Europe explained

Get inside European politics

Politique examines the key moments in the political week in Brussels and focuses on the work of the European Parliament.

With studio debate and actuality from the Parliament - as well as excerpts from the work of Europe's national parliaments - the programme is presented from Brussels and Strasbourg by Shirin Wheeler.

This week's programme
Shirin Wheeler
BBC Parliament's Politique presenter

This week's edition of Politique comes from the European Parliament in Strasbourg where MEPs have been meeting in full session.

This week Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi came to lay out his plans to the Parliament for the next six months as Italy takes over the Presidency of the European Union from Greece.

But within minutes the controversial PM, who arrives fresh from facing corruption charges in the Italian courts, had managed to cause a diplomatic row.

He appeared to suggest that a German Socialist MEP might take up the part of a Nazi concentration camp leader in a film.

We'll be showing the "gaffe" in full and speaking to European Socialist leader Enrique Baron Crespo and head of the British Conservatives in the EP Jonathan Evans about the significance of Mr Berlusconi's comments.

Shirin Wheeler is also joined by four members of the Parliament's powerful Environment and Consumer Protection committee:

Caroline Jackson, British Conservative

Dirk Sterckx , Belgian Liberal

Dorette Corbey Dutch Socialist

Plaid Cymru's Jill Evans

They have been discussing the approval of two big pieces of legisaltion this week soon to be become EU law.

Radical plans to force member states to increase recycling of rubbish and strict rules on labelling food containg even the tiniest amoints of genetically modified ingredients. We'll be asking whether the rules are workable and what difference will they make?

In a special interview Shirin Wheeler has also been speaking to the EU trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy about the US attitude to EU consumer protection policies and particularly in relation to GMOs.

You can watch Politique on BBC Parliament at 1630 BST on Sunday and 1030 BST on Monday.