Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola has been elected as the First Vice-President of the European Parliament, replacing Mairead McGuinness who was recently appointed European Commissioner. Roberta Metsola has been a MEP since 2013. She was re-elected in 2014 and 2019. Originally a lawyer by profession, specialising in European law and politics, between 2004 and 2012, Ms…
In a report adopted on Monday, Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs have praised Ukraine’s progress on important reforms that bring the country further towards political association and economic integration with the EU. Ukraine has progressed in its commitments made in the Association Agreement (AA/DCFTA) with the European Union; particularly in the fields of agriculture, energy, banking, decentralisation, digital…
A total of 644 lawmakers from the European Union and elsewhere in Europe have called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to include Taiwan in its annual assembly, which is scheduled to resume virtually next week, writes Sylvia Teng. The WHA meetings will take place virtually from Nov. 9-14 in light of the ongoing pandemic….
EPP Group MEPs Sven Simon, Christian Ehler and Christian Doleschal, together with a number of top scientists have sent a letter to the commission and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, pleading with them to reject the drastic cuts to European research funds, as part of an agreement on the 7-year-EU-budget and the Recovery Fund. The letter was initiated…
EU countries that disrespect the rule of law will risk losing access to EU funds, under a provisional deal struck by Parliament and Council negotiators. “Today’s agreement is a milestone for protecting EU values. For the first time, we have established a mechanism that enables the EU to stop funding governments that disrespect our values…
The European Securities Markets Authority (ESMA) has presented its long-awaited report on the role of the German financial supervisor BaFin and the German Financial Reporting Enforcement Panel (FREP) in the Wirecard accounting scandal. In Germany, BaFin and FREP are jointly responsible for the enforcement of financial reporting. ESMA publishes guidelines aimed at harmonising enforcement throughout…
The European parliament’s Committee for Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) of the European Parliament has adopted its position on the so-called “MiFID quick fix” which amends the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID). The MiFID sets the key rules for stock exchanges, financial trading platforms, consumer protection in financial markets and rules for the speculation…
The democratic opposition in Belarus has been awarded the 2020 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. European Parliament President David Sassoli announced the laureates in the Brussels plenary chamber at noon on Thursday, following an earlier decision by the Conference of Presidents (President and political group leaders). “Let me congratulate the representatives of the Belarusian opposition for…
A statement has been issued by the European Parliament on the consequences of the ruling issued by Ukraine’s Constitutional Court with regard to several provisions on the prevention of corruption and of the Ukrainian criminal code. It reads:“With great concern, we have learned about the 27 October ruling of the Ukrainian Constitutional Court, which declared…
Media freedom within the EU has deteriorated recently, says the Civil Liberties Committee, concerned about journalists faced with violence, harassment and pressure. In a resolution adopted on Tuesday by 52 votes to 5 and 7 abstentions, the committee condemns “attempts by governments of some member states to silence critical and independent media”. MEPs denounce underhand…
