European Parliament (News)

Plenary sessions : The European Parliament has done its work on a draft EU directive to ensure that by 2020 at least 40% of non-executive directors on listed company boards are women. Now it is up to the Council of Ministers to agree a position on the draft and start negotiations with Parliament, reiterated many MEPs in Wednesday’s debate, with a view to a Council meeting on 7 December.

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Plenary sessions : The EU Commission sees no systemic threat to democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary, although it has brought several procedures against it for infringing EU laws, said Commissioner Vera Jourová in a debate with MEPs on Wednesday.

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Plenary sessions : The new legislative proposals for a circular economy tabled by the European Commission and presented to MEPs by Commission Vice-Presidents Frans Timmermans and Jyrki Katainen, along with an action plan, were cautiously welcomed by MEPs on Wednesday. But they argued that on waste recycling, reducing food waste and landfill, the proposals aim too low.

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Plenary sessions : The EU’s Frontex border agency should set up a system to handle complaints about alleged breaches of the fundamental rights of migrants and asylum seekers, say MEPs in a non-binding resolution passed on Wednesday. In the plenary debate before the vote, Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos promised that the Commission will take up this idea when it reviews the Frontex regulation in December.

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Plenary sessions : An EU deal with Liechtenstein, which will make it harder for EU citizens to hide cash from the tax man in bank accounts there, was endorsed by Parliament in a vote on Wednesday. Under the deal, the EU and Liechtenstein will automatically exchange information on the bank accounts of each other's residents, starting in 2018.

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Plenary sessions : The work of Parliament’s Special Committee on Tax Rulings will be continued under a new mandate for six months, starting on 2 December. This was decided unanimously at Wednesday’s Conference of Presidents and endorsed by Parliament as a whole, by 561 votes to 69 with 5 abstentions. The committee's work will focus on harmful corporate tax regimes and practices at European and international level.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Plenary sessions : The 29 November EU-Turkey summit, aimed at reinvigorating the partnership and finding common responses to refugee crisis and Syrian war was very timely, said most MEPs in Wednesday’s debate with Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Nicolas Schmit for the Council Presidency. However, in view of Turkey’s human rights and democracy record, many argued that EU funding for Turkey must be thoroughly scrutinised and questioned the decision to restart EU accession talks with it.

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Plenary sessions : Parliament urged member states to fulfil their pledges and pay for the EU migration actions that have been agreed by EU leaders. In Wednesday's debate, MEPs proposed to use an unexpected windfall of €2.3 billion from EU fines and customs duties to finance some of the measures. The Commission earlier said the new trust funds set up for Syria and Africa were short of €2.22 billion in national contributions.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Plenary sessions : European elections should be fought with formally endorsed, EU-wide lead candidates (“Spitzenkandidaten”) for the Commission presidency, Parliament said on Wednesday in a formal proposal for a change to EU electoral law. It says these candidates should stand for election to the EP themselves, and be formally nominated at least 12 weeks before the elections.

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Plenary sessions : To boost the EU's air transport economy, the EU needs to ensure a level playing field, while upholding high safety and social standards, says Parliament in a resolution passed on Wednesday and intended to feed into the Commission’s forthcoming aviation package.

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Plenary sessions : Vice-president Mairead McGuinness drew the House's attention to the nightclub fire in Bucharest on 30 October in which at least 46 people died, with 100 or more still in hospital, and the Russian plane crash in Sinai on 31 October, which killed 224 people. She conveyed the House's condolences to the friends and families of the victims of both tragedies and to the people of Romania and Russia.

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General : The Lux Prize not only gives recognition to some of the best European films, but also serves as an opportunity to show them to cinema lovers across the EU. Join the conversation on social media, enjoy the films and learn more about the Lux Prize and the people whose creativity and passion brought us this year's finalists: Mediterranea, Mustang and The Lesson.

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General : Martin Schulz called for a comprehensive and long-term migration policy in cooperation with African countries in order to tackle the refugee crisis. The EP President made the plea on 10 November at the Maltese Parliament ahead of the Valletta summit on migration taking place today and tomorrow. Schulz said: “As long as war continues, people will continue to flee and won’t be able to return home.”

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Plenary sessions : Aviation is a key driver of economic growth and jobs, but in order to ensure safety and let European companies maintain their competitiveness, current EU rules need to be updated. The European Commission is working on proposals now, but MEPs have already adopted a resolution on what they would like to see in the aviation package to be announced by the end of the year. Check out our infographic about the EU's largest airports.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The civil liberties committee on Tuesday approved a deal struck by Parliament and Council negotiators on new EU rules to ensure that the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty in criminal proceedings is respected throughout the EU. The aim is to enhance the right to a fair trial and to strengthen member states' trust in each other's criminal justice systems.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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The EU should better align its spending with its political priorities, carefully considering the intended objectives before allocating EU funds. And this new approach should be adopted as quickly as possible, so the EU can better react to current and future crises, said MEPs in a debate on the European Court of Auditors (ECA) report on the 2014 budget on Tuesday.
Committee on Budgetary Control

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General : The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) helps troubled euro zone countries get their finances in order using loans and other forms of assistance. On 10 November Managing Director Klaus Regling comes to the Parliament to discuss the new financial assistance programme for Greece with the economic committee and Jeroen Dijsselbloem, president of the Europgroup. Follow the discussion live online and read on for our interview with Regling.

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The industry committee set out its demands for a European energy union in a resolution passed on Tuesday. Among them: compliance with the Commission's recommendation concerning hydraulic fracturing, a voluntary system to collectively purchase energy, and support for the development of Europe's own energy resources.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

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Microloans help people in difficult social circumstances to find their way out of unemployment and poverty. Although generally associated with South Asia and Latin America, where the first initiatives were launched four decades ago, they are also increasingly used in Europe. In 2010, the EU launched the European Progress Microfinance Facility to improve conditions for borrowers to obtain small loans. On Tuesday the EP's employment committee votes on a report concerning its implementation.
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

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The economic and monetary committee will debate the macroeconomic adjustment programme for Greece with Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Eurogroup president and chair of the Board of Governors of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), and Klaus Regling, the ESM managing director, on Tuesday at 17.00.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP