European Parliament

To help farmers to cope with volatile prices, the EU must develop new risk and crisis management tools and strengthen their bargaining position in the food supply chain, says a non-legislative resolution voted in the Agriculture Committee on Tuesday. The supply chain should be made more transparent, and the EU budget more flexible, so that funds can be deployed faster to tackle crises, add MEPs.
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : The three films competing for this year's Lux Film Prize are coming to a cinema near you: À peine j’ouvre les yeux (As I Open My Eyes), Ma vie de courgette (My Life As a Courgette) and Toni Erdmann. Don't miss the chance to watch them and let us know which one is your favourite. MEPs will determine the winner of this year's Lux Prize, which will be announced later this year. Read on to find how you can watch the short-listed films.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : The free trade agreement between the EU and Canada and the future of the EU's trade policy will be debated by MEPs this week as committees are meeting. On the agenda are issues such as a data protection agreement between the EU and the US, aviation safety rules to meet new challenges such as drones and the ongoing investigation into the Panama papers.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Committee meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

In a historic referendum, the majority of British voters decided to leave the European Union. The 23rd of June also marked the end of an intense campaign involving politicians, media and the public.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Ever wondered what the Parliament looks like from inside? It's now possible to visit our building from the comfort of your own home using your smartphone thanks to virtual reality technology. In our first ever VR video you will be greeted by Parliament’s Facebook followers and President Martin Schulz and be shown around the plenary chamber.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Young people who make a difference deserve recognition. That is why the European Parliament and the International Charlemagne Prize Foundation award the Charlemagne Youth Prize every year. Today we open applications for the 10th edition. If you are between 16 and 30 years old and run a project with a European dimension, do not hesitate to apply for our competition. The winning projects will benefit from recognition and media coverage as well as prize money to further develop the initiative.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Delegations

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Yazidi survivors and public advocates Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar were announced as this year's Sakharov Prize laureates during this week's plenary session in Strasbourg. In addition MEPs called on the European Commission to regulate harmful trans fats in processed food. They also adopted Parliament's position on the EU's budget for next year, insisting on more funds to boost growth, tackle the migration crisis and help to find young people work. Read on for an overview.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The EU needs a better coordinated policy on volunteering, to give volunteers a proper legal status and help them join programmes, say MEPs in a resolution voted on Thursday. Almost 100 million EU citizens have taken part as volunteers in education, culture or arts, sport events, humanitarian and development aid work. Young people should take advantage of volunteering schemes to develop skills and acquire experience that helps them to find jobs afterwards, stresses the text.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Worsening relations between nuclear-armed states, such as Russia and the US or India and Pakistan, but also Russia’s threats to use nuclear weapons or to deploy them to more territories in Europe, are making the EU’s security environment ever more tense, say MEPs in a resolution voted on Thursday. They call on these states to reduce nuclear weapons, move them away from deployment into storage and to diminish their role in military doctrines.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Yazidi survivors and public advocates Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar are this year's joint laureates of the European Parliament Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, following a decision by Parliament President Martin Schulz and the political group leaders on 27 October. The Sakharov award ceremony will be held in Strasbourg on 14 December.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : "Release journalists being held without compelling evidence of criminal activity", MEPs urge the Turkish authorities in a resolution voted on Thursday. Since the failed coup d’état on 15 July, the Turkish government has arrested at least 99 journalists and writers, revoked the press credentials of at least 330 journalists, and closed the offices of more than 100 media outlets, leaving over 2,300 media workers without jobs.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The Iraqi operation to liberate Mosul from jihadi group ISIS/Daesh was backed by MEPs on Thursday. They called on Iraqi authorities to make every effort to protect civilians, hospitals and schools, as they progress towards Mosul. Daesh atrocities and genocide against Christians, Yazidis and other minorities should be referred to International Criminal Court, added MEPs.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Parliament demanded more funds, to help young people into jobs, boost economic growth and assist third countries with a view to mitigating the migration crisis, in a plenary vote on Wednesday. MEPs reversed all the Council’s proposed cuts in the draft EU budget for 2017. They expect some of the additional funds needed to come from new appropriations to be obtained through the mid-term revision of the EU’s long-run budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The EU should place mandatory limits on industrially-produced trans-fatty acids (TFA) which may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, infertility, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and obesity for consumers, says a resolution voted on Wednesday. TFA intake is mostly linked to consumption of industrially produced, partially hydrogenated oils.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The threats, violations and restrictions faced by journalists in Turkey will be debated with Commissioner Corina Creţu, representing EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, late on Wednesday afternoon. Since the 15 July failed coup d’état, which left 241 people dead and thousands injured, 90 journalists have been jailed, more than 2,500 have lost their jobs and arrest warrants have been issued against hundreds of media workers in the country.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : New rules to curb the growing influx into the EU of plant pests, such as olive grove killer Xylella fastidiosa, and better equip member states to tackle their spread, were endorsed by the Parliament on Wednesday. The new regulation introduces preventive and rapid response mechanisms for suspect plant imports, steps up pest surveillance efforts in the EU and requires all member states to draw up outbreak contingency plans.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP