European Parliament

Today, the European Parliament will vote on a resolution for the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area. Against this background, the Romanian MEP from the European People's Party, Eugene Tomac, requested that the European Parliament file a case against the European Council before the Court of Justice of the EU for not allowing Romania and Bulgaria into Schengen.

The Financial Police conducted searches at the homes of MEP Eva Kaili in Psychiko and her sister Madalena in Kifissia, which ended Wednesday.

A Belgian prosecutor was also present during the checks, executing a European order for an investigation by Belgian judicial authorities into Kaili, one the of main suspects in a corruption probe at the European Parliament.

A European Union parliament committee has rejected a landmark legal proposal to protect endangered natural habitats, ahead of a decisive vote by the full EU assembly next month.

Migration Reform

European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson speaks to the media prior to the European Home Affairs Ministers Council meeting in Luxembourg, 08 June 2023. EPA-EFE/JULIEN WARNAND

Daniel Laurer will be one of the two candidates for Bulgaria's European Commissioner. The decision of Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov is for GERB-SDS to nominate a candidate as well.

So far, the coalition has not commented on who they will nominate. It is possible that they nominate Eva Maidel.

Slovenia will get an additional seat in the European Parliament under a proposal adopted by the parliament on 15 June. The new distribution must now be okayed by the heads of state.

The proposal would award two seats to Spain and the Netherlands, and one to Slovenia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Ireland and Latvia.

Slovenia would thus have nine seats.

The first package of regulations on risk management and the legal use of artificial intelligence was adopted by a large majority of MEPs during the June plenary session in Strasbourg.

Eva Kaili, the MEP charged over her involvement in the Qatargate scandal, will not attend the plenary session of European Parliament in Strasbourg this week, for "personal, objective reasons which cannot be made public," her lawyers said in a statement on Monday. 

MEP from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Ivo Hristov voted "against" the draft law to increase the production of ammunition and missiles in the EU and speed up their shipment to Ukraine. The remaining Bulgarian MEPs from the group abstained. The draft law was adopted by a large majority today.

A plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels voted on Thursday to lift the immunity of Greek MEP Alexis Georgoulis who has been accused of rape and sexual abuse.