The European Parliament has condemned the police action and legal measures taken against the Union of Poles in Belarus and the attempts by the authorities to impose a new leadership on the Polish community. MEPs also urge the Belarus authorities to release political activists such as Andrei Bandarenko and prisoners of conscience such as Ivan Mikhailau and Aristyom Dubski.Source : © European Parliament

'You are here', a book project including contributions from 14 young people across Europe, was today announced as the Irish winner which will go forward to compete for the Charlemagne European Youth Prize in Aachen in Germany on 11 May. The project, which was submitted by John Holten from Ardee, Co. Louth, brought together young people born after 1980, 'who enjoy freedom of movement in Europe and work in a country they did not grow up in.'Source : © European Parliament

Plans should be developed for a global tax to discourage excessive risk-taking by financial institutions and ensure that the financial industry pays for the damage caused by the financial crisis, says Parliament in a resolution approved on Wednesday. If a worldwide tax proves unachievable, the EU could consider the option of going it alone, add MEPs.Source : © European Parliament

A non-EU national staying in one of the Member States on a long-stay visa will be allowed to travel to most other Member States for three months in any six-month period under the same conditions as the holder of a residence permit, under a new regulation approved on Tuesday by Parliament.Source : © European Parliament

At the opening of this week's Strasbourg plenary session, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek expressed sorrow for the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey, Chile and Haiti as well as the storms in France. He also congratulated Lithuania and Estonia on the 20th anniversaries of their independence (11 March) and, referring to the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan uprising, called on China to engage in dialogue with the people of Tibet.Source : © European Parliament

Plenary Session – StrasbourgSource : © European Parliament

Without enough money, the EU 2020 strategy risks turning into "another vague scoreboard for the Member States", the EP Budgets Committee warned on Thursday when adopting its priorities for the 2011 budget. According to the committee, next year's budget should focus on youth, research and recovery from the economic crisis.Source : © European Parliament

This press kit summarises the European Parliament's activities aimed at tackling the financial crisis and stabilising the economy. It also looks forward to Parliament's stance on the EU2020 strategy. Finally it contains information about work being done in Parliament to analyse the sources of the crisis and make proposals for the future.Source : © European Parliament

Parliament voted on Thursday 11 February not to give its consent to the interim agreement between the EU and the USA on bank data transfers via the SWIFT network. This vote prevented the agreement coming into force. Now work will focus on the negotiation of a definitive SWIFT agreement that meets the European Parliament's demands regarding data protection.Source : © European Parliament

EU Member States must not only deliver on their international aid pledges, but also bring in a financial transactions tax and a temporary debt moratorium, to help developing countries to cope with the effects of the global financial and economic crisis, said the Development Committee on Monday. Member States are also urged to earmark at least 25% of the EU's CO2 emission trading revenue to help developing countries to deal with the effects of climate change.Source : © European Parliament

Women should be better informed of the value that the EU adds to their lives and should be more visible in electoral campaigns, concluded a workshop on women's perceptions of the EU held at the European Parliament on Tuesday.Source : © European Parliament

Committee meetings and political groups week – BrusselsSource : © European Parliament