MEP Jens-Peter Bonde's briefing

28 October 2005

Summary:
The Commission against collective agreements
We won a derogation on F-gasses
Blair in Strasbourg

The Commission against collective agreements

Tuesday 25 October the Commissions president Barosso and Internal market commissioner Charles McCreevy explained to the European Parliament McCreevys war-statements against the trade unions of Scandinavia.

McCreevy defended his statements and suggested that the Swedish trade unions have acting against the treaty articles 49 about services and art. 12 on national discrimination when they insisted that a Latvian company should pay their workers according to the collective agreements decided in Sweden.

The so-called Vaxholm-case is now with the Court in Luxembourg. I urged the European Commission to cancel their support for dumping wages.

Bonde's speech on the Vaxholm Case

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We won a derogation on F-gasses

The EP decided the so-called Doyle report on F-gasses October 26. I hade made an amendment with my Dutch colleague Hans Blokland allowing Denmark and other countries to keep and introduce stricter rules against F-gasses – if the Commission and the Council will agree.

We had unexpectedly 370 votes for the amendment with 272 against. All Danish members voted for our proposal with not one single exception. It is remarkable that the Swede Carlshamre from the liberal party voted against.

Speech on F-gasse

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Blair in Strasbourg

Wednesday the 26th of October we also had a short visit by Tony Blair the day before his globalisation-summit in the UK.

Speech for Tony Blair

Next weeks agenda

Previous briefings:
10 October 2005
8 July 2005
29 June 2005
17 June 2005
2 June 2005
24 May 2005
13 May 2005
20 April 2005