European Parliament

Plenary sessions : Parliament condemns the deteriorating climate for the media and free speech in Kazakhstan, the torture and assassination under suspicious circumstances of EU citizen Giulio Regeni in Egypt, and the worsening security and human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

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Plenary sessions : MEPs voted emergency measures into law on Thursday to help Tunisia’s economy by importing 70,000 tonnes of its virgin olive oil duty free in 2016/17, after adding safeguards for EU olive oil producers. These include a mid-term assessment of the effects of the measures, updating them if they turn out to be harmful, and ensuring that the imports are tracked from start to finish.

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Plenary sessions : Italian PhD student Giulio Regeni was investigating trade unions in Egypt when he went missing on 25 January 2016. His body, bearing signs of torture, was discovered nine days later in Cairo. Media and human rights activists suspect Egyptian security forces may have been involved, which the Egyptian authorities deny. On 10 March MEPs debated the case and adopted a resolution as part of their regular efforts to call attention to flagrant human rights violations around the world.

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Plenary sessions : Europe has made significant steps towards creating a banking union, but the work is far from finished. Italian S&D member Roberto Gualtieri, who drafted a report on the progress made last year, said a single deposit guarantee scheme was still needed ahead. MEPs debate his report and then vote on it on 10 March. Watch our video interview with Gualtieri to find out his views on how to improve the banking union.

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The European Parliament Ambassador Schools programme aims to raise awareness amongst young people in secondary education of the impact of the European Union in their daily lives. It offers an engaging and interactive format, training material for various levels, and is free of charge. On 15 January, secondary school teachers from all over Ireland came to the Parliament’s Information office in Dublin for the first ever Ambassador School Workshop.

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Plenary session in Strasbourg

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Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos welcomes the European Parliament’s stronger involvement in monitoring the financial assistance programme for Greece, he told Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee MEPs in an economic dialogue meeting on Wednesday. "We need an honest broker, representing different views from different political perspectives, to examine the economic and social impact of the programme", he said, referring to the new EP working group on macro-economic adjustment programmes.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

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The EP-Verkhovna Rada high-level conference opened a new era of cooperation between the two parliaments, said lead MEP on capacity-building for the Ukrainian Parliament, Andrej Plenković (EPP, HR) at the close of the event on Wednesday. "We agreed to jointly implement the recommendations of the report of the Needs Assessment Mission and allocate adequate funds for the organisation of the follow up with our Ukrainian partners", he added.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

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The Committee of inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector (EMIS) elected its chair and four vice-chairs at a constituent meeting on Wednesday morning, thus officially starting its one-year mandate.
Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector

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Plenary sessions : Just over two years after the Euromaidan mass protests resulted in removing President Viktor Yanukovych from power, Ukraine is still at a crossroads between war and peace, between corruption and reform. The entry into force of the EU-Ukraine free trade area on 1 January 2016 was a milestone in relations between the two entities. Our timeline tracks the main events of the past two years, from the annexation of Crimea to the Minsk II peace agreement and more.

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It is of crucial importance to continue backing the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's progress towards EU membership, said Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs on Monday. But only if the July 2015 "Przhino Agreement" to pave the way out of the country’s political crisis via elections is implemented in full and if substantial progress is also made on delivering urgent reform priorities, including media freedom, parliamentary control of interception of communications and fighting corruption.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

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"Cooperation with Ukraine is essential and our solidarity should not be questioned", said European Parliament President Martin Schulz at the opening of "Ukraine week" on Monday evening. This 3-day high-level conference is bringing together MEPs, national and Ukrainian MPs to share experience on good parliamentary practice, law-making and representation.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

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Plans to turn the EU’s Frontex border agency into a common border and coast guard, which in emergencies could be deployed even without the approval of the country concerned, were presented by the Commission and the Dutch Presidency and debated by Civil Liberties Committee MEPs on Monday. MEPs also debated legislative proposals on systematic checks at external borders and a European travel document.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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Political group and committee meetings, Brussels

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Ukrainian MPs will join MEPs in Brussels for a 3-day “Ukraine week” high-level conference on good parliamentary practice, law-making and representation on 29 February – 2 March. The 40-strong delegation from Ukraine’s Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, will include its leadership.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

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Plenary sessions : To help strengthen Tunisia’s economy, hit not least by 2015 terrorist attacks, MEPs backed emergency plans to allow an additional 70,000 tonnes of its virgin olive oil to be imported duty free in the EU, in 2016/17. However, MEPs also inserted requirements for the EU Commission to do a mid-term assessment of the effects of the measures, update them if it turns out that they harm EU olive oil producers, and ensure that the imports are tracked from start to finish.

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Plenary sessions : Parliament gave its green light on Thursday to grant €1,095,544 in EU aid to Belgium to help 412 workers made redundant by two glass manufacturers to find new jobs. A further 100 young unemployed people should also benefit from the plan. The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) aid still needs to be endorsed by the EU Council of Ministers.

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Plenary sessions : A ceasefire that halts attacks against civilians, medical and aid workers, ground fighting and shelling in Yemen is urgently needed to allow life-saving aid to reach the Yemeni people, said MEPs in a resolution voted on Thursday. They also called on all parties in Yemen’s civil war and their foreign backers to engage in a new round of peace negotiations and seek a political settlement.

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As outbreaks of avian flu and mad cow disease have shown in the past, animal diseases can prove harmful to animals and people alike. The agriculture committee agreed this week new measures to prevent and stop future outbreaks of these diseases. Apart from the health risk, there is also an economic cost. For example, the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the UK in 2009 ended up costing €10.7 billion. Check out our infographics for more details.

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