European Parliament

How much does the EU spend in your country and on what? How does it compare to other countries? And where does the money come from? Find out by using our multimedia application, which has been updated with the latest figures from the European Commission's annual financial report for 2015.

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General : Is the EU still fit for purpose in its current form? With no shortage of challenges facing us the European Parliament has looked into how the EU can be improved. On 16 February MEPs adopted three reports setting out how they believe the EU needs to be reformed in order to boost its capacity to act, restore people’s trust and make the economy more resilient.

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General : The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is at a critical juncture and the EU and its member states should recognise Palestinian statehood, according to members of Parliament’s Palestine delegation. Led by delegation chair Neoklis Sylikiotis, the five members visited Jerusalem and the West Bank on 20-24 February. In addition MEPs discussed the Israeli government’s recent decision to retroactively legalise settlements illegally built on Palestinian land during a plenary debate on 14 February,

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Although fast and effective for plant growth, chemicals pesticides entail potential risks for human health, animals and the environment. About 45% of food we consume contains pesticide residues with 1.6% exceeding legal limits, according to the European Food Safety Authority. MEPs want to promote the use of more natural pesticides and to simplify and speed up the approval process. Check our video for more information.

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General : Ceta passed a crucial hurdle on 15 February when MEPs voted to back the landmark EU-Canada trade deal. The agreement removing more than 99% of tariffs can provisionally enter into force as early as April. Speaking following the vote, Artis Pabriks, Parliament's lead MEP on Ceta, said: “Europe cannot survive without free and fair trade and high-quality interaction with other global players.” He also described Ceta as “the gold standard for future trade deals”.

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General : How well do you know Europe? Find out by taking part in our winter challenge! See how many European capitals you can identify correctly.

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Delegations

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Plenary sessions : MEPs approved Ceta during this week's plenary session followed by a visit by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau telling them how the EU-Canada trade deal was not just about commerce, but also about improving people's lives. Newly-elected Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen also addressed the Parliament, while MEPs adopted new anti-terrorism measures and set out their ideas for the future of the EU.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : EU-wide rules are needed for the fast-evolving field of robotics, e.g. to enforce ethical standards or establish liability for accidents involving driverless cars, say MEPs in a resolution voted on Thursday.

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General : Europeans becoming radicalised and travelling to fight in Iraq or Syria represent a growing threat to the EU. Most of the recent terrorist attacks in Europe were perpetrated by home-grown terrorists. MEPs adopted on 16 February new rules to ensure stronger checks at the EU's external borders and prevent the preparation of terrorist acts. Check out our infographic for an overview of measures to tackle terrorism Parliament has been working on.

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Plenary sessions : If the EU is to boost its capacity to act, restore citizens’ trust and make the euro zone economy more resilient to outside shocks, it needs to make full use of the Lisbon Treaty. But to go further, it needs to reform itself more fundamentally. This was the key message of three resolutions exploring the future development of the European Union approved by Parliament on Thursday.

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Plenary sessions : To counter the growing threats from “foreign fighters” travelling to conflict zones for terrorist purposes and “lone wolves” planning solo attacks, new EU-wide rules were approved by Parliament on Thursday.

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Plenary sessions : All EU citizens and third country nationals entering or leaving the EU will be systematically checked against databases, e.g. of lost and stolen documents, under a regulation voted on Thursday. The new rules were agreed by Parliament’s negotiators and the Council of Ministers on 5 December 2016.

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Plenary sessions : Parliament voices deep concern about the intimidation and harassment of Francesca Ramirez and other human rights defenders in Nicaragua, deplores the recent use of the death penalty in Kuwait and Bahrain, and strongly condemns the murders of human rights defenders and journalists in Guatemala, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

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Plenary sessions : "Ceta is not only about commerce, imports and exports, about profits. It aims to improve people's lives," said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, while addressing MEPs in Strasbourg on Thursday 16 February, one day after the the European Parliament approved the EU-Canada trade agreement.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Low-risk biological pesticides, including those made from bio-organisms, pheromones or essential oils, could replace conventional ones that are suspected of harming the environment and human health. MEPs wonder why some member states hesitate or refuse to approve them and want the EU Commission to propose a revision of the rules to accelerate the approval process.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

General : From drones to medical equipment, robots are increasingly becoming a part of our everyday life. But although some 1.7 million robots already exist worldwide, their use is still not properly regulated. MEPs debate today a report calling for rules to regulate their use, including creating a separate legal status for robots. They will vote on the report tomorrow.

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Plenary sessions : Plans to boost greenhouse-gas emission curbs through the EU carbon market (EU ETS), so as to bring EU climate policy into line with the aims of the Paris agreement, were backed by Parliament on Wednesday. MEPs supported the Commission proposal to reduce the number of “carbon credits” (emission allowances) by 2.2% each year, and want to double the capacity of the 2019 market stability reserve (MSR) to absorb the excess of allowances on the market.

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Plenary sessions : Albania should step up the pace of judicial reform, as a key to starting EU accession negotiations, while Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) needs to overcome its ethnic and political divisions and remain united throughout the EU membership application evaluation process, said MEPs on Wednesday.

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