All actions aimed at suppressing the freedom of expression and assembly in Azerbaijan should stop immediately, says a resolution adopted by the European Parliament on Thursday. Azerbaijan's hosting of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest in its capital Baku on 26 May should be an opportunity for it to show its commitment to democracy and human rights, it adds. In a separate resolution, also passed on Thursday, Parliament calls on China to stop deporting North Korean refugees back to North Korea.

La Comisión debe imponer sanciones más duras contra las empresas que no cumplan con la igualdad salarial entre mujeres y hombres. En un informe aprobado hoy por el pleno, los diputados reclaman al ejecutivo de la UE que estudie medidas como las multas administrativas o la exclusión de subvenciones públicas en la próxima revisión de la normativa sobre igualdad entre hombres y mujeres en el trabajo. La brecha salarial en la UE-27 es del 16,4%, e incluso se ha ampliado en algunos países.

Los países de la UE deben ser un ejemplo en la lucha contra la homofobia, de acuerdo con una resolución aprobada hoy por una mayoría de eurodiputados. El texto condena las leyes y la violencia homófobas presentes en algunos países europeos, y reclama a los Estados miembros que consideren dar acceso a la convivencia, la unión registrada o el matrimonio a los ciudadanos homosexuales, bisexuales y transexuales.

Parliament has called on the Swiss government to revoke a "discriminatory and unlawful" decision to reimpose quotas on long-term residence permits for Polish, Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, Slovene, Slovak, Czech and Hungarian citizens, in a resolution adopted by MEPs on Thursday.

Fundamental rights should be respected in all instances when applying the EU's Internal Security Strategy, says a resolution adopted by Parliament on Tuesday. MEPs also want proper funding for this strategy in the 2014-2020 financial framework.

Clearer rules are needed to protect not only the victims of cross-border defamation, but also journalists accused of it, says a resolution approved on Thursday.

The police would get better and faster support from their counterparts in other EU countries, for example when asking them to conduct house searches or interview witnesses, under a proposed European Investigation Order endorsed by the Civil Liberties Committee on Tuesday. The new rules would set deadlines for gathering the evidence requested and limit the grounds for refusing such requests.

Schengen Treaty Member States may reimpose checks at internal borders in the event of a serious threat to their public policy or to internal security, for up to ten days, says draft legislation as amended by the Civil Liberties Committee on Wednesday. In a separate vote on visa legislation, MEPs also backed a clause allowing the emergency reimposition of visa requirements for third country nationals crossing the EU's external frontiers.

Non-EU seasonal workers would enjoy basic working and living conditions, such as a minimum wage and decent accommodation, under draft legislation endorsed by the Civil Liberties Committee on Wednesday. These rules would tackle exploitation, while preventing temporary stays from becoming permanent. The Commission estimates that over 100,000 third-country seasonal workers come to the EU every year.

La Eurocámara ha dado luz verde hoy al nuevo acuerdo sobre la transferencia de datos de pasajeros aéreos de la UE a las autoridades de EE.UU. El pacto establece el marco jurídico que regulará el envío de esta información y abarca cuestiones como los periodos de retención, el uso y la protección de los datos y la posibilidad de recurso. El nuevo acuerdo sustituirá al vigente, que se aplica de forma provisional desde 2007.