China must match its economic development with real political reforms, MEPs stress in a resolution adopted on Thursday. The EU can help China with this through pragmatic cooperation, they say. They also voice concerns about the tensions between China and Japan and Taiwan and about North Korea and raise human rights issues.

MEPs back the tougher sanctions imposed on North Korea by EU governments and the UN Security Council following the February nuclear test, in a resolution passed on Thursday. They call on North Korea to restore its commitment to a moratorium on missile launches, pointing out that the pursuit of illegal nuclear and ballistic programmes risks aggravating regional tensions.

All the safety improvements recommended following stress tests on the EU's nuclear reactors must be carried out urgently, say MEPs in a resolution adopted on Thursday. They also insist that nuclear plant operators must pay for these improvements and bear all the costs for which they are liable in the event of an accident.

The French military intervention has rescued Mali but much still needs to be done to bring on stability to the country and the region, MEPs said in Wednesday's debate with Commissioner Štefan Füle, standing in for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. The political process must be initiated immediately and neighbouring countries associated with it, as the conflict extends far beyond Mali itself, MEPs insisted.

The solution to Syria's tragic conflict must be a political one, said MEPs in debate with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Wednesday. As the humanitarian crisis created by this conflict now threatens the whole region, the EU must help Syria's neighbours to cope with refugees, they stressed. Many MEPs called on Ms Ashton to see that EU aid does not go only to those Syrians who are loyal to the regime.

If Ukraine is still serious about signing an ambitious association and trade deal with the EU by November, then disturbing news such as the recent removal of two opposition MPs' mandates, is not the way forward, said MEPs in Wednesday's debate with Commissioner Štefan Füle, standing for the EU foreign policy chief.

For at overholde Lissabontraktatens øvre grænse på 751-pladser og gøre plads til de kroatiske MEPer, vil 12 EU-lande hver især skulle give afkald på en plads efter det næste valg til Europa-Parlamentet, mens intet land vil få flere pladser, ifølge den model, som Parlamentet vedtog onsdag. Forslaget går nu videre til stats- og regeringscheferne på Det Europæiske Råd, som skal træffe afgørelse ved enstemmighed.

Ubetalte regninger fra 2012 og 2013 bør ikke forurene næste års budget med ulovlig gæld, siger Parlamentet i en resolution vedtaget onsdag. MEPerne insisterer på, at der hurtigst muligt findes en løsning på de legitime fakturaer fra sidste år og i år, så tavlen er visket ren inden 2014, der er det første år under den nye flerårige budgetramme.

For at garantere sikker forsyning af fødevarer af høj kvalitet og samtidig beskytte miljøet bedre skal den nye landbrugspolitik gøre miljøvenlige tiltag obligatoriske, men samtidig mere fleksible og hjælpe landmændene til at klare udfordringer fra markedet. Sådan lyder Parlamentets holdning til EUs nye landbrugspolitik efter, at MEPerne onsdag stemte om et mandat forud for forhandlingerne med EU's medlemsstater. Det er første gang, at Parlamentet har fuld medbestemmelse på landbrugspolitikken.

Traditional methods of production of the "green fairy" spirit drink are not respected by an EU definition drafted by the European Commission, MEPs say, as Parliament vetoed the text on Wednesday. It would have required minimum levels of two substances, anethole and thujone, which are not always met by some producers in Europe, for using the name "Absinthe".