Against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s recent proposed plans for Ukraine, defence and geopolitical issues took once again centre stage at the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg last week. This issue of The Hemicycle will guide you through key decisions in that field, but also look at children’s safety, Hungary’s deepening rule-of-law crisis, the 2026 EU budget and deforestation.

Peace in Ukraine must begin with an effective ceasefire

The Kremlin’s war against Ukraine is posing fundamental questions about Europe’s security. From the beginning, European leaders and the European Parliament have been clear about the answer: Russia cannot be rewarded for its aggression, and no one can make decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine’s own consent and full participation.

On 20 November, a US 28-point Russia-Ukraine peace plan leaked to the public. The plan foresees Ukraine making significant territorial concessions to Russia. Just a week later, MEPs debated the issue in Strasbourg and responded to the plan with a resolution, expressing concern that the US policy ambivalence towards Ukraine is detrimental to achieving sustainable peace.

Parliament called on the EU to take a strong leadership role in achieving peace in Ukraine. MEPs emphasised that peace must begin with an effective ceasefire and strong security guarantees for Ukraine, similar to the defence clauses in the NATO and EU treaties, to prevent further aggression. They insisted that Russian claims on occupied Ukrainian territory will not be recognised by the EU or its member states.

Parliament also maintained that Russia must fully compensate Ukraine for the damages caused during the war, and that frozen Russian assets should be used to support Ukraine’s recovery.

Money for a common European Defence Industry Programme

In the same session, Parliament approved the first-ever European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP), which has a budget of €1.5 billion until the end of 2027 and aims to boost Europe’s defence capabilities. A total of €300 million out of this amount is dedicated to supporting Ukraine’s defence industry, while at least €150 million will go to a fund aimed at accelerating the transformation of defence supply chains.

“We in Europe need to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and be a reliable partner… We have to reinforce our own capabilities and have a genuine European market in the area of defence,” the chair of Parliament’s security and defence committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, told a press conference following the plenary vote.

EDIP, which had already been informally agreed with the Council, promotes joint European defence projects involving at least four member states and ensures that at least 65 percent of the value of supported defence products must come from within the EU.

The programme also allows member states to reallocate unused Recovery and Resilience Facility funds to support these defence projects. The main goal is to strengthen the European defence industry, increase production, and enhance support for Ukraine.Parliament President Roberta Metsola together with Andrzej Halicki and Matjaž Nemec, leading MEPs in preparing the 2026 EU budget.Parliament President Roberta Metsola together with Andrzej Halicki and Matjaž Nemec, leading MEPs in preparing the 2026 EU budget.

Geopolitical tensions in the Arctic

MEPs also raised concerns about growing military build-up and geopolitical tensions in the Arctic region. They condemned Russia’s militarisation efforts and China’s increasing presence in the Arctic, warning that these actions threaten regional stability.

Parliament called for a firm EU strategy based on international law to protect the Arctic, including critical infrastructure such as underwater cables and pipelines. It stressed the importance of cooperating with NATO, the US, and partners in the Arctic region such as Norway, Iceland, and Greenland to face these challenges and maintain peace and security in the region.

Protecting children in Europe

Concerns for children featured prominently on Parliament’s agenda last week as MEPs aim to shield Europe’s next generation from online risks and unsafe toys. Studies have shown that children spend a lot of time online where they are exposed to risks including cyberbullying, fraudulent marketing practices, and sexual abuse.

Parliament called for an EU-wide minimum age of 16 for independent use of social media, video-sharing platforms, and AI companions, with parental consent necessary for 13- to 16-year-olds. MEPs want to see action taken including:

• a ban on the most harmful addictive practices and default disabling of addictive features for minors (including infinite scrolling, auto play, pull-to-refresh, reward loops and harmful gamification)
• a ban on websites not complying with EU rules
• action to tackle targeted ads, influencer marketing and addictive design
• a ban on engagement-based recommendation systems for minors
• regulation of online video platforms and outlawing of certain gaming features such as in-app currencies, fortune wheels, and pay-to-progress)
• protection of minors from commercial exploitation, including by prohibiting platforms from offering financial incentives for kidfluencing (children acting as influencers)
• urgent action to address the ethical and legal challenges posed by generative AI tools including deepfakes, companionship chatbots, AI agents and AI-powered nudity apps.

In a separate vote, MEPs adopted changes to toy safety rules. This includes banning endocrine disruptors, skin sensitisers, PFAS “forever chemicals” in all toys, and allergenic fragrances in toys for children under 3 years of age. Toys were the second most notified dangerous product last year, and toy imports into the EU amounted to €6.5 billion in 2023, with 80% of them coming from China.

Do you think that there should be a minimum age to access social media? See the results of our LinkedIn poll.

2026 EU budget adopted – flagship programmes safeguarded

MEPs also adopted the 2026 EU budget of nearly €200 billion. In negotiations with the EU governments, Parliament successfully obtained an additional €372.7 million for key priorities, boosting funding for programmes such as Horizon Europe (+€20 million), transport and energy networks (+€23.5 million), civil protection (+€10 million), military mobility (+€10 million), and border management (+€10 million).

The budget also increases support for the EU’s southern neighbouring countries (+€35 million) and eastern neighbours (+€25 million) as well as humanitarian aid (+€35 million). Young farmers will also benefit from an increase in funding (+€105 million), in line with Parliament’s position.

Despite an additional €4.2 billion rise in borrowing costs linked to the post-Covid recovery plan, Parliament ensured flagship programmes like Erasmus+ and EU4Health remain fully protected.

Parliament criticises Hungary over deepening rule-of-law crisis

MEPs pointed out a number of issues demonstrating that the erosion of democracy and the rule of law in Hungary is continuing. Parliament’s report highlighted government interference in the judicial system, systematic refusal to implement European Court of Human Rights judgments, and threats to academic freedom and civil society.

Parliament condemned Hungary’s use of its veto power in the Council on strategically important decisions such as aid to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia to extract concessions on rule of law procedures. MEPs are calling for direct action under Article 7(2) of the EU Treaty, which allows other member states in the Council to determine if there is a clear risk of a serious breach of EU values and suspend certain rights such as voting in the Council.

EU deforestation rules will be simplified

MEPs supported simplification of the EU Deforestation Regulation, adopted in 2023 to curb the loss of forests linked to EU imports of cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soya, and other products. The relaxed rules would give large companies until 30 December 2026 to comply, with micro- and small enterprises given until 30 June 2027.

An important change is that only the first company placing a product on the EU market would have to submit a due diligence statement, which means they would have to verify and declare that the product made did not cause forest loss. This would reduce the burden on other traders.

Parliament will now enter into negotiations with EU governments to modify the rules.

Source: LinkedIn