15

Feb

Rule of law, Russia-Ukraine crisis to dominate Euro Parliament Plenary

The Russia-Ukraine crisis takes centre stage at this week's European Parliament Plenary session, with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell set to…

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08

Feb

EU membership retains widespread support around continent

The perception of the European Union among European citizens remains close to its highest level since 2008. According to fresh data presented today in the latest Eurobarometer survey, just under…

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08

Feb

Large majority of Maltese want stronger role for European Parliament

A large majority of Maltese would like to see the European Parliament taking a stronger role in the future. Data by the latest Eurobarometer survey published today, has shown that…

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01

Feb

Ukraine has many friends, Russia is isolated, MEPs say

Members of the European Parliament have re-iterated their strong stance in defence of Ukraine's independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty, insisting the country had many friends within the international community as…

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27

Jan

Europe is united in face of Russian threats – MEPs

Europe is united in face of Russian attempts to undermine European democracy, MEPs said today, as they re-iterated a common stand in front of Russian aggressiveness with increased military movements…

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25

Jan

EU considering freezing EU funds for Hungary and Poland over rule of law breaches

The European Commission could propose freezing European Union structural funds for Hungary and Poland over concerns for the rule of law before a Hungarian parliamentary election on April 3, Budget…

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25

Jan

Military help might be needed to support Ukraine – EPP

The centre-right EPP Group has called for concrete help, including military, to support Ukraine in the face of possible aggression. In a statement, the EPP said that unity and resolve…

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21

Jan

Media houses lament lack of protection in new Digital Services Act

MEPs agreed a draft set of measures to tackle illegal content, to ensure platforms are held accountable for their algorithms, and improve content moderation. The text, which was approved by…

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20

Jan

You could soon send messages from Whatsapp to another messaging app, thanks to new EU legislation

Users could soon send messages from one app to another, thanks to an EU proposal which recommends inter-app compatibility. Mandatory inter-operability would mean that a new messaging service could decide…

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19

Jan

UPDATED: Macron outlines France’s EU presidency priorities

French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the European Parliament on Wednesday, just months before he is expected to stand for a second term and a day after Maltese Roberta Metsola, was elected…

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18

Jan

Roberta Metsola is new European Parliament President

Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola has been elected as the new President of the European Parliament with an outright majority of votes in the first round of voting. Metsola, who hails…

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18

Jan

LIVE: Roberta Metsola’s Big Day as EP votes for new President

Members of the European Parliament today will pick a successor to European Parliament president David Sassoli, who died a week earlier after suffering complications related to his immune system. The…

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14

Jan

Casa confident in Metsola election as Green candidate pushes feminist agenda

PN MEP David Casa expressed full confidence that fellow centre-right MEP Roberta Metsola will secure the backing of the European Parliament in her bid to become the first Maltese elected…

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13

Jan

Covid-19 had disproportionate impact on young people – Eurofound

The coronavirus pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on young people with studies showing that one in three have had difficulty adapting to the changes it has brought, including social…

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11

Jan

UPDATE – European Parliament President David Sassoli has died

UPDATED 1400 Media reports indicate that First Vice President Roberta Metsola is set to take Sassoli's place as Acting President for the remainder of the term. The EP is set…

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04

Jan

Gas can be useful in the energy transition – EPP

The Group of the European People's Party expressed support to an EU decision to label gas and nuclear energy as green, saying that gas can help facilitate the energy transition, though…

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21

Dec

EP calls for sanctions against Nicaraguan regime as country turns to China for help

The EU should consider introducing additional sanctions against the Nicaraguan regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, MEPs said in a resolution. In a harshly-worded statement, MEPs have demanded that…

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21

Dec

EP Socialists want to question Metsola, say some of her view points are unacceptable

The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament will organise a hearing in the second week of January to question Roberta Metsola MEP, a candidate to chair the European Parliament…

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16

Dec

EP Socialists set to support Metsola appointment as President if…

Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola is closer to being appointed president of the European Parliament for the second half of the current term as incumbent David Sassoli is not seeking a…

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15

Dec

UPDATED: European Parliament Sakharov Prize honours Alexei Navalny

At a European Parliament ceremony in Strasbourg, the daughter of the jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny accepted the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on his behalf. Alexei Navalny…

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07

Dec

EP to push for reform of European elections

European elections are still governed for the most part by national laws, with political campaigns mostly focusing on national matters. Over the past years, a number of MEPs have been…

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30

Nov

Common charger, migration and cyber-violence top busy EP agenda this week

Common charger, Covid-19, migration, cyber-violence are topping the European Parliament's busy agenda this week. MEPs from the internal market committee will start work on rules for a common charger for…

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30

Nov

Malta lags behind in R&D as only Romania fares worse in EU scoreboard

In 2020, the Member States of the EU spent around €311 billion on research & development (R&D). This is a decrease of €1 billion compared with 2019 (€312 billion). The…

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24

Nov

Roberta Metsola secures EPP candidature for top European Parliament position

Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola has been chosen among her centre-right EPP peers as the party's sole candidate for the election to the post of European Parliament President. She won the…

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23

Nov

Promise EU membership to Western Balkan countries to solve Bosnia impasse, German MEP proposes

Bosnia Herzegovina and other Western Balkan countries should be given a credible promise of EU membership, German MEP Reinhard Bütikofer said on Monday. The European Parliament is expected to discuss…

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22

Nov

Metsola formally submits nomination as EPP Group candidate for EP Presidency

PN MEP and European Parliament Vice President Roberta Metsola has submitted her nomination to become the centre-right EPP's candidate for the European Parliament Presidency. The Nationalist MEP is one of…

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22

Nov

EU Budget to dominate proceedings during EP’s plenary session

The European Union's Budget for 2022 is expected to dominate the European Parliament's second plenary session of November, taking place in Strasbourg, with MEPs pushing on the agendy further scrutiny…

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16

Nov

One in five Maltese smokes daily, Eurostat finds

Almost one in five Maltese persons smoked daily, a Eurostat study has found. The prevalence of Maltese smokers is slightly above the European Union average. In 2019, 18.4% of the…

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16

Nov

EU court rules against Poland over judicial appointments

The EU's top court ruled on Tuesday that Polish rules allowing the justice minister to assign judges to higher criminal courts or to remove them without stating reasons violated EU…

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16

Nov

COP26 agreement ‘timid step forward’, EP Socialists say

The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament described the conclusions of the COP26 climate conference as a timid step forward in the right direction, expressing regret that big players…

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15

Nov

Roberta Metsola to seek EU Parliament presidency

MEP Roberta Metsola on Monday said she will vie for the European Parliament presidency, establishing her as a potential consensus candidate from the body’s powerful conservative group.  The Maltese politician…

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15

Nov

MEPs complain about standard of Commission’s replies to PQs

More than 180 Members of the European Parliament have written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressing their concerns about the lack of detail and the low standard…

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11

Nov

Metsola celebrates ‘proud moment’ as anti-SLAPP report approved

European Parliament Vice President described as a 'proud moment' the strong approval by the European Parliament of a package of proposals to counteract the threat that counteract the threat that…

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08

Nov

MEPs push for high ambitions at COP26 in Glasgow

It is "worrying" that big polluters like China and Russia have not taken part in a global climate change conference, MEP Lidia Pereira said. "I think there’s still room to…

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30

Oct

Dar Tal-Providenza awarded 2021 European Citizen’s Prize for Malta

Malta's Dar Tal-Providenza was awarded the 2021 European Citizen’s Prize for Malta in an award ceremony at held at the European Parliament's Offices in Valletta. Fr Martin Micallef expressed appreciation…

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29

Oct

EU Parliament sues Commission over inaction on Rule of Law

Following President Sassoli’s request, the Parliament’s legal service today submitted the lawsuit against the European Commission for its failure to apply the Conditionality Regulation to the Court of Justice. The…

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19

Oct

Aftermath of Polish Constitutional judgement on EU law expected to dominate EP Plenary Session

The recent controversial judgement by Poland's Constitutional Court, which ruled that parts of EU law were incompatible with the country’s constitution, is expected to dominate proceedings today in Strasbourg as…

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14

Oct

Forbidden Stories win first edition of The Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize

Updated 1240: The winners of the first edition of The Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism are Forbidden Stories, for their work on The Pegasus Project. A team of independent…

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11

Oct

Ewropej: Freedom of expression ‘crucial in the EU’, Casa says 

Member of the European Parliament David Casa has promised to work to ensure freedom of expression in Malta and the European Parliament.  In view of the recent fake websites as…

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11

Oct

Ewropej: Polluters must bear the cost of their environmental footprint, Cyrus Engerer says 

Polluters must bear the cost of their environmental footprint, Member of the European Parliament Cyrus Engerer said.  He added that this was a European Union principle. The European Court of…

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05

Oct

EU must do more on tax havens, says Von der Leyen, as MEPs pile pressure on blacklisting

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the Pandora Papers revelations are embarrassing for leaders who have pushed austerity. Speaking in Helsinki, she insisted that the European Union…

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02

Oct

Roberta Metsola touted as the next European Parliament President consensus choice – POLITICO

On January 17th, the European Parliament Members will select their next president for a two-and-a-half-year term.  POLITICO reports that the people rumoured to be in the running range from the…

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29

Sep

S&D group meets to discuss EU agenda after Covid-19

Socialists and Democrats President Iratxe García Pérez said Malta was chosen as the location for a conference for the S&D group in order to show support for the country’s reforms and…

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16

Sep

Malta allocated €40m from Brexit Adjustment Fund

MEPs approved the €5 billion Brexit Adjustment Reserve to help member states deal with the economic, social and territorial impact of the UK’s departure from the EU. The agreement to…

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15

Sep

SOTEU Speech: MEPs join Von der Leyen in calls for a stronger EU voice in trade, economy and defence

Thank you for following this live blog. The President put the focus of her speech on Europe’s recovery from the coronavirus crisis and on what the European Union needs to…

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14

Sep

Von der Leyen expected to focus on economic recovery, rule of law and geopolitical challenges in State of the Union speech

A big day ahead tomorrow for the European Union as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver her State of the European Union address to the European Parliament, followed…

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07

Sep

EP Socialists want more gender equality through the EU budget

The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament noted that only 21.7% of EU programmes had gender-related indicators in the last pluriannual EU budget for the period 2014-2020. This means…

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04

Sep

Ewropej: Member states may not always fully respect fundamental rights in migration, MEP says

“There is some good reason to believe that Member States might not fully respect fundamental rights when it comes to migrants, Member of the European Parliament Birgit Sippel said.  The…

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04

Sep

Ewropej: The EU still feels far away and complicated

The EU still feels far away and complicated for citizens, companies, and even for political parties and government sometimes, MEP Abir Al-Sahlani said.  The Renew MEP said that she wishes…

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02

Sep

EP Socialists tell off Commission for delays in moving forward with own resources proposals

The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament have strongly criticised the European Commission for postponing its proposal for own resources for the EU budget, from spring of this year…

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31

Aug

MEPs expected to push Commission to act on rule of law as Parliament returns

Members of the European Parliament return to Strasbourg this week with the evolving situation in Afghanistan expected to be high up on the agenda. However, it is the inter-institutional struggle…

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24

Aug

MEPs push for cancer survivors’ right to be forgotten in accessing financial services

The number of cancer survivors in the EU has now reached some 12 million people and is growing every year. Because of their medical history, some cancer survivors experience an…

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06

Aug

EU monitoring situation on global commodity markets – MEP raises alert on Chinese actions

European Commission Vice-President Dombrovskis revealed that Commission services are closely monitoring the situation on global commodity markets as well as specific measures introduced by the Chinese authorities in 2021 in…

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03

Aug

Beating cancer among top EU Presidency objectives as Parliament pushes for increased assistance to families

Europe comprises only one eighth of the total world population but has around one quarter of the global total of cancer cases with some 3.7 million new patients per year.…

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24

Jul

Ewropej: We can overcome the challenges our country faces together

“There was a lot on my agenda during the past week as Parliament held the Plenary Session in Strasbourg,” MEP David Casa told this journal.  Speaking ahead a meeting of…

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24

Jul

Ewropej: We must keep working to ensure the financing of Malta’s transport and energy projects

Member of the European Parliament Josianne Cutajar, in a plenary meeting in Strasbourg earlier this month, said that geographic seclusion from the European continent makes it important for Malta to…

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23

Jul

EU Socialists say rule of law report not enough, say clear direction, timelines are needed

The Socialist group in the European Parliament has welcomed the latest annual assessment on the rule of law in the EU but expressed concerns that the report will fail to…

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