IN THE CHAIR: Rodi KRATSA-TSAGAROPOULOU Vice-President
1. Opening of sitting
The sitting opened at 9.00.
2. Portability of supplementary pension rights ***I (debate)
Report on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on improving the portability of supplementary pension rights [COM(2005)0507 - C6-0331/2005 - 2005/0214(COD)] - Committee on Employment and Social Affairs. Rapporteur: Ria Oomen-Ruijten (A6-0080/2007)
The following spoke: Vladimír Špidla (Member of the Commission) and Günter Gloser (President-in-Office of the Council).
Ria Oomen-Ruijten introduced the report.
The following spoke: Eoin Ryan (draftsman of the opinion of the ECON Committee), Astrid Lulling (draftsman of the opinion of the FEMM Committee), Othmar Karas, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, Harald Ettl, on behalf of the PSE Group, Luigi Cocilovo, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Jean Lambert, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Jiří Maštálka, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Derek Roland Clark, on behalf of the IND/DEM Group, Luca Romagnoli, on behalf of the ITS Group, Jim Allister, Non-attached Member, Thomas Mann, Jan Andersson, Ona Juknevičienė, Elisabeth Schroedter, Mary Lou McDonald, Kathy Sinnott and José Albino Silva Peneda.
IN THE CHAIR: Luisa MORGANTINI Vice-President
The following spoke: Karin Jöns, Anne E. Jensen, Kyriacos Triantaphyllides, Jens-Peter Bonde, Csaba Őry, Alejandro Cercas, Anneli Jäätteenmäki, Dimitrios Papadimoulis, Johannes Blokland, Anja Weisgerber, Ieke van den Burg, Carlo Fatuzzo, Proinsias De Rossa, Gabriele Stauner, Monica Maria Iacob-Ridzi, Piia-Noora Kauppi, Avril Doyle, Günter Gloser and Vladimír Špidla.
3. Improving the method for consulting Parliament in procedures relating to enlargement of the euro area - Adoption by Cyprus of the single currency on 1 January 2008 * - Adoption by Malta of the single currency on 1 January 2008 * (debate)
Council and Commission statements: Improving the method for consulting Parliament in procedures relating to enlargement of the euro area
Report on the proposal for a Council decision in accordance with Article 122(2) of the Treaty on the adoption by Cyprus of the single currency on 1 January 2008 [COM(2007)0256 - C6-0151/2007 - 2007/0090(CNS)] - Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. Rapporteur: Werner Langen (A6-0244/2007)
Report on the proposal for a Council decision in accordance with Article 122(2) of the Treaty on the adoption by Malta of the single currency on 1 January 2008 [COM(2007)0259 - C6-0150/2007 - 2007/0092(CNS)] - Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. Rapporteur: Werner Langen (A6-0243/2007)
Vladimír Špidla (Member of the Commission) and Günter Gloser (President-in-Office of the Council) made the statements.
Werner Langen introduced the reports.
IN THE CHAIR: Gérard ONESTA Vice-President
The following spoke: David Casa, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, Dariusz Rosati, on behalf of the PSE Group, Donato Tommaso Veraldi, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Zbigniew Krzysztof Kuźmiuk, on behalf of the UEN Group, Cem Özdemir, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Andreas Mölzer, on behalf of the ITS Group, Panayiotis Demetriou, Pervenche Berès, Marios Matsakis, Alexander Radwan, Joseph Muscat, Ieke van den Burg, Antolín Sánchez Presedo, Günter Gloser, Joaquín Almunia, Werner Langen, on Mr Almunia's remarks, Joaquín Almunia, on Mr Langen's remarks, and Pervenche Berès, who also spoke on Mr Langen's remarks and who put a question to the Council, which Günter Gloser answered.
Motion for a resolution tabled to wind up the debate pursuant to Rule 103(2):
- Werner Langen, on behalf of the ECON Committee, on improving the method for consulting Parliament in procedures relating to enlargement of the euro area (B6-0264/2007)
The President announced that, on Wednesday 27.06.2007, he and the President of the Council would sign the following act that had been adopted under the codecision procedure in line with Rule 68 of the Rules of Procedure:
- Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on roaming on public mobile networks within the Community and amending Directive 2002/21/EC (3624/4/2007 - C6-0186/2007 - 2006/0133(COD))
° ° ° °
Marco Cappato spoke, outlining his wish to receive a reply to a question he had put to the Bureau three months previously on statements made by Cardinal Angelo Scola (the President replied that he would look into the matter).
5. Voting time
Details of voting (amendments, separate and split votes, etc.) appear in the 'Results of votes' annex to the Minutes.
5.1. Residence permits: uniform format * (Rule 131) (vote)
Report on the modified proposal for a Council regulation amending Regulation (EC) 1030/2002 laying down a uniform format for residence permits for third-country nationals [COM(2006)0110 - C6-0157/2006 - 2003/0218(CNS)] - Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. Rapporteur: Carlos Coelho (A6-0211/2007)
(Simple majority)
(Voting record: 'Results of votes', Item 1)
COMMISSION PROPOSAL, AMENDMENTS and DRAFT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION
Carlos Coelho (rapporteur) made a statement under Rule 131(4).
5.2. The banning of exports and the safe storage of metallic mercury ***I (vote)
Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and the Council on the banning of exports and the safe storage of metallic mercury [COM(2006)0636 - C6-0363/2006 - 2006/0206(COD)] - Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. Rapporteur: Dimitrios Papadimoulis (A6-0227/2007)
5.3. Operation of taxation systems: Fiscalis 2013 ***I (vote)
Report on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Community programme to improve the operation of taxation systems in the internal market (Fiscalis 2013) [COM(2006)0202 - C6-0159/2006 - 2006/0076(COD)] - Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. Rapporteur: Hans-Peter Martin (A6-0117/2007)
- Hans-Peter Martin (rapporteur), who criticised the procedure followed in committee, and Pervenche Berès, on Mr Martin's remarks.
5.4. Portability of supplementary pension rights ***I (vote)
Report on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on improving the portability of supplementary pension rights [COM(2005)0507 - C6-0331/2005 - 2005/0214(COD)] - Committee on Employment and Social Affairs. Rapporteur: Ria Oomen-Ruijten (A6-0080/2007)
5.5. Adoption by Cyprus of the single currency on 1 January 2008 * (vote)
Report on the proposal for a Council decision in accordance with Article 122(2) of the Treaty on the adoption by Cyprus of the single currency on 1 January 2008 [COM(2007)0256 - C6-0151/2007 - 2007/0090(CNS)] - Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. Rapporteur: Werner Langen (A6-0244/2007)
5.6. Adoption by Malta of the single currency on 1 January 2008 * (vote)
Report on the proposal for a Council decision in accordance with Article 122(2) of the Treaty on the adoption by Malta of the single currency on 1 January 2008 [COM(2007)0259 - C6-0150/2007 - 2007/0092(CNS)] - Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. Rapporteur: Werner Langen (A6-0243/2007)
5.8. The transposition and implementation of public procurement legislation (vote)
Report on specific problems in the transposition and implementation of public procurement legislation and its relation to the Lisbon Agenda [2006/2084(INI)] - Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. Rapporteur: Arlene McCarthy (A6-0226/2007)
- Vittorio Agnoletto, who moved an oral amendment to paragraph 9, which was accepted;
- Maria Martens, who moved an oral amendment to amendment 5, which was accepted. She also requested separate votes on paragraphs 9 and 11.
5.10. ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (vote)
Report on the work of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in 2006 [2007/2021(INI)] - Committee on Development. Rapporteur: Thierry Cornillet (A6-0208/2007)
- Thierry Cornillet (rapporteur) and Luisa Morgantini, who moved oral amendments to paragraph 9. The rapporteur proposed that both amendments should be incorporated into the text and Luisa Morgantini agreed. Both oral amendments were accepted.
5.11. Improving the method for consulting Parliament in procedures relating to enlargement of the euro area (vote)
Explanations of vote submitted in writing under Rule 163(3) appear in the Verbatim Report of Proceedings for the sitting.
Oral explanations of vote:
Report: Dimitrios Papadimoulis - A6-0227/2007: Milan Gaľa, Richard Seeber
Report: Ria Oomen-Ruijten - A6-0080/2007: Milan Gaľa, Agnes Schierhuber, Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Carlo Fatuzzo
Report: Werner Langen - A6-0244/2007: Andreas Mölzer
Report: Werner Langen - A6-0243/2007: John Attard-Montalto, Sylwester Chruszcz
7. Corrections to votes and voting intentions
Corrections to votes and voting intentions appear on the 'Séance en direct' website under 'Votes'/'Results of votes'/ 'Roll-call votes'. They are published in hard copy in the 'Result of roll-call votes' annex.
The electronic version on Europarl will be regularly updated for a maximum of two weeks after the day of the vote concerned.
After the two-week deadline has passed, the list of corrections to votes and voting intentions will be finalised so that it can be translated and published in the Official Journal.
Colm Burke had informed the Chair that his new voting card had not worked and that, although he had indeed been present, he had been unable to vote. He had wished to vote with his group and to abstain in the votes on paragraph 40, second part, and the resolution of the report by Glenys Kinnock (A6-0220/2007).
(The sitting was suspended at 13.00 and resumed at 15.00.)
IN THE CHAIR: Luigi COCILOVO Vice-President
8. Membership of Parliament
The Spanish authorities had given notice of the appointment of Mikel Irujo Amezaga to replace Bernat Joan i Marí as Member of Parliament with effect from 19.06.2007.
Under Rule 3(2), until such time as his credentials had been verified or a ruling had been given on any dispute, and provided that he had previously made a written declaration stating that he did not hold any office incompatible with that of Member of the European Parliament, Mikel Irujo Amezaga would take his seat in Parliament and on its bodies and would enjoy all the rights attaching thereto.
9. Approval of Minutes of previous sitting
The Minutes of the previous sitting were approved.
10. Towards an arms trade treaty (debate)
Council and Commission statements: Towards an arms trade treaty
Günter Gloser (President-in-Office of the Council) and Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Member of the Commission) made the statements.
The following spoke: Ana Maria Gomes, on behalf of the PSE Group, Marios Matsakis, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Raül Romeva i Rueda, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Tobias Pflüger, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Justas Vincas Paleckis, Margrietus van den Berg, Richard Howitt, Günter Gloser and Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
Motion for a resolution tabled to wind up the debate pursuant to Rule 103(2):
- José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra, Stefano Zappalà, Geoffrey Van Orden and Karl von Wogau, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, Ana Maria Gomes, on behalf of the PSE Group, Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck, Johan Van Hecke and Marios Matsakis, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Raül Romeva i Rueda and Angelika Beer, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis, Ryszard Czarnecki, Michał Tomasz Kamiński and Adam Bielan, on behalf of the UEN Group, Tobias Pflüger, Luisa Morgantini, Esko Seppänen and Vittorio Agnoletto, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, (B6-0249/2007)
11. MEDA and financial support to Palestine - evaluation, implementation and control (debate)
Report MEDA and financial support to Palestine - evaluation, implementation and control [2006/2128(INI)] - Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (A6-0210/2007)
Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou introduced the report.
The following spoke: Günter Gloser (President-in-Office of the Council) and Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Member of the Commission).
The following spoke:Véronique De Keyser (draftsman of the opinion of the AFET Committee) spoke.
IN THE CHAIR: Adam BIELAN Vice-President
The following spoke: Ingeborg Gräßle, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, Paulo Casaca, on behalf of the PSE Group, Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Adamos Adamou, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Simon Busuttil, Proinsias De Rossa, Salvador Garriga Polledo, Jamila Madeira, Günter Gloser and Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
12. Juvenile delinquency, the role of women, the family and society (debate)
Report on juvenile delinquency - the role of women, the family and society [2007/2011(INI)] - Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality. Rapporteur: Katerina Batzeli (A6-0212/2007)
Katerina Batzeli introduced the report.
The following spoke:Franco Frattini (Vice-President of the Commission) spoke.
The following spoke: Esther Herranz García, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, Lissy Gröner, on behalf of the PSE Group, Marios Matsakis, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Zdzisław Zbigniew Podkański, on behalf of the UEN Group, Hiltrud Breyer, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Ilda Figueiredo, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Urszula Krupa, on behalf of the IND/DEM Group, Viorica-Pompilia-Georgeta Moisuc, on behalf of the ITS Group, Zita Pleštinská, Edite Estrela and Kathy Sinnott.
IN THE CHAIR: Rodi KRATSA-TSAGAROPOULOU Vice-President
The following spoke: Amalia Sartori, Silvia-Adriana Ţicău, Anna Záborská, Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou, Tadeusz Zwiefka and Mairead McGuinness.
13. External dimension of the area of freedom, security and justice (debate)
Report on an area of freedom, security and justice: Strategy on the external dimension, Action Plan implementing the Hague programme [2006/2111(INI)] - Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. Rapporteur: Bogdan Klich (A6-0223/2007)
Bogdan Klich introduced the report.
The following spoke:Günter Gloser (President-in-Office of the Council) spoke.
IN THE CHAIR: Diana WALLIS Vice-President
The following spoke:Franco Frattini (Vice-President of the Commission) spoke.
The following spoke:Aloyzas Sakalas (draftsman of the opinion of the AFET Committee) spoke.
The debate was suspended at that point for Question Time.
It would be resumed at 21.00.
14. Question Time (Council)
Parliament considered a number of questions to the Council (B6-0125/2007).
Question 1 (Manolis Mavrommatis): EU taxation policy.
Günter Gloser (President-in-Office of the Council) answered the question and supplementaries by Manolis Mavrommatis and Jörg Leichtfried.
Question 2 (Claude Moraes): EU cross-border cooperation to protect children from child abuse - mutual recognition of disqualifications from working with children.
Günter Gloser answered the question and supplementaries by Claude Moraes and Sarah Ludford.
Question 3 (Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou): Discrimination against disabled people or children with learning difficulties.
Günter Gloser answered the question and a supplementary by Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou.
Question 4 (Manuel Medina Ortega): Intergovernmental cooperation and passarelle clauses on immigration issues.
Günter Gloser answered the question and supplementaries by Manuel Medina Ortega, Andreas Mölzer and Louis Grech.
Question 5 (Sarah Ludford): Counter-terrorism and human rights.
Günter Gloser answered the question and supplementaries by Sarah Ludford and Jörg Leichtfried.
Question 6 (Dimitrios Papadimoulis): Deployment of US missile defence system in EU Member States.
Günter Gloser answered the question and supplementaries by Dimitrios Papadimoulis, Andreas Mölzer and Tobias Pflüger.
Question 7 (Nils Lundgren): Gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea.
Günter Gloser answered the question and supplementaries by Nils Lundgren, Justas Vincas Paleckis and Danutė Budreikaitė.
Question 8 (Robert Evans): Overseas territories.
Günter Gloser answered the question and supplementaries by Robert Evans and Tobias Pflüger.
Question 9 (Philip Bushill-Matthews): Possible age discrimination towards pilots flying over France.
Günter Gloser answered the question and supplementaries by Philip Bushill-Matthews and Paul Rübig.
Question 10 (Bernd Posselt): Unemployment in Kosovo.
Günter Gloser answered the question and supplementaries by Bernd Posselt and Paul Rübig.
Question 11 (Esko Seppänen): Athena system.
Question 12 (Tobias Pflüger): Military budget for Athena financing mechanism.
Günter Gloser answered the questions and supplementaries by Esko Seppänen and Tobias Pflüger.
Question 13 (Inese Vaidere): EU - Georgia negotiations on concluding the visa facilitation and readmission agreements.
Günter Gloser answered the question and a supplementary by Inese Vaidere.
Question 14 (Leopold Józef Rutowicz): Adoption of 'roaming' directive.
Günter Gloser answered the question and a supplementary by Leopold Józef Rutowicz.
Question 15 (Danutė Budreikaitė): Implementation of the EU's Neighbourhood Policy.
Günter Gloser answered the question and supplementaries by Danutė Budreikaitė and Esko Seppänen.
Question 16 (James Nicholson): Brazilian beef.
Günter Gloser answered the question and supplementaries by James Nicholson, Jim Allister and Marian Harkin.
Questions which had not been answered for lack of time would receive written answers (see annex to the Verbatim Report of Proceedings).
Council Question Time closed.
(The sitting was suspended at 19.15 and resumed at 21.00.)
IN THE CHAIR: Alejo VIDAL-QUADRAS Vice-President
15. Membership of committees and delegations
the President had received the following requests for appointments from the PPE-DE, PSE and ALDE Groups:
AFET Committee: Colm Burke
IMCO Committee: Nickolay Mladenov
REGI Committee: Rumiana Jeleva
AGRI Committee: Petya Stavreva
LIBE Committee: Marie-Line Reynaud and Vladimir Urutchev
AFCO Committee: Dushana Zdravkova, Marie-Line Reynaud was no longer a full member
Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly: Riccardo Ventre to replace Amalia Sartori
Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EUROLAT): Amalia Sartori to replace Antonio Tajani
Delegation for relations with the United States: Colm Burke
Delegation for relations with Japan: Kyösti Virrankoski
Delegation for relations with India: Philip Bushill-Matthews to replace Anna Ibrisagic and Alexander Alvaro to replace Antoine Duquesne
The appointments would be deemed ratified if there were no objections before the approval of these Minutes.
16. External dimension of the area of freedom, security and justice (continuation of debate)
Report on an area of freedom, security and justice: Strategy on the external dimension, Action Plan implementing the Hague programme [2006/2111(INI)] - Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. Rapporteur: Bogdan Klich (A6-0223/2007)
The following spoke: Francisco José Millán Mon, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, Martine Roure, on behalf of the PSE Group, Sophia in 't Veld, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Brian Crowley, on behalf of the UEN Group, Hélène Flautre, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Adamos Adamou, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Carlos Coelho, Genowefa Grabowska, Anneli Jäätteenmäki, Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis, Cem Özdemir, Panayiotis Demetriou, Jan Tadeusz Masiel, Marian-Jean Marinescu and Ioannis Varvitsiotis.
17. Exchanges of information extracted from criminal records * (debate)
Report on the proposal for a Council framework decision on the organisation and content of the exchange of information extracted from criminal records between Member States [COM(2005)0690 - C6-0052/2006 - 2005/0267(CNS)] - Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. Rapporteur: Agustín Díaz de Mera García Consuegra (A6-0170/2007)
Franco Frattini (Vice-President of the Commission) spoke.
Agustín Díaz de Mera García Consuegra introduced the report.
The following spoke: Panayiotis Demetriou, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, Genowefa Grabowska, on behalf of the PSE Group, Adina-Ioana Vălean, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Jaromír Kohlíček, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Carlos Coelho, who began by mentioning Jaromír Kohlíček's remarks, and Agustín Díaz de Mera García Consuegra, who made a personal statement in response to Mr Kohlíček's remarks.
18. Framework decision on combating racism and xenophobia (debate)
Report on the proposal for a European Parliament recommendation to the Council concerning the progress of the negotiations on the framework decision on action to combat racism and xenophobia [2007/2067(INI)] - Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. Rapporteur: Martine Roure (A6-0151/2007)
Martine Roure introduced the report.
The following spoke:Franco Frattini (Vice-President of the Commission) spoke.
The following spoke: Patrick Gaubert, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, Emine Bozkurt, on behalf of the PSE Group, Sophia in 't Veld, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Jean Lambert, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Giusto Catania, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Justas Vincas Paleckis, Sajjad Karim, Carlos Coelho, Danutė Budreikaitė and Marios Matsakis.
19. Decision-making in the common European asylum system (debate)
Report on asylum: practical cooperation, quality of decision-making in the common European asylum system [2006/2184(INI)] - Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. Rapporteur: Hubert Pirker (A6-0182/2007)
Hubert Pirker introduced the report.
The following spoke:Franco Frattini (Vice-President of the Commission) spoke.
The following spoke: Bernadette Vergnaud (draftsman of the opinion of the FEMM Committee), Carlos Coelho, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, Claude Moraes, on behalf of the PSE Group, Mario Borghezio, on behalf of the UEN Group, Jean Lambert, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Giusto Catania, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Johannes Blokland, on behalf of the IND/DEM Group, Irena Belohorská, Non-attached Member, Simon Busuttil, Inger Segelström, Manfred Weber and Barbara Kudrycka.