Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper have reached a political agreement on the key elements of a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) after months of intense negotiations between EU Trade Commissioner De Gucht and Canadian trade Minister Ed Fast. It will be the first free trade agreement between the […]
Council Approves China Investment Negotiation Mandate
Europe’s ministers, meeting at the European Foreign Affairs Council, have approved a mandate for the European Commission to start negotiating an investment agreement with China on behalf of the EU. An EU-China investment agreement will, among other things, improve the protection of EU investments in China and reduce barriers to investment in China. This will help increase […]
Malmström Urges Stronger Action Against Gun Violence
“Every week, we hear of new acts of violence being committed with firearms. Yet the debate about the illegal use and trafficking of guns in Europe is worryingly quiet,”said Cecilia Malmström, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs. She commented: “The American debate on gun prevalence is often more visible, when we should be focussing on the home front. […]
Lithuania Presenting Midterm Report In Strasbourg
On 21–24 October, during a plenary session of the EP in Strasbourg, Vytautas Leškevičius, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, will present the Lithuanian Presidency’s midterm results to the EP Conference of Committee Chairs. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Algimantas Rimkūnas, Vice-Minister of Finance, will participate in the plenary session’s debates and voting […]
The Left Doesn’t Need More Laws. It Needs Better Lawyers.
Ok. This is what they want: “…a World Court that will judge and sanction economic, political and ecological corporate crimes…” This is the political equivalent of giving a ten year old a toy catalogue and asking “What would you like Sweetheart?” The kid will want one of everything, except, the Lego City on Page 10; […]
An End To Feminicide – New Video Campaign Launched In European Parliament
Launching a new ‘Stop Feminicide’ video campaign at the European Parliament, MEPs Raül Romeva, Ska Keller (European Greens/ALE Group) and Marc Tarabella, MEP (Socialists & Democrats), spoke of the need for greater pressure to end the impunity of those inflicting an often invisible aggression on women in Europe and Latin America. Putting the issue […]
Steel Plan For Europe Announces Tajani
The European Commission today put forward an action plan for the European Steel Industry to help this sector confront today’s challenges and lay the foundations for future competitiveness by fostering innovation, creating growth and jobs. For the first time since the Davignon Plan of 1977, the Commission is proposing an Action Plan for steel. […]
Anti-Terror Political Oversight & Transparency Essential
“If we accept the principle that the mere request for secrecy by a third country to classify a document means it is secret, it is denying access to citizens, but also to MEPs, that is ridiculous. There is no political oversight. America would not tolerate that,” said Dutch Liberal MEP, Sophie In’t Veld, ALDE, Vice […]