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 – 2022-04-29 – English

News in Brief – 2022-04-28 – English

News in Brief – 2022-04-27 – English

News in Brief – 2022-04-26 – English

News in Brief – 2022-04-25 – English

The European Commission has announced 'right to repair' legislation, with the objective of cutting consumer costs and promoting a circular economy. 'Right to repair' legislation can refer to a variety of issues and circumstances: for example, the right to repair during the legal guarantee, the right to repair after the legal guarantee has expired, and the right for consumers to repair products themselves.

Right to Repair - English

Managing the risks of the Covid-19 pandemic remains a challenge. While EU vaccination rates have reached three quarters of the population, new SARS-CoV-2 variants keep emerging in the EU. Although these variants appear to be generally less severe, they still pose challenges to health systems. The implementation of a globally effective vaccine strategy remains key to enhancing Europe's resilience. If measures are successful, it is expected that SARS-CoV-19 – while still present – will enter a stage of seasonality, characterised by higher case numbers in the winter months, similarly to the flu. To achieve this, rethinking present surveillance and monitoring schemes, ensuring the distribution of vaccines worldwide and implementing an action plan against disinformation and misinformation could be crucial.

EPRS STOA podcast - Responding better to future pandemics

The EU Temporary Protection Directive enables EU Member States to move rapidly to offer protection and rights to people in need of immediate protection and to avoid overwhelming national asylum systems in cases of mass arrivals of displaced persons. Although invoked several times in the past, the directive has never been activated before. Russia's military aggression prompted a unanimous decision in the Council to grant temporary protection (for an initial period of one year) to people fleeing the war in Ukraine. This temporary protection may be extended automatically by two six-monthly periods, for a maximum of another year. The EU's decision to grant temporary protection has been widely welcomed and the directive is considered the most appropriate instrument under the current exceptional circumstances. There are, however, still many open questions as to its practical implementation in the EU Member States.

EPRS policy podcast - Temporary protection directive

The FuelEU Maritime regulation seeks to steer the EU maritime sector towards decarbonisation. The proposal sets up a fuel standard for ships and introduces a requirement for the most polluting ship types to use onshore electricity when at berth. It puts the responsibility for compliance on the shipping company. The legislative outcome of this proposal will be closely linked to the simultaneously proposed rules on including the maritime sector in the EU emissions trading system, as well as those on alternative fuels infrastructure, energy taxation and renewable energy. Moreover, some of the proposed rules do not concern EU shipping only but have wider implications for international maritime shipping, which is regulated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

EPRS policy podcast - Sustainable maritime fuels - 'Fit for 55' package: the FuelEU Maritime proposal

On 17 November 2021, the European Commission tabled a proposal to revise EU rules governing shipments of waste. The proposed regulation aims at easing shipments of waste for reuse and recycling in the EU, to support the transition to a circular economy; ensuring that waste exported from the EU is managed in an environmentally sound manner in the destination countries; and stepping up enforcement to counteract illegal shipments of waste. While supporting the proposed streamlining and digitalisation of procedures, stakeholders have stressed the need for significant improvements to ensure that the new regulation fulfils its objectives, in particular as regards exports of waste.

EPRS policy podcast - Revision of the EU's Waste Shipment Regulation

‘Innovation’ is often used as a shorthand for improved technical, economic and social processes. However, any specific innovation involves the redistribution of costs and benefits, creating winners and losers. For some, regulation of technology should be avoided in case it hinders innovation, while, for others, regulation is an essential measure to mitigate risks. However, regulation and innovation are not a zero-sum game. Debates about regulatory (in)action and its impact on innovation would benefit from greater specificity about which innovation paths are considered desirable, for whom, and how policy choices would help to achieve them.

EPRS STOA podcast - What if AI regulation promoted innovation?

News in Brief – 2022-04-22 – English

News in Brief – 2022-04-21 – English

News in Brief – 2022-04-20 – English

News in Brief – 2022-04-19 – English

News in Brief – 2022-04-14 – English

Meeting of the European Political Community in Budapest, Hungary

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

LIBE Working Group on Frontex Scrutiny

LIBE

Sixth EUVP Alumni Webinar 'Building Partnerships in Defending Parliamentary Democracy'

Delegation for Northern cooperation and for relations with Switzerland and Norway and to the EU-Iceland Joint Parliamentary Committee and the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee

DEEA

Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the European Parliament's Delegation to the EU-Mexico

Panel for the Future of Science and Technology

Press conference by Massimiliano SMERIGLIO co-chair of the EU-Mexico Joint Parliamentary Committee on the XXIX meeting of the EU-Mexico Joint Parliamentary Committee

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

ENVI

ENVI - AGRI

AGRI

Committee on Foreign Affairs

Committee on International Trade

INTA

Committee on Constitutional Affairs

AFCO

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Committee on Petitions

PETI

Committee on Culture and Education

CULT

BUDG - CONT

BUDG

CONT

Committee on Development

DEVE

Stockshot of the hearings of the European Commissioner-designate

AFET - Confirmation hearing of Marta KOS, European Commissioner-designate for Enlargement

AFET - Confirmation hearing of Marta KOS, European Commissioner-designate for Enlargement.- Press point

EP Plenary session - Packaging and packaging waste

Press conference rapporteur on CO2 emission performance targets for new heavy-duty vehicles

EP Plenary session - EU/New Zealand Free Trade Agreement

Press briefing The Left

EP Plenary session - Voting session

Roberta METSOLA, EP President meets with William RUTO,  President of the Republic of Kenya

Press briefing RENEW Europe

EP Plenary session - Formal sitting with William RUTO, President of the Republic of Kenya

Press briefing Greens/EFA

Isabel WISELER-LIMA and Martine KEMP in the EP in Brussels

Press briefing S&D group

Press briefing EPP

EP Plenary session - Strengthening the CO2 emission performance targets for new heavy-duty vehicles

Othmar KARAS welcomes  William RUTO,  President of the Republic of Kenya

Inauguration of the Simone Veil building of the EP in Strasbourg

Roberta METSOLA, EP President meets with Elisabeth BORNE, French Prime Minister

EP Plenary session - Sustainable use of plant protection products

EP Plenary session - Union certification framework for carbon removals

A public hearing debates consumer protection, how consumer confidence could aid growth, and improving choice for people with disabilities.

Protecting consumers / Consumer-led growth / Overcoming disability

The EU is missing €11 billion from its 2012 budget. MEPs look into ways to help the homeless and vote on measures to stop the spread of bluetongue in cattle.

Budget hole / Homeless / Bluetongue

Cases of Schmallenberg virus are spreading rapidly across northern Europe and the hunt is on for an answer - and a vaccine.

EU considers options as new animal disease hits sheep & cattle

Special diet foods make many health claims, justified or not. MEPs scrutinise new rules on food for babies, sportsmen and those with special requirements.

Rules for special diet foods

As last ditch talks are held to solve Greece's debt crisis, Scotland's Deputy First Minister and Turkey's Minister for EU affairs visit the Parliament.

Greek crisis talks / Scottish independence / Turkish EU membership

The Chinese refuse to pay the EU's new airline carbon tax, a financial transaction tax gets a public hearing and oil tanker safety is voted upon.

Airline emissions / Transaction tax / Oil tanker safety

MEPs back compromise to keep food aid for the poorest going until the end of 2013, but worry about what happens then.

Keep feeding the poor - then what?

Food aid for the needy and baby food are on the committees' agendas, while public hearings will take place on the financial transaction tax and Hungary.

On the agenda: Transaction tax / Food aid / Baby food / Hungary

A debate on EU relations hears that protestors in Russia are waiting for strong vocal support from Europe.

EU must talk tough to Russia

MEPs debate the EU's unprecedented oil embargo on Iran. What effect will the sanctions have, on Iran, but also on the EU itself?

EU sanctions on Iran

Russia bans sheep and cattle imports from the EU, some MEPs don't like ACTA and German Carnival comes to the Parliament.

Russian import ban / Copyright / Carnival

MEPs reject the food industry's call for extra health claims, Erasmus celebrates 25 years and the perfume industry comes to Brussels.

Sugar, salt and fragrance

Most - but not all - MEPs welcome agreement on the fiscal pact, and many want more effective sanctions and a greater commitment to job creation.

Two steps forward, one back?

EP President Martin Schulz meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel before the start of the EU summit which will seek to stimulate jobs as the crisis continues.

EU leaders meet about growth

From credit card numbers to holiday snaps, 75% of people think they should be able to delete what they put online. The EU is fighting for the right to be forgotten.

Unforgettable

EU leaders come to Brussels for yet another crisis summit, a mini plenary moots eurobonds, and Catherine Ashton answers MEPs' questions around Iran.

On the Agenda: The crisis, eurobonds and Iran

We meet one of the new Committee Chairs, the new Bulgarian President visits and the Parliament website is attacked, again.

The News: New Chairs, new President, not-so-new attack

As Jean-Claude Mas, the man responsible for the PIP scandal, was arrested on Thursday, MEPs are looking to change EU law on medical devices to avoid more scares.

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