European Parliament (News)

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Since taking over vast swaths of Iraq and Syria ISIS has carried out a campaign of violence and subjugation against Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities. As mass killings and desperate attempts to flee put several of these groups at risk of extinction, the human rights subcommittee held a hearing on 30 May to shed light on the plight of those caught up in the unrest. Minority representatives from the region shared their first-hand observations with us.
Subcommittee on Human Rights

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General : Finding employment is a crucial step for refugees to integrate in society become economically independent. However, with high levels of unemployment in the EU, some people are concerned about increased competition on the labour market. The employment committee adopted on Monday 30 May a report proposing concrete measure to tackle these challenges. We interviewed report author Brando Benifei, an Italian member of the S&D group, before the vote.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS), which EU countries use to exchange information on the criminal convictions of EU citizens, should be extended to include non-EU nationals, Civil Liberties Committee MEPs said on Monday. MEPs also want the system to be used to check the criminal records of people seeking to work with children.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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The Commission's proposal for a standard EU travel document, to speed up the process of returning non-EU nationals who stay "irregularly" in EU member states without valid passports or identity cards, was endorsed by Civil Liberties Committee MEPs on Monday. Members highlight that many EU countries are currently facing serious difficulties in returning these residents to their home countries in a safe and lawful way.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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Plans to set up an integrated EU border management system, with a flagship European Border and Coast Guard agency, bringing together Frontex and national border management authorities, were backed by the Civil Liberties Committee on Monday. They would enable extra border guard teams to be rapidly deployed to EU countries whose external borders are under pressure. National authorities would still manage their borders on a day-to-day basis, but could seek help from the new agency in a crisis.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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General : Plans to set up an EU Border and Coast Guard are to be put to a vote in Parliament's civil liberties committee this week. MEPs also vote on proposals to introduce a standard European travel document for non-EU nationals and to expand the exchange of criminal records between member states. At a hearing in the human rights subcommittee members discuss the plight of minority groups caught up in Syria's civil war and in ISIS atrocities. Preparations also take place for next week's plenary session.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Always have been curious about the European Parliament? This Saturday you have the chance to visit it during the open day of the European institutions in Brussels. You have the opportunity to take part in competitions, debates and cultural activities as well as find out how the institution that represents you operates.

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Plenary sessions : The internet is meant to give you unlimited access to knowledge, yet when you are shopping online, you could be prevented from purchasing a product or service because of where you live. The European Commission has proposed new rules to make an end to the unjustified use of the practice known as geo-blocking as well as ways to create a genuine digital single market in Europe. MEPs debated the plans in plenary on 25 May.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plans for stricter monitoring and certification procedures to ensure that medical devices such as breast or hip implants comply fully with safety and traceability requirements were informally agreed by MEPs and the Dutch Presidency of the Council on Wednesday. MEPs also secured tighter information and ethical requirements for diagnostic medical devices, e.g. those used for pregnancy or DNA testing.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

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Plenary sessions : Consumers should be given more power in the energy market, say MEPs in a resolution on a "new energy deal for energy consumers", voted on Thursday. They recommend collective buying, household power generation, better price comparison tools for all and making it easier to switch energy providers and tariffs. In a non-binding text, intended as an input to Energy Union legislation to be tabled by the EU Commission, MEPs also call for EU funds for energy efficiency to focus on energy poverty.

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Plenary sessions : The EU Commission should set up a taskforce to monitor virtual currencies, like Bitcoin, to prevent their being used to launder money or finance terrorism, said Parliament in a non-binding resolution voted on Thursday.

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Plenary sessions : The EU Commission should go on negotiating with the USA to remedy “deficiencies” in proposed “Privacy Shield” protection for EU citizens’ data transferred to the US for commercial purposes, Parliament says in a non-legislative resolution passed on Thursday.

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Plenary sessions : Parliament approved aid on Thursday worth €6,468,000 for 557 redundant workers from the “Larissa” supermarket in Greece and €5,146,800 for 2,132 former drivers for the road haulage and delivery firm MoryGlobal SAS in France. The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) aid will still need to be approved by the Council of Ministers on 6 June.

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Plenary sessions : The EU must quickly take further measures to stabilize milk prices and bring relief to struggling dairy farmers, urged MEPs in Thursday's plenary debate with Commissioner Phil Hogan and Dutch deputy farm minister Hans Hoogeveen. These measures should include an EU-wide lid on milk production to boost prices, a more efficient intervention system, to enable the EU to react more swiftly, and balancing the supply chain to enable farmers to earn fair returns, they said.

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Plenary sessions : As milk prices have collapsed across the EU and show no signs of recovering any time soon, MEPs will quiz Commissioner Phil Hogan on measures to alleviate pressure on dairy farmers and stabilize their incomes in a debate on Thursday, starting at 8.30. Factors blamed for the crisis include the Russian ban on imports from the EU, the end of milk quotas in 2015 and a drop in global demand.

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Plenary sessions : New initiatives to allow consumers and companies to buy and sell products and services online more easily across the EU were welcomed by most MEPs in a debate with Commission Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, Andrus Ansip, on Wednesday. Parliament will co-decide on equal footing with the EU Council of Ministers on the Digital Single Market legislative proposals.

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Plenary sessions : King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands addressed Parliament in Brussels in a formal sitting on Wednesday for the first time since his accession to the throne in April 2013. Speaking of identity and solidarity, the King said he belonged to the first generation of Europeans in history to enjoy the good fortune of peace and expressed the hope future generations would have this opportunity too: “It’s all too easy to take peace for granted.“

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Plenary sessions : President Schulz paid tribute to Marco Pannella, who died on 19 May. He remembered Mr Pannella, a long-serving Italian MEP with whom he worked for many years, as a passionate defender of human rights, pacifism and pluralism, a staunch opponent of the death penalty, an advocate of prisoners’ rights, LGBT rights, and an early proponent of equality between men and women.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : In recent years currencies such as Bitcoin have emerged that are not issued by banks but exist in the digital world only, relying on public and shared databases to have balances and transactions verified. The EU should set up a task force to monitor developments in this area and prepare to step in with regulations if necessary, according to a report to be debated by MEPs on 25 May and voted on the following day. We spoke to report authorJakob von Weizsäcker, a German member of the S&D group.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP