Pressemitteilungen - Allgemeines

Europeans are increasingly interested in European affairs, and a majority want to be informed on what happens at EU level, reveals a recently-published Eurobarometer survey. The economic crisis remains a key concern, as it has done since 2008, and a majority of Europeans also wants to see the European Parliament play a bigger role in tackling it than at present.

In einer Debatte am Montag mit Ratspräsident Herman Van Rompuy und Kommissionspräsident José Manuel Barroso haben führende Europaabgeordnete den Rahmen für Verhandlungen über die finanzielle Vorausschau der EU abgesteckt. Die meisten Abgeordneten weisen das vor kurzem beschlossene Abkommen über den siebenjährigen EU-Haushalt zurück. Das Haushaltspaket kann ohne die Zustimmung des Parlaments nicht in Kraft treten.

EP President Schulz and other lead MEPs are set to debate the EU's long-term budget with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. Parliament has the right to veto a political deal reached by member state's governments at last week's summit.

A delegation of four MEPs will go to Jordan on 11-14 February to meet refugees who have fled the conflict in Syria and to see at first hand the conditions on the ground. The MEPs will also talk to local authorities and international organisations working in the field. The aim is to assess the refugee crisis and what help the EU can give to meet these exceptional challenges. The UN Refugee Agency reported a massive increase in arrivals in January.

EuroparlTV has signed its 150th partnership in Strasbourg today, with the Cyprus News Agency. The partnerships are aimed at informing citizens about the activities of the European Parliament with the aid of reports from EuroparlTV.

The deadline for the submission of applications for this year European Charlemagne Youth Prize 2013 has been prolonged until 18 February 2013. The prize is awarded to young people who have been involved in projects to promote understanding between people from different European countries.

The strengthening of the strategic partnership between the EU and Latin America and the role of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, representing one billion people in both regions, marked the opening ceremony of the sixth plenary session held today in the former Chilean Congress. The full EuroLat, which brings together more than a hundred members of parliaments of both regions, takes place until Friday in Santiago de Chile.

The climate deal reached to secure a second stage of the Kyoto Protocol Saturday at the Doha conference was welcomed by European Parliament head of delegation Matthias Groote and vice-chair Karl-Heinz Florenz, who regretted, however, the EU’s performance during the negotiations because of persisting disagreements between Member states.

Parlaments präsident Martin Schulz wird zur offiziellen Zeremonie der Verleihung des Friedensnobelpreises an die Europäische Union nach Oslo reisen. In Straßburg und Brüssel wird die Zeremonie live übertragen und es wird eine Fotoausstellung und eine feierliche Sitzung im Straßburger Plenarsaal geben. Auch in den Hauptstädten der EU sind viele Aktivitäten geplant.

Der Haushaltsausschuss hat in seiner Sitzung am 4. Dezember, zur Einleitung der Festlegung der Ratsposition, eine indikative Abstimmung über den Berichtigungshaushalt 6/2012 und den EU Haushalt 2013 durchgeführt. Nach Konsultation der Fraktionen zeichnet sich eine Mehrheit ab, die unter folgenden Voraussetzungen bereit ist, bei der Abstimmung in der kommenden Woche ihre Zustimmung zu geben: