Every month, the European Parliament plenary session takes place in Strasbourg. And every month, IR Media follows it closely. These are the highlights of the last plenary session taking place from 27th to 30th April 2026:
Protection of cats and dogs
On Tuesday the European Parliament approved the first common European rules for the breeding, sale, and care of dogs and cats. Until now, every country had different rules, which made the system more confusing and easier to abuse by people that were illegally trading animals. The new rules will bring obligatory microchipping and registration of animals in national databases.
The regulation also prohibits breeding practices that cause suffering, like inbreeding, or breeding of animals with extreme physical characteristics. These rules will apply even to ordinary pet owners. But don’t worry, after they enter into force, you will have 10 years to register your dog and 15 years to register your cat.
Vote by proxy for eurodeputies on maternity leave
For a long time, the eurodeputies could vote only if they were physically present in the European Parliament. If they had to stay home to take care of their baby, their vote was wasted… For this reason you could sometimes see eurodeputies bringing their babies into hemicycle – they simply didn’t want to lose their voice. But this changes now. On Wednesday, the European Parliament supported the vote by proxy for its members on maternity leave.
Vote by proxy means, that you can delegate someone to vote in your place – usually some colleague…
The vote by proxy will be possible between three months before the expected date of birth to six months after the birth. There is one small problem though: this option is only available to women. Men on paternity leave won’t have these accommodations…
New definition of rape as sex without consent
During this plenary session, MEPs also called on the European Commission, whose role is to propose new EU laws. To propose a uniform definition of rape as sex without consent. Out of 27 EU countries, 17 already define rape like this. But the rest defines rape as an act involving either the use of physical force or some form of coercion like threats, or blackmailing… The problem is that this definition doesn’t take into account cases where the victims are in such a state that the rapists don’t need to use violence or threaten them – for example when they are blacked-out drunk or sleeping like Gisele Pelicot. Redefining rape as the absence of consent would make it easier for such victims to seek justice, and it would cost no one anything (except the rapists)
The next sitting will be held from 18th to 21st May 2026 in Strasbourg