European Parliament

The EU needs a common definition of “normal car use”, says Renault. Diesel engine NOx emissions are the price paid to hit lower CO2 targets, says the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. But Volkswagen is ashamed of cheating to beat strict US emissions laws. So said contributors to the “triple bill” of hearings in held by the Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector (EMIS) on Wednesday and Thursday. Its work will continue after the summer break.
Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector

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General : A delegation from the civil liberties committee went to Calais in northern France yesterday to assess the situation of people gathering there with the aim of crossing the Channel. The delegation, led by Portuguese S&D member Ana Gomes, visited facilities for migrants and refugees and met with representatives from local authorities, non-governmental organisations as well as French-British border authorities.

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General : Terrorists have been able to make use of reconverted weapons but new new rules aim to put an end to this. Yesterday the internal market committee approved an update of the EU firearms directive to ensure that any firearm which has been converted to firing blanks continues to be covered by EU law. UK ECR member Vicky Ford, the MEP responsible for steering the new rules through Parliament, said: “The goal of this legislation was to close the loophole that was exploited during the Paris attacks.”

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A historic work experience - a study visit at the European Parliament Information Office in London

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EU countries will have to introduce stronger controls on “blank-firing” guns, to prevent them being converted to fire live ammunition, under Internal Market Committee amendments, voted on Wednesday, to a draft update of the EU firearms directive. The changes approved by MEPs ensure that any firearm which has been converted to firing blanks continues to be covered by EU gun control rules. This closes a legal loophole which became evident in the aftermath of last year’s terrorist attacks in Paris.
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

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Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The priorities of the Slovak Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers are being outlined to parliamentary committees by Slovak ministers at a series of meetings, during this week and in September.
Committee on Development
Committee on International Trade
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee on Legal Affairs
Committee on Culture and Education
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy
Committee on Regional Development
Committee on Transport and Tourism
Committee on Fisheries
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

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A 9-strong MEP delegation from the Civil Liberties Committee will be in Calais on Wednesday 13 July to visit facilities for migrants and refugees, in the vicinity, which for years has been a gathering spot for people trying to cross from France to the UK. MEPs will meet with local authorities, NGOs, the French-British border authorities and the refugees and migrants themselves in order to assess the situation on the ground.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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General : Parliament's inquiry committee into car emissions measurements continues its investigation this week by questioning industry representatives as well as former Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas. Committee chair Kathleen Van Brempt, a Belgian member of the S&D group, also takes part in a Facebook live session on Thursday from 14.00 CET, giving you the chance to ask her everything you wanted to know about this investigation.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

At its constitutive meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, Parliament’s Committee of Inquiry into Money Laundering, Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion (PANA) elected Werner Langen (EPP, DE) as its chair, by acclamation.
Committee of Inquiry to investigate alleged contraventions and maladministration in the application of Union law in relation to money laundering, tax avoidance and tax evasion

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Members of Parliament’s Budgets and Economic and Monetary Affairs committees debated the need for a euro area budget with finance ministers Jeroen Dijsselbloem (Netherlands, also Euro Group President), Michel Sapin (France), Pier Carlo Padoan (Italy), Pierre Gramegna (Luxembourg), Peter Kažimír (Slovakia), Edward Scicluna (Malta) and Euclid Tsakalotos (Greece) on Monday evening.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee on Budgets

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General : New gun control rules, making it more difficult for terrorists to have access to them, are voted on by the internal market committee this week. In addition the budgets and economic committees discuss the eurozone's future development with Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem and the finance ministers of France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Malta. A delegation of MEPs is also visiting refugee camps near Calais.

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Plenary sessions : Human trafficking is a highly profitable international crime in which people are traded for use in prostitution, forced labour or other forms of exploitation. In a resolution adopted in plenary last week, MEPs condemned it as a modern kind of slavery and one of the worst forms of human rights violations. Resolution author Barbara Lochbihler, a German member of the Greens/EFA group, told us victims needed more protection and that more needed to be done on forced labour and money laundering.

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Plenary sessions : An EU army is not on the cards for the time being, however closer cooperation on security and defence is becoming more important. During the Nato summit starting in Warsaw today, the EU and Nato will sign a declaration aimed at strengthening cooperation, while setting out an effective division of responsibilities. We asked Estonian liberal MEP Urmas Paet, who is drafting a report on the European Defence Union, whether EU countries are ready for working more closely together on security.

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Plenary sessions : Brexit and its consequences were discussed during a plenary debate on last week's EU summit with MEPs saying it is now time for Europe's leaders to speak up for the EU. During July's plenary session in Strasbourg MEPs also insisted on the need to protect whistle-blowers exposing scandals such as the Panama papers and approved a proposal to help better protect the EU's external borders.

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Following a hearing at the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON Committee), a large majority of ECON Coordinators were satisfied that Vice-President Dombrovskis is in a position to assume the portfolio that is transferred to him and look forward to a strong leadership in a key file for the stability of the EU and the prosperity of EU citizens.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

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Plenary sessions : EU Commission plans to allow claims that sugary drinks and energy drinks containing caffeine boost “alertness” or “concentration” were vetoed by the European Parliament on Thursday. Displaying these claims on drinks cans would have led to higher sugar consumption among adolescents, who are the largest group of energy drink consumers, said MEPs in their resolution.

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Plenary sessions : Parliament condemns recent crimes and widespread discrimination against albinos in Malawi, ongoing restrictions of fundamental democratic rights in Bahrain and practices that discriminate against Myanmar’s Muslim minority, in particular the Rohingya, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

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Plans to strengthen the EU’s visa suspension mechanism, which enables it to temporarily reintroduce visa requirements for third-country nationals in the event of sudden surges in irregular immigration, unfounded asylum applications or a failure to cooperate with the EU on “readmissions” (i.e. returns), were amended and approved by Civil Liberties Committee MEPs on Thursday. MEPs widened the range of grounds upon which a visa waiver may be suspended.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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The future EU common list of safe countries of origin, which should help member states to process certain asylum applications faster and more consistently, should replace today’s national lists after a three-year transition period, Civil Liberties Committee MEPs agreed on Thursday. The EU Commission will assess which countries should be included, removed or temporarily suspended from the list.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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