Hoogtepunten plenaire zitting Europees Parlement 12-15 Januari 2009 (en)
The highlights of the first Strasbourg European Parliament plenary session of 2009 are listed below. At the opening, Parliament voted 105 votes for to 86 against in favour of the Parliament voting on a resolution on Gaza on Thursday 15 January. MEPs will debate the situation in Gaza on Wednesday 14 January. Daniel Cohn-Bendit (Greens/EFA, DE) and Hannes Swoboda (PES, AT) argued in favour of the Parliament also voting on a resolution while Elmar Brok (EPP-ED, DE) argued against the vote.
Launch of the Czech Presidency's programme by Czech PM Mirek Topolánek
Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek i will launch the Czech Republic's six-month Presidency of the European Union on Wednesday at 9am in a debate with MEPs and Commission President José Manuel Barroso i. (The Czech Republic took over from France on 1 January 2009 and Sweden takes over the presidency in the second half of 2009).
MEPs to debate the situation in Gaza
At the opening of the plenary session on Monday, EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering i will make a statement on Gaza and Parliament will debate the situation in Gaza and Israel on Wednesday afternoon. The President of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council and Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic, Karel Schwarzenberg, is heading the EU delegation bound for the Middle East. One of the main objectives of this mission is to find a way to help the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip in the current distressing humanitarian situation. The European Commission has announced the release of €3 million towards humanitarian aid. The House will also vote on a resolution on this topic.
European gas supplies disrupted after Russia Ukraine dispute
Parliament will debate supply of gas from Russia following statements from Council and Commission. Several European countries say their supplies of Russian gas have been cut sharply amid an energy price dispute between Moscow and Ukraine. Turkey said all its gas supplies via Ukraine had been cut. Romania reported a 75% reduction. Bulgaria, Greece and Macedonia are also seeing shortfalls.
Pesticides legislation: the final lap
Pesticides have a three-stage life-cycle: the placing on the market of new pesticide products; the day-to-day use of pesticides; and the end-of-life or "waste" stage. The legislation submitted to Parliament for approval next week, in two reports, deals only with the first two stages, as waste is covered by other EU laws. MEPs will vote on the two reports endorsing the final shape of the legislation as agreed in negotiations with the Council in December. The legislation will increase the number of pesticide products available in Member States while in due course banning the use of certain dangerous chemicals in these products. Measures to ensure the safer use of pesticides in daily life will also be introduced.
Parliament marks 10th Anniversary of the Euro
Parliament is marking the 10th anniversary of the Euro with a special debate in the plenary session, followed by a seminar with political leaders and leading economic journalists. The euro was created in 1999 when 11 countries irrevocably locked the bilateral exchange rates of their currencies and equipped themselves with a single monetary and exchange rate policy managed by the European Central Bank created six months earlier. Greece joined them in 2001 and in 2002 euro banknotes and coins were introduced. There are now 16 Member States which have adopted the euro as their national currency. At 10am on Tuesday 13 January, Parliament’s President, Hans-Gert Pöttering, will open a formal sitting, including speeches by European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet i, Eurogroup Chair Jean-Claude Juncker and Economic and Monetary Affairs Commission Joaquín Almunia i.
Security features and biometrics in passports
Children under twelve should no longer have their fingerprints included on passports issued in the European Union, the EP Civil Liberties Committee says in a co-decision report. But they should have their own passports, so as to combat trafficking in children, say MEPs. Biometric passports will be introduced in the whole EU (+ Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) on the 29th June.
Transparency: EU institutions to set an example
A report by the EP Civil Liberties Committee urges the EU institutions to do more to open up their registers and documents to the public. In the light of a recent judgment by the Court of Justice, MEPs in the committee call on the Council to hold all its debates in public and on Parliament to publish more information on its Members' activities.
Vote on report on situation of fundamental rights in the European Union
Following the debate of 17 December 2008, (see link below), MEPs will vote on a report by Giusto CATANIA (GUE/NGL, IT) on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union. MEPs in the committee address fundamental rights in its various aspects, voicing recommendations on a broad range of issues like discrimination, immigration, social rights or gender equality.
President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers to address the House
The President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers will address MEPs in a formal sitting at midday on Tuesday 13 January in Strasbourg. Valdis Zatlers (born March 22, 1955) is the 7th and current president of Latvia. He won the Latvian presidential election of 31 May 2007. He became President of Latvia on 8 July 2007.
Commemorating 11 July as a day of remembrance for the victims of Srebrenica
On 11 July 1995, the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica, which was proclaimed a safe area by the UN Security Council resolution of 16 April 1993, fell to the Bosnian Serb forces led by General Ratko Mladic and under the direction of the then president of the Republika Srpska, Radovan Karadzic. The House will debate the question of commemorating 11 July as a day of remembrance for the victims of Srebrenica after hearing statements from the Council and Commission.
Deal to improve coordination on public contracts in the field of defence and security
Parliament and Council have reached an agreement on the report on public contracts in the fields of defence and security. MEPs say Member States must ensure that there is no discrimination between undertakings claiming harm in the context of a procedure for the award of a contract as a result of the distinction made by this Directive between national rules implementing Community law and other national rules.
Situation in the Horn of Africa
MEPs will debate and vote on a resolution on the situation in the Horn of Africa after statements from the Council and Commission. The political situation in Somalia, the consequences of the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops and the ongoing humanitarian crisis will be discussed. The increasing acts of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and along the Somali coasts will also be raised. The EU has set up its first naval operation ("Atalanta"), to protect commercial vessels passing through the Gulf of Aden.
EU approach to Belarus
Belarus has the opportunity to be an active partner of the EU in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), provided that the country embarks on fundamental democratic and economic reforms to bring the country closer to European common values. MEPs will debate and vote on a resolution on the situation in Belarus after statements from the Council and Commission.
UCITS: MEPs set to back management company passport scheme
Parliament is to debate and vote on legislation reforming the UCITS directives, aimed at making the investment fund market in the EU less fragmented and at improving efficiency. The committee inserted provisions for a "management company passport". Negotiations to reach a compromise with the Council at first-reading have been taking place. UCITS (undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities) are investment funds sold across the EU and elsewhere under a common set of EU rules for investor protection, cost transparency and meeting basic requirements on organisation, management and oversight of funds.
Public intervention reassumes "pivotal role" in rescuing banks and transport industry
Expressing concern at the unprecedented level of instability in the European and world markets, the report drafted by Donata GOTTARDI (PES, IT) points out that the crisis in strategic sectors, and especially in the fields of finance and transport, is spurring public investment in takeovers, without care being taken to limit those rescue operations to what is strictly necessary for sustaining and developing the European economy or to ensure they do not respond to national interests only.
UN Human Rights Council: "some good work but could do better", say MEPs
The draft report on the "development of the UN Human Rights Council, including the role of the EU", drafted by Laima Andrikiene (EPP-ED, LT) on behalf of the Foreign Affairs Committee, sees strengths and weaknesses in the UNHRC, which superseded the UN Commission on Human Rights in 2006.
Call for more economic cooperation between the EU and Western Balkans
The political integration of the Western Balkans into the EU can only take place if there is "better, more intensive regional and international economic co-operation", says the Committee on International Trade. In a report drafted by Bastiaan Belder i (IND/DEM, NL), the Committee states that the EU "must show genuine commitment to the Western Balkans" if its pledge to enable these countries to accede to the EU on schedule is to be fulfilled.
Global food security: more European initiatives needed
The EP Agriculture Committee is calling for “immediate and continuous action” to ensure global food security. It believes the aid of EUR 1 billion that the EU has decided to give to developing countries should be accompanied by fresh investment in agriculture and it calls for mechanisms to be set up to ensure that sufficient global food stocks are available. In the space of two years world food prices have increased by over 80% on average while cereal stocks have fallen in 2008 to a worrying historic low of 40 days’ supply, points out a report drafted by Mairead McGUINNESS (EPP-ED, IE), which was adopted unopposed with a few amendments by the Agriculture Committee.
Animal transport - MEPs to quiz Commission
Article 27 of Animal Transport Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 requires the competent authority in the Member States to ensure compliance with the legislation and to carry out non-discriminatory inspections of animals, means of transport and accompanying documents. The inspections must be performed on an adequate proportion of the animals transported each year within each Member State. Neil PARISH (EPP-ED, UK), on behalf of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development ,will be asking the Commission questions on animal Transport Regulation (EC) No 1/2005: Annual reports by the Member States on enforcement.
Mediterranean diet to be part of UNESCO?
On the occasion of the Council of Ministers meeting held in Brussels on 16 July 2007, the Commission reiterated its full support for the nomination of the Mediterranean Diet as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. This nomination will be examined in 2009 by the responsible UNESCO Committee. Neil PARISH (EPP-ED, UK), on behalf of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, will be asking the Commission if they are planning to set up a specific and coordinated strategy to support this nomination.
Poor implementation of directive on equal treatment for men and women in the labour market
The Committee's own-initiative report drafted by Teresa RIERA MADURELL (PES, ES) highlights problems with the implementation of Directive 2002/73/EC in Member States - a directive which was adopted to provide the EU Member States with an effective tool to enhance national legislation on equal treatment between women and men on the labour market.
Revision of the Broadcasting communication - State aid for public broadcasting
Given that public service broadcasting plays a crucial role with regard to cultural and linguistic diversity, facilitates media pluralism, provides the public with high quality programming and in general answers cultural, social and democratic needs of society, we stress that the European Parliament must be involved in the current process of revising the Broadcasting Communication. Cornelis Visser i (EPP-ED, NL), Ivo BELET (EPP-ED, BE) and Ruth HIERONYMI (EPP-ED, DE), on behalf of the Committee on Culture and Education, will be asking the Commission various questions on the revision of the Broadcasting Communication - State aid for public broadcasting.
Ecosystem approach to fisheries management
The Fisheries Committee is proposing a report on the Commission communication "The role of the Common Fisheries Policy in implementing an ecosystem approach to marine management". According to MEPs, this initiative is a "contribution" for guaranteeing exploitation of fisheries resources in a way that will create sustainable conditions from the social, environmental and economic points of views, urging however the Commission to reconsider the present system of TACs and quotas.
Aid to Afghanistan needs to be better coordinated, says Budgetary Control Committee
In Afghanistan 90% of public money comes from international aid, illustrating the high levels of both need and aid dependency in the country. The EU is one of Afghanistan's main donors of development aid and humanitarian assistance. Between 2002 and 2007, direct Community aid accounted for 70 % (€970 m) of the total, the remaining 30% being covered by indirect aid managed by international organisations (€422 m). In spite of the "important progress" made in the allocation of aid to Afghanistan by donor countries, the cost effectiveness ratio is "well below what it should be," says the Committee on Budgetary Control. "There is a sense that the people of Afghanistan could be directly benefiting much more from the international and Community funds received."
Human rights in the world
As usual the session ends with three debates and votes on human rights issues in the world, on this occasion the topics are: Iran, the case of Shirin Ebadi, Guinea and freedom of the press in Kenya.