European Parliament (News)

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.

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Plenary sessions : The code of conduct for European Commissioners needs to be thoroughly tightened up, in order to prevent conflicts of interest for Commission members, and to help restore the faith of European citizens in today’s political institutions. This was the key message agreed by most MEPs during Tuesday evening’s debate with EU economic affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici, on the business ties of past and present Commissioners and the recent “Bahamas” leaks.

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Plenary sessions : MEPs voiced startlingly different views on the state of Greece’s economic adjustment programme, its impact and the prospects for future negotiations between Greece and its creditors, in a public debate with Commissioner Pierre Moscovici on Tuesday afternoon.

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Plenary sessions : High-level guests, solemn speeches and a warm applause. All this was present on Tuesday afternoon at the ceremony surrounding Parliament’s historic vote in favour of the Paris climate agreement and the signature paving the way for it to enter into force. Take a look at our slideshow to see how it happened.

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Plenary sessions : The UNFCCC Paris Agreement on fighting climate change, the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal, will come into force next month, having met the necessary conditions much earlier than predicted, as the European Parliament agreed to its ratification by the European Union in a historic vote on Tuesday. The EU will join the US, China and India, other global players and major greenhouse gas emitters, at a November meeting of Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) in Marrakesh.

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General : United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will travel to Strasbourg on Tuesday to attend the final vote of the European Parliament on whether to grant consent to the ratification of the Paris Agreement by the EU.

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Plenary sessions : Torture and the death penalty still take place in many countries around the world and the EU should play no part in delivering services or goods to make this possible, according to Marietje Schaake. The Dutch ALDE MEP is in charge of steering an updated version of the EU's anti-torture regulation through Parliament. MEPs debate her report on Tuesday and then vote on it the same day. We talked to her about why the regulation is necessary ahead of the vote.

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The European Parliament will vote on Tuesday to give its consent to the ratification of the Paris climate agreement by the European Union, after Council gave its green light on Friday. For Environment Committee chair Giovanni La Via (EPP, IT) the decision allows the EU to remain a leader in climate action ahead of the next round of talks to take place in Marrakech in November.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

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MEPs’ plans to tighten up EU car “type approval” rules, in the wake of the VW scandal, were discussed in the Internal Market Committee on Thursday. These include stricter supervision of tests done before a car can be placed on the market and more stringent obligations on EU member states to check that those already on the road meet all EU safety, environmental and production requirements.
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

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General : The first-ever universal and legally binding global climate deal was agreed by 195 countries in Paris last December at the COP21 conference.Parliament wants the EU to ratify the Paris climate agreement as soon as possible to ensure it can rapidly enter into force. We talked to environment committee chair Giovanni La Via, an Italian member of the EPP group, about Parliament’s commitment to implement the climate deal and the challenges ahead.

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Budget Committee MEPs reversed all the cuts proposed by the Council to the draft 2017 EU budget to meet the needs of the migration crisis and slow economic growth, in a vote on Wednesday. They also boosted funding to fight youth unemployment and increased spending on research and infrastructure projects. The full plenary will vote on 26 October on a proposed budget amounting to €161.8bn in commitments, €4.13bn more than the original Commission proposal.
Committee on Budgets

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MEPs’ plans to tighten up EU car “type approval” rules, in the wake of the VW scandal, will be outlined in 196 amendments to the EU Commission proposal to overhaul the current system, to be debated in the Internal Market Committee on Thursday at 11.00. These include stricter supervision of tests done before a car can be placed on the market and more stringent obligations on EU member states to check that those already on the road meet all EU safety, environmental and production requirements.
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

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General : Anti-Semitism continues to be a problem in Europe with every fifth Jew having experienced verbal or physical violence. On 27 September MEPs and representatives from Jewish communities gathered in the European Parliament to debate anti-Semitism and the future of Jews in Europe. "Jewish friends and neighbours, we stand with you against those who spread hatred," said Parliament President Martin Schulz. "Europe is not Europe without its Jews. Europe is your home!”

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General : After five years’ existence, the transparency register, of independent organisations and people whose business is to influence EU decision-taking processes, is to evolve into a mandatory system covering all EU institutions. This is "an eagerly-awaited reform", said European Parliament Vice-President Sylvie Guillaume, welcoming the proposed inter-institutional agreement tabled by the European Commission on 28 September.

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General : The current situation in Europe of Anti-Semitism and future prospects for Europe’s Jewish communities were debated at a conference hosted by EP President Martin Schulz and First Vice-President Antonio Tajani on Tuesday.

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Should EU Structural and Investment Funds for Spain and Portugal be suspended, following Council’s 12 July decision to trigger the “excessive deficit” procedure? MEPs from the Regional Development and Economic Affairs committees will debate a possible suspension of structural funds for Spain and Portugal with the EU Commission in Strasbourg on Monday 3 October, in room Louise Weiss N1.3, starting at 18.00.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee on Regional Development

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General : The European Parliament is sending a delegation of MEPs to Colombia this week to accompany and observe its referendum on the newly signed peace agreement. MEPs “expect and hope” that on Sunday 2 October Colombian voters will back the peace agreement reached by the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

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Chair Werner Langen kicked off Tuesday’s hearing with the investigative journalists behind the Panama Papers revelations by announcing that the inquiry committee will also look into the recent Bahama Leaks affair and the case of former Commissioner Neelie Kroes, who failed to declare a directorship in an offshore firm while she held the competition portfolio.
Committee of Inquiry to investigate alleged contraventions and maladministration in the application of Union law in relation to money laundering, tax avoidance and tax evasion

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