European Parliament

Plenary sessions : MEPs worry about the proliferation of hate speech and fake news, particularly in social media, they said in a debate on Wednesday. But they disagreed on how best to respond. Ideas aired included removing false and defamatory content, imposing fines to non-cooperative companies and fostering media literacy.

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Plenary sessions : A visa-free regime for Ukrainians travelling to the EU is just the latest step in the European Parliament’s continued support of Ukraine. The Parliament has consistently shown solidarity by condemning Russia’s military involvement and illegal annexation of Crimea and promoting political and economic reforms.

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Plenary session and committee meetings in Strasbourg

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Plenary sessions : Multilateral measures are urgently needed to manage the unprecedented numbers of migrants on the move worldwide, and not least to halt migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, MEPs urge in a resolution voted on Wednesday.

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Plenary sessions : New rules to make money market funds (MMFs) more resistant to crises and market turbulence were approved on Wednesday. MFFs supply easily accessible liquid assets to business start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), but can be vulnerable to panic runs on their money.

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Plenary sessions : MEPs oppose EU Commission plans to authorise imports of food and feed products derived from or containing a herbicide and pest-resistant genetically modified (GM) maize in a resolution voted on Wednesday. It highlights the lack of data on the many sub-combinations of the variety - all of which would also be authorised - and reiterates Parliament’s call for a reform of the EU’s GMO authorisation procedure.

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Plenary sessions : Plans to make it easier to move money around within the EU’s long-run budget, to help tackle urgent challenges such as the migration crisis, strengthening security, boosting growth and creating jobs, were backed by Parliament on Wednesday. MEPs have long fought for greater flexibility within the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF), which would apply for the remainder of the 2014-2020 MFF.

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Plenary sessions : MEPs have approved €71,524,810 in EU aid to repair damage caused by floods in the UK from December 2015 to January 2016, drought and fires in Cyprus from October 2015 to June 2016 and fires on the Portuguese island of Madeira in August 2016, in a vote on Wednesday. The aid comes from the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF).

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Plenary sessions : An overwhelming majority of the house (516 votes in favour, 133 against, with 50 abstentions) adopted a resolution officially laying down the European Parliament’s key principles and conditions for its approval of the UK's withdrawal agreement. Any such agreement at the end of UK-EU negotiations will need to win the approval of the European Parliament.

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Plenary sessions : Uniform rules on the information given in investor prospectuses were approved by Parliament on Wednesday. They aim to protect investors, create a more efficient single capital market and ease small firms’ access to finance.

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Plenary sessions : Stricter rules to ensure that medical devices such as breast or hip implants are traceable and comply with EU patient safety requirements were backed by MEPs on Wednesday. MEPs also approved laws to tighten up information and ethical requirements for diagnostic medical devices, e.g. for pregnancy or DNA testing.

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Plenary sessions : The UK and the EU will soon start talks to determine the terms of their new relationship and any resulting agreement would have to be approved by the European Parliament. Tomorrow MEPs debate Parliament’s priorities and vote on them afterwards. A key principle will be to ensure that the interests of people are safeguarded . Watch our video for a reminder of the benefits of being an EU citizen.

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Plenary sessions : German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier made a passionate plea in favour of the EU during a speech in the plenary chamber on Tuesday 4 April. "We should not give up on this valuable heritage and leave it up to the opponents of Europe. We need to safeguard it, look after it and improve it - that is our historic duty!" he said. "It's up to us to ensure the European dream is passed on to the next generation."

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Plenary sessions : The fact that diesel cars’ nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are much higher in real driving conditions than in laboratory tests was known to the EU member states and Commission over a decade ago. They should now act swiftly to improve tests and checks on new cars on EU roads, say MEPs in recommendations voted on Tuesday. In a separate vote, MEPs also amended EU “type approval” rules to make environmental and safety testing more independent, with stricter oversight of cars already on the road.

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Plenary sessions : To counter the impact of unsustainable palm oil production, such as deforestation and habitat degradation, particularly in South-East Asia, the EU should introduce a single certification scheme for palm oil entering the EU market and phase out the use of vegetable oils that drive deforestation by 2020, say MEPs in a resolution voted on Tuesday.

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Plenary sessions : MEPs will again debate the state of play on the second review of the economic adjustment programme for Greece, for the second time this year, on Tuesday at 15.00.

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Plenary sessions : Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem’s repeated rejection of invitations to speak to Parliament and offensive remarks in the press were severely criticized by all political groups at Monday’s opening. President Tajani announced that he would send Mr Dijsselbloem a formal letter of protest. Mr Tajani also conveyed Parliament’s condolences to victims of mudslides in Colombia and the terrorist bomb attack on the St Petersburg metro in Russia.

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Plenary sessions : Some 244 million people were living abroad in 2015, including more than 20 million refugees forced to leave their country due to conflicts or human rights violations. On 5 April MEPs vote on a report regarding migration movements. According to report authors Agustín Díaz de Mera and Elena Valenciano, migration flows are a global responsibility requiring a global response. Read on for an overview of the current situation and how Díaz de Mera and Valenciano believe it should be tackled.

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General : MEPs are pushing for a flexible long-term budget for the EU to enable it to successfully meet unforeseen challenges. This is reflected in new agreement between the Parliament and EU countries, which is paving the way for the EU to respond better to crises related to for example security, migration or natural disasters.

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Plenary sessions : Palm oil is extensively used in food, cosmetics and biofuels, however the unsustainable production of the cheap vegetable oil leads to deforestation, loss of nature habitats and greenhouse gas emissions. MEPS vote on 4 April on a report by Czech GUE member Kateřina Konečná calling on the European Commission to take measures to ensure among others the phasing out of palm oil in biofuels by 2020 and a single certification scheme for palm oil entering the EU market.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP