European Parliament

Plenary sessions : From a debate on Brexit negotiations to refugee relocation and the situation in Hungary: read our overview of this week's plenary session.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The European Parliament Office in London held a panel debate earlier this month to a full house on the impact of Brexit on freedom of movement, one of the fundamental four freedoms of the EU.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Only a political process led by the different Syrian groups and supported by the UN could end a war in Syria and the EU should take a more active role.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : EU countries must fulfil their obligations to take in asylum-seekers from Greece and Italy, giving priority to unaccompanied minors, said Parliament on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Chechen authorities must end the persecution of gay men and an investigation must be held as a matter of urgency, MEPs said on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : The construction and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank must stop to allow prospects for a viable two-state solution, urge MEPs.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Parliament has given the Culture committee a mandate to begin talks with the Council on a new directive on audiovisual media, which will include online platforms.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : EU citizens with subscriptions for online films and TV will soon be able to access their content while temporarily in another EU country.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Financial solidarity contributions by Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein to the European Economic Area and fisheries trade deals with Norway and Iceland were backed by MEPs on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : The European Parliament expresses concern about arrests of opposition leaders in Zambia and Ethiopia and calls for an end to the war in South Sudan, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs welcomed the unity of the 27 Member States and the EU institutions with regard to Brexit and also called for a reform of the EU to benefit all its citizens.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs have approved new rules that will allow users to enjoy their online film subscriptions when travelling in the EU the same way they do at home.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : “A strong and united Europe is an absolutely fundamental pillar of a strong and effective United Nations," said António Guterres, addressing MEPs in Strasbourg on 17 May. The Portueguese UN Secretary-General, the first European one since Austria’s Kurt Waldheim in the early 1980s, said global challenges such as the multiplication of conflicts, a human rights violations, climate change and globalisation required the EU and the UN to work together.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs objected on Wednesday to EU Commission plans to authorise imports of products made from genetically modified maize and cotton which are herbicide-resistant.

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Plenary sessions : MEPs again reject as inadequate by 392 votes to 80, with 207 abstentions, a narrow list of countries at risk of money laundering.

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Plenary sessions : The situation in Hungary justifies the triggering of the procedure which may result in sanctions for Hungary, MEPs say in a resolution adopted on Wednesday.

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Plenary sessions : EU job-search aid worth €2,641,800 for 821 former ICT workers in Finland was approved by the European Parliament in a vote on Wednesday.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : The International Day against Homophobia is marked every 17 May to raise awareness about the importance of non- discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people around the world. To mark the occasion, MEPs discussed on 16 May reports by independent Russian media and human rights organisations alleging atrocities against homosexual men in Chechnya. They also adopted a resolution on it on 18 May.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : The plight of migrants risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean has shaken Europe to the core in recent years. With frontline countries such as Greece and Italy affected the most, relocation is one way to share the burden. Ahead of a September deadline for the relocation of 160,000 asylum seekers from Greece and Italy to other EU countries, today MEPs accused national governments of dragging their feet on refugee transfers. MEPs vote on a resolution on relocation on 18 May.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs advocate efforts to halve by 2030 food waste in the EU, by lifting existing restrictions on food donations and eliminating confusion about “best before” and “use by” labels.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP