Volkswagen, the German car manufacturer, has acknowledged that many millions of its cars sold worldwide have been specially equipped to trick emission tests, so as to appear less polluting.

Long before VW’s emissions test-cheating software was revealed, MEPs repeatedly urged that car emissions testing should take account of real-world driving conditions, so as to end obvious discrepancies between official and real consumption and emissions figures.

Car emissions - 8th parliamentary term

Mark Zuckerberg,&nbsp; Chief Executive Officer of Facebook meets President Tajani and the political group chairpersons in the European Parliament in Brussels.

He&nbsp;attends the Conference of Presidents of the Political Groups of the European Parliament. The meeting includes the participation of the President and Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.

Meeting with Mark Zuckerberg at the European Parliament

The 35th Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly takes place from 18 to 20 June 2018 in Brussels.

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The EU has a special partnership with the ACP countries due to historic ties between them and many EU member states. This partnership is laid down in the Cotonou agreement. It is vital that this partnership has a parliamentary dimension, allowing for the scrutiny of the governmental and executive dimension. Therefore parliamentary representatives of the 78 ACP countries and 78 Members of the European Parliament meet twice a year in Joint Parliamentary Assembly, once in the EU country holding the EU Council presidency and once in a country determined by the ACP. Apart from the full plenary sessions there are regular committee and Bureau (presidium meetings).

35th ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary assembly

EU rules ensure a minimum level of protection for passengers, irrespective of the mode of transport: flight, train, bus, coach or ship.

EU rail passenger rights rules have been in force since 2009. The EP’s Committee on Transport and Tourism responsible for the file, adopted its rapport on 9 October 2018. The report is due to be discussed in plenary during November 2018. Update of existing rules which aim to improve provision of information about passenger rights, clear deadlines and procedures for complaint handling, uniform application of the rules: long distance domestic and cross-border urban, suburban and regional services can no longer be exempted from the application of passenger rights rules.

In 2014, MEPs proposed new rules to improve air passenger rights. The new regulation is currently being discussed in the Council.

Passenger rights - 8th parliamentary term

The Drinking Water Directive sets quality standards for drinking water and requires that Member States ensure monitoring and compliance with these standards.

The plans aim to increase citizens’ confidence in the water supply and increase the use of tap water for drinking, which could contribute to reducing plastic usage and litter.

According to the European Commission, lower consumption of bottled water could help EU households save more than €600 million per year. If confidence in tap water improves, citizens can also contribute to reducing plastic waste from bottled water, including marine litter. Plastic bottles are one of the most common single use plastic items found on European beaches. With the update of the Drinking Water Directive, the Commission takes an important legislative step towards implementing the EU Plastics Strategy presented on 16 January 2018.

Water quality - 8th parliamentary term

For decades, the posting of workers has been a prominent topic of the public and political debate.

However, in the last few years, several factors have intensified the debate. Firstly, an increase in the number of postings, which has impacted heavily in specific labourintensive sectors. Secondly, there has been a growth in abusive and fraudulent practices such as letter-box companies or bogus self-employment. Thirdly, in view of the social policy provisions introduced into the European Treaties since the Lisbon Treaty revision, it is questionable whether the 1996 Posting of Workers Directive (PWD) provides a sufficient legal instrument for ensuring a level-playing field for free cross-border service provision whilst at the same time delivering a sufficient foundation for the social protection of workers. Fourthly, numerous rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union have raised as yet unsolved questions for interpreting the 1996 Directive.

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Posted workers - 8th parliamentary term

Multiple studies have measured the effects of the single market on the EU economy. Quantifications of the benefits vary, but are overwhelmingly positive. A 2019 study suggested that EU citizens' per capita welfare gains from the single market amount to €840 annually. Also in 2019, the European Commission estimated that, mainly due to the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade, EU GDP is 8-9% higher than if the single market did not exist.

Single market - 8th parliamentary term

The Annual Report describes the tasks and activities of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and reports on the Eurosystem’s monetary policy.

It is usually published in April of the following year and is presented by one of the ECB’s Executive Board members to the European Parliament at a public hearing.

The Annual Report includes the Annual Accounts of the ECB. These are also published as a separate document several weeks before the Annual Report.

European Central Bank annual report - 8th parliamentary term

The EU is under growing pressure from disinformation by countries, non-state actors and terrorist groups which promote violence and use pseudo-news agencies and internet trolls to challenge democratic values and divide Europe.

The EU has been increasingly hit by destabilising messagesamounting – in different forms and to different degrees – to coherent hostile ‘strategic communications’ campaigns, or the processes of infusing communications activities with an agenda or plan to impact the behaviour of a target audience.

Anti-EU propaganda - 8th Parliamentary term

The setting-up of a European Solidarity Corps has been agreed by European Parliament and European Council negotiators in June 2018.

It aims to be the EU's main entry-point for young people wanting to volunteer or work on projects to benefit communities and people across Europe.

The purpose is to give young people the opportunity to acquire valuable competences for personal, social, civic and professional development, including learning and training, while helping other people.

Projects include education, health, environment protection, work with children and elderly people as well as with migrants and asylum seekers with priority given to charitable work.

European Solidarity Corps - 8th parliamentary term

Geo-blocking and other geographically-based restrictions undermine online shopping and cross-border sales. Proposed in May 2016 as part of the Digital Single Market, the Regulation to end unjustified geoblocking was identified as a legislative priority for 2017.

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For citizens this means they will be able to buy their new electrical goods online, rent a car or get their concert tickets across borders the same as they do at home. It will ensure that they no longer face barriers such as being asked to pay with a debit or credit card issued in another country. For businesses, this means more legal certainty to operate cross-border.

Geo-blocking - 8th parliamentary term

Recent tests on branded food in three 'new' EU Member States have shown that the taste and composition of these products, sold under the same name and in the same packaging, sometimes differ from the 'same' products sold in neighbouring 'old' Member States.

Companies are known to change the composition of their branded products to adjust to local taste, local ingredients, divergent purchasing power, etc. EU legislation does not consider this to be misleading, as long as the products are safe, properly labelled and not falsely advertised as being identical to those sold in another Member State.

Dual quality of products - 8th parliamentary term

The ECB President takes part in a regular monetary dialogue with Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central institution of the Economic and Monetary Union and has been responsible for conducting monetary policy for the euro area since 1 January 1999. The ECB and the national central banks of all EU Member States constitute the European System of Central Banks.

Mario Draghi, ECB President, reports to the European Parliament on monetary issues in a quaterly Monetary dialogue.&nbsp;

Monetary dialogue - 8th parliamentary term

In line with the EU economic governance framework, Economic dialogues between the President of the Eurogroup and the European Parliament take place twice a year, at the beginning of the year and in the autumn.

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Mário Centeno, President of the Eurogroup, has been invited to a regular Economic Dialogue, in particular, in accordance with Article 2ab of Regulation 1466/97 as amended. This briefing provides an overview of the ongoing work of the Eurogroup as regards public finances, macro-economic imbalances, financial adjustment programmes and the banking union. Mário Centeno has been the Eurogroup President since January 2018. As the President of the Eurogroup, he is also chairing the Board of Governors of the European Stability Mechanism.

Economic dialogue - 8th Parliamentary term

The Treaty of Lisbon has enhanced the importance of health policy, stipulating that ‘a high level of human health protection shall be ensured in the definition and implementation of all Community policies and activities’. This objective is to be achieved through Community support to Member States and by fostering cooperation. 
Primary responsibility for health protection and, in particular, the healthcare systems continues to lie with the Member States. However, the EU has an important role to play in improving public health, preventing and managing diseases, mitigating sources of danger to human health, and harmonising health strategies between Member States. The EU has successfully implemented a comprehensive policy, through the Health Strategy ‘Health for Growth’ and its action programme (2014-2020) and a body of secondary legislation.

Healthcare safety - 8th Parliamentary term

Recent developments in Hungary have led to a serious deterioration in the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights which is testing the EU’s ability to defend its founding values.

Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union provides a mechanism to enforce EU values. Under Article 7(1), the Council may determine that there is a clear risk of a serious breach of EU values by a Member State and is intended to prevent an actual breach by addressing specific recommendations to the Member State in question. This can be triggered by one third of Member States, by Parliament or by the Commission. The Council has to adopt a decision by a four-fifths majority after having received Parliament's consent which also requires a two-thirds majority of the votes cast and an absolute majority of MEPs.

Rule of law in Hungary - 8th parliamentary term

Aerial view of the European Parliament in Brussels

Aerial view of the European Parliament in BrusselsAerial view of the European Parliament in Brussels

Delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee

Delegation to the EU-Chile Joint Parliamentary Committee

Euronest Parliamentary Assembly standing Committees - Joint meeting of ECON and SOC

DEPA

Euronest Parliamentary Assembly standing Committees - Joint meeting of POL and ENER

Delegation to the EU-Mexico Joint Parliamentary Committee

Ambassadors Conference 2023 - Keynote speech by Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament

Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee

Press conference by Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Siegfried MUREȘAN and Nils UŠAKOVS, co-rapporteurs on Outcome of the vote on Parliament's position on the 2024 EU budget

Press statements by Isaac HERZOG, President of Israel, Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the European Commission and Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament

Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly

DLAT

Press conference by Roberta METSOLA, EP President ,Jan OLBRYCHT, Margarida MARQUES,  MFF co-rapporteur on the Reform of the EU's long-term budget MFF: outcome of the vote on Parliament's interim repor

Press conference by Sabine VERHEYEN, lead rapporteur, Ramona STRUGARIU opinion rapporteur (LIBE) on European Media Freedom act - Parliament’s position

Delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries and the Arab Maghreb Union, including the EU-Morocco, EU-Tunisia and EU-Algeria Joint Parliamentary Committees

DMAG

Press conference by Guy VERHOFSTADT, Sven SIMON, Gabriele BISCHOFF, Daniel FREUND, Helmut SCHOLZ, co-rapporteurs on proposals of the European Parliament for the amendment of the Treaties

Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly

DACP

Press conference by Raphaël GLUCKSMANN, ING2 Committee Chair, Vladimír BILČÍK and Nathalie LOISEAU co-rapporteurs on proposals how to improve Parliament’s transparency, integrity and accountability

Civil society organisations meet with the European Parliament’s 2023 Sakharov Prize laureate and finalists - Discussion with the human rights activists

Civil society organisations meet with the European Parliament’s 2023 Sakharov Prize laureate and finalists - Discussion withfinalists -  Colleen McNicholas (US)

Civil society organisations meet with the European Parliament’s 2023 Sakharov Prize laureate and finalists - Discussion with finalists -  Monseñor Rolando Álvarez and Vilma Nuñez de Escorcia represented by Padre Uriel Vallejos and Sara Henríquez

Civil society organisations meet with the European Parliament’s 2023 Sakharov Prize laureate and finalists - Human rights as a pillar in the upcoming European elections

Civil society organisations meet with the European Parliament’s 2023 Sakharov Prize laureate and finalists - Discussion laureates’  ‘’Jina Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life Freedom Movement in Iran’’  representatives and MEP Abir Al-Sahlani

European Parliament Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought - Interview

Quaestors family  photo

EP Plenary session - Commission statement - Parliament's call for the Right to Disconnect – 3 years after

Media Seminar - European Parliament Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought - Meeting with finalists

Media Seminar - European Parliament Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought - Meeting with laureates

Meeting of the European Parliament's Bureau

27th meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee EU-Chile

14th European Union - West Nordic Council Inter-parliamentary Meeting

14th European Union - West Nordic Council Inter-parliamentary Meeting - Exchange of views with Clara GANSLANDT, Special Envoy for Arctic Matters

EP Conference of Presidents meets the upcoming Belgian Presidency - Family Photo with the Belgian Federal Parliament

Connecting with the European Parliament is easy!    
 
Not only can you contact your MEPs or visit Parliament’s buildings in Strasbourg or Brussels, Parliament's offices in the EU and beyond hold events and debates, support citizens’ networks and provide information keeping you up to date on how the EU works and how you can help shape its future! 

Find out more in our short explainer.

How can you connect with the European Parliament? - VT EE24

How can you connect with the European Parliament? -16:9 EE24

How can you connect with the European Parliament? - 4-5 EE24

Sophie IN 'T VELD (Renew, NL), rapporteur , speaks to the press on Parliament's report on the Commission’s 2023 Rule of Law report. This transcription is the result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Press conference by Sophie IN 'T VELD (Renew, NL), rapporteur on Parliament's report on the Commission’s 2023 Rule of Law report

European Parliament Stockshots 9th Parliamentary Term: Use your vote

European Parliament Stockshots 9th Parliamentary Term: Drone views - Buildings in Brussels by night

A 30-metre Ukrainian flag is deployed on the European Parliament’s esplanade in Brussels to commemorate 2 years anniversary of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

2 years anniversary of Russian aggression against Ukraine: unfurl of a 30-metre Ukrainian flag on the Esplanade of the European Parliament in Brussels

Ukrainian and EU flags are hoisted in front of the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg to commemorate 2 years anniversary of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

2 years anniversary of Russian aggression against Ukraine: Ukrainian and EU flags in front of the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg

Once elected, Members of the European Parliament have an important job to do. They are the eyes, ears and voices of Europeans in the Parliament. You vote for them, then they vote for you!

Sitting in parliamentary groups, a bit like parties in national parliaments, MEPs listen to people’s concerns, debate, consult with interested parties and vote on laws.

Find out more about the role of MEPs!

The role of Members of the European Parliament - VT EE24

The role of Members of the European Parliament - 4-5 EE24

The role of Members of the European Parliament  -16:9 EE24

The European Parliament, the only directly elected EU institution, is the beating heart of European democracy! 

It represents the interests of EU citizens.  

MEPs debate, amend and pass laws which have a direct impact on the lives of some 450 million Europeans.  

Find out more about how the European Parliament works!

How the European Parliament works -  VT EE24

How the European Parliament works -16:9 EE24

How the European Parliament works - 4-5 EE24

Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (D-RU) discuss following the death of Alexei NAVALNY, Sakharov Prize Laureate 2021. Questions and answers session by MEPs.

Death of Alexei NAVALNY, Sakharov Prize 2021: joint meeting of AFET Committee, Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee: MEPs Q&A

EP President Roberta METSOLA addresses to the Hellenic Parliament during her official visit to Athens (Greece). This footage shows extracts from from her meeting with the President of the Greek Parliament, Constantin TASSOULAS and of her speech with key remarks on the death of Alexei Navalny and the importance of the upcoming European elections (6-9 June 2024).

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Athens (Greece): extracts from arrival, meeting with Constantin TASSOULAS, President of the Hellenic Parliament and address to the Hellenic Parliament

Leading up to the European Parliament elections in June 2024, Metsola intends to tour all EU Member States, urging citizens to participate in the voting process. Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, delivers a speech during a joint meeting of the Committees for European Affairs, National Defense and Foreign Affairs, Cultural and Educational Affairs, and Equality, Youth and Human Rights, at the Plenary Hall of the Hellenic Parliament, during her official visit to Athens. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Speech by Roberta METSOLA, EP President at the Plenary Hall of the Hellenic Parliament

On the occasion of her official visit to Poland, EP President Roberta METSOLA meets with Szymon HOLOWNIA, President of the Polish Parliament (Sejm).

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Warsaw (Poland): extracts from the arrival at the Sejm (Polish Parliament) and meeting with Szymon HOLOWNIA, President of the Polish Parliament

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