The European Parliament has adopted at first reading the legislative proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2013/36/EU (CRD IV) as regards supervisory powers, sanctions, third-country branches, and environmental, social and governance risks, and amending Directive 2014/59/EU (BRRD)

The European Parliament has adopted at first reading the legislative proposal for a regulation amending Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 as regards requirements for credit risk, credit valuation adjustment risk, operational risk, market risk and the output floor.

The European Parliament has adopted proposals to enhance the availability and supply of essential medicines in the EU, with 503 votes in favour, 57 against and 108 abstentions. The measures seek to reduce the EU’s reliance on other countries and enhance pharmaceutical sector competitiveness by supporting strategic industrial projects to expand and modernise manufacturing capacity within the EU. Under the proposals, contracting authorities would need to apply procurement requirements that favour producers manufacturing a substantial share of critical medicines in the EU, with price no longer the sole determinant for awarding contracts. The measures also include lowering the threshold for joint cross-border procurement from nine to five countries and establishing an EU coordination mechanism for national stockpiles of critical medicines, with the Commission empowered to redistribute medicines between countries as a last resort during shortages. The Parliament is now ready to begin negotiations with EU governments on the final legislation.

The European Parliament has adopted its position on proposed amendments to the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act), backing a delay to the application of certain rules on high‑risk artificial intelligence systems and supporting a ban on AI ‘nudifier’ systems. In their amendments, MEPs introduce fixed dates for application to ensure predictability and legal certainty. MEPs propose that high‑risk AI systems listed in the regulation should apply from 2 December 2027, while AI systems covered by EU sectoral safety and market surveillance laws should apply from 2 August 2028, and that providers have until 2 November 2026 to comply with watermarking obligations for AI‑generated content.

The European Parliament has adopted the Directive on the 'right to repair' for consumers on 23 April 2024, aiming to strengthen the EU repair market and reduce repair costs for consumers. The rules require manufacturers to give timely and cost-effective repair services and inform consumers about their rights to repair. If goods are repaired under warranty, an additional one-year extension of the legal guarantee is provided, further encouraging consumers to choose repair instead of replacement. After the legal guarantee has expired, the manufacturer is still required to repair common household products. The new rules include a European information form which can be offered to consumers to help them assess and compare repair services. Member States will also be required to implement a minimum of one measure to promote repair. The Council of the EU must now formally approve the Directive before it can be published in the Official Journal of the EU, after which Member States will have 24 months to transpose it into national law.

The European Parliament has adopted at first reading the legislative proposal for a regulation on the transparency and integrity of environmental, social and governance (ESG) rating activities.

The European Parliament has adopted the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AI Act) to boost innovation, protect and ensure compliance with EU fundamental rights and protect environmental sustainability from high-risk AI. The regulation was approved by MEPs with 523 votes in favour, 46 against and 49 abstentions. Olivier Proust, Partner of Fieldfisher LLP Brussels, and William Dunning, Supervising Associate and Minesh Tanna, Partner of Simmons & Simmons LLP, provide commentary on the MEPs’ approval of the EU AI Act.

The European Parliament has adopted new measures to prevent microplastic pollution from plastic pellets losses throughout the supply chain. The rules require entities handling over 5 tonnes of plastic pellets in the EU to take specific measures to avoid losses, applying to economic operators, EU and non-EU transport carriers using road, rail or inland waterways, and maritime operators at EU ports. Economic operators must establish and implement risk management plans for each installation handling plastic pellets, while maritime transport operators must ensure proper packaging and provide clear cargo information. When losses occur, operators must immediately inform emergency services and take measures to minimise consequences. The law will be signed by both co-legislators before publication in the EU Official Journal, entering into force 20 days after publication with provisions applying two years later for most operators and three years for maritime transport. The measures aim to contribute to the EU's target of reducing microplastics released into the environment by 30% by 2030.

The European Parliament has adopted new EU-wide rules establishing a harmonised criminal law framework to prevent and combat corruption across the Union. The directive, provisionally agreed between Parliament and Council in December 2025, sets out common definitions of corruption offences and harmonises rules on sanctions to address enforcement gaps, in particular in cross-border cases. It reinforces cooperation between national authorities and EU bodies and requires member states to adopt and regularly update national anti‑corruption strategies, conduct risk assessments, and ensure robust systems on conflicts of interest, political financing transparency, and integrity standards. The directive now requires formal Council adoption, will enter into force 20 days after publication, and must be transposed within 24 months, with a 36‑month deadline for risk assessments and national strategies.

The European Parliament has adopted its first reading position on establishing a verification and pre-approval system for environmental marketing claims to protect citizens from misleading ads. Under the Green Claims Directive, companies would have to submit evidence about their environmental marketing claims before advertising products as ‘biodegradable’, ‘less polluting’, ‘water saving’ or having ‘bio-based content’. Member States would have to assign verifiers to pre-approve the use of such claims, to protect buyers from unfounded and ambiguous advertising. The Parliament wants claims and their evidence to be assessed within 30 days, but simpler claims and products could benefit from quicker or easier verification. Companies that break the rules may face penalties, like temporary exclusion from public procurement tenders, revenue loss and fines starting at 4% of their annual turnover. Green claims based solely on carbon offsetting schemes would remain banned. The Parliament also decided that green claims about products containing hazardous substances should remain possible, but the European Commission should assess whether they should be banned entirely in the near future.

The European Parliament has adopted the Platform Work Directive to improve the working conditions of platform workers. The new law establishes a presumption of an employment relationship and requires EU Member States to introduce a rebuttable legal presumption of employment at national level, which will correct the imbalance of power between the digital labour platform and the person doing the platform work. The Directive will also ensure that a person that does platform work cannot be dismissed based on a decision made by an algorithm or an automated decision-making system and introduces new rules that robustly protect platform workers’ data. The Council of the EU will now have to adopt the text. Member States will have two years to transpose the provisions of the Directive into their national legislation following its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.

The European Parliament has adopted a Regulation to harmonise requirements on how data on short-term rental services’ (STRs) should be collected and shared to promote a transparent and responsible platform economy and protect consumers from fraudulent STR offers. It introduces a simple online registration procedure to allow authorities to identify hosts, their units and verify their information. Online platforms will also need to ensure that hosts provide reliable and complete information with their registration number clearly visible in their listing, with non-compliance resulting in penalties or registration numbers being suspended. Member States will also set up a single digital entry point to receive data from hosts every month, which will monitor compliance with the registration process and allow authorities to implement suitable policies in the short-term accommodation sector.