Plenary highlights: road safety, whistle-blowers, consumer protection

During the last plenary session before May’s elections, MEPs approved new measures requiring life-saving technologies in vehicles and EU-wide standards to protect whistle-blowers.

From road safety to protection for whistleblowers: five numbers from the plenary session

Workers with on-demand, voucher-based or platform jobs can expect more transparent and predictable working conditions following a vote on 16 April.

 

In a debate on 16 April, the majority of MEPs commended the decision to extend the UK’s membership of the EU. They urged the UK government to use the extension constructively

 

Parliament wants to beef up investment in research, space and the Digital Europe programmes in coming years. MEPs approved the funding, scope and priorities for these projects for 2021-2027.

 

On 17 April Parliament approved plans to give the EU Border and Coast Guard Agency a standing corps of 10,000 border guards by 2027 in order to more effectively secure the EU's external borders.

10,000 officers for the European Border and Coast Guard Agency

Parliament also adopted new measures to improve road safety and reduce accidents. Safety features such as intelligent speed assistance and advanced emergency-braking systems will have to be installed in new vehicles from 2022.


On 16 April, MEPs adopted new EU-wide standards of protection for whistleblowers. The measures aim to make it easier and safer for whistleblowers to report illegal or harmful practices.

Protecting democracy by protecting whistleblowers

One hour: that’s how long internet companies will have to remove terrorism content online, following an order from authorities, according to new rules approved by MEPs this week. Parliament also voted in favour of tightening rules to make it harder for terrorists to get hold of the chemicals needed to build homemade explosives.


“Don’t fight the populists, address the causes of people’s malcontent,” Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said in a debate on the future of Europe on 17 April.


Regardless of where Europeans carry out their purchases, they will have a high standard of protection thanks to new rules adopted by Parliament on 17 April.

Sixteen-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg called for “permanent and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society” to combat climate change in an address to Parliament’s environment committee in Strasbourg on 16 April.

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Greta Thunberg at the European Parliament

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