Plenary session Strasbourg

Committee highlights

Hearings

Diary Dates

Further information

Un / Subscribe

Top

 Highlights of next week's European Parliament agenda in Strasbourg include:

• Summer disasters - Floods and fire (debate Monday);
• Terrorism (Debate Wednesday);
• Alcohol strategy (Debate Tuesday);
• Inland transport of dangerous goods - Directive (debate Tues; vote Wed)

Floods in the UK - Fires in Greece

Two Yorkshire and Humber MEPs spoke during the July session of the European Parliament about the damage caused by this summer's floods in Yorkshire. Labour MEP Linda McAvan spoke in a debate on natural disasters and Lib Dem MEP Diana Wallis raised the matter at the opening of the session, when time is set aside for MEPs to flag up issues of urgent, topical concern.

The two months since MEPs last convened in Strasbourg have seen further disastrous flooding in other parts of the UK and, more recently, a terrible death toll from forest fires in Greece. These will no doubt influence the content of a resolution on natural disasters set for adoption on Wednesday. We can also expect MEPs from the regions affected to raise the issues during Monday's debate.

On 20 August, the British government submitted an application to the European Commission for support from the European Union Solidarity Fund to help recovery from the flooding in the UK. The British government said that a provisional assessment of damage caused by the floods lies at over €4bn - significantly above the €3bn threshold required for a Member State to make an application.

The European Commission will decide if the application is successful and any resources are likely to be available in nine to twelve months' time.

 

Terrorism

Terrorism is the main subject of Wednesday morning's session. MEPs have tabled oral questions to the European Commission and Council on the EU's counter-terrorism strategy. The debate is likely to range from the general approach to anti-terrorism at EU level, through to specific measures such as the Prüm Treaty on police forces exchanging DNA-profile databases, fingerprints and vehicle number-plates. Even the issue of restrictions on liquids taken on board planes is likely to be raised again as holidaymakers will now have experienced the consequences of these in practice this summer.

A debate on the liquid restrictions took place in February 2007, when David Martin ( Labour, Scotland); John Purvis ( Conservative, Scotland); and Jim Nicholson (UUP, Northern Ireland) spoke. MEPs will adopt a resolution at the end of Wednesday's debate.

Alcohol strategy

An EU strategy to combat the ill-effects of alcohol will be discussed by MEPs on Tuesday. A report and resolution from the Parliament's Environment and Public Health Committee deals with drink-driving; binge-drinking; 'alcopops'; and labelling of alcoholic drinks. Coming only days after the UK Government announced new, graphic health warnings on tobacco and coming in the wake of recent incidents linked to young people's consumption of alcohol in the UK, the debate is likely to arouse considerable interest among British MEPs.

One suggestion in the resolution (due for adoption on Wednesday) is for the European Commission to publish by 2010 a directive on health warnings for alcoholic beverages, similar to that covering tobacco. In the absence of a directive, MEPs are calling on the European Commission to publish a report explaining why health warnings on alcohol are not necessary.

Another suggestion is for a European prize to be set up for the best publicity campaign targeting schools and young people and warning against harmful alcohol consumption. The resolution will set out the European Parliament's contribution to the debate, but is not binding. For a link to the text adopted at committee stage, please use this link to europarl.europa.eu.

Inland transport of dangerous goods

New rules on the transport of dangerous goods have their first reading with a debate on Tuesday and vote on Wednesday. The proposed directive will simplify EU law by replacing and updating eight existing pieces of legislation. The new directive will also extend the legislation to cover inland waterways as well as road and rail. The aim is to speed up the movement of goods and services by clarifying issues such as training needs and documentation required for the safe transport of dangerous goods across Member States.

At committee stage, 43 amendments were adopted to the European Commission proposal. If the Council of Ministers approves all amendments adopted at 1st reading in Strasbourg, the directive will come into effect on schedule on 30 June 2009. If the Council does not accept all amendments adopted at 1st reading by the Parliament, the directive will have to return for a 2nd reading at a later stage.

 

OTHER ISSUES

• Milk market : Plans for reform of the milk sector are due for discussion on Tuesday. The debate will cover a wide range of issues, including: extending the categories of milk that can be sold (beyond simply 'skimmed', 'semi-skimmed' and 'full' milk); the regime for funding dairy sector reforms; skimmed milk powder intervention prices; and the system for buying-in butter when market prices fall. The European Parliament is only consulted in the proposals, the final decision resting with EU Agriculture Ministers. However, MEPs will be adopting a series of proposed amendments to the reforms. South West Conservative MEP Neil Parish is himself a dairy farmer and will no doubt take part in Tuesday's debate as chair of the Agriculture Committee.

• Fisheries : Two reports on the EU fisheries sector are due for debate on Wednesday. Both reports address the issue of managing existing resources. The first deals with the potential transition from a management system based on restricting vessel tonnage and power to management by geographical fishing areas. The report is critical of several Member States, including the UK, for not forwarding data on fishing capacity and stocks. The second report addresses the feasibility of introducing a system based on 'maximum sustainable yield'. MEPs will adopt two non-binding resolutions.

• Heavy trucks : The issue of whether to allow 60 tonne HGVs onto Europe's roads will be discussed in a non-binding report from the Parliament's Transport Committee on Tuesday. The report covers a range of issues under the theme of freight transport logistics and the Parliament resolution (due for adoption on Wednesday) will set out MEPs' views ahead of the autumn publication of a European Commission Action Plan on freight logistics.

• Single Sky : The Single European Sky initiative was intended to manage European airspace more efficiently. Member States were supposed to set up so-called 'functional airspace blocks', but progress has been very mixed since the scheme came into force in 2004. The Parliament's Transport Committee has tabled an oral question to the European Commission to find out what steps are planned to accelerate the creation of the Single European Sky.

• EU single market: Tuesday morning sees a debate on the current state of the EU's Single Market. In place since January 1993, the Single Market is still not complete, with sectors such as transport, energy, telecoms and postal services still to be fully liberalised. These issues are likely to be prominent in Tuesday's debate, along with calls for public contracts to meet EU procurement rules. MEPs will adopt a resolution on Wednesday.

• Better Regulation : A series of reports on better regulation will be debated on Monday afternoon. One of the resolutions set for adoption on Tuesday calls on the European Commission always to use plain and comprehensible language and in particular to avoid the use of incomprehensible acronyms. Member States are criticised for 'gold-plating', or adding to and complicating, EU rules once they are drafted onto the domestic statute book. MEPs are also concerned about improving impact assessments.

• Private Company Statute : The European Commission will respond (Monday) to an oral question from the Legal Affairs Committee asking for latest news on proposals for a Statute covering European Private Companies and for a 14th Company Law Directive.

• Employment : The functioning of the European Employment Services network (EURES) will be debated on Tuesday. EURES is designed to facilitate cross-border movement of workers within the EU. The European Commission will respond to an oral question from the Parliament's Employment Committee.

• EU budget 2008 : The Portuguese Budgets Minister will present the draft EU budget for 2008 on behalf of the Council (Tuesday). The European Parliament's Budgets Committee will vote its 1st reading in early October with the full Parliament 1st reading on 25 October in Strasbourg.

• Portuguese President : On Tuesday 4 September, the President of Portugal, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, will make a formal address to the European Parliament. Portugal holds the EU Presidency until 31 December 2007.
  

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

Plenary session Strasbourg

Committee highlights

Hearings

Diary Dates

Further information

Un / Subscribe

Top

 

Committee highlights

 

Plenary session Strasbourg

Committee highlights

Hearings

Diary Dates

Further information

Un / Subscribe

Top

 

Further information