European Parliament

General : Want to know Europe's future? Ask the people who will shape it! Last weekend more than 7,500 young Europeans attended the European Youth Event (EYE) at the Parliament in Strasbourg to discuss the continent's most pressing issues with MEPs and leading figures from civil society and the business world. Thousands of people also joined the discussions online: the hashtags #EYE2016 and #EYEtv were used nearly 26,000 times during the two-day event. Relive the experience with our slideshow and video.

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General : Energy poverty and how to give consumers a better deal are debated during this week's plenary session in Brussels. In addition MEPs vote on a resolution on protecting Europeans' privacy when their data is being handled by American companies and discuss how to improve access to digital goods and services. In additions committees discuss genetically modified food as well as Europol reports on terrorism. On Saturday the European Parliament in Brussels holds an open day.

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Committee and plenary sessions in Brussels

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General : The second edition of the European Youth Event (EYE2016) takes place at the EP in Strasbourg on 20-21 May. "Together we can make a change" is the motto of the event where 7,500 young Europeans (aged 16-30) will make their voices heard in debates and workshops with Members of the European Parliament and other political decision-makers and opinion-builders. The ideas discussed at the EYE will be presented to MEPs. Journalists not present in Strasbourg can follow key parts of the event online

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General : 16 MEPs from the GUE/NGL group withdrew their signature from a motion of censure on the Commission which was announced in plenary on Thursday 12 May.

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General : The European Youth Event (EYE) taking place at the Parliament in Strasbourg this Friday and Saturday is not just for the 7,500 Europeans who will be in attendance. Regardless of where you are, you can make your views heard during the event where participants will exchange ideas and perspectives on the EU’s future. It will be opened by EP Vice-Presidents Sylvie Guillaume, Ulrike Lunacek, Mairead McGuinness, Rainer Wieland on Friday morning. Read on to see how you can play your part.

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General : More than one in four Europeans smoke. Half of them will die prematurely, shortening their life by 14 years on average. From 20 May new European legislation will be in place to make smoking and cigarettes less attractive, especially among young people. Read on to find out what will change and check out our infographic about smokers in the EU.

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In a hurry? Twitter is the fastest way to get updates about decisions taken by the European Parliament. With its 140 character messages, the social network has become the platform of choice for politicians, journalists and other news junkies. But how do you find the best account to follow for you among the nearly 100 official Twitter accounts run by the Parliament? Our interactive and newly updated Twitter map shows the way.

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General : The award ceremony will take place at the Vatican on 6 May at 12:00. It will be introduced by “laudatio” speeches by European Parliament President Martin Schulz, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Council President Donald Tusk. On the previous day, the three EU Presidents will take part in a panel debate about the state of the EU, preceded by an address by Italian PM Matteo Renzi.

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General : An upgrade of the EU lobbyist register is in the works after the European Commission launched a public consultation on switching from voluntary to mandatory registration for anyone interested in speaking to EU institutions to influence their work. EP Vice-President Sylvie Guillaume holds a debate with experts together with Commission’s First Vice-President Frans Timmermans on 2 May at 15.00 CET in Parliament’s premises in Brussels. Follow it online and watch our video to learn more.

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General : Plans to set up a mandatory EU lobbying register are discussed by MEPs and stakeholders on Monday. The next day Parliament President Martin Schulz is in Aachen to award the 2016 European Charlemagne Youth Prize and on Sunday the Parliament opens its doors to the general public in Strasbourg to celebrate Europe Day. Meanwhile political groups prepare for next week's plenary session in Strasbourg.

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Political group meetings, Brussels

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General : From tomorrow, surcharges for phone calls and data usage when you’re in another EU country are capped even further, while from 15 June 2017 using your mobile phone abroad should cost the same as doing so at home. As of tomorrow non-discriminatory net neutrality rules also enter into force. Read on for more details.

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The EU police agency Europol will soon be able to step up efforts to fight terrorism, cybercrime and other criminal offences and respond faster, thanks to new governance rules endorsed by Civil Liberties Committee MEPs on Thursday. The new powers come with strong data protection safeguards and democratic oversight.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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Plenary sessions : Domestic workers and carers, most of whom are migrant women, should be given an official status in the EU. Recognizing their work as "real" jobs would discourage exploitation, forced labour and human trafficking, say MEPs in a resolution voted on Thursday. MEPs recommend establishing easy-to-manage models for legal employer-worker relationships, citing examples in Belgium and France, to end precariousness and undeclared domestic work.

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Plenary sessions : The European Commission managed its 2014 EU budget funds according to the rules, so Parliament granted it a “discharge” approval for that year, in a resolution voted on Thursday. Parliament’s own management of EU funds in 2014 was also approved. However, Parliament postponed approving spending by three joint private sector-EU partnerships in technology field, the Council of Ministers and the European Council.

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Plenary sessions : It is children who pay the price when EU member states fail to cooperate and protect children’s best interests in legal proceedings such as cross-border parental custody disputes and adoption decisions, Parliament points out in a non-binding resolution voted on Thursday. MEPs want specialised chambers within EU countries' family courts to ensure that transnational cases are processed faster.

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Plenary sessions : Benchmark interest rates that are critical to financial market stability across Europe, such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and the Euro Interbank Offered Rate (EURIBOR), will become more reliable thanks to a new law voted in by Parliament on Thursday. This law aims to clean up the benchmark-setting process, improve transparency, and prevent conflicts of interest like those that led to the LIBOR rigging scandals of recent years.

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Plenary sessions : Rules designed to reduce the technical obstacles that differing national standards and procedures create for rail operators and rolling stock manufacturers were approved by the European Parliament on Thursday. The rules agreed by Parliament and Council negotiators on the “technical pillar” of the 4th railway package will cut time and cost of certifying that operators, locomotives and carriages meet safety and technical standards.

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Plenary sessions : The implementation of the EU-Turkey agreement on migration, its legal aspects and democratic control were debated by MEPs, First Vice-President of the Commission Frans Timmermans and Dutch Minister for Immigration Klaas Dijkhoff on Thursday morning. MEPs stressed that there must be no bargaining on visa liberalisation criteria.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP