MEPs remembered the victims of a recent ETA bombing in Spain with a minute's silence when they met Monday. Parliament's President Hans-Gert Pöttering said "a terrorist attack in any part of the EU is a terrorist attack in the entire European Union, against each one of us". MEPs also debated creativity and innovation, the financial markets, petitions and the media in the EU.

 

 

Green Group leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit raised the issue of funding for the successful Irish "No" campaign for the EU's Lisbon Treaty. He said the word in Ireland is of a possible financial link between the "No" campaign and the US Defense Department and the CIA. President Pöttering called for transparency on funding. "We cannot allow Europe to be harmed by people who demand transparency but do not provide it themselves," he said. 

 

 

Greater creativity can lead to more innovation and development through training and learning. That is one of the benefits identified as Europe prepares to embrace 2009 as the "European Year of Creativity and Innovation".

 

MEPs have a range of expectations from the year. Romania's Mihaela Popa dwelt on the need to “invest in the capacities that people have" and investment in people with disabilities. Austrian Socialist Christa Prets stressed the need to "to build bridges between different groups".

 

Finnish Liberal Hannu Takkula said the year could help “involve the EU in the creation of technological innovation”. Polish UEN member Mieczyslaw Janowski said that “we need creativity to deal with the fact that we only account for 8% of the population of the world”.

 

Greek Socialist Katerina Batzeli drafted the report on the year. For the European Commission

Ján Figel' stressed the need to strengthen "the links between creativity and education".

 

 

 

 

 

Hu Jia, Alexandr Kozulin and Abbot Apollinaire Malu Malu are the three finalists for this year's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The three were chosen Monday evening at a joint meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Development Committees from a list of eight candidates put forward by MEPs. The winner will be chosen in mid-October.

 

 

MEPs wrestled with the balance between security and civil liberties in a debate on terrorism and data protection Tuesday morning. More than 5000 internet sites are said to incite terrorism, and the debate focused on how to deal with new technologies in the fight against terrorism. Later MEPs turned to the six reports of the "maritime package" and voted two texts on the financial situation.

 

MEPs backed proposals to criminalise the "public incitement to terrorism", recruitment for terrorism and terrorist training, but added safeguards. They underlined the importance of balancing data protection and the fight against terrorism and called for common rules. French Socialist Roselyne Lefrançois, who drafted the report on combating terrorism said, "It is essential to adapt European legislation to prevent acts of terrorism" but "(we) need to guarantee that the measures taken are proportionate to the objective".

 

 

Many MEPs focused on last weekend's bombings in Spain and Pakistan. Spanish Christian Democrat Luis de Grandes said, "it is not about typifying opinion crimes", adding "ETA is not considered a terrorist group by the EU for what it says, but for what it does".

 

Some MEPs consider the Commission proposal goes too far and could threaten freedom of expression. German Liberal Alexander Alvaro said "how can we criminalise incitement without being totally certain that it's intentional?"

 

MEPs were also worried about possible abuses in the use of personal data in the name of counter-terrorism measures. French Socialist Martine Roure, who drafted the report on the protection of personal data said, "data should not be used for a different purpose than that for which it was collected." She added, "the fight against terrorism can only be effective and proportionate if the protection of human rights is reinforced."

 

Read more about the debate and vote on the Roure and Lefrançois reports below.

 

 

MEPs adopted of two reports on hedge funds and private equity and transparency of institutional investors. Read our articles and the press releases for more information.

 

They discussed the report on petitions received by the EP from the public during 2007 - click below to read more.

 

Debate on maritime transport - 6 reports on: Community vessel traffic monitoring and information systems, Investigation of accidents, liability of carriers of passengers by sea in the event of an accident, Port State control, Ship inspection.

 

MEPs called for measures to deal with high energy prices when they met Wednesday. They called on Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs and French Minister for environment and energy Jean-Louis Borloo to come up with measures to make oil markets more transparent and to break the link between oil and gas prices and high energy prices.

 

In recent months oil prices have risen sharply, unleashing protests by truckers, farmers, fishermen and others and they look set to stay high in the medium and long term.

 

Austrian socialist Hannes Swoboda raised the point of concern to many, "what is Europe doing? I want the Council and Commission to take more action to fight energy poverty." The Commissioner said the EU is on the right track. "We need to encourage reforms throughout the energy sector. Energy efficiency and renewables are our main lines." He added, "there is a clear need for short term action for vulnerable households."

 

British Conservative Giles Chichester was more sanguine. "Clearly oil price rises are serious, but let us remember the lessons that we learned from the 1970s...higher prices will encourage more exploration and the development of resources. "

 

 

In a speech to MEPs, Orthodox Christian leader Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, espoused environmental causes, championed Turkish accession to the EU and underlined the need for inter-religious understanding and respect for minorities. "We are all brothers and sisters with one heavenly Father and on this beautiful planet, which we are all responsible for, there is room for everyone."

 

The EP adopted the maritime package, reinstating parliamentary amendments not accepted by Council on flag state obligations and civil liability. Negotiations between MEPs and national ministers to find an agreement must now continue.

 

MEPs approved measures providing more access to telecoms services, more information for consumers and stronger data protection. The package now goes back to EU ministers.

 

Plans to make it easier for patients to get medical treatment in other EU countries were under discussion Thursday. The proposed healthcare rules would allow patients to claim back an amount up to the cost of treatment in their home country.

 

The cross-boarder healthcare directive is part of a new social agenda package - launched by the Commission in July, which aims to clarify citizens' rights. The package, which is likely to prove politically contentious as it moves through Parliament, also includes rules on how to improve access to jobs and fight discrimination and poverty.

 

 

Health systems are primarily the responsibility of the member states. However, in recent years the European Court of Justice has ruled that freedom to cross EU borders for the best and quickest health treatment is a right for all. The new rules will clarify  how this right can be exercised.

 

MEPs were keen to stress the impact of the new measures. British Conservative John Bowis said: "what does Europe do for me? Here is an answer. Europe is providing a new opportunity for patients."

 

German Socialist Dagmar Roth-Behrendt said that "according to a Eurobarometer study, 30% of EU citizens are not aware of their rights. Member States haven't given people information about their rights."

 

European Health Commissioner Androula Vassiliou told the House that "for instance, for people in border regions, it may be easier to seek healthcare abroad rather than travelling long distances to the nearest relevant domestic health facility."

 

 

Speaking for the Council the French Minister of Health Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin said, "the central issue is not the right of patients to move freely but the refund they are entitled to".

 

The Commission says patients are entitled to be reimbursed for treatment that their home health authority would normally provide. However, the national health authority would not be expected to pay, for example, for spa treatments in another country.

 

Mrs Vassiliou told MEPs, "we are not trying to encourage health tourism. We are not trying to give citizens the chance to have their faces and their bodies fixed, rather we are trying to give citizens the right to have proper health care when they are sick and they need it."