European Parliament - EPRS Plenary podcasts

Didier Bourguignon (EPOL).Parliament and Council have agreed on new national ceilings for the emission of key air pollutants. This includes particulate matter (PM), which estimated to cause 400 000 premature deaths (and cost €330-940 bn) every year in the EU. The new targets would halve the number of premature deaths by 2030.Think Tank - "At a glance" product

The European Union is founded on values, including democracy, the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights, laid down in Article 2 TEU. Those values are common to all Member States and a precondition for a well-functioning Union based on mutual trust. In recent years, events in some Member States revealed systemic threats to the rule of law. A lack of coherent and effective action to protect those values revealed need for a new and more effective EU mechanism. The Parliament is due to vote during the October II plenary session on a legislative-initiative report to create an interinstitutional 'Pact on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights'.

Volunteering is a core expression of civic participation. Over the last 20 years, some 100 000 young people have taken part in international volunteering through the European Voluntary Service, thus contributing to sectors as varied and diverse as education, youth, culture, sport, environment, health, social care, consumer protection, humanitarian aid, development policy, research, equal opportunities and external relations.

As we await the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker to deliver his State of the Union address at the European Parliament on Wednesday 14 September, we take a brief look at the increasing significance of this event and the role of the plenary debate in this annual event. Listen to this EPRS Plenary Podcast for more on the State of the Union.

Member States and the European Parliament are working on a new European travel document to speed the return of migrants staying irregularly in European soil. One of the main reasons is they lack valid travel documents… and the substitute documents used by member states today are not always accepted by the destination countries, as they can be easily falsified. Listen to this EPRS Plenary Podcast for more information.

Current migratory pressures and flows in the management of the EU’s external borders in some member states have revamped the idea of a European Border and Coast Guard system. The Commission has already put a proposal on the table. Find out more in this EPRS Plenary podcast. NB Please note this item has been postponed to a later plenary session.

The European Parliament’s July plenary is getting ready to vote on a set of recommendations to make corporate taxation fairer and clearer. MEPs welcome the Commission’s plans to draw up a common EU tax haven black list and advocate sanctions against non-cooperative jurisdictions. Find out more in this EPRS Plenary podcast.

Set aside for decades, Belarus is about to realise its nuclear power aspirations with the help of Moscow. But Chernobyl's painful memories and concerns over safety mean the EU will have to remain vigilant. Find out more in this EPRS Plenary podcast.

Space applications have never been so down to Earth... today, thanks to satellites orbiting thousands of kilometres above our heads, we can see when our bus will come, detect forest fires and even predict the course of a typhoon! But with an increasing number of countries getting access to space, the EU better make sure its space strategy is fit for the future! Find out more in this EPRS Plenary podcast.

In the European Union, parental leave is regulated by a 1996 Directive, last amended in 2013. Implementation of this Directive varies greatly among Member States, however, and parental leave overlaps other types of leave granted to families. The European Parliament is expected to call for an evaluation of the Directive's implementation, and for revision of both the Directive and related legislation.

The first-ever World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), on 23 and 24 May 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey, will bring together a panoply of representatives of world governments, business, and civil society, to find a way to improve humanitarian responses to increasingly challenging conditions. The May plenary is due to hear from the Commission and Council on the EU approach to the WHS.

Train passengers may not even notice when they cross a border... but running a train from one country to another is technically complex and costly! And despite the EU's efforts to harmonise rail systems and create an integrated EU railway area, the journey is not yet over... Travel with us, it's all aboard for the fourth railway package. Find out more in this EPRS Plenary podcast. NB. The debate and vote on this item has been postponed until the April II plenary session in Brussels.

Industrial espionage is a growing problem in the EU. To allow companies to better protect their trade secrets and be compensated when confidential information gets stolen, the EU is working out new common rules to harmonise the fight against corporate espionage. The theft of business secrets is an increasingly widespread problem in the EU. According to the European Commission, one in four European companies was stolen vital information, at least once, in 2013, compared to not even one in five, in 2012... But what is a trade secret? Find out more in this EPRS Plenary podcast.

In a third attempt to liberalise the EU's port services, the European Commission has set sail for an long-awaited modernisation of port services offered by the EU’s 329 main seaports. Will there be calmer waters ahead this time? Come on board with us as we tell you more about a key topic of the March plenary session in this EPRS plenary podcast.

To promote healthier lifestyles and combat obesity among school children, the Commission has proposed to merge two separate EU schemes for the distribution of milk and fruit in schools under a joint framework. The European Parliament's plenary will have its say on it during the March session in Strasbourg. Find out more in this EPRS plenary podcast.