Pressiteated - Üldine

Dialogue and conciliation must prevail over violence in the Republic of Guinea and the Central African Republic, said MEPs and MPs from the African, Caribbean and Pacific states meeting in Brussels on 17-19 June 2013 for the 25th ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA).

"The European Parliament clearly welcomes the launch of trade negotiations with the US and will monitor closely the entire process, which should be as transparent as possible", said the European Parliament's International Trade Committee chair Vital Moreira (S&D, PT) on Friday, following today's EU Trade Council decision to grant EU negotiators a mandate to proceed with the talks.

The Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee stood by its guns on Tuesday in supporting the Commission's proposal for a wide-scope financial transaction tax, with stocks and bond trades taxed at 0.1% and derivatives trades taxed at 0.01% in 11 EU countries. The committee proposed lower rates until January 2017 for trades in sovereign bonds and the pension fund industry's trades. A new legal ownership principle was also inserted to make tax avoidance more costly.

"Holding presidential elections in Mali on 28 July is the only way to restore legitimacy there' said ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly Co-President in Brussels on Monday, at the opening of its 25th session. When the UN mission is deployed in Mali in July, replacing most French troops there, "it should take care to avoid a security vacuum at all costs", he added.

The Conference of Presidents is very disappointed that the Council's reluctance to compromise has not yet allowed for an agreement on the MFF 2014 - 2020 to be reached. The European Parliament has already made far-reaching concessions, taking into account the difficult budgetary situation in the Member States, and is clearly showing its willingness to reach a reasonable deal.

Doctors, nurses, architects and other professionals moving to another EU country will find it easier to get their qualifications recognised there thanks to a provisional deal struck by MEPs and the EU's Irish Presidency of the Council on Wednesday evening. It will bring in an electronic card listing professional skills and oblige professionals' home countries to do more to help them to obtain recognition abroad.

Parliament's negotiating team (*) on the EU's long-term budget for 2014-2020 is disappointed by the lack of progress in the negotiations on the MFF so far. Based on the most recent texts provided by the Council, MEPs fail to see how an agreement could be reached in this evening's tripartite meeting with the Irish Presidency and the Commission. Nevertheless, they hope for a breakthrough before June 25th.

The EU cannot tolerate shameless discrimination of millions of its citizens on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity, Civil Liberties Committee MEPs said on Friday, the International Day against Homophobia. EU member states must stop blocking the proposed anti-discrimination directive, they added.

Europe on Track, a Spanish youth media project, was awarded first prize at the 2013 Charlemagne Youth Prize ceremony on 7 May in Aachen University. The second prize went to the photo contest Discover Europe from Poland and the third to the Youth exchange project "The Story of my Life" from Estonia. The Charlemagne Youth Prize is awarded annually to projects that foster a shared sense of European identity and integration among young people.

The President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the President of the European Commission met in Brussels on 6 May to discuss budgetary matters. They agreed on key points on the Draft Amending Budget 2013, which paves the way for negotiations to start on the Multiannual Financial Framework. The details of the framework for the negotiations are set out below.