The EU and its institutions

A proposal to cap bankers' bonuses will be voted on by MEPs during the plenary session of 15-18 April in Strasbourg, as well as the European Central Bank's mandate. They will also debate the constitutional situation in Hungary and question representatives from the European Commission and the Irish presidency on the handling of the Cyprus bailout. MEPs will also be asked to vote on emissions trading as well as to approve how various EU bodies spent their budgets in 2011.

MEPs will vote on a banking reform package during the plenary session of 15-18 April, which includes plans to cap bankers' bonuses, step up bank capital requirements and make it easier for banks to lend to small firms. They will also debate about how the European Central Bank has handled the crisis with its president Mario Draghi, vote on the further liberalisation of ground handling services at airports and be asked to approve a proposed freeze on auctions of CO2 emission quotas.

MEPs will this week welcome parliamentarians from the countries of the Union for the Mediterranean to discuss the region's hopes and challenges in the wake of the Arab Spring. The internal market committee will vote on updated rules for selling fireworks, while the foreign affairs committee will discuss the situation in Sahel and the progress made by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia towards achieving EU membership.

They both agree more Europe is needed to provide a way out of the crisis, but disagree on much else. Facebook fans had the chance to question the leaders of EP's two largest political groups during a chat on 26 March. Joseph Daul, the French leader of the EPP group, and Hannes Swoboda, the Austrian leader of the S&D group, talked about Cyprus, the crisis and how to get more people to vote in European elections in our first-ever double chat with EP's political leaders.

MEPs will this week vote on new rules for recycling ships and financial support for redundant workers. They will also meet their national counterparts to discuss the implementation of European environmental legislation as well as how the EU can help to prevent conflicts. On Tuesday, the leaders of Parliament's two biggest political groups will chat with our fans on Facebook.

The rescue of Cypriot banks should not be at the expense of ordinary people, according to the majority of Parliament's political group leaders. As Cyprus is working to find agreement on an alternative plan, EP leaders hit out at the original Eurogroup proposal, which would have included a levy on all deposits. EP president Martin Schulz said: "The priority of the EP is that people who put money in their bank accounts are sure they can get it back."

MEPs will this week debate the EU's budget for 2014-2020 and the outcome of last week's European Council summit with Council president Herman Van Rompuy and Commission president José Manuel Barroso. They will also welcome new Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem on his first visit to Parliament and give feedback on how EU institutions spent their budgets in 2011. Committees will also meet to discuss topics such as airport services, youth unemployment and registering your car abroad.

MEPs will not accept the Council proposal for the EU's budget for 2014-2020 in its current form and are preparing for negotiations with EU governments. During the March plenary they also adopted a negotiating position for a greener and fairer EU agricultural policy and approved laws that make solving commercial disputes cheaper and easier. In addition MEPs dealt with economic governance, women's rights and match-fixing.

Poverty and unemployment are spreading in crisis-hit Europe with serious economic, social and political repercussions, Parliament president Martin Schulz warned EU leaders at the start of the European Council in Brussels on 14 March. Adding that austerity and budget cuts cannot be the only tools for policy-makers, he presented Parliament's main demands concerning the proposal for the EU's budget for 2014-2020, which MEPs have refused to endorse in its current form.

The European Parliament will slim down from 766 MEPs this summer to 751 after the 2014 elections, but how to decide which countries should give up a seat? MEPs decided to opt for the fairest and most equitable solution when they adopted a proposal on it on Wednesday 13 March.