Brush Up Your English |
The European Parliament welcomed the EU’s 10 new member states with an official ceremony on Monday, where the flags of the 10 new EU countries were raised alongside those of the former 15 to the sound of the European anthem. In this last plenary session before the European Parliament elections in June and the first sitting of the enlarged European Parliament, speeches will be held in the 20 EU official languages.
MEP – poslanec (Member of Parliament, též MP) to welcome – přivítat flag - vlajka to raise – vyzvednout, vyvěsit alongside – vedle, podél former –dřívější to the sound – za zvuku anthem – hymna last – poslední session –zasedání elections – volby first – první sitting – zasedání enlarged –rozšířený speech – projev to hold – držet, konat se (neprav. sloveso hold held held)
The number of MEPs has now shot up to just short of 800 as the 162 observers from the new EU countries have now achieved MEP status and will be able to vote alongside the 626 MEPs from the "old" member states.
But only for this session, as EU citizens will go to the polls to elect 732 MEPs in June. Presidents of the Parliaments from the new Member States and EU ambassadors attended the official ceremony in Strasbourg on Monday, where former Polish President Lech Walesa, the founder of Solidarity Union, was guest of honour.
to shoot up – vystřelit, vyletět, zvýšit se (frázové nepravidelné sloveso
shoot shot shot) short of – téměř observer – pozorovatel to achieve –dosáhnout, získat to be able to – být schopen to vote – volit citizen –občan polls – volby to elect – volit member state – členský stát to attend – účastnit se founder – zakladatel guest of honour – čestný host
Připravuje Markéta Frýbová