Focus
Round-up of April plenary session 21-24 April
Institutions - 27-04-2009 - 15:19
Movers and shakers at the European Parliament in Strasbourg
The penultimate Parliamentary session of the 2004-2009 term took place in Strasbourg from 21-24 April. Read our day by day account of one of the busiest sessions ever held. It took in new caps on roaming charges when phoning from abroad, liberalisation of Europe's gas and electricity market and steps to make it easier for people to seek medical treatment abroad.
Members also debated a series of measures to tackle the economic crisis and discuss the EU's financial accounts for 2007. Relations between the EU and the former Yugoslav states were also discussed as were new rights for ship and coach passenger and steps to extend copyright protection for artists.
A full round up of the session is available here. MEPs reassemble in Strasbourg on Monday 4 May for more debates.
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Tuesday's debates: energy shake up, roaming and 2007 budget discharge
EU wide steps to open up the gas and electricity market were debated by MEPs Tuesday ©BELGA
At the opening of the April session MEPs held a minute's silence for the victims of the recent Italian earthquake which killed 295 people killed and left about 40.000 homeless. Later, the House debated electricity and gas liberalisation and its potential benefits for consumers. A new regulation on capping roaming charges for mobile phones and the EU budget for 2007 were also debated.
Opening the session in Strasbourg Parliament's President Hans-Gert Pöttering said "we deeply sympathize with Italian victims and homeless. Our thoughts are with the injured and all those affected by this disaster". A moment of silence was then observed. On Wednesday the House will debate what lessons can be learned. A debate will be held on the Abruzzo earthquake on Wednesday.
Better consumer protection with electricity and gas liberalisation
Tuesday saw the House debate on the so-called "third energy package" concerning the liberalisation of Europe's electricity and gas markets. In essence the measure aims to separate generation from supply. MEPs stressed that the consumer would have more choice about which energy company to use as well as clearer and more comparable prices.
The House will decide whether to back the agreement deal reached between EU government Ministers and the EP committee handling this legislation in a vote on Wednesday.
Cheaper calling, texting and mobile internet surfing as of 1 July 2009
MEPs supported on Tuesday new cuts in charges for calls, texts and internet surfing when abroad. A maximum price of €0.43 per minute for calls made abroad and €0.11 for text messages will apply as of 1 July 2009.
Vote will take place on Wednesday on the first reading of this proposed EU-wide regulation.
Debates on 2007 budget management and illegal timber
Regarding the EU budget for 2007, MEPs overall gave it a clean bill of health by granting "discharge" to the responsible bodies. A separate debate will however be held on expenditure by Council on Wednesday.
MEPs also criticised errors made in some areas of spending and stressed the need for simpler procedures and better cooperation between the member states in checking EU spending and recovering incorrectly spent funds.
Turing to illegal logging MEPs stressed the need to make the rules on timber sold in the EU stricter with financial penalties for those who transgress. Currently 20 to 40% of global industrial wood production is from illegal sources which cause severe environmental and economic damage.
Wednesday: Financial crisis, energy, transport, copyright
Fab four revisited: Tracks from artists like the Beatles could be affected by new copyright rules. ©Belga/pqr/Le Republicain Lorrain/Pelaez Julio
Legal measures in response to the financial crisis were the main topic of the plenary sitting Wednesday morning. MEPs adopted a new legal framework for a European market in electricity, voted tougher laws to combat the trade in illegally logged timber and cut mobile phone roaming charges further. Transport policy and passenger rights dominated the afternoon's debates. Extending music copyright was on the evening's agenda.
Wednesday morning was devoted to a comprehensive debate on lessons and follow-up measures in response to the financial crisis.
One of MEPs guiding the legislation through Parliament, Romanian Liberal Renate Weber said, the reports "are not meant to solve the financial crisis, but we hope they will help us avoid making the same mistakes in future, and hopefully they will support a relaunch of the European economy".
MEPs approved new laws to reform the financial supervision and capital requirements of the insurance industry. Check out more on British Labour Member Peter Skinner's report on the issue below.
Members also discussed new rules for rating agencies, which assess the stability and credibility of companies and investments. Their methods have been much criticised recently and are seen by some as having failed in the build up of the financial crisis – read our interview with the draftsman Jean-Paul Gauzès.
Another report focused on legal obligations for documentation and reporting in company mergers.
Energy markets set to open further
MEPs endorsed a compromise on the so called 3rd energy market package. It aims to promote further opening of still largely national gas and electricity markets, fairer conditions for competitors of energy giants and improved consumer rights vis-à-vis gas and electricity suppliers.
The plenary also adopted new caps for mobile phone roaming charges from July 2009 and tougher rules to combat the import and trade of illegally logged timber.
In a debate on the 2007 expenditure of the Council of ministers, MEPs lambasted the body representing the Member States for apparently trying to escape parliamentary scrutiny and not to face the MEPs and their requests for information regarding the use of the Council’s budget.
MEPs broadly supported proposed legislation, guided through Parliament by Italian Member Gabriele Albertini (EPP-ED), to give bus and coach passengers rights similar to those of air traffic passengers, especially in case of delays or cancellations. French Socialist MEP Michel Teychenné also drafted a report on the rights of sea passengers.
In the evening Irish MEP Brian Crowley (UEN) presented the position of the legal affairs committee on the proposal to extend the copyright for music recordings to 95 years, during which time artists will receive royalties for their work. Parliament will vote on Thursday on whether to back the committee’s position, or opt for a different period of copyright protection.
Thursday: Cross-border healthcare, G20, Western Balkans, Moldova
Demonstrators besiege a government building in Chisinau, Moldova, 8 April. ©Belga/EPA/D.Doru
MEPs strengthened patients' rights in cross-border healthcare and debated the conclusions of G20 summit and the situation in Moldova and the Western Balkans Thursday. Parliament also voted to increase the rights of bus, coach and boat passengers, to extend copyright protection for the music industry and to tighten rules for credit rating agencies.
Patients' rights in cross-border healthcare
The report by British Conservative John Bowis focuses on patient's rights to seek healthcare abroad more easily, not the free movement of service providers.
MEPs called for the clarification of a patient's right to be reimbursed after treatment up to the level they would’ve received in their home country. It will be left to individual countries to decide whether to cover other costs like accommodation and travel.
Moldova
There has been turmoil in Moldova following a disputed election and MEPs are concerned about human rights violations after the 5 April general election, in which the Communist Party won 49.8 % of the votes.
During the debate, many MEPs said it is in everyone's interest to strengthen democracy in Moldova and overcome crisis and some MEPs want to bring Moldova closer to the EU.
Nuclear non-proliferation
MEPs debated an own initiative report by German Green Angelika Beer on the future of the Treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. It recommends the Council in view of NPT Review Conference, which is to put the production, use and reprocessing of nuclear fuel under the inspection of the International Atomic Energy Agency. A vote will take place on this report on Friday.
Western Balkans
A report by Swedish Conservative Anna Ibrisagic on the Western Balkans (Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Albania and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) says the prospect of future EU membership guarantees stability and reform. If these countries meet the EU's accession rules, membership should not be delayed or denied, the report says. It calls for full cooperation to bring indicted war criminals to justice.
G20 Summit
Some MEPs welcomed the decision by the G20 summit in London on 2 April to provide $1.1 trillion to encourage economic stability and a recovery in international finance, credit and trade, as well as to strengthen regulation of financial markets. However, others criticised the lack of investment in green technologies and called for actions to help the estimated 27 million who will be unemployed by 2010.
Also on the agenda
- copyright protection for music will be extended from 50 to 70 years
- bus, coach and boat passengers will get similar rights to those in air transport
- credit rating agencies will work under stricter rules
- the 2007 budget 2007 discharge was approved except for Council, which will be voted on later.
Friday in Plenary: e-money, cross border payments, animal by-products, Afghanistan
Afghan woman Maryam, 19, sits inside the premises of the Women for Afghan Women (AWA) non-governmental organisation in Kabul on December 18, 2008. Maryam, whose father married her to his cousin when she was only seven months old, ran away in May 2008 and claims her father will kill her if she ever returned to her family's home. ©BelgaAFP/M.Hossani
The last day of the April session saw MEPs debate ways to improve confidence in the use of e-money, Members also backed equal charges for national and international payments. The safe disposal of unused animal by-products and the plight of women in Afghanistan were also discussed.
There is a growing trend in the use of "e-money", which is defined as storing cash in electronic form in online payment accounts or electronic gift vouchers. MEPs want to update existing legislation on e-money business to achieve a true single market, while allowing the industry to expand. The aim is to improve consumer confidence, allowing people to convert electronic credit into cash whenever they want, while also providing the monetary value of the credit anytime at their request.
Better electronic payment systems
MEPs approved a report by Lithuanian Margarita Starkevičiūtė (EPP-ED) that aims to facilitate electronic payments across different EU countries, particularly in the Euro zone through the principle of equal charges for corresponding domestic and cross-border payments and the development of cross-border direct debit schemes.
Animal by-products risk to health
Animal by-products are a risk to human health if not dealt with properly, according to German Christian Democrat Horst Schnellhardt, who drafted a report on the health and hygiene of by-products not intended for human consumption. "Animal by-products can be used elsewhere. Of course, will not resolve the issue of the rotten meat scandal 100%, but traceability is a step in the right direction. We need researchers and help."
In the traditional debate on human rights abuses around the world on the final day of the planery session, MEPs debated the situation of women in Afghanistan. In particular the instances of attacks on women, depriving them of the right to vote and treating them like chattels was deplored by Members. Other debates included support for the Special Court of Sierra Leone and the humanitarian situation of Camp Ashraf in Iraq