EU lawmakers have backed a proposal allowing for digital proof of COVID vaccinations or negative tests. The measures are aimed at enabling restriction-free travel within the EU as the summer tourism season begins.

Frances Haugen called on lawmakers in Brussels to seize the opportunity to create a "global gold standard" as they draft oversight regulation for tech giants.

As French President Emmanuel Macron says he wants to "piss off" the unvaccinated people in his country to push them into getting Covid-19 vaccines, the head of the European Parliament’s Human Rights Committee tells FRANCE 24 that while she is unconvinced by the phrasing, "it's really important to have a higher rate of vaccination in Europe and elsewhere, to guarantee that we don't go back to lockdowns".

As Russian military movements close to the Ukrainian border continue to be a major global concern, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola tells FRANCE 24 she is doubtful about Moscow's claims that its troops are moving away from the frontier. The top EU lawmaker reaffirms that "if the escalation occurs, the European Parliament would align with other institutions to ensure concrete, swift and effective action".

The European Parliament is demanding an end to the practice of countries selling EU citizenship.

In visiting Kyiv, Roberta Metsola becomes the first EU top official to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbor on February 24.

EU leaders are in Brussels to discuss the membership bids of Ukraine and Moldova. Meanwhile, the European Parliament has voted heavily in favor of the two countries' getting candidate status.

The EU raises serious questions about the actions of energy giant TotalEnergies in Uganda, with members of parliament saying its oil pipeline project has led to evictions and arrests. Also in this edition: The United Nations publishes a report shedding light on increased human rights violations in Burkina Faso. And finally: The tourism industry in Tunisia says goodbye to a better summer season than last year, but still far from what the country was used to before the pandemic.

As the purported bribery scandal known as "Qatargate" rocks the European Parliament, FRANCE 24 speaks to prominent MEP Daniel Freund, who, until 2019, led Transparency International's work on the integrity of the EU institutions. He then took up his mandate as an EU parliamentarian for the Group of the Greens.

Talking Europe speaks to a leading voice on the democratisation of the European Union. Alberto Alemanno is a professor of EU law and a founding member of The Good Lobby, an organisation that aims to boost civil society's ability to carry out advocacy, and to make corporate political influence more accountable.

The EU legislature wants to tighten its rules in the wake of shocking corruption allegations dubbed Qatargate. The president's proposals aren't published yet, but the tussle over reform plans has already kicked off.

A 14-point plan to improve transparency and close loopholes has been put forward by the head of the European Parliament in the wake of Qatargate, the bribery scandal that continues to rock the institution.