MEPs debate a report evaluating the work of the outgoing EU Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, in 2023. 

O’Reilly’s term ends in February 2025. On Tuesday, Parliament will elect the new European Ombudsman, with six candidates vying for the position. The European Ombudsman is an independent and impartial body, tasked with holding the EU institutions and agencies to account and promoting good administration.

Debate on the activities of the European Ombudsman with Emily O'Reily

EP Plenary session.- Misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms, such as TikTok, and related risks to the integrity of elections in Europe

EP Plenary session - Activities of the European Ombudsman – annual report 2023

EP Plenary session - Strengthening children’s rights in the EU - 35th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

EP Plenary session - Presentation by the Commission President-elect of the College of Commissioners and its programme

ITRE IMCO -  Confirmation hearing of Henna Maria VIRKKUNEN, European Commissioner-designate for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy

EP Plenary session  - The abuse of new technologies to manipulate and radicalise young people through hate speech and antidemocratic discourse

EP Plenary session  - Closing the EU skills gap: supporting people in the digital and green transitions to ensure inclusive growth and competitiveness in line with the Draghi report

EP Plenary session - The important role of cities and regions in the EU – for a green, social and prosperous local development

EP Plenary session - Seven years from the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia: lack of progress in restoring the rule of law in Malta

EP Plenary session - Voting session

IMCO Committee - Vote on harmonised rules on Artificial Intelligence (Artificial Intelligence Act)

Round table on exchange of best practices : Sustainable hunting and conservation

Press conference on the final vote on Common charger in the European Parliament

EP Plenary session - Radio Equipment Directive: common charger for electronic devices

Alex AGIUS SALIBA meets with Julia FARRUGIA PORTELLI, Maltese Minister for Inclusion, Voluntary Organisations and Consumer Rights - Conference on autism

Alex AGIUS SALIBA meets with Julia FARRUGIA PORTELLI, Maltese Minister for Inclusion, Voluntary Organisations and Consumer Rights - Press conference

IMCO Committee - Voting session

Press conference on the outcome of the trilogue on common charger

IMCO Committee -  Amending Directive 2014/53/EU on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of radio equipment

Alex AGIUS SALIBA in the EP in Strasbourg

Alex AGIUS SALIBA in the EP in Brussels

EP plenary session - The right to disconnect

Webinar Digital Services Act - The European Parliament’s priorities

Press conference Digital services act

Workshop on ' E-commerce rules, fit for the digital age '

Alex AGIUS SALIBA in the European Parliament in Brussels

MEPs and the Commission discuss misinformation and disinformation circulating on social media platforms such as TikTok, and the dangers they pose to the holding of free and fair elections in Europe. First part of the debate.

Misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms, such as TikTok, and related risks to the integrity of elections in Europe: MEPs Debate (part 1)

MEPs debate a report evaluating the work of the outgoing EU Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, in 2023. O’Reilly first took office in July 2013 and was re-elected for a second mandate in December 2019. The European Ombudsman is an independent and impartial body, tasked with holding the EU’s institutions and agencies to account and promoting good administration. The Ombudsman conducts inquiries about maladministration, following complaints by citizens or on their own initiative. During a public hearing organised by the Petitions Committee on 3 December 2024, MEPs questioned the candidates about their priorities if elected. The new European Ombudsman will take office following an oath-taking ceremony on 27 February 2025 at the EU Court of Justice, for a five-year mandate. Closing statements by Raffaele FITTO, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms, Emily O’REILLY, European Ombudsman and by Alex AGIUS SALIBA (S&D, MT), Rapporteur

Activities of the European Ombudsman – annual report 2023: closing statements by Raffaele FITTO, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Emily O’REILLY, European Ombudsman and by Alex AGIUS SALIBA (S&D, MT), Rapporteur

MEPs debate a report evaluating the work of the outgoing EU Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, in 2023. O’Reilly first took office in July 2013 and was re-elected for a second mandate in December 2019. The European Ombudsman is an independent and impartial body, tasked with holding the EU’s institutions and agencies to account and promoting good administration. The Ombudsman conducts inquiries about maladministration, following complaints by citizens or on their own initiative. During a public hearing organised by the Petitions Committee on 3 December 2024, MEPs questioned the candidates about their priorities if elected. Opening statements by Alex AGIUS SALIBA (S&D, MT), Rapporteur, Emily O’REILLY, European Ombudsman and by Raffaele FITTO, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Activities of the European Ombudsman – annual report 2023: opening statements by Alex AGIUS SALIBA (S&D, MT), Rapporteur, Emily O’REILLY, European Ombudsman and by Raffaele FITTO, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission

MEPs debate with European Commission President-elect von der Leyen on her team and programme. Any political group or at least one-twentieth of MEPs (low threshold) may table a motion for a resolution. Once elected by Parliament and after its formal appointment by the European Council via a qualified majority, the new European Commission is expected to take up its duties on 1 December 2024. MEPs debate (part 3)

Presentation by the Commission President-elect of the College of Commissioners and its programme: MEPs debate (part 3)

Seven years after the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the European Parliament discusses the state of the rule of law in Malta. MEPs assess the country's recent developments in upholding European values, focusing on media freedom and anti-corruption efforts. Daphne Caruana Galizia, who exposed corruption, money laundering, and organized crime in Malta, was murdered in a car bomb attack in 2017. Her assassination sparked widespread outrage, leading to political upheaval and the resignation of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. In the same session on Wednesday, the winner of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism will be announced, honoring her legacy in the fight for transparency and justice. The debate underscores the EU's broader commitment to promoting democracy and the rule of law, not only within its borders but also in candidate countries as part of the 2024 Rule of Law Report.

Seven years from the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia: lack of progress in restoring the rule of law in Malta: MEPs debate

MEPs debate on the war in the Gaza Strip and the situation in the Middle-East. MEPs debate the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip and the broader Middle East situation with the Commission. EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has described the Gaza crisis as “catastrophic both from a humanitarian and political point of view,” with no positive outlook. The European Parliament has consistently called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages. MEPs are also expressing deep concern about the potential for further escalation, particularly in Lebanon. Second part of the debate.

War in the Gaza Strip and the situation in the Middle-East: MEPs debate (part 2)

MEPs debate on lobal measures towards social media platforms - Strengthening the role of DSA and protecting the democracy and freedom in the online sphere. MEPs are discussing global social media platform regulations, focusing on the enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and its role in protecting democracy and online freedom. The DSA, in effect since February 2024, applies to all platforms, and MEPs question the Commission on its enforcement measures, including ongoing investigations into potential violations by TikTok, Meta, X, and AliExpress. There may also be calls for stricter scrutiny of Telegram following recent developments. Since the DSA's adoption, countries like the UK, Canada, Australia, and the US are considering similar laws to hold platforms accountable for user safety.

Global measures towards social media platforms - Strengthening the role of DSA and protecting the democracy and freedom in the online sphere: MEPs debate (1)

MEPs are set to give their final green light on Wednesday to new legislation to protect EU journalists and media from political or economic interference. Plenary will discuss the draft European Media Freedom Act, agreed provisionally with the EU ministers in December 2023, on Tuesday afternoon. The new law will oblige member states to protect media independence from governmental, political, economic or private interference. It will ban all forms of interventions in editorial decisions and prevent the external pressuring of journalists to force them to disclose their sources or by targeting them with spyware. To increase media ownership transparency, all outlets regardless of their size will have to publish information about their owners and report on their receipt of state funding. MEPs debate.

EP Plenary session - European Media Freedom Act: MEPs debate

MEPs discuss the December European Council, the 1 February Special summit and assess the situation in Hungary with the European Council's and Commission's presidents. During their meeting on 14 - 15 December, heads of state or government agreed, among other things, to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova and grant candidate status to Georgia. Second part of MEPs debate.

Joint debate on European Council meetings: MEP debate (part 2)

MEPs debate on a directive which improves product labelling and ban the use of misleading environmental claims. The new rules make product labelling clearer and more trustworthy by banning the use of general environmental claims like “environmentally friendly”, “natural”, “biodegradable”, “climate neutral” or “eco” without proof. The directive allows the use of sustainability labels that are based on official certification schemes or established by public authorities. MEPs debate

Empowering consumers for the green transition: MEPs debate

After the opening statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, MEPs debate on the need to release all hostages, to achieve a humanitarian ceasefire and prospect of the two-state solution.

Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union - Need to release all hostages, to achieve a humanitarian ceasefire and prospect of the two-state solution: MEPs debate part 2

MEPs debate on the Framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials in a plenary debate in Strasbourg.

Framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials: MEPs debate part 2

MEPs vote on the following topics: Deliberations of the Committee on Petitions in 2022 - Agius Saliba; Negotiations on a status agreement on operational activities carried out by Frontex in Mauritania - Strik; Implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement - Kelly, Schieder; Report on better law-making covering 2020, 2021 and 2022 - Rinzema; and Monitoring the application of EU law in 2020, 2021 and 2022 - Rinzema

Voting session

Parliament wants to take stock of the implementation of the Digital Services Act, after the first 19 platforms and search engines that have to comply with its obligations since 25 August were named. Platforms including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Tiktok and Instagram are now required to take concrete measures to assess and mitigate system risks related to the spread of disinformation or harmful content on their services. MEPs discuss with Council and Commission how to respond to the increase in violent, terrorist and false content circulating on social media. First part of the MEPs debate.

Fighting disinformation and dissemination of illegal content in the context of the Digital Services Act: MEPs debate (part 1)

Following harassment and threats, Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered in a car bomb explosion on 16 October 2017. The outcry over the authorities’ handling of her murder investigation ultimately prompted the resignation of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Critical of failings in the investigation, in December 2019, MEPs called on the European Commission to take action. Parliament takes stock of the state of the rule of law in Malta and speaks up for the safety and independence of journalists. First part of the MEPs debate.

Rule of Law in Malta, 6 years after the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia and the need to protect journalists: MEPs debate

The Plenary discusses the need for a speedy adoption of a comprehensive European pact on asylum and migration as well as challenges in member states. In the context of continued arrivals of refugees and migrants to the EU by sea, MEPs will debate with the Spanish Council Presidency and the Commission the state of play of negotiations on the new European rules on migration and asylum. The situation in some countries, such as Italy –and particularly on the island of Lampedusa- could feature prominently. MEPs debate (part 3)

The need for a speedy adoption of the asylum and migration package: MEPs debate (part 3)

Every September, the President of the European Commission comes to the European Parliament to discuss with MEPs what the Commission has done over the past year, what it intends to do in the coming year and its vision for the future in the State of the European Union debate. Nine months before the next European Parliament elections on 6 - 9 June, President Ursula von der Leyen outlines her Commission’s priorities from now until the end of its mandate. She focuses on a stronger and more resilient European Union, on the EU’s continued support for Ukraine in its war against Russia’s aggression, on energy security and EU energy independence, the EU’s twin green and digital transitions, and on protecting core EU values. MEPs debate (part 2)

State of the European Union 2023: MEPs debate (part 2)

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism was activated this summer for an increasing number of extreme weather events, including devastating floods (Slovenia, Cyprus, more recently Greece and Bulgaria) and the largest wildfires ever recorded in the EU (in particular in the Mediterranean region). MEPs debate with the Council and Commission better protecting Europeans from extreme heatwaves, floods and forest fires. Extracts from the debate

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