European Parliament (News)

Plenary sessions : Fifa, the world's governing body for football, is being investigated over corruption allegations. MEPs will discuss the accusations during a plenary debate on Wednesday evening, followed by a debate on the upcoming European Games in Baku in the light of host country's Azerbaijan's patchy human rights record. Watch the debates live on our website.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Plenary sessions : It will be 30 years this Friday since Spain and Portugal signed their EU accession treaties and so rejoined the EU family of democratic nations, noted President Schulz in his opening remarks. Not all the hopes of this historic moment were met, but both countries won their struggle against regressive forces and achieved stability. The EU promises of strength through democracy, and welfare for the many, not just wealth for the few, are still there, he added.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Plenary sessions : Martin Schulz has paid to tribute to Portugal and Spain on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the two countries signing the EU accession treaty this Friday. "This was a major step in European history," the president of the European Parliament said in his opening remarks of the 8-11 June plenary session in Strasbourg. At the time the EU was still known as the European Economic Community and after the accession of Portugal and Spain consisted of 12 member states.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Plenary sessions : December's climate change conference in Paris aims to come up with an international agreement to help limit global warming after 2020, but it is far from the first one. MEPs are this week voting on a recommendation to ensure that the Doha climate agreement, setting targets for emissions reductions up to 2020, is still ratified by the end of the year. Read on to find out more about the first climate change agreements and the efforts to come up with a new global deal to help fight global warming.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : Ramón Jáuregui (S&D, ES), co-president the EuroLat Assembly, on Friday stated his "great concern" at the situation in Venezuela and called for the release of political prisoners and for elections, in a statement to next week's EU, Latin American and Caribbean Summit (EU-CELAC) in Brussels representing the majority position of the EuroLat MEPs. He also refers to the situation in Cuba and Colombia.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Plenary sessions : A new EU strategy for equality between women and men beyond 2015 will be debated by MEPs on Monday 8 June. The draft EP resolution drafted by Maria Noichl states that progress in the EU has been slow and that much remains to be done over the next five years. Watch the debate live on our website on Monday 8 June from 18.00 CET and check out our infographic to see how successful member states have been in achieving gender equality.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Plenary sessions : Fake products are harmful to the economy, not only to those who have invested in the original products, but also to consumers, whose health and safety are at risk. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) exist to help counter these dangers. On Monday 8 June MEPs debate two reports dealing with IPR infringements and vote on them the following day. Watch it live on our website.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The 29th plenary session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly takes place in Suva from 15 to 17June 2015. The session will be opened formally by its co-presidents Louis Michel for the European Parliament and Fitz A. Jackson (Jamaica) for the ACP.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : US-Cuba relations, Venezuela´s situation and the Colombia Peace Process were among the topics debated at the eighth plenary session of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (Eurolat), which opened on Thursday in Brussels. MEPs and members of Latin America’s parliaments are to deliver a political message to the heads of state or government meeting in Brussels on 10-11 June for the European, Latin American and Caribbean Summit (EU-CELAC)

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : Bendable and transparent smart phones, lighter air planes... All this and much more could soon become reality thanks to graphene. On 2 June, MEPs discussed with experts the potential of using the wonder material in various sectors, from electronics to health. Nobel Prize laureate Konstantin Novoselov, who co-discovered graphene, said: “Science is the easy part. To develop a technology, you should know what products you are aiming at, and this should be coming from the industry."

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : "We cannot have sustainable development without addressing social, development and environmental issues," said Sam Kahamba Kutesa, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, during his visit to the Parliament on 3 June. He was there do discuss new Sustainable Development Goals with the foreign affairs committee. We talked to him about issues such as climate change and migration.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

An exception to the EU ban on trade in seal products was deleted by the Internal Market Committee on Thursday. MEPs ruled out EU sales of seal products from “maritime resource management” hunts, in line with a 2014 World Trade Organisation ruling. But another exception, for the Inuit community, whose way of life depends on these products, remains.
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : The European Parliament has honoured 47 people from across the EU with this year's Citizen's Prize for their contribution to European cooperation and the promotion of common values. The list of the winners was published on 3 June, after a consultation of the 74 proposals that made it through to the national juries.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Amendments to the EU Passenger Name Record data (EU PNR) proposal will be discussed in the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee on Thursday 4 June from 11.15 to 12.15. Of the 836 amendments tabled, 47 were presented by rapporteur Timothy Kirkhope (ECR, UK) in his draft report and 789 by MEPs from various political groups.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : Take part in our new guest photographer contest, inspired by 2015 being the European Year for Development. Every month until September we will be announcing a different topic linked to development. Send us your photo inspired by the theme of that month, along with the submission form and you could be invited to Strasbourg to make a photo reportage.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : Following the publication of the blacklist of European politicians and officials, the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, on Tuesday informed the Russian Ambassador to the EU that insofar as the Russian authorities have failed to ensure transparency in their decisions, in line with international law and legal obligations, and allow the targeted individuals the right of defence and of appeal, he considers that it is now justified to take appropriate measures in response.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

A proposal to streamline and simplify complicated animal health rules in the EU was informally agreed by MEPs, the European Commission and the national governments on 1 June. Marit Paulsen, the Parliament's lead negotiator, described the result as "fantastic": "Its most important principle is to prevent rather than to cure." We talked to Paulsen, who has been pushing animal welfare issues for four decades, about her interest in animals and how the new rules will make a difference.
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : The media often report on how Brussels has decided on a new piece of legislation, but this is a simple version of what is a very complicated process. In our interactive infographic you find a more precise overview of how decisions that affect the EU and the people living in it are taken by MEPs and the member states.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : The political leaders of the European Parliament discussed the priorities of the upcoming Council presidency with the government of Luxembourg, which will take over on 1 July. The Conference of Presidents, made up of EP President Martin Schulz and the chairs of the political groups, went to Luxembourg on Monday 1 June where Prime Minister Xavier Bettel presented his country's priorities. In addition to the prime minister, the EP delegation also met other members of the government.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Measures to prevent and treat animal diseases such as avian flu or African swine fever were informally agreed by MEPs, the Latvian Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the European Commission on Monday. The draft EU law, on diseases that are transmissible among animals and potentially to humans too, will merge and update many scattered items of old legislation, so as to help prevent and halt new outbreaks and keep pace with scientific progress.
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP