What has happened since the 2019 election?

Since the last elections, the EU and its partners have faced many challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic to conflicts around the world – including on the EU’s borders with the war in Ukraine. 

The European Parliament has stood with Ukraine ever since Russia launched an illegal full-scale invasion of the country in 2022.  

To enable development within the EU, NextGenerationEU is providing more than €800 billion in funding to support recovery from the pandemic. Other EU programmes are boosting research (Horizon Europe), investment (InvestEU), educational exchanges (Erasmus+) and healthcare (EU4Health). 

To combat climate change, MEPs have adopted the European climate law, which commits the EU to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Parliament approved an EU ban on single-use plastic items and, since 2021, plastic plates, cutlery, straws, balloon sticks and cotton buds cannot be put on the market in EU Member States.  

Consumer protection has also been strengthened. The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has taken effect, ensuring a high standard of protection of people’s personal data handled by companies based within and outside the EU. The Digital Markets Act lays down clear rules for big platforms, which aim to stop them from imposing unfair conditions on businesses and consumers. Meanwhile, the Digital Services Act seeks to protect users from harmful and illegal content and establish safer online marketplaces and transparent platforms.    

Finally, MEPs have approved the world’s first comprehensive AI law, the Artificial Intelligence Act. It sets rules for large, powerful AI models, ensuring they do not present systemic risks to the EU and offers strong safeguards for citizens and democracies against any abuses of technology by public authorities.