EP News, December 16th, 2005 (No. 241)
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Parliament will then officially be in recess until Tuesday 3 January 2006. The Sub-Committee on Human Rights meets on 4 January with a discussion on human rights in the world, led by Richard Howitt MEP (Labour, Eastern).
Other committees do not reconvene until the week beginning 9 January or even 23 January, following the next full session of the Parliament in Strasbourg from 16-19 January.
Committee meetings January 2006
Edited committee agenda below, with links to full agenda on www.europarl.eu.int, and working documents on the committees' websites:
| AFET - Foreign Affairs | 24-26 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| SEDE - Subcommittee on Security and Defence | 26 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
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| DROI - Subcommittee on Human Rights | 04 January 2006 | full agenda | committee homepage |
| Report on the annual report on human rights in the world 2005 and the EU policy on this matter - European Commission - Presentation of working document | Richard Howitt (PSE) | Own initiative | - |
| Exchange of views on the future architecture of human rights in the United Nations | - | - | - |
| BUDG - Budgets | 24-26 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
CONT - Budgetary Control |
25-26 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| DEVE - Development | 24-26 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| ECON - Economic and Monetary Affairs | 23 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| EMPL - Employment and Social Affairs | 25 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| ENVI - Environment, Public Health and Food Safety | 23-24 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
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| ITRE - Industry, Research and Energy | 16 January 2006 | full agenda | committee homepage |
| In the presence of the Council and the European Commission | - | - | - |
| Research, technological development and demonstration activities (seventh framework programme, 2007-2013) | Jerzy Buzek (EPP-ED) | Codecision first reading | Consideration of a draft report |
| Nuclear research and training activities (2007-2011) | Jerzy Buzek (EPP-ED) | Consultation | Consideration of a draft report |
| A European information society for growth and employment | Reino Paasilinna (PSE) | Own initiative | Consideration of a draft report |
| IMCO - Internal Market and Consumer Protection | 24-26 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| INTA - International Trade | 24-25 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| TRAN - Transport and Tourism | 23-25 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| REGI - Regional Development | 23-24 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| AGRI - Agriculture and Rural Development | 25-26 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| PECH - Fisheries | 30-31 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| CULT - Culture and Education | 10 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| Meeting with Mr Diallo, Dir. United Nations of Sport for peace and development | - | - | - |
| JURI - Legal Affairs | 16 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| LIBE - Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs | 16 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| AFCO - Constitutional Affairs | 23-24 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| FEMM - Women's Rights and Gender Equality | 23-24 January 2006 | committee homepage | |
| PETI - Petitions | 24-25 January 2006 | committee homepage |
[ The Week Ahead ] [ Committee meetings ] [ Latest News: access to air travel for disabled passengers ] [ Latest News: Recycling of batteries ] [ Diary dates ] [ top ]
15 December 2005
MEPs have today adopted new EU rules which will improve the rights of disabled people and those with reduced mobility when travelling by air.
The amendments adopted today in the European Parliament will ensure:
Robert Evans MEP (Labour, London) led this week's debate in the European Parliament and negotiated on Parliament's behalf with the Council of Ministers.
The near unanimous vote in the European Parliament follows informal negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers on a text agreeable to both institutions. This means the Regulation should be formally adopted before the end of the year - most aspects will come into effect at the beginning of 2008; however, the clauses on information to passengers and banning refusal of carriage to disabled people will come into effect after 12 months.
Derek Twigg (UK Transport Minister - for the Council Presidency): This regulation, on the rights of disabled people and those with reduced mobility when travelling by air, will make a real improvement to the lives of those members of our Community. It is a fine example of how, when a legislative proposal offers real and tangible benefits to the citizens of the Community, the institutions can collaborate effectively to ensure that these benefits are delivered in the shortest possible time.
For the first time, this regulation sets out in clear terms what assistance disabled persons and those with reduced mobility are legally entitled to expect from airports and airlines and under what conditions.
Robert Evans MEP (Labour, London): Too many people – the elderly or those with disabilities – complain of being neglected or, worse still, maltreated at Europe’s airports. Fundamental rights for disabled passengers when travelling by air ought to be something we take for granted. However, the reality can be very different. One example is Ryanair and the insulting manner in which it treats disabled passengers. It is probably the best-publicised culprit, but there are plenty of others and not just the low-cost carriers.
During its passage through the European Parliament I have also been pleased to be able to present other improvements. Most importantly, ensuring that the proposal is for a seamless service for passengers, from any point of arrival at any of the airports in the European Union, to destinations – including transfers, which are often the most traumatic experiences for people.
At my suggestion, the committee also amended the Commission text to give airports the overall responsibility for ensuring an efficient and effective service with, as Mr Twigg again mentioned, the ability to contract it out if they so wish.
I am also very pleased to be able to amend the proposal to allow guide dogs or service dogs on long-haul flights, because I am advised that the owners of those dogs are in the best position to judge how long a flight the animal can cope with.
The aim is to ensure that people with reduced mobility and disabled passengers enjoy the same rights when travelling by air as you or I, without incurring any additional costs – the costs being spread across every passenger handled by the air carrier and included in the price of the ticket.
Airline statistics suggest that up to ten million passengers in this category are assisted at Europe’s airports every year. Therefore, it is essential that the guidelines are clear and agreed at European level. It would be pointless if one or a few of the 25 EU Member States had good legislation and the others had poor legislation or none at all.
Full text of the debate (Tuesday 13 December 2005) in the speakers' original language:
http://www.europarl.eu.int/omk/sipade3?PUBREF=-//EP//TEXT+CRE+20051213+ITEM-062+DOC+XML+V0//EN&LEVEL=1&NAV=S&L=EN
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15 December 2005
The European Parliament has this week adopted new EU rules on the recycling of batteries. The new directive, which received its 2nd reading in Strasbourg on Tuesday, also aims to prevent the use of heavy metals in batteries and accumulators.
MEPs did not amend the collection targets proposed by the Council of Ministers and these will be fixed at 25% of portable batteries after 6 years with a 45% target after 10 years.
The European Parliament did, however, adopt over 20 amendments to the Council of Ministers' position, including the following:
If the Council of Ministers accepts all the amendments adopted this week by the European Parliament, the directive can be adopted quickly and its provisions will have to be put into domestic legislation after two years. If the Council cannot accept all the Parliament amendments, conciliation will follow between Parliament and Council to determine the final wording of the directive.
Commissioner Charlie McCreevy: The existing Community legislation on batteries only covers a small part of all the portable batteries sold annually in the European Union. This has hindered the setting-up of efficient national collection and recycling schemes. Consequently, many batteries placed on the Community market today still risk ending up in the environment, in incineration or in landfills. To address that problem, the Commission presented a new legislative proposal for batteries in 2003 that would extend the scope of existing Community legislation from batteries containing certain dangerous substances to all batteries placed on the Community market.
Caroline Jackson MEP (Conservative, South West): O nly six Member States currently have a national system of collecting small batteries for recycling: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland and Sweden. Austria has achieved 40% collection after 14 years…The report now calls for higher targets: 40% after 6 years and 60% after 10 years. From the point of view of Member States which, for whatever reason, have never given battery recycling a high priority, these totals are unrealistic and, if set, will simply not be reached.
Secondly, the rapporteur is calling for bans on lead and cadmium in power tool batteries…We need a full assessment of the social, environmental and economic impact of any such bans before we agree to introduce them… I am confident that this directive represents a major change of direction and of public habits for many European countries. We should have turned to specific battery collection long ago. I hope we can now put this proposal into operation as soon as possible.
Linda McAvan MEP (Labour, Yorkshire & Humber): Mr President, I very much welcome this legislation which, I think, will help clean up our environment… I do not agree with an automatic ban (on nickel cadmium batteries)… There is cadmium in our atmosphere but less than 1% is caused by batteries - much more comes from pesticides and other uses - so we must have legislation that is proportionate to what we are trying to achieve. We need a study on this issue before we move to any further legislation.
As regards the targets, there is no point pretending we can automatically run to big leaps forward when in fact only a handful of countries collect batteries at all. We need to get targets down to a level that countries can meet at some point in the future and work out how to get there.
Commissioner McCreevy: T he Commission believes that setting collection targets in the proposed directive is necessary: It is important that the collection targets are ambitious in environmental terms, but they should also be achievable, realistic and cost-efficient. The Commission's extended impact assessment carefully analysed this issue and came to the conclusion that the collection target of 160 grams or 40% would be the most cost-efficient target.
Full text of the debate (Monday 12 December 2005) in the speakers' original language:
http://www.europarl.eu.int/omk/sipade3?PUBREF=-//EP//TEXT+CRE+20051212+ITEM-014+DOC+XML+V0//EN&LEVEL=2&NAV=S&L=EN
[ The Week Ahead ] [ Committee meetings ] [ Latest News: access to air travel for disabled passengers ] [ Latest News: Recycling of batteries ] [ Diary dates ] [ top ]
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