The EU budget is often misunderstood, and perhaps even more often misrepresented. Here are 10 basic facts to bear in mind when you hear about it.

European Union, two words that provoke a Marmite reaction in the British media and public- you either like it or loathe it.

During the December plenary, MEPs voted on several resolutions including the introduction of an employment and residence permit for foreign workers discussed prison conditions, debated the outcome of the Euro Summit, awarded the Sakharov Human Rights Prize to five Arab Spring activists and bid farewell to Jerzy Buzek, the Parliament's outgoing President, and to the Polish presidency of Council.