual unadjusted gender pay gap. The regulation, which follows the European Commission's July 2023 proposal and December 2024 agreement, requires European Parliament approval before publication in the EU's Official Journal. The new framework will support various EU initiatives including the European employment strategy, the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the European Semester.

The Council of the EU has adopted two new laws to enhance the EU's cybersecurity capabilities. The EU Cyber Solidarity Act establishes an EU-wide cyber security alert system and creates a cybersecurity emergency mechanism, including an EU cybersecurity reserve. A targeted amendment to the Regulation (EU) 2019/881 (EU Cybersecurity Act) enables the future adoption of European certification schemes for managed security services. These measures aim to strengthen the EU's ability to detect, prepare for, and respond to cybersecurity threats and incidents, whilst fostering co-operation and resilience across Member States.

The Council of the European Union has adopted its position at first reading on the proposed regulation amending Regulations (EU) No 1092/2010, (EU) No 1093/2010, (EU) No 1094/2010, (EU) No 1095/2010, (EU) No 806/2014, (EU) 2021/523 and (EU) 2024/1620 as regards certain reporting requirements in the fields of financial services and investment support. The proposed regulation aims to streamline reporting obligations and reduce the administrative burden for the EU’s financial sector.

The Council adopted its negotiating position on 7 May 2025 on amendments to Regulation (EU) 2019/631 concerning CO₂ emissions standards for new vehicles. The amendment introduces flexibility for manufacturers by allowing compliance with emissions targets to be assessed over a three-year period (2025–2027) rather than annually, while maintaining existing reduction targets.

The Council of the European Union has adopted its position on targeted amendments to the market stability reserve for the emissions trading system covering buildings, road transport and other sectors (ETS2). The amendments extend the market stability reserve beyond 2030 and modify the price control mechanism to add a 20m allowance top-up to each release when carbon costs exceed €45 per tonne CO2 equivalent, with triggers occurring twice per year rather than annually. The measures introduce a more gradual allowance release system when reserves fall between 210m and 260m allowances, compared to the current 100m allowance release threshold of 210m. The 600m allowances currently held in the reserve will remain available for future release. These changes aim to ensure price stability and predictability for the ETS2 launch in 2028, which targets a 42% emissions reduction by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. The Cyprus presidency will commence negotiations with the European Parliament once Parliament adopts its position on the amendments.

The Council of the EU has adopted its position on the proposed EU Forest Monitoring Act, which aims to support the sustainable management and resilience of forests. As part of the EU forest strategy for 2030, the Act seeks to establish a harmonised monitoring system in cooperation with member states to improve the availability and comparability of forest data and facilitate data sharing across the EU. It is intended to support informed decision-making by forest managers and policymakers. The revised framework aims to strike a balance between harmonising data at the EU level and preserving the flexibility needed to reflect national circumstances. The Council has simplified the original proposal to reduce administrative burdens and is ready to begin negotiations with the European Parliament.

The Council has adopted its position on the regulation designed to facilitate the e-declaration of posted workers, thereby reducing administrative burdens for businesses and national authorities. The regulation aims to digitalise the submission of posting declarations, streamlining the monitoring of compliance under the posting of workers directive. The Council's position includes enhancements to the online interface, the implementation of a standardised declaration form, and clarifications concerning the processing and retention of personal data, ensuring that the rights of workers—sent temporarily to another Member State by their employers—are maintained.