Welcome to the Fact Sheets website. Created in 1979 for Parliament’s first direct elections, the Fact Sheets are designed to provide non-specialists with a straightforward, concise and accurate overview of the European Union’s institutions and policies, and the role that the European Parliament plays in their development.

The European Union (EU) is a unique and essential partner for NATO. Sharing strategic interests and facing similar threats and challenges, NATO and the EU work side by side in crisis management, on capability development, in providing support to their common partners in the east and south, as well as to address the challenges posed by growing strategic competition.

How did the European Union (EU) respond to the Brexit vote? How did EU principles and processes shape the EU’s negotiating strategies? And how has Brexit in turn shaped today’s EU? This event brings together renowned observers and practitioners of Brexit from the European side to discuss these issues.

Kenya and the European Union have signed a long-negotiated trade agreement to increase the flow of goods between the two markets, as Brussels pursues stronger economic ties with Africa.

The European Council, representing the EU's 27 member countries, said it adopted the New Zealand pact, setting it up come into force "probably in early 2024" once Wellington ratifies it.

David Cameron has said Britain needs closer ties with the European Union, prompting fears the Brexit debate could be ‘reignited’. / The Foreign Secretary said the bloc is a ‘friend, a neighbour and partner’ and praised cooperation between the EU and the UK in supporting Ukraine.

'And then of course, there’s Brexit. In July 2020, the long-delayed Russia report published by the parliament’s intelligence and security committee presented a damning conclusion.'

European Union and Mercosur negotiators met in Brazil on Tuesday and Wednesday to try to reconcile their different positions and complete a trade deal that has been in the works for two decades, three diplomatic sources told Reuters.

Promise for aid comes after US Congress leaves Ukraine war support out of spending bill.

Marking three years since the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, and 50 years since its accession to the European Economic Community, UK in a Changing Europe will bring together leading authorities to discuss the UK/EU relationship. Panelists include former EU Commissioners, journalists, academics, and politicians.

Economic hardship and war have not pushed Europe’s nations apart, but closer together.

Rishi Sunak needs to grasp that ‘smart subsidy’ is what is powering our global rivals.

“It is an opportunity to set our sights on the future of our partnership and to focus on what brings us together", the invite notes.

The European Union – African Union Summit, which is taking place today, is an important milestone. European and African leaders must underline that we depend on each other. A prosperous African future is a prosperous European future, writes a coalition of MEPs.

Hungary will sign a trade and development deal between the European Union and African, Caribbean and Pacific states after it was promised amendments it sought, the Central European country's foreign minister Peter Szijjarto said on Wednesday.

Trade and investment relations with Africa are increasingly important to the European Union’s strategic goals

Confidence in Brussels has shot up in latest sign of Brexit regret. / The British public has more confidence in the EU than the UK parliament, a new survey has found in a remarkable turnaround of a trend lasting decades.

David Davis suggested the turn in fortunes could be because the UK media have stopped “kicking Brussels all the time”.

Brussels commissioner says bill breaches convention, as legal experts warn of risk to Brexit trade deal.

The UK is urging the European Union not to harm British companies as European leaders debate whether to match measures in the US Inflation Reduction Act with massive green subsidies of their own.

Three years after the UK officially left the EU, what can be learned by looking back at the Brexit negotiation process, and how has it impacted on the relationship between the EU and the UK?

After Brexit, some anticipated a shift in European sentiment and believed other members would follow the UK's lead. But 6 years on, the bloc seems more cohesive than ever and optimism is high. So why is this? And how did the EU become stronger than ever?

The European Parliament's 2022 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has been awarded to the brave people of Ukraine, represented by their president, elected leaders and civil society.