About: European Parliament

Trading away the EU principles in the name of national export interests?

MEPs need to follow the lead of the European Ombudsman and force the European Commission to shine the light on the opaque role of national Export Credit Agencies, writes Antonio Tricarico.

Europe should protect its farmers, not big food multinationals

MEPs working on the 'unfair trade practices' directive risk handing a series of victories to food multinationals in the name of 'fairness for all', argues Christian Verschueren

Story-telling is key for Europe

While Cohesion Policy remains a cornerstone of EU's action to boost growth and reduce inequalities in the continent, the policy lacks visibility, writes MEP Lambert van Nistelrooij.

Time to banish wet wipes from our sewers

Plastics in our sewer system costs consumers money and the European water sector has its daily challenges, one of them being sewers getting clogged regularly by plastics and wet wipes, explain Oliver Loebel and Maxime Bineau.

EU must walk the talk on promoting values

The future of Europe will depend on the attitudes of ordinary citizens. These attitudes will determine what kind of policy agreements are possible in Brussels but also decide on the fundamental question: if the European project should be continued or scrapped altogether, write Jan Jakub Chromiec and Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz.

Asylum reform: ‘Europe United’ must unite refugee families

On World Refugee Day (20 June), it is important to touch upon the sensitive issue of uniting families at a time when separation is happening on the US border. However, separation is also a consequence of the Dublin regulation, which must be reformed, writes Iverna Mc Gowan.

Military industry fund could encourage development and export of controversial weaponry

The EU is about to agree a shared military industry fund which will give billions to arms companies and exacerbate the global arms race. Presented as a key step to strengthen the EU, instead, it enshrines renewed prevalence of national interests in a hard-security context, writes Laëtitia Sédou.

EU must engage with Azerbaijan or Putin will

Azerbaijan’s strategic yet precarious geopolitical location and situation are such that the country deserves EU support, especially in light of growing tensions with Russia and Iran, writes Jan Zahradil MEP.

Abolish Dublin Regulation for a humane asylum system built on solidarity

The European Parliament and the Council will soon negotiate a revision of the Dublin regulation, concerning the EU's asylum system. This is an opportunity for the EU to develop a more humane system based on objective criteria, and for every member state to take its share of responsibility, writes Cornelia Ernst.

Young Europeans need to know that voting in European elections helps build Europe

The European Parliament is trying to reach out to young people, particularly those who don’t see the benefits of being part of the EU, writes  Ramón Luis Valcárcel and Sylvie Guillaume.

European elections in the era of disruption

To some extent the vote next May will be a test of the resilience of the forces of disruption, the main achievement of whom so far being Brexit, writes Geoffrey Harris.

Longevity and the limits of the welfare state in Europe

In November 2017, the EU proclaimed the European Pillar of Social Rights. However, there are still many shortcomings within the current welfare state and unless policies reflect values then plummeting fertility rates or fading solidarity between young and old will persist, writes Anna Záborská.

Five years from Rana Plaza: EU Commission needs to fulfill its promises

It is high time the European Commission stops dragging its feet and present a legislative proposal to ensure the corporate respect for human rights and to establish binding human rights for European companies, writes Heidi Hautala.

Without ambitious energy efficiency goals, the EU will fail Paris targets

The Paris Climate Agreement’s entry into force has clearly not yet spurred policymakers to charge toward the goal of limiting climate change to “well below 2°C” and targeting 1.5°C, warn Dr Jan Rosenow and Stefan Scheuer. Energy efficiency remains the key to success.

European Parliament sounds the alarm over developing world debt crisis

The number of poor countries facing major debt crises has doubled since 2013, and only 1 in 5 are now considered to be at low risk of crisis. With some countries in the midst of crisis and others on the brink, meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remains a pipe dream, writes Mark Perera.

Tackling corruption in football is actually a fight for democracy

Football can be a force for good and democratisation but it can also shelter some of the worst aspects of society, like corruption and money laundering to mask illegal activities, warns MEP Stelios Kouloglou.

Personal data was weaponised against democracy in the EU – and can be again

With the recent revelations on the unlawful use of voters’ data to influence their choices, both the EU and its member states need to take legislative measures to prevent such campaigning which violated privacy rights and eroded democracy. The first step should be ending the lack of transparency, writes Nomi Byström.

Let us make freedom of movement fair

On this single issue, David Cameron was right. Member states must have the option to index child benefits to the cost of living where the benefits are paid out, write Morten Loekkegaard and Troels Lund Poulsen.

AI and robots should not be attributed legal personhood

Technology has revolutionised the financial industry, but we’re long overdue a revolution in the way we think about its future role and the policies that should govern it, write Daniel Schlaepfer and Hugo Kruyne.

RED II: Wood you believe Europe may turn its bio economy into ash?

State-supported funding schemes risk distorting raw material markets, pulling the plug on Europe’s bio economy ambitions, warns Sylvain Lhôte.

Dieselgate – 35 million manipulated cars on our streets and still no action

Despite the European Parliament’s Dieselgate inquiry committee, the European Commission is standing by, hiding behind bureaucratic squabbling to avoid taking its responsibilities, write Claude Turmes and Zdzisław Krasnodębski.

Wildlife trafficking is crippling the planet

We are currently in the midst of the sixth mass extinction. We are losing plants and animals at an alarming rate and humans are to blame. One of the most serious threats to biodiversity loss is wildlife trafficking, writes MEP Catherine Bearder.

Why rejecting transnational lists has been a missed opportunity for European democracy

Closed pan-European lists would be a game changer in how European citizens identify with EU politics, write Angelos Chryssogelos and Malgorzata Staniaszek.