Content about European Parliament

Last week, on Europe Day, when the eurocrats and the hangers on mark the glory of our eternal, precious union, Herman Van Rompuy announced that the financial crisis was essentially over and everyone would be back in growth by the end of the year.

I said at the time that history has not been kind to European leaders who say ‘it’ll all be over by Christmas’. It only took a few days for history to slap the Council President in the face, although there is no sign that reality has in any way impacted on our Chief Monk. 

New Europe reported today that President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz was in Athens meeting with key political figures and talking and listening to Greeks.  After doing so, he had an epiphanic moment. 

He tweeted: "It's a scandal that the poor are paying off the State's debt while many very rich channel their money out of the country!"

Thank you for the insight Mr. President.

Success, they say has many fathers and Vint Cerf, can certainly be described as one of the fathers of the internet and he called in the European Parliament to explain how the internet today is full and yet is only a tiny fraction of the size it will be once his new protocols for moving data between computers is fully implemented. More than that, he looked at some of the new opportunities this will offer.

Albania’s application for membership to the European Union on 28 April 2009 was an important landmark for a country that 20 years ago had emerged from a communist rule as one of the poorest, most isolated, most repressive and most inscrutable in Europe.

As the doomsayers circle the Council and their deliberations over Greece, something a little different was happening in the parliament. Dr Jane Goodall was honouring schoolkids who had undertaken a wide range of projects, serving other people and the animal kingdom through her Roots and Shoots programme.

A group of nine deputies of the European Parliament headed by Paulo Bertalochi recently paid a visit to Dushanbe to attend the second session of the Committee for Interparliamentary Cooperation between European Union and Tajikistan, Asia-Plus quoted the Lower Chamber of Tajikistan’s Parliament as saying. The deputies met with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, speaker of the Majlisi Namoyandagon of the Majlisi Oli Shukurjon Zuhurov. They discussed further expansion of inter-parliamentary relations. 

The European Parliament, specifically the Industry Research and Energy Committee, has launched a debate on the industrial and energy aspects of shale gas. It has been recorded that Poland views shale gas as an opportunity for more energy diversity as well as energy security – especially in terms of reducing dependency on third country gas imports.

“The only communication media that has a popular mission is the radio”, a senior said on 9 May at the European Parliament. “The radio is the media par excellence of the civil society and citizens can listen to it in an anonymous way”, he added.

Emmanuel Boutterin, vice president of AMARC International, defended in the debate “Communication Rights in the Digital Spectrum” the necessity of the community radios to ensure plurality and diversity in the media.

The European Parliament voted on 10 May to protect European breeders from excessive patent protection, which could have negative effects on innovation and development.

Romania must be allowed to fulfill its obligation and become a member of the eU free-movement Schengen area, the President of the European Parliament has said.

Speaking alongside new Romanian Prime Minister, Victor Ponta, Martn Schulz said that other EU member states cannot keep Romania out of Schengen. The European Parliament's position is that Romania has fulfilled its criteria, and should be allowed to join the Schengen area. Romania has this right".

This was a 180-degree turn from the previous stance taken by MEPs and the European Commission, but recently, Baltic producers have been closely cooperating with MEPs which could have brought this change.

Trialoge talks will begin between the Institutions and the Baltic states are positive about the outcome.

BRUSSELS – Rarely has an election resonated so widely across the European Union as the French presidential ballot has done. Rarely has a leadership change in one EU member state created expectations of a real policy shift.