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- 'Unlike the British Parliament, the MEPs have no power whatsoever in the running of the EU; no power to make law or amend law…' (Letter to Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph, September 2005)
- 'If they were all eliminated at a stroke, it would not make a ha'porth of difference' (Chris Moncrieff in Daily Post, Liverpool, May 2004)
- 'What did MEPs ever do for us?' - 'Can anyone name a single piece of legislation or indeed anything else for which we have reason to be indebted to MEPs?' (Vanessa Feltz in Daily Express, April 2004)
The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers (both consisting of elected politicians) make the decisions; the European Commission only proposes the draft laws.
In September 2005, the European Parliament threw out a proposal that workers exposed to natural sunlight should be covered by new health & safety legislation.
In July 2005, the European Parliament rejected outright a proposed law on computer patents. In January 2006, the same happened over the proposal on liberalising access to port services.
Amendments passed by the European Parliament in the areas of the environment, consumer protection, health & safety or creating the single market can fundamentally alter the tone and scope of EU rules.
European Parliament votes have radically amended many pieces of EU legislation including:
- The Services Directive on opening up the EU's single market in services;
- The proposal to control the registration and use of chemicals (so-called REACH proposals);
- The forthcoming ban on animal testing of cosmetics,
- Increased rights for air passengers on delayed or cancelled flights;
- Rules on how GM products might be used and labelled in food; and
- Ensuring potentially polluting tankers are now double-hulled.
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