In his opening remarks Mr Pöttering told MEPs that he hopes the European Parliament would be a force for peace in the year ahead. He also said that events during the European year of intercultural dialogue last year had shown that "there is no need for a clash of civilizations".

 

 

Speaking on the escalation of conflict in Gaza he told the House that "there is a terrible case of déjà vu" in the whole situation. "The life of a Palestinian has the same value as the life of an Israeli" he said as he reiterated his earlier statement criticising Hamas for breaking the ceasefire and Israel for its disproportionate reaction. "It is unacceptable for the civilian population to continue to suffer" he added.

 

He called for an "immediate end of violence on both sides", urging a "viable and lasting" two-State solution "with Israel and Palestine as sovereign States within secure borders". He emphasised Parliament's support for the legally binding UN Security Council resolution of 8 January, which he said is currently not being respected by either side.

 

Against this background he nevertheless recalled that 2008 had been the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, a year "offering a sign of hope", demonstrating that there is "no need for a clash of civilisations".

 

MEPs will debate the situation in Gaza on Wednesday afternoon and vote on a resolution on Thursday.

 

 

Monday also saw MEPs debate two new EU-wide rules on pesticides. One aims to regulate the production and licensing of pesticides and another which will reduce the use of those pesticides already in existence.

 

The draft legislation will in due course ban the use of certain dangerous chemicals in these products. Measures to ensure the safer use of pesticides in daily life will also be introduced.

 

Hiltrud Breyer is the German Green MEP who steered the measure in Parliament. She said in Monday's debate that "this agreement is not only a milestone for the protection of both the environment and the consumer: it marks an historical moment. This agreement is the first of its kind in the whole world. Europe is a pioneer on a global scale".

 

Christa Klass is Parliament's rapporteur on reducing pesticide usage. The German EPP-ED Member said "the use of phyto-sanitary products must be reduced or blocked in residential areas and that this directive aims at protecting users, consumers and the environment". The issue will be put to the vote on Tuesday.

 

 

Other issues debated on Monday included:

 

 

 

 

To mark a decade of the European single currency a whole host of European figures attended Strasbourg to address the Chamber.

 

EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering called the common currency "a bastion of economic stability". The President of the European Central Bank Jean Claude Trichet said the euro had given Europe "price stability" and that it protected "incomes and savings".

 

 

Latvia's President Valdis Zatlers spoke of Latvia's accession into the European Union and NATO, changes the country had seen since independence in 1918 and also the financial crisis and Latvia's economy.

 

He also thanked the European Parliament for its official commemoration of the victims of Stalinism and Nazism.

 

 

In June, 30 European countries will be required to issue passports with fingerprints and facial recognition software. The man who has drafted Parliament's report on the new measure - Portuguese MEP Carlos Coelho - said in Tuesday's debate that "there is real concern in the EP to fight trafficking of human beings and especially children – this is the main aim of this instrument". 

 

MEPs also debated an own initiative report by Italian MEP Marco Cappato that says that "accessing information relating to the EU institutions still remains an obstacle-strewn path for ordinary citizens".

 

MEPs backed overwhelmingly an agreement reached with the Council in December on the new EU pesticides legislation. The two new laws will increase the number of pesticides available on the market, while progressively banning the use of a number of dangerous chemicals in these products, and ensure the safer use of pesticides. In order to enter into force, laws still require a formal adoption by Member States' ministers at the Council.

 

 

 

Mirek Topolánek began his six-month term of office by thanking the former French Presidency for its work: "it is not easy to take over the Presidency of the Council of the EU after France. I see only one way to rise to the occasion, with honour."

 

 

Outlining his goals for his Presidency, Topolánek made his priorities the economy, energy security and Europe's position in the world.

 

MEPs all agreed that the Presidency faced a tough inception due to the economic crisis.

 

Joseph Daul of the EPP-ED group said "the Czech presidency has become faced with difficulties and handling three crises. A united front is the only attitude we can adopt".

 

Socialist leader Martin Schulz told the House: "If the EU wants to continue its worldwide role, then Europe can't be fragmented into its individual elements. We need a strong unified block. We need a united voice."

 

Graham Watson of the Liberal ALDE group addressed the President directly saying: "Protect yourself not by fences, but by your friends. We are your friends. This is a union of friends, equals and partners. Stick to your objectives and we will stick by you".

 

 

The afternoon session saw MEPs debate at length, the ever-troubling crisis in Gaza.

 

The overwhelming majority of voices across the House called for an immediate ceasefire in accordance with the recent UN resolution, with many recognising Israel’s right of self-defence but condemning the “disproportionate” scale of its intervention in Gaza.

 

Parliament will adopt a resolution on the Gaza conflict on Thursday, 15 January.

 

 

With gas still not reaching many EU Members, European voices intensified in their call for a swift resolution. MEPs also rallied in the new need for a united common energy policy, creating long lasting stability for European energy.

 

Hanna Foltyn-Kubicka of the UEN group said that the gas crisis is a long-term one and that it is not just economic but political.  "Behind Gazprom's demands is the political machinery of the Kremlin" she said.

 

István Szent-Iványi of ALDE also condemned the political dichotomy that was playing out: "There is still no gas, we cannot tolerate that Europe is being held hostage in a cynical game".

 

 

The remainder of the session saw debates on the situation in the Horn of Africa. Europe's policy towards Belarus and whether to make 11 July a day of remembrance for the victims of the massacre in Srebrenica were also discussed by MEPs Wednesday.