European Parliament (News)

General : The second edition of the European Youth Event (EYE2016) takes place at the EP in Strasbourg on 20-21 May. "Together we can make a change" is the motto of the event where 7,500 young Europeans (aged 16-30) will make their voices heard in debates and workshops with Members of the European Parliament and other political decision-makers and opinion-builders. The ideas discussed at the EYE will be presented to MEPs. Journalists not present in Strasbourg can follow key parts of the event online

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : 16 MEPs from the GUE/NGL group withdrew their signature from a motion of censure on the Commission which was announced in plenary on Thursday 12 May.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : The European Youth Event (EYE) taking place at the Parliament in Strasbourg this Friday and Saturday is not just for the 7,500 Europeans who will be in attendance. Regardless of where you are, you can make your views heard during the event where participants will exchange ideas and perspectives on the EU’s future. It will be opened by EP Vice-Presidents Sylvie Guillaume, Ulrike Lunacek, Mairead McGuinness, Rainer Wieland on Friday morning. Read on to see how you can play your part.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : More than one in four Europeans smoke. Half of them will die prematurely, shortening their life by 14 years on average. From 20 May new European legislation will be in place to make smoking and cigarettes less attractive, especially among young people. Read on to find out what will change and check out our infographic about smokers in the EU.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

A Civil Liberties Committee delegation will travel to Greece from 18 to 20 May to check the situation of refugees at the external borders of the EU and assess how the EU-Turkey deal to manage migrant and asylum-seekers flows into the EU is being implemented. MEPs will visit the Greece/FYROM border, the island of Lesvos and Athens. They will also meet representatives of the Greek Government, and EU and international bodies, as well as NGOs.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : An upgrade of the EU lobbyist register is in the works after the European Commission launched a public consultation on switching from voluntary to mandatory registration for anyone interested in speaking to EU institutions to influence their work. EP Vice-President Sylvie Guillaume holds a debate with experts together with Commission’s First Vice-President Frans Timmermans on 2 May at 15.00 CET in Parliament’s premises in Brussels. Follow it online and watch our video to learn more.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Plans to set up a mandatory EU lobbying register are discussed by MEPs and stakeholders on Monday. The next day Parliament President Martin Schulz is in Aachen to award the 2016 European Charlemagne Youth Prize and on Sunday the Parliament opens its doors to the general public in Strasbourg to celebrate Europe Day. Meanwhile political groups prepare for next week's plenary session in Strasbourg.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : From tomorrow, surcharges for phone calls and data usage when you’re in another EU country are capped even further, while from 15 June 2017 using your mobile phone abroad should cost the same as doing so at home. As of tomorrow non-discriminatory net neutrality rules also enter into force. Read on for more details.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The EU police agency Europol will soon be able to step up efforts to fight terrorism, cybercrime and other criminal offences and respond faster, thanks to new governance rules endorsed by Civil Liberties Committee MEPs on Thursday. The new powers come with strong data protection safeguards and democratic oversight.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Domestic workers and carers, most of whom are migrant women, should be given an official status in the EU. Recognizing their work as "real" jobs would discourage exploitation, forced labour and human trafficking, say MEPs in a resolution voted on Thursday. MEPs recommend establishing easy-to-manage models for legal employer-worker relationships, citing examples in Belgium and France, to end precariousness and undeclared domestic work.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The European Commission managed its 2014 EU budget funds according to the rules, so Parliament granted it a “discharge” approval for that year, in a resolution voted on Thursday. Parliament’s own management of EU funds in 2014 was also approved. However, Parliament postponed approving spending by three joint private sector-EU partnerships in technology field, the Council of Ministers and the European Council.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : It is children who pay the price when EU member states fail to cooperate and protect children’s best interests in legal proceedings such as cross-border parental custody disputes and adoption decisions, Parliament points out in a non-binding resolution voted on Thursday. MEPs want specialised chambers within EU countries' family courts to ensure that transnational cases are processed faster.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Benchmark interest rates that are critical to financial market stability across Europe, such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and the Euro Interbank Offered Rate (EURIBOR), will become more reliable thanks to a new law voted in by Parliament on Thursday. This law aims to clean up the benchmark-setting process, improve transparency, and prevent conflicts of interest like those that led to the LIBOR rigging scandals of recent years.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Rules designed to reduce the technical obstacles that differing national standards and procedures create for rail operators and rolling stock manufacturers were approved by the European Parliament on Thursday. The rules agreed by Parliament and Council negotiators on the “technical pillar” of the 4th railway package will cut time and cost of certifying that operators, locomotives and carriages meet safety and technical standards.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The implementation of the EU-Turkey agreement on migration, its legal aspects and democratic control were debated by MEPs, First Vice-President of the Commission Frans Timmermans and Dutch Minister for Immigration Klaas Dijkhoff on Thursday morning. MEPs stressed that there must be no bargaining on visa liberalisation criteria.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs debated on Thursday 28 April the agreement to return migrants and asylum seekers from Greece to Turkey, which Turkey and EU countries agreed on 18 March. The debate focussed on the deal's legal aspects, implementation and democratic control. Starting 8.30 CET, this page will cover the debate and be regularly updated.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The 4th railway package, tabled by the European Commission in January 2013, aims to improve the competitiveness of the rail sector and quality of rail services by removing administrative costs, introducing more competition in domestic passenger services and ensuring a level playing field for operators.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Measures to improve railway operations in the EU, including boosting the interoperability of national networks and increasing the role of the European Railway Agency, are debated and voted on by MEPs on Thursday 28 April. These changes should pave the way for further measures later year, readying national networks for the eventual liberalisation of services, more competition for public contracts and greater restrictions on subsidies. Read on for more details.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : President Schulz opened the session by recalling the victims and heroes of Chernobyl nuclear disaster, 30 years ago in what was then the Ukrainian Soviet Republic. The explosion and meltdown of reactor core 4 ejected a vast radioactive cloud that contaminated large parts of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and central Europe as far as the North Cape. This disaster reminds us of Europe’s duty to ensure that its nuclear reactors are safe, he said.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Women often face harassment online, ranging from insults to threats of rape or physical violence. Various measures to tackle this and to encourage more women to work in the ICT sector are set out in the report "Gender equality and empowering women in the digital age". MEPs debate it on Wednesday 27 April and vote on it the following day. We talked to report author Terry Reintke, a German member of the Greens/EFA group, about how to make internet and the ICT sector more hospitable to women.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP