Europe

NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Marcos Perestrello and Secretary General Benedetta Berti attended the Bucha Summit held on 31 March 2026 in Ukraine. The gathering, chaired by the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk, brought together Speakers and Deputy Speakers of Parliaments, as well as presidents of international parliamentary assemblies. The Summit was also attended by the leadership of Ukraine,  including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

Prime Minister François Bayrou announced that he will seek a confidence vote in the French parliament on September 8. The move comes as his government faces rising opposition over plans to cut €44 billion in public spending.

The Seimas, taking into account the decree of the President of the Republic Gitanas Nausėda, approved the candidacy of Inga Ruginienė, a representative of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, for the position of Prime Minister, submitted by the head of state.

Eemeli Peltonen, a 30-year-old Member of Parliament (MP) for the Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP), has died by suspected suicide inside Finland’s main Parliament House (Eduskuntatalo) in Helsinki.

Ukraine parliament voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to restore the independence of two major anti-corruption bodies. This decision came just a week after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved legal changes that had curtailed their power, triggering widespread protests and international criticism.

Yulia Svyrydenko has officially become Ukraine’s 19th Prime Minister, marking a major political shift amid the ongoing war with Russia. The 39-year-old economist was approved by Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, on July 17, just three days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy nominated her.

Former Conservative MP Kate Kniveton has bravely spoken out about a decade of abuse by her politician husband, Andrew Griffiths. In a new ITV documentary, “Breaking the Silence: Kate’s Story,” Kniveton revealed a terrifying incident where she believed she would die while being strangled by Griffiths.

The Armenian Parliament has approved the prosecution of opposition MPs Artur Sargsyan, Seyran Ohanyan, and Artsvik Minasyan on charges ranging from terrorism to corruption. Tensions boiled over into a physical brawl in parliament, highlighting rising political unrest in Yerevan.

Rachel Reeves, Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, was visibly emotional in Parliament on Wednesday as political and financial pressure mounted following a government U-turn on welfare reforms. Her future became the subject of intense speculation after Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused to confirm she would remain in her role until the next general election.

Greece Parliament has voted to launch a formal investigation into former Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis for his potential role in the Tempi train crash, the country’s deadliest rail disaster that killed 57 people, most of them students, in February 2023.

In a historic decision, the UK Parliament voted to decriminalise abortion for women in England and Wales. On Tuesday, MPs supported the amendment by 379 votes to 137. This marks the largest change in reproductive rights in over 60 years.

José Pedro Aguiar-Branco of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) secured re-election as Portugal Parliament President with a decisive 202 votes. The election took place during the first plenary session of the 16th Legislature.  

Justice and Development Party (AK Party) MP for Istanbul, Numan Kurtulmuş, has been re-elected Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM). He clinched 329 votes in the third round of parliamentary voting held on Tuesday, securing a clear mandate for his second term.

Dutch government has collapsed after far-right leader Geert Wilders pulled his Party for Freedom (PVV) out of the coalition. In response, Prime Minister Dick Schoof announced his resignation and plans to continue in a caretaker role.

In a historic shift, Portugal’s far-right Chega party has emerged as the main opposition in Portugal Parliament. The final results of the May 18 Portugal Parliament election pushed Chega ahead of the Socialist Party (PS), marking a dramatic transformation in the country’s political landscape.

 In Poland President Election, a closely contested run-off, Karol Nawrocki has emerged as the new President of Poland, securing 50.89% of the vote. His liberal rival, Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, garnered 49.11% in Poland President Election, according to Poland’s National Electoral Commission.

European Parliament approved a significant proposal to impose steep tariffs on Russian fertilizers and agricultural products.

Spain’s Parliament passed a non-binding motion urging the government to impose a full arms embargo on Israel. The move comes in response to Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza.

Hungary parliament has officially approved a bill to begin the country’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC). The decision follows mounting criticism from the Hungarian government over the ICC’s recent actions, particularly its arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Poland Presidential election is heading to a second-round runoff after a tight first-round result on May 18.

Political instability continues as centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD) wins parliamentary Portugal Election, but falls short of majority.

Ukraine’s parliament passes Budget Code amendments to implement minerals agreement with US, of joint investment & access to critical minerals like lithium, titanium.

Bulgarian Parliament Speaker Nataliya Kiselova rejects President Rumen Radev’s call for a referendum on euro adoption, saying it violates the constitution and EU treaties.

Friedrich Merz is the newly elected Chancellor of Germany, officially taking office in May 2025 after a tense and unprecedented second-round vote in the Bundestag. At 69 years old, he is the oldest post-war German chancellor to assume office, and his rise marks a significant shift in German politics.

Simion entered politics in 2019, running independently in the European Parliament election, where he earned over 117,000 votes but failed to win a seat. He subsequently founded the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) on 19 September 2019 with a focus on nationalism, conservatism, and the unification of Romanians globally.

Friedrich Merz has officially been elected Germany’s 10th chancellor since World War II, following a tense two-round vote in the Bundestag that exposed cracks in the newly formed ruling coalition. Merz secured 325 votes in the second round—just above the 316 needed for a majority.

George Simion, leader of Romania’s far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), has won the first round of the country’s rerun presidential election, securing 40.96% of the vote, with nearly all ballots counted.

Bart De Wever is a Belgian historian, author, and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Belgium since February 3, 2025. He is the leader of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), a right-wing nationalist party advocating for greater regional autonomy for Flanders. De Wever is also the first Flemish nationalist to hold the office of Prime Minister in Belgium.

NATO Defence Ministers concluded a two-day meeting on Friday (14 June 2024) to prepare the Washington Summit in July. They discussed strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence and support for Ukraine.

The 14 Vice-Presidents and five Quaestors, together with the President, comprise Parliament’s Bureau. In a secret vote by paper ballot, 11 Vice-Presidents were elected in the first round of voting, and three in the second and final ballot. The vote on Parliament’s Quaestors took place on Wednesday, in two rounds by secret electronic vote.

Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister on 5 July 2024. He was elected as the member for Holborn and St Pancras in May 2015. He was elected leader of the Labour Party in April 2020. UK Prime Minister The Prime Minister is the leader of His Majesty’s Government and is ultimately responsible for the policy and … Read more

The G7 Summit 2024 brought together leaders from Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, India, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritania, Tunisia, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates. Joined by heads of the African Development Bank, IMF, OECD, UN, and World Bank, they addressed global challenges affecting the Global South. Their discussions emphasized the need for equitable international responses rooted in … Read more

G7 Summit, 2024 Italia: G7 Leaders’ Communiqué, The Official Statement of G7 leaders

The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal forum that brings together Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly concluded its Spring Session hosted by the National Assembly of Bulgaria in Sofia from 24-27 May 2024.

An EU Budget for a Global EuropeKeynote Address by Kristalina Georgieva, IMF Managing Director, at the Annual EU Budget Conference 2024.

WEF: World Economic Forum on IMF WBG Spring Meetings on global growth and financial stability & announcements on funding initiatives.

EU Parliament adopts new REMIT legislation to prevent energy market manipulation, boost transparency, and strengthen ACER’s regulatory role. The law aims to protect EU consumers from price volatility.

Aksha Jain/Brussels (Europe) The new digital identity framework will provide EU citizens with cross border digital access to key public services. According to the regulation adopted on Thursday, and already agreed upon with EU ministers, this new Digital Identity Wallet will allow citizens to identify and authenticate themselves online without having to resort to commercial … Read more

UK Parliament, House of Commons, LONDON (UK).  The result of election was announced in the Chamber on 18th October following a ballot of the whole House. Also on the ballot paper were Dame Angela Eagle and Andy McDonald. Mr Byrne takes up the position with immediate effect and will serve until the end of the … Read more

New Delhi, INDIA. On the sidelines of P20 Summit, Indian Parliament Speaker H.E. Mr. Om Birla held bilateral talks with H.E. Mrs. Valentina Matvienko, Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Birla thanked Mrs. Matvienko for her contribution in making P20 a success. He … Read more

A set of wide-ranging reforms aimed at strengthening integrity, independence and accountability, while protecting the free mandate of MEPs, has been adopted over the last months.     These measures aim to reinforce integrity and close loopholes to protect the Institution and its Members from attempts to interfere in Parliament’s work. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola … Read more

The International Day of Parliamentarism is celebrated every year on 30 June, the date in 1889 on which the IPU was founded.

Nimish Kumar, The International Parliament Journal. New Delhi (India)/ Strasbourg (France), March 2, 2023: Welcoming Mr. Morten Løkkegaard, Member of the European Parliament and Chair of Relations with India, at Parliament House today, Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla said that the European Union is a natural partner of India. He observed that, it is … Read more

Nimish Kumar, The Parliament Journal. Today is an important day for European unity.This morning, the European Parliament had the honour of hosting President Zelenskyy – a true example of the bravery, courage and resilience of theUkrainian people. President Zelenskyy spoke from our chamber, but his words reverberated throughout Europe. It was a strong message of … Read more

Nimish Kumar, The Parliament Journal. Budapest (Hungary)/ New Delhi (India). Parliamentary Delegation from Hungary calls on the Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha A Parliamentary Delegation from Hungary led by H.E. Mr. Istvan JAKAB, Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly called on the Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri Harivansh in Parliament House Complex today. Both sides … Read more

Nimish Kumar, The Parliament Journal. Berlin (Germany)/ New Delhi (India), 31 January 2023: A Delegation of the German Parliament (Bundestag), led by Mr. Raph Brinkhaus, President of the German-Indian Parliamentary Friendship Group, called on the Lok Sabha Speaker, Shri Om Birla at Parliament House, today. Referring to the long-standing ties between India and Germany, Shri … Read more

Nimish Kumar, The Parliament Journal. UK Parliament/ 10 Downing Street, London, UK. Good morning, I have just been to Buckingham Palace and accepted His Majesty The King’s invitation to form a government in his name. It is only right to explain why I am standing here as your new Prime Minister. Right now our country … Read more

Nimish Kumar, The Parliament Journal. UK Parliament/ 10 Downing Street, London. Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister on 25 October 2022. He was previously appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer from 13 February 2020 to 5 July 2022. He was Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 24 July 2019 to 13 February 2020, and Parliamentary Under Secretary … Read more

Nimish Kumar, The Parliament Journal. ROME —As reported by the POLITICO, Italy is on course to elect its most right-wing government since World War II, after projections suggested a coalition led by Giorgia Meloni is set to take power. Italians voted on Sunday in an election that analysts predicted would usher in the far-right firebrand Meloni — leader of … Read more

By Nimish Kumar, The Parliament Journal. International Day of Democracy on September 15 allows us the opportunity to celebrate and appreciate our democratic society. It’s very easy for people who live in a free society to take their freedoms for granted. Yet, when freedom is absent, life includes unimaginable challenges that are often incomprehensible. Today, … Read more

-Nimish Kumar. The Independent Expert Panel (IEP) has today published their report which finds Mr Rob Roberts, MP for Delyn, breached Parliament’s Sexual Misconduct Policy. The Reporter made a complaint under the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme of the House of Commons. The Reporter alleged that there had been breaches of Parliament’s Sexual Misconduct Policy, … Read more

State Duma is one of the chambers of the Russian parliament, the Federal Assembly.

-Nimish Kumar. Thursday March 25 from 9 a.m. , as part of the parliamentary day of the UDI-I political group, the National Assembly examines the following bills: Discussion of the bill adopted by the Senate to protect minors from dangerous uses of nitrous oxide  See the legislative file Discussion of the motion for a resolution, under article … Read more

-Nimish Kumar. Friday March 19, 2021 Meeting on March 17 and 18, 2021, the Law Commission adopted the bill confirming respect for the principles of the Republic by modifying it by 105 amendments , including 73 by rapporteurs, Jacqueline Eustache-Brinio (Les Républicains – Val-d ‘ Oise) and Dominique Vérien (Union Centriste – Yonne) . Regretting the late awakening of the Government in the face of a separatist phenomenon, in particular … Read more