European Parliament (News)

A new standard European travel document to speed the return of non-EU nationals staying "irregularly" in EU member states without valid passports or identity cards was informally agreed by MEPs and EU ministers on Thursday evening. A key goal during the talks has been to increase third countries’ acceptance of the document through improved technical details. To enter into force, this informal deal needs to be formally endorsed by the full Parliament and the Council of Ministers.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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Plenary sessions : The EU's renewable energy target - 20% of total consumption by 2020 - has already been hit by many EU member states. But others lag behind and must do more, MEPs urge in a resolution, voted on Thursday, on the EU Commission's “renewables progress report." To achieve the EU's energy efficiency target - a 20% gain by 2020 – member states need to implement EU legislation faster, and in full, says a second resolution, also voted on Thursday.

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Plenary sessions : “It is time for our people to live in freedom, without walls and checkpoints”, urged President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas in his address to MEPs on Thursday. He conveyed his people’s gratitude to the European Parliament for recognising a State of Palestine and criticised Israel for pursuing its occupation of Palestinian territories.

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Plenary sessions : A proposal to grant Belgium €1,824,041 in EU aid to help find new jobs for 488 workers made redundant by construction machinery manufacturers in Wallonia was approved by MEPs on Thursday. A further 300 young unemployed people should also benefit from the aid, to come from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF).

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Plenary sessions : New rules for deciding which country’s courts should settle property disputes in divorce or death cases involving international couples or registered partnerships were approved by MEPs on Thursday. These rules should end parallel proceedings – costing around €1.1bn annually – in various member states whose courts have to settle such property disputes. They will apply in 18 EU countries which were willing to join this “enhanced cooperation” initiative.

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Plenary sessions : An EU deal with Monaco, which will make it harder for EU citizens to hide cash from the tax man in bank accounts there, was endorsed by Parliament in a vote on Thursday. Under the deal, the EU and Monaco will automatically exchange information on the bank accounts of each other's residents, starting in 2018 for information collected since 1 January 2017.

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Plenary sessions : MEPs urge all parties fighting in north-eastern Congo to put an “end to the violence, lay down their arms, release all children from their ranks and promote dialogue” towards a peaceful solution, in a resolution voted on Thursday, after a debate on Wednesday. "There can be no impunity for perpetrators", they add.

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Plenary sessions : The EU multiannual plan for managing Baltic Sea cod, sprat and herring stocks was approved in plenary on Thursday. This is the first new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) regional plan that takes account of interactions between species. It aims to ensure the sustainability of fisheries and offer fishermen better economic conditions in the long run. Parliament and Council negotiators reached an informal agreement on it in March.

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Plenary sessions : The European Parliament named the 65 members of its “Panama Papers” Committee of Inquiry, into tax evasion and money laundering, on Thursday, after approving its remit on 8 June. The committee’s shorthand label will be “PANA”.

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Plenary sessions : More must be done to fight new forms of radicalisation, including the rise in radicalisation of “lone wolves” via the internet, and also to address the various forms of hatred and violence directed against different groups in society, argued MEPs in a debate with Council and Commission on Wednesday afternoon.

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Draft plans to tighten up official controls from farm to fork were informally agreed by food safety MEPs and the Dutch Presidency of the Council on Wednesday. It aims to guarantee that the food consumers buy and eat in Europe is safe and wholesome, hence improving consumer’s health and preventing food crises.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

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Whilst France is indeed grappling with a difficult security situation, it needs to find adequate long-term solutions, because the terrorist threat is likely to last, argued most MEPs in a Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee debate on Thursday with Ambassador and France’s Permanent representative to the EU Pierre Sellal.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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General : Demand for food is set to rise by 70% due to the global population growing to 9.6 billion by 2050. Feeding them all will be a serious challenge. In reports adopted during last week's plenary, MEPs stressed the need to invest in agricultural technology, while still reducing agriculture's ecological impact. They also looked into how farmers in Africa could be helped.

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All but the smallest EU firms importing tin, tungsten, tantalum, gold and their ores will have to do "due diligence" checks on their suppliers, to stop this trade being used to help fund conflicts and human rights abuses, says a political understanding reached by MEPs, ministers and the EU Commission on Wednesday. Due diligence will also be mandatory for smelters and refiners. The EU Commission will press big manufacturers to disclose details of products that might contain conflict minerals.
Committee on International Trade

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General : Agriculture faces many challenges ranging from climate change to rising food demand due to population growth. On 7 June MEPs adopted an own-initiative report on how technological innovation could help to increase agricultural productivity in a sustainable way. Report author Anthea McIntyre, a UK member of the ECR group, answered questions about it during a live broadcast on the Parliament's Facebook page.

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Plans for stricter monitoring and certification procedures to ensure full compliance and traceability of medical devices, such as breast or hip implants, were backed by Health Committee MEPs on Wednesday. MEPs also approved legislation to tighten up information and ethical requirements for diagnostic medical devices used for example in pregnancy or DNA testing. Both files were informally agreed with the Dutch Presidency of the Council.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

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Sugary drinks and energy drinks containing caffeine should not display claims that they help increase alertness or concentration, as this would encourage high consumption of sugar among adolescents, who are the largest group of energy drink consumers, said Health committee MEPs in a resolution voted on Wednesday.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

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Budgets Committee MEPs approved €1,824,041 in EU aid on Wednesday to support the reintegration in the labour market of 488 workers made redundant by several manufacturers of construction machinery in Wallonia. A further 300 young unemployed people should also benefit. The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) aid still needs to be approved by Parliament as a whole and by the Council of Ministers.
Committee on Budgets

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General : Local governance, stepping up intra-ACP trade and common management of ACP-EU migration were among the topics discussed by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) at its 31st session, which closed on Wednesday 15 June, in Windhoek, Namibia.

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Making a living as a farmer is becoming increasingly difficult in Europe. As large retail chains are able to dictate the terms, farmers are often forced to sell their products for less than they cost to produce. On 7 June MEPs adopted a resolution, calling for an end to these unfair trading practices. They now want the European Commission to come up with proposals to improve farmers' bargaining position. Watch our video to find out more about how the market operates.
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

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