South Eastern states in EU by 2014, says Schüssel

The so-called Qatargate scandal has had little effect on the image of the European Parliament so far, officials said, although the survey did not specifically asked people about the scandal.

EUobserver interviewed Spanish MEP Jordi Cañas to discuss the situation of Europe's middle class, the dangerous political reaction if certain groups feel neglected, and the role that member states and the EU can play at the policy level.

The Spanish government has officially requested to postpone the presentation of its upcoming EU presidency priorities in the European Parliament's plenary chamber until September.

EU Parliament head Roberta Metsola knew final details of a harassment case more than 30 weeks before she sanctioned the accused MEP.

"This will be the first time a member state that is under the Article 7 procedure will take over the rotating presidency of the council," French Green MEP Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, the key lawmaker on Hungary, warned.

The European Parliament's Bureau, a political body composed of the president and its vice-presidents, decided to slash payouts from the fund by 50 percent, freeze automatic indexations, and increase the pension age from 65 to 67.