European Parliament

Despite high unemployment in many parts of Europe, few Europeans look for work in another EU country. This is partly because of the difficulty of finding a job abroad. The European network of Employment Services (Eures) was launched in 1993 to help with this. On 25 February MEPs approved a proposal to strengthen the Eures network. Watch the video to find out what services Eures can offer.
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

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EU and NATO coordination has started to tackle the refugee crisis and will be further deepened, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told MEPs and national MPs in the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on Security and Defence

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Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Parliament's women's rights committee adopted a report on Thursday calling on the European Commission to encourage EU countries to take initiatives to protect the rights of domestic workers and care staff in the EU. "If we regulate this profession, we will be able to reduce trafficking and the abuse of women," said report author Kostadinka Kuneva, a Greek member of the GUE group. MEPs will vote on the report during the April plenary. Read our interview with her to find out more.
Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality

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Plenary and committee meetings, Brussels

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General : The UK and the other EU countries would be better off staying together, Martin Schulz told heads of state and government at the start of a European Council on 18-19 February dedicated to migration and the UK’s demands of a reform of its EU membership. The EP President said: “In the globalised 21st century we need the UK more than ever and we are convinced that the UK will be better off as part of the European Union.”

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With Europe experiencing the largest influx of migrants since World War II, one of the major challenges is how to integrate them into the labour markets. Not only would a job help migrants to provide for themselves, but also to integrate more easily. Parliament's employment committee discussed the opportunities and challenges with experts on Thursday 18 February. Read on to find out what they and MEPs had to say.
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

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Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem will strive to strengthen the EU Banking Union, despite recent calls to loosen regulation in response to bank share volatility in in global markets, he told the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee on Thursday. "There should be no doubt of the European Union's determination to apply these rules", he said in his capacity as Eurogroup President and chair of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN).
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

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The Zika virus has hit the headlines all over the world as people fear it could be linked to microcephaly in babies, which causes them be born with abnormally small heads. On Wednesday Parliament’s public health committee discussed the issue with representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO). After the hearing we talked to Dr Roberto Bertollini, WHO’s chief scientist and EU representative, who assured that Zika was a "mild disease" that we were ready to deal with.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

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To fight the growing resistance of bacteria to today’s antibiotics, the use of existing antimicrobial drugs should be restricted, and new ones should be developed, said Environment and Public Health Committee MEPs on Wednesday. In a vote on draft plans to update an EU law on veterinary medicines, they advocate banning collective and preventive antibiotic treatment of animals, and back measures to stimulate research into new medicines.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

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The nuclear agreement with Iran marked the end of a long period of sanctions and gave a new impetus to Iran-EU relations. On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif appeared before Parliament's foreign affairs committee to discuss the future of EU-Iran relations as well as the situation in the Middle East. “Iran is open to work with Europe to reduce the concerns and tensions in the region,” he said, but added: “We both need to gain each other’s trust."
Committee on Foreign Affairs

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After the nuclear deal with Iran there is room to develop EU-Iran relations, but not at the expense of human rights, said Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs in Tuesday’s debate with Iran's Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Ways to end violence in Syria and Yemen, and Iran's relations with Saudi Arabia were also among the topics discussed.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

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General : In the case of a deal on a reform of the UK’s EU membership, Parliament will do its utmost to support it, but the result is not guaranteed, warned EP President Martin Schulz. He spoke out after UK Prime Minister David Cameron discussed Parliament’s position with leading MEPs on Tuesday. The visit came ahead of Thursday’s European Council summit when heads of state will try to come to an agreement. Schulz will attend to present Parliament’s position.

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General : How much money should a country devote to its health and pension systems? Although this is of course for national parliaments to decide every year, their decisions have to be in line with the country's budgetary commitments taken at the EU level. On 16 February, MEPs and their national counterparts will debate ways to increase the democratic accountability of how the EU coordinates the economic policies of member states.

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The European Central Bank has plenty of monetary policy instruments, and the leeway to use them if needed, ECB President Mario Draghi told economic and monetary affairs MEPs on Monday. The ECB’s assets purchase programme is flexible enough to adapt to changing economies and markets, he replied to comments that it may soon run out of room to manoeuvre.Mr Draghi had already warned that the ECB Board would probably reconsider its monetary policy stance in March due to the weaker inflation outlook.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

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Gülhan was a physics student in Syria when the civil war put paid to her promising future. Now 32 she has already spent four years living at Osmaniye refugee camp in southern Turkey, an existence that has become routine for her and her three young children. The conflict in Syria has resulted in the world's largest humanitarian disaster since World War II and last week two EP delegations led by Sylvie Guillaume and Jean Arthuis visited some of those whose lives have been upturned by the conflict.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
Committee on Budgets

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General : Members of national parliaments from across Europe join MEPs in Brussels to discuss EU-wide budgetary coordination, while British Prime Minister David Cameron is to discuss his proposals for a reform of the UK's EU membership terms with Parliament's leadership. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif meets MEPs on Tuesday in the wake of sanctions against his country being lifted. Meanwhile international specialists debate the Zika virus epidemic with MEPs on Wednesday.

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Committee meetings, Brussels

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Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs - meeting 18/02/2016 (AM)
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

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The European Parliament will welcome national MPs from across Europe on Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 February for joint debates with MEPs on the European Semester Cycles 2015/2016 (Tuesday) and on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the European Union (Wednesday). Both events are being held as part of the 2016 edition of the European Parliamentary Week (#EPW16).
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs
Committee on Budgets

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