European Parliament

Plenary sessions : Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, gave his first State of the Union speech in plenary on Wednesday morning, focusing on migration and the situation in Greece. MEPs also supported a emergency scheme for relocating asylum seekers from Italy and Greece to other member states and welcomed the Commission's new proposals for dealing with the growing influx of refugees. They also approved a ban on cloning farm animals and a stricter ban on seal products.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The nominations for Parliament´s 2015 Sakharov Prize were announced on Thursday 10 September. The prize is awarded every year to honour exceptional individuals who combat intolerance, fanaticism and oppression.The nominations will be formally presented on Monday 28 September during a joint meeting of the foreign affairs and development committees and the human rights subcommittee. The winner will be announced in October.
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Committee on Development
Subcommittee on Human Rights

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Plenary sessions : New migration management proposals, including relocating 120,000 asylum seekers within the EU - on top of the May proposal to relocate 40,000 - a permanent distribution mechanism for the future, a list of safe countries of origin to ensure faster returns of those whose asylum request is rejected, and legal migration channels to the EU, were outlined by the Commission and debated in Parliament this morning. MEPs urged member states to act and praised EU citizens for warmly welcoming refugees.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Plenary sessions : King Felipe VI of Spain will address the European Parliament in a solemn session during the next Strasbourg plenary, the Conference of Presidents has confirmed today.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Plenary sessions : Parliament called on Thursday for a fresh EU approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The EU must fulfil its responsibilities as an influential player and take a bold and comprehensive peace initiative for the region, MEPs said, regretting the lack of a comprehensive and coherent vision of the EU's engagement in the Middle East Peace Process, despite its ambitions there.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Plenary sessions : Welcoming the European Commission's new proposals to deal with the unprecedented influx of migrants and refugees, MEPs declared themselves ready to work on draft laws to set up a solid migration and asylum policy for the future in a resolution voted on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Plenary sessions : Migrants who make it to Europe are setting it an historic test. Hundreds of thousands look to it for protection from war and persecution. The right response to this global challenge is not walls or deterrence, national selfishness or national measures, but a common asylum and refugee policy, President Schulz urged in his opening address. Plans for sharing asylum seekers among EU countries will be presented to Parliament on Wednesday by Commission President Juncker, he added.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : Fewer seals could be hunted over their fur thanks to a stronger EU ban on the trade in seal product. MEPs debate the plans today and vote on them tomorrow. Under the new rules hunting seals in order to protect fishing stocks would no longer be allowed, although Inuit and other indigenous communities will continue to be exempt from the ban. These changes, already agreed with EU governments, are needed to bring EU regulation in line with World Trade Organization rules.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Should cloning for food be banned because of animal welfare concerns? On Tuesday 8 September MEPs debate and vote on amendments to a European Commission proposal to ban the cloning of farm animals in the EU. The MEPs in charge of steering the plans through Parliament support the ban, but want to add provisions on the offspring of cloned animals and the marketing of their products coming from countries outside the EU. Watch the debate live from 9.00 CET.
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

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General : The first-ever European Week of Sport kicked off in Brussels today and will be organised every year by the European Commission with the aim of promoting sport and physical activity across Europe. The new initiative was originally suggested in a report by MEP Santiago Fisas, a Spanish member of the EPP group, which was adopted by the European Parliament. As part of the event various activities take place in all member states and are open to anyone regardless of age, background or fitness level.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Plenary sessions : European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will discuss the challenges facing Europe on 9 September from 9.00 CET. It will be his first State of the European Union speech since Parliament elected him to the post following the EU elections in May 2014. It has been a testing time for Europe with lacklustre economic growth, high debt and unemployment levels and a serious refugee crisis. Find out what leading MEPs expect from the address and follow our live coverage on Wednesday.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

When MEPs elected Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission on 15 July 2014, he vowed to focus on ten policy areas, from boosting Europe’s economy to fostering democratic change. Over a year later, Juncker returns to the European Parliament for his first State of the European Union address and MEPs will be eager to hear from him how much has been achieved and what still needs to be done. Find out the Juncker Commission's 10 priorities in our infographic.

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Plenary session - Strasbourg

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General : Take part in our guest photographer contest, inspired by 2015 being the European Year for Development. From January until September we have been announcing different topics linked to development. Send us your photo inspired by the latest theme, along with the submission form and you could be invited to Strasbourg to do a photo reportage.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Plenary sessions : Technology can help people to express themselves, but it can also be used to violate their human rights. On Tuesday 8 September MEPs vote on a report on the impact of intrusion and surveillance systems on human rights in countries outside the EU. Report author Marietje Schaake, a Dutch member of the ALDE group, told us that the EU should lead by example and that European technologies should not contribute to human right violations.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The agriculture committee on Thursday rejected the Commission's draft law that would give member states the power to restrict or prohibit the use of EU-approved GM food or feed on their territory. It fears that arbitrary national bans could distort competition on the EU's single market and jeopardise the Union's food production sectors which are heavily dependent on imports of GM feed.
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The EU's budget for next year will be decided over the coming months. Starting this week parliamentary committees adopts their opinions on the budget, followed by the budget committee drafting its recommendation to MEPs. Meanwhile the Council will present its position during next week's plenary. Check our infographic for all the steps of the budgetary procedure.
Committee on Budgets

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP