European Parliament

Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee MEPs have voted to close loopholes which allow some of the world’s largest corporations to avoid paying tax on profits by exploiting differences in the tax systems of EU and third countries.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

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General : “The dream of a united Europe has offered a way of putting the nightmare of war behind us forever,” said Parliament President Antonio Tajani on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, which paved the way for the EU. He and several other MEPs visited Rome on 24-26 March to mark the anniversary. “We should be proud of the legacy passed onto to our children: the freedom to travel, study, work, set up a business, innovate,” he said.

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German federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizière and French Minister of the Interior Matthias Fekl will debate EU measures to improve the security situation in Europe and future challenges in the field with the Civil Liberties Committee on Monday from 17.00 to 19.00.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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General : A debate on security issues with the German and French interior ministers and visits by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and London Mayor Sadiq Khan are on the agenda of this week. In addition the UK is expected to formally start the process to withdraw from the EU by triggering article 50, while committees vote on measures to stop tax evasion by multinationals as well as on a mid-term revision of the EU's long-term budget.

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General : Sixty years ago the leaders of the six founding member states gathered in Rome to put their signatures under the agreements that would create a European common market, but also pave the way for a union of peace and prosperity that has come to encompass most of our continent. Leading MEPs will join the anniversary celebrations in Rome this weekend, while heads of state and government will use the opportunity to deliberate on the next steps for the EU.

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General : Parliament’s President Antonio Tajani, political group leaders and other leading MEPs will meet with Italy’s highest public officials, starting with President Sergio Mattarella on Friday, and take part in the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome on Saturday.

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General : Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stressed the importance of a united EU during a visit to the Parliament on 22 March.It was part of an official visit to Brussels on the first anniversary of last year's terrorist attacks. In addition to meeting Parliament President Antonio Tajani, he also met several Portuguese MEPs and made a brief visit to the reading room Lucas Pires,named in honour of the Portuguese MEP who died in 1998.

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General : More than 1,100 workers were killed and 2,500 injured when a building housing several clothes workshops collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, nearly four year ago. The tragedy drew attention to working conditions in the sector. Parliament's development committee has adopted a report calling for new legislation to ensure that the clothes and textiles we buy are not produced at the expense of the workers. Watch our video to find out more.

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New draft rules to make more books available in formats designed for blind and visually impaired people were approved by the Legal Affairs Committee on Thursday. The draft legislation, which brings EU law into line with the Marrakesh Treaty, provides for copyright exceptions for formats such as audiobooks and Braille.
Committee on Legal Affairs

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The first “security dialogue” with Commissioner Sir Julian King on information sharing in the security field will be held by the Civil Liberties Committee on Thursday from 14.00 to 15.30.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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The new European Solidarity Corps deserves its own budget – it should not be funded at the expense of the Erasmus+ or Europe for Citizens programmes, urge Culture and Education Committee MEPs in a resolution voted on Wednesday. Offering young people an opportunity to take part in solidarity schemes all over Europe would help them to gain experience for future long-term jobs, they add.
Committee on Culture and Education

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General : “Unacceptable.” President Antonio Tajani was clear this week in his condemnation of Turkey accusing Germany and the Netherlands of Nazi methods for preventing Turkish ministers from campaigning in their countries in favour of a referendum to give the president additional powers. Although the EU and Turkey cooperate on anything from trade to migration, relations have become strained in recent year. Read on for an overview of the current state of affairs.

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A new, tougher, A to G scale showing the energy efficiency of household appliances should be introduced to keep pace with technological progress, agreed the Parliament’s and Council’s negotiators on Tuesday.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

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General : People from across Europe gathered in the European Parliament on Tuesday to share their views on the future of the European Union with MEPs. This event, called the Citizens’ Parliament, contributes to ongoing reflection on the EU as an asset for future, ahead of the EU heads of state or government meeting in Rome on 25 March.

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Committee meetings, Brussels

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Plenary sessions : High-tech equipment such as smartphones, tablets and cars are able to run thanks to minerals and metals such as tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold. However, as their mining and illegal trade are often controlled by armed groups, they also help to feed a vicious circle of conflicts.On 16 March MEPs voted in favour of making EU companies take responsibility for the origin of the minerals they import. Watch our video for more details.

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All EU lobbyists looking to influence legislation, should be required to sign the transparency register before being allowed to enter the European Parliament, says a resolution approved by the Constitutional Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
Committee on Constitutional Affairs

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New powers for national authorities to check whether e-commerce websites geo-block consumers, track down rogue traders or even, subject to safeguards inserted by MEPs, order that websites hosting scams be shut down, were approved by the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee on Tuesday.
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

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Civil Liberties Committee MEPs questioned Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans about the respect of the rule of law in Poland on Wednesday. The Commission began investigating the situation in Poland under the "Framework for addressing systemic threats to the Rule of Law" on 13 January 2016. MEPs discussed the progress of the investigation procedure and possible further developments, including the advisability of otherwise triggering the Article 7 of the Treaty against Poland.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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The EU Commission should propose rules obliging all players in the textile and clothing industry supply chain to respect the labour and human rights of their workers, say Development Committee MEPs in a resolution voted on Tuesday. They also advocate introducing EU tariff preferences and labels for sustainably-produced textiles.
Committee on Development

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