European Parliament

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.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Committee meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary session and committee meetings in Strasbourg

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Several EU countries have decided to raise money for organisations offering sexual health and family planning services after US President Donald Trump decided to reintroduce a rule banning US financing for NGOs providing or promoting abortion to women in developing countries. This policy is often referred to as the global gag rule. Most MEPs criticised the US decision during a debate on 14 March, asking for action from the EU while some insisted on respecting the rights of unborn children.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Political group speakers reacted to President Donald Trump’s reinstatement of the “global gag” rule in a debate with EU humanitarian aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides on Tuesday. The executive order, signed on 23 January, obliges US-funded foreign NGOs to certify that they will not perform or actively promote abortion.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Consumers are entitled to know that the food they buy and eat is safe, however food fraud cases such as the 2013 horsemeat scandal show that is not always the case. On Wednesday 15 March MEPs vote on new rules to tighten up official inspections throughout the food chain. We talked to Austrian S&D member Karin Kadenbach, the MEP responsible for steering the proposal through Parliament, about the benefits of the new legislation.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : On Wednesday from 9.00, MEPs will take stock of the outcome of the 9-10 March European Council and discuss the “Rome declaration” on the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome with Council President Donald Tusk, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Malta’s Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech and Italy’s Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : The share of waste to be recycled would rise to 70% by 2030, from 44% today, under draft legislation adopted on Tuesday. MEPs also want the “waste package” plans to limit the share of landfilling, which has a big environmental impact, to 5% and to deliver a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030. Parliament will now negotiate with Council of Ministers.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP