The European Parliament and its elected Members are the citizens’ voice in the European Union. That’s why we want to make Parliament accessible to everyone. News in Brief gives you a quick overview of the day’s main topics in all official Union languages. This broadcast is brought to you by the European Parliament. You can find more programmes here:

News in Brief – 2022-10-25 – English

Worldwide, forests are being lost at an alarming rate: the equivalent of 800 football fields per hour. As deforestation is a critical contributor to climate change and a leading cause of biodiversity loss, it is becoming increasingly clear that a sustainable future cannot be achieved without tackling deforestation, and we also need to take measures to protect and sustainably manage forests. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 420 million hectares of forest — an area larger than the EU — were lost to deforestation between 1990 and 2020. EU consumption is estimated to be responsible for around 10 % of global deforestation.

Towards deforestation-free commodities and products in the EU – English

News in Brief – 2022-10-24 – English

News in Brief – 2022-10-21 – English

News in Brief – 2022-10-20 – English

News in Brief – 2022-10-19 – English

News in Brief – 2022-10-18 – English

News in Brief – 2022-10-17 – English

Care work provided in homes and institutions is a public good that is under-valued by society. Care workers are more likely to have low earnings and precarious working conditions. About 9 in 10 care workers are women. Most unpaid care work within households is carried out by women. The 'unpaid care penalty' for women in the EU, which is equivalent to the earnings they lost because of this unbalanced distribution of care responsibilities, is estimated to reach €242 billion per year. EU action in the care sector has the potential for high returns for society. Fostering the 'equal earner – equal carer model' could generate benefits of between €24 billion and €48 billion a year.

EPRS policy podcast - What if care work were recognised as a driver of sustainable growth?

Small farms make up the vast majority of the EU's 10 million farms. Recent studies have lowered past estimates of how much of the global food supply is produced by small farms. Notwithstanding the complex nature of such estimates and the possible under-estimation of small operators' production because of self consumption, it is clear that small farms allocate larger shares of their production to food and have a more diversified produce portfolio than larger farms. In addition to producing food, small farms are typically associated with protecting landscape features and biodiversity and the notion of providing public goods.

EPRS policy podcast - Small farms' role in the EU food system

The European Union's outermost regions (ORs) qualify for special treatment owing to structural difficulties – such as remoteness, difficult topography and economic dependence on a few products – that can severely hamper their development. In addition, the coronavirus pandemic has hit their economies particularly hard. While these regions are quite different from one another, they have levels of unemployment and GDP significantly worse than EU and national averages. Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provides for specific measures to support the ORs, including the tailored application of EU law and access to EU programmes.

EPRS policy podcast - Outermost regions of the EU

News in Brief – 2022-10-14 – English

News in Brief – 2022-10-13 – English

News in Brief – 2022-10-12 – English

News in Brief – 2022-10-11 – English

Care work provided in homes and institutions is a public good that is under-valued by society. Care workers are more likely to have low earnings and precarious working conditions. Moreover, women carry out the bulk of unpaid care work within households. EU action in the care sector has the potential for high returns for society. Fostering the 'equal earner – equal carer model' could generate benefits of between €24 billion and €48 billion a year.

Care work as a driver of sustainable growth - english

ECON JURI - Confirmation hearing of Valdis DOMBROVSKIS, European Commissioner-designate for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification

BUDG CONT - Confirmation hearing of Piotr Arkadiusz SERAFIN, European Commissioner-designate for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration

Delegation for Relations with South Caucasus.

Delegation for Relations with South Caucasus

DSCA

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

EMPL

Committee on Budgets

BUDG

Women Political Leaders Summit 2023

One Year Ahead Event - Presentation of the EP Spring Eurobarometer data on public opinion toward the EU and the 2024 Elections.

Delegation for relations with Mercosur

DMER

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

LIBE

Committee on Foreign Affairs

AFET

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

ENVI

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

ECON

FEMM - LIBE

FEMM

Press conference by Lara WOLTERS rapporteur on corporate sustainability: companies to address impact on human rights and environment

Subcommittee on Public Health

SANT

Press conference by Paolo de CASTRO, rapporteur on European Union geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, and quality schemes for agricultural products and Norbert LINS, Chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Press conference by Sandra KALNIETE, Vladimír BILČÍK and Nathalie LOISEAU, rapporteurs on the reports on foreign interference and on improving Parliament´s rules on transparency and integrity

Foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation - Election integrity and resilience build-up towards European elections 2024 (debate)

Coordinated action to address antimicrobial resistance (debate)

Resumption of the sitting

Closure of procedure for requests for the waiver and defence of Members’ parliamentary immunity

Voting time

Explanations of vote

Approval of the minutes of the part-session and forwarding of texts adopted

Dates of forthcoming sittings

Closure of the sitting

Adjournment of the session

Plenary session

EPRS event ' The European Elections and beyond: What to expect after June 2024? '

27th meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee EU-Chile

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Catanzaro (Italy) - Attendance to a simulation of the Emergency System 112 with Antonio TAJANI, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Roberto OCCHIUTO, President of the Region of Calabria

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Catanzaro (Italy) - Visit to the Control Room of Operation Zero Tolerance with Roberto OCCHIUTO, President of the Region of Calabria

CONT - EU anti-fraud report 2022

ECON Committee - Voting session

Trilogue: Amendment to the Cyber Security Act

IMCO public hearing on ' Performance of the Package Travel Directive and Consumer Protection '

EMPL Interparliamentary Committee Meeting on ' The participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process '

Elsi KATAINEN in the EP in Strasbourg

ENVI - Exchange of views with Dr Andrea AMMON, Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

Press conference on Late Payments on Fostering a new payment culture

LIBE Interparliamentary Committee meeting -

Pernille WEISS in the EP in Strasbourg

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Lecce (Italy) - Visit of the city

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Lecce (Italy) - Speech at the public event “Next Generation EU e le Sfide dell’UE”

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Caserta (Italy) - Speech at the public event “Il sogno europeo di Ernesto Rossi. Dal Manifesto di Ventotene all’Europa del futuro”

MEPs demand an end to hotch-potch laws, with EU-wide measures to protect all animals.

Animal welfare: new push for tougher rules

New Democracy wins by a narrow margin in Greece's second election in six weeks – but can it win concessions or force through austerity?

Greek vote: Relief at Parliament

Fresh concern in Egypt over political meddling by military, European car makers complain over Korean car deluge and defending disabled passengers' rights.

Egypt / Korea cars / Disabled passengers

Next week, EP committees will be busy discussing rating agency reform, ACTA, a proposed automatic emergency call service and projects to improve animal welfare.

On the Agenda: Rating agencies, ACTA and eCall

A new health kick - MEPs agree on tighter regulations governing food for infants and vulnerable people.

Clearer rules for special diet foods

Disagreement over Schengen, a compromise on energy efficiency and Euro 2012: a quick glance back without comment on some of the events of the June plenary in Strasbourg.

Plenary zapping - June 2012

The final trilogue on the proposed Energy Efficiency directive leaves it far weaker than most MEPs wanted – and it means the EU will miss its 20-20-20 targets.

A compromise too far on energy efficiency

MEPs demand flexibility in long-term budget, Peru President addresses the house, EP President signs off on roaming and a drop in the ocean: flood relief for Italy.

Long-term budget / Peru / Roaming / Floods

MEPs are furious at Member States who shoved them out of the Schengen evaluation, Catherine Ashton visits EP to discuss Syria and volunteer work should get easier.

Schengen discord / Syria / Volunteers

Watched by the world, MEPs weigh up the pros and cons of the 'two-pack' surveillance programme for countries entering or experiencing extreme financial hardship.

All eyes on eurozone crisis management debate

Spain agrees to a €100 billion rescue deal, MEPs and the Council are at odds over Schengen controls, and the EP sends envoys to monitor Tymoshenko appeal.

Bail-out for Spanish banks / Schengen discord / Ukraine

Better prevention and management of major accidents involving dangerous substances are on the cards as MEPs prepare to vote on new rules affecting 10,000 companies.

Tougher inspections for dangerous chemical sites

The economic governance 'two-pack' takes centre stage while baby foods are another key topic of next week's plenary session in Strasbourg.

On the Agenda: Two-pack vote, food & health

A petition calls for stricter rules on animal transport, a deal is reached on orphaned works and MEPs urge fans to show the red card to prostitution at Euro 2012.

Animal welfare / Orphaned works / Euro 2012

A move to give home buyers better protection when borrowing has passed its first hurdle – but some still fear it's the wrong way to go.

Mortgage regulation to help home owners

MEPs react to Commission's 'baby steps' towards banking union, the feud over Strasbourg plenary goes to the courts, and bees: they need our help.

Banking regulation / Plenary controversy / Bee protection

Women were at the forefront of the struggle against oppressive regimes in North Africa. 'But where are they now?', asked a Gender Equality Committee hearing.

When the Arab Spring turned chilly for women

Martin Schulz meets New Zealand's PM, the Budget Control Committee vets a new candidate for the European Court of Auditors and a rare treat awaits skywatchers.

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