Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, following Azerbaijan’s recent military seizure of the mountainous South Caucasus enclave. Azerbaijan’s latest offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh on 19 September saw Baku regain military control of the long-disputed region and has resulted in a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from their homes. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has also warned of ethnic cleansing in the area, despite Azeri public reassurances that any ethnic Armenians choosing to stay in Nagorno-Karabakh will be treated as equal citizens of Azerbaijan. The mountainous enclave, internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but governed by Armenian separatists for decades, has been the subject of a bloody military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan since the fall of the Soviet Union.&nbsp;

Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh

Hearing of Wopke HOEKSTRA 2023

Have a look at the 2021 and 2022&nbsp;stockshots with illustrative pre-edited broadcast quality video footage. These editable stockshots are clean (raw), with natural sound (no voice-over), produced to illustrate priority EU dossiers and parliamentary work. They are intended to help audiovisual media produce their own programs, for example, editing of news reports or documentaries.

Infoclips - Illustrative footage

On 24 February 2022,&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;began a&nbsp;military invasion&nbsp;of Ukraine, in a major escalation of the conflict that had begun in 2014. Shortly before, on 21 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent.&nbsp;

Since then, the EU and its international allies have rallied firmly behind the Kyiv government. This support has resulted in unprecedented levels of financial aid, assistance, weapons deliveries to Ukraine, sweeping sanctions against Moscow, and the granting of EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova.

On 1&nbsp;March&nbsp;the European Parliament held an extraordinary plenary session in Brussels to assess Russia’s military assault on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky&nbsp;and the Speaker of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (parliament) Ruslan Stefanchuk spoke live from Kiev.&nbsp;The European Parliament President Roberta Metsola was in Kyiv on 1 April&nbsp;to express the European Union´s support of&nbsp;the Ukrainian people and to condemn the Russian attack. On&nbsp;8 June&nbsp;Stefanchuk adressed Parliament in the Strasbourg hemicycle.

Following the atrocities carried out by Vladimir Putin’s regime against Ukrainian civilians, the European Parliament has&nbsp;recognised Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism in a resolution on November 2022.

On 9th February 2023, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy&nbsp;addressed the European Parliament during an extraordinary plenary session in Brussels.

Russian aggression against Ukraine

Refugee movements and migration are at the centre of global attention.&nbsp; The European Parliament is actively involved, in the adoption of new laws on irregular and regular immigration. It is a full co-legislator together with the Council representing member states on these matters since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009.

On the EU level &nbsp;the need for a speedy adoption of a comprehensive European pact on asylum and migration as well as challenges in member states.are discussed.

The situation in some countries, such as Italy –and particularly on the island of Lampedusa- became complicated again in 2023.

Following Parliament’s confirmation of its position on&nbsp;key proposals in April 2023, MEPs and member states have been involved in intense negotiations to achieve meaningful solidarity and to share the responsibility of managing migration more fairly. This is&nbsp;a top priority&nbsp;for the European Parliament, which aims to conclude the reform before the June 2024 European elections.&nbsp;

Migration

Maroš Šefčovič, currently a Commission Vice-President in charge of Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight, will be questioned by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety on 3 October after he was also assigned the role of Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, following Frans Timmermans’ resignation.

The committees on Industry, Research and Energy and on Transport and Tourism will participate in his hearing. The hearing&nbsp;will immediately be followed by in-camera meetings, in which the committees’ chairs and group representatives (coordinators) will evaluate Mr Šefčovič’s performance.

The Conference of Committee Chairs will then assess the outcome of the hearing&nbsp;and forward its conclusions to the Conference of Presidents. On 4 October, the latter will conduct the final evaluation and decide whether to close the hearings’ process and vote in plenary on Thursday 5 October.

Hearing of Maroš ŠEFČOVIČ 2023

The President of the European Central Bank (ECB) takes part four times a year in a monetary dialogue with Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) to report on monetary policy and answer question from MEPs.&nbsp;Although guaranteed independence under the Treaty, the ECB is accountable for its actions towards the European Parliament, and more precisely the ECON Committee.

The European Central Bank 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.

Monetary dialogue

A formal sitting is&nbsp;held to mark an official visit to the European Parliament, made at the President’s invitation after consulting with the Conference of Presidents.

The official guest is seated to the right of the President on the podium. After the welcoming remarks by the President, the official guest addresses the&nbsp; Parliament from the central rostrum in the Chamber.

The address for a formal sitting of Parliament&nbsp;usually lasts 30 minutes and generally takes place before the voting session.

On Wednesday 4 October 2023 at 11.30, Petr Pavel, President of the Czech Republic, will address MEPs in a formal sitting. Following his visit to the EU institutions in April 2023 - one of his first foreign trips after his election - President Pavel is expected to focus on the need to strengthen the European Union in a time of crisis and to call for a strong position against Russia and for peace in Ukraine - on Ukrainian terms.

Formal Sittings

In the annual State of the European Union debate, MEPs quizzed President von der Leyen on the Commission’s work in the past and its plans until the June 2024 elections.



Opening the debate, EP President, Roberta Metsola&nbsp;said: “The European Union today is stronger, and more united than ever before. The world is changing and Europe must adapt and change with it too. We must keep striving to make our Europe a place of equality of opportunity, of access, of prosperity - where everyone can reach their potential. We must keep reforming. We should always keep people’s concerns at the centre of all our actions.“



Commission President von der Leyen said that the EU has undergone a substantial transformation since she first presented her programme in 2019, adding: ”We have delivered over 90% of the political guidelines I presented” back then. 



On the Green Deal, the decarbonisation of Europe’s industry while maintaining its competitiveness, she announced an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles. ”We must defend ourselves against unfair practices” she said. 



President von der Leyen stressed the importance of a fair transition for farmers, families and industry and that “Europe will do ’whatever it takes’ to keep its competitive edge.” She announced a competitiveness check by an independent board for every new legislation.



With regard to Artificial Intelligence, Ms von der Leyen said that AI will improve healthcare, boost productivity and help to address climate change. The Commission’s “number one priority is to ensure AI develops in a human-centric, transparent and responsible way” she said, also calling for an international panel of experts similar to the IPCC on climate change to steer its development. 



On Ukraine, she announced that the Commission will propose the extension of the EU’s temporary protection to Ukrainians and an additional 50 billion euros over four years for investment and reforms. “Our support to Ukraine will endure.” 



The Commission President also referred to the rule of law, enlargement, migration, EU-Africa relations, the Global Gateway initiative, climate change, food security, and an upcoming Social Partner Summit.

State of the European Union 2023

MEPs elected Roberta Metsola (EPP, MT) on January 2022 as President of the European Parliament until 2024.

Roberta Metsola won the election in the first voting round, where she received an absolute majority of 458 votes out of 690 cast in the remote secret vote, among three candidates.&nbsp;

President Metsola is leading the Parliament in the second half of the current legislative term, until a new Parliament is constituted following the 2024 European Elections.

Born in Malta in 1979,&nbsp; Roberta Metsola who has been an MEP since 2013, is the youngest EP President ever elected. She became First Vice-President in November 2020, and was Parliament’s acting President after President Sassoli passed away on 11 January.

She is the third female President of the European Parliament, after Simone Veil (1979-1982) and Nicole Fontaine (1999- 2002).

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament

Czechia&nbsp;has been an EU member country since 1st May 2004 and&nbsp;is a parliamentary republic with a head of government - the Prime Minister - and a head of state - the President. The country was formed in 1993, after Czechoslovakia was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. There are 21 members of the European Parliament from Czechia.

EU - Czechia

The EU and China are two of the biggest traders in the world, with China being the EU's second trading partner.&nbsp; The EU-China Human Rights Dialogue was launched in 1995.&nbsp;Parliament strongly condemns the Chinese government-led system of forced labour – in particular the exploitation of Uyghur, ethnic Kazakh and Kyrgyz, and other Muslim minority groups – in factories within and outside internment camps in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Over the past year, EU-China bilateral relations have deteriorated, notably related to a growing number of irritants (i.e., China’s counter-measures to EU sanctions on human rights, economic coercion and trade measures against the single market, and China’s positioning on the war in Ukraine).

During his recent visit to China, Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis told his counterparts that “competition must be fair” and urged Beijing to address the lack of reciprocity in economic relations, as the EU’s trade deficit with China in 2022 reached almost 400 billion euro. Mr Dombrovskis said that the EU and China are at a significant political and economic crossroads, and warned that China’s stance on the war in Ukraine could jeopardise its relationship with the EU.

His visit came after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced during her State of the European Union address that the Commission would launch a probe into whether China's electric vehicle industry is receiving unfair subsidies

EU - China

There have been five multiannual financial frameworks (MFFs) to date. The Treaty of Lisbon transformed the MFF from an interinstitutional agreement into a legally binding act.

Established for a period of at least five years, an MFF must ensure that the Union’s expenditure develops in an orderly manner and within the limits of its own resources, and sets out provisions with which the annual budget of the Union must comply, thus laying down the cornerstone of financial discipline.

EU Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 - 8th Parliamentary term

The European Parliament has repeatedly advocated press freedom and media pluralism in the EU and abroad.&nbsp;

World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference. Since then, 3 May, the anniversary of the&nbsp;Declaration of Windhoek&nbsp;is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day.

Already in 2018 the EP adopted a resolution on media pluralism and media freedom in the EU, noting the political developments in various members states, that have led to increased pressures on and threats against journalists.&nbsp; The European Parliament has also&nbsp;launched the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism.&nbsp;

The prize commends outstanding journalism revolving around the principles and values of the European Union. On the field of legislation, Parliament wants to reinforce protection of journalists and activists in the EU against unfounded and abusive lawsuits aimed to silence them.&nbsp;

Parliament wants also the&nbsp;European Media Freedom Act, to oblige member states to ensure media plurality and protect media independence from governmental, political, economic, or private interference. MEPs are pushing for a ban on all forms of interference in the editorial decisions of media service providers and want to prevent external pressure being exerted on journalists, such as forcing them to disclose their sources, accessing encrypted content on their devices, or targeting them with spyware.

Press freedom

Spain holds the presidency of the Council of the EU for the fifth time since 1 st of July.&nbsp;The motto: 'Europe, closer' highlights Spain's commitment to advancing in European unity, bringing citizens closer to the decisions present in our day-to-day lives.

Spain has identified four priorities for the work under its presidency of the Council: reindustrialise&nbsp;the EU, advance in the&nbsp;green transition, promote&nbsp;social and economic justice and strengthen&nbsp;European unity.

The presidency of the Council rotates among the EU member states every 6 months. During this 6-month period, the presidency chairs meetings at every level in the Council, helping to ensure the continuity of the EU's work in the Council.&nbsp;

Spanish Presidency

The United Nations defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life."

The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women, also known as the Istanbul Convention, is the first legally binding international instrument on this issue. It establishes a comprehensive framework of measures for preventing such violence, supporting victims and punishing perpetrators.&nbsp;

MEPs have voted during May 2023 plenary to approve the European Union’s accession to the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women, concluding Parliament’s role in the process. Six years after the EU signed the Istanbul Convention - it has still not been ratified because of the refusal of a few member states, despite&nbsp;Parliament’s multiple calls to this end.

However, the EU&nbsp;Court of Justice’s opinion of 6 October 2021&nbsp;confirmed that the European Union can ratify the Istanbul Convention without having the agreement of all member states. The Court found that the appropriate scope for the EU’s accession is asylum, judicial cooperation in criminal matters, and obligations of the EU institutions and public administration.

The EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention does not exempt member states from ratifying it themselves, MEPs have repeatedly said, urging the remaining six countries - Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia - to ratify the Convention without delay, so that it can protect women to the full extent of the Convention’s intended scope

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