European Parliament (News)

General : With unemployment in the EU remaining above 8%, 77% of Europeans want the EU to do more to tackle the issue, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey. Reacting to the results of the Europe-wide study, Thomas Händel, the head of Parliament’s employment committee, urged EU leaders to “endeavour to ensure investment and high-quality, sustainable employment”. Read on to learn more about the EU’s role in the fight against unemployment.

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General : From Pinterest to LinkedIn, the European Parliament is present on most major social media platforms in order to better communicate with you. On these platforms we offer not only background information and the latest news, but also videos, photos, infographics and the opportunity to discuss topical issues. We also offer EP Newshub: our special tool to follow Parliament politics in real time. Try out our interactive infographic to get a taster of what we serve up on each platform.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Jean Arthuis (ALDE, FR), Chair of the Committee on Budgets, travelled on Tuesday to the Gaza Strip. He visited EU-funded projects aimed at promoting sustainable economic development and empowerment of women as well as infrastructure projects in the water sector, such as the North Gaza Emergency Sewage Treatment Plant NGEST and recently inaugurated Water Desalination Plant in Deir Bala, next to Khan Yunis.
Committee on Budgets

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Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee discussed the motives and the possible consequences of Turkey’s recent attempted coup with Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn and representatives of the European External Action Service on Tuesday morning. MEPs emphasized that to ensure further accession talks, Turkey must stick to democracy, the rule of law and human rights.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

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General : Interested in the EU and planing to spend some days in Brussels or Berlin this summer? Then check out the Parliament's visitors centre in Brussels, discover how laws and policy decisions are shaped by the Parliament and the other EU institutions and enjoy the new exhibition "Searching for beauty". Nearly 1.5 million have already visited the Parlamentarium centre since it opened in October 2011. Since May you are also able to experience Europe in our visitors centre in Berlin as well.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee will discuss the motives and the possible consequences of Turkey’s recent attempted coup, which claimed hundreds of lives and pushed the country in a turmoil, with Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn and representatives of the European External Action Service on Tuesday morning. MEPs are likely to emphasize the need to protect democratic freedoms and assess the future of the EU-Turkey relations too.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

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General : Terrorism continues to pose a threat to Europe and people expect the EU to act: 82% of Europeans want it to do more, while 69% consider its current measures to be insufficient, according to a Eurobarometer poll commissioned by Parliament. The survey also showed that the majority of people think the fight against terrorism should be the EU's main priority for more action.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : This morning, I would like to express my deep sorrow following the attack last night in Nice. On behalf of the European Parliament, I would like to extend my condolences to the families and friends of the many victims. I send my wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured. I commend the courage and solidarity of both the emergency services and ordinary citizens of Nice.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The EU needs a common definition of “normal car use”, says Renault. Diesel engine NOx emissions are the price paid to hit lower CO2 targets, says the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. But Volkswagen is ashamed of cheating to beat strict US emissions laws. So said contributors to the “triple bill” of hearings in held by the Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector (EMIS) on Wednesday and Thursday. Its work will continue after the summer break.
Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector

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General : A delegation from the civil liberties committee went to Calais in northern France yesterday to assess the situation of people gathering there with the aim of crossing the Channel. The delegation, led by Portuguese S&D member Ana Gomes, visited facilities for migrants and refugees and met with representatives from local authorities, non-governmental organisations as well as French-British border authorities.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Terrorists have been able to make use of reconverted weapons but new new rules aim to put an end to this. Yesterday the internal market committee approved an update of the EU firearms directive to ensure that any firearm which has been converted to firing blanks continues to be covered by EU law. UK ECR member Vicky Ford, the MEP responsible for steering the new rules through Parliament, said: “The goal of this legislation was to close the loophole that was exploited during the Paris attacks.”

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

EU countries will have to introduce stronger controls on “blank-firing” guns, to prevent them being converted to fire live ammunition, under Internal Market Committee amendments, voted on Wednesday, to a draft update of the EU firearms directive. The changes approved by MEPs ensure that any firearm which has been converted to firing blanks continues to be covered by EU gun control rules. This closes a legal loophole which became evident in the aftermath of last year’s terrorist attacks in Paris.
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

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The priorities of the Slovak Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers are being outlined to parliamentary committees by Slovak ministers at a series of meetings, during this week and in September.
Committee on Development
Committee on International Trade
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee on Legal Affairs
Committee on Culture and Education
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy
Committee on Regional Development
Committee on Transport and Tourism
Committee on Fisheries
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

A 9-strong MEP delegation from the Civil Liberties Committee will be in Calais on Wednesday 13 July to visit facilities for migrants and refugees, in the vicinity, which for years has been a gathering spot for people trying to cross from France to the UK. MEPs will meet with local authorities, NGOs, the French-British border authorities and the refugees and migrants themselves in order to assess the situation on the ground.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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General : Parliament's inquiry committee into car emissions measurements continues its investigation this week by questioning industry representatives as well as former Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas. Committee chair Kathleen Van Brempt, a Belgian member of the S&D group, also takes part in a Facebook live session on Thursday from 14.00 CET, giving you the chance to ask her everything you wanted to know about this investigation.

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At its constitutive meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, Parliament’s Committee of Inquiry into Money Laundering, Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion (PANA) elected Werner Langen (EPP, DE) as its chair, by acclamation.
Committee of Inquiry to investigate alleged contraventions and maladministration in the application of Union law in relation to money laundering, tax avoidance and tax evasion

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Members of Parliament’s Budgets and Economic and Monetary Affairs committees debated the need for a euro area budget with finance ministers Jeroen Dijsselbloem (Netherlands, also Euro Group President), Michel Sapin (France), Pier Carlo Padoan (Italy), Pierre Gramegna (Luxembourg), Peter Kažimír (Slovakia), Edward Scicluna (Malta) and Euclid Tsakalotos (Greece) on Monday evening.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee on Budgets

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General : New gun control rules, making it more difficult for terrorists to have access to them, are voted on by the internal market committee this week. In addition the budgets and economic committees discuss the eurozone's future development with Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem and the finance ministers of France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Malta. A delegation of MEPs is also visiting refugee camps near Calais.

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Plenary sessions : Human trafficking is a highly profitable international crime in which people are traded for use in prostitution, forced labour or other forms of exploitation. In a resolution adopted in plenary last week, MEPs condemned it as a modern kind of slavery and one of the worst forms of human rights violations. Resolution author Barbara Lochbihler, a German member of the Greens/EFA group, told us victims needed more protection and that more needed to be done on forced labour and money laundering.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : An EU army is not on the cards for the time being, however closer cooperation on security and defence is becoming more important. During the Nato summit starting in Warsaw today, the EU and Nato will sign a declaration aimed at strengthening cooperation, while setting out an effective division of responsibilities. We asked Estonian liberal MEP Urmas Paet, who is drafting a report on the European Defence Union, whether EU countries are ready for working more closely together on security.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP