On the legislative side, MEPs approved a proposal to give member states more flexibility to restrict or ban GMOs on their territory, while they also debated the programme of the new Latvian presidency of the Council as well as the outcome of the Italian presidency that ended in December.
But some critics claim there is little room for substantial debate on the programme.
She said in a debate after the programme: "Politicians haven't kept up.
The topics for debate during the programme are loosely defined by 'set-piece' questions from pre-selected audience members.
Ukip has declined an invitation to debate the controversial programme, Ukip: the First 100 Days, on tonight's edition of Newsnight.
According to Babul Adhikary, from Development Organisation of the Rural Poor DORPP) – the NGO overseeing the debate programme in Jamalpur District – the debates are particularly effective because the participants themselves learn so much about maternal and neonatal health.
Gordon Brown 29% David Cameron 36% Nick Clegg 32% Don't know 3% Ratings after first debate, where half the programme was devoted to domestic issues.
A soon-forgotten one-off it may have been, but the incident, detailed in Eisenstadt's new book chronicling the development of Sure Start, goes to the heart of the debate that surrounded the programme and continues even now with children's centres, their natural descendants: who should they be for, and what should they be offering?
In a democracy where security was properly debated, the Typhoon programme would long ago have been recognised as a scandal.
Parliament is due to start debating on Monday the programme of tax increases and spending cuts worth 28bn euros (£25bn, $40bn) over five years.
