European Parliament

European Parliament to open office in Panama

The European Parliament decided this week to open an office in Panama in coordination with the European External Action Service, according to an article in POLITICO quoting a confidential note…

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Maneskin might be enlisted to encourage the young to vote in EP election

Euronews reported that world-beating Roman rockers Maneskin may be among the musical acts enlisted to encourage young people to vote in June's European Parliament elections. The idea is "taking shape"…

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EU parliament, member states agree on new corporate sustainability law

LONDON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The European Parliament Legal Committee and EU governments reached a deal on new due diligence rules for companies on Thursday, the committee said in a…

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Far-right parties eye gains in next year’s EU parliament elections

By Alvise Armellini European far-right parties met in Italy on Sunday vowing to reshape the European Union after next year's European Parliament elections, toughening the bloc's approach on immigration and…

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Anti-SLAPP: MEPs reach deal with member states to defend critical voices

The European Parliament has reached a deal with EU member States on rules aimed to ensure the EU-wide protection of journalists, media organisations, activists, academics, artists and researchers against unfounded…

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European Parliament puts up Nativity scene

For the second year running, thanks to the persistent campaign by Spanish MEP Isabel Benjumea, a Nativity scene was once more put up in the European Parliament headquarters for the…

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EU reaches deal to stop sending waste to countries that can’t process it

PARIS, Nov 17 (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers and member states have reached a deal to revise the bloc's waste shipment regulation and end exports of certain types of waste…

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UPDATED: EU Chief On Gaza Tragedy: “All those responsible must be held accountable”

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday said there is "no excuse for hitting a hospital full of civilians" in Gaza, but did not apportion blame for the blast.…

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MEPs clear EU to retaliate against economic coercion

BRUSSELS, (Reuters) - The European Parliament overwhelmingly backed a law to allow retaliation against countries that put economic pressure on EU countries to change their policies, such as the trade…

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EU lawmakers vote for tougher crackdown on energy market abuse

BRUSSELS, Sept 7 (Reuters) - A committee of European lawmakers on Thursday voted in favor of a tougher crackdown on manipulation in gas and electricity markets which would give an…

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EU lawmakers see recycling as key in search for critical minerals

By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS, Sept 6 (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers will push for far greater recycling of waste in a new EU law to ensure the bloc has raw…

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European Parliament set to grow by 15 MEPs in 2024

An extra 15 MEPs will take up their seats in the European Parliament following next year’s EU elections, after governments struck a preliminary agreement on the size and shape of…

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European Parliament to vote for new EU-wide SAR mission in the Mediterranean

Members of the European Parliament will vote Thursday on a motion calling for a new EU-wide search and rescue mission in the Mediterranean. According to the draft motion seen by…

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EU Parliament passes nature law after political backlash

By Kate Abnett and Marine Strauss BRUSSELS, July 12 (Reuters) - The European Parliament voted to pass the EU's flagship law to restore nature on Wednesday, salvaging the environmental measures…

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China calls European Parliament’s Hong Kong resolutions ‘publicity stunt’

By Farah Master HONG KONG, June 16 (Reuters) - China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong said resolutions passed by the European Parliament on Thursday related to the Chinese…

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European Parliament and top EU court resist budget cuts

EU institutions are privately discussing with the European Commission how much public money they can inject next year as inflation continues. Letters between the EU's Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn and…

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EP President Metsola tackles intimidation and abuse at the heart of EU democracy

Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, has ordered an internal overhaul designed to rapidly improve the process for handling harassment claims with the European institution. Metsola, has announced…

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Poland slams vote questioning Hungary holding EU presidency

WARSAW, (Reuters) - Poland rebuked the European Parliament backing a resolution that questions Hungary's ability to hold the European Union presidency next year due to concerns about judicial independence. Despite…

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EU parliament backs company checks on suppliers for human rights abuses

By Huw Jones LONDON, June 1 (Reuters) - The European Parliament on Thursday approved a groundbreaking draft law that would make it mandatory for large companies to check whether their…

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Centre-right lawmakers quit EU talks on nature law

By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The biggest lawmaker group in the European Parliament on Wednesday walked out of negotiations on a landmark EU law to protect nature, dealing another…

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EU parliament to question Hungary’s ability to hold EU presidency

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Parliament will on Thursday question Hungary's ability to hold the rotating presidency of the 27-nation European Union next year, citing the country's problems with the…

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EU Parliament delays renewable energy vote after late backlash

By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, May 22 (Reuters) - The European Parliament has delayed a planned vote to approve new EU renewable energy targets, after France and other countries lodged last-minute…

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European Parliament Elections set for 6 to 9 June 2024

The EU Ambassadors at the European Council agreed that the dates for the next European Parliament elections will be between the 6th and 9th of June 2024. In comments just…

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EU lawmakers’ committees agree to tougher draft AI rules

By Foo Yun Chee, Martin Coulter and Supantha Mukherjee May 11 (Reuters) - European lawmakers came a step closer to passing new rules regulating artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT,…

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Behind EU lawmakers’ challenge to rein in ChatGPT and generative AI

By Martin Coulter and Supantha Mukherjee LONDON/STOCKHOLM, April 28 (Reuters) - As recently as February, generative AI did not feature prominently in EU lawmakers' plans for regulating artificial intelligence technologies…

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EU lawmakers demand obligatory hosting of migrants under looming overhaul

By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS, April 20 (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers voted on Thursday to require member countries to host some of the refugees and migrants coming to the bloc…

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EU Parliament backs overhaul of Europe’s biggest climate policy

EU Parliament approves reform to carbon market Main policy to deliver EU climate goals Industries face higher costs for polluting EU to impose CO2 levy on imports of steel, cement…

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EU lawmakers call for political attention to powerful AI

April 17 (Reuters) - Legislators from the European Parliament said on Monday that political attention needed to be focused on powerful artificial intelligence (AI), agreeing with an open letter signed…

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Far-right Finns Party moves to ECR group in EU Parliament

The far-right Finns Party has decided to leave the nationalist Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament to join the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), the party…

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EP President Roberta Metsola visits Ukraine

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said that she has hope that the EU accession negotiations could begin as early as this year. She said she was impressed by the pace at which…

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Two MEPs lose immunity in Qatargate corruption case

BRUSSELS, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to waive the immunity from prosecution of two lawmakers following a request by Belgian investigators to question them…

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EP President Metsola named “Woman of the Year”

The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola was named "Woman of the Year" during the Women in a Legal World Conference in Spain. The award was given for the…

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Metsola: Publication of gift list is unprecedented, positive example

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola' spokesperson Jaume Duch described her decision to publish all information regarding the gifts received as President of the institution as an exercise in transparency, and…

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EU lawmakers to vote on tighter crypto, ESG rules for banks

Lawmakers to vote on tougher shadow bank rules Lawmakers seek to tie ESG with bonuses Lawmakers seek to align with global rules on crypto By Huw Jones (Reuters) - Banks…

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Metsola highlights transparency in move to publish gift lists, denies wrongdoing

Updated 23/01/2023 - 1930 - EP reacts In reaction to the DPA report below, the European Parliament has described Roberta Metsola's move to publish a list of gifts and travels…

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Qatar should not be dragged into EU corruption scandal, minister tells CNBC

(Reuters) - Qatar's foreign minister said his country should not be dragged into a cash-for-influence corruption scandal at the European Parliament with investigations still ongoing, rejecting allegations of Doha's involvement…

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Marc Angel elected Vice-President of the European Parliament instead of Eva Kaili

The newly elected Vice-President replaces Eva Kaili as the fifth VP in the Parliament’s Bureau. Kaili was arrested on money laundering and corruption charges allegedly involving Qatar On Wednesday, in…

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UPDATED: Former MEP Panzeri’s tax accountant arrested in Italy over EU graft scandal

ROME, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The tax consultant of a former EU lawmaker at the centre of a cash-for-influence corruption scandal at the European Parliament has been arrested in Italy,…

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Unshell directive: MEPs adopt position on legislation to clamp down on shell companies

MEPs have proposed to widen the scope and toughen sanctions of proposed legislation aimed at clamping down on shell companies used for tax purposes. MEPs adopted their opinion on Tuesday…

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EP reconvenes for first plenary of 2023 as Qatargate dominates proceedings

The European Parliament resumes plenary sessions in Strasbourg this week, where it will be voting for a new Vice President of the European Parliament, deciding its position on a new…

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Photo Story: Launch of a book with selected speeches of late President of EP David Sassoli

(L-R) Former president of the European Commission Romano Prodi, President of European Commission Ursula von her Leyen and Italian Foreign Affair Minister Antonio Tafani attend a launching event of a…

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European Parliament to waive immunity of two MEPs in corruption case

BRUSSELS, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The European Parliament said on Monday it had begun a procedure to waive the immunity of two of its members after a request from Belgian judiciary investigating a European Union-Qatar corruption…

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Greece asks Panama to check possible money transfers from Qatar to MEP Kaili

POLITICO reports that Greek authorities have asked Panama for information regarding possible money transfers from Qatar to accounts belonging to MEP Eva Kaili, who’s currently detained in Brussels pending trial…

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Former European Parliament VP Kaili remains in custody amid corruption investigation

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A Belgian judge ruled on Thursday that European lawmaker Eva Kaili will remain in custody for another month as an investigation continues into corruption charges in a…

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Italy delays hearing on EU graft scandal suspect on Belgian jail claim

BRESCIA, Italy (Reuters) - An Italian court on Tuesday postponed until January a hearing on whether to hand over to the Belgian authorities a second woman suspected of involvement in…

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Italy agrees to transfer suspect in EU graft scandal to Belgium

An Italian court on Monday agreed to hand over to Belgian authorities a woman suspected of involvement in a Qatar graft scandal that has rocked the European Parliament. An appeals court in…

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Qatar reiterates denial that its government involved in EU corruption case

DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar reiterated on Sunday that the country denies any involvement in a corruption case being investigated by Belgian authorities involving people linked to the European Parliament. Belgian…

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Italian top official of NGO at centre of EU Qatar scandal is convicted terrorist

An influential member of the non-governmental organisation at the heart of the Qatargate scandal in the European Parliament is a convicted terrorist. Sergio Segio, 67, a “commander” of Italian far-Left…

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European prosecutor requests immunity lifted from two Greek MEPs

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European chief prosecutor requested on Thursday that the European Parliament lift the immunity from prosecution of two Greek members over suspicions of fraud. The prosecutor's office…

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EU Parliament suspends work on Qatar amid corruption allegations

All action on any work involving Qatar was suspended in the European Parliament on Thursday, as the chamber reels from the removal of Eva Kaili as vice president following her…

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EP President Metsola warns: no sweeping under the carpet on Qatar scandal

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola told reporters at her press conference on Thursday “We just had a long exchange of views with the Prime Ministers and the Presidents of the…

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UPDATED: We first need to know all the facts, France’s Macron says on Qatar corruption probe

By Philip Blenkinsop and Charlotte Campenhout Year-long, pan-EU investigation into MEPs Graft scandal rocks European Parliament Raids uncover suitcase, briefcases stacked with cash MEP Kaili's detention hearing pushed to Dec.22…

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Judge to decide on detention of EU-Qatar graft scandal suspects

By Philip Blenkinsop and Johnny Cotton BRUSSELS, Dec 14 (Reuters) - A three-judge panel will decide on Wednesday whether four suspects charged and arrested in a fraud scandal rocking the…

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Factbox: The European Parliament’s cash-for-influence scandal

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian authorities have charged four people linked to the European Parliament over allegations World Cup host Qatar lavished them with cash and gifts to influence decision-making. RAIDS…

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UPDATE European Parliament acts against lawmaker Kaili over Qatar graft charges

By Andreas Buerger and Charlotte Van Campenhout STRASBOURG, Dec 13 (Reuters) - The European Parliament took steps on Tuesday to strip lawmaker Eva Kaili of her senior assembly post after she and…

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Qatar graft probe damages European Parliament, EU ministers say

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union's credibility is at stake, EU foreign ministers warned on Monday, following allegations Qatar lavished cash and gifts on European Parliament officials to influence decision-making. Greece…

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EU’s Borrell: Belgium’s European Parliament corruption probe is “very worrisome”

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium's decision to charge four people over allegedly receiving money and gifts from a Gulf state to influence decisions in the European Parliament is "very worrisome," European…

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