(Eagle News) – Members of the European Parliament expressed alarm about what they claimed was a “deteriorating level of press freedom in the Philippines” and called on the Philippine government to “renew” the franchise of ABS-CBN, as well as to drop all charges against Rappler CEO Maria Ressa. This was contained as part of the resolution of the European Parliament which is composed of 705 members, The text of the resolution which also expressed […]
Tag: European Parliament
EU chief pleads to save green deal in budget holed by Brexit
By Marc BURLEIGH Agence France-Presse STRASBOURG, France (AFP) — European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen pleaded Wednesday to save her signature “green deal” in the longterm EU budget that has been left short by Brexit. “If we do not set aside the funds… we will simply fail to achieve a climate neutral Europe” by 2050 as planned, she told the European Parliament. Her warning was laid down a week before an extraordinary EU summit in […]
European Parliament chooses new president, completing top EU jobs
by Cédric SIMON Agence France Presse STRASBOURG, France (AFP) — The European Parliament on Wednesday elected an Italian social democrat as its new president, filling the final top EU job a day after Brussels named two women to key posts for the first time. Italy’s David Sassoli, a 63-year-old former journalist, won the absolute majority of ballots he needed at the second round of voting, seeing off German Green Ska Keller, far-left Spaniard Sira […]
EU fears voter apathy despite populist surge
by Christian SPILLMANN Four days before Europe’s 400 million potential voters are called to the polls, EU leaders hope to reverse the usual low turnout to avoid opening the door to eurosceptic forces. The European Parliament, that will be elected in votes across 28 nations between Thursday and Sunday, has never been more important in framing the continent’s laws. But each such continent-wide vote since the first one in 1979 has seen a lower turnout […]
EU agrees to cut emissions from new cars by 37 percent by 2030
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — European Union members and the European Parliament on Monday agreed to slash carbon dioxide emissions from new cars by 37.5 percent by 2030, the European Commission announced. The announcement comes two days after the end of the COP24 summit in Poland where one of the largest disappointments for countries of all wealth and sizes was the lack of ambition to reduce emissions shown in the final text. Emissions from new vans will […]
Facebook’s Zuckerberg agrees closed-door talks with MEPs
by Alex Pigman Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to meet European Parliament members behind closed-doors to answer questions in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, a top official said on Wednesday. Senior lawmakers have “agreed that Mark Zuckerberg should come to clarify issues related to the use of personal data in a meeting with representatives of the European Parliament,” the parliament’s leader Antonio Tajani said in […]
EU Parliament adopts resolution for PHL gov’t to stop EJKs in drug war, reverse ICC withdrawal decision
(Eagle News) – Members of the European Parliament urged the Philippine government to “stop extrajudicial killings” on the pretext of war on drugs, claiming that around 12,000 people, including women and children, have been killed in the illegal drugs campaign since July 2016. The resolution, which was adopted on Thursday, April 19, also called on the Philippine government to reverse its earlier decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) or the […]
New party gives voice to Russian speakers in Cyprus
LIMASSOL, Cyprus (AFP) – Muscovite pensioner Svetlana Bogomilova emerges from a Russian grocery store into the Mediterranean sunshine near the Limassol beachfront in Cyprus. “It is very convenient here,” the retired teacher told AFP as a family with a pushchair strolled by chatting in Russian. “There is everything you could need.” Across the European Union’s most easterly member it is easy to spot the influence of the island’s sizable Russian-speaking community. In the seaside city of Limassol […]
EU parliament to denounce lack of progress on Brexit talks
by Philippe Agret Agence France-Presse STRASBOURG, France (AFP) – The European Parliament is set to say Tuesday that Brexit divorce talks have made insufficient progress, in a blow to British hopes of unlocking negotiations on a future trade deal this month. MEPs meeting in Strasbourg, France, will vote on a resolution calling on EU leaders to postpone a decision, scheduled for a summit on October 19, on whether to move on to the next phase of talks. […]
President Duterte on Robredo: “Apurado masyado maging presidente”
(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday named Vice President Leni Robredo as one of his enemies, and lashed out at others, including the European Parliament. “Kasi nakita ko mga kalaban ko, gusto akong, si Leni, apurado masyado maging presidente,” he said, drawing laughs from the Filipino community composed mostly of professionals, who met him in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, where he is on a two-day official visit. The Filipinos, more than 200 of […]
DFA expresses “concern” over European Parliament reso calling for De Lima release
(Eagle News) — The Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday expressed “concern” over the European Parliament’s resolution calling for detained Senator Leila de Lima’s release, saying it “casts aspersion on Philippine legal processes, its judicial system, and the guarantees enshrined in the Constitution to uphold and protect the rights of all individuals.” In a statement, the DFA added that while it “recognize(s) the independent standing of the (EP) within the (European Union) system, resolutions that are crafted by […]
Pimentel to European Parliament: “Mind your own business”
(Eagle News) — Irked senators on Friday lashed out at the European Parliament, with one saying the body exhibited a “display of arrogance, of power” when it called for the release of Senator Leila de Lima who is detained in connection with several drug cases filed against her, and another saying it should “mind (its) own business” in the first place. “Its action in demanding the release of (Senator) De Lima is a clear display of arrogance, of power, […]





