The European Parliament has adopted new rules aiming to prevent gender-based violence against women and victims of domestic violence. The Directive calls for stronger laws against cyberviolence, better assistance for victims, and steps to prevent rape. The new rules prohibit female genital mutilation and forced marriage and outline particular guidelines for offenses committed online, such as the disclosure of private information and cyberflashing. A longer list of aggravating circumstances for offenses that carry more severe penalties, such as crimes against public figures, journalists, or human rights defenders, will be included in the legislation. The list also includes the intention to punish victims based on their gender, sexual orientation, skin colour, religion, social origin, or political beliefs, and the desire to maintain or restore ‘honour’. The new rules will come into force twenty days after their publication in the EU Official Journal. Member states have 3 years to implement the provisions.

The European Parliament has adopted new measures to reduce pollution in both groundwater and surface waters, while strengthening EU water quality standards. The legislation revises the list of pollutants requiring monitoring and control, adding PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), pharmaceuticals such as painkillers, industrial substances and pesticides. Several already regulated pollutants will also be subject to stricter environmental quality standards. The measures further increase focus on substances of emerging concern, including microplastics and antimicrobial resistance indicators.

The European Parliament has adopted the text of the Banking Union annual report for 2023. The report calls on the Commission to retain the completion of the Banking Union and the Capital Markets Union as key priorities for the remainder of its current mandate and for its next mandate.

The European Parliament has formally adopted the text on the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 as regards establishing a framework for a European Digital Identity, following the provisional agreement between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU on the creation of a pan-European digital identity framework in 2023. The EU wallet will be used on a voluntary basis, and during negotiations MEPs secured provisions to safeguard citizens’ rights and foster an inclusive digital system by avoiding discrimination against people opting not to use the digital wallet. The law provides for free ‘qualified electronic signatures’ for EU wallet users, which have the same legal standing as a handwritten signature, as well as wallet-to-wallet interactions, which aim to improve the fluidity of digital exchanges. MEPs have also mandated an open-source wallet ‘to encourage transparency, innovation and to enhance security’, in addition to setting ‘stringent rules for the registration and oversight of companies involved to ensure accountability and traceability’.

The European Parliament adopted a regulation establishing a two-category framework for new genomic techniques (NGT) in plants, following a provisional agreement with the Council in December 2025. NGT-1 plants, defined as those with limited genetic changes equivalent to conventional breeding, will be treated as conventional plants once verified, with plants engineered for herbicide-tolerance or insecticidal substance production excluded from this category. NGT-2 plants, involving more extensive modifications, remain subject to existing genetically modified organism (GMO) rules and require prior authorisation before commercialisation in the EU. Full traceability and labelling obligations apply to NGT-2 plants and member states may restrict or prohibit their cultivation. NGTs may be patented, excluding traits occurring in nature or produced by biological means, with safeguards preserving farmers' rights to save and replant seeds. The regulation enters into force 20 days after publication in the EU Official Journal and applies two years thereafter.

The European Parliament has approved the updated EU design protection rules for technological progress and a sustainable economy by tackling the rise of new technologies such as 3D printing and artificial intelligence. They introduce protection of designs for up to five years and can be extended by one to four more five-year periods for up to 25 years with the exception of those designs reproducing aspects of cultural heritage, such as artefacts, natural or cultural monuments. The new rules include provisions on registration, renewal and alterations of designs, allow customers to choose freely between competing products, ensure transparency through the disclosure of the commercial origin of the product and identity of the manufacturer. Member States still protecting design of spare parts will have to withdraw that protection. MEPs ensured they would have to do so within the transitional period of eight instead of ten years.

The European Parliament has adopted the EU budget for 2025, marking a key milestone in the budgetary process. Totalling €199.4bn in commitments and €155.21bn in payments, the budget is 6% larger than in 2024, reflecting a €10bn increase. It aligns with priorities set out in the revised Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021–2027.

The European Parliament has adopted amendments at second reading to the Council of the EU's position on a regulation to reinstate a temporary derogation from ePrivacy rules allowing providers to voluntarily detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and solicitation of children in private communications. The amendments would exclude communications to which end-to-end encryption is, has been or will be applied from the scope of the law. As there was no absolute majority to reject the amended position, the second reading has closed and the amended text will now be sent to the Council of the EU, which has three months to approve or reject the amendments. If the Council of the EU does not accept all the amendments, the proposal will move to conciliation to seek agreement on the legislation while negotiations on a permanent regime continue.

The European Parliament and the Council have reached a political agreement to establish the EU Talent Pool, the first EU-wide digital platform aimed at facilitating the recruitment of skilled workers from outside the Union. Participation by Member States will be voluntary, and the platform will operate free of charge for both employers and jobseekers. It will focus on matching vacancies in shortage occupations and roles critical to EU competitiveness with qualified third-country nationals.

The European Parliament (MEPs) and Council has reached a provisional agreement establishing new EU wine sector regulations. The deal introduces specific labelling requirements for de-alcoholised wines, with products containing less than 0.05% alcohol to be labelled 'alcohol-free' and those with 0.5% or more labelled 'alcohol reduced'. The agreement provides additional EU funding for wine sector support measures, extends vine replanting timeframes following natural disasters and enhances funding for wine tourism promotion and export campaigns to third countries. The provisional agreement requires formal approval by both Parliament and Council before entering into force.

The European Commission has issued a press release announcing that the European Parliament and the Council have finalised the review of the Benchmarks Regulation, following a political agreement reached in December 2024. The revised rules aim to balance reducing the burden on EU administrators and users of benchmarks while ensuring their robustness and reliability. The revised rules, proposed in October 2023, introduce a minimum threshold of €50bn for benchmarks to be in scope, reducing the number of administrators by 80-90%. The new rules will apply from 1 January 2026.

The European Parliament and the Council of the EU have reached a provisional deal on the Cyber Solidarity Act which aims to strengthen the EU’s solidarity and capacities to detect, prepare for and respond to cybersecurity threats and incidents. The new rules will establish EU capabilities to make Europe more resilient and reactive in front of cyber threats, while strengthening cooperation mechanisms. These objectives would be primarily achieved through a ‘cyber security alert system’ which is pan-European network of National Cyber Hubs and by establishing a Cyber Emergency Mechanism which will increase preparedness and enhance incident response capabilities in the EU, and a European Cybersecurity Incident Review Mechanism which will, among others, assess the effectiveness of the emergency mechanism. The Parliament and Council have also agreed on a targeted amendment to the Cybersecurity Act 2019 which aims to enhance EU’s cyber resilience by enabling the future adoption of European certification schemes for ‘managed security services’. Both texts will have to be endorsed by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament in view of their formal adoption.