Parliament debated three separate resolutions on Thursday, calling for measures to enhance freedom of expression in Vietnam and to protect human rights in Kazakhstan and expressing concerns about the situation of hunger striking prisoners in Guantanamo. The first two resolutions were adopted and the vote on the third was postponed.

Plans to clean up the scrapping of old ships and ensure the materials are recycled in EU-approved facilities worldwide were backed by Parliament on Thursday. The plenary did not endorse an Environment Committee proposal for a recycling fund financed by a levy, but it did call on the European Commission to propose plans for an incentive-based system before the end of 2015.

W czwartek, Parlament przyjął projekt wspólnego zestawu metod gromadzenia i porównywania danych dotyczących liczby ludności, przez kraje członkowskie UE. Spójne dane dla całej Unii potrzebne są, między innymi, do określenia siły głosu państwa członkowskiego w Radzie Unii Europejskiej oraz uprawnień do pozyskiwania funduszy UE. Przyjęte reguły będą teraz dopracowywane podczas rozmów z Radą.

Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo can make faster progress towards joining the EU by concentrating on good neighbourly relations and reforms, MEPs said in three separate resolutions approved by a show of hands on Thursday. Reforms in these countries must focus on fighting corruption and organised crime, enforcing the rule of law, ensuring the independence of the judiciary and media and protecting other fundamental freedoms, they added.

Renewed mutual engagement is needed to maintain constructive relations in EU-Turkey relations in the context of the negotiation process, MEPs said on Thursday. In a resolution on the 2012 progress report on Turkey, they call for opening of negotiations on the judiciary, fundamental rights, and home affairs and praise recent talks which might help settle the Kurdish issue.

Croatia is on track to become the EU's 28th member state on 1 July, MEPs said on Thursday in their last resolution before it is scheduled to join. They highlighted the strength of Croatia's democracy, social market economy and capacity to fulfil its membership obligations and called on the last two member states that still have to approve Croatia's accession to do so without delay.

W czwartek PE uprościł procedury wydawania wiz krótkoterminowych dla dziennikarzy, młodzieży, przedstawicieli organizacji społeczeństwa obywatelskiego i organizacji pozarządowych z Ukrainy i Mołdawii, podróżujących do krajów UE.

Pierwszy rok działania europejskiej inicjatywy obywatelskiej, która od kwietnia 2012 roku, umożliwia obywatelom kierowanie do Komisji Europejskiej propozycji dotyczących nowego prawa, zostanie podsumowany przez Parlament oraz Komisję, podczas czwartkowej debaty.

The European Central Bank should do more to ensure that its cheap loans to banks were being passed on to the real economy and the ECB itself must become more transparent and accountable in line with its growing role in the Eurozone crisis says a resolution adopted by MEPs on Wednesday. On Tuesday MEPs discussed the work of the ECB with its President Mario Draghi.

Parliament refused to approve the Council of Ministers' 2011 accounts in a vote on Wednesday, citing a lack of cooperation. Other EU institutions and agencies were granted budget management discharges (approval) for 2011. Parliament also recommended moving the EU Police College from the UK to the Netherlands.