World leaders are set to adopt 17 Sustainable Development Goals during the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York on 25-27 September. A delegation from Parliament’s Development committee will attend to discuss with a broad range of officials, experts and stakeholders how these goals should then be concretely translated into EU and national policies. (Read more: Development summit: how to translate ambitious goals into concrete proposals )
The environment committee on Wednesday adopted an update of EU car emission rules, setting limits on certain pollutants including NOx. They call for a new, real-life, emissions test procedure to be enforced by 2017. They also want fuel consumption meter and gear-change indicators fitted to all new cars by 2019. (Read more: Car emissions: MEPs push for “real-life” test protocol )
Rising temperatures, melting glaciers and ever more frequent droughts and floods are all signs that climate change is a very real threat. In December a new international climate agreement will be sought at a special UN summit in Paris. On Wednesday the environment committee adopted a report setting out Parliament's aims for the negotiations. After the Committee vote, EP rapporteur Gilles Pargneaux (S&D, FR) talked to us on the goals agreed upon. The plenary vote is foreseen for October 14. (Read more: Gilles Pargneaux on the UN Climate Summit: "a summit to decide" )
EU heads of state and government met this Wednesday 23 September to discuss the migration crisis in the EU and, speaking at the start of the European Council, EP President Schulz said that the European Union "is built on de facto solidarity, out of necessity, not romanticism." "The European Parliament will now engage as a matter of priority with the Council on the proposals presented by President Juncker on 9 September, and present its own further proposals, " he said. (Read more: Martin Schulz: "Compassion and decency must motivate our political decisions" )
ECB President Mario Draghi painted a somewhat downbeat picture of economic developments in the Eurozone but assured Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee MEPs that the ECB "will not hesitate to act if some of the downward risks weaken the inflation outlook over the mid-term more fundamentally than we project at present". He hinted at the possibility of adjusting the size, composition and duration of the ECB’s asset purchase programme, to add monetary policy impetus if necessary. (Read more: "We will not hesitate to act if inflation outlook weakens", Draghi tells MEPs )
The environment committee said on Wednesday that Parliament's delegation to the COP 21 climate talks in Paris must call for a 40% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, a 40% energy-efficiency target and a binding 30% target for renewable energy. (Read more: COP 21: environment MEPs adopt mandate for Paris climate talks )
During a first debate the state of play on Volkswagen's emission "defeat devices" with the European Commission in the Environment Committee, many MEPs highlighted the need to speed up the introduction of automotive test procedures that better reflect vehicle emissions in real driving conditions, while others compared the EU's decentralized “type-approval” system unfavourably with the US one. (Read more: MEPs discuss Volkswagen emission "defeat devices" with EU Commission )
The EU military operation against people smugglers in the Mediterranean is about to enter its next phase. After gathering intelligence and setting up the structure, the operation will now focus on arresting traffickers and disabling smugglers vessel. The details of the operation were discussed by MEPs during a meeting of the security and defence subcommittee on 22 September. (Read more: Refugee crisis: present and future EU military operations in the Mediterranean )
Tax competition as such cannot be avoided, but today’s system has reached its limits and led to unwanted side effects. Small firms should not have to bear the tax burden of multinationals that pay very little. Action is needed to harmonise corporate tax practices across Europe, so as to make tax competition clearer and fairer. This was the key sentiment voiced at Tuesday’s meeting of the Special Committee on Tax Rulings with finance ministers from Luxembourg, Italy, France, Spain and Germany. (Read more: Corporate taxation system has reached its limits, say ministers and MEPs )
Goods or substances that may be misused for torture or execution should not be promoted for export, so as to prevent their spread, said the International Trade Committee, voting on Tuesday to strengthen EU “Anti-torture” rules. MEPs want to widen today’s EU ban to include services, e.g. marketing in expos or online catalogues, but also finance, transport and insurance. They also want to ban transit of prohibited goods via the EU and add a “catch-all” clause to allow checks on dubious new ones. (Read more: Anti-torture rules: Trade MEPs call for bans on goods marketing and EU transit )