Explainers

The European Union is the second trade partner of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

EU-India trade in goods and services has grown substantially over the past decade.

The EU and its member states have taken a number of measures to address the migration situation on the Western Balkans route.

The Schengen area allows more than 450 million people to travel freely between member countries without going through border controls.

The integrated political crisis response (IPCR) arrangements support rapid and coordinated decision-making at EU political level for major and complex crises.

The European Union stands united in supporting chemical disarmament and non-proliferation, and in the fight against impunity for the use of chemical weapons.

At ensuing European Council meetings between 2023 and 2026, EU leaders have adopted conclusions on the situation in the Middle East. The content of the page reflects the latest conclusions from 18-19 June 2026.

The EU and the US have the world's most extensive bilateral trade and investment relationship and work together to tackle global security challenges.

The EU is taking action to manage the rapid increase in the number of small parcels entering the single market, largely via e-commerce.

The EU is stepping up its efforts to remove the regulatory, infrastructure and capability barriers that hinder cross-border military movements in response to serious security threats and challenges. This will also help ramp up the EU's defence readiness.