ΕUROPEAN PARLIAMENT update

 

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Press release 01-10-2025 Metsola to EU leaders: Simplification means more jobs, stability and security       Addressing the informal leaders' meeting today in Copenhagen, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola highlighted the following topics: On simplification: Making things easier is what the European Parliament is all about. We are committed to make life better, fairer and easier for the industry, for families, for farmers. At a time when too often the world feels like it is on fire, we want to make sure Europe remains the best and safest place to be. A few weeks ago, Parliament and the Commission signed a new Framework Agreement, committing to our simplification agenda. Parliament will vote on the revisions of the CSRD - Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive - and the CSDDD - Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive in October, just as we will on the Omnibus II Investment Simplification Package [InvestEU], the revision of the Visa Suspension Mechanism and our position on the Common Agriculture Policy Simplification Omnibus. This will mean more jobs, more stability and ultimately, more security. Things are moving, but we need to keep pulling the same rope. Let’s work together. On defence: We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. What we need is to pool our resources, our funding, and our know-how. And the European Parliament gets that. We are now ready to reach an agreement on EDIP - the European Defence Industry Programme - at the next trilogue on 7 October, which we hope will be the last one. On Ukraine and drones: I was in Kyiv to reaffirm the European Parliament’s steadfast support for the Verkhovna Rada and the Ukrainian people. You could see how drones have really become a primary weapon of war. President Zelenskyy made it clear that Ukraine is ready - they have field experience and the industrial capacities to produce even more. What they lack however, is financing. What was once covert is now overt - and here, we can really count on Ukraine's expertise. On phasing-out Russian gas and energy: The European Parliament has taken a clear stance: ending the purchase of Russian gas and energy strikes at the very core of Russia’s war machine - and we stand by that. Naturally, phasing out our dependencies must be accompanied by a clear plan. On Middle East: The plan to end the Gaza conflict put forward by the President of the United States, and endorsed by Gulf and Arab States, is an important breakthrough. It offers a real framework towards peace, stability and reconstruction in Gaza. If Hamas accepts this peace plan, it will mean that the guns fall silent; that the suffering would end. Hostages could come home. More aid could reach those who desperately need it. It would guard against mass displacement, and it would make sure Hamas has no role in Gaza’s future governance. The plan can bring security for Israel, and it can give Palestinians a real perspective for their legitimate aspirations towards self-determination and Statehood. It keeps the possibility of a two-state solution alive. And it provides hope - real hope - to an entire region that has seen too little of it. On Migration: When it comes to establishing an EU list of Safe Countries of Origin and revising the Safe Third Country Concept, we hope to conclude them by the end of the year. The new Returns Regulation, by early next year. Things are moving. President Metsola’s full speech is available here. Further information  Doorstep by Roberta METSOLA, EP President, at the Informal European Council meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark  Multimedia centre: Roberta METSOLA, EP President participates in the Informal EUCO in Copenhagen, Denmark   Press release 29-09-2025 2026 LUX Audience Award: announcement of shortlisted films     The five finalists for the 2026 LUX European Audience Film Award will be unveiled at a press conference at the European Parliament on Tuesday, 7 October 2025. First Vice-President of the Parliament Sabine Verheyen (EPP, DE) and Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education Nela Riehl (Greens/EFA, DE), in the presence of the representatives (directors, producers, actors) of the films, will announce the shortlisted candidates for the LUX Audience Award at a press conference on 7 October 2025. When: Tuesday 7 October 2025 at 15.00 Where: European Parliament, Strasbourg, Daphne Caruana Galizia press conference room (WEISS N -1/201) Interpretation will be provided in English, French, and German. Accredited media representatives can attend the press conference in person. Journalists wishing to ask questions remotely can connect via Interactio. The press conference will also be web streamed live and recorded on the Parliament’s Multimedia Centre. Apply for individual interviews Journalists will have the opportunity to interview the representatives of the five nominated films. To express your interest please write to eliana.capretti@europarl.europa.eu until 2 October. Interview slots are limited and are scheduled for Tuesday 7 October, after the press conference and before the launching event.  Please note that making a request does not guarantee an interview. The interviews may take place in English or in any other languages spoken by the films’ representatives. No interpretation will be provided. Your interview slot will be confirmed by Friday 3 October Invitation to the launch event Journalists are kindly invited to attend the launch event, featuring the participation of the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, Vice-President Sabine Verheyen, Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education Nela Riehl, the mayor of Strasbourg Jeanne Barseghian, and the chair of the European Film Academy, Mike Downey. When: Tuesday 7 October 2025, 18.00-20.00 Where: European Parliament, La Rotonde (CHURCHILL -01) Accessibility For the first time, all the shortlisted films will be subtitled for deaf people, in the spirit of full compromise with accessibility. The selection process The five nominated films for the LUX Audience Award are chosen by a panel of film professionals from across EU member states. The nominated films will be screened in cinemas across the EU and rated by citizens and MEPs. The votes of MEPs and the results of the public ratings will be weighed equally in deciding the final winner. Background More than 900 screenings of the shortlisted films were organised in EU countries for the 2025 edition of the Award, with debates involving more than 90,000 audience members. Since 2020, citizens across the EU and MEPs have jointly chosen the winner of the LUX Audience Award, presented annually by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy, in partnership with the European Commission and the Europa Cinemas network. The LUX Audience Award fosters dialogue and engagement between politics and the public through the medium of film. The nominated films address European values and raise awareness about some of today’s main social and political issues such as mental health in youth, education, child protection, rights of persons with disabilities, inclusion, justice, torture, authoritarianism, LGBTQ+ rights, gender identity, family structures, cultural heritage, family history and identity. Information for the media - Use Interactio to ask questions To have an opportunity to ask questions remotely during the press conference, please connect via Interactio at this link https://ep.interactio.eu/uw5m-71vf-mi2k. Interactio is only supported on iPad (with the Safari browser) and Mac/Windows (with the Google Chrome browser). When connecting, enter your name and the media you are representing in the first name / last name fields. For better sound quality, use headphones and a microphone. Interpretation is only possible for interventions with video. Journalists who have never used Interactio before are asked to connect 30 minutes before the start of the press event to perform a connection test. Further information  Free photo, video and audio material: LUX European Audience Film Award 2026  Photoset: LUX Audience Award 2026 - panel selection  LUX European Audience Film Award website  Committee on Culture and Education  European Film Academy       Press release 29-09-2025 “Moldova’s pro-European victory is a lesson for all of Europe”       Statement by Siegfried Mureșan, Chair of the Parliament’s delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee, following the parliamentary elections in Moldova on 28 September. “Moldova’s pro-European victory is a lesson for all of Europe on how to defeat Russian interference. Despite unprecedented efforts to manipulate the election — both during the campaign and on polling day — the pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), founded by President Maia Sandu, won an absolute majority over pro-Russian opponents in the parliamentary elections held on Sunday. In recent weeks, Russia and pro-Russian leaders mobilised unprecedented resources — exceeding 1% of Moldova’s GDP — to illegally finance pro-Russian parties, spread disinformation, manipulate public opinion, and bribe voters. The pro-Europeans won despite all this interference because they delivered on the expectations of the people, avoided empty populist promises, and refused to form compromising coalitions with “the lesser evil”: former pro-Russian politicians suddenly claiming to be pro-European. Russia will however not stop here. It will continue its attempts to influence elections across Europe and attack our democracies. But Moldova has shown that with hard work, victory is possible. Once a new pro-European majority is formed, we must act swiftly, advancing the European integration of the Republic of Moldova in line with the will of the people and the reform momentum created by this pro-European triumph. Moldova and its people will only be truly secure from Russian interference once the country becomes a full member of the European Union.” Further information  Profile of Siegfried Mureșan (EPP, Romania)  Press release: "Parliament condemns Russia’s attempts to destabilise Moldova" (10.9.2025)  Video: Plenary debate on strengthening Moldova’s resilience against Russian hybrid threats and malign interference (9.9.2025)  European Parliament resolution of 10 September 2025 on strengthening Moldova’s resilience against Russian hybrid threats and malign interference  EP Multimedia Centre: Election Observation Delegation - Parliamentary Elections in Moldova (28.9.2025)       Press release 29-09-2025 AGRI   Highlights of the next AGRI meeting       Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) to meet on Thursday 2 October (9.00 – 12.00). The meeting will take place at Paul-Henri Spaak building, room 1A002. The meeting will be livestreamed here (Parliament’s Multimedia Centre). Full agenda will be available here. DEBATES Revision of the EU Pollinators Initiative. Exchange of views with the Commission. At 9.00. Impact of the forest fires of 2025 on EU agriculture. Exchange of views with the Commission. Around 9.45. Animal diseases affecting livestock sector. Exchange of views with the Commission. Around 11.15. FOLLOW US ON X! Highlights, press releases and new documents are published on @EP_Agriculture. Further information  Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development  Meeting documents

day 24 September 2025, from 19.00 to 21.30 Where: Strasbourg, European Parliament, Louise WEISS building, room S2.2 Webstream | Agenda   Structured dialogue with the Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkunnen, 19.00 Debate on AgoraEU with the Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef, 20.15 Next meeting 5-6 November 2025 (Brussels) FOLLOW US! Highlights, all press releases, important dates, new documents and much more are published on @EPCulture (X) and @cult.europarl.europa.eu (BlueSky).

Further information  Committee on Culture and Education  Agenda and meeting documents  Webstreaming