You might know that the European Parliament is the only directly elected institution in the EU, and that it plays a crucial role as a co-legislator with the EU Council. But what does an MEP actually do? We meet three Belgian MEPs from contrasting political ideologies and parties. Through them, we explore some of the key European issues that they are working on.
We meet Benoît Cassart, an MEP for the centrist Renew bloc, who is also a farmer. He talks about innovative ways to reduce carbon emissions from livestock farming, and he also raises some of the current big challenges for Belgian and European agriculture, such as the Mercosur free trade agreement.
We then talk to Assita Kanko, an MEP from the European Conservatives and Reformists, whose party takes a tough stance on the migration issue. We meet her at the Migration Museum in Molenbeek, a particularly diverse neighbourhood in Brussels, in the context of that museum's partnership with the local police force.
Finally, we speak to Estelle Ceulemans, an MEP for the Socialists and Democrats, who tells us of her fight to keep social issues alive in the current EU Parliament, amid what she sees as a growing threat from the right and far right.
In this show we also debunk fake news targeting the European Parliament, which is a growing challenge. FRANCE 24's Renaud Lefort analyses fake footage of farmers' protests with Grégoire Ryckmans, a fact-checking specialist at Belgian broadcaster RTBF. Lefort also scrutinises a Russian destabilisation campaign aimed at Moldovan President Maia Sandu, which falsely suggested that the European Union had abandoned her.
Editor-in-Chief: Caroline de Camaret
Presented by Armen Georgian
Visual direction and Camera: Charlotte Prudhomme, Renaud Lefort and Luke Brown
"Europe Rendezvous" is a magazine programme broadcast on FRANCE 24 in English, on YouTube and on france24.com.
Europe Rendezvous © FRANCE 24 Our guests
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Estelle CEULEMANS Belgian MEP, Socialists and Democrats
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Benoît CASSART Belgian MEP, Renew Europe
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Assita KANKO Belgian MEP, European Conservatives and Reformists
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Grégoire RICKMANS Journalist with Belgian broadcaster RTBF and Faky fake news platform
English (US) · 