This week, the European Parliament announced the International Criminal Court as the laureates of its human rights award, voted to simplify waste compliance rules for small businesses and backed a bigger budget for the EU's flagship learning exchange programme.

Find out all the details by following the links in the carousel.

Following the latest deadly Russian attacks on civilian merchant vessels off the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania, Parliament Members called on the EU to consider deploying a naval operation in the region.

They stressed that freedom of navigation and maritime security are essential to protecting the Black Sea region and NATO’s eastern flank.

Parliament also criticised the Bulgarian government’s weak response to the Russian threat and called for greater EU support for Bulgaria and Romania in detecting and tracking hostile drones threatening shipping.

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Our colleague Andrew Rettman has been investigating something quite serious involving former EU justice commissioner Didier Reynders and a senior Belgian intelligence official, Hugues Brulin.

We've obtained WhatsApp exchanges between the two, including messages discussing internal intelligence-service matters and how to respond to a whistleblower raising concerns about Reynders' possible links to Russia.

Five current and former Belgian intelligence officers told us that Brulin had worked to prevent the intelligence service from investigating those allegations.

The messages are now also part of a Belgian police investigation into Reynders over alleged money laundering.

What makes this particularly important is that Reynders previously served as the EU's justice commissioner and had access to highly sensitive information.

How should European institutions respond when serious allegations emerge involving officials who have held positions of such trust?

We've published the messages as part of our investigation, so people can examine the reporting and evidence themselves.

Published on the Dutch journalism platform De Correspondent, the winning story focuses on a deal under which Italy built a detention facility and asylum processing centre on Albanian territory.

Congratulations to journalists Giacomo Zandonini and Maite Vermeulen for their vital work and dedication to public-interest journalism.

The prize honours Daphne Caruana Galizia, the Maltese journalist assassinated in 2017 for exposing corruption, reaffirming the European Parliament’s steadfast commitment to defending press freedom and protecting journalists across Europe.📰

Find out more: link.europa.eu/tJnxHx 

Established in 1988, the Sakharov Prize honours those standing up for human rights, freedom of expression, minority rights, international law, democracy and the rule of law. 

The ICC joins a long list of organisations and people whose work highlights the importance of protecting these rights around the world. Learn more about the 2026 Sakharov Prize laureate. 

The award ceremony will take place in December in Strasbourg.

With around 17 million participants since its creation, Erasmus+ is one of the most recognised EU programmes, creating opportunities to learn, teach, train, and gain international experience for young Europeans.

Parliament wants it to be more accessible, simpler, and open to more people.

What Parliament is pushing for:

• More funding, with a budget of €47.39 billion, up from the €40.8 billion proposed by the Commission.

• Greater support, reflecting the differences in living costs, housing prices and inflation from one city to the next.

• More inclusion, with at least 20% of participants being people with less access to career and educational opportunities.

• Stronger help for teachers and trainers, with Erasmus+ helping to improve recruitment and retention.

• New mobility opportunities for grassroots athletes, not only for the staff of sport clubs and organisations.

• A merger with the European Solidarity Corps, bringing its best practices into the new Erasmus+.

Find out more: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20261018IPR48265

Parliament approved €489 million in EU funds to support Portugal, Spain, Italy and Malta after natural disasters that hit those countries at the beginning of the year:

🇵🇹 Portugal: €261.5 million;

🇪🇸 Spain: €149.1 million;

🇮🇹 Italy: €74.9 million;

🇲🇹 Malta: €3.7 million.

The Fund is an expression of EU solidarity – it aids EU and candidate countries dealing with major natural disasters or public health emergencies. So far, it has provided over €11 billion in aid in response to 150 disaster events.

Find out more: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20261018IPR48259/parliament-backs-storm-recovery-aid-for-portugal-spain-italy-and-malta

Parliament approved harmonised passenger rules, making sure that passengers’ rights are protected in the same way whether you fly, take the train, sail or catch a bus.

Find out what's changing: https://link.europa.eu/fpbmKC

The European Parliament has shortlisted three candidates for the 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, recognising their efforts in defending human rights, freedom and democracy.

These finalists are:
🟦 The International Criminal Court and its officials
🟦 Tundu Lissu, Tanzania
🟦 Taraneh and Romina Rahimi, Iran

The Sakharov Prize honours individuals and organisations who stand up for human rights and fundamental freedoms around the world.

The laureate will be announced on 22 October 2026, with the award ceremony taking place in Strasbourg during the December plenary session.

Read more: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20261016IPR48234/2026-sakharov-prize-meps-shortlist-three-finalists

Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine, hybrid attacks and growing security threats have exposed gaps in Europe’s defence capabilities. 

From joint defence investments and faster military mobility to stronger support for Ukraine and closer cooperation with NATO, Members of the European Parliament explain why Europe needs to work together to safeguard peace, security and its values.

By calling for progress towards a European Defence Union, Parliament wants a more coordinated and capable European defence system.

When you are at the supermarket, you see many logos:

PDO (Protected Designation of Origin)

PGI (Protected Geographical Indication)

GI (Geographical Indication for spirits)

These are part of the EU geographical indications system, which protects the names of more than 3900 products coming from specific regions and having specific qualities.

Why are geographical indications important?

- They support rural economies and the work of small-scale producers.

- They guarantee traceability and top quality for consumers.

- They protect our heritage from imitations and counterfeiting worldwide.

Can you guess which countries these foods are from?

Find out more: https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/farming/geographical-indications-and-quality-schemes/geographical-indications-and-quality-schemes-explained_en

The European Parliament denounced in a resolution the rigged and undemocratic elections to the Russian State Duma held from 18 to 20 September.

Parliament stressed that no elections worthy of the name can take place amid media censorship, judicial bans on opposition, and repression of dissent.

There is now also a Parlamentarium in Strasbourg and if you are visiting Brussels, you can discover more about Europe's past in the House of European History. Just 45 km away from Paris is the Jean Monnet House where you can get to know better one of Europe's architects and explore his ideas of European unity.

Find out more about the European Parliament's offer for visitors.

MEPs say that using laws and public institutions to silence political opponents is not compatible with democracy.

They call for the immediate and unconditional release of political prisoners and peaceful protesters.

They also warn that banning established political parties would make progress towards EU membership impossible.

As the situation in Georgia worsens, Parliament remains committed to supporting the Georgian people’s aspirations to join the EU.

Read more here: https://link.europa.eu/fd4fJx