(Sir Europe – Strasbourg) – The EU is still focussing its attention on the economic and financial crisis and, after the EU Council of 28th and 29th June, this subject will be discussed once again by the European Parliament on the next few days. The outcome of the summit will be discussed by the MEPs with the leaders of the EU Council and EU Commission during their plenary session, which will be starting today and ending on 5th July. During the session, the current presidency of the EU Council, which from this week onwards will be held by Cyprus, will describe its six-monthly programme, called “Towards a better Europe”: Nicosia’s priorities include the crisis and economic governance, the 2014-2020 budget, Europe’s welfare, relations with the Middle East and the Mediterrenean countries. Legal issues that will also be addressed by the EU Parliament include Acta (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, an international agreement against counterfeiting and piracy), European patents, the emergency system e-Call, checks in the Schengen area. Foreign policy topics will include, once again, the situation in Syria, in Egypt, the EU policy for the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the problem of forced abortion in China.

02/07/2012 -