European Parliament (News)

General : Journalist Can Dündar and fellow defenders of freedom of thought and expression in Turkey, the Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzemilev, the Yazidi survivors and public advocates Nadia Murad Basee and Lamiya Aji Bashar as well as Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti are this year's nominees for the Sakharov Prize. The Parliament awards the Sakharov Prize every year to honour exceptional individuals and organisations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms. The laureate is selected in late October.

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Plenary sessions : EU countries must honour their pledges to accept refugees relocated from Greece and Italy, to relieve migratory pressure on these two “frontline” countries, and at the same time discourage irregular entries by opening up legal and safe routes to the EU, MEPs said on Thursday.

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Plenary sessions : As wildlife trafficking is now the fourth largest black market and endangers many species, the EU should help curb demand, inter alia with an EU-wide ban on trade in ivory, say MEPs in a resolution voted on Thursday. This sets out MEPs’ priorities for the 17th Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES, Johannesburg, 24 September–5 October), which the EU will attend for the first time as a party to the convention.

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Plenary sessions : The European Parliament endorsed the candidature of Sir Julian King as Commissioner for the Security Union. He was nominated by the UK government after Lord Jonathan Hill resigned in the wake of the Brexit vote in June.

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Plenary sessions : An EU Commission proposal for a standard European travel document to speed up the return of non-EU nationals staying irregularly in EU member states without valid passports or identity cards was approved by Parliament on Thursday. A key aim for MEPs has been to strengthen the form’s security features and technical safeguards, so as to promote its acceptance by third countries. To enter into force, the new regulation still needs to be formally approved by the Council of Ministers.

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Plenary sessions : Parliament condemns the current wave of extrajudicial executions and killings in the Philippines, deteriorating security and widespread intimidation in Somalia, and growing violence against demonstrators and breaches of human rights in Zimbabwe, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

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General : The 14th Dalai Lama visited the European Parliament on Thursday 15 September to meet President Martin Schulz and discuss with members of the foreign affairs committee. Upon his fifth visit to the Parliament, the Dalai Lama expressed his admiration for the spirit of the European Union because it worked for the common interest of the people. “I think this spirit of the European Union eventually should spread in Africa and further in the world,“ he added.

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Plenary sessions : Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager won wide support from MEPs, in a Wednesday afternoon debate, for the Commission’s state aid verdict that the tax benefits that Ireland granted to Apple Inc., enabling it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years, were illegal.

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Plenary sessions : Europe needs a forward-looking industrial strategy to improve operating conditions for companies, make the best use of existing European financial instruments, and protect workers, said MEPs in Wednesday's afternoon debate with employment Commissioner Marianne Thyssen and delegated minister for the Slovak Presidency of the Council Ivan Korčok.

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Plenary sessions : Populism, unemployment and social injustice are among the key challenges for the EU, said Commission President Juncker in his annual State of the Union speech in the EP on Wednesday. The refugee crisis, Brexit and counter-terrorism were also debated with political groups’ leaders and other MEPs, who put forward their visions of how to address people’s deepest concerns about the future.

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Plenary sessions : Draft legislation designed to protect retail investors was rejected by MEPs on Wednesday as so “flawed and misleading” that it could actually lose them money. Unusually, it will be returned to the EU Commission for revision.

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Plenary sessions : MEPs urged the Polish government to solve the country’s constitutional crisis within the three-month deadline set by the Commission on 27 July. The solution should reflect a compromise between all parliamentary parties and be fully in line with the Venice Commission and the European Commission recommendations.

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Plenary sessions : The European Parliament approved an agreement granting duty-free access to the EU for products from Namibia, Mozambique, Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho, and improved market access for South Africa on Wednesday.

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Plenary sessions : The State of the European Union is an annual speech and debate during which MEPs review what the European Commission has done over the past year as well as to assess its objectives for the year to come. Check out our Storify coverage above for an overview of what was said during the debate on 14 September.

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Plenary sessions : The EU Commission’s conclusion that Ireland granted Apple Inc. illegal tax benefits, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years will be debated in plenary session on Wednesday around 16:00.

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Plenary sessions : The State of the European Union, one of the year’s most important debates, kicks off on Wednesday 14 September at 9.00 CET. It’s an opportunity to find out what direction the EU will take in the coming year and what could have been done better. Find out the many ways to follow the debate online and how you can join the discussion on social media.

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General : Recent development in Poland and how they affect EU fundamental rights were debated in plenary on 13 September. While some MEPs criticised Polish authorities for reforms affecting the country's constitutional tribunal, others called on the EU to respect the decisions by Poland's government. On Wednesday 14 September, MEPs adopted a resolution urging the Polish government “to solve the country’s constitutional crisis and find a compromise” in line with European Commission recommendations.

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Plenary sessions : Parliament rejected Malta’s nominee for the European Court of Auditors, Mr Leo Brincat, in a plenary vote on Tuesday. Mr Brincat had been approved by the Budgetary Control Committee in a close vote on 5 September. But Parliament did back Portugal’s nominee, Mr João Figueiredo, and the renewal of the mandate of Cypriot member, Mr Lazaros S. Lazarou, based on the committee’s recommendations. The final decision on the appointments to the Luxembourg body will be taken by the EU Council of Ministers.

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Plenary sessions : Parliament’s car emissions inquiry urgently needs more information from the EU Commission, it says in a resolution voted on Tuesday. Half-way through its mandate, the Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector (EMIS), has yet to receive some Commission documents on emission measurements and details of expert group work on vehicle type approval procedures, notes the text. The inquiry’s final report is due in spring 2017.

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Plenary sessions : The latest developments in Turkey further to the failed coup attempt in July 2016 will be debated by MEPs with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Tuesday at around 15.30. It will be followed by another debate on the situation in Gabon after the disputed re-election of President Ali Bongo.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP