European Parliament

Plenary sessions : A surge in low-cost EU imports of rail supplies such as engines or signals from non-EU countries, including China, is skewing competitive conditions for EU suppliers, MEPs warned on Thursday, adding that much of this surge is due to strong political and financial support in exporters’ home countries. Parliament calls on the EU Commission to craft "a coherent EU trade strategy, which ensures compliance with the principle of reciprocity, particularly in relation to Japan, China and the USA."

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Plenary sessions : New EU rules to ease free movement for citizens by making it simpler to prove the authenticity of documents such as birth or marriage certificates in another EU member state were voted by Parliament on Thursday. To avoid any need for translation, new multilingual EU forms are to be attached to the documents. The vote endorsed an informal deal previously struck by Parliament and Council negotiators.

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Plenary sessions : Parliament deplores the worsening climate for opposition politicians and human rights activists in Cambodia, calls on Tajikistan to allow opposition groups, lawyers and journalists to operate freely, and urges Vietnam to put an immediate end to all harassment, intimidation, and persecution of political activists, journalists, bloggers, dissidents and human rights defenders, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

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Plenary sessions : The Turkish parliament’s decision to lift the immunity from prosecution of 138 of its members was criticized by MEPs on Wednesday. In a debate with EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn, they described it as an attempt by Turkey’s President Erdoğan to silence the opposition and grab more powers. This decision undermines the rule of law and freedom of expression and might harm EU-Turkey relations, they added.

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Plenary sessions : A plan to lend Tunisia €500 million on favourable terms to help it reduce its external debt and consolidate its democratic mechanisms was backed by MEPs on Wednesday.

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Plenary sessions : The cure to the EU's ills is more solidarity, more rule of law, more synergies and more integration, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev told MEPs on 8 June. "Integration is the only weapon we have to achieve peace, security and human development," he said in plenary, adding: "Erecting borders is a tempting, yet temporary and not sustainable solution." The President also condemned what he called Russia's efforts to destabilise the EU and erode trust in the European project.

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Plenary sessions : The EU Commission should withdraw its authorisations for the use of herbicide-resistant GM carnations and maize, say two non-binding resolutions voted on Wednesday. Authorising GM carnations would encourage the worldwide use of a diabetes medicine as a herbicide, while the GM maize is resistant to glyphosate, which is classified as “probably carcinogenic” by the World Health Organisation (WHO), MEPs say.

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Plenary sessions : Parliament voiced serious concerns on Wednesday at the "apathy shown by member states and EU institutions" about recognising "the multiple fundamental rights violations and torture" that took place in US CIA “rendition” operations on European soil between 2001 and 2006. Its non-binding resolution urges them to investigate these violations and to bring those responsible for or complicit in them to justice.

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Plenary sessions : European Commission delays in publishing the scientific criteria needed to identify and reduce exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals, which the UNEP/WHO sees as a global threat to public health, were condemned by Parliament in in a resolution voted on Wednesday. The text, on “endocrine disruptors”, points out that the Commission’s persistent failure to publish the criteria, which were due by the end of 2013, also breaches EU law.

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Plenary sessions : Venezuela’s government should release all political prisoners immediately and respect the constitution, including the procedures that may lead to the impeachment of the country´s President, urged the European Parliament on Wednesday. In a resolution passed by 501 votes, to 94 against with 73 abstentions, MEPs backed mediation efforts by the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) to launch a national dialogue between Venezuela’s government and opposition.

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Plenary sessions : The EU Commission proposal for an EU anti-tax avoidance directive was welcomed by Parliament in a resolution voted on Wednesday. MEPs nonetheless advocated stricter limits on deductions for interest payments and tougher rules on foreign income. They also called for more transparency for trust funds and foundations, common rules for “patent box” tax reductions on intellectual property earnings, and an EU blacklist of tax havens and sanctions against uncooperative jurisdictions.

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Plenary sessions : A WTO deal struck by the EU and 24 countries, including Japan, China, and the USA, to stop charging custom duties on trade in 201 different high-demand information technology products, such as video game consoles, medical imaging machines and touch screens, was backed by MEPs on Wednesday. The EU has signed the deal, but now has Parliament’s green light for it to enter into force.

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Plenary sessions : The European Parliament agreed to set up an inquiry committee into the “Panama Papers” revelations, of detailed information on offshore companies and their ultimate beneficiaries, in a vote on Wednesday. The committee is to investigate alleged contraventions and maladministration in the application by the EU Commission or member states of EU laws on money laundering, tax avoidance and tax evasion. It will have 65 members and twelve months to present its report.

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Plenary sessions : One year on from its launch, MEPs voiced sharply divided verdicts on the progress of the €315 billion investment plan for Europe, or "Juncker plan", in Wednesday's debate with EU Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen. While the EPP and S&D broadly welcomed the work of the "European Fund for Strategic Investment" (EFSI) and the Commission's announcement that it proposes to extend the lifetime of the plan, MEPs from smaller groups were sceptical about its achievements to date.

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Plenary sessions : The new European Commission proposals for a review of the “blue card” scheme for highly-skilled workers from third countries, which should simplify their admission and improve their living conditions, and for an action plan to promote successful integration of migrants within the EU, were debated on in plenary session on Tuesday with Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos.

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Plenary sessions : MEPs debated on Wednesday morning whether the EU's €315 billion investment plan to fuel Europe's economic recovery by mobilising public and private investment was delivering. According to the European Commission, the first year of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) has been promising, but MEPs had mixed reactions. Read more about the plan and the plenary debate.

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Plenary sessions : A majority of MEPs welcomed plans to step up cooperation with third countries, particularly in Africa, by increasing public and private investment there to support economic and social development and curb migration flows. But many MEPs also warned against replicating the EU deal with Turkey in Tuesday’s debate with EU Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who presented a proposal for a new “partnership framework with third countries”.

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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 in the last week of May alone. The EU is working on different ways to manage migration better. The European Commission presented a new plan to address the root causes of migration in plenary on 7 June, which was debated by MEPs. Read on for an overview of upcoming initiatives.

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Plenary sessions : From conducting search and rescue operations to monitoring sea borders and the state of agricultural crops, it has all been made easier thanks to data from satellites. Europe's space initiatives are helping to create new opportunities for European companies as well as making it easier to protect people. On Tuesday MEPs discuss ways to make better use of these programmes. Read our glossary of terms related to the EU's space policy ahead of the debate.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP