EU Affairs
Press release – EP TODAY
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Gaza at breaking point: vote on a resolution
Responding to the catastrophic situation in Gaza, Members will vote at noon on a motion for a Parliament resolution entitled “Gaza at breaking point: EU action to combat famine, the urgent need to release hostages and move towards a two-state solution”. The debate with EU diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas took place on Tuesday.
(+32) 470 96 08 19
Standing with Poland after Russia’s drone incursions into Polish airspace
The deliberate violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones and how the EU can show solidarity with Poland will be the subject of an extraordinary plenary debate, starting at about 11.00. This item will be the fourth on the morning’s agenda.
Viktor ALMQVIST
(+32) 470 88 29 42
Coping with heatwaves
In a debate starting at about 09.15, MEPs will discuss with Commissioner Piotr Serafin how best to address the causes of heatwaves and provide adequate housing and health policies to help people cope.
Dana POPP
(+32) 470 95 17 07
@EP_Environment
In brief
A stronger internal market. Seeking to boost the EU’s competitiveness, MEPs will debate ways to simplify and streamline the single market rulebook with Commissioner Piotr Serafin, from 10.15, and Parliament will vote on a resolution at noon.
Academic alliances in the European education area. In a debate with Piotr Serafin, starting at 08.30, MEPs will discuss the future of the European Universities initiative. They will vote on the resolution at noon.
Dementia strategy. In the last debate of the session, from 15.00, MEPs and Commissioner Serafin will focus on the European strategy for addressing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Votes
At noon, MEPs will vote, among others, on:
- new rules on package travel;
- a report taking stock of the 2024 European elections;
- the detention of EU citizens in the occupied areas of Cyprus, political prisoner Victoire Ingabire in Rwanda, and the case of Irish national Abdoul Aziz Goma, arbitrarily detained in Togo, and
- the situation in Colombia after the wave of recent terrorist attacks.
Live coverage of the plenary session can be found on Parliament’s webstreaming site and on EbS+.
For detailed information on the session, please also see our newsletter.
Find more information regarding plenary.
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The Commission president’s comment follows an assertion by U.S. President Donald Trump that NATO countries should shoot down Russian jets that violate their airspace.
AI generated Text-to-speech
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The use of disappearing messages is recommended in Commission guidance called “Checklist to Make Your Signal Safer,” from 2022.
“On the one hand, it reduces the risk of leaks and security breaches, which is of course an important factor,” Commission spokesperson Balazs Ujvari said. “And also, it’s a question of space on the phone — so, effective use of a mobile device.”
“The president has been complying with these internal guidelines and is using the disappearing message feature, which explains why we could not retrieve any such SMSs.”
He added: “SMSs may have to be registered under certain circumstances — for example, if there is a need to follow up, if there’s an administrative or legal impact.”
In the case of Macron’s message, the Commission concluded that it didn’t meet that threshold. That decision was made by von der Leyen’s powerful head of cabinet, Bjoern Seibert.
“He was one of the actors taking part in this discussion,” Ujvari said. “The President assessed the SMS with her Head of Cabinet and relevant services within the Commission.”
This isn’t the first time von der Leyen’s phone habits have raised eyebrows. Her text exchanges with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla over Covid vaccine contracts were never archived — prompting an ongoing Ombudsman investigation dubbed “Pfizergate.”
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The European Commission president’s trip comes on the heels of an announcement by Germany’s Rheinmetall that it plans two new factories in Bulgaria, making the country Europe’s largest gunpowder manufacturer.
Aug 31
3 mins read
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