European Union

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Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The debate on the upcoming UK referendum on EU membership dominated Parliament´s first February plenary alongside migration, the future of Schengen, the liberalisation of services and car emissions. In addition Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari addressed MEPs. Read on for more details of what happened during this week's plenary session.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The debate on the upcoming UK referendum on EU membership dominated Parliament´s first February plenary alongside migration, the future of Schengen, the liberalisation of services and car emissions. In addition Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari addressed MEPs. Read on for more details of what happened during this week's plenary session.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

This is Friday’s edition of our new Brussels Briefing. To receive it every morning in your email in-box, sign up here.

Mr Renzi, left, during his visit last week with Germany's Angela Merkel in Berlin

Sometimes it seems not a day goes by without Matteo Renzi, the Italian prime minister, picking a fight with Brussels. For a while, it was his angry denunciation of its slow response to the refugee crisis. Then he accused the EU of a “double standard” on Russian gas pipelines. More recently, he held up a €3bn EU aid package to Turkey. And he’s been blaming new EU rules for his country’s mounting banking crisis. But the most critical fight he’s been waging was on full display yesterday: his attempt to get more wiggle room for Italy’s 2016 budget.

Pierre Moscovici, the European Commission’s economic chief, was the man in the firing line this time, since yesterday was his semi-regular appearance to unveil the EU’s latest economic forecasts. In the run-up to Mr Moscovici’s announcement, Pier Carlo Padoan, the Italian finance minister, laid down his marker: he wanted a decision quickly that would allow Rome more flexibility to spend a bit more than EU rules normally allow. But Mr Moscovici was having none of it. Mr Padoan would have to wait until May for a decision, along with every other eurozone minister.

In what appeared a fit of mild Gallic pique, Mr Moscovici also noted that “Italy is the only country in the EU” that had already been given special dispensation under new budget flexibility guidelines – it is able to miss its structural deficit target by 0.4 per cent in order to implement Brussels-approved economic reforms – and it was now coming back repeatedly for more.

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General : Trade agreements can affect anything from employment to migration, so no wonder that people are interested in them. On 3 February our Facebook fans had the chance to ask Bernd Lange, the chair of the international trade committee, all about them during a chat. The German member of the S&D group, who is also in charge of drafting Parliament's position on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), managed to answer more than 60 questions on trade agreements such as TTIP.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Trade agreements can affect anything from employment to migration, so no wonder that people are interested in them. On 3 February our Facebook fans had the chance to ask Bernd Lange, the chair of the international trade committee, all about them during a chat. The German member of the S&D group, who is also in charge of drafting Parliament's position on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), managed to answer more than 60 questions on trade agreements such as TTIP.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs urge the European Commission to take concrete steps to address the permanent handicaps that EU islands face and make full use of their potential, in a resolution voted on Thursday. The text also stresses the unique difficulties that southern insular regions face due to the increased migration flows and asks that special tax regimes should continue.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs urge the European Commission to take concrete steps to address the permanent handicaps that EU islands face and make full use of their potential, in a resolution voted on Thursday. The text also stresses the unique difficulties that southern insular regions face due to the increased migration flows and asks that special tax regimes should continue.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs urge the international community to take urgent action to counter the systematic mass murder of religious minorities by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Daesh, in a resolution voted on Thursday. The text wraps up a 20 January debate with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, in which many MEPs called for measures to protect all religious and minority groups against ISIS attacks.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs urge the international community to take urgent action to counter the systematic mass murder of religious minorities by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Daesh, in a resolution voted on Thursday. The text wraps up a 20 January debate with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, in which many MEPs called for measures to protect all religious and minority groups against ISIS attacks.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Economic disintegration and violence in Libya are worsening its fragility and enabling extremist organisations to flourish there, warned MEPs in Wednesday’s debate with Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders, representing the EU foreign policy chief. Spillovers from Libya’s conflicts are also destabilising the Sahel region, they add. In a resolution voted on Thursday, MEPs urge the EU and international community to be ready to support Libyans’ efforts to implement the Libyan Political Agreement.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Economic disintegration and violence in Libya are worsening its fragility and enabling extremist organisations to flourish there, warned MEPs in Wednesday’s debate with Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders, representing the EU foreign policy chief. Spillovers from Libya’s conflicts are also destabilising the Sahel region, they add. In a resolution voted on Thursday, MEPs urge the EU and international community to be ready to support Libyans’ efforts to implement the Libyan Political Agreement.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 16 December 2015, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2015/2359[1] implementing Council Decision 2013/255/CFSP.

The Decision amends the list of persons and entities subject to restrictive measures as set out in Annex I to Decision 2013/255/CFSP.

The Candidate Countries the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Serbia* and Albania*, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia align themselves with this Declaration.

They will ensure that their national policies conform to this Council Decision.

The European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it.

 [1] Published on 17.12.2015 in the Official Journal of the European Union no. L 331, p. 26.

* The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.