Written by Tessa Tumbrägel
Starting today, you can tune in to the new ‘EPRS plenary podcast’ series and let us walk you through a selection of fresh briefing materials on Parliament’s monthly plenary sessions in Strasbourg, all in a few minute’s listening. Based on our ‘Plenary At A Glance’ notes, which are written by EPRS policy analysts, our plenary podcasts provide a round-up of selected key issues on each month’s plenary agenda, aiming to support MEPs and their staff prepare for the upcoming debates, and ensuring that they have quick and easy access to the relevant information, anywhere and on demand. You can stream the podcasts online or download them on your computer, tablet, phone or music player, and stay informed while getting ready in the morning, driving to work or exercising.
We will kick off the service with two pilot episodes related to the upcoming July plenary session and gradually expand the number of episodes. From October onwards, you can expect five podcasts to be released each month, available on the Friday before the plenary takes place.
Our first episode will get you up to speed on the issue of moving towards a more circular economy in which materials are re-used and recycled and ‘waste’ can be turned into a resource. Parliament is scheduled to vote in plenary on a strategic report on the issue, which, among other things, calls for binding targets to increase resource efficiency by 30% by 2030, compared to 2014. The transition towards a more circular economy in the EU could have a number of benefits, but it would also involve barriers and challenges. Will we see a lively debate in plenary?
If you are interested in the state of play in EU copyright regulation, listen to our second episode. Reform of EU copyright rules has been a hot topic for years and Parliament has long stressed the need to modernise the existing regulation. MEPs will address the issue in plenary, voting on a report from the Legal Affairs Committee, which evaluates the current regulatory framework and recommends changes. As copyright reform is a sensitive subject in the EU, there will be plenty to discuss, including the principle of territoriality of copyrights and the scope of exceptions and limitations to copyright protection.
Want to know more? Then get your earphones ready and listen to or download our first plenary podcasts on the Europarl website. You can also subscribe to the podcast and automatically receive all new episodes via the Europarl podcast page, Stitcher or TuneIn.
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