European Parliament

General : Last May 7,500 young people from across the EU came to the Parliament in Strasbourg for the biennial European Youth Event (EYE). Following two days of discussion on issues ranging from migration to youth unemployment and climate change, 50 of the most interesting ideas from EYE2016 were handed over to MEPs in September. Now EYE participants will present those ideas to Parliament’s committees. You too can join the debate online by using the hashtag #EYE2016.

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General : Parliamentary committees vote this week on proposals to keep the gas supply secure, counteract propaganda from countries the EU, curb the spread of plant pests and fight against wildlife trafficking. The budget committee is also due to vote on the EU's budget for next year, while Parliament will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Lux Film Prize. Finally the three finalists for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought will be revealed this week.

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General : The Lux Film Prize is the European Parliament's way to help promote European cinema and this year the award is already celebrating its 10th anniversary. To celebrate several activities have been planned including a public debate and a live interview on Facebook with renowned directors.This evening last year's winning film Mustang will be screened in 28 cinemas across Europe. Afterwards its director Deniz Gamze Erguven will answers questions from film fans during a Q&A session on Twitter.

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Committee meetings, Brussels

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Plenary sessions : MEPs formally endorsed the United Nations global climate agreement agreed during last December’s COP21 Conference in Paris during this week's plenary session, clearing the way for its ratification and implementation. They also endorsed a ban on exporting EU products that could be used for torture and the death penalty and approved financial assistance for laid-off workers. In addition they supported the idea of free rail passes for 18-year-olds to help them discover Europe.

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Plenary sessions : All Parties to the Paris Agreement on climate change will need to step up their emission reduction pledges if the deal is to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees, and this includes the EU’s targets for 2030, say MEPs in a resolution voted on Thursday. Having ratified the Paris deal on Tuesday, the EU is now focusing on the tools needed to achieve its goals, ahead of the next round of talks to take place in Marrakesh next month.

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Plenary sessions : EU-wide safety rules are needed for more materials in contact with food, such as those used in packaging, kitchen utensils and tableware, say MEPs in a non-binding resolution voted on Thursday. They note that only some of these materials, such as plastics and ceramics, have been fully tested for safety for human health. Others, including varnishes and coatings, inks and adhesives, have yet to be fully tested.

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Plenary sessions : The European Parliament opposed the European Commission plans to authorise five GMO products, maize Bt11, 1507 and MON810 (seeds and products), and a glyphosate-resistant cotton, in a vote on Thursday. MEPs reiterated their call for a reform of the EU’s GMO authorisation procedure.

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Plenary sessions : MEPs urge all parties in the Syrian war, and especially Russia and the Assad regime, to stop bombing civilians, in a resolution voted on Thursday. They condemn the recent attacks on hospitals and a humanitarian relief convoy and call on International Syria Support Group members to resume negotiations for a stable truce and an eventual peace deal in Syria.

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Plenary sessions : Parliament condemns any act of intimidation, arrest, detention or prosecution of opposition party leaders, members and activists in Rwanda, the ongoing indiscriminate bombing of civilians and human rights breaches in Sudan, and the guilty verdict against worker's rights defender Andy Hall in Thailand, in three separate resolutions voted on Thursday.

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Plenary sessions : An EU Commission proposal to tighten up existing rules for the Transparency Register, which lists independent organisations and other lobbyists seeking access to the EU institutions, was welcomed by MEPs in a debate on Wednesday evening. The changes would include the Council in the system alongside the Commission and Parliament, clarify definitions, improve monitoring and introduce penalties for breaches. MEPs debated the proposal on Wednesday evening.

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Plenary sessions : Attempts to make Poland’s stringent sexual and reproductive health laws still more restrictive sparked a heated debate in the Parliament on Wednesday. MEPs focused on a national bill to ban all abortions, but the European Parliament’s legal right to debate the topic was also hotly contested.

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Plenary sessions : The rejection in last Sunday’s plebiscite of the peace deal agreed by the Colombian government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) was a disappointment, but it does not compromise the peace process, which a majority of MEPs consider “irreversible”. In a plenary debate on Wednesday, they urged the EU to continue supporting the negotiations and insisted that the FARC should be kept off the list of terrorist groups.

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Plenary sessions : With the collapse of a US-Russia brokered ceasefire last month, the war in Syria looks as intractable as ever and violence has escalated in the past fortnight. During a plenary debate on Wednesday afternoon several MEPs criticised Russia’s involvement in the conflict with others calling for the EU to play a greater role in resolving the crisis.

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Plenary sessions : The EU Commission should review EU legislation on mass dismissals, in view of plans to close down Caterpillar and Alstom in Belgium, say MEPs in a non-legislative resolution passed on Wednesday. MEPs also call for support measures for ”these workers and their local economies.”

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Plenary sessions : Moves to make Poland’s stringent sexual and reproductive health laws still more restrictive will be debated late on Wednesday afternoon. The debate will follow an EU Commission statement at around 18.00. MEPs are most concerned about Polish parliament bills on women’s access to legal abortion and to In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).

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Plenary sessions : Action to stop massacres in Syria, implement migration policies and border controls, and ensure a balanced approach to trade deals while defending EU industry are the key challenges that EU heads of state or government should tackle at their 20-21 October meeting in Brussels, said Parliament’s political group leaders in a debate with the Slovak Council Presidency and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday.

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Plenary sessions : Young Europeans are on track to receive a free InterRail pass on their 18th birthday in the future. MEPs discussed the proposal and overwhelmingly supported it during a debate in plenary on 4 October. Millions of young European have travelled throughout the continent using Interrail over the last few decades, but the pass itself can cost up to hundreds of euros.

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Plenary sessions : The latest developments in Syria, including failed US-Russia attempts to revive the ceasefire followed by the Russian-backed Syrian government offensive against Aleppo, will be debated on Wednesday at 15.00. Following this, MEPs will take stock of Colombia’s referendum vote narrowly rejecting a peace deal with the rebel group FARC. Later, MEPs will also assess the deteriorating political situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Plenary sessions : The situation in and around the port town of Calais is untenable for everyone: migrants and asylum seekers living in the informal camps, truck drivers crossing to the British Isles and the local population, said MEPs in a plenary debate on Tuesday. Most urged the EU Commission, France and the UK to work together to find a long-term solution.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP