22-23 March 2006

The European Parliament sits in Brussels this week for its next session. Highlights of the agenda include:

• Security of energy supply - oral question by Giles Chichester MEP (Cons, South West);
• Non-food crops - report by Neil Parish MEP (Cons, South West);
• Demographics - report by Philip Bushill-Matthews MEP (Cons, West Midlands).

Security of energy supply

Giles Chichester MEP (Conservative, South West) will be tabling an oral question to the European Commission and the Council of Ministers on security of energy supply. Among the issues to be raised in the question: how the EU's future independent supply of oil and gas can be guaranteed? and what other sources of energy might be used should oil and gas supplies run out?

Following Wednesday's debate, the European Parliament will adopt a resolution on the subject on Thursday.

 

Non-food crops

Neil Parish MEP (Conservative, South West) will lead Wednesday's debate on his report on promotion of crops for non-food purposes.

The EU already has a strategy on promoting biofuels. This resolution, to be adopted on Thursday, makes further suggestions for how to develop and implement that strategy. Among the issues raised: use of willows and poplars for generating heat; making plant-based products compulsory in the plastics, lubricants and insulation industries; control mechanisms to ensure that bio-diversity is not compromised by bio-based production of fuel and energy.

[ Link to the report adopted in the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee.]

 

Demography

Philip Bushill-Matthews MEP (Conservative, West Midlands) will present his report on demographic challenges in the EU which is the response to a European Commission Green Paper on solidarity between the generations (debate and vote - Thursday). The resolution to be voted on by MEPs raises issues from child-care arrangements to training for older workers; from social security to immigration; and business needs to potential legislation. [ Link to the report adopted in Employment & Social Affairs Cttee]

 

Other issues

• Consumer Protection Programme 2007-2013: The next 7-year EU Consumer Protection Programme is due to run from 2007-2013 and will support projects aimed at better consumer protection regulation and generally improved understanding of consumers and markets across the EU. A debate on the proposed programme was held in Strasbourg on 16 March [link to the debate], but the formal vote of the Parliament will take place on Thursday in Brussels.

• European political parties: The role and power of 'European political parties' will be up for discussion on Wednesday. A major part of the debate will revolve around potential financial support for such parties and is likely therefore to be of interest in the UK, given the current domestic debate on possible public funding for UK political parties. Not all UK parties represented in the EP belong to an actual 'European political party' so the debate will have a different resonance for different MEPs, and it will be interesting to see how any future decision on funding would affect funding for political groups within the Parliament [ Link to the report ].

• Annual Policy Strategy 2007: MEPs will debate a European Commission statement on its Annual Policy Strategy for 2007. As this is the basis on which the Commission's budget planning takes place, it will be difficult at this stage to enter into details given that so much depends on agreement being reached on the overall EU funding for 2007-2013.

• Development co-operation: Wednesday sees two debates on EU development policy: one is based on an oral question about future funding of the European Development Fund; the other is strategic and will look at the whole linkage between so-called Economic Partnership Agreements and the overall objectives of sustainable development and poverty eradication.

• Congo : The EU's proposed peace-keeping operation in Congo (DRC) will be discussed by MEPs on Wednesday following a statement from the Austrian Presidency of the EU.

 

Full information can be found in "The Briefing" at: http://www.europarl.eu.int/news/expert/default_en.htm