European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
EP Plenary Session
EP Plenary Session July: Parliament continues efforts to promote democracy and sustainability
Written by Clare Ferguson, There is a sense of an ending around this month’s plenary session, as European leaders say a final farewell to that quintessential citizen of Europe, Helmut Kohl, the personification of German reunification and European integration, this weekend. Parliament will also mark the passing of Simone Veil, the first woman to be … Continue reading
EP Plenary Session June: Cohesion policy, Climate change, and Capitals of Culture
Written by Clare Ferguson, Cohesion policy Jobs, growth and investment are a top EU priority, and come high on the European Parliament agenda. Following Monday’s joint debate on reducing economic and social inequality between regions through current EU cohesion policy, Members will look to the future and vote on an own-initiative report on the building … Continue reading
EP Plenary Session May I: What future for liberalism, multilateralism, and free trade?
Written by Clare Ferguson, With a Commission statement scheduled for Tuesday morning dealing with globalisation, the EU’s place in the world leads the agenda for the first European Parliament plenary session in May. Multilateralism is a core element of EU international relations – both the 2003 European security strategy and the 2016 global strategy emphasise … Continue reading
EP Plenary Session April II: Discharge of the EU’s 2015 budget (but it’s not just about the money)
Written by Clare Ferguson, The biggest issue on Parliament’s plenary agenda for this session is the discharge procedure for the EU’s 2015 budget. To ensure the transparent and democratic scrutiny of how public funds are spent, Parliament’s elected Members decide whether the EU institutions have disbursed their budget in accordance with the rules. As the … Continue reading
EP Plenary Session April I: Safety first
Written by Clare Ferguson, Following the United Kingdom’s formal notification on 29 March of its intention to withdraw from the EU, nine months after last June’s referendum, Parliament is set to debate a resolution setting out its main principles, broad objectives and red lines for the negotiations. Once adopted, this resolution will represent the EP’s … Continue reading
Rights and Values: Plenary Session Strasbourg – March II
Written by Clare Ferguson with Peter Charles, Last week’s International Women’s Day highlighted the ever-present danger of reversals to hard-won rights and values in today’s society. Much of recent political debate has focused on issues previously considered settled, particularly, progress, or rather the lack of it, on gender equality. Three reports on the European Parliament … Continue reading
Conflict minerals [Plenary Podcast]
Written by Marta Latek, After lengthy interinstitutional negotiations concluded in a trilogue agreement with the Council, Parliament is due to adopt its first-reading position, during the March II part-session, on a proposed regulation laying down supply chain due diligence obligations for importers of tin, tantalum and tungsten, as well as their ores, and gold originating … Continue reading
Fundamental rights implications of big data [Plenary Podcast]
Written by Shara Monteleone, The development of smart devices connected online and of big data practices, allowing unprecedented availability, sharing and automated use of data, brings both opportunities in terms of efficiency and improvement in our lives and risks for individuals’ fundamental rights. The European Parliament will vote on an own-initiative report on these issues … Continue reading
Citizens first: European Parliament Plenary Session March I
Written by Clare Ferguson, The first European Parliament plenary session of March is something of a bottom-up affair, with the inclusion of several items on the agenda directly relating to the lives of both citizens and refugees arriving in the EU. Many unaccompanied minors arriving in the EU disappear, or abscond, partly because reception conditions … Continue reading
International Free Trade on the agenda – European Parliament Plenary Session February II
Written by Clare Ferguson, EU relations with Canada top the bill this session, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressing the European Parliament on Thursday, following the previous day’s debate on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada, known as CETA, finally signed in October 2016. Except for a few sensitive agricultural products, … Continue reading
Civil law rules on robotics [Plenary Podcast]
Written by Rafal Manko, The Legal Affairs (JURI) Committee has tabled a report with recommendations to the Commission on the civil-law and ethical aspects of robotics. The report calls for EU legislation introducing a register of robots, setting up an EU Agency for Robotics and laying down principles of civil liability for damages caused by … Continue reading
Towards a stronger EU emissions trading system [Plenary Podcast]
Written by Gregor Erbach, In July 2015, the European Commission proposed a reform of the EU emissions trading system (ETS) for the 2021-2030 period. The proposed directive introduces tighter limits on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to achieve the EU’s 2030 climate targets, while protecting energy-intensive industries from the risk of ‘carbon leakage’. The Parliament is … Continue reading
Adoption, Erasmus, FGM and … fish. European Parliament Plenary Session February I
Written by Clare Ferguson with Jack Meredith, Adopting a child is a major step for anyone, involving many checks and official procedures. Under the present system, however, there is no guaranteed EU-wide recognition of domestic adoptions in other Member States (the Hague Convention only recognises adoptions where the child lived in a different state). This … Continue reading
A new President for the European Parliament – January EP Plenary Session
Written by Clare Ferguson, The agenda this session is dominated by the election of the new President of the European Parliament, with time allowed on Tuesday for multiple rounds of voting. Candidates wishing to stand have to have their name put forward before Monday evening, when the January Parliamentary session opens with an announcement of … Continue reading
Electing the European Parliament’s President [Plenary Podcast]
Written by Silvia Kotanidis, At the January plenary sitting, the European Parliament (EP) is due to elect its 30th President, to hold the office until the next European parliamentary elections, due in 2019. The President has an important and increasingly visible function in the EU institutional and international setting, mirroring the influential role of the … Continue reading
December EP Plenary Session: Human rights in focus: Yazidi activists win Sakharov Prize
Written by Clare Ferguson with Jack Meredith, Yazidi survivors and public advocates Nadia Murad Busee and Lamiya Aji Bashar will receive the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought – the European Parliament’s recognition of human rights activism, bestowed annually – on Tuesday. Parliament’s Conference of Presidents selected the activists on 27 October, ahead of the other finalists: Turkish journalist … Continue reading
Deep-sea fisheries in the north-east Atlantic [Plenary Podcast]
Written by Jean Weissenberger, Deep-sea species and marine ecosystems are particularly sensitive to human activities. The European Parliament is now to finalise the adoption of a regulation aimed at sustainable deep-sea fishing activities, while freezing their zonal footprint and protecting vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems. This regulation is the outcome of lengthy negotiations between the EP and … Continue reading
Market access to port services [Plenary Podcast]
Written by Marketa Pape, To improve commercial efficiency and increase the financial transparency of the major EU seaports, the European Commission proposed a new regulation in 2013. Following agreement with the Council in trilogue the new regulation is now to be voted in plenary in December. In contrast to previous, rejected proposals on ports, this … Continue reading
All about the money: EU Budget, Data Protection, Tunisia – November II Plenary Session
Written by Clare Ferguson, The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union have spent three weeks negotiating a provisional agreement on the Commission’s proposed 2017 EU budget, which comes before Parliament’s November plenary session for a vote in plenary on Wednesday. The proposals use the flexibility of the multi-year spending programme, the Multiannual … Continue reading
Establishing a Skills Guarantee [Plenary Podcast]
Written by Monika Kiss, Surveys reveal that 70 million adults have insufficient basic skills, which can lead to problems at individual and societal levels. The Skills Guarantee aims to encourage upskilling pathways at national level, with implementation and monitoring supported by the European Commission. The European Parliament highlights the importance of the involvement of social … Continue reading
