The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) will be discussed in public in the European Parliament Committee for International Trade for the first time on 29 February. It is this committee which will make a formal recommendation to the full house on whether or not to approve ACTA. Parliament cannot amend the agreement, but only approve or reject it. If it does not give its consent, then the agreement falls as far as the EU is concerned.

All elected offices in the European Parliament, i.e. President, Vice-President, Quaestor, and Committee Chair and Vice-Chair are renewed every two and half years, so once in the 5-year legislative term.

The European Parliament's current President, Jerzy Buzek, is soon to hand over the reins to his successor, who will be chosen by the full body of MEPs at the Strasbourg plenary session in January 2012. This mid-way point between the European elections of 2009 and 2014 gives an opportunity to review some of the main legislation adopted by MEPs over the last two and a half years.