This review highlights the main meetings and events in the EU institutions on a weekly basis, and alerts readers to articles of interest on EU developments. It provides a European perspective on political and policy developments within the European Union. To view any previous EU reviews, please click here.

Compiled by Aoibhín Dolan

29 June – 5 July 2026

Activities in European Institutions

European Commission

New Initiative for “Fairer Competition” and “Consumer Protection”: A €3 Customs Duty on Non-EU Low-Value Parcels

The EU introduced a temporary €3 customs duty on low-value parcels, up to €150, imported from outside the EU on Wednesday, 1 July 2026. These new measures are a responsibility of the seller or importer and aim to help create fairer competition for EU businesses, better protect consumers from unsafe products, tackle customs fraud, and address environmental concerns over mass shipping. The new customs duty will apply per tariff classification rather than per product quantity. For example, if two consumers each purchase five products from an e-commerce website, and the first consumer buys five T-shirts, a single €3 customs duty will apply because all items fall under the same tariff classification. However, if the second consumer buys three T-shirts and two watches, a €6 customs duty will apply because T-shirts and watches fall under two different tariff classifications.

President von der Leyen meets with Leaders from Azerbaijan and Armenia

In the context of developing the EU’s strategic engagement with the two former rivals in the South Caucasus, European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, met with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, and with the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, on Thursday, 2 July 2026, in Yerevan, Armenia.This was President von der Leyen’s first visit since Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to make peace after decades of war over Karabakh and first visit to Baku since 2022, when the EU and Azerbaijan signed their strategic energy partnership as Europe moved away from Russian energy and needed urgent alternative gas supplies. In the President’s statement in Armenia, she announced a “€200 million Global Gateway package for peace through connectivity”. She stated that with the EU’s financial partners, the Union aims to mobilise up to €2 billion for strategic transport, energy, and digital projects all across the South Caucasus.

European Parliament

EU Citizen’s Opinions towards the EU: EP Eurobarometer Survey Spring 2026

The EP published the results, on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, for the Spring 2026 Eurobarometer survey, which gauges how citizens perceive the quality of life in the EU. The survey was conducted face to face and with video interviews (CAVI) carried out between 9 April and 4 May 2026 in all 27 EU Member States. A total of 26,421 interviews were conducted, and results were weighted according to the size of the population. Firstly, 74% of Europeans view EU membership as beneficial. This is the highest result ever recorded in a Eurobarometer survey for this question since it was first asked in 1983, only matched before in 2025. However, recent global developments have heightened the pessimistic outlook Europeans have on the future of the world: 58% are pessimistic (versus 38% optimistic) and 73% want the Union to have more means to face global challenges. In this context, a large majority of Europeans would like Member States to be more united and said the EU should promote respect for international law by all countries (both 90%).

EU Law Tracker Gains EU Institutions an Ombudsman Award

EU institutions won the 2026 Ombudsman Award for Excellence in Open Administration for user-friendly EU Law Tracker on Tuesday, 30 June 2026. The EU Law Tracker, launched by the three institutions, in cooperation with the Publications Office, is a user-friendly online tool that brings together key legislative information in one place. According to the EU, the primary goal of the EU Law Tracker is transparency and traceability of laws for the general public, as it consolidates available information into one user-friendly timeline. Following technical finalisation in late 2025 / early 2026, the tool is now being rolled out broadly across all official EU languages.

Council of the EU

The Demographic Dimension of Europe’s Housing Crisis

The conclusions of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) on Monday, 29 June 2026, recognised that housing is a cross-cutting issue relating to broader societal factors such as social inclusion, family formation, environmental sustainability, and labour mobility. While acknowledging that housing is primarily a Member State competence, the Council invites the Commission to continue supporting member states’ efforts to improve access to suitable and affordable housing. In its conclusions, the Council noted that the housing crisis is having a disproportionate effect on certain groups, such as young people, older persons, persons with disabilities, families with children, low- and middle-income households, and essential workers.

Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU

On Wednesday, 1 July 2026, the Official Opening Ceremony for Ireland’s eighth term holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU took place in Dublin Castle. Ireland took on the Presidency role from Cyprus and will pass the role onto Lithuania on 1 January 2027. Members of the Irish Government, including An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, An Tánaiste, Simon Harris, Minister Helen McEntee, Minister Seán Canney and Minister Thomas Byrne welcomed the occasion. The opening ceremony included a flag raising ceremony led by the Irish Defence Forces. The Irish National Anthem, Amhrán na bhFiann, was performed by the Defence Forces band and the Dublin Youth Choir. They also performed the EU anthem, Ode to Joy, in Ukrainian, Irish, English, and German. MC Carrie Crowley, Irish actress and former broadcaster, introduced various cultural performances as well. The President of the European Council, António Costa, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, also gave speeches at the ceremony.

Additionally, the College of Commissioners met with members of the Irish Government from the 2-3 July 2026 in County Cork. The visit’s objective was to provide an opportunity for strategic engagement between the European Commission and the Irish Presidency at the outset of the term. Discussions focus on key EU policy areas linked to the priorities of the Presidency and conclude with a plenary session chaired by An Taoiseach and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

Other News

State of Play on Regulation of AI and the Digital Sphere

As part of the EU’s simplification agenda, the Council gave its final green light on a new law forming part of the Omnibus VII legislative package on Artificial Intelligence (AI). This regulation adds a new provision in the AI Act, prohibiting AI practices regarding the generation of non-consensual sexual and intimate content or child sexual abuse material (CSAM). AI systems that generate nude images of real people or edit clothes out in existing photos to reveal intimate parts are set to be banned as of December 2026.

Furthermore, the Council has approved conclusions, based on a report by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), calling on EU countries and the Commission to improve protection for girls and young women in the digital sphere. Ministers demand more effective measures to prevent and combat the various forms of online abuse, including cyberstalking, online harassment, non-consensual image sharing, and sexist hate speech. The recommended measures to combat cyber violence are available here.

Articles/Speeches of Interest

• How to navigate Ireland’s EU presidency policy agenda like a pro (POLITICO EU)
• Brussels pivots from climate mitigation to adaptation as heatwaves expose vulnerabilities (Euronews)
• Right, far right to govern Spain’s key Andalusia region (Euractiv)
• Why the EEAS is fighting for its future (POLITICO EU)
• Ryanair warns of queue chaos from new EU border system (BBC)