European Parliament - EPRS Plenary podcasts

The European Commission, acting on behalf of the 28 Member States, together with 22 other WTO members, are sitting around a table trying to crunch a deal to liberalise trade in services. But what are the details? What do EU citizens stand to win? And what does the European Parliament have to say with its enhanced powers to approve or reject the deal? We'll tell you straight away with a teaser on Tisa in this EPRS plenary podcast.

Our biodiversity is at risk, and the truth is.. EU Member States are not doing enough to protect it. This is one of the conclusions of the European Commission's mid-term review of the EU biodiversity strategy , but there are more... Stay with us to find out how the European Parliament is reacting in this EPRS plenary podcast.

Air pollution kills and drains the EU economy. The European Commission wants to introduce tests that better reflect real on-road emissions, but it is likely to run into serious opposition from MEPs, who say the rules are too soft on carmakers. The debate will take place in January but the vote has been postponed. Find out more in this plenary podcast on measuring on-road air pollution from cars.

The presumption of innocence is guaranteed at all legal levels and yet numerous breaches have reportedly occurred in the EU. In January 2016, the Parliament's plenary will vote a proposal by the Commission to address this problem. Find out more in this plenary podcast on Strengthening the presumption of innocence in the EU.

The EU's common position on arms export is the only legally-binding arrangement by a regional organisation regulating arms exports. And while it is true that it has increased information sharing and transparency, national economic and strategic interests often prevail above other considerations. The European Parliament has repeatedly called for a strict application of the common criteria and more transparency, listen to the podcast for more.

The current migratory crisis is forcing Europe to rethink its border-management policy and revamp old ideas and put forward ambitious plans such as the setting up of a European Border and Coast Guard System. Find out more about the latest proposals in this podcast.

As more and more young Europeans are seduced by the narrative of radicalisation and violent extremism, MEPs prepare to at the Strasbourg November plenary session on a resolution to prevent radicalisation and the recruitment of young Europeans by terrorist organisations. Given the desperately tragic attacks of the night of Friday 13 November in Paris, the issue of tackling radicalisation has become even more important.

To promote European cinema and the diversity of film production, the European Parliament awards every year the Lux Prize to a film made-in-Europe. "With this year's Lux prizewinner due to be announced in plenary on 24 November, join us in this walk behind the screens of European cinema!

Lack of information-sharing between tax authorities prevents them from correctly assessing the actual tax situation when several countries are involved. The need to remedy this is now widely accepted and some progress are realised, though they are only steps in the right direction.

A Commission proposal for a new Regulation on novel foods has been negotiated between the Parliament and the Council. The aim is to clarify the definition of novel foods, take into account new technologies in food-making, and streamline and speed up the authorisation process. The proposal also seeks to make it easier for traditional foods from countries outside the European Union to enter the EU market.

On 17 July 2015, the European Commission proposed, as an exceptional measure, to amend the common rules governing the implementation of the five European Structural and Investment Funds, to provide immediate liquidity to Greece and help the country make full use of available EU funding to finance investment and economic activity. This follows the decisions taken at the Euro Summit of 12 July 2015, which paved the way for a new support programme for Greece.

Despite improvements in recent decades, air pollution in Europe remains a concern. To address this, in 2013 the European Commission put forward a proposal to limit emissions of air pollutants from medium combustion plants, which are currently not regulated at EU level. First reading negotiations with the Council have delivered a compromise now awaiting a vote in plenary.

In 2013 the European Commission proposed a draft Directive according to which Member States would temporarily ban the use of the technique of cloning in mammals used for farming purposes. The EP is now to adopt its first reading position on the dossier, based on a draft report drawn up jointly by the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) and the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). Supporting such a ban, albeit through an EU Regulation rather than a Directive, the joint EP working Committee envisages extending it to all animal species used for farming purposes. It also proposes to prohibit imports of any products, notably food, derived from cloned animals and their descendants. Possible restrictions on imports of cloned-animal-derived food in the EU are the subject of a parallel proposal by the Commission for a Council-only Directive.

Behind its rather formal title, the 'Protocol amending the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the WTO' deals with something very practical: modernising customs and other procedures so that international trade can operate more smoothly. Conclusion by the EU would be a big step forward towards enabling the agreement to come into force.

Re-using, repairing and recycling instead of a 'take-make-dispose' approach: moving towards a more circular economy, in which products and materials are valued highly and 'waste' can be turned into a resource, could deliver environmental and economic benefits for the EU. During its July plenary session, the European Parliament is scheduled to vote on a strategic report on the issue, which, among other things, calls for binding targets to increase resource efficiency by 30% by 2030, compared to 2014. Considering that a shift towards a circular economy faces a number of barriers and challenges, the Parliament aims to present the European Commission with a clear set of criteria for the new circular economy strategy it is due to present later in 2015.