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On 25 November 2021, the European Commission submitted a proposal to modify Directive 93/109/EC on the right of mobile European Union (EU) citizens – those residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals – to vote and stand as candidates in elections to the European Parliament. Directive 93/109/EC gave EU citizens the same rights to vote and to be elected to the European Parliament as the citizens of the Member State in which they reside. However, Member States have varying rules on the ...

Online child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and grooming practices (manipulation aimed at exploiting and abusing people), now increasingly targeting younger children, have been proliferating at an alarming rate. In 2024, more than 20.5 million reports of suspected online child sexual abuse materials were detected. Reports related to AI-generated CSAM saw a 1 325 % increase, rising from 4 700 in 2023 to 67 000 in 2024. Most activities detected were hosted in Europe. In response to this situation, on ...

On 1 March 2023, as part of the road safety package, the European Commission published a legislative proposal to help ensure EU-wide application of driving disqualifications. The proposal calls for increased cooperation, harmonisation of legislation, simplification of information exchange, capacity-building, and improved public awareness efforts. In order to prevent impunity due to a lack of legislation, the proposal sets out rules to allow better EU-wide enforcement of driver disqualification decisions ...

The EU and its Member States have signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and use its definition of disability as a common reference at EU level. There is no other harmonised definition of disability in the EU. The introduction of the Global Activity Limitation Instrument indicator (GALI) in most of Eurostat's social and economic surveys offers the opportunity to have a clearer assessment of disability in the EU than before. It confirms that in 2024 the prevalence of disability ...

The EU institutions are required to take into account the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the design and implementation of legislation or of policies, both within law- and policymaking internal to the Union and in the external relations of the EU. This study was commissioned by the European Parliament's Policy Department for Justice, Civil Liberties and Institutional Affairs at the request of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament, to examine how they discharge this duty ...

In response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the European Union (EU) has adopted 19 sanctions packages against Russia in close coordination with its Group of Seven partners. As part of these measures, the EU has immobilised around EUR 210 billion of Russia’s sovereign assets and froze around EUR 28 billion of private assets within its jurisdiction, while actively addressing possible utilisation of these funds as reparations owed to Ukraine by Russia under international law. Although ...

On 1 March 2023, the European Commission published its legislative proposal on driving licences – a matter of EU competence – to facilitate the free movement of persons and goods throughout the EU by modernising the driving licence system. This involves future-proofing the driving licence rules, improving road safety and simplifying the rules for those wanting to get a driving licence. The proposal provides for accompanied driving for young learners, zero tolerance for drink-driving, better preparation ...

On 25 November each year, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women seeks to raise awareness globally about this serious social issue. On this day, the European Union is due to submit its first evaluation report on compliance with the Istanbul Convention, which it ratified in 2023. For the EU, gender-based violence remains a priority for action. The European Parliament is calling for further measures, such as making gender-based violence an 'EU crime'.

The EU strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities runs until 2030. Considering persistent inequalities, the Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs has called for an updated framework for 2025-2030. This own-initiative report is scheduled for debate during the November II plenary session.

Preventing and combating migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings is one of the key priorities of the EU's action against irregular migration and organised crime. During the November plenary session, Parliament will vote on a trilogue agreement on the Commission's proposal to reinforce the role of the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) in the fight against these crimes.