Europe’s Busiest Tuesday: Housing Crises, Merit Badges, and AI Drama
The European Parliament is having one of those days where they’re trying to solve approximately everything before lunch. Spoiler alert: they won’t finish.
Kicking things off at 9 AM sharp, MEPs are tackling the EU’s housing crisis—because millions of Europeans currently living in precarious conditions would really appreciate it if someone could, you know, do something about that. The plan involves boosting investment, cutting red tape, and addressing the awkward fact that there aren’t enough construction workers to build all these hypothetical affordable homes. They’ll vote on it at 12:30, presumably after a strong coffee.
But wait, there’s more! At noon, Parliament is marking International Women’s Day by hosting Jackie Fox, an Irish campaigner who turned personal tragedy into legislative action. After her daughter’s death by suicide in 2018 due to online bullying, Fox championed “Coco’s Law”—Ireland’s answer to the question “Can we please make severe cyberbullying illegal?” Yes, apparently that needed to be a law. Progress!
Then, in a move that sounds suspiciously like someone watched too many period dramas, President Roberta Metsola will unveil the brand-new European Order of Merit at 12:30. Think of it as the EU’s version of a gold star, but for grown-ups who’ve done exceptional work promoting European values. Up to 20 people annually will get this honor, with the fancy ceremony happening in May.
The afternoon gets spicier with debates on defense capabilities (starting at 7 PM), Canada cooperation, clean energy transitions, and—brace yourself—how to pay artists when AI systems gobble up their copyrighted work to train themselves. Because nothing says “Tuesday” quite like existential questions about creativity in the age of machines.
Oh, and they’re also voting on European Central Bank appointments, fisheries management, and creating an EU talent pool. You know, light stuff.
All of this is streaming live, naturally, because democracy waits for no one—but it does provide excellent webstreaming options.