European Parliamentary Research Service

📚 Explore our topical digest on #GenderEquality across policy areas: link.europa.eu/jc79g4

@linagalvez.eu @irenemonterog.bsky.social @lubicakarvasova.bsky.social @danielfreund.bsky.social @smithanthony.bsky.social

Infographic showing gender equality in political power in EU countries in 2025. Data source: EIGE, Gender equality index: Comparing power / political scores, 2025 (data extracted on 2.2.2026).

Women are still politically under-represented at all levels of political power ⤵️

Ahead of #InternationalWomensDay, let's take a look at women in politics in the EU.

Read 👉 link.europa.eu/6Pd9Pc

#IWD2026 @press.europarl.europa.eu @femm.europarl.europa.eu

📚 Explore our topical digest on #GenderEquality across policy areas: link.europa.eu/jc79g4

@linagalvez.eu @irenemonterog.bsky.social @luciayar.bsky.social

EPRS briefing summary on 'Women in STEM in the EU: How to close the gender gap' (March 2026)

Only 1 in 3 #STEM graduates in the EU in 2023 were women.

The EU has adopted initiatives to close the #GenderGap in STEM in:

✔️ education
✔️ research
✔️ employment

Read ahead of #InternationalWomensDay 👉 link.europa.eu/yDMQD3

#IWD2026 

@press.europarl.europa.eu @femm.europarl.europa.eu

European Parliament Plenary Session – March 2026 The European Parliament's March plenary session opens against the backdrop of a fast-moving and unpredictable geopolitical situation. On Wednesday morning, Members are due to debate preparation of the...

💼 Prepare for next week #EPlenary with our notes:

🔸 2027 #EUbudget
🔹 EP & Commission's relations
🔸 #Travel
🔹 #EUenlargement
🔸 #Copyright & #AI
🔹 #Housing
🔸 #WTO
🔹 EU talent pool

Read 👉 wp.me/p2qdgs-j8l

@press.europarl.europa.eu

EPRS illustration showing the the policy priorities of the von der Leyen II Commission: State of play in March 2026.

❓How is the European Commission delivering on its policy agenda?

📋 385 initiatives announced
☑️ 220 submitted
🗓️ 153 still to come
📊 50% of these initiatives focus on #prosperity & #competitiveness

Read the full study: link.europa.eu/jjh7cD

@press.europarl.europa.eu @president.europarl.europa.eu

EPRS briefing summary on 'The European ocean pact: And an ocean act by 2027' (June 2025)

⚓ Commission published the EU industrial maritime strategy yesterday.

🌊 The #OceanEye initiative was announced on Monday.

Read more on the blue economy and the European #ocean pact
👉 link.europa.eu/DPrkMn

@anjahazekamp.bsky.social @melissacamara.bsky.social @emma-fourreau.bsky.social

"Our task today is to strengthen #AcademicFreedom & #democracy to fend off Europe's return to its authoritarian history"

#STOA Chair MEP Christian Ehler opens today's high-level #EP4AcademicFreedom conference

🔴Watch live: youtube.com/live/9PWJ_UF...

📚 Explore our topical digest on #GenderEquality across policy areas: link.europa.eu/jc79g4

@linagalvez.eu @irenemonterog.bsky.social @luciayar.bsky.social

EPRS infographic reading 'The deepfake menace: a gendered issue' showing the proportion of deepfake videos by content type. 98% of deepfake videos are pornographic. 99% of the individuals targeted in deepfake pornography are women. Source: Security Hero, State of Deepfakes report (2023)

99% of individuals targeted in #deepfake pornography are women.

Our briefing examines:
🔸 how deepfakes contribute to a hostile information environment for women
🔸 how the EU & Parliament respond

Briefing 👉 link.europa.eu/wJ8ykr

@femm.europarl.europa.eu

STOA high-level conference - Academic Freedom in Support of Democracy YouTube video by MySTOA

🔴Today at 14h CET:

#STOA high-level conference on #AcademicFreedom & #democracy

With keynotes speeches by @president.europarl.europa.eu Metsola & Commissioner Zaharieva @scienceinnovation.ec.europa.eu

📺Watch live: youtube.com/live/9PWJ_UF...
✅Interview: wp.me/panTdn-4vZ

#EP4AcademicFreedom

📚 Explore our topical digest on #GenderEquality across policy areas: link.europa.eu/jc79g4

EPRS briefing summary on 'Women in politics in the EU: State of play in 2026' (February 2026)

Women in politics in the EU: what's the state of play?

🔹Gender gap in political representation
🔹Why #GenderBalance in politics matters
🔹EU action on gender balance in political decision-making

Full explainer👉 link.europa.eu/6Pd9Pc

@femm.europarl.europa.eu @linagalvez.eu @irenemonterog.bsky.social

ESMH Summer School 2026 - Call for young journalists and content creators - ESMH Are you a young journalist writing about science and technology? Do you have questions about the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on newsrooms,

⏰Only 2 weeks left to apply for the 2026 #ESMHSummerSchool for young EU journalists!

Join #comms experts & journalists at the #EUParliament in Brussels for interactive workshops on #SciComm & #AI

📅 22-25/6
✍ Apply before 18/3 noon (CET): wp.me/panTdn-4vj

@efsj.bsky.social @ep-eprs.bsky.social

Atlantic ocean with big waves forming foam and crashing against the rocks

🌊 Will 2026 be the year of action for the #oceans?

Commission President just announced the #OceanEye initiative.

What else to expect this year?

Read Chapter 9 of 10 issues to watch in 2026
👉 link.europa.eu/rVgvkY

@anjahazekamp.bsky.social @melissacamara.bsky.social @emma-fourreau.bsky.social

EPRS at-a-glance publication on 'EU action against harmful gender stereotypes' - February 2026 (first page)

🔎 Harmful gender #stereotypes are widely rejected by EU citizens. Yet they still persist.

Fighting such stereotypes is part of the EU action to promote #GenderEquality.

Full explainer 👉 link.europa.eu/JXqfXy

@femm.europarl.europa.eu @linagalvez.eu @luciayar.bsky.social @irenemonterog.bsky.social

EPRS illustration showing how visual and audio deepfakes are created

How are visual & audio #deepfakes created?

Our briefing looks at:
🔴 deepfakes impact
🔴 information manipulation in the age of #GenAI
🔴 EU and Parliament response

➡️ link.europa.eu/GvDvyn

@svenjahahn.bsky.social @kimvsparrentak.bsky.social @birgitsippel.bsky.social @marketkag.bsky.social

Tomorrow 28/2 is #RareDiseaseDay

#RareDiseases affect over 36 mln people in the EU
Challenges remain such as:
☑️fragmented #research
☑️lengthy diagnosis times
☑️limited access to innovative treatment
☑️the overall quality of life for patients

👉 link.europa.eu/4VBrfp

Illustration showing migration of food contact materials and chemicals in a yoghurt pot

🥫 Food contact materials are any materials touching food from production to storage. Some may release chemicals into food.

🔎 EU law sets general safety rules, but enforcement gaps remain.

Read more 👉 link.europa.eu/NCMRMB

@sant.europarl.europa.eu @tillymetz.bsky.social @stinebosse.bsky.social

EPRS briefing summary 'Understanding EU counter-terrorism policy' (February 2025)

Today, the Commission proposed a new EU Agenda for preventing and countering #terrorism & violent #extremism

Read our briefing on the EU counter-terrorism policy 👉 link.europa.eu/8MjH9C

@libe.europarl.europa.eu @estrellagalan.bsky.social

Official Visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to London (United Kingdom) - Meeting with Sir Keir STARMER, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

President Metsola went to London to strengthen the EU-UK partnership

ICYMI read this:
Next steps after the EU-UK 2025 Leaders' Summit
link.europa.eu/3rMkQw
EU security & defence partnership with the #UK
link.europa.eu/pxndXb

@president.europarl.europa.eu
@bernd-lange.bsky.social @masz.bsky.social

The results of the 2025 #EPAcademicFreedom Monitor are out:

👉 #AcademicFreedom is under pressure in almost all of EU: link.europa.eu/b7H9dn

👉Next Wednesday 4/3: #STOA’s High-Level Conference: link.europa.eu/FKxfq8

@eua.eu @guildeu.bsky.social @scholarsatrisk.bsky.social @linagalvez.eu

ESMH Summer School 2026 - Call for young journalists and content creators - ESMH Are you a young journalist writing about science and technology? Do you have questions about the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on newsrooms,

🗓️22-25 June 2026 Brussels:

#ESMHSummerSchool for young journalists on #Science #Communication in the age of #AI

👉You can now apply: wp.me/panTdn-4vj

#SciComm @linagalvez.eu @europeanjournalists.org @wfsj25.bsky.social @stinaborchers.bsky.social @pierregirard.bsky.social @josecepeda.bsky.social

EPRS briefing first page on 'Firearms Trafficking Directive' (January 2026)

The European Commission is set to propose a Firearms trafficking directive.

What issues are at stake?

Our briefing highlights the choices which may shape the initiative 👉 link.europa.eu/Hqh9fp

@libe.europarl.europa.eu @estrellagalan.bsky.social

What is the 28th regime, and is the Parliament supporting it? Across the EU, the definition of a start-up varies. However, characteristics frequently mentioned across a number of sources describe start-ups as new, innovative, technology-driven companies that hav...

The 28th regime would create a single set of rules for businesses in the EU to simplify laws & strengthen the single market. Commission is set to discuss it today.

Read 👇

@juri.europarl.europa.eu @repasi.bsky.social @pcanfin.bsky.social @kiramph.bsky.social @arashsaeidi.bsky.social

🔎 #ArtificialIntelligence changes the way we search online.

But this also raises questions around:
🔹#copyright
🔹content quality
🔹potential informational dependency

Read 👉 link.europa.eu/YmKH3r

@imco.europarl.europa.eu @libe.europarl.europa.eu @mcnamaramep.bsky.social

EPRS briefing context section on 'European Competitiveness Fund' (November 2025)

The proposed European competitiveness fund aims to:
🔸 support sectors critical to EU #competitiveness
🔸 simplify procedures
🔸 coordinate funding

Read more 👉 link.europa.eu/gqJJK8

@itre.europarl.europa.eu @yvanverougstraete.bsky.social @botengam.bsky.social

United States Supreme Court with US flag

The US Supreme Court's ruling invalidates all #tariffs that President Trump imposed under #IEEPA on US trading partners 

What to expect after this landmark ruling?

Read 👉 link.europa.eu/Y8yxq4

@inta.europarl.europa.eu @bernd-lange.bsky.social @manonaubryfr.bsky.social @sophiewilmes.bsky.social

EPRS study cover on 'EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027: Taking stock and the way forward' (January 2026)

The EU Youth Strategy 2019–2027 sets the framework for EU-wide policy cooperation for young people.

Our study supports the CULT committee's implementation report on the EUYS.

Read 👉 link.europa.eu/mjmXMB

@cult.europarl.europa.eu @sabrinarepp.bsky.social

How does Parliament support Ukraine? On 24 February 2026, the European Parliament will hold an extraordinary plenary session in Brussels, to mark the four-year anniversary of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.

Today, the European Parliament holds an extraordinary plenary session marking the 4-year anniversary of Russia's ongoing war of aggression against #Ukraine.

Our article summarises how Parliament supports Ukraine ↓

@press.europarl.europa.eu @afet.europarl.europa.eu @budg.europarl.europa.eu