The LIVE launch of EuroparlTV 10am 17 September

[Happy Times]

http://www.europarltv.europa.eu/StartPage.aspx

EU Parliament Set to Launch World's Biggest Web TV Platform

"Parliament Live provides continuous coverage of live events in the Parliament, notably debates in the plenary sessions, with a link to the audiovisual archives of previous sessions, as well as in the coming months, the activities of the committees."

http://eux.tv/article.aspx?articleId=20427

IMO this is some best placed money EU has spend, no matter if one is against or for the union, there is never enough information.:up:

[Happy Times]

Presentation of the parties, it seems they assume everyone knows the parties.:nope:


Political groups of the European Parliament



EPP-ED-European People's Party–European Democrats MEPs 288

The European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED) is a political group of the European Parliament comprising the European People's Party and the non-party subgroup European Democrats.

The group is a parliamentary group of Christian democrats and conservative MEPs. Most belong to the core People's Party, but the more eurosceptic conservative groups are in the European Democrat sub-group. The two groups were previously separate until 1992 when the latter parties, led by the British Conservative Party, joined the EPP as associates and then formed the Democrat subgroup. The European Democrats should not be confused with the centrist European Democratic Party or the nationalist EUDemocrats

Since the 1999 election when it won 268 of the 732 seats, the EPP-ED has been the largest party in the European Parliament. Since the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU in January 2007, it now has 276 of the 785 seats (35%). The present chair of the group is Joseph Daul MEP, elected in 2007 after the previous chair, Hans-Gert Pöttering, was elected President of the European Parliament.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_People's_Party–European_Democrats

PES-Party of European Socialists MEPs 215

The Party of European Socialists (PES) is a European political party comprising of thirty-three socialist, social democratic and labour parties from each European Union member state and Norway. PES forms a parliamentary group in the European Parliament, the Socialist Group, which is the second largest grouping with over 200 MEPs.

The Party was founded in 1992 and is led by Poul Nyrup Rasmussen MEP. However the history of the Socialist Group goes back to the beginning of the European Parliament in 1953. Until the 1999 European election it had been the largest group elected in Parliament. The group is currently led by Martin Schulz MEP.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_of_European_Socialists

ALDE-Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe MEPs 101

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (French: Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe) is an alliance between two European political parties: The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party and the European Democratic Party. It is a political group in the European Parliament, the EU Committee of the Regions, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. In these groups, there are assorted independents.

The meeting of the Parliamentary Group of the liberal democrat European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party which took place in Brussels on July 13, 2004 approved a recommendation to unite in a new group with MEPs of the European Democratic Party founded by François Bayrou's UDF, the Lithuanian Labour Party and the Italian Margherita. The two European political parties remain separate parties outside the European Parliament. The group, as originally constituted, comprised 88 members.

The founding Group meeting of ALDE-ADLE, which immediately followed the ELDR meeting, elected Graham Watson MEP of the British Liberal Democrats as Group Leader. It also adopted a 10-point 'Program for Europe'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliance_of_Liberals_and_Democrats_for_Europe

UEN-Union for Europe of the NationsMEPs 44

Union for Europe of the Nations is a political group of the European Parliament formed on 20 July 1999[4], supplanting the earlier Union for Europe.

While the UEN in the broad is national-conservative, some members are uncomfortable with this political line. Fianna Fáil is centrist and there is a strong movement for the party to leave UEN and join the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. National Alliance, which despite its post-fascist background is a moderate national-conservative party strongly promoting European integration, is also growing uncomfortable with UEN allies and is seeking admission to the European People's Party. Lega Nord, an advocate of a "Europe of the Regions", is an uncomfortable member of the group as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_for_Europe_of_the_Nations

Greens–EFA-European Greens–European Free AllianceMEPs 42

The European Greens – European Free Alliance (The Greens – European Free Alliance; Greens – EFA; French: Le Groupe Verts – Alliance libre européenne; Les Verts – ALE, German Fraktion der Grünen – Freie Europäische Allianz) is one of the parliamentary groups in the European Parliament.

This group consists of two distinct European political parties - the European Green Party and the European Free Alliance (EFA). The EFA consists of parties representing stateless nations. These parties are civic nationalists and regionalists, broadly of the centre and centre-left.[citation needed]

Before February 2004, the European Greens existed as a coalition known as the European Federation of Green Parties rather than a formal political party. Thus, the group was then known as the EFGP-EFA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Greens–European_Free_Alliance

GUE–NGL-European United Left–Nordic Green LeftMEPs 41

European United Left–Nordic Green Left is a socialist, eco-socialist and communist political group with seats in the European Parliament since 1995.

The GUE-NGL is a confederal group: it is composed of MEPs from national parties. Those national parties must share common political objectives with the group, as specified in the group's constituent declaration. Nevertheless, those national parties, not the group, retain control of their MEPs. Thus, the Group may be divided on certain issues.

Members of the group meet regularly to prepare for meetings, debate on policies and vote on resolutions. The group also publishes reports on various topics (World Trade Organization, asbestos, sexual slavery, et al).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_United_Left–Nordic_Green_Left

I/D-Independence/Democracy MEPs 24

The Independence/Democracy Group in the European Parliament was set up on 20 July 2004.[1] It is the current Eurosceptic group.

IND/DEM is a coalition of MEPs from two distinct wings of Euroscepticism: a reformist subgroup made up of those MEPs who believe that the EU is essentially desirable if reformed and who support greater transparency and control over the EU bureaucracy, and a secessionist subgroup consisting of those MEPs (notably UKIP[19]) who believe that the EU is inherently wrong even if reformed and who advocate withdrawal from the EU.[22][1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence/Democracy

NI-Non-Inscrits MEPs 30

Non-Inscrits (abbreviated NI; English: Non-Attached Members, abbreviated NA; the English name is also official, but the French name is prevalent even in English texts; singular Non-Inscrit) are Members of the European Parliament who do not sit in one of the political groups.

To form a political group in the European Parliament there needs to be 20 MEPs from six different states. On 15 January 2007 the group Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty, composed of 23 members from European parties variously described as right-wing and nationalist, was formally recognized by Parliamentary president. It formally ceased to exist on 14 November 2007, when the Greater Romania Party withdrew from the group.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Inscrits

[Skybird]

Live coverage from their debates? How could we have lived without it for so long? :doh:

Are they really taking themselves so important that this is needed? Now every little second row politician will feel committed more towards presenting himself in a positive light and will always eye the huge audience that is keeping him under close observation. The focus on issues, and reasonable consideration cannot improve from this.

for that reason I am against coverage via cameras and microphones from inside parliaments. Helmut Schmidt, who also opposes the idea, once said something like such a move turns a parliament even more into an assembly of narcissists than it already is.

Like so many other things, I consider this move by the EU to be exactly counterproductive. It does not add to transparency and democratic countercontrol by the people, but will cause an even trickier tailoring of speeches and a focussing on superficial shine and showacts. Next thing we get is parliamentary beauty contests.

[AntEater]

How many people watch Bundestag debates on Phoenix?
I usually do when I'm ill at home. Parliamentary debates are dead boring even in a parliament with real politicians. How bad will they be with the Strassburg stooges? The EU parliament is simply Europe's political trash bin.
Every inept, corrupt or simply weird political castoff does inevitably end up there. It is a fact that every european politician whose career has hit a dead end for some reason and who can't secure a post in the federal recycling commission, the war graves association or some other post of equal importance will ultimately run for EU parliament.

Where else in the world would you have a radical french student leader from 1968, the granddaughter of Mussolini, serveral convicts plus serveral former porn stars in one Room?
Not to mention radical nationalists and seperatists from every EU country, plus the usual polish catholic taleban.
I'm really glad that this parliament has no real power, especially looking at their suggestions regarding intellectual property (turning the EU into some kind of Orwellian nightmare for the sake of the music industry) antidiscrimination laws (turning the EU into some kind of Orwellian nightmare by enforcing antidiscrimination by penal law) and foreign policy (military support for Sakashvili)
The EU parliament is a joke, nothing more.

[Happy Times]

Two of my favourite politicians have been MEPs.:)

Olli Rehn

Economics, international relations and journalism, Macalester College, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Political science MA, University of Helsinki

PhD, University of Oxford

Fluent in Finnish, English, French, Swedish, and some German

Currently European Commissioner for Enlargement



Alexander Stubb

Political science BA, Furman University in South Carolina

French Language, Sorbonne

European Affairs MA, College of Europe, Belgium

PhD, London School of Economics

Fluent in Finnish, English, French, Swedish, and German

Currently the foreign minister of Finland

I have met both live and talked to people that know them, neither is stupid or corrupt.
In every parlament many are not qualified and there are the crazys that get a lot of atention. But thats the system we have, most voters dont no anything either. :lol:


Dont tell me parlament doesnt decide on important issues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdAynVBCsmo

:rotfl:

[AntEater]

I suppose the view of the EP differs.
Smaller countries like Austria or Finland tend to view it as more important than France, Germany or Italy and definitely view it more seriously than the UK.
So you will find more serious politicians from smaller countries there, while the large member states send their rejects.
Daniel Cohn-Bendit (the 1968 student leader) is actually quite a cool guy, even though he talks you to death (in 4 different languages).
And Allessandra Mussolini was featured in the italian playboy in 1980 or so.
Her mother is the sister of Sofia Loren and her father the son of il Duce.
She recently made headlines because she went to court in order to enable her sons to carry on the name Mussolini, since there is no male line and otherwise this glorious name would die out.
:rotfl:

[UnderseaLcpl]

This sounds a lot like C-Span, except a lot more expensive. And the citizens of the EU are paying for it whether they want it or not.

Aren't there any European media companies that could provide this function at no taxpayer cost like C-span does?

[Happy Times]

This sounds a lot like C-Span, except a lot more expensive. And the citizens of the EU are paying for it whether they want it or not.

Aren't there any European media companies that could provide this function at no taxpayer cost like C-span does?

Not in 20 languages, this is small price compared for exsample to the idiotic cost of the parlament moving between two cities.