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Among the main issues debated during this week's session in Strasbourg:

 

Postal Services liberalisation

A large majority of MEPs want remaining postal services monopolies in EU Member States to expire by 31 December 2010, two years later than the 1 January 2009 proposed by the European Commission. With 512 votes in favour, 156 against and 18 abstentions, MEPs backed the compromise, proposed by postal services rapporteur Markus Ferber (EPP-ED, Germany). This means that postal services should be opened up to competition by 2011, but subject to strict conditions. UK MEPs who took part in Tuesday's debate: Stephen Hughes (Labour, North East), Brian Simpson (Labour, North West), Mike Nattrass (UKIP, West Midlands).

 

EU ban on mercury measuring instruments

SUMMARY

MEPs yesterday approved a ban on non-electrical mercury thermometers and other mercury instruments for general sale to the public, thereby dropping their earlier call for an open-ended derogation for barometer manufacturers. They accepted a two-year exemption instead.

The directive prohibiting the sale on the EU market of these devices is part of a broad strategy on mercury, a metal which is highly toxic to humans, ecosystems and wildlife. This was the European Parliament's 2nd reading and the text now requires formal approval by the Council of Ministers.

The ban will apply to new fever thermometers for both professional and private use, and also to "other measuring devices intended for sale to the general public (e.g. manometers, barometers, sphygmomanometers, thermometers other than fever thermometers)".

Subject to Council of Ministers' approval, the Directive will be published in the EU's Official Journal later this year, leaving Member States 12 months to implement the rules in national legislation. Six months later the national rules should apply, with the exemption for barometers ending a further six months after that (probably in autumn 2009).

Next steps: Following this European Parliament 2nd reading, the Council of Ministers now has to give its formal approval and the Directive must be published in the EU Official Journal before it enters into force.

 

DEBATE

Excerpts from Monday's debate (9 July 2007) in Strasbourg

Martin Callanan (Conservative, North East): I have to say that I remain deeply convinced that both the Commission and the Council, and some Members of this Parliament, have got the argument completely wrong. There is no justification whatsoever for a ban on barometers. They are only being singled out because there is only a relatively small number of companies which still produce them in Europe and they are an easy target as far as the Commission is concerned, to make it look as though they are actually doing something about mercury, whereas the big sources of release of mercury – from power stations, crematoria, etc. – are not being tackled because, of course, to tackle them would be very expensive for Member State governments and local authorities.

It is a completely illogical position to say that antique instruments will be exempted but new instruments will be banned. There are probably more antique instruments being circulated and placed on the market in Europe than there are new instruments being created. It is a very small minority specialist market and Europe brings itself into disrepute by delegitimising, by banning, by forcing out of business, a small number of very entrepreneurial and gifted craftsmen.

Linda McAvan (Labour, Yorkshire & Humber): No sector has been singled out – not thermometers, nor barometers – because there is going to be a set of actions over a number of years…We have agreed under the REACH Directive that if there is a safe alternative to dangerous chemicals, we should move towards that alternative…So to say ‘let us make an exemption for barometers’ at this stage is totally inconsistent with the REACH Directive. What is more, the REACH Directive would cover barometers.

In the United States in May, somebody found a broken barometer in a storage cupboard in a school. The school was closed for a week. The whole school had to be evacuated and there was a clean-up bill amounting to thousands of dollars. Sixteen US States are moving towards mercury prohibitions on barometers and other equipment. In fact, they are going much further than the European Commission is proposing to go here today. So anybody who is talking about nanny-state Europe is totally misplaced when they are looking at the barometer issue.

The PSE Group pushed for the two-year phase-out for the barometer industry. We know these are small companies, we know it will pose some difficulties for them, but I think they were aware of the REACH Directive coming their way anyway, and I think this is a sensible compromise.

More details on www.europarl.europa.eu

Air ticket pricing

All air fares published in any form and addressed to the public must include all taxes, fees and charges added to the ticket price and known at the time of publication of the air fare. Air passengers must be treated like other consumers and thus have a right to clear and full information on the price they finally have to pay, the European Parliament has decided, in adopting a proposed Regulation on internal aviation market. The regulation lays down rules for, inter alia, operating licences, leasing of aircraft, public service obligations, traffic distribution rule and price transparency. No UK MEPs spoke in the debate.

European Parliament plenary sessions 2008

Parliament's calendar of part-sessions for 2008 was set as follows:

• 14 to 17 January
• 30 and 31 January
• 18 to 21 February
• 10 to 13 March
• 9 and 10 April
• 21 to 24 April
• 7 and 8 May
• 19 to 22 May
• 4 and 5 June
• 16 to 19 June
• 7 to 10 July
• 1 to 4 September
• 22 to 25 September
• 8 and 9 October
• 20 to 23 October
• 17 to 20 November
• 3 and 4 December
• 15 to 18 December

 

Inter-governmental Conference on the proposed new Reform Treaty

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