The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of Dutch GUE/NGL MEP Dennis de Jong's report on misleading advertising, backing the fight against acquisition fraud and putting pressure on Council and Commission to take prompt action.

"We will not be blackmailed by the member state governments!" GUE/NGL President Gabi Zimmer said, condemning the European Council's approach to the EU amending budgets for 2013 and 2014 as well as the EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2014-2020. 

GUE/NGL MEPs have voiced their support for a report that seeks to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights in the EU, ahead of a crucial plenary vote on the issue to be held tomorrow morning.

The group also calls on MEPs to reject anti-abortion group's calls for the dossier to be scrapped.

(DUBLIN, IRELAND): Although minimum wages are set at national level and the EU has no competences on this matter, there is an on-going debate about the possibility of coordinating minimum wage policy across Member States, for instance by setting a common threshold of 60% of the median wage in each country. In the majority of EU Member States, minimum wages are set by government regulation. Germany together with Austria, Denmark, Finland, Italy and Sweden are the exceptions. In these countries minimum wages are set by collective bargaining agreements.