European Parliament

Right to disconnect an important test for Europe’s commitment towards fundamental rights of workers

A report calling on the European Commission to introduce legislative action on the right to disconnect has been described as an important test in favour of workers' fundamental rights. Maltese…

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UK and EU27 citizens in the UK to remain part of EP Communication programmes

The European Parliament reaffirms its will to continue to engage with young generations of UK citizens and EU27 citizens resident in the UK. Following its decision in February 2019 to…

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Asylum: more solidarity among EU member states and funds for frontline countries

According to MEPs, the 2013 Dublin III Regulation puts a “disproportionate responsibility on a minority of member states, in particular when high numbers of arrivals occur”. The plenary resolution assesses the law…

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Rule of law mechanism should apply by January, MEPs insist

In yesterday's resolution, MEPs insisted that the Rule of Law mechanism should apply as of January 1. The European Council had issued a declaration to suspend the Rule of Law…

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Parliament approves seven-year EU budget 2021-2027

Parliament gave its consent on Wednesday to the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) so that EU support can get to citizens as from the start of next year. On Wednesday,…

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EU Agenda

14 December – 18 December Monday 14 December – 17 December: the European Parliament meets for a plenary session Monday 14 December – Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit has an…

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Erasmus+: European Parliament secures better deal for students

Would-be Erasmus students Europe-wide stand to benefit from €23.4 billion in funds for the next seven years if agreement is reached on the next EU long-term budget. The new budget…

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EP wants stronger safeguards against online child abuse

The European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee has appealed for stronger safeguards to ensure that tools used to detect and remove online child sexual abuse respect people’s fundamental rights. Online material…

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MEPs to grill Frontex director on agency’s role in pushbacks of asylum-seekers

MEPs are set to demand answers from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency’s Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri regarding the incidents revealed by media in which Greek coastguards -with the…

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‘This EU budget started in Brexit’s shadow and will end in Covid’s shadow’- EP office head

This EU budget started in the shadow of Brexit and will end in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, European Parliament Office in Malta head Mario Sammut said. The EU…

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EU survey confirms citizens’ call for EU to have more powers to tackle pandemic

In the grip of the second wave of coronavirus, two thirds of EU citizens call for more EU competence and an EU budget with sufficient means to tackle the crisis.…

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EP adopts Recovery and Resilience Facility in bid to help EU countries tackle effects of pandemic

The European Parliament has adopted the Recovery and Resilience Facility, an instrument designed to help EU countries tackling the effects and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Budgets and Economic…

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EU Agenda – What’s on at the European institutions

03 November – 07 November Tuesday 03 November - European Commission Vice President for the Green Deal delivers a keynote speech via videoconference at the Commission’s Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference.…

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EP intensifies fight against unsafe products sold online

The European Parliament has doubled up on its efforts in favour of product safety in the Single Market, putting forward a resolution addressing the risks of unsafe products, particularly those…

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Sakharov Prize 2020: MEPs select the finalists

The democratic opposition in Belarus, Guapinol activists and Berta Cáceres, and the archbishop of Mosul were shortlisted for the 2020 Sakharov Prize on Monday. Following a joint vote by MEPs…

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EU parliament chastises Bulgaria for rule of law deficiencies

The European Parliament on Thursday chastised Bulgaria for flaws in respecting the rule of law, combating endemic corruption and supporting media freedom, underlining the legislature’s line on defending the bloc’s…

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European Parliament wont accept “little MFF” – rapporteur

MEPs have maintained their hard positions on refusing any reductions from the proposed EU's multi-annual budgetary framework, after breaking off talks yesterday with the Council, lamenting that long-term EU priorities…

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European Parliament backs a 60% EU emissions-cutting target for 2030

The European Parliament on Tuesday voted in favour of a legally binding target for the European Union to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030, against 1990 levels,…

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EP to award outstanding journalism with Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize

As of October 2021, the European Parliament will start awarding The Daphne Caruana Prize for Journalism on a yearly basis. This new Prize has been approved by the European Parliament’s…

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The S&D group condemns crackdown on Turkish HDP party

The S&D Group in the European Parliament condemns the new crackdown on the Turkish HDP party, following the news that Ankara prosecutors have decided to detain 82 people in seven…

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EPP says Armenia, Azerbaijan hostilities of ‘great concern’

The European People’s Party has said that the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is of great concern. According to reports, the increase in conflict has led to the deaths of…

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European Parliament set to cancel Strasbourg’s October plenary session

The European Parliament is set to cancel its plenary session in Strasbourg in October after Belgian authorities designated the Alsatian city as a "red zone" due to the number of…

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European Parliament says shipping industry must contribute to climate neutrality

The European Parliament has voted to include CO2 emissions from the maritime sector in the EU Emissions Trading System. MEPs largely agreed that reporting obligations by the EU and the…

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European Parliament approves plans for coronavirus testing centre

The European Parliament's Committee on Budgets has approved plans for a coronavirus testing facility for MEPs and staff. A request was made by the Parliament's President David Sassoli for €990,000…

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EP negotiators still pushing for better long-term EU budget

During the fourth trilateral talks with Council and Commission, the European Parliament’s negotiators underline that a lot remains to be done before an acceptable agreement can be reached. “During this…

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EP wants EU to step up efforts to tackle medicine shortages

The European Parliament has called for the EU to be more self-sufficient when it comes to medicines and medical equipment so that affordable treatments are available at any time. In…

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EP wants Council to act to protect minorities and the rule of law in Poland

In a resolution adopted on Thursday with 513 votes to 148 and 33 abstentions, the European Parliament expresses concerns regarding the legislative and electoral system, the independence of the judiciary,…

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European Parliament votes for new taxes in EU to repay recovery borrowing

The European Parliament voted on Wednesday in favour of assigning new tax revenues to the European Union to repay the bloc's intended joint borrowing of 750 billion euros ($888 billion)…

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MEPs fast track vote to approve EU rcovery plan

The European Parliament has accelerated the procedure that will enable the EU to borrow €750 billion for the “Next Generation EU” recovery plan. MEPs have fast-tracked and voted already during…

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LIVE: Commission President delivers State of the European Union Speech

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is addressing the European Parliament in her first State of the European Union address. The annual event will see von der Leyen update…

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EU parliament votes to make ships pay for their pollution

The European Parliament on Tuesday voted in favour of including greenhouse gas emissions from the maritime sector in the European Union's carbon market from 2022, throwing its weight behind EU…

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EPP wants digital or financial transactions tax back on EU agenda

The centre-right EPP Group will vote in favour of setting up a binding calendar for introducing revenues such as a digital tax on big international tech companies, a levy on…

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COVID-19 forces EU lawmakers to scrap Strasbourg meeting

European Union lawmakers have cancelled their session at the parliament’s headquarters in the French city of Strasbourg next week, despite a legal obligation to do so, because of the coronavirus,…

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Dr Mario Sammut appointed EP Malta Office Head

Dr Mario Sammut is the new Head of the European Parliament Office in Malta as from September 1 2020. Dr Sammut is an EU official with 16 years of…

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EU Council deal restricts Europe’s ability to step into the next decade – EPP

The deal reached by European leaders earlier this week will not be enough to strengthen the EU's role in the coming decade. According to the centre-right EPP Group, the EU…

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EU Recovery right on time say European Socialists

The Party of European Socialists welcomed the EU recovery plan, adopted last Tuesday by the European Council. The plan, which adds to the EU Budget €750 billion of common debt…

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European Parliament negotiators react to EU Summit compromise: a positive step for recovery, more need in long-term

Commenting on the conclusions of the 17-21 July EU summit, EP negotiators welcome the recovery fund but warn that their agreement to the long-term EU budget cannot be taken for…

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EU budget: Parliament pushes for financial transaction tax and consolidated corporate tax base

As Europe recovers from the coronavirus outbreak, MEPs are insisting on the introduction of new revenue sources to cover the refinancing costs of the recovery instrument, prevent sharp reductions in…

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Citizens call for a bigger EU budget to tackle crisis, new survey shows

In a new survey commissioned by the European Parliament and conducted in the second half of June 2020, nearly seven out of ten respondents (68%) want a stronger role for the…

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EU must step up efforts to tackle medicine shortages – EP

In a report on the shortage of medicines, adopted by 79 votes to 1, the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee of the European Parlaiment addressed the root…

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EU funding for priority projects should reflect 2050 climate objectives

The revision of the TEN-E guidelines, to be proposed by the European Commission later this year, should be consistent with EU energy and climate targets for 2030, its long-term…

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European Parliament to allow COVID-19 vaccines to be developed more quickly

As part of the EU's efforts to hasten the availability of a vaccine against the novel corinavirus, the European Parliament has adoped a regulation allowing such vaccines and treatments be…

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MEPs set out new measures to stop money laundering

In a resolution adopted with 534 votes to 25 and 122 abstentions, MEPs welcomed the Commission’s Action Plan on how to fight effectively against money laundering and terrorist financing and…

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MEP Miriam Dalli appointed on EP Special Committee on Beating Cancer

Maltese MEP Miriam Dalli (S&D) has been appointed as a full member on the newly-created European Parliament Special Committee on Beating Cancer. The members of these committees are chosen…

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No EU money for countries breaching rule of law – EPP

"Every Member State that wants to receive EU money must stick to the basic principles of democracy and the rule of law. There must be conditionality. The EU is not…

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European Parliament green lights major reform of road transport sector

The new trucking and road haulage rules proposed by the European Commission were given their thumbs up by the European Parliament despite opposition by MEPs from a number of countries,…

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No-deal Brexit still on the cards – German Chancellor

Germany will continue to push to seal a new partnership agreement with Britain by the end of the year, but the European Union should also prepare for an abrupt split…

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Merkel presents German Presidency priorities to MEPs, calls for swift agreement on economic response

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday called for a swift agreement on the European Union's mass economic stimulus to advance unity that would strengthen the bloc as it recovers from the coronavirus…

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Maltese MEPs to propose amendments to EU trucking reforms in bid to protect local industry

Maltese Members of the European Parliament are expected to unanimously support a number of amendments to the so-called Mobility Package during today's Plenary Session in Brussels. Addressing local members of…

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MEPs to make case for strong financial package as EP Plenary returns

Ahead of the EU summit on 17 July, MEPs - returning today in a plenary session, will make their stance clear on the EU's budget for 2021-2027 and the recovery plan in…

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Shipping industry must contribute to climate neutrality, say MEPs

The Commission has put forward a proposal to revise the EU system for monitoring, reporting and verifying CO2 emissions from maritime transport (the “EU MRV Regulation”) and bring it in line…

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MEPs call for News Media Fund and boost to cultural sector

A number of MEPs from the major European political parties, have called on the European Union to support the strengthening of democracy by establishing a dedicated News Media Fund. They…

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EPP calls for EU to step up action on health

The Group of the European People's Party in the European Parliament called for stronger commitment by the European Union with regard to health. In a statement, the Group said that…

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EU consumers to achieve broader opportunity for redress

Consumers across the EU are about to be granted broader opportunities for the collective defence of their rights. Member states’ ambassadors have approved a deal concluded between the Croatian presidency…

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Financing the recovery must not burden the next generation – EP

Financing the recovery must not burden the next generation. The European Parliament stressed this point prior to the final decisions that need to be taken by the EU Member…

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European Socialists reaffirm fight against gender inequality and racism

The fight against discrimination was in focus in the Presidency meeting of the European Socialists, as Presidency members received a campaign update from PES Women and adopted a declaration reaffirming…

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“We can beat cancer together” – EPP

Cancer kills about 9 million people a year in the world. In the European Union alone, 1.3 million people die of cancer every year and 3.5 million new cases are…

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