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On 30 September, the European Parliament’s building in Brussels glowed pink, marking the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

 

The European Parliament remains committed to boosting breast cancer awareness and prevention across Europe and worldwide.

 

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the EU, and there are still significant disparities in breast cancer screening rates and survival rates across countries and regions.

During the last plenary session, Parliament adopted proposals to strengthen healthcare systems and improve working conditions in the sector. 

 

Members wants to increase EU funds for health to support investment in the healthcare workforce. The aim is to attract more young people to healthcare professions, to have funds for scholarships, cross-border cooperation, and targeted measures to guarantee fair pay and job stability.

 

Read more: https://link.europa.eu/9jb9KT

More funding in gender-sensitive healthcare, that is.

 

And now Members of European Parliament are calling for better data, more inclusive research and stronger considerations of the health needs of women across each stage of their lives.

Their message is simple - set clear and measurable targets to address gender health inequalities in EU policy and funding.

 

Read more here: https://link.europa.eu/6JQrQT

Social media can be a space to connect, build communities, and take part in civic life and activism. But the same platforms also come with risks, from harmful content and radicalisation to addictive design and online harassment.

 

The European Parliament is on a mission to make platforms safer for young people. This can be achieved by implementing:

 

• safety built into platform design

• a youth mode with no targeted ads

• age verification that protects privacy with no personal data collection

• clear information about how algorithms and AI models work

• ban on non-consensual deepfakes

• protection against illegal and harmful content

• code of conduct for influencers

• digital literacy and awareness programmes.

 

A safe online life for young people cannot be solely based on what young people do with social media, but what social media does to young people.

 

Find out more: https://link.europa.eu/7x684R 

Drone incursions, airspace violations, border tunnels, disinformation and cyber attacks, all orchestrated to sow chaos and undermine member countries.

The EU is under attack. But it's not an open conflict. It's designed to stay just below that line.

Members of the European Parliament argue that the EU must move from a reactive to a proactive strategy in fighting hybrid attacks. This means prevention, early threat anticipation, increased intelligence sharing between member countries and a new EU action plan against hybrid warfare 📈

They stress that a stronger EU role must also respect individual member state responsibilities, and call for increased EU-NATO cooperation to strengthen Europe against hybrid threats 🛡️

“The Kremlin sees our hesitation as weakness. We must not be afraid to respond firmly and to impose real consequences for Russian aggression,” says Rasa Juknevičienė, Parliament member responsible for the report 💪

Read more: https://link.europa.eu/P7TWRV

“Where our strengths differ, they complement. Where they overlap, they create scale. We should build on each other’s strengths – deliberately, systematically, and rapidly," said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in his address to the European Parliament.

He spoke of Canada and Europe securing their strategic autonomy through deep cooperation on critical minerals, defence industrial capacity, AI, energy security and people-to-people ties, “allowing our youth to live, work and study where they want on either side of the Atlantic”.

 

Welcoming the Canadian Prime Minister to the European Parliament, President Metsola emphasised: 

“Europe and Canada share a simple understanding: that we are always stronger when we work together. Today, we are looking to the future together, with huge potential to deepen our cooperation from defence and trade to energy, education and research.”

Find out more: https://link.europa.eu/Npnkrg

Foreign interference is becoming more sophisticated and coordinated, with Russia remaining the primary threat by targeting elections, spreading disinformation and trying to influence voters.

Today, Parliament adopted its proposals to strengthen democracy in Europe, from protecting elections to tackling foreign interference and disinformation.

Parliament recommendations include:
• a strong EU Centre for Democratic Resilience to monitor threats, issue early warnings and coordinate responses when democratic processes are targeted;
• faster action against bot-driven election interference and coordinated online manipulation;
• action against malicious deepfakes and fraudulent political ads designed to deceive voters;
• critical infrastructure for elections, protecting them better against attacks and disruption;
• boosting cooperation between election authorities across the EU through the European Cooperation Network on Elections;
• stronger safeguards against foreign and proxy financing of elections, including greater transparency around donors and crypto;
• stronger sanctions against those enabling disinformation and foreign interference.

Find out more on Parliament’s work to safeguard democracy: https://link.europa.eu/g7bkhq

From reliving moments of pride, to recalling memories of overcoming unforeseen challenges, President Metsola looks back on some of the key moments from the State of the Union debates in recent years.

 

What will define the 2026 debate? Join live on 16 September at 09:00 CET and find out!

Here Fernando Navarrete Rojas, the Member steering negotiations on behalf of Parliament, helps us understand what it would be (and what it would not be).

The digital euro would be an electronic means of payment issued by the European Central Bank and available for anyone to use.

It would be:
- private,
- available online/offline and
- would complement, not replace cash, and existing private payment solutions.

Parliament is currently negotiating with EU countries on the legislation, with the aim of having a digital euro in 2029.

Learn more: https://link.europa.eu/nTfQKm

Expressing and discussing different views is what makes the democratic system.

Do you know what conversations shape the EU you live in?

Tune in to the State of the European Union debate on Wednesday 16 September to watch Commission President Ursula von der Leyen give her State of the Union address to Parliament, followed by a debate with Members.

The annual State of the Union debate allows Parliament to scrutinise the European Commission’s work and help steer EU policy.

Find out more: https://link.europa.eu/RThYfW

It's an online tool, with direct links to documents, and customisable search functions so anyone can follow EU law making in real time!

Together, the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission, and in cooperation with the Publications Office, have jointly launched the user-friendly online platform that brings all legislative information to one place.
 
With this tracker, EU decision making is now:
✔️ more open and easier to understand
✔️available in one place
✔️accessible in 24 EU languages
✔️updated in real-time
 
So you can sit back and follow EU law making from start to finish, from the comfort of your own home.
 
Try it for yourself here: https://law-tracker.europa.eu/homepage?lang=en

Eurobarometer surveys help to regularly check the pulse of what Europeans think.

Check out the latest findings, country by country: https://link.europa.eu/TJB8hy

For 39% of respondents, the answer is defence and security, making it the most selected topic in Parliament’s latest Eurobarometer survey.

But priorities vary across Europe. Explore the infographic to see what people in your country answered.

Read more about the findings from the Eurobarometer survey here: https://link.europa.eu/TJB8hy

Long-term planning helps turn ideas into action, supporting projects and businesses that strengthen skills, innovation, connectivity and opportunities across the continent. That's why a stronger budget needs stronger support to secure our future.

Find out more about the EU long-term budget: https://eubudget.europarl.europa.eu/en/

This summer and any other trip, visit these 32 countries and use your mobile phone at no extra cost thanks to the EU's roam like at home area 📱
 
A SIM card from one of these countries can be used in all the others without extra roaming charges.
 
Whether you're taking a trip to the crystal-clear lakes of Sweden or exploring the beautiful Moldovan countryside, remember that the EU has your back 💪🇪🇺

Expect less guessing, thanks to EU transparency rules around the professional use of generative AI.

Starting 2 August,  anyone using generative AI professionally must disclose it, if the content involves:

- images, audio or video that could be mistaken for real people, places, or events
- text in the public interest that hasn't been reviewed by a human
- chatbots interacting with users

From major brands to content creators and public organisations, disclosure obligations apply to everyone. There are some exemptions, but the principle is simple: transparency comes first.

Wondering how to comply? The EU has created:

• Labelling icons➡️ EU Icons for labelling AI-generated content | Shaping Europe’s digital future
• A code of practice ➡️ Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-Generated Content | Shaping Europe’s digital future
• Guidelines ➡️ Commission publishes guidelines on transparency obligations for providers and deployers of certain AI systems

Turns out, nearly three quarters think that being in the EU has been good for their country.

See how many also view it as a plus for democracy, stability, and security: link.europa.eu/TJB8hy

When traveling within the EU, you can!

Here's everything you need to know before packing for your four-legged travel buddy: https://link.europa.eu/JpYXYN

To help make future cross-border trips smoother, Parliament has adopted new rules to improve railway capacity coordination. 
 
Read more: https://link.europa.eu/jhFf8y