European Parliament

A clear A to G scale for labelling the energy efficiency of household appliances should replace the proliferating pluses in today's top class (A+, A++, A+++) within 5 years, said Industry, Research and Energy Committee MEPs on Tuesday. The proposal for a new EU regulation aims to ensure that consumers are not misled into thinking that a A class appliance is one of the most efficient on the market, whereas under current rules it may in fact be one of the least efficient.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

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General : The EU coordinates and monitors member states' economic, budgetary and employment policies in a process known as the European Semester, resulting in these countries receiving guidelines on issues such as taxes, pensions and possible budget cuts. On Tuesday 14 June Parliament's economic and employment committees debate this year's recommendations. Watch our explanatory video above for more information.

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General : "The Cotonou Agreement remains unique in the world, and whatever form the next partnership takes, it will have to be tailored to today’s world, and include wider civil society participation and stronger parliamentary oversight and diplomacy », said Michèle RIVASI (Greens/EFA, FR), EU Co-President ad interim of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) meeting in Windhoek, Namibia, for its 31st session.

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Using energy more efficiently is one of the easier ways to cut your bills. Many household appliances, such as lamps, televisions and vacuum cleaners, carry a standardised label to help assess their energy efficiency, The European Commission is now proposing to simplify this labelling system to make it even easier for consumers to compare. Parliament's energy committee approved the plan on 14 June. Check out our infographic to find out how energy consumption is measured and how much it costs.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

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General : The public health committee votes this Wednesday on whether to veto plans by the European Commission to allow sugary and energy drinks to claim that caffeine helps to boost alertness and concentration on their labels. They will also vote on stricter monitoring and certification procedures for medical devices. MEPs meet MPs from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP) in order to discuss migration flows, while the foreign affairs committee looks at the situation of Palestinian refugees.

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Committee meetings, Brussels

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General : "Germany won in 1980 and the coach was Jupp Dervall..." With the European Championship kicking off in France, we asked Parliament President Martin Schulz and other MEPs to share their best memories of the popular football tournament. They also reveal their plans for following the games, as well as their predictions for the winner.

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Plenary sessions : MEPs debated plans for investment in Africa to help migrants find work in their home country during June's plenary session in Strasbourg this week. They looked too at ways to integrate migrants into the EU's labour market without disadvantaging local workers. MEPs also approved the mandate for an inquiry committee into the Panama papers and reviewed the EU's €315 billion investment plan. In addition Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev pleaded for more EU integration in a speech to plenary.

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Plenary sessions : A surge in low-cost EU imports of rail supplies such as engines or signals from non-EU countries, including China, is skewing competitive conditions for EU suppliers, MEPs warned on Thursday, adding that much of this surge is due to strong political and financial support in exporters’ home countries. Parliament calls on the EU Commission to craft "a coherent EU trade strategy, which ensures compliance with the principle of reciprocity, particularly in relation to Japan, China and the USA."

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Plenary sessions : New EU rules to ease free movement for citizens by making it simpler to prove the authenticity of documents such as birth or marriage certificates in another EU member state were voted by Parliament on Thursday. To avoid any need for translation, new multilingual EU forms are to be attached to the documents. The vote endorsed an informal deal previously struck by Parliament and Council negotiators.

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Plenary sessions : Parliament deplores the worsening climate for opposition politicians and human rights activists in Cambodia, calls on Tajikistan to allow opposition groups, lawyers and journalists to operate freely, and urges Vietnam to put an immediate end to all harassment, intimidation, and persecution of political activists, journalists, bloggers, dissidents and human rights defenders, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

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Plenary sessions : The Turkish parliament’s decision to lift the immunity from prosecution of 138 of its members was criticized by MEPs on Wednesday. In a debate with EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn, they described it as an attempt by Turkey’s President Erdoğan to silence the opposition and grab more powers. This decision undermines the rule of law and freedom of expression and might harm EU-Turkey relations, they added.

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Plenary sessions : A plan to lend Tunisia €500 million on favourable terms to help it reduce its external debt and consolidate its democratic mechanisms was backed by MEPs on Wednesday.

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Plenary sessions : The cure to the EU's ills is more solidarity, more rule of law, more synergies and more integration, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev told MEPs on 8 June. "Integration is the only weapon we have to achieve peace, security and human development," he said in plenary, adding: "Erecting borders is a tempting, yet temporary and not sustainable solution." The President also condemned what he called Russia's efforts to destabilise the EU and erode trust in the European project.

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Plenary sessions : The EU Commission should withdraw its authorisations for the use of herbicide-resistant GM carnations and maize, say two non-binding resolutions voted on Wednesday. Authorising GM carnations would encourage the worldwide use of a diabetes medicine as a herbicide, while the GM maize is resistant to glyphosate, which is classified as “probably carcinogenic” by the World Health Organisation (WHO), MEPs say.

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Plenary sessions : Parliament voiced serious concerns on Wednesday at the "apathy shown by member states and EU institutions" about recognising "the multiple fundamental rights violations and torture" that took place in US CIA “rendition” operations on European soil between 2001 and 2006. Its non-binding resolution urges them to investigate these violations and to bring those responsible for or complicit in them to justice.

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Plenary sessions : European Commission delays in publishing the scientific criteria needed to identify and reduce exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals, which the UNEP/WHO sees as a global threat to public health, were condemned by Parliament in in a resolution voted on Wednesday. The text, on “endocrine disruptors”, points out that the Commission’s persistent failure to publish the criteria, which were due by the end of 2013, also breaches EU law.

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Plenary sessions : Venezuela’s government should release all political prisoners immediately and respect the constitution, including the procedures that may lead to the impeachment of the country´s President, urged the European Parliament on Wednesday. In a resolution passed by 501 votes, to 94 against with 73 abstentions, MEPs backed mediation efforts by the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) to launch a national dialogue between Venezuela’s government and opposition.

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Plenary sessions : The EU Commission proposal for an EU anti-tax avoidance directive was welcomed by Parliament in a resolution voted on Wednesday. MEPs nonetheless advocated stricter limits on deductions for interest payments and tougher rules on foreign income. They also called for more transparency for trust funds and foundations, common rules for “patent box” tax reductions on intellectual property earnings, and an EU blacklist of tax havens and sanctions against uncooperative jurisdictions.

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