External relations

China's meteoric economic rise and the barriers EU companies face when trying to enter the Chinese market have over the past decade led to a tripling of the EU trade deficit with the Asian giant. It is time for a new EU-China partnership based on the reciprocity of rules and transparency in trade relations in order to defend the interests of European industry, argues a report by French Liberal-Democrat Marielle de Sarnez, which was adopted by the European Parliament on 23 May 2012.

Ukraine should stand by the principles of the rule of law and democracy if it wants to join the EU at some point, MEPs said in a debate on the treatment of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. However, views differed on whether it was a good idea for leading EU politicians to boycott the Euro 2012 football games in Ukraine over this. The parliamentary debate was also attended by Ms Tymoshenko's daughter, Yevgenia.

Centuries after Blackbeard and his ilk passed into legend, piracy has once again become a major problem with a global impact. Operating off the Somali coast, modern day pirates have become a threat to regional stability, world trade and all forms of maritime transport. As long as the political situation in Somalia remains unstable, it is unlikely that the situation will improve. The EP adopted a resolution on how to tackle the challenge during the Brussels plenary on 10 May.

They might have removed their dictators, but countries affected by last year's Arab Spring now face the arduous process of transforming into free market democracies. The EU has pledged its support, but the question is how to go about it. Italian Liberal-Democrat Niccolò Rinaldi's report sets out a strategy for how the EU could help consolidate democracy and promote stability in Southern Mediterranean countries. MEPs approved the report in plenary on 10 May.

The European Union has great potential as a successful mediator and peace builder in conflicts around the world and should therefore reinforce its conflict resolution capacities, according to Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari. The former Finnish president discussed this at a conference on the role of regional organisations in peace-making held on 25 April in the EP. Mr Ahtisaari told us more about what the EU could do to promote peace in the world.

King Abdullah II of Jordan was welcomed on his visit to the European Parliament by president Martin Schulz, who said the monarch's country enjoyed a "deep friendship" with the EU and played a vital role in a turbulent region. The King talked about how the Arab Spring had led to changes in Jordan during his address to MEPs in a packed Strasbourg chamber on Wednesday 18 April 2012.

MEPs approved on 19 April 2012 the controversial EU-US agreement on the use and transfer of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data to the US Department of Homeland Security. Although the data can be used to fight terrorism, critics fear their use will affect people's civil rights. The EP's civil liberties committee recommended approval, but a significant minority of MEPs voted against. We asked two MEPs on opposite sides of the issue why they feel so strongly about it.

MEPs made progress on energy security, economic reform and human rights when they met their counterparts from the EU's Eastern Partners in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 2-4 April. This was the second ordinary plenary session of Euronest, a forum to promote political and economic integration between the EU and Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Bulgarian Social-Democrat MEP Kristian Vigenin, co-president of the assembly, told us about the results achieved.

MEPS will meet with parliamentarians from the EU's Eastern Partners in Baku, Azerbaijan, to discuss how they could work together on energy, trade and human rights issues. The meeting on 2-4 April will be the second ordinary session of the parliamentary assembly of Euronest, a forum to promote political and economic integration between the EU and Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

The EU should not stand idly by and watch the human rights situation in Belarus get worse, says Polish Christian-Democrat MEP and EP vice-president Jacek Protasiewicz. Last week EU foreign ministers imposed further travel restrictions and sanctions on the country and on Thursday the European Parliament will vote in plenary on a resolution supporting the Council's decision. We spoke to Mr Protasiewicz, the head of the EP's delegation for relations with Belarus, about what the EU should do.