As the session opened in Strasbourg the President also called for more women to be involved in local, national and European politics in part to mark International Women's Day on 8 March.

 

 

A report on the budget for next year - which must past muster from MEPs - identifies the economic downturn, climate change, energy policy, illegal immigration and crime as key concerns. Hungarian EPP-ED member László Surján is drafting Parliament's report on this issue. He told fellow Members in the debate that: "our citizens in Europe have fears, what about heating their own apartments, what about their food. We need a budget that restores faith again in Europe."

MEPs also want €10 million shaved off translation costs for the European Institutions and money made available to allow the Union to be able to handle possible enlargement to include Croatia. These proposals were contained in a report by Slovak Socialist MEP Vladimír Maňka.

 

 

Monday evening also saw three reports debated which look at various ways to help small and medium size companies across Europe. These include a single private company statue which would make it easy for companies to operate abroad as they would have a single legal identity.

 

Another non-legislative report would aim to establish a common set of principles to guide them as well as steps to cut red tape. Another asks the EC to submit a directive aimed at facilitating cross-border transfers of registered businesses within EU.

 

Monday also the social situation of the Roma, asylum system, online gambling and food quality discussed.

 

 

Reducing harmful emissions from European industries by using the best available technologies, road charges for lorries and access to EU documents were on Parliament's agenda Tuesday. MEPs also discussed the EU’s 3rd maritime safety package which includes laws to prevent accidents and pollution at sea and to fix liability in case of accident.

 

Industrial emissions: MEPs approved laws to update and strengthen rules concerning harmful industrial emissions, targeting mainly the more than 50,000 industrial plants across Europe. In the preceding debate, MEPs from most groups defended a compromise hammered out by the Environment Committee (but not one supported by the right of centre EPP-ED group), on minimum standards for the whole EU and the use of technology to limit emissions.

 

Speakers from the EPP-ED - the largest group in Parliament - criticized the additional red tape, and rules that would affect farms in particular. Other MEPs were critical of the fact that CO2 limits are not included in the legislation.

 

German Liberal Holger Krahmer, who drafted the report for Parliament, said, "Nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides are among the main problems. They could be reduced by 60-80% if the best technology was fully used. The technology is not science fiction, it is available, affordable and it works."

 

Maritime Safety: The plenary reviewed the agreement between and the EP on the 3rd maritime safety package. The package, known as "Erika 3", aims to prevent devastating maritime disasters such as the oil spills caused by the oil tankers Erika (1999) and the Prestige (2002).

 

The new maritime safety legislation provides for technically dangerous ships that repeatedly breach the rules to be placed permanently on an EU blacklist. It obliges countries to draw up detailed emergency plans and to designate authorities to monitor sea traffic, who can act swiftly if a ship needs assistance. It also lays down common EU rules and standards for ship inspection.

 

The legislation will harmonise, and in many cases raise, accident liability for ship passenger carriers and mandatory insurance levels.

 

Road charges: Late afternoon, MEPs debated proposals to allow EU countries to integrate social and environmental costs caused by trucks into road charges and tolls (the so called "Eurovignette"). The new law will be an incentive for the transport sector to become economically more effective and less harmful to the environment, according to Socialist

MEP Saïd El Khadraoui, who is guiding the proposals through Parliament. He said the levies should be reinvested in transport infrastructure and cutting environmental impact.

 

Also on the agenda: a recovery plan for bluefin tuna in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, car safety, transparency and access to EU documents, child care facilities and immigrant children.

 

 

MEPs urged European leaders to act urgently to deal with the deepening economic crisis, ahead of an EU Summit on 19-20 March. They also stressed the need to avoid isolating individual countries and for there to be no economic demarcation lines in Europe. There were also discussions about the EU hopes of Croatia, Turkey and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. There was a minute's silence for those killed in the school shooting in Winnenden, Germany.

 

Wednesday also marked the European day for victims of terrorism, coming five years after the Madrid train bombings which killed 191 and injured nearly 2000 people. Parliament's President spoke of the suffering of the victims of recent attacks in Northern Ireland and Sri Lanka calling terrorism a crime that can never be justified.

 

In the debate ahead of the EU Summit, MEPs from all sides urged governments to boost innovation and attempt to create "green collar" jobs. They also called for Europe's tax havens to come under greater scrutiny and for more financial supervision of markets. 

 

Czech Europe Minister Alexandr Vondra, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said the economic crisis, financial supervision, climate change and Copenhagen conference and energy security would be on the agenda when heads of government meet.

 

 

The day also saw MEPs discuss the EU ambitions of Croatia, Turkey and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

 

The report on Croatia identified corruption, organized crime and boarder dispute with Slovenia as problems still to be solved.

 

The report on Turkey regretted the slowdown in institutional reform and problems concerning freedom of speech and media freedom. More progress in religious pluralism and social rights are needed, but the creation of a public television channel in the Kurdish is seen as a positive step forward.

 

With regards to FYROM MEPs regretted the fact that a date for the start of negotiations has not yet been set. There are other issues around elections and the name dispute with Greece.

 

 

Jan Andersson's report on the employment crisis urged countries to invest 2% of their GDP in recovery measures.

 

An own-initiative report by Evgeni Kirilov urged speeding up the disbursement of Europe's cohesion funds to boost employment.

 

For more on Wednesday in plenary, see latest press releases at links below.

 

 

Thursday saw MEPs talk about strengthening EU relations with Ukraine and Georgia through an Eastern partnership. They also supported increasing links through the existing neighbourhood policy, particularly in light of the gas crisis. On Thursday there was also a debate and resolution to mark the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against China, calling on Beijing to resume dialogue with the Dalai Lama.

 

On 10 March 1959 the people of Tibet rose up against the Chinese occupation of their country. The anniversary of that failed enterprise was marked this week by MEPs who passed a resolution 338 votes in favour with 131 against calling for China and the Dalai Lama to pursue dialogue based on the "Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People".

 

Speaking in the debate German Christian Democrat Thomas Mann said, "the Memorandum must be the basis for further discussion with China." He regretted that the non-violent appeal of the Dalai Lama for dialogue found no echo in Beijing.

 

British Labour MEP Glyn Ford said the resolution was "counter-productive" to Chinese-EU dialogue. In his view the way forward is "through dialogue and engagement not through rehash resolutions."

 

Thursday also saw a raft of votes on issues that had been debated during the week. These included:

 

 

For a full round up of the day see the links to press releases below.