The Week Ahead 25 – 31 May 2026
Delegations
EU-China interparliamentary meeting. MEPs from Parliament’s standing delegation for relations with China will travel to Beijing for the 43rd EU-China interparliamentary meeting with counterparts from the National People’s Congress. This is the first such gathering held in China following the lifting of Chinese sanctions against European lawmakers, political bodies, researchers and organisations (Wednesday to Friday).
USA/energy and space. Industry, Research and Energy Committee MEPs will travel to Houston and Austin in Texas to discuss energy, space and technology cooperation. They will meet key industry leaders in liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and exports, and have discussions on space exploration and international collaboration. MEPs will also visit facilities involved in human spaceflight, satellite technology, and semiconductor manufacturing (Tuesday to Thursday).
USA/EU digital legislation. A Legal Affairs Committee delegation will travel to Washington and Boston to assess the state of EU digital regulation and its impact on US technology firms. MEPs will discuss with US counterparts the protection of intellectual property and copyright, artificial intelligence, and support to business innovation (Tuesday to Thursday).
Mexico/Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (Eurolat). Around 40 MEPs will meet with Latin American parliamentarians in Mexico’s capital to discuss reinforcing the bi-regional partnership in an unstable geopolitical landscape, as well as support multilateralism and free trade. The meeting will also mark the 20-year anniversary of Eurolat and will take place after an EU-Mexico summit and the signing of the EU-Mexico Modernised Global Agreement (Tuesday to Thursday).
Canada/defence cooperation. A delegation of the Security and Defence Committee will travel to Canada to hold policy discussions with officials, political counterparts, and experts, on deepening EU-Canada defence cooperation, including the country’s participation in the SAFE programme. MEPs will also discuss Canada’s participation in peacekeeping operations, NATO, support for Ukraine, Arctic security, and the supply of critical raw materials (Monday to Thursday).
Poland/defence spending. MEPs from the Budgets Committee will go to Warsaw and Rzeszow to investigate the budgetary implications of enhancing EU preparedness and the increase of defence spending in reaction to recent geopolitical shifts. Their visit will focus on defence spending across various domains, including counteracting hybrid threats (Tuesday to Thursday).
Ireland/housing crisis. MEPs from the Special Committee on the Housing Crisis will travel to Dublin to gather information on Ireland’s and Dublin’s housing accessibility crisis and policy responses at local and national levels. MEPs will also focus on how the housing crisis is preventing skilled and essential workers from living in urban centres (Tuesday to Thursday).
President’s diary. EP President Roberta Metsola will be in California where she will deliver a keynote speech at Stanford University and meet META Chairman Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday. On Wednesday, she will hold a roundtable discussion with EU companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and a townhall discussion with Europeans in the technology sector. On Thursday, President Metsola will meet Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook and visit the Google campus.
