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

• Consumer Credit Directive - 2nd reading (debate Tues, vote Weds);
• Airport charges - 1st reading (debate Monday; vote Tues);
• EU Health & safety strategy - East Midlands MEP Glenis Willmott;
• Slovenian Presidency programme Jan-June 2008 (Wednesday).

 

Consumer Credit Directive

MEPs are set to have their 2nd reading of a proposed new Consumer Credit Directive.

The directive aims to ensure that all EU consumers have the right to the same information on terms and conditions for credit whether they are borrowing from a financial institution in their own country or another EU Member State. Consumers will also be able to benefit from bank products that are not available in their own country. The directive defines what standard information must be included in any advertising on credit products.

Negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers are continuing with a view to reaching agreement on the final text before MEPs vote on Wednesday. Among the issues of contention:

• the amount of compensation to be paid to financial institutions for early repayment of loans;
• what contractual and pre-contractual information must be provided by lenders;
• the size of loans covered by the directive (should the upper limit be €75,000 or €100,000?);
• which types of credit should be excluded from the terms of the directive (eg store cards, deferred payment cards).

If agreement can be reached between Parliament and Council, the new Directive would come into force in two years' time, at which point, the existing Directive from 1987 would be repealed. If no agreement is reached in the next week, MEPs and Ministers will need to thrash out agreement on the final text through Conciliation and a 3rd reading.

 

Airport charges

A new directive on airport charges is set for debate on Monday evening (vote Tuesday). The directive aims to prevent any abuse of a dominant position in the market by individual airports. It sets out common principles for levying airport charges at those airports covered.

67 airports across the EU will be covered by the directive if the amendments adopted in the Transport Committee are confirmed by the full Parliament in Strasbourg. From the UK, this will involve: Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Luton, Manchester and Newcastle.

A number of other UK airports would have been covered by the original European Commission proposal but will be excluded if MEPs get their way: Belfast; Cardiff; Liverpool; Southampton; Leeds/Bradford; Nottingham/East Midlands; Aberdeen.

Among the issues covered by the amendments adopted at the committee stage:

• national regulatory authorities to resolve disputes between airport management and airlines;
• level of service quality guaranteed in return for airport charges;
• definition of airport charges;
• financing of new infrastructure projects.

This is the 1st reading in the codecision procedure where the European Parliament has equal decision-making powers with the Council of Ministers. Unless the Council accepts all amendments adopted at 1st reading, the proposal will have to return for a 2nd reading at a later stage. If agreement can be reached this year, the directive will come into effect in either 18 months' time (EP position) or 3 years' time (Council position).

For the amendments adopted in the Transport Committee, please use this link to www.europarl.europa.eu

 

Health & safety

East Midlands Labour MEP Glenis Willmott will lead Tuesday morning's debate on the EU's strategy on health and safety at work. The strategy is set to run until 2012. Among the issues raised in the report as adopted by the Employment Committee:

• Greater focus on long-term occupational diseases caused, for example, by carcinogenic substances in the workplace;
• A proposed charter for the protection of the rights of cancer patients and others with chronic disease in the workplace;
• Better protection for high-risk workers not adequately covered by existing EU rules, eg disabled workers, migrant workers, temporary agency workers;
• Specific measures for workers in sectors such as health care, lorry drivers, farm workers and construction;
• A shake-up of the existing labour inspectors system in the EU, with a renewed focus on infringement procedures;
• Support for new legislation on musculo-skeletal disorders and a revision of existing rules protecting pregnant workers.

 

Slovenia - EU Presidency

Slovenia took over the six-month rotating presidency of the EU on 1 January 2008. This is the first time one of the Member States which joined the EU in 2004 has taken on the Presidency. The Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa will be in Strasbourg to present his country's priorities for the period January - June 2008. European Commission President Barroso will also be present.

Among the issues likely to be highlighted during Wednesday morning's debate: the Lisbon Treaty; climate change and energy; the western Balkans; the European Year of Inter-Cultural Dialogue in 2008; and the so-called Lisbon strategy for growth and competitiveness.

 

OTHER ISSUES

• CARS 21: West Midlands Conservative MEP Malcolm Harbour took part in the High Level group CARS21, which was looking into the automotive industry's competitiveness. MEPs are about to adopt a resolution giving the European Parliament's response to the final report of the CARS21 group. Among the issues raised in the report, set to kick off this week's session on Monday: more R&D funding to help the industry meet binding CO2 targets; flexibility with such targets if greater emissions result from mandatory safety measures; protection of intellectual property rights worldwide; and fair-play in trade relations with China and South Korea.

• 2008 Year of Inter-cultural Dialogue: The Grand Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Bader Hassoun, will make a formal address to the European Parliament on Tuesday at 11am UK time. This is the first in a series of invitations to mark the European Year of Inter-cultural Dialogue. Others already invited for later this year are: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli President Shimon Peres and Pope Benedict XVI. Britain's Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and the Dalai Lama are also set to be invited later in the year.

• Adult learning: Only Sweden and Denmark have higher rates of adult education take-up than the UK, according to the latest figures available from Eurostat. A report due for discussion on Tuesday evening focuses therefore on those countries which have yet to achieve the EU target of 12.5% participation in adult learning. Some issues raised in the report will strike a chord in the current UK climate, however: the link to the European Qualification Framework so that qualifications obtained can be recognised in other EU Member States; and the issue of language courses, especially for immigrants. MEPs will adopt a non-binding resolution.

• Children's rights: On Tuesday afternoon, MEPs will discuss an EU strategy on the rights of the child. MEPs are expected to call for tougher measures to combat paedophilia on the internet and for a system to enable suppliers of products manufactured with child labour to be prosecuted in Europe. The issue of an EU telephone helpline for children is likely to be raised and some Members may make a link to the Madeleine McCann case in the course of the debate.

• Satellite surveillance of farming: A pilot project allowing for aerial surveys and use of remote-sensing in agriculture is set to be renewed, as MEPs adopt the formal Regulation giving backing to this project until 2013. A number of technical amendments were adopted in the Agriculture Committee, chaired by South West Conservative MEP Neil Parish. The final say on agricultural matters, however, lies with the Council of Ministers.

• Taxation of cross-border losses: Differing company tax regimes create obstacles to investment in different national markets and prevent the internal market from functioning properly. The report, due for debate on Monday evening, looks at potential measures for cross-border loss relief pending the introduction of a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base.

• Women in industry: Thursday morning sees a debate on the role of women in industry. MEPs will adopt a resolution with suggestions on how to overcome inequalities from board level down to the shop floor and in new technology sectors.

• Pakistan: MEPs will discuss recent developments in Pakistan on Wednesday afternoon, after hearing statements from the European Commission and the Council Presidency.

• Kenya: MEPs will debate the situation in Kenya on Wednesday afternoon. German Liberal MEP Alexander Lambsdorff headed the EU's Election Observation Mission in December 2007 and a further four MEPs from the Netherlands, Latvia, Germany and Belgium were on the spot from 26-29 December to observe the elections in Kenya.