ECR priorities figure heavily on Council’s agenda; Focus on Belarus; 2025 Sakharov Prize winner; Driving a commonsense solution; Enlargement, yes — centralisation, no!; Detaching the EU from energy dependence on Russia; European values or political control?; A responsible budget; A realistic path to peace; Commission Work Programme 2026: ECR calls for a return to realism — delivering what is necessary, not ideology; Stop Brussels’ power grab in the forestry sector; Constitutive meeting of the ECR Working Group on Freedom of Speech; 2026 Winter Olympic Games Exhibition; Press briefing with ECR Co-Chairmen Nicola Procaccini and Patryk Jaki

ECR priorities figure heavily on Council’s agenda

The forthcoming European Council will be a chance to follow good intentions on security, competitiveness and migration with concrete actions to deliver tangible benefits for European citizens. The fact that these priorities on the Council’s agenda are core ECR Group priorities reflects our leadership and our advocacy for progress on policies that have the potential to make Europe stronger and more prosperous. Our group will stress this approach during Wednesday morning’s debate on preparations for the European Council. On competitiveness, we want to see the Council press for further and faster simplification that cuts burdens on businesses and drives growth. On security, we urge the Council to deepen defence cooperation within the NATO framework. And on migration, our work on the file establishing a safe list of third countries for returns is a foundation for a more comprehensive approach that makes our borders more secure.

Debate: Wednesday @ 9:00

Focus on Belarus

Five years after the rigged presidential election that enabled Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko to retain his iron grip on the country, on Tuesday afternoon Parliament will debate the situation in the country. For the ECR Group, supporting civil society groups, opposition politicians and ordinary citizens in Belarus who yearn for democratic change is more important than ever, and we call on the European Union to strengthen restrictive measures against the regime in Minsk. On Wednesday at noon, the recently liberated Sakharov Prize 2020 laureate Siarhei Tsikhanousky and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will address MEPs.

Council & Commission statements: Wednesday @ 11:00

Siarhei Tsikhanousky & Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya address: Wednesday @ 12:00

2025 Sakharov Prize winner

On Wednesday, the Parliament’s Conference of Presidents will select the winner of the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola set to announce the decision in the hemicycle on 23 October. On 16 October, the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Development Committees shortlisted three finalists, including Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia, both journalists jointly nominated by the ECR and EPP groups. The Sakharov Prize ceremony will take place on Tuesday, 16 December, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Announcement of winner: Thursday @ 12:00

Driving a commonsense solution

On Tuesday, Parliament will vote on two files that have passed through the Committee on Transport and Tourism related to driving disqualifications and driving licences. The ECR Group’s reservations about overreach by the European Commission have largely been reflected in the texts before MEPs. One of the proposals creates a digital driving licence that EU citizens will be able to hold on a smartphone, although Member States will still be able to issue physical driving licences too. There is also a degree of convergence relating to probationary periods for new drivers, health checks and lowering the minimum age for some professional driver categories. On disqualifications, the proposal promotes EU-wide enforcement of disqualification rulings, which will contribute to road safety and fairness in how such cases are dealt with.

Vote: Tuesday @ 12:00

Enlargement, yes — centralisation, no!

The Gozi report on the institutional consequences of EN enlargement negotiations is an undisguised call for a more centralised Europe, in which Member States’ voices are diminished. The ECR Group rejects the report as a pretext to use enlargement to push a federalist vision at a time when voters are increasingly rejecting the notion of ever closer union as the solution to the EU’s challenges. The report goes far beyond pragmatic adjustments and openly advocates treaty change, abolishing unanimity in key policy areas, and vastly expanding the powers of EU institutions, including granting the EP full legislative initiative and removing safeguards that protect smaller Member States. It also promotes fiscal centralisation through new EU own resources and a larger EU budget, initiatives that would undermine national control over taxation, defence, and democratic accountability. These are all red lines for the ECR Group, which considers this report to represent a discredited and outdated vision of EU cooperation — which must remain fundamentally driven by sovereign Member States.

Debate: Tuesday @ 13:00

Detaching the EU from energy dependence on Russia

Even before Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia used energy supplies as a weapon of diplomatic coercion: three years of full-scale war have subsequently emphasised the urgent need to detach Europe permanently from supplies of oil and gas from Russia. The ECR Group is resolutely committed to achieving a permanent detachment from Russian energy imports, while at the same time making our approach to Russia part of a broader reappraisal of EU energy policy. The EU needs to recalibrate climate and energy policies with realism and pragmatism instead of being bound by ideology, and in this respect, technological neutrality is an essential element of the future energy security of the EU. The Union’s energy mix should be as broad as possible, encompassing renewables but also nuclear power.

Debate: Wednesday @ 20:00

European values or political control?

On Tuesday, MEPs will vote on a report on amending the rules governing the statute and funding of European political parties and foundations, which goes far beyond its stated aim of improving transparency. Under the guise of “Europeanisation,” it seeks to tighten Brussels control over national political parties, adding new layers of bureaucracy rather than reducing them. The proposal obliges parties and foundations to make annual declarations of adherence to so-called “European values” — a currently politicised and biased concept — and to adopt internal rules on gender quotas, even at the level of their national member parties. Such provisions amount to political conditioning and centralisation, undermining the independence of national movements and pluralism of ideas.

The ECR Group opposes this attempt to use technical reforms as a vehicle for political control.

Vote: Tuesday @ 12:00

A responsible budget

On Tuesday, MEPs will debate the EU’s general budget for 2026, which largely continues the direction set by the mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework. The proposal contains some ECR priorities, including increased support for agriculture, health, Frontex, Europol, defence, and Belarusian NGOs, but it remains influenced by the left’s political agenda. The report includes numerous references to “green” initiatives and continued funding for UNRWA without conditioning it on measures to prevent radicalisation. The ECR Group supports a responsible budget focused on competitiveness, security, and the well-being of citizens, rather than one driven by ideological ambitions. A vote will take place on Wednesday.

Debate: Tuesday @ 20:00

Vote: Wednesday @ 12:30

Constitutive meeting of the ECR Working Group on Freedom of Speech

On Wednesday evening, ECR MEP Stephen Bartulica will formally launch the new ECR Working Group on Freedom of Speech. Freedom of speech is one of the cornerstones of democracy and a fundamental value of the European Union. Yet, across Europe, this principle is increasingly under pressure. This new Working Group will serve as a platform to coordinate ECR initiatives on freedom of speech across parliamentary committees and Member States. The work programme will focus on key policy areas such as platform governance and online speech (Digital Services Act implementation and content moderation), media pluralism and editorial independence, and academic freedom — promoting universities that teach how to think, not what to think. Interpretation will be available in English, French, Italian, Polish and Romanian.

When: Wednesday @ 18:00 - 19:00

Where: WEISS N1.3, European Parliament, Strasbourg

A realistic path to peace

On Tuesday, MEPs will discuss the recent peace agreement in the Middle East. The plan offers a realistic path toward ending the conflict by advancing a two-state solution that guarantees Israel’s security while providing Palestinians with dignity and the prospect of reconstruction. The ECR Group welcomes this progress and believes the agreement opens a new chapter for peace and rebuilding in the region, offering both Israelis and Palestinians the prospect of lasting stability after years of conflict.

Genuine peace can only be achieved when terrorism is defeated and all hostages are finally released. The ECR believes the EU should contribute to a sustainable settlement and help stabilise the region, while ensuring that no European funds are channelled to organisations linked to extremism. The ECR Group calls for full respect of the peace plan, particularly by Hamas, who remain the main obstacle to peace in the region.

Debate: Tuesday @ 9:00

Commission Work Programme 2026: ECR calls for a return to realism — delivering what is necessary, not ideology

As the Commission presents its 2026 Work Programme in Strasbourg, the ECR Group welcomes the focus on security, competitiveness and simplification, but calls for these priorities to be turned into real action. Security must mean protecting Europe’s borders, strengthening defence, and ensuring energy resilience. Competitiveness must be built on affordable energy, innovation, and a strong industrial base. Simplification must deliver genuine deregulation and trust in Member States, reducing the burden on citizens and businesses. Europe needs fewer speeches and more substance — not a return to the Green Deal’s regulatory overreach or divisive cultural crusades that distract from real priorities.

Debate: Tuesday @ 15:00

Stop Brussels’ power grab in the forestry sector

On Tuesday, Parliament will vote on whether to uphold the Environment and Agriculture Committees’ (ENVI–AGRI) rejection of the Commission’s Forest Monitoring Regulation — a Green Deal proposal that would have handed Brussels sweeping new powers over national forestry policy. The plan sought to create a centralised EU system for collecting and harmonising forest data, forcing Member States to feed information into a Commission-run database and giving the EU executive wide delegated powers to define indicators and methodologies. However, this would duplicate existing reporting systems, risk exposing sensitive georeferenced data, and violate the proportionality and subsidiarity principles set out in the Treaties. Parliament’s ENVI and AGRI committees voted decisively to block this attempt at overreach (80 votes to 46, none abstaining). The ECR Group now calls on MEPs to confirm this rejection in plenary, defending Member States’ authority over their forests and stopping yet another layer of red tape.

Vote: Tuesday @ 12:00

2026 Winter Olympic Games Exhibition

On Tuesday, ECR MEP Elena Donazzan will host a full-day event dedicated to the upcoming Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The Games are set to take place across Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, and other venues in Lombardy and Veneto. The day will begin, immediately after the votes on Tuesday, with the inauguration of an exhibition featuring original Olympic torches from three past Games. Following the exhibition, a conference titled “Europe. United in Diversity. Winter Olympics MiCo 2026 – Nations. Economy. People,” will explore the social, cultural, and economic dimensions of the Games — highlighting how sport can unite nations, boost regional development, and inspire new generations across Europe.

Exhibition: Tuesday, after votes. WEISS North Hall, European Parliament, Strasbourg

Conference: Tuesday @ 15:00, WEISS N1.3

Press briefing with ECR Co-Chairmen Nicola Procaccini and Patryk Jaki

The ECR Group will hold a press briefing with Co-Chairmen Nicola Procaccini (IT) and Patryk Jaki (PL) on Tuesday, 21 October, at 10:20 in the Daphne Caruana Galizia press room in Strasbourg. The briefing will provide an opportunity to discuss the key priorities and positions of the ECR Group.

Where: Daphne Caruana Galizia press room, Strasbourg, N -1/201

Journalists can join via interactio: https://ep.interactio.eu/yf7z-hlge-a9kk