MIL European Union Publishing Engine
Source: European Parliament
During its May plenary session, the European Parliament is scheduled to vote on the discharge for the implementation of the 2023 EU budget. The Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) recommends granting discharge for eight administrative sections, alongside the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. It recommends postponing the decision on granting discharge to the European Council and the Council of the EU.
Source: European Parliament
The European Parliament played a fundamental role in reshaping the political landscape of central and eastern Europe during and after the end of the Cold War, setting out an agenda for European enlargement and substantiating European integration. Amid an atmosphere that signalled the triumph of democratic state-building in Europe, Members of the European Parliament also saw an opportunity to advance their own agenda of further democratising and legitimising the governance structures of the European Community. The study examines how the European Parliament strengthened its presence throughout this period in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia (now Czechia and Slovakia), Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the former Yugoslavia. Based on archival research and relevant literature review, the study illustrates the European Parliament’s involvement in these states’ path to full European Union membership, the motivations behind its policies, and the points of tension that arose during this transformative period.
Source: European Parliament
The Digital Services Act (DSA )[1] requires providers of very large online platforms (VLOPs), including Meta as provider of Facebook and Instagram , to have mechanisms in place to mitigate the risks posed by the dissemination of illegal content, including illegal hate speech and unlawful discriminatory content.
The DSA does not impose general monitoring obligations, nor does it regulate online content. It defers to EU or national laws to define what is illegal content, based on which judicial or administrative authorities may issue orders to act against it.
The DSA sets clear rules for transparency, accountability and user protection, and respects freedom of expression. It requires hosting services to set up notice and action mechanisms for users to report illegal content, including illegal hate speech.
The DSA also requires providers of VLOPs like Meta to assess systemic risks stemming from their services and put in place effective measures to mitigate such risks related to the dissemination of illegal content, gender-based violence, fundamental rights including the right to freedom of expression and information and to non-discrimination, and civic discourse and electoral processes.
The Commission opened formal proceedings[2] in relation to Meta’s services Facebook and Instagram to assess whether Meta may have breached the DSA.
The current proceedings focus on deceptive advertising and disinformation, the over-suppression of political content, the non-availability of an effective real-time election monitoring tool and the notice and action mechanisms.
The European Media Freedom Act[3] will further strengthen media pluralism and independence in the EU.
The Commission remains fully committed to upholding freedom of expression.
Source: European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing a €400 million financing package to help the Finnish capital Helsinki build a tramline to three suburbs, construct a new tram and bus depot, purchase new trams, and add pathways for cyclists and pedestrians. The EIB support involves loans of €150 million to the City of Helsinki and €250 million to metropolitan transport company Metropolitan Area Transport Ltd (Pääkaupunkiseudun Kaupunkiliikenne Oy) for the “Crown Bridges Light Rail” project.
The goals are to extend Helsinki’s tram system to the eastern suburbs of Laajasalo, Korkeasaari and Kalasatama with a new line that will halve travel times to 20 minutes and to increase the city’s bike and pedestrian paths. The project is due to be completed by 2027.
“Investing in sustainable transport is a priority for the EIB and provides a key step toward advancing climate action and enhancing connectivity in the city,” said EIB Vice-President Thomas Östros. “This project will play an important role in improving the quality of life for Helsinki’s residents.”
Crown Bridges Light Rail reflects a commitment by Helsinki, which has a population of 685,000, to expand clean public transport. That step should in turn stimulate urban development and regeneration.
Because Laajasalo and Korkeasaari are islands – Helsinki has around 300 of them – the project features three major bridges over which the new tramline will travel. The longest, Kruunuvuorensilta Bridge, will be 1,200 metres and have a pylon rising to 135 metres. The two other bridges – Merihaansilta and Finkensilta – will have lengths of 400 metres and 300 metres, respectively.
All three bridges will have bike lanes that are three metres wide and pedestrian pavements with widths of between two and six metres.
The project includes constructing Helsinki’s Ruskeasuo depot, Finland’s first combined tram and bus depot. It offers storage for about 80 trams, daily maintenance and repair facilities, and a wheel lathe track. The depot also serves regional bus traffic, with roof parking and maintenance spaces for buses.
The EIB financing covers 40% of the project costs and will go towards building the tramline and the depot as well as buying new tram sets.
The support aligns with EIB pledges to advance efforts in Europe to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality.
Background information
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, the EIB finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.
The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.
In 2024, EIB Group investments in Finland rose to €2.3 billion from €992 million the year before, focusing on green projects and business innovation.
Source: President of the Republic of France in French (video)
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Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001592/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Sandro Gozi (Renew), Yvan Verougstraete (Renew), Ciaran Mullooly (Renew), Céline Imart (PPE), Joachim Streit (Renew), Christine Singer (Renew), Engin Eroglu (Renew)
Europe’s chemicals industry is lacking in recycled plastics: it has the capacity for 4.6 million tonnes, and will need 12 million tonnes by 2030. Compostable, biobased plastics are an environmentally friendly solution and represent a potential production of 2.8 million tonnes by 2027. They could cut CO₂ emissions by 30-80 % and use European agricultural starch, which would create added value totalling more than EUR 500 million every year.
Delays to the review of biobased plastics by Article 8 of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive could hold up these sustainable alternatives and cause a 35 % increase of plastic waste imports into the EU.
Composting standards (EN 13432) need to be urgently revised. Speeding up revision could create 160 000 jobs, add EUR 37 billion to the EU’s GDP by 2030 and increase industrial investment by 45 % in three years.
Submitted: 22.4.2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001593/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Tomislav Sokol (PPE)
Parliament’s Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA) report explicitly recognised the importance of nutritional care as an integral component of cancer treatment. However, Europe’s beating cancer plan from the Commission appears to have omitted specific provisions regarding nutritional care for cancer patients.
Disease-related malnutrition is a significant comorbidity affecting patients with cancer, impacting treatment outcomes, quality of life and survival rates. Proper nutritional assessment, monitoring and personalised interventional strategies have been demonstrated to improve treatment tolerance, reduce complications and enhance overall patient outcomes.
In the light of this:
Submitted: 22.4.2025
Source: European Parliament
The Commission is committed to citizen participation and engagement as part of its policymaking process. Citizen engagement is underpinned by a robust methodology, based on established criteria.
The participants in the European Citizens’ Panels are selected based on a fully randomised selection process with the aim to compose a group representative of EU diversity.
The following elements are taken into account to ensure diversity: origin from one of the 27 Member States, gender, age (with one third of participants being between 16 and 25 years old), residence in an urban or rural area, level of education, professional activity, and the image held of the EU.
The last element guarantees that the same diversity of views found in Eurobarometer surveys (negative, neutral, or positive image of the EU) is reflected in the Panel. In addition, the panels are keenly observed by a range of experts and interested parties.
For the selection of participants in the Youth Policy Dialogues, the Commission also aims for diversity in the groups. It has made efforts to achieve balance in terms of gender, nationality and geography (including from rural areas and cities), and to mix participants from youth networks and from outside such networks.
Both the Panels and the Dialogues are accessible for people with disabilities.
Source: EuroStat – European Statistics
European Commission Press release Brussels, 30 Apr 2025 The Commission is investing €910 million under the 2024 edition of the European Defence Fund (EDF) to create a strong and innovative defence industry in Europe. These investments aim to close key capability gaps—like force mobility and drone defence—through innovation and collaboration across European science and industry.
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001594/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Tomislav Sokol (PPE)
Immunosenescence, the age-related decline in immune function, increases the vulnerability of older adults to infectious diseases, such as influenza or COVID-19, as well as non-communicable diseases, including cancer. With one third of EU citizens projected to be over 65 by 2100, addressing this challenge becomes even more urgent as immunosenescence reduces both the immune response to infection and the protection provided by influenza vaccination. Despite this, national vaccination strategies often do not fully account for these age-related changes, limiting their impact. With Europe’s ageing demographic, ensuring that vaccination strategies are optimised for older adults is critical for public health and economic sustainability.
In this context:
Submitted: 22.4.2025