RU 
0 Нравится
Поставьте первую отметку «Нравится»
European news, 21 октября 2026 — Poland: Parliament votes to ease abortion restrictions
prometheus.fr 🇪🇺 EUROPE | 7 European stories to know on 21 October
⚖️ Society and rights: Poland’s parliament votes to ease abortion restrictions, France’s parliament votes to formally repeal the Code Noir, and Georgia’s courts examine a request to ban opposition parties.
🤝 European solidarity: the EU approves €489 million in aid for Portugal, Spain, Italy and Malta following severe storms.
💻 Digital and economy: the European Commission investigates Booking.com under the Digital Services Act (DSA), while ECB economists say the euro area has weathered the energy shock better than expected.
🚔 Public order: Italy and France announce military reinforcements following violence linked to protests, with different roles in each country.
📲 Discover the key developments and what they mean in our carousel.
PromethEUs | Making sense of European affairs.
#Europe #EuropeanUnion #EuropeanNews #Democracy #Economy #FundamentalRights #PromethEUs
Sources
2. Reuters
3. Reuters, Constitutional Court of Georgia
4. European Parliament
5. European Commission
6. Reuters, European Central Bank
7. French Senate, TF1 Info
8. Associated Press, Reuters, Le Monde
Read this carousel as text
-
Health
Poland: Parliament votes to ease abortion restrictions
Poland’s lower house of parliament has adopted proposals aimed at easing some restrictions on abortion.
The proposals include decriminalising certain forms of assistance with abortion and restoring the option of terminating a pregnancy in cases of foetal abnormalities. The measures seek to partially reverse the tighter restrictions introduced in 2021.
They do not yet change the law definitively: further legislative steps are required, and President Karol Nawrocki could veto them.Source : Reuters
-
Democracy
Georgia: Court examines bid to ban opposition parties
Georgia’s Constitutional Court has begun hearing a case seeking to ban five major opposition parties, brought by the ruling Georgian Dream party.
The proceedings come amid growing tensions between the government, opposition and civil society. According to Reuters, a ruling is expected by June 2027.
Opposition groups and human rights organisations see the case as a threat to political pluralism, as Georgia has held EU candidate status since 2023.Source : Reuters, Constitutional Court of Georgia
-
Solidarity
European Union: €489 million to help four countries recover from storms
The European Parliament has approved around €489 million from the EU Solidarity Fund to help Portugal (€261.5 million), Spain (€149.1 million), Italy (€74.9 million) and Malta (€3.7 million) repair damage caused by storms and floods in 2026.
The aid is intended to help restore infrastructure and essential services. The Council must still formally approve the release of the funds.Source : European Parliament
-
Digital
European Union: Booking.com investigated over fraudulent listings
The European Commission has opened an investigation to determine whether Booking.com complies with the Digital Services Act (DSA) in its efforts to tackle fake listings, scams and phishing attempts.
Brussels is examining, in particular, how the platform assesses these risks and protects its users.
The launch of an investigation does not mean that a breach has been established.Source : European Commission
-
Economy
Euro area: Resilience to the energy shock exceeds expectations
Economists at the European Central Bank believe the euro area has weathered the 2026 energy shock better than expected.
They point in particular to a halving of oil dependency since the early 1990s, investment linked to artificial intelligence and fiscal support.Source : Reuters, European Central Bank
-
History
France: Parliament votes to repeal the Code Noir
On 20 October, the French Senate adopted without amendments a bill to formally repeal the Code Noir, the 1685 royal decree that regulated slavery in France’s colonies.
The bill also provides for recognition of the role colonial laws played in institutionalising slavery and calls on the government to review which provisions derived from colonial law remain in force in France’s overseas territories.
The repeal is primarily symbolic and commemorative: the Code Noir had not been applied since slavery was abolished in 1848, but it had never been formally repealed.Source : French Senate, TF1 Info
-
Security
Italy and France: Military reinforcements following protest-related violence
In Italy, Giorgia Meloni’s government has announced the deployment of an additional 500 troops to Milan following riots, looting and clashes with police. Rome is also preparing tougher penalties for violence committed during protests.
In France, military support has also been announced following the violence on 17 October. According to Reuters, the government plans to deploy troops alongside police to help secure upcoming demonstrations, including those scheduled for Saturday, 24 October.Source : Associated Press, Reuters, Le Monde