On 5 March, the Council adopted the regulation implementing the safeguard clause provided for in the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the EU-Mercosur Interim Agreement on trade in agricultural products. This clause strengthens the protection of EU agriculture against sudden increases in agricultural imports from Mercosur countries. The regulation allows the EU to take action more quickly and effectively by simplifying the conditions for triggering existing safeguard mechanisms. It also adopted the regulation on new rules to combat unfair cross-border trading practices in the agricultural and food supply chain.

On 5 March, ministers gave the green light for the revision of the European Climate Law, introducing a binding interim target of a 90% reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 compared to 1990. This target aims to keep the EU on track to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The text stipulates that at least 85% of the reductions must be achieved within the EU, while a limited share may come from international carbon credits from 2036 onwards. The reform also provides for greater flexibility between sectors and the postponement until 2028 of the new emissions trading system for buildings and road transport.

Until 11 October, the exhibition 'Visual Poetry', presented by the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin, offers an overview of the career of Irish photographer John Minihan, spanning more than sixty years, exploring his experience as a press photographer for the Daily Mail. From the beginning of his career, Minihan's quest to photograph 'what might have gone unnoticed' and his desire to bring out the poetry of everyday life were central to his craft.

On 3 March, the United Kingdom deployed its state-of-the-art warship and Wildcat anti-drone helicopters to the eastern Mediterranean to strengthen its defences in the region, following the deployment of radar systems, air defence systems and F-35 aircraft. In addition, on 4 March, two Greek warships arrived off the coast of Cyprus, following the deployment of four F-16 Viper fighter jets already stationed at a Cypriot air base. On 6 March, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the reinforcement of French military capabilities in the Near and Middle East, with the deployment of additional air defence assets, the frigate Languedoc off the coast of Cyprus and the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its carrier strike group. The French President and Greek Prime Minister are visiting Cyprus on 9 March.

At the fifth meeting of the Joint Committee of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union on 6 March, Canadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu and European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič decided to launch negotiations with a view to concluding an agreement on digital trade. They endorsed the Joint Committee's decision to adopt additional rules on expedited arbitration procedures for the settlement of investment disputes between investors and states, in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises, and concluded work on amending the protocol on good manufacturing practices to include active pharmaceutical ingredients.

On 6 March, Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen announced the possibility of installing future nuclear weapons to strengthen Finland's and the High North's defence capabilities. He specified that a deployable NATO CIS module could be established in Riihimäki and enter service in early 2027.

On 6 March, the European Commission suspended the visa exemption for Georgian holders of diplomatic, service or official passports. This is the first time it has activated its revised visa exemption suspension mechanism, which came into force in December 2025. This decision comes in response to the democratic backsliding of the Georgian authorities since October 2024, as well as Georgia's refusal to align itself with European visa policy. In its November 2025 report on EU enlargement, the European Commission had already described Georgia's candidate status as 'nominal', while the ruling Georgian Dream party announced in November 2024 that it was suspending the country's EU accession negotiations.

On 8 March, voters in the German state of Baden-Württemberg went to the polls to elect a new regional parliament. According to the results, the Green Party/Alliance 90 narrowly won with 30.2% of the vote, ahead of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which obtained 29.7%. Voting for the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party increased, reaching 18.8%, while the Social Democratic Party (SPD) recorded a historically low result of 5.5%. This election, the first in a series of regional elections in 2026, comes after the announcement of the retirement of the outgoing Minister-President, Winfried Kretschmann, and could therefore lead to the renewal of the governing coalition between the Greens and the CDU in this prosperous state in the south-west of the country.

On 6 March, the Icelandic government decided to submit a motion to the Althing, the Icelandic Parliament, proposing to hold a referendum on 29 August on the resumption of negotiations for accession to the European Union. Iceland applied for membership in 2009, and negotiations took place between 2010 and 2013 before being suspended. If the referendum proposed in August leads to the resumption of negotiations and a positive outcome, a second referendum will be held to ask Icelanders whether their country should actually join the European Union.

On 5 March, the European Commission published its annual report on Safety Gate, the rapid alert system that tracks dangerous non-food products on the European market. This enables national product safety authorities to quickly share information on dangerous products and take appropriate action. In 2025, 4,671 alerts were recorded. This is the highest number since the system was launched in 2003. The report presents another record, that of the number of follow-up measures taken by national authorities, up 35% compared to 2024.

On 9 March, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute published new data on global arms flows. According to this data, the volume of heavy weapons transfers between states increased by 9.2% between the period 2016-2020 and 2021-2025. European states have more than tripled their arms imports, becoming the largest importing region. Total exports from the United States, the world's largest arms supplier, have increased by 27%, including a 217% increase in US arms exports to Europe. France is the world's second largest supplier of major arms in 2021-2025, accounting for 9.8% of global exports.

On 8 March, several international and European institutions reiterated their commitment to women's rights. The European Union highlighted the work it has been doing for many years to promote gender equality. On 5 March, the WHO organised an online event to highlight the importance of the right to physical and mental health. Finally, in the current geopolitical context, the Council of Europe emphasised the need to pursue the objectives of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda in order to protect women facing armed conflict.