26-27 Oct – Agriculture and Fisheries Council – In public session, agriculture ministers will seek to agree on a partial negotiating position on the post-2027 CAP regulation. The Commission proposal aims to provide a simpler and more flexible framework, seeking to secure farmers’ incomes, improve the targeting and fairness of payments, and strengthen generational renewal. The negotiating position would be ‘partial’ because it would exclude financial and horizontal issues, which are currently being discussed as part of the negotiations on the overall multi-annual financial framework (MFF) covering the period 2028 to 2034.
Trade
Ministers will also discuss trade-related agricultural issues, a recurring item on the agenda of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, which was last discussed at the July Council.
Baltic Sea fishing opportunities
The Council will aim to reach a political agreement on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2027. This agreement will determine the total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas per member state for the most commercially significant fish stocks in the Baltic Sea.
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
Fisheries ministers will prepare the ground for the EU’s position for the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which will take place from 16 to 23 November in Vilamoura (Portugal).
29 Oct – Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Energy) Energy ministers will discuss a proposal for a regulation on future-proofing electricity bills in the EU, through reducing system costs and fostering electrification and digitalisation. The proposal was presented by the Commission on 17 July 2026 as a targeted measure to bring down electricity prices.
Ministers will examine the EU’s energy security outlook for the coming winter season (2026‑2027) and beyond. The discussion will address short‑term supply and price pressures driven by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the Middle East conflict, as well as longer‑term challenges, particularly the impact of climate change.
29-30 Oct – EU-Canada summit will take place in Montreal – Canada’s “associate membership” status expected amongst the topics, as Germany, France and at least six other EU countries are pushing against it, according to media, quoting “six diplomats involved in the negotiations”. Recently, the special statute was mentioned by Ursula von der Leyen in her SOTEU 26 speech.
Also, a digital trade agreement is expected to be reached, that would make it easier for businesses to buy and sell across borders. In recent statement, International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu said that Canada and the EU are “closing in on an agreement” to help “create less friction” around e-signatures and e-contracts, paperless trade, secure cross-border data flows, duties on electronic transmissions and e-commerce.
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