Closing out the year, MEPs packed a punch on economic governance and CIA torture revelations. But in centre stage were Palestine, Juncker's 2015 programme and the Lux Prize.

Plenary Zapping - December 2014

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/11920189/n001-141218-003-en.srt

There was a time when the Commission  put forward 130 new initiatives per year.

We are putting forward 23 new initiatives  for the year 2015.

I do hope the European Council  will indicate its intention

to contribute not only words,  not only 'parole, parole'. I need money.

The recognition of Palestinian statehood.

The votes are closed.  The resolution is passed.

We want a two-state solution.  We want a democratic, peaceful Israel

and we want an independent Palestine  that is recognised by Israel and Europe.

There are many who felt it was for  Member States and not this Parliament

It is time to clear the decks  so that time and energy can be invested

in those proposals that will have  the biggest impact on jobs and growth

and which have a good prospect  of being adopted in the near future.

Meanwhile, you can see  a light at the end of the tunnel.

Countries have got back  on a path of growth.

The crucial question now  is how will Italy and France act?

The rules must be applied in the same way

in all Member States, whatever their size.

The results are simple: the economic and  social destruction of the European Union.

And faced with these results  I have a very simple reaction:

The EU condemns all forms  of torture and ill-treatment.

Please don't act hypocritically as if  the USA was the biggest culprit on earth.

We also need to see that this was  a consequence of terrorist acts.

These are our citizens, EU citizens.  They are languishing in prison.

They have been tortured repeatedly.  We want them back.

The magnitude of the crimes requires us  to show imagination and legal daring.

The winner is 'Ida' by Pawel Pawlikowski.

Everything was a challenge. We didn't have  enough money, the weather was a disaster.

The DOP dropped out  on the first day of filming.

There were so many disasters  that at some point my editor said,

'There are so many disasters  it may be an interesting film.'

There have been films in Poland  made on the subject of Holocaust,

the settling of accounts,  critical of Polish attitudes, you know...

I am not that kind of filmmaker. I tried  to make a film about universal things,

about guilt, weakness, also forgiveness,

about paradoxes of the human soul  and of historical situations.