Regions and transport

On 13 January, the Italian cruise ship, Costa Concordia, ran aground after hitting a reef off Isola del Giglio, Italy, with more than 4,000 passengers and crew on board. With 16 confirmed deaths and more than 20 people still missing, the human tragedy may be followed by an environmental one, as over 2000 tonnes of fuel must be pumped out of the Concordia to avoid a huge oil spill. Members of Parliament's Transport committee debated the issue with Commissioner Siim Kallas on Tuesday.

New rules aimed at improving the safety and environmental performance of two-wheeled vehicles, from mopeds to motorbikes, made it through the Internal Market Committee 5 December. The vote, which included over 300 amendments, was closely followed by riders and manufacturers. Dutch Christian Democrat Wim van de Camp, who is steering the proposals through parliament and who is a biker himself told us more.

As part of its effort to cut damaging greenhouse gases, the EU will include aviation in its Emissions Trading System (ETS) from 2012, affecting all flights into or out of the EU, and it wants other countries to agree on measures to curb air and maritime emissions. As delegates head to the Durban Climate Summit, German Christian Democrat Peter Liese who guided the legislation through the EP explained more.

Funds for cohesion and regional development are the EU's largest area of spending. On 6 October, MPs met MEPs in a joint session of the Regional Development Committee to discuss the proposed legal framework for cohesion policy post-2013. They welcomed the focus on growth but voiced concerns about rules that would allow the Commission to cut funds if it deemed national budgets unsustainable.

No matter where you spend your summer holiday - the beach, mountains or city - if you are holidaying in Europe, remember the 112 European emergency number. We hope you won't need it, but in case of emergency, don't panic, just dial 112.

MEPs on the Transport Committee agreed Tuesday that the use of body scanners in EU airports would enhance security but said it should be voluntary. They approved a report by Spanish Christian Democrat Luis de Grandes Pascual that backs the use of body scanners so long as they don't interfere with passenger privacy or pose health risks. The report should be voted in the plenary on 23 June.

The decision to postpone the lifting of the ban on liquids in planes will be discussed by MEPs in the Transport Committee over coming weeks but divisions are already clear. Transport Committee Chair Brian Simpson thinks it's a bad move, while MEPs from the ECR and EPP groups believe security issues must be fully dealt with before the ban is lifted.

How can seven times world champion and Formula 1 icon Michael Schumacher become Europe's Ambassador for road safety? We asked him Wednesday in Strasbourg, where he was launching a road safety campaign and explaining how eSafety equipment can save lives.

These are your stories! A few days ago, just as Parliament put the finishing touches to the EU passengers' bill of rights by including public road transport, we asked our friends and readers on Facebook to post their best (or worst) experiences as passengers. The response was overwhelming. As promised, here are some of the stories that we found to best reflect the discussion. The citizen as passenger now has the floor…

Get on your (electric) bike! That's the message of some cycling groups who are currently holding an exhibition of electric bikes outside the European Parliament. They are part of "European Mobility week" which promotes eco-friendly ways of travelling. This year the theme is drawing attention to the relation between how you travel and how healthy you are.