21/01/2026 (Agence Europe) – The next trilogue between the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament on the directive on quality internships is scheduled for 24 February, several sources told Agence Europe on Wednesday 21 January. Negotiations in political trilogue format began under the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU on 17 November and three technical meetings were subsequently held under the Danish Presidency (see EUROPE 13728/40). Three such meetings are planned with the Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council between now and 24 February. So far, the meetings have enabled the respective positions to be presented. The scope of the directive is one of the sticking points, with the Council of the EU having excluded a large proportion of the internships initially included in the proposal, such as those linked to activation policies on the labour market. (SP)