European Parliament

Plenary sessions : MEPs urge the EU Commission to put forward proposals against unfair trading practices in the food supply chain, so as to ensure fair earnings for farmers and a wide choice for consumers, in a resolution voted on Tuesday. The aim should be to ensure fair and transparent trade relations among food producers, suppliers and distributors. Fair trading should in turn help to prevent overproduction and food waste, they add.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Projects under the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (NAFSN), an EU-backed G8 initiative to boost agriculture and relieve poverty by working with private companies in Sub-Saharan Africa, need to include environment protection measures and safeguards against land grabs, said MEPs in a resolution voted on Tuesday. They also called on the EU to address transparency and governance issues, to better target development goals.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Parliament approved the nomination of Rimantas Šadžius, Lithuania’s candidate member of the European Court of Auditors, on Tuesday by 498 votes to 120, with 53 abstentions. Mr Šadžius’ candidature was endorsed by the Budgetary Control Committee on 23 May. The final decision on this appointment will be taken by the EU Council of Ministers.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The EU Commission was quizzed on the safety of building work at the Ostrovets (Astravyets) nuclear power plant in Belarus in a plenary debate on Monday evening. Most MEPs raised concerns about its safety and compliance with international standards.

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Plenary sessions : Tax avoidance by companies cost EU countries €160-190 billion in lost revenue a year. MEPs discussed new measures to fight the most common practices on Tuesday 7 June and vote in favour of them the following day. Read more about the legislation and check our infographic that shows corporate tax rates and respective tax income by member state.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Tax avoidance by companies cost EU countries €160-190 billion in lost revenue a year. MEPs will discuss new measures to fight the most common practices on Tuesday 7 June and vote on them the following day. Read more about the legislation and check our infographic that shows corporate tax rates and respective tax income by member state.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

CoderDojo is among the 50 winners of the European Citizen's Prize 2016 of the European Parliament. Since 2008, the prize has been awarded to citizens or organisations that contributed to promoting better mutual understanding and closer integration between citizens or to facilitating cross-border or transnational cooperation within the EU. The winners will receive a medal of honour at an award ceremony in their country and will be invited to a joint event in Brussels in October.

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The 31st plenary session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) will take place in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, in Southern Africa, from June 13 to 15 2016. The session will be opened formally by its Co-Presidents Louis Michel for the European Parliament, and Netty Baldeh (Gambia) for the ACP.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : The European Parliament has honoured 50 people and organisations from 26 EU countries with this year's Citizen's Prize for their contribution to European cooperation and the promotion of common values. The jury, headed by Parliament Vice-President Sylvie Guillaume, selected the 2016 laureates after a consultation of the 79 proposals that made it through to the national juries.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary session and committee meetings, Strasbourg

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Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : The influx of irregular migrants continues to pose a challenge to Europe. According to Frontex 13,800 people had to be rescued in the central Mediterranean over the last week alone. The EU is working on different ways to manage migration better. On Monday 30 May Parliament's civil liberties committee approved proposals concerning migration and cooperation with other countries, paving the way for a better management of the EU's borders. Read on for an overview of what is being proposed.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : The European Parliament Conference of Presidents, uniting the EP president and political group leaders, agreed on Thursday 2 June on a mandate for an inquiry committee to look into the so-called Panama Papers, which revealed detailed information on off-shore companies and their ultimate beneficiaries.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The 4th railway package, tabled by the European Commission in January 2013, aims to improve the competitiveness of the rail sector and quality of rail services by removing administrative costs, introducing more competition in domestic passenger services and ensuring a level playing field for operators.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

New EU data protection legislation aims to create a uniform set of rules across the EU fit for the digital era, improve certainty as to the law and boost trust in the digital single market for citizens and businesses alike. Clear and affirmative consent to data processing, the right to be forgotten and tough fines for firms breaking the rules are some of the new features.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Talks on a Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), with countries representing 70% of world trade in services, should deliver international rules and more opportunities for EU firms to supply services such as transport and telecoms in third countries. But "nothing should prevent EU, national and local authorities from maintaining, improving and applying their laws", notably on labour, social protection and data protection, say MEPs’ recommendations to EU negotiators, voted on 3 February 2016.

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The provisional deal reached by Parliament and Council negotiators on 2 December 2015 on an EU directive regulating the use of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime was endorsed by the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee on 10 December 2015 by 38 votes to 19, with 2 abstentions.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The 30th plenary session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly took place in Brussels from 7 to 9 December 2015. The session was opened formally by its Co-Presidents Louis Michel for the European Parliament and Fitz A. Jackson (Jamaica) for the ACP.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP