EP News, June 3rd, 2005 (No. 215)
MEPs meet in Strasbourg next week for a plenary session of the European Parliament. Highlights of the agenda include:
Debates being led by UK MEPs:
The EU Summit of 16-17 June is the subject of Wednesday's key European Parliament debate. The main item on the summit's agenda was to have been the future financing of the EU for 2007-2013. However, following the two 'No' votes in the French and Dutch referendums this week, the debate and the summit are both likely to be dominated by discussions of where to go next in the treaty ratification process. Wednesday's debate gives MEPs their first formal chance to react to the votes in France and the Netherlands.
The European Parliament's Temporary Committee on the future financing of the EU will report to the full Parliament on Tuesday.
The main issues up for discussion will be:-
Following the debate at the last Parliament session in Brussels in May (link to the debate in original language), MEPs will vote on the motion of censure against the European Commission.
For the motion to be formally tabled, it required one tenth of the total European Parliament membership to sign it - ie 73 MEPs. To be adopted, it requires a two-thirds majority of all MEPs - ie 489 votes. The original motion was instigated by Nigel Farage MEP (UKIP, South East).
Tuesday morning's key debate is on a package of recommendations for action to be taken as part of the EU's Action Plan against Terrorism. This is due to be reviewed at the EU summit on 16-17 June in Brussels.
Much of the debate is likely to focus on the role of the European Anti-Terrorism Coordinator and the means to be put at his disposal to help coordinate an immediate response to any terrorist attack. MEPs are likely to reject a proposal from the UK and three other EU Member States on retention of data stored by telephone and internet providers for the purposes of prosecuting terrorist acts.
Peter Skinner MEP (Labour, South East) will lead the debate on the proposed EU re-insurance directive, which sets up a common system for regulating the re-insurance market across the EU. Major issues have been the levels of solvency required for companies to offer re-insurance contracts and the need for collateral to be posted before re-insurance can be offered. The latter has affected also EU companies trying to enter the US market.
This is the 1st reading in the codecision procedure. However, following informal negotiations with the Council of Ministers, it is hoped that the directive can be adopted formally later this month, coming into effect 2 years later, with an additional one year transition for those markets unable to adapt immediately.
John Bowis MEP (Conservative, London) will present his report on the issue of patient mobility in the EU. With recent European court cases opening up greater possibilities for patients to go elsewhere for treatment if they are suffering 'undue delay' from their own health service, MEPs are arguing that it is time for a code of conduct to advise both health professionals and patients on their rights.
Claude Moraes MEP (Labour, London) will present his report to the European Parliament on anti-discrimination and the protection of minorities in the enlarged EU. The report focuses in particular on Member States' slow implementation of the EU anti-discrimination directives; it pays special attention to Romany minorities and to women, while condemning in general attacks on Muslim and Jewish communities across different Member States.
Improving energy efficiency is the aim of a directive receiving its 1st reading on Tuesday. Almost 100 amendments have been adopted at the committee stage, dealing with, among other things:
This is the first reading in the codecision procedure. The amendments adopted by the European Parliament go next to the Council of Ministers. Unless the Council accepts all of Parliament's amendments, the proposal will return for a 2nd reading of the European Parliament at a later date.
MEPs will have their 1st reading of the guidelines for funding of Trans-European Energy Networks. An annual budget of about €25m overall is spent mainly on feasibility studies for cross-border projects. Among the projects listed for funding in the UK are:
Amendments adopted in the European Parliament committee update and rearrange the list of priority projects and clarify the role of the European Coordinator.
MEPs will hold their 2nd reading of a proposed Regulation governing controls on cash entering or leaving EU countries. The aim is to prevent large cash sums moving across EU borders for the purposes of money laundering. MEPs look set to agree with the Council of Minister's proposal that the ceiling beyond which cash must be declared is reduced from €15,000 to €10,000. Amendments adopted at the committee stage do, however, tighten up the provisions on confidentiality and protection of personal data.
MEPs will have their 1st reading of a proposed amendment to the 1976 hazardous substances directive, this time aimed at reducing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in extender oils and tyres. The proposal would reduce the risk of carcinogenic emissions from tyre debris - a time frame for the development of safe tyres, including racing car tyres, is set down in amendments tabled by MEPs at committee stage.
The environment and spatial management are the subjects of the INSPIRE directive, which receives its 1st reading by MEPs on Wednesday. The directive sets up an information-sharing infrastructure in areas such as: the environment, urban planning, meteorology, mortality rates. The amendments adopted at the European Parliament's committee stage stress the need for network services to be made available to the public as well as for authorities and agencies which provide the information in different EU Member States.
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