European Parliament

Plenary sessions : Uniform rules on the information given in investor prospectuses were approved by Parliament on Wednesday. They aim to protect investors, create a more efficient single capital market and ease small firms’ access to finance.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Stricter rules to ensure that medical devices such as breast or hip implants are traceable and comply with EU patient safety requirements were backed by MEPs on Wednesday. MEPs also approved laws to tighten up information and ethical requirements for diagnostic medical devices, e.g. for pregnancy or DNA testing.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : The UK and the EU will soon start talks to determine the terms of their new relationship and any resulting agreement would have to be approved by the European Parliament. Tomorrow MEPs debate Parliament’s priorities and vote on them afterwards. A key principle will be to ensure that the interests of people are safeguarded . Watch our video for a reminder of the benefits of being an EU citizen.

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Plenary sessions : German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier made a passionate plea in favour of the EU during a speech in the plenary chamber on Tuesday 4 April. "We should not give up on this valuable heritage and leave it up to the opponents of Europe. We need to safeguard it, look after it and improve it - that is our historic duty!" he said. "It's up to us to ensure the European dream is passed on to the next generation."

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Plenary sessions : The fact that diesel cars’ nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are much higher in real driving conditions than in laboratory tests was known to the EU member states and Commission over a decade ago. They should now act swiftly to improve tests and checks on new cars on EU roads, say MEPs in recommendations voted on Tuesday. In a separate vote, MEPs also amended EU “type approval” rules to make environmental and safety testing more independent, with stricter oversight of cars already on the road.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : To counter the impact of unsustainable palm oil production, such as deforestation and habitat degradation, particularly in South-East Asia, the EU should introduce a single certification scheme for palm oil entering the EU market and phase out the use of vegetable oils that drive deforestation by 2020, say MEPs in a resolution voted on Tuesday.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs will again debate the state of play on the second review of the economic adjustment programme for Greece, for the second time this year, on Tuesday at 15.00.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem’s repeated rejection of invitations to speak to Parliament and offensive remarks in the press were severely criticized by all political groups at Monday’s opening. President Tajani announced that he would send Mr Dijsselbloem a formal letter of protest. Mr Tajani also conveyed Parliament’s condolences to victims of mudslides in Colombia and the terrorist bomb attack on the St Petersburg metro in Russia.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Some 244 million people were living abroad in 2015, including more than 20 million refugees forced to leave their country due to conflicts or human rights violations. On 5 April MEPs vote on a report regarding migration movements. According to report authors Agustín Díaz de Mera and Elena Valenciano, migration flows are a global responsibility requiring a global response. Read on for an overview of the current situation and how Díaz de Mera and Valenciano believe it should be tackled.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

General : MEPs are pushing for a flexible long-term budget for the EU to enable it to successfully meet unforeseen challenges. This is reflected in new agreement between the Parliament and EU countries, which is paving the way for the EU to respond better to crises related to for example security, migration or natural disasters.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Palm oil is extensively used in food, cosmetics and biofuels, however the unsustainable production of the cheap vegetable oil leads to deforestation, loss of nature habitats and greenhouse gas emissions. MEPS vote on 4 April on a report by Czech GUE member Kateřina Konečná calling on the European Commission to take measures to ensure among others the phasing out of palm oil in biofuels by 2020 and a single certification scheme for palm oil entering the EU market.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

General : What does it mean to be European? It’s not just the great leaders: all people are a part of Europe's history and they have a valuable role to play in preserving this common heritage and identity of ours. Over the course of the last two months, hundreds of people have contributed to a new initiative to highlight the stories that make up our history. You can discover the result on the My House of European History website.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

General : The Conference of Presidents endorsed a motion for a resolution drawn up by the leaders of four political groups and the Constitutional Affairs Committee, in which they set out their conditions for a final approval by the European Parliament of any withdrawal agreement with the United Kingdom. The draft resolution will be debated and voted on by the full house next Wednesday.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

General : The UK government will announce today it is invoking article 50 of the Treaty of the EU, which serves as formal notification of its intent to withdraw from the Union. Starting today the UK and the EU have two years to negotiate a withdrawal agreement. In addition the two will need to start determining the future trade relations, though this is expected to take significantly longer. Read on to find out more about the procedure and the role played by Parliament.

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Committee and political group meetings, Brussels

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General : “Even though we may leave the European Union, we are not leaving Europe,” said London Mayor Sadiq Khan visiting the Parliament on 28 March. “For issues from security and defence to finance and culture, we are still going to be a part of the European family.” Khan met Parliament President Antonio Tajani to discuss issues such as security and Brexit. “It’s in nobody’s interest for London or the UK to be punished,” said Khan. “Not in London’s interest, not the UK’s interest, nor the EU’s interest.”

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General : Only days after the terrorist attack in London the civil liberties committee discussed the EU's security situation with German Interior Minister Interior Thomas de Maizière and his French counterpart Matthias Fekl debated on 27 March. Both ministers spoke about the need to secure the EU's external borders, to better share information between EU countries and to address the new challenges of radicalisation and terrorism.

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Plans to make it easier to move money around within the EU’s long-run budget, to help tackle urgent challenges such as the migration crisis, strengthening security, boosting growth and creating jobs, were backed by the Budgets Committee on Monday. Parliament has long fought for greater flexibility within the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF), which would apply for the remainder of the 2014-2020 MFF.
Committee on Budgets

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