2. Preparation of the European Council (29 and 30 October 2009) (debate)
Council and Commission statements: Preparation of the European Council (29 and 30 October 2009)
Cecilia Malmström (President-in-Office of the Council) and José Manuel Barroso (President of the Commission) made the statements.
The following spoke: Joseph Daul, on behalf of the PPE Group, Hannes Swoboda, on behalf of the S&D Group, who also answered the question asked under the 'blue card' procedure by Zoltán Balczó, Guy Verhofstadt, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Rebecca Harms, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Timothy Kirkhope, on behalf of the ECR Group, Lothar Bisky, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Nigel Farage, on behalf of the EFD Group, Diane Dodds, Non-attached Member, Cecilia Malmström, José Manuel Barroso, Othmar Karas, Jo Leinen, Marielle De Sarnez, Gerald Häfner, Oldřich Vlasák, Georgios Toussas, William (The Earl of) Dartmouth, Csanád Szegedi, Marian-Jean Marinescu, Liisa Jaakonsaari, Silvana Koch-Mehrin, Oriol Junqueras Vies, Martin Callanan and Mario Borghezio.
IN THE CHAIR: Gianni PITTELLA Vice-President
The following spoke: Franz Obermayr, Elmar Brok, who also answered the question asked under the 'blue card' procedure by William (The Earl of) Dartmouth, Libor Rouček, Fiona Hall, Andreas Mölzer, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, Pervenche Berès, Marian Harkin, Wim van de Camp, Gianluca Susta, Johannes Cornelis van Baalen, Gunnar Hökmark, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Brian Crowley, Tunne Kelam, Edite Estrela, Gay Mitchell, Monika Flašíková Beňová, Mario Mauro, Zuzana Roithová, Georgios Papastamkos and Peter Liese.
The following spoke under the 'catch-the-eye' procedure: Vytautas Landsbergis, Mirosław Piotrowski, Silvia-Adriana Ţicău, Jean-Pierre Audy, Ilda Figueiredo, Enikő Győri, Rachida Dati, Charles Goerens, Angelika Werthmann, Romana Jordan Cizelj, Jaromír Kohlíček, Agustín Díaz de Mera García Consuegra, Robert Goebbels, Seán Kelly and Petru Constantin Luhan.
The following spoke: Cecilia Malmström and Margot Wallström (Vice-President of the Commission).
The debate closed.
IN THE CHAIR: Alejo VIDAL-QUADRAS Vice-President
3. Voting time
Details of voting (amendments, separate and split votes, etc.) appear in the Results of Votes annex to the minutes.
The results of roll-call votes are available in electronic form only, as an annex to the minutes, and can be accessed via Europarl.
3.1. Freedom of information in Italy and other Member States of the European Union (vote)
Manfred Weber, Simon Busuttil, Mario Mauro, Salvatore Iacolino, Roberta Angelilli, Clemente Mastella and Elisabetta Gardini, on behalf of the PPE Group Timothy Kirkhope, on behalf of the ECR Group Fiorello Provera and Francesco Enrico Speroni, on behalf of the EFD Group
Mario Borghezio had also signed joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0088/2009.
Monika Flašíková Beňová, Claude Moraes and David-Maria Sassoli, on behalf of the S&D Group Niccolò Rinaldi, Sonia Alfano, Luigi de Magistris, Sophia in 't Veld, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Sarah Ludford, Sylvie Goulard, Renate Weber, Ivo Vajgl, Louis Michel, Olle Schmidt, Johannes Cornelis van Baalen, Giommaria Uggias, Gianni Vattimo, Vincenzo Iovine and Pino Arlacchi, on behalf of the ALDE Group Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Judith Sargentini, Raül Romeva i Rueda and Rebecca Harms, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group Lothar Bisky, Rui Tavares, Patrick Le Hyaric, Willy Meyer, Cornelis de Jong, Eva-Britt Svensson and Nikolaos Chountis, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
Ramon Tremosa I Balcells had also signed joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0090/2009.
Rejected
The following had spoken:
- Edite Estrela, on the substance of Amendment 2;
- David-Maria Sassoli, to challenge the admissibility of Amendments 7, 8 and 9 (the President replied that the President of Parliament had examined the amendments in question and had deemed the admissible);
- Mario Mauro, to propose that the incriminating amendments be put to the vote but that they be altered in such a way as not to refer to any person by name;
- Niccolò Rinaldi, to request that those amendments simply be withdrawn;
- David-Maria Sassoli, in support of Mario Mauro's suggestion, while at the same time inviting the members of his group to vote against those amendments (the President had announced that those amendments would be put to the vote without their naming any person);
- Nuno Melo, to move an oral amendment inserting a new paragraph 2a, which was not accepted as over 40 Members objected;
- József Szájer, to move an oral amendment inserting a new recital Da, which was not accepted as over 40 Members objected.
The following spoke: Mario Mauro, who stated that a police search had been carried out that morning at Clemente Mastella's home in his absence, and requested that the President of Parliament verify whether this constituted a breach of that Member's privileges and immunities (the President replied that the President of Parliament would look into the matter).
The following spoke: Vytautas Landsbergis on the outcome of the vote.
4. Explanations of vote
Written explanations of vote:
Explanations of vote submitted in writing under Rule 170 appear in the Verbatim Report of Proceedings for the sitting.
Oral explanations of vote:
Freedom of information in Italy and other Member States of the European Union:
Antonio Masip Hidalgo, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Crescenzio Rivellini, Krisztina Morvai, Licia Ronzulli, Siiri Oviir, Carlo Casini, Carlo Fidanza, Lena Ek, Peter van Dalen, Hannu Takkula, Chris Davies, Philip Claeys, Daniel Hannan, Syed Kamall, Sergio Paolo Francesco Silvestris, Seán Kelly and Aldo Patriciello.
5. 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.
° ° ° °
Tiziano Motti had made it known that he had been present but had not taken part in the vote on the motions for resolutions on freedom of information in Italy and other Member States of the European Union.
° ° ° °
Jacek Olgierd Kurski stated that, for technical reasons, he had been unable to take part in the first 12 roll-call votes at the 20 October 2009 sitting.
(The sitting was suspended at 13.05 and resumed at 15.00.)
IN THE CHAIR: Libor ROUČEK Vice-President
6. Approval of the minutes of the previous sitting
The minutes of the previous sitting were approved.
7. Welcome
On behalf of Parliament, the President welcomed members of a delegation from the South African Parliament - led by Joanmariae Louise Fubbs, Chairperson of the Committee on Trade and Industry of the National Assembly of South Africa - who had taken their seats in the distinguished visitors' gallery.
8. The institutional aspects of the creation of a European external action service - Creation of a European external action service: State of the negotiations with Member States (debate)
Report on the institutional aspects of setting up the European External Action Service [2009/2133(INI)] - Committee on Constitutional Affairs. Rapporteur: Elmar Brok (A7-0041/2009)
Council and Commission statements: Creation of a European external action service: State of the negotiations with Member States
Elmar Brok introduced the report
Cecilia Malmström (President-in-Office of the Council) and Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Member of the Commission) made the statements
The following spoke: Alojz Peterle, on behalf of the PPE Group, Roberto Gualtieri, on behalf of the S&D Group, Andrew Duff, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Indrek Tarand, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Ashley Fox, on behalf of the ECR Group, who also answered a 'blue card' question by Andrew Duff, Helmut Scholz, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Morten Messerschmidt, on behalf of the EFD Group, Andrew Henry William Brons, Non-attached Member, Carlo Casini, Zita Gurmai, Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck, Franziska Katharina Brantner and Charles Tannock.
IN THE CHAIR: Stavros LAMBRINIDIS Vice-President
The following spoke: Willy Meyer, David Campbell Bannerman, Martin Ehrenhauser, Rafał Kazimierz Trzaskowski, Proinsias De Rossa, Louis Michel, Bastiaan Belder, György Schöpflin, Wolfgang Kreissl-Dörfler, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Lorenzo Fontana, Andrzej Grzyb, Cristian Dan Preda, Mário David and William (The Earl of) Dartmouth, to put a 'blue card' question to Cristian Dan Preda, who replied.
The following spoke under the 'catch-the-eye' procedure: Ingeborg Gräßle, Richard Howitt, Ivo Vajgl, Heidi Hautala, Zoltán Balczó, who also answered a 'blue card' question byÍñigo Méndez de Vigo, Danuta Maria Hübner, Andrey Kovatchev, Krisztina Morvai, Elena Băsescu, Piotr Borys and Riikka Manner.
The following spoke: Cecilia Malmström, Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Elmar Brok.
9. Preparation of the TEC meeting and the EU/USA Summit (2 and 3 November 2009) - Transatlantic judicial and police cooperation (debate)
Council and Commission statements: Preparation of the TEC meeting and the EU/USA Summit (2 and 3 November 2009), Transatlantic judicial and police cooperation
Cecilia Malmström (President-in-Office of the Council) and Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Member of the Commission) made the statements.
IN THE CHAIR: Diana WALLIS Vice-President
The following spoke: Elmar Brok, on behalf of the PPE Group, Hannes Swoboda, on behalf of the S&D Group, Sarah Ludford, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Pascal Canfin, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Tomasz Piotr Poręba, on behalf of the ECR Group, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, Krisztina Morvai, Non-attached Member, Francisco José Millán Mon, Ioan Mircea Paşcu, Reinhard Bütikofer, James Elles, Daniel Caspary, Véronique De Keyser, Charles Tannock, Diogo Feio, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Harlem Désir and Peter Skinner.
The following spoke under the 'catch-the-eye' procedure: Janusz Władysław Zemke, Michael Theurer, Jan Philipp Albrecht and Zoltán Balczó.
The following spoke: Cecilia Malmström and Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
Motions for resolutions to wind up the debate tabled under Rule 110(2):
- Joseph Daul, Elmar Brok, José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra, Ioannis Kasoulides, Corien Wortmann-Kool, Francisco José Millán Mon, Daniel Caspary, Pilar del Castillo Vera, Albert Deß, Jean-Paul Gauzès, Peter Liese, Andreas Schwab, Richard Seeber, Tadeusz Zwiefka, Ingeborg Gräßle and Werner Langen, on behalf of the PPE Group, on the upcoming EU-US Summit and the Transatlantic Economic Council Meeting (B7-0095/2009)
- Sarah Ludford, Sharon Bowles, Wolf Klinz, Olle Schmidt, Johannes Cornelis van Baalen and Marietje Schaake, on behalf of the ALDE Group, on the forthcoming EU-US Summit and the 4th Meeting of the Transatlantic Economic Council (B7-0096/2009)
- Adrian Severin and Hannes Swoboda, on behalf of the S&D Group, on the upcoming EU-US Summit and the Transatlantic Economic Council Meeting (B7-0098/2009)
- Pascal Canfin, Reinhard Bütikofer, Yannick Jadot, Nicole Kiil-Nielsen and Barbara Lochbihler, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, on the EU-US Summit (B7-0099/2009)
- Charles Tannock, Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Tomasz Piotr Poręba and Adam Bielan, on behalf of the ECR Group, on the upcoming EU-US Summit and the Transatlantic Economic Council meeting (B7-0109/2009)
- Helmut Scholz, Willy Meyer, Marie-Christine Vergiat and Patrick Le Hyaric, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, on the preparation of the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) meeting and the EU-USA Summit (2 and 3 November 2009) (B7-0112/2009)
Parliament considered a number of questions to the Council (B7-0212/2009).
Question 1 (Bernd Posselt): Human rights in Cuba.
Cecilia Malmström (President-in-Office of the Council) answered the question and supplementaries by Bernd Posselt, Nikolaos Chountis and Krisztina Morvai.
The President referred to the rules governing the conduct of Question Time.
Question 2 (Marian Harkin): Elder abuse.
Cecilia Malmström answered the question and supplementaries by Marian Harkin, Silvia-Adriana Ţicău and Seán Kelly.
Question 3 (Olle Schmidt): Swedish journalist Dawit Isaak imprisoned in Eritrea.
Cecilia Malmström answered the question and a supplementary by Olle Schmidt.
Question 4 (Anna Hedh): The EU's alcohol strategy.
Cecilia Malmström answered the question and supplementaries by Anna Hedh, Justas Vincas Paleckis and Catherine Stihler.
Question 5 (Justas Vincas Paleckis): Environmental aspect of gas pipelines.
Cecilia Malmström answered the question and a supplementary by Justas Vincas Paleckis.
Question 6 (Silvia-Adriana Ţicău): Elimination of barriers to the free movement of labour between Member States.
Cecilia Malmström answered the question and supplementaries by Silvia-Adriana Ţicău and Franz Obermayr.
Question 7 (Nikolaos Chountis): Harassment by Turkey of aircraft operated by the European Union agency for external border security (Frontex).
Cecilia Malmström answered the question and a supplementary by Nikolaos Chountis.
The following spoke: Krisztina Morvai.
Question 8 lapsed as its author was absent.
Question 9 (Mairead McGuinness): Revision of Regulation (EC) No 1/2005.
Cecilia Malmström answered the question and supplementaries by Mairead McGuinness and Seán Kelly.
Question 10 lapsed as its author was absent.
Question 19 (Seán Kelly): A Commission portfolio for sport.
Cecilia Malmström answered the question.
The following spoke: Seán Kelly and Mairead McGuinness.
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.
11. Parliamentary immunity
At its meeting on 5 October 2009 the Committee on Legal Affairs decided unanimously to declare inadmissible two applications of 7 April 2009 and 24 August 2009 from the Public Prosecutor's Office in Vicenza (Italy) for a waiver of the parliamentary immunity of Roberto Fiore, former Member of the European Parliament
Parliament noted this decision and instructed its President to forward the decision to the relevant Italian authorities.
12. Composition of committees and delegations
The President had received the following requests for appointments from the PPE and EFD groups:
AFET Committee: Nikolaos Salavrakos
ECON Committee: Spyridon Danellis
PETI Committee: Nikolaos Salavrakos
Delegation to the EU-Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee: Nikolaos Salavrakos
Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council: Spyridon Danellis
Delegation for relations with Afghanistan: Carlo Fidanza
Delegation for relations with Iran: Carlo Fidanza was no longer a member.
The appointments would be deemed ratified if there were no objections before the approval of these minutes.
13. State of play as regards SIS II and VIS (motions for resolutions tabled)
Motions for resolutions to wind up the debate tabled under Rule 110(2):
- Carlos Coelho and Simon Busuttil, on behalf of the PPE Group, Claude Moraes, on behalf of the S&D Group, Sarah Ludford, on behalf of the ALDE Group, Timothy Kirkhope, on behalf of the ECR Group, on progress of SIS II and VIS (B7-0097/2009)
- Tatjana Ždanoka, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, on the state of play as regards SIS II and VIS (B7-0103/2009)
- Cornelia Ernst, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group, on the state of play of SIS II and VIS (B7-0108/2009)