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The debt crisis requires "a strong and coordinated transatlantic policy response", said lawmakers of the European Parliament and the US Congress meeting in Jacksonville, Florida, on 3-4 December. The legislators agreed to develop transatlantic working groups focussing on the financial markets and transport security.

EU social cohesion and demographic development issues, in the context of the economic and financial crisis and the debate on EU regional policy after 2013, will be debated by MEPs and national MEPs in the European Parliament's Brussels plenary chamber on 5 and 6 December.

European Parliament political group leaders, led by President Jerzy Buzek, will meet Denmark's Queen, Prime Minister and members of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget) on Thursday and Friday to prepare for Denmark's upcoming EU presidency.

The Joint Parliamentary Assembly of MEPs and MPs from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries condemned the violence in Syria and Egypt and voiced concern that Libyan weapons in al-Qaeda hands could pose a threat to the entire world.

Cooperation between states is one of the key issues in fighting for human rights, said European Parliament president Jerzy Buzek on Wednesday at the EUROLAT meeting in Brussels. He pointed to a significant improvement in relations between Europe and Latin America but said a lot still remained to be done. EU High Representative Catherine Ashton shared his view: "We have gone somewhere but we still have a long way to go."

MEPs and MPs from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries passed resolutions on the consequences of indebtedness for development, the crisis in the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia, the impact of the Arab Spring on Sub-Saharan Africa, the Lisbon Treaty's effects on EU-ACP cooperation, and the integration of people with disabilities in developing countries. The EU-ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly took place in Lomé, Togo, from 19 to 23 November.

The crisis should not be used as an excuse to cut development aid, underlined Louis Michel, Co-President of the EU-ACP Parliamentary Assembly on Monday. At the opening ceremony held in Lomé, with the participation of the President of Togo and Niger, he also stressed that security or economic difficulties should not be used as a pretext for reducing democracy after the Arab Spring.

On 23 November, the European Parliament will host a unique event bringing together Human Rights defenders and former Sakharov Prize winners with numerous human rights activists.

MEPs and their Latin American counterparts meet in Brussels this week for discussions focussing on the financial crisis and globalisation, organised crime, the prevention of natural disasters and progress with the negotiations on an EU-Mercosur Association Agreement.

Europaparlamentets Sacharovpris för tankefrihet 2011 går till fem företrädare för det arabiska folket, som ett erkännande och stöd för sin strävan efter frihet och mänskliga rättigheter. Priset kommer att delas ut av talman Jerzy Buzek under parlamentets formella session i Strasbourg den 14 december.