The Council of the EU and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on rules to strengthen the enforcement of passenger rights across the EU for all modes of transport. The measures seek to simplify, harmonise and improve consistency in the existing framework for travellers using air, rail, sea, inland waterways and bus transport. They cover key passenger rights, including the right to receive information at various stages of travel, the right to contract fulfilment and compensation and the right to the prompt handling of complaints. The provisional agreement still requires formal approval by both the Parliament and the Council of the EU.

The European Parliament and the European Council have reached political agreement on the new sixth directive on anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) (MLD6) and AML/CTF ‘Single Rulebook’ regulation. MLD6 aims to bring about greater convergence between national AML/CTF supervisors and financial intelligence units (FIUs); the Single Rulebook Regulation will replace the EU AML/CTF Directives currently in force with detailed and directly applicable provisions which banks and other obliged entities will need to apply. Both measures are key components of the European Commission’s 2021 AML/CTF package, which also includes establishing an EU-wide AML/CTF supervisory authority—the Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA)—and the Recast Wire Transfer Regulation 2 (Recast EU WTR2).

The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union have reached a provisional agreement on a draft regulation amending the rules on the co-ordination of national social security systems for mobile workers. The proposal would amend Regulations (EC) No 883/2004 and 987/2009 and focuses on key areas, including unemployment benefits, long-term care and family benefits, access to welfare benefits for economically inactive persons and rules on applicable legislation for posted workers and those working in multiple Member States. The agreement aims to modernise the existing framework, improve the clarity, fairness and enforceability of existing rules, strengthen fair labour mobility across the EU and safeguard workers’ social rights in cross-border situations. It must now be endorsed by both the European Parliament and the Council before it can be formally adopted and enter into force.

The European Parliament and Council have reached a provisional agreement on new rules for plants developed using new genomic techniques (NGTs). The regulation is intended to support more sustainable agriculture by enabling the development of crop varieties that are more resilient to climate change, require fewer fertilisers and pesticides, and produce higher yields. Under the agreement, plants that could occur naturally or through conventional breeding, classified as NGT1, would be exempt from most genetically modified organisms (GMO) requirements if they meet defined criteria. All other NGT plants, designated as NGT2, would remain subject to GMO legislation, including risk assessment, authorisation, traceability and labelling. The agreement also addresses intellectual property rights by allowing patents for NGTs while introducing safeguards to protect farmers’ ability to save and replant seed. The European Commission will develop a code of conduct on patents within 18 months of the regulation’s entry into force.

The European Parliament and Council have reached a provisional agreement on a proposed regulation and directive creating a new category of small mid-cap enterprises (SMCs), defined as companies with fewer than 1,000 employees and either annual turnover of up to €200 million or total assets of up to €172 million. The agreed measures form part of the European Commission’s fourth Omnibus simplification package and extend existing small and medium-sized enterprise exemptions to SMCs across seven legislative instruments, including Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the EU Prospectus Regulation), Directive 2014/65/EU (the EU Markets in Financial Instruments Directive), Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the EU General Data Protection Regulation) and Directive (EU) 2022/2557 (the EU Resilience of Critical Entities Directive). The provisional agreement must still be formally adopted by both Parliament and the Council. Once adopted, the regulation will apply 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the EU, while Member States will have 15 months to transpose the directive into national law. Within five years of the regulation and directive entering into force, the Commission will be required to report on the SMC threshold and its impact on companies’ administrative burdens, with the possibility of reviewing the threshold.

The European Parliament and Council have reached a provisional political agreement on 23 September 2025 to update the lists of pollutants affecting surface and groundwater and revise the corresponding environmental quality standards. The agreement is part of the EU’s zero pollution ambition and aims to align water legislation with the latest scientific evidence. Member States will be required to report water quality data more frequently, and the Commission intends to assess options for establishing a joint EU monitoring facility. The directive is due to be transposed into national legislation by 21 December 2027.

The European Parliament has announced that it has approved the EU-Mexico Modernised Global Agreement (MGA) and the Interim Trade Agreement (iTA), paving the way for closer political cooperation and expanded trade between the European Union (EU) and Mexico. The MGA will replace the existing framework governing EU-Mexico relations, while the iTA will enable the trade provisions within the EU's exclusive competence to take effect before the MGA is fully ratified by all EU Member States and Mexico.

The European Parliament and the Council have reached an agreement on the text of the Payment Services Regulation (PSR) and the text of the Third Payment Services Directive (PSD3), aimed at creating a more competitive and secure EU payment services sector. The framework strengthens consumer protection by imposing stricter fraud-prevention duties on payment service providers, including verification of payee details, strong customer authentication, risk assessments, and tools such as spending limits and blocking options. Providers will be fully liable for unauthorised transactions, must freeze suspicious payments, and must refund victims of impersonation fraud who report the incident to the police and inform their provider. Online platforms may be held liable if they fail to remove fraudulent content after notification, and users must have access to human support. The agreement also requires clear disclosure of all payment charges and improves access to cash by allowing shops to offer withdrawals of €100 to €150 without requiring a purchase.

The European Parliament has approved the new EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) to oblige companies and their upstream and downstream partners to end or mitigate their negative impact on the environment and human rights. The Directive will apply to both EU and non-EU companies and parent companies with over 1,000 employees and a worldwide turnover higher than €450m, and certain companies with franchising or licensing agreements in the EU. Affected companies will be required to integrate due diligence into their polices and adopt a transition plan to ensure compliance with the Paris Agreement among other measures. Companies will be liable for damages, can be fined for non-compliance and will be required to fully compensate any victims. The Directive must now be formally endorsed by the Council of the EU before it can be published in the Official Journal of the EU, after which it will enter force 20 days later.

MEPs have approved the inter-institutional agreement on establishing a European Health Data Space to improve citizens’ access to their personal health data electronically including from a different Member State to the one in which they live, and allow health professionals to consult their patients’ files with their consent, also from other EU countries. These electronic health records (EHR) would include patient summaries, electronic prescriptions, medical imagery and laboratory results. Therefore, the transfer health data to health professionals in other EU countries can now be done securely, for example when citizens move to another State. The health record downloads will be free of charge. The Health Data Space will unleash the research potential of health data in an anonymised or pseudonymised format, and it will not be allowed for secondary use. This ensures patients have a voice on how their data are used and accessed, and patients will be able to refuse their health data being accessed by practitioners when unnecessary. Patients will also be informed every time their data is accessed, and will have the right to request corrections to incorrect data.

The European Parliament has voted to approve the EU’s signature of the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law. With 455 votes in favour, 101 against and 74 abstentions, MEPs gave their consent to the agreement. The European Parliament describes the framework as the first legally binding international treaty dedicated specifically to AI governance. The convention aims to ensure that AI systems adhere to human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law, by embedding existing EU policies on AI within an internationally recognised framework and establishing a global baseline for AI governance.

The European Parliament has approved two regulations implementing EU tariff commitments under the August 2025 EU‑US joint statement, including the elimination of tariffs on all US industrial goods and preferential market access for a range of US seafood and agricultural goods. The legislation, adopted by majority votes in plenary, also extends tariff‑free imports of lobster to include processed lobster. A sunset clause provides that the main regulation on industrial and agri‑food imports will expire on 31 December 2029, subject to a Commission assessment by 30 June 2029 of its effects on EU industry, agriculture and small and medium‑sized enterprises, and of changes in trade patterns.