This week, EU employment and social affairs ministers are set to adopt a recommendation on housing exclusion, including homelessness, and seek to approve conclusions on equality as a driver for economic growth and competitiveness; the Commission hosts a hybrid stakeholder consultation event on the Investment Booster – the first stage of the Industrial Decarbonisation Bank, as well as webinars on quantum computing, on stakeholder consultations on the authentication of euro coins and on cross-border transportation of euro cash, and a workshop on sustainable finance for the space sector; and MEPs in plenary will announce the 2026 Sakharov Prize laureate, vote on Russian drone incursions and strikes on EU territory, on the escalation of Houthi attacks and their implications for regional security, on improving the enforcement of passenger rights in the EU, and on Parliament’s priorities for the 2028-2034 Erasmus+ programme. They will also hold an award ceremony for the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism. The week’s events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings from 19 to 24 October 2026.
Monday 19 October
European Parliament | Political Meetings | Institutional affairs
European Parliament plenary session and committee meetings
Strasbourg
Global Europe programme: the Foreign Affairs and Development committees will vote on the 2028-2034 Global Europe instrument, the EU’s primary funding mechanism for external action. MEPs are likely to reject cuts proposed by the Council and push for a more ambitious budget than originally proposed by the Commission, call for a minimum level of funding for humanitarian aid, and promote the defence of democracy and human rights in partner countries.
Monday 19 October
Council of the EU | Political meetings | Employment and social policy
Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council
Luxembourg
Employment and social affairs ministers are expected to adopt a recommendation on housing exclusion, including homelessness. They will also share their expectations for the upcoming Quality Jobs Act, and will seek to approve conclusions on equality as a driver for economic growth and competitiveness.
Tuesday 20 October
European Parliament | Political Meetings | Institutional affairs
European Parliament plenary session and committee meetings
Strasbourg
Russian drone strikes: MEPs will debate Russian drone incursions and strikes on EU territory, and on Black Sea shipping in particular, with the Irish Council Presidency and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. They will vote on a resolution on Thursday.
Houthi attacks: MEPs and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas will discuss the escalation of Houthi attacks and their implications for regional security. A resolution will be put to a vote on Thursday.
International Criminal Court: Parliament will debate the EU’s support for international justice and the response to US sanctions against the International Criminal Court.
EU-UK and EU-Canada relations: MEPs will debate the 20 November EU-UK summit and the future of EU-UK relations and on Wednesday, they will discuss their expectations for the 29-30 October EU-Canada summit, with representatives of the Irish Council Presidency and the European Commission.
Passenger rights: Parliament is expected to give its final green light to updated EU rules to improve passengers’ protection and the information they receive in cases of travel disruption. A press conference will take place after the vote.
Tuesday 20 – Wednesday 21 October
Other bodies and agencies | Conferences and summits | the EU’s international role | International cooperation | Global Gateway
Uganda-EU Business Forum 2026
Kampala, Uganda
Uganda is emerging as a leading destination for renewable energy investment, offering significant opportunities in hydropower, geothermal development, and distributed energy systems.
The Uganda–EU Business Forum 2026 connects European capital with Uganda’s investment-ready projects to accelerate sustainable growth, industrialisation, and regional economic transformation.
Tuesday 20 – Wednesday 21 October
Other bodies and agencies | Training and workshops | Critical infrastructure security
CERIS workshop on Strategic Autonomy for Critical Entities
Brussels
This workshop will explore the importance of strategic autonomy, cybersecurity and physical resilience of critical entities from social, technological, legal and economic angles. It will examine the mechanisms and stress points affecting critical entities that may create vulnerabilities linked to over-reliance on non-European suppliers.
Tuesday 20 October
Other bodies and agencies | Info days | Climate change
Investment Booster: Stakeholder consultation event
Etterbeek, Belgium – Live streaming available
The Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate-Action hosts a hybrid stakeholder consultation event on the Investment Booster, the first stage of the Industrial Decarbonisation Bank (IDB) – intended to mobilise €100 billion from EU ETS resources for the decarbonisation of European industry.
The main objective of this consultation is to discuss the design and operation of the Investment Booster, which is expected to support eligible projects through a ‘First in, First-Served’ approach based on fixed carbon premia. Under the Investment Booster, priority will be given to mature projects that are ready for implementation.
Tuesday 20 October
Other bodies and agencies | Training and workshops | Financial services | Sustainable finance
EU Platform on Sustainable Finance webinar
Online only
During this webinar, open to the public, the Platform on Sustainable Finance will present the main findings from its report “Monitoring capital flows to sustainable investments” that will be published on the same day.
Tuesday 20 October
Other bodies and agencies | Training and workshops | Research infrastructure | Innovation
Infrastructure Stories: overcoming challenges in quantum computing with SemiQon and VTT
Online only
This webinar is the second in a series on Research and Technology Infrastructure Stories. The series explores European success stories in which research and technology infrastructures have played an important role in a company’s journey to market and growth.
Wednesday 21 October
European Parliament | Political Meetings | Institutional affairs
European Parliament plenary session and committee meetings
Strasbourg
European Council: MEPs will assess the outcome of the 15-16 October European Council meeting, in a debate with Presidents Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa.
Erasmus+: MEPs will debate the priorities and budgetary needs of the 2028-2034 Erasmus+ programme, followed by a vote on Thursday.
Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism: at 18:00 the winner of the 2026 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism will be announced in a special ceremony. The jury has shortlisted 10 investigations for this the award’s sixth edition. Parliament’s press service is organising a media seminar ahead of the ceremony. Plenary will debate the rule of law in Malta, nine years after the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, also on Wednesday.
Wednesday 21 October
Other bodies and agencies | Conferences and summits | Economy
Reality check on the authentication of euro coins and handling of euro coins unfit for circulation
Frankfurt, Germany
The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN) is organising a Reality check – a stakeholder consultation meeting – on the authentication of euro coins and handling of euro coins unfit for circulation.
The main purpose of the meeting is to gather first-hand information from stakeholders, particularly businesses, to assess how the relevant EU rules are put into practice and which opportunities and challenges they generate in practical terms.
Wednesday 21 October
Other bodies and agencies | Conferences and summits | Economy
Reality check on the professional cross-border transportation of euro cash by road between euro-area Member States
Frankfurt, Germany
The main purpose of the meeting is to gather first-hand information from stakeholders, particularly businesses, to assess how the relevant EU rules are put into practice and which opportunities and challenges they generate in practical terms.
Wednesday 21 – Thursday 22 October
Other bodies and agencies | Public debates | International cooperation | International organisation | Diplomatic relations
Advancing global science diplomacy: The EU framework for science diplomacy and how it can support UNESCO’s science diplomacy efforts
Paris
This event will examine the European Union Framework for Science Diplomacy in the light of UNESCO’s mandate and ongoing work on science diplomacy and will provide a platform for discussion on how EU-UNESCO cooperation can contribute to advancing it.
Thursday 22 October
European Parliament | Political Meetings | Institutional affairs
European Parliament plenary session and committee meetings
Strasbourg
2026 Sakharov Prize: Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola will announce the laureate of the 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on Thursday, following the selection by the Conference of Presidents of one of three candidates short-listed by the Foreign Affairs and Development committees on Monday.
Thursday 22 October
Other bodies and agencies | Conferences and summits | EU financing
Sustainable Finance for the Space Sector
Brussels
The European Commission is organising a workshop bringing together representatives from the sustainable finance community and the space ecosystem. The event will explore how sustainable finance frameworks and investment practices can support European space activities, taking account of the sector’s high upfront capital requirements, long development cycles, strategic dependencies and environmental impacts.
