EP News, June 22nd, 2005 (No. 218)
22-23 June 2005
The European Parliament sits in Brussels this week for its next plenary session.
Highlights of the agenda include:
Tony Blair at the European Parliament (Thursday 8.00am - 11.00am - UK time)
The Prime Minister is to address MEPs on Thursday morning at 8.00am (UK time) to lay out the UK's priorities for its Presidency of the EU from 1 July to 31 December 2005.
His speech will be followed by a statement from the European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. MEPs will then take the floor to make statements and/or ask questions of the Prime Minister. The whole session is scheduled to last three hours, finishing at 11.00am UK time.
This is the first time the UK has held the EU Presidency since 1998. It comes at a crucial time for the EU, in the wake of two 'no' votes in referendums on the EU Constitutional Treaty and the recent EU summit in Brussels which failed to reach agreement on the EU budget for 2007-2013.
The official website of the UK Presidency will be available from 27 June at: www.eu2005.gov.uk
EU Summit - Luxembourg PM reports back to Parliament (Wednesday)
Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker will report to the European Parliament on the discussions at the European Council Summit in Brussels last week. He is also due to give an overview of the Luxembourg Presidency of the EU, which comes to an end next week.
MEPs will have their first chance to react to the decision on a 'period of reflection' on the ratification of the Constitutional Treaty and on the failure to agree on the EU's funding for the period 2007-2013. The full conclusions of the Summit can be found at: http://ue.eu.int
MEPs' pay and expenses - the MEP Statute
The full European Parliament has the opportunity this week to debate and vote on the proposed Statute for MEPs. The text put forward by the Council of Ministers would set the monthly salary for all MEPs at €7,000 a month, ending the current system where each MEP receives the same salary as a backbench MP from their national parliament (this has led to very wide discrepancies between different nationalities). MEPs' salaries would, in future, be paid by the EU and tax would be paid to the EU budget, although Member States have the option to apply an additional tax up to the level of national rates.
Once the Statute is in place, MEPs would no longer receive travel expenses on a flat-rate basis, but would be reimbursed for actual costs incurred.
Lloyd's petitioners
An Oral Question is to be put to the European Commission on the implementation of the First Non-Life Insurance Directive, which was aimed at the proper functioning of the insurance sector. This had been the subject of a petition sent to the European Parliament some years ago by some of the Lloyd's Names from the UK.
The question reads: Is the European Commission fully satisfied that the activities of Lloyd's of London were properly and effectively regulated during this period (1978-2001)? If not, will it now submit to Parliament the specific response in writing, which is still outstanding, to the precise questions raised in the Perry Report, as requested by Parliament in September 2003?
MEPs will also vote on a resolution which, in its current draft, recalls the European Parliament's right to initiate further investigation, should this be required, and notes that three new petitions have been tabled by other Lloyd's Names since the beginning of 2005.
Movement of persons across borders (Schengen area)
Michael Cashman MEP (Labour, West Midlands) will lead Wednesday's debate on the 1st reading of a proposal to establish new EU rules on the movement of persons across borders within the Schengen area. This is the first time the European Parliament has legislated through codecision in this policy area and agreement has been reached with the Council of Ministers making it likely to go through at this 1st reading. Overall, the Regulation would maintain free movement of persons across the EU, but tighten up controls at external borders, while putting in place new rights of appeal (from their own country) for those turned away.
For a the text of amendments adopted at the committee stage and Michael Cashman's report, see this link.
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