After a presence of several years, EurActiv Hungary, the EurActiv Network partner in Budapest, has halted its operations. Christophe Leclercq, EurActiv's Founder, stated: "The EurActiv Network withdraws from Hungary for economic and political reasons, related to the way the media are treated in this country. Few clients currently feel it is possible to support public debates in Budapest. And also the political climate was at times inhibitive to our normal functioning.”

Electrical and electronic waste is a major global environmental problem given our society's growing dependence on such goods and the high turnover rate as new products come to market. Although it is difficult to quantify e-waste, we do know that large amounts are ending up in places where processing occurs at a very unprofessional level. This raises concerns about resource efficiency and also the concerns of the dangers to humans and the environment. ALDE insists on high standards for collection, recycling, treatment and re-use of electronic waste (mobiles, computers, TVs).

Addressing Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Danish Prime Minister and President-in-Office of the Council, the Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, Joseph Daul, called for a political Danish Presidency, not just a technical Presidency, a crisis Presidency, and not a business-as-usual Presidency.

Patrick Le Hyaric, député européen du  Front de Gauche, vice-président du groupe GUE/NGL

La venue ce jour de M. Viktor Orban devant le Parlement Européen est une imposture

Strasbourg, 18/01/12

The European Commission today issued a much-anticipated assessment of the compatibility of the new Hungarian constitution and implementing 'cardinal laws' with EU law. The Greens welcomed the assessment and the decision to launch infringement proceedings against Hungary for the proposed reforms threatening the independence of the judiciary, the central bank and the data protection authority. However, the group expressed concern that the Commission's assessment fails to address other worrying proposals, which embody the scale-back of democracy in Hungary.