European Parliament

Plenary sessions : Military groups in conflict areas such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo often use the sale of minerals found in their territory to fund their activities. A new EU proposal aims to put an end to this by setting up an EU system of self-certification to encourage importers, smelters and refiners to source their minerals responsibly. MEPs will debate the plans on Tuesday 19 May and vote on them the following day. Follow it live on our website.

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Plenary sessions : Benchmarks are widely used to track market developments, however financial scandals involving benchmarks such as Libor and Eurobibor have shown that they are susceptible to manipulation.On 18 May MEPs debate new rules to ensure the full transparency of all benchmarks used in the EU and vote on them the next day. Dutch Alde member Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, who wrote the report with recommendations, said: “It is a major step forward in ensuring the future robustness and accuracy of benchmarks.”

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General : The International Day against Homophobia is marked every 17 May to raise awareness about the importance of non- discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people around the world. This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the decision by the World Health Organization to remove homosexuality from the list of mental disorders. MEPs highlighted the importance of fighting discrimination during a discussion with experts in the Parliament on 12 May.

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Plenary session, Strasbourg

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General : Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament, will on Thursday 14 May receive the International Charlemagne Prize. The prize is awarded every year to recognise work in the service of European unification. The ceremony in Aachen will be attended by eight heads of states as well as many former laureates such as Pat Cox and Jean-Claude Juncker. French president François Hollande and King Abdullah II of Jordan will pay tribute to Schulz with a speech.

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General : EP President Martin Schulz will be awarded the 57th International Charlemagne Prize at a ceremony on Thursday 14 May in Aachen. The prize goes to Mr Schulz for his work to promote democracy, not least by making the European Parliament more visible, audible and understandable, and for his role in the "Spitzenkandidaten" process ahead of the 2014 European elections.

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How should the EU interact with its neighbours to the east? Georgian president Giorgi Margvelashvili shared his views when he joined the foreign affairs committee on 11 May to discuss the Eastern Partnership ahead of the summit in Riga on 21-22 May. We spoke to him afterwards to ask how the partnership is working out for his country and how the EU should deal with Russia.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

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General : @RealTimeWW1, a Twitter project about the First World War, has been awarded first prize at the 2015 European Charlemagne Youth Prize ceremony, organised by the European Parliament and the International Charlemagne Prize Foundation on 12 May. Second prize goes to the Fronterras-European (border) line project and the third prize jointly to Austrian, Cypriot and Spanish participants. The prize is awarded every year to projects fostering a European identity and integration among young people.

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General : The internet has made it easier to book holidays online, however it has also added some difficulties. On 5 May the Parliament and the Council agreed a deal to update the current rules to give online buyers of such packages the same protection as those buying from traditional travel agents. We talked to German EPP member Birgit Collin-Langen, responsible for steering the new rules through Parliament, about the difference the legislation will make.

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As a return to "business as usual" with Russia is now out of the question, the EU should earmark specific funding to counter its propaganda and infiltration of EU politics and support independence movements there, say Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs in a resolution voted on Monday. EU countries should refrain from doing bilateral deals with Russia and step up their own collective efforts to withstand it, whilst retaining a return to cooperation with Russia as a long-term goal, they add.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

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Turkey must do more to fight corruption and enforce respect for media freedom, free expression and judicial independence, said Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs on Monday. In a resolution on the progress of reform in Turkey in 2014, MEPs also urge the EU to back Turkey’s efforts to build solid, democratic institutions and ensure respect for fundamental freedoms, human rights and the rule of law. Finally, it advocates stepping up EU/Turkey foreign policy cooperation.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

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"Whistleblowers should receive protection when they reveal behaviour that goes against the public interest and not only when they reveal illegal activities. There should also be more openness about tax rulings and similar arrangements and countries which defraud other countries should be sanctioned", suggested Richard Brooks of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in a hearing with Parliament's Special Tax Rulings Committee on Monday.
Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect

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General : To celebrate Europe Day, the European Parliament opened its doors to the public on 2 May in Strasbourg and on 9 May in Brussels and Luxembourg. In addition local EU offices in Europe and all over the world organised a variety of activities and events for all ages. More than 40,000 people visited the Parliament's events in all three cities.

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Parliament President Martin Schulz and the EU’s foreign chief Federica Mogherini opened the EU Pavilion at the World Expo in Milan. To mark Europe Day on 9 May, they also exchanged views on the EU with more than 1,000 citizens, during which Schulz made the case for an active Europe: “The world needs an active and engaging Europe.”

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General : Should animal testing be banned? The Stop Vivisection citizens' initiative aims to repeal the European directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes and ask the European Commission to present a new proposal that does away with animal experimentation. The Parliament is holding a hearing on Monday 11 May, during which MEPs will debate the issue with experts and the initiative's organisers. Watch the discussion live online from 15.00 CET.

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General : Tax rulings, EU-Russia relations, Turkey’s reform progress, boosting free trade with the US, empowering women in Africa and the current situation in Georgia are all on the Parliament's agenda when MEPs gather this week in Brussels. Political groups will also prepare for the plenary session in Strasbourg on 18-21 May. Meanwhile Parliament President Martin Schulz will be awarded the Charlemagne Prize in Aachen on Thursday.

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Dr Denis Mukwege will join the Development Committee to debate how empowering women in Africa can foster the overall development of societies and why addressing health and human security is a prerequisite for progress in developing countries. Dr Mukwege was awarded the Sakharov Prize 2014 for his work for the victims of sexual violence in Eastern Congo's Kivu provinces.
Committee on Development

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General : Martin Schulz paid tribute to young people during a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau: "You have brought hope into this dark place that together we can and will fight the return of anti-Semitism and racism, intolerance, and ultra-nationalism every step of the way." The Parliament President was talking to them as part of the ”Train 1,000 to Auschwitz” commemorative event on 8 May, bringing together 1,000 young people from all over Europe who took a train journey from Brussels to Krakow.

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Political group and committee meetings, Brussels

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