The European Parliament will hold a high-stakes plenary session in Strasbourg from 19 to 22 January 2026, marking the first plenary sitting since Cyprus assumed the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU. As agreed by the Conference of Presidents, the agenda includes debates on Greenland’s territorial integrity, a motion of censure against the European Commission, and key votes on financial support for Ukraine, alongside the presentation of the Cyprus Presidency’s programme of activities.
The four-day sitting is expected to be politically charged, combining sensitive geopolitical debates, major legislative files, and a rare institutional confrontation over the Commission’s leadership. Early in the week, MEPs will hear Council and Commission statements on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark, reflecting growing concern over Arctic security, climate change, and strategic competition in the region.
Legislative work will focus on files central to the EU’s economic and social agenda, including the proposed “28th Regime” legal framework for innovative companies, new rules to strengthen the availability and security of critical medicinal products, and a Just Transition Directive aimed at supporting jobs and local economies amid structural change.
Foreign policy will feature prominently throughout the session. MEPs are set to debate the situation in Iran and Venezuela, the implementation of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), and Europe’s response to new systems of warfare, including drones. Several debates and resolutions will address alleged breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, including cases in Honduras, Hong Kong, Lithuania, and the Central African Republic.
On the economic and geopolitical front, Parliament will vote on legislation linked to financial support for Ukraine, including measures establishing the Ukraine Support Loan for 2026–2027, while also examining broader questions of EU financial stability amid global uncertainty.
Wednesday’s agenda includes a key debate on the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 18 December 2025, followed by a formal sitting marking the 40th anniversary of the accession of Spain and Portugal to the European Union, with addresses by King Felipe VI of Spain and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal.
The session will conclude on Thursday with the vote on the motion of censure against the European Commission, bringing a politically intense Strasbourg plenary to a close.