Poslanci podporili nové sankcie, ktoré EÚ uvalila na Irán v snahe priviesť krajinu k rokovaciemu stolu. Parlament zároveň v dnešnom (02.02.) uznesení požaduje, aby sankcie mali čo najmenší dopad na civilné obyvateľstvo a aby Irán zastavil svoj tajný jadrový program. Poslanci tiež odsúdili hrozby predstaviteľov iránskeho režimu, že zablokujú Hormuzský prieplav.

Leaders of authoritarian regimes can spend their dubiously acquired wealth in the EU, despite measures to prevent it, because EU Member States provide safe havens for their personal fortunes and give them access to education and leisure services. This has to stop, says Parliament in a resolution passed on Thursday.

Following his meeting with Hamadi Jebali, Head of Government of Tunisia, the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz made the following statement.

A proposed EU concession to help put an end to the 20-year hormone beef trade war with the USA and Canada was unanimously endorsed by the International Trade Committee on Thursday. The proposal, which would raise the EU import quota for beef from animals not treated with hormones, will be put to a vote by Parliament as a whole on 13 March.

As the world's biggest consumer of chocolate, the EU must take responsibility for the sustainability of the cocoa sector, said Parliament's International Trade Committee on Thursday. MEPs recommended that Parliament give its consent to a new International Cocoa Agreement, but also adopted a resolution calling for action against the use of child labour in the sector.

The proposed EU-Morocco trade liberalisation agreement for farm and fishery products was approved by the International Trade Committee on Thursday. If approved by Parliament as a whole, the deal will immediately liberalise trade in 45% of EU exports (by value) to Morocco and in 55% of EU imports from Morocco.

A date should be set for the start of accession talks with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the five EU Member States that have yet to recognise Kosovo's independence should now do so, said the Foreign Affairs Committee in two separate resolutions voted on Tuesday. Both resolutions are to be put to a plenary vote in March.

The EU should retain its development aid commitment of 0.7% of Gross National Income in its multi-annual financial framework (long-run budget) for 2014-2020, Bill Gates told the Development Committee on Tuesday.

EU Member States must act as one when imposing sanctions on leaders of repressive regimes and not have double standards with regard to their keeping money, owning property, doing business or travelling within the EU, says the Foreign Affairs Committee in a resolution voted on Tuesday. These leaders' frozen and confiscated should be repatriated, it adds.

Parliament again calls on President Bashar al-Assad and his regime to step down immediately, in a resolution adopted on Thursday. It condemns the regime's brutal repression of its people, demanding an end to the violent crackdown, calls for an investigation into possible crimes against humanity, and backs the EU's tough sanctions combined with its readiness to develop a new partnership with Syria as soon as Assad goes and a democratic transition starts.