The European Parliament wants to close the money supply for Turkey next year. The so-called pre-accession support of the EU should be reduced by EUR 147 million in 2019 due to political developments in the country, in addition to a 40% reduction proposed by the European Commission for the next two years.
The European Parliament wants to investigate whether a uniform European car sticker can be obtained for access to environmental zones in cities. This could put an end to the current tangle of access requirements for clean vehicles in European urban environmental zones. Only cars that comply with the most stringent European emission standards will receive the so-called Ultra Low Emission Vehicle label.
Frans Timmermans is very pleased with the very generous support of the European Parliament for his proposals to banish many plastic disposable products. 'A good result after all the struggles we have had, but we are not there yet', says the first vice-president of the European Commission against the ANP.
An annual opinion on the state of the rule of law and democracy in each of the EU countries will not be forthcoming for the time being. The European Parliament made an appeal two years ago at the request of D66 European Parliamentarian Sophie in 't Veld to set up such a review, but the European Commission and the member states are abolishing the boat, as it turned out in a debate in Strasbourg.
Everyone in Europe must have access to clean, safe and affordable tap water. Fountains on the streets and stricter standards for harmful substances must contribute to this. The European Parliament (300 to 98) gave its approval to plans that EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans unfolded in February. Catering companies are invited to serve free tap water.
Belgium must pay 1000 euro compensation to a woman after her access was refused to a lawsuit because she wore a headscarf (hijab). The Court of Human Rights ruled that this violates the freedom of religion.
To prevent companies or other countries from manipulating elections in Europe, the European Commission proposes new rules. 'We must protect our free and fair elections,' said President Jean-Claude Juncker.
The government must report to Brussels no later than March next year whether the Netherlands will switch to permanent summer or winter time in 2019. The European Commission is putting an end to the half-yearly clocking in the EU, said President Jean-Claude Juncker in his annual policy speech.
European legislation needs to be put in place to tackle the spread of terrorist messages via the internet. This video or audio fragment must be offline within an hour.
From our correspondent
The European Parliament votes in Strasbourg on whether to initiate the toughest criminal proceedings against Hungary. By invoking the so-called Article 7 of the EU Treaty, a Member State can ultimately be deprived of the right to vote in the Council of Ministers.
The conservative EPP group, the largest political family in the European Parliament, is all done with Hungary. This opens the way for sufficient support for a critical Hungary report. The country of Prime Minister Orbán would thus end up on the European criminal court.
Hungary systematically violates European values and this should no longer remain unpunished. The EU must therefore activate the most serious legal procedure, the so-called Article 7. This could lead to the suspension of voting rights in the EU of Hungary.
Tens of thousands of French people have taken to the streets in large cities on Saturday to demand measures against climate change. They gave heart to former Minister of the Environment, Nicolas Hulot, among other things. He recently stepped out of frustration about the failing government policy in this area.
The EU is deeply concerned about the health of the Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov, who is detained in Western Siberia and has been on a hunger strike since 14 May. In a press statement, the European Commission of Russia says 'to be expected' that the 42-year-old filmmaker receives appropriate medical treatment in a hospital.
Russia must immediately provide the detained Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov, who has been on hunger strike for more than two months, with appropriate medical treatment in a hospital. This 'urgent' appeal was made by the European Court of Human Rights on Wednesday. The judges in Strasbourg ask the 42-year-old filmmaker to eat again and accept a life-saving treatment.
Russia has to pay three members of Pussy Riot a compensation of thousands of euros. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that the rights of women have been repeatedly violated during their trial. The activists would also have been disproportionately severely punished.
The European Parliament has postponed a decision on the adaptation of copyright to the digital age. The proposal to oblige internet platforms such as YouTube and Facebook to filter out music or videos that users post, did not get a green light. When it comes to copyrighted material, they would have to pay the makers a fee, or get the content from the internet.
The Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has been heavily criticized in the European Parliament about the threatened rule of law in the country. Morawiecki defended his government just as fiercely. 'Every country has the right to form its own legal system.'
Imams who preach hate messages must come on a European blacklist, says a committee of the European Parliament. EU member states should systematically screen clergy and exchange information about them so that they stay on the radar when they cross the border.
Fourteen members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have been expelled because of corruption. The procedure committee of the meeting announced their names on Wednesday.
Of the 72 judges of the Polish Supreme Court, there will be a threat of 27 forced pensions in three weeks. Frans Timmermans is very worried about this and is going to Warsaw again on Monday to discuss the rule of law with the government. According to the Vice-President of the European Commission, he is in serious danger.
The scrapping of Strasbourg as a meeting place of the European Parliament is suddenly on the table again. Chancellor Merkel, not the least political weight, wants to try to put an end to the monthly relocation circus.
The meeting of US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was a 'crucial and necessary step' to build on the improved understanding between the two Koreas. The statement that both leaders drew gives a clear signal that the ultimate goal- making the peninsula nuclear weapon free- can be achieved.
A train with employees of the European Parliament and some MEPs has been delayed for hours on Monday because there was no power on the overhead line.
Romania and Lithuania must pay compensation for two terror suspects who have been tortured in a secret CIA prison on their territory. The European Court of Human Rights has determined that.
Measures must be taken against so-called 'gold visas' in the EU. The European Parliament wants rules to be put in place for the 'sale' of residence permits, visas and passports in a large number of Member States to wealthy foreigners who, in return, pay tons and sometimes millions.
The French police arrested two women in the investigation into the stabbing of last Saturday in Paris. They had contact with the French-Chechen offender of the stabbing and his friend who was arrested in Strasbourg.
The friend of Khamzat Azimov, who attacked people on the street with a knife and stabbed a victim in Paris on Saturday, remains in pre-trial detention, according to the Le Parisien newspaper. The 20-year-old Abdoul Hakim A. was arrested in Strasbourg, where the perpetrator also lived with his family for several years.
On Sunday, the French police detained a friend of the knife-puller who wound a passer-by and wounded others in Paris on the streets. The man, just like the perpetrator born in 1997, was arrested in Strasbourg and taken for interrogation. That is what a source has said to the justice department.
