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 - Voting session

EP Plenary session - Need to strengthen rail travel and the railway sector in Europe

EP Plenary session- Foreign interference and hybrid attacks: the need to strengthen EU resilience and internal security

EP Plenary session - The findings of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on Poland's abortion law

EP Plenary session - Facing fake news, populism and disinformation in the EU - the importance of public broadcasting, media pluralism and independent journalism

TRAN Committee group photo

Meeting of the Delegation for relations with South Africa - The current internal security situation of South Africa - its implications and challenges

Delegation for relations with South Africa meeting

Meeting of the Delegation for relations with South Africa - Consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – food crisis, political reactions

EP Plenary session - Strengthening Media Freedom: the Protection of Journalists in Europe, Hate Speech, Disinformation and the Role of Platforms

LIBE hearing - Media Freedom, Freedom of Expression and Combatting hate speech online and offline

Constituent meeting of the Delegation for relations for South-Africa - D-ZA

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. Third 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 3)

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

Four COD LEX texts are scheduled to be signed on Wednesday, 28 February 2024 by President Metsola and Mathieu Michel, Belgian Secretary of State for digitisation, administrative simplification, privacy protection and building regulation, on behalf of the Belgian Presidency.

LEX signing ceremony in presence of Roberta METSOLA, EP President and Mathieu MICHEL, Belgian Secretary of State for digitisation

Parliament calls on the Council to finally act to tackle hate speech and hate crime in the EU. The draft report asks for progress on classifying hate speech and hate crime as “EU crimes” - a process stalled in Council since 2022. MEPs highlight the need to ensure all individuals and groups that can become targets of hate are protected, and to ensure that freedom of expression is not exploited to protect hate speech and hate crimes. They are also set to call for an “open-ended” approach whereby incidents would be assessed based on their contextual circumstances. MEP's debate

Extending the list of EU crimes to hate speech and hate crime: MEP's debate

MEPs debate the European Citizens’ Initiative “Fur Free Europe” to ban the rearing and killing of animals exclusively for fur production in the EU. The initiative calls for an EU ban on the keeping and killing of animals for the sole or main purpose of fur production. The organisers also seek to prohibit selling fur from these animals, as well as products containing this fur across the Union. The initiative “Fur Free Europe” collected 1,502,319 valid signatures from all EU countries.

European Citizens' Initiative "Fur Free Europe": MEPs debate

MEPs debate on their position on rules to protect journalists, activists, academics, artists and researchers against legal actions aimed at silencing them. The draft directive provides minimum standards of protection from lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) in the EU through early dismissal of these cases, obliging the claimant to cover the costs of proceedings and not recognising third country judgements. The rules should apply in cross-border cases when the claimant and defendant are not based in the same country as the court or when the case is relevant to more than one member state and the disputed work can be accessed electronically. MEPs are also set to call on member states to ensure that SLAPP victims get legal, financial and psychological assistance. Extracts from the debate (10/07) and from the vote, statement by Tiemo WÖLKEN (S&D, DE), Rapporteur.

Protecting journalists and activists against abusive lawsuits: extracts from the debate (10/07) and from the vote, statement by Tiemo WÖLKEN (S&D, DE), Rapporteur

MEPs debate on their position on rules to protect journalists, activists, academics, artists and researchers against legal actions aimed at silencing them. The draft directive provides minimum standards of protection from lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) in the EU through early dismissal of these cases, obliging the claimant to cover the costs of proceedings and not recognising third country judgements. The rules should apply in cross-border cases when the claimant and defendant are not based in the same country as the court or when the case is relevant to more than one member state and the disputed work can be accessed electronically. MEPs are also set to call on member states to ensure that SLAPP victims get legal, financial and psychological assistance. MEPs debate

Protection of journalists and human rights defenders from manifestly unfounded or abusive court proceedings: MEPs debate

Following the deal reached in Glasgow at the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), MEPs debate the outcome of the negotiations. Third part of the debate.

Outcome of the COP26 in Glasgow: MEPs debate (part 3/3)

MEPs debate on a package of proposals to counteract the threat that Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) pose to journalists, NGOs and civil society.

Strengthening democracy, media freedom and pluralism in the EU: MEPs debate

Parliament debates the recent ruling of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal during the plenary session in Strasbourg. MEPs discuss the contentious verdict of Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, which states that cornerstone provisions of the Treaty on the EU (Art. 1 and 19) are unconstitutional under Polish law. Second part of the debate.

The Rule of law crisis in Poland and the primacy of EU law: MEPs debate (part 2/3)

During the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg (4-7 October 2021), As the pandemic took a heavy toll on tourism, MEPs look into lessons learned from the 2021 season and the effectiveness of the EU digital COVID certificate.

Assessing the Union’s measures for the EU tourism sector as the end of the Summer season nears: MEPs debate

During the plenary session (13-16 September 2021) in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs debate media freedom and further deterioration of the Rule of law in Poland, and will prepare a draft bill which may threaten media pluralism, and the latest Polish challenge to EU rules and values. (Second part of the debate)

Media freedom and further deterioration of the Rule of law in Poland: MEPs debate (Part 2/2)

During the plenary session (5-8 July 2021) of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs debate on the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights in Hungary and Poland (second part of the debate).

Joint debate - Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights in Hungary and Poland: MEPs debate (part 2/3)

Joint hearing of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the Committee on Legal Affairs dedicated to SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation). MEPs debate with Paulina MILEWSKA, Anti-SLAPP programme researcher, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), Matthew CARUANA GALIZIA – Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, Annelie ÖSTLUND, Realtid, Justin Borg-BARTHET – Senior Lecturer,University of Aberdeen and Julie MAJERCZAK, Representative of Reporters Without Borders to the European Institutions.

Hearing on SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation): questions and answers - Joint meeting of the LIBE and JURI

During the plenary session (26-29 April 2021) in the European Parliament in Brussels, MEPs debate on the EU support to the hospitality sector in order to save the summer tourism season.

Saving the summer tourism season - EU support to the hospitality sector: MEPs debate

During the plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels (08-11 February 2021), MEPs debate the Democratic Scrutiny of Social Media and the Protection of Fundamental Rights (First part of the debate).

Democratic Scrutiny of Social Media and the Protection of Fundamental Rights: MEPs debate (Part 1)

During the remote plenary session (23-26/11/2020) of the European Parliament in Brussels, MEPs debate and vote on strengthening media freedom, focusing particularly on political interference, the protection of journalists, threats such as the proliferation of hate speech and disinformation, and the role of internet platforms. They fear that media pluralism is at risk in several EU member states and warn of the increasing pressure and harassment faced by journalists. The results of the vote are: 553 in favour, 54 against, 89 abstentions.

Strengthening Media Freedom; the Protection of Journalists in Europe, Hate Speech, Disinformation and the Role of Platforms: extracts from the debate (23/11) and from the vote on the report Magdalena ADAMOWICZ (EPP, PL)

During the plenary session in the European Parliament in Brussels (17-19 June 2020), debate on Tackling Covid-19 disinformation and the impact on freedom of expression. MEPs debate

18 results