International law imposes an obligation to render assistance to persons and ships in distress at sea, which must be provided regardless of the persons' nationality or status or the circumstances in which they are found. Nevertheless, over the last couple of years, the Mediterranean Sea has been the backdrop for the largest number of casualties and missing people. One solution, proposed by academics, could be the harmonisation of the fragmented legal regime for maritime interceptions.

EPRS podcast policy - Search and rescue in the Mediterranean

Frans Timmermans, born on 6 May 1961 in Maastricht, is a Dutch politician. Timmermans is Executive Vice-President and Commissioner designate for European Green Deal.

After the hearing by the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) of the European Parliament, the committee prepares an evaluation letter on the candidate. Parliament is expected to vote on the new Commission as a whole on 23 October.

Hearing of Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President-designate

Valdis Dombrovskis, born on 5 August 1971 in Riga, is a Latvian politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2009. Dombrovskis is Executive Vice-President-Commissioner designate for&nbsp;An Economy that Works for People

After the hearing by the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) and the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) of the European Parliament, the committees prepare an evaluation letter on the candidate. Parliament is expected to vote on the new Commission as a whole on 23 October.

Hearing of Valdis DOMBROVSKIS, Executive Vice-President-designate

On 5 April Ursula von der Leyen announced in the European Parliament that EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn had&nbsp;informed the Hungarian authorities about the Commission’s plans to “move on to the next step” and formally “launch the <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220304IPR24802/rule-of-law-conditionality-commission-must-immediately-initiate-proceedings" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">rule of law conditionality mechanism</a>” to protect the EU budget, mainly over corruption concerns.

Rule of law is laid down in the EU treaties as one of the values on which the Union is based. It means that governments should be bound by law&nbsp;not to take arbitrary decisions, and that citizens should be able to challenge their actions in independent courts.

It also enshrines the fight against corruption, which unfairly favours some to the detriment of others, and the safeguarding of media freedom, thus ensuring that the public is properly informed about the work of government.

The EU has existing tools at its disposal to protect the rule of law. In&nbsp;September 2020, the European Commission published the first annual rule of law&nbsp;report monitoring both positive and negative developments with regard to the rule of law in all member states. In July 2021 the second edition of the report was published.

There is also&nbsp;dialogue on the rule of law in the Council.

If the Commission deems that a member state is violating EU law, it can start infringement proceedings that may lead to financial sanctions determined by the European Court of Justice. Another procedure, under Article 7 of the Treaty of the European Union, allows the Council to make recommendations or decide by unanimity on sanctions against a member state, including the suspension of membership rights.&nbsp;MEPs have argued that existing tools are insufficient.

​Under the new regulation, effective from January 2021, EU budget payments can be witheld from countries where established breaches of the rule of law compromise management of EU funds. At the same time, the EU ensures that final beneficiaries do not end up paying the bill.

Rule of law

EU leaders met&nbsp;for a European Council summit on 23-24 March 2023. The main items on the agenda were&nbsp;the ongoing war in Ukraine, the competitive of the European single market and the economy, as well as energy prices and logistics.

In the conclusions the leaders stated that the European Union stands firmly and fully with Ukraine and will continue to provide strong political, economic, military, financial and humanitarian support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes.

The European Union and Member States are increasing their efforts to help meet Ukraine’s pressing military and defence needs. The European Council welcomed&nbsp;the agreement in the Council to urgently deliver ground-to-ground and artillery ammunition to Ukraine and, if requested, missiles, including through joint procurement and the mobilisation of appropriate funding including through the European Peace Facility.

“We need to strengthen our solidarity with Ukraine, and boost Europe’s investments and competitiveness”, said&nbsp;&nbsp;European Parliament President Roberta Metsola at the European Council.&nbsp;Peace must remain the ultimate goal and the EU is uniquely placed to help that. But in order for there to be peace there must be a Ukraine. And there will not be without our support.”, she added.

European Council, 23-24 March 2023

The Republic of Ireland covers five-sixths of the island of Ireland. The north-eastern part of the island is Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom. There are 11 members of the European Parliament from Ireland.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;plenary is&nbsp;commemorating&nbsp;the 25th anniversary of the Northern Ireland peace agreement on 29 March.&nbsp;&nbsp;Presidents Metsola, Michel and von der Leyen will take the floor, followed by a round of political groups interventions.

EU - Ireland

Dubravka Suica, born on 20 May 1957 in Dubrovnik, is a Croatian politician who has been a member of the European Parliament since 2013.

After the hearing by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) of the European Parliament, the committee prepares an evaluation letter on the candidate. Parliament is expected to vote on the new Commission as a whole on 23 October.

Hearing of Dubravka ŠUICA, Vice-President-designate, Democracy and Demograp

Full gender equality is far from being achieved, and this has implications for the lives and life chances of individual women, girls, boys and men, the communities they live in and the EU as a whole. The European Parliament has consistently taken a strong, proactive stance on advancing gender equality, stressing the need to deliver on EU commitments.

The EP´s Committee of Women´s rights and Gender equality (FEMM) is in the heart of these discussions.

Options for further EU involvement could include better implementation and enforcement of existing legislation, moves to modernise it, fill gaps in protection and address emerging issues, and non-legislative measures such as data collection and monitoring, awareness-raising, and support for national and grassroots initiatives.

Promoting equal economic independence for women and men, closing the gender pay gap, advancing gender balance in decision making, ending gender based violence and promoting gender equality beyond the EU are the concrete areas of interest for the EU.

Gender balance

The GFA, also known as the Belfast Agreement, was signed on 10 April 1998 by the British and Irish governments, and confirmed by referendums in Ireland and Northern Ireland in May the same year. The agreement established devolved political power-sharing structures for the nationalist and unionist communities in Northern Ireland, and brought the 30-year period of violent conflict in Northern Ireland, known as The Troubles, to an end.

On Wednesday, Presidents Metsola, Michel and von der Leyen&nbsp;participated in a ceremony in plenary to mark the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) and address MEPs, followed by one round of interventions from political group speakers.

25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement

Sylvie Goulard, born on 6 December 1964 in Marseille, is a French politician.

After the hearing by the Committees on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) of the European Parliament, the committees prepare an evaluation letter on the candidate. Parliament is expected to vote on the new Commission as a whole on 23 October.

Hearing of Sylvie GOULARD, Commissioner-designate, Internal Market

On 6 April, during the plenary session, MEPs assessed the application of asylum rules in the EU and the allegations of breaches of the right to asylum and non-refoulement. MEPs referred to reports of pushbacks at different EU borders such as the Greek-Turkish border and the Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish borders with Belarus. Besides insisting on the need to guarantee decent reception conditions for people seeking international protection in the EU, they called&nbsp;for the principle of international law in Article 33 of the Geneva Convention, which prohibits the return of refugees to countries where their lives may be threatened, to be respected.

Europe has a duty to respect the need for international protectoin of people in need, in accordance with the Geneva Convention. The EU has put in place a Common European Asylum System in 2013. It sets minimum standards for the treatment of all asylum seekers and applications across the EU.

The migration crisis highlighted the&nbsp;need to reform&nbsp;EU asylum rules.Under current rules, asylum seekers are not treated uniformly across the EU and the proportion of positive asylum decisions in different countries also varies greatly. As a result of this asylum seekers travel around Europe and apply for asylum in the countries where they believe they will have a higher chance of receiving international protection.

As part of a more general reform of EU migration and asylum rules, on 23 September 2020 the European Commission proposed a&nbsp;new pact on migration and asylum. The proposal provides for a comprehensive common European framework for migration and asylum management, including several legislative proposals.&nbsp;

There are also previous legislative proposals from 2016 that have not been affected by the new Commission's proposal, and on which progress has already been achieved.

Concerning the budget, in July the European Parliament adopted two funds for asylum and border policies- the&nbsp;&nbsp;Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (€9.88 billion) and the&nbsp;Integrated Border Management Fund (€6.24 billion) -&nbsp;intended to strenghten EU´s common asylum policy, develop legal migration, fight&nbsp;against irregular&nbsp;migration&nbsp;and&nbsp;strengthen EU&nbsp;external border management.

Asylum

Since the beginning of the pandemic COVID-19, the EU has developed a wide range of health policy responses, exemplified by the common approach to vaccines through the EU Vaccines Strategy and initiatives across a range of other policies.

A common approach to assessing infection rates in different regions made testing and quarantining much more consistent. EU Digital COVID Certificates were agreed on and implemented in record time, paving the way for the safe resumption of tourism and travel during summer, and beyond.

At the same time, the EU took decisive action to tackle the economic fallout of the pandemic with funds and special economic aid for&nbsp;Member states, entreprises and citizens.

The EU Health Union is underway with&nbsp;reinforcing the mandates of the European Medicines Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, addressing cross-border threats to health and creating a future-proof EU pharmaceutical policy. MEPs obtained better support for the EU4Health programme in the 2022 EU budget, with an additional €51 million to build up a strong Health Union and to make national health systems more resilient.

Effective coordination of national measures as well as solidarity among member states together with the importance of&nbsp;making national health systems more sustainable and resilient are the main challenges of the EU, learned from&nbsp;the&nbsp;COVID-19 pandemic.

EU's response to COVID-19

The Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) have two main goals: to create a safer digital space in which the fundamental rights of all users of digital services are protected and to establish a level playing field to foster innovation, growth, and competitiveness, both in the European Single Market and globally.

The&nbsp;Digital Services Act (DSA)&nbsp;aims to create a safer digital space in which users rights are protected, including rules to tackle illegal content online, enhance the accountability and transparency of algorithms, and dealing with content moderation and targeted advertising.

Digital Markets Act&nbsp; (DMA) sets rules on what big online platforms will be allowed to do and not do in the EU. It&nbsp;blacklists certain practices of large platforms acting as “gatekeepers” and enables the Commission to carry out market investigations and sanction non-compliant behaviour.

Digital Services and Digital Markets Act

Josep Borrell Fontelles, born on 24 April 1947 in La Pobla de Segur, is a Spanish politician. He was Member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2009 and President of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2007. Borrell is High Representative/Vice-President designate for foreign affairs and security policy.

After the hearing by the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) of the European Parliament, the committee prepares an evaluation letter on the candidate.

Hearing of Josep BORRELL, EU´s High Representative

Vĕra Jourova, born on 18 August 1964 in Třebíč, is a Czech politician and lawyer.

After the hearing by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of the European Parliament, the committees prepare an evaluation letter on the candidate. Parliament is expected to vote on the new Commission as a whole on 23 October.

Hearing of Věra JOUROVÁ, Vice-President-designate, Values and Transparency

Thierry Breton, born on 15 January 1955 in Paris, is a French businessman and former Finance Minister.

After the hearing by the Committees on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) of the European Parliament, the committees prepare an evaluation letter on the candidate.

Hearing of Thierry BRETON, Commissioner-designate, Internal Market

Mariya Gabriel, born on 20 May 1979 in Gotse Delchev, is a Bulgarian politician. She has been a European Commissioner since 2017.

After the hearing by the Committees on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and on Culture and Education (CULT) of the European Parliament, the committees prepare an evaluation letter on the candidate. Parliament is expected to vote on the new Commission as a whole on 23 October.

Hearing of Mariya GABRIEL, Commissioner-designate, Innovation and Youth

European Youth Event (EYE 2023).- Ambiance shots

European Youth Event (EYE 2023) - Press briefing on the EYE and One year ahead of the elections

European Youth Event (EYE 2023) - Workshops

European Youth Event (EYE 2023) - Ambiance shots

EYE2023 - Right(s) at the heart of Europe: Protecting EU values?

EYE2023 - European Year of Skills: Are we doing enough?

Press briefing on the EYE and One year ahead of the elections

EYE2023 - Jobs of tomorrow: Green, digital and hybrid?

Pre-session briefing

Together for democracy: EYE2023 opening plenary

Delegation for Relations with South Caucasus

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

Committee on Budgets

Women Political Leaders Summit 2023

One Year Ahead Event - Presentation of the EP Spring Eurobarometer data on public opinion toward the EU and the 2024 Elections.

Delegation for relations with Mercosur

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Committee on Foreign Affairs

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

From 2020 to 2022, the European Union has faced a public health threat with the COVID-19 pandemic. On 10 March 2022, the European Parliament established a new special committee on the COVID-19 pandemic, composed of 38 members. After more than a year of work, the final report is voted and presents its recommendations for the future, based on the lesson learned. This clip illustrates two years of pandemic through footages of lockdowns, testings, masks distributions, vaccinations, digital certificates but also comes back on the work of the COVI Committee with extracts of past meetings.

Memoclip: COVID-19 pandemic - lessons learned and recommendations for the future

Participants react to the first day of the European Youth Event. The EYE (European Youth Event) brings together at the European Parliament in Strasbourg and online thousands of young people from all over the European Union and the world, to share and shape their ideas on Europe’s future.

European Youth Event: voxpops by participants

Roberta METSOLA, EP President visits the European Youth Event following her opening address. Around 10,000 young people from the EU and beyond will meet in Strasbourg to discuss Europe’s future, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and upcoming European elections. President Metsola will open the European Youth Event 2023 (EYE2023).

European Youth Event (The EYE) with the participation of Roberta METSOLA, EP President: Extracts from the opening session and visit of the EYE village

Thousands of youth attend the European Youth Event (The EYE) in Strasbourg. The EYE brings together at the European Parliament, young people from all over the European Union and the world, to share and shape their ideas on Europe’s future. During the event, participants will take part in activities co-created with institutions, international organisations, civil society, youth organisations and participants themselves, offering a space for discussions and networking. Questions and answers with Roberta METSOLA, EP President.

European Youth Event (The EYE): questions and answers with Roberta METSOLA, EP President

Roberta METSOLA, EP President, addresses thousands of youth and gives her opening speech during the European Youth Event (The EYE), in Strasbourg. The EYE brings together at the European Parliament, young people from all over the European Union and the world, to share and shape their ideas on Europe’s future. During the event, participants will take part in activities co-created with institutions, international organisations, civil society, youth organisations and participants themselves, offering a space for discussions and networking. Opening statement by Roberta METSOLA, EP President. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

European Youth Event (The EYE): opening statement by Roberta METSOLA, EP President

Thousands of people aged 16 to 30 from across the EU take over the European Parliament in Strasbourg for the European Youth Event (EYE) to discuss and share ideas on how to shape the future of Europe. This stockshots show the atmosphere at the opening of the EYE village, the opening ceremony in the chamber and the atmosphere inside the European Parliament.

European Youth Event: atmosphere shots of the day

Mientras la UE avanza hacia emisiones netas cero de gas con efecto invernadero para 2050, el Parlamento Europeo quiere asegurarse de que nadie se quede atrás. Por eso los eurodiputados han aprobado un ambicioso Fondo Social para el Clima, destinado a apoyar a los hogares vulnerables, las pequeñas empresas y los usuarios de transportes. El fondo se financiará con el Régimen de comercio de derechos de emisión, que hace pagar a los grandes contaminadores por los daños que causan. Descubra cómo funcionará el fondo en nuestras preguntas y respuestas breves.

Transición energética: Un fondo para ayudar a los más vulnerables

Roberta METSOLA, EP President, addresses with a closing address the audience of the Women Political Leaders (WPL) Summit 2023 “Representation Matters”. Women Political Leaders (WPL) is the global network of women politicians. The mission of WPL is to increase both the number and the influence of women in political leadership positions. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Women Political Leaders (WPL) Summit 2023 “Representation Matters”: closing keynote speech by Roberta METSOLA, EP President

Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA, Leader of the Belarusian democratic opposition and head of the United Transitional Cabinet addresses the audience of the Women Political Leaders (WPL) Summit 2023 “Representation Matters”. Women Political Leaders (WPL) is the global network of women politicians. The mission of WPL is to increase both the number and the influence of women in political leadership positions. This transcription is a result of an automatic. Please check against delivery.

Women Political Leaders (WPL) Summit 2023 “Representation Matters”: closing keynote speech by Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA, Leader of the Belarusian democratic opposition

To begin the countdown to the next European Parliament elections, taking place 6-9 June 2024, Parliament publish a new public survey. The 2023 Spring Eurobarometer will focus on the support of citizens for democracy and their awareness of the elections as well as on their priorities and perception of the EU. Fieldwork 2-26/03/2023 – 26.376 Interviews – 27 EU Members States.

European Parliament Spring 2023 Eurobarometer - One year before the European Elections: graphics and figures

Roberta METSOLA, EP President, comments on the 2023 Spring Eurobarometer which focus on the support of citizens for democracy and their awareness of the elections as well as on their priorities and perception of the EU.

European Parliament Spring 2023 Eurobarometer - One year before the European Elections: statement by Roberta METSOLA, EP President

The European Parliament presents its Spring 2023 Eurobarometer survey showing citizens’ strong support for democracy and a high awareness of the upcoming European elections. One year ahead of the next European elections, public interest in these elections has measurably increased. A clear majority of citizens (56%) are interested in the next European elections, 6 points higher compared to 2018, one year before the last European elections. Around two thirds of respondents (67%) say they would be likely to vote if the European elections were held next week. A similar question was included in the EP Eurobarometer survey in April 2018, when 58% said they were likely to do so, indicating that citizens are currently more inclined to vote in the 2024 European elections than they were at a similar point in time before the 2019 elections. The transcript is the result of an automated process. Please check against delivery

One Year Ahead Event, European Parliament Spring 2023 Eurobarometer: One year before the European Elections

This Monetary Dialogue takes place in a still challenging environment, marked by uncertainty and inflationary pressures. While headline inflation has declined (to 7% in April) mostly due to the ongoing fall of energy prices, core inflation remains high and persistent, mostly driven by the rise in food and services prices. Since the last Monetary Dialogue in March, the ECB's Governing Council has continued on its monetary policy tightening path. The two specific topics of discussion as chosen by ECON (Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs) for this Dialogue are: 1) Interaction between price stability and financial stability; and 2) The effects of high inflation and monetary tightening on the real economy. Questions &amp; answers (part 3)

Monetary Dialogue with Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank: Questions &amp; answers (part 3)

This Monetary Dialogue takes place in a still challenging environment, marked by uncertainty and inflationary pressures. While headline inflation has declined (to 7% in April) mostly due to the ongoing fall of energy prices, core inflation remains high and persistent, mostly driven by the rise in food and services prices. Since the last Monetary Dialogue in March, the ECB's Governing Council has continued on its monetary policy tightening path. The two specific topics of discussion as chosen by ECON (Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs) for this Dialogue are: 1) Interaction between price stability and financial stability; and 2) The effects of high inflation and monetary tightening on the real economy. Questions &amp; answers (part 2)

Monetary Dialogue with Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank: Questions &amp; answers (part 2)

This Monetary Dialogue takes place in a still challenging environment, marked by uncertainty and inflationary pressures. While headline inflation has declined (to 7% in April) mostly due to the ongoing fall of energy prices, core inflation remains high and persistent, mostly driven by the rise in food and services prices. Since the last Monetary Dialogue in March, the ECB's Governing Council has continued on its monetary policy tightening path. The two specific topics of discussion as chosen by ECON (Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs) for this Dialogue are: the interaction between price stability and financial stability; and the effects of high inflation and monetary tightening on the real economy. Extracts from the dialogue.

Monetary Dialogue with Christine LAGARDE, President of the European Central Bank: extracts

This Monetary Dialogue takes place in a still challenging environment, marked by uncertainty and inflationary pressures. While headline inflation has declined (to 7% in April) mostly due to the ongoing fall of energy prices, core inflation remains high and persistent, mostly driven by the rise in food and services prices. Since the last Monetary Dialogue in March, the ECB's Governing Council has continued on its monetary policy tightening path. The two specific topics of discussion as chosen by ECON (Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs) for this Dialogue are: the interaction between price stability and financial stability; and The effects of high inflation and monetary tightening on the real economy. Opening statements by Irene TINAGLI (S&amp;D, IT), Chair of the ECON Committee and by Christine LAGARDE, President of the European Central Bank. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Monetary Dialogue with Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank: introduction by Irene TINAGLI (S&amp;D, IT), Chair of the ECON Committee and by Christine LAGARDE, President of the ECB

Ahead of the Monetary dialogue at the European Parliament in Brussels, Roberta METSOLA, EP President, meets with Christine LAGARDE, President of the European Central Bank (ECB) for an exchange of views. The footage shows images of the arrival, welcome and signature between the two presidents. Roberta METSOLA ( EP President), Christine LAGARDE (ECB President), in the presence of ECON Chair Irene TIGNALI, signed and exchanged letters endorsing the agreed working arrangements found between the ECON Committee and the European Central Bank.The agreement - adopted in plenary last week - aims to increase transparency and accountability of the European Central Bank vis-à-vis the Parliament.

Roberta METSOLA, EP President, meets with Christine LAGARDE, President of the European Central Bank (ECB): arrival, welcome

¿Qué es la "fuga de carbono" y cómo la abordará el Mecanismo de Ajuste en Frontera por Carbono? Las industrias de la UE se enfrentan a límites estrictos de las emisiones de CO2 que producen. Para eludir estas normas, las empresas pueden trasladar la producción a países no pertenecientes a la UE con normativas menos estrictas. El Parlamento Europeo ha aprobado nuevas normas para fomentar el comportamiento responsable de las empresas de la UE y desincentivar la importación de productos baratos con altas emisiones de carbono fabricados en países extracomunitarios. Encontrará más información en nuestras breves preguntas y respuestas.

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EPRS podcast policy - Search and rescue in the Mediterranean