End of “Chat Control”: EU Parliament Stops Mass Surveillance in Voting Thriller

The European Parliament has now definitively rejected the temporary "Chat Control" regime, meaning that from 4 April companies such as Meta, Google, and Microsoft must stop indiscriminately scanning Europeans' private messages. After a dramatic final vote, the proposal failed to win majority support, marking a major victory for digital privacy.

https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/end-of-chat-control-eu-parliament-stops-mass-surveillance-in-voting-thriller-paving-the-way-for-genuine-child-protection/

Today, Iceland and Norway signed an agreement with the EU to join GOVSATCOM and IRIS² to have secure satellite communications

https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-boosts-space-cooperation-norway-and-iceland-secure-connectivity-agreement-2026-03-26_en

EU Parliament strips Polish far-right leader of immunity to face Holocaust denial charge

The European Parliament has voted to once again strip Polish far-right leader Grzegorz Braun of immunity so that he can face further criminal charges in his homeland, including for Holocaust denial.

https://notesfrompoland.com/2026/03/26/eu-parliament-strips-polish-far-right-leader-of-immunity-to-face-holocaust-denial-charge/

France offers some hope for defeating populists

France's local elections suggest mainstream parties can still beat populists, winning most major cities while the far right and far left made only limited gains. Although National Rally remains strong nationally, the results offer cautious hope for the political centre.

https://removepaywalls.com/5/https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/03/26/france-offers-some-hope-for-defeating-populists

Montenegro “can share the 28th place” with Iceland as a future EU member

Montenegro says Iceland's possible return to EU talks is friendly competition, not a threat, and still believes it can finish accession talks by the end of 2026 and join on full merit, with full membership rights and stronger rule-of-law safeguards.

https://newunionpost.eu/2026/03/26/montenegro-eu-member-iceland-interview/

🎥 Open Court

What are the real benefits of EU citizenship?

Judge Eugene Regan explains how EU citizenship grants concrete rights and how EU courts safeguard them.

🔗 Watch the full episode 👉 https://curia.europa.eu/site/jcms/1539212_EmbedVideo/en/what-are-the-real-benefits-of-eu-citizenship
🌍 Available in all EU languages, with subtitles.

#OpenCourt #CJEU #EUlaw #CuriaWebTV

Montenegro’s progress on its EU path now counts 14 chapters closed

At the 26th Accession Conference, Chapter 21 (Trans-European Networks) was provisionally finalised. Prime Minister Spajić rejoiced that Podgorica "is becoming increasingly integrated into the fabric of the European Union." Progress is still required in the rule-of-law area to meet the goal of concluding the process by 2026

https://newunionpost.eu/2026/03/17/montenegro-eu-negotiating-chapters/

‘Never heard him so angry’: Trump is furious that global allies aren’t pitching in in Iran

President Donald Trump on Tuesday fumed at longtime American allies he says aren’t doing enough to help the U.S. and Israel in their war against Iran, now arguing that their assistance was never needed after spending days publicly requesting their help.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/17/trump-iran-nato-allies-assistance-00831355