European Parliament

General : From Pinterest to LinkedIn, the European Parliament is present on most major social media platforms in order to better communicate with you. On these platforms we offer not only background information and the latest news, but also videos, photos, infographics and the opportunity to discuss topical issues. We also offer EP Newshub: our special tool to follow Parliament politics in real time. Try out our interactive infographic to get a taster of what we serve up on each platform.

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Delegations

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Evidence of law enforcement shortcomings in EU member states as regards car emissions is set out in the draft report by the Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurement in the Automotive Sector (EMIS), published on Monday. The report and draft recommendations were prepared jointly by co-rapporteurs Jens Gieseke (EPP, DE) and Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (ALDE, NL). EMIS will have a first public debate on the text on 12 January.
Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector

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General : "The history of humanity is the history of migrations. Zero migration has never existed, and it never will”, said Louis Michel (ALDE, BE), EU Co-President of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) at the opening of its 32nd session, in Nairobi (Kenya) on Monday. “We must manage migration flows in a human way, in line with our values. Fortress Europe is not working”, he added.

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Holiday recess

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Delegations

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Plenary sessions : Islamic State survivors and Iraqi Yazidi activists Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar, received Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought at the December plenary which was also the last one to be fully presided over by Martin Schulz. MEPs adopted a report on fundamental rights in the EU and updated Parliament's internal rules to improve procedures and transparency. Read about these and other subjects in our article.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plans to boost greenhouse-gas emission curbs through the EU carbon market (EU ETS) were backed by the Environment Committee on Thursday. MEPs propose reducing the carbon credits to be auctioned by 2.4% each year, and doubling the capacity of the market stability reserve (MSR) to absorb the excess of allowances on the market.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

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General : Martin Schulz stressed the importance of cooperation and solidarity in his last speech as Parliament President at a European Council meeting. Addressing heads of government at the summit in Brussels, he called on them to make progress on issues such as defence, migration and Russia. “You all agreed that you need the EU, that the EU is the only means to tackle the challenges we are facing in this century. This spirit should never be forgotten and should guide your actions over the years to come.”

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Plenary sessions : Over fifty years after the Thalidomide tragedy, in which a German-made morning sickness medicine for pregnant women caused malformations in their babies in several EU countries, victims are still fighting for fair compensation. MEPs call on the EU and its member states to ensure that all EU citizens affected have access to similar compensation, in a resolution voted on Thursday.

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Plenary sessions : Draft EU measures to help prevent citrus fruit and tree pests being imported into the EU are not good enough to protect EU growers, says a resolution voted on Thursday. MEPs want more stringent rules and checks to prevent the spread of pests such as citrus black spot fungus and the false codling moth.

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Plenary sessions : Visa requirements for non-EU nationals will be reintroduced faster when EU countries face irregular migration surges or security risks, under new rules passed by Parliament on Thursday.

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Plenary sessions : The European Parliament condemns the demolition of the Larung Gar Tibetan Buddhist Academy, the imprisonment of scholar Ilham Tohti by Chinese authorities and the persecution of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, while urging the protection of mass graves in Iraq, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

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EU member states will make the 700 MHz band available for wireless broadband by 2020, enabling a shift to 5G mobile internet, Parliament and Council negotiators agreed informally on Wednesday evening.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

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Plenary sessions : The EU Commission should comply with EU law by temporarily reintroducing visa requirements for US citizens, so as to encourage Washington to grant citizens of all EU countries visa-free access to the US, said a majority of MEPs in a debate in plenary on Wednesday.

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General : Ever wondered what the Parliament looks like from inside? It's now possible to visit our building from the comfort of your own home using your smartphone thanks to virtual reality technology. In our first ever VR video you will be greeted by Parliament’s Facebook followers and President Martin Schulz and be shown around the plenary chamber.

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Plenary sessions : Persistent concerns about the rule of law and democracy in Poland were debated in the European Parliament on Wednesday. The debate followed a statement by European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans on the situation there.

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General : On behalf of Parliament’s political group leaders, EP President Martin Schulz expressed in a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk his disappointment at the way the draft conclusions of the 27 Heads of State or Government relegate Parliament “to a secondary position in the Brexit negotiation process”.

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Plenary sessions : The situation in Aleppo following the breakdown of a deal to evacuate rebels and civilians from the long-besieged Syrian city was the focus of a debate in Parliament this morning. Ahead of tomorrow’s EU summit, MEPs described the situation variously as “hell on earth”, a “death factory” and the “meltdown of humanity”. They called for an immediate cessation of hostilities as well as access for humanitarian aid. A number of speakers were highly critical of Russia’s role in the conflict.

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Plenary sessions : Diplomacy, development and defence should be the pillars of EU foreign policy, say MEPs in a resolution voted on Wednesday. They advocate a more realistic strategy on Russia and a “less for less” policy towards countries that try to throw democracy into reverse. MEPs also call on member states to show more unity and trust, and to speak with one voice, so as to make the EU a global player.

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