MEPs return to their constituencies for the week 17-21 March.

Details of committee meetings during the week after Easter (24-28 March) will be included in next week's EP News. Next week, the European Parliament will also be launching its new Journalism Prize - details in next week's EP News (see our website www.europarl.org.uk from Tuesday 18 March).

 

Among the key events in Strasbourg this week:

Flood relief

The European Parliament formally approved the granting of €162.4 million from the EU Solidarity Fund to the UK to help offset part of the costs of the flood damage in 2007. This is the first application from the UK for financial assistance after a major natural disaster. The report approving the funding from the EU Solidarity Fund was adopted with 613 votes in favour, 11 against and 17 abstentions. It is for the UK authorities to decide how to distribute the funds. The following UK MEPs spoke in Monday's debate: Richard Ashworth (Conservative, South East); Linda McAvan (Labour, Yorks & Humber); Diana Wallis (Lib Dem, Yorks & Humber); John Whittaker (UKIP, North West).

Further Info on www.europarl.europa.eu

Using technology to help older people

Helping older people to stay healthier and to live independently for longer is the aim of a new research programme on "Ambient Assisted Living" (AAL). West Midlands Labour MEP Neena Gill was the rapporteur and the only UK MEP to speak in Wednesday night's debate. The programme will develop new information and communication technology to enable more elderly people to access public services more easily, but these services must nonetheless respect their privacy and dignity, say MEPs. The European Parliament approved a first-reading deal with Council of Ministers by 431 votes to 10 with 8 abstentions. Speaking in Wednesday's debate Neena Gill said: "This will assist the European industry and research institutes in the development of new, cutting-edge ICT services, products and solutions to enhance the quality of life for the older persons... I am pleased that the Council has agreed to a €0.2m minimum contribution from each participating country." For the UK, a technology platform under the auspices of the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform will be set up.

Further Info on www.europarl.europa.eu

 

CAP reform

Parliament adopted a report on the Commission's proposals for further reform of the CAP, known as the "CAP health check". The European Parliament recommends broad approval of the proposals, although it has reservations about certain points, including the amount of funds to be switched from market support rural development, as well as the capping of direct aid. The resolution adopted this week constitutes Parliament's initial response to the Commission's general ideas on further CAP reform. The Commission will next submit draft legislation, on which Parliament will have to be consulted.
The following UK MEPs spoke in Tuesday's debate: Neil Parish (Conservative, South West); Alyn Smith (SNP, Scotland); Bairbre de Brún (Sinn Fein); Derek Clark (UKIP, East Midlands); Jim Allister (Ind. Northern Ireland); Struan Stevenson (Conservative, Scotland); Jim Nicholson (UUP, Northern Ireland).

Further Info on www.europarl.europa.eu

 

50 years of the European Parliament

To celebrate the European Parliament's 50th anniversary, the presidents of the Parliament, the Council and the Commission each addressed the House in a special sitting in Strasbourg this week. In his opening address, European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering welcomed former presidents of the European Parliament, including Lord Plumb from the UK. Mr Pöttering stressed that "step by step, the European Parliament has fought to secure more and more rights and has become ever more aware of its responsibility and of what it can do; and today it does credit to its name". "Today, we are 785 Members from 27 European nations; we represent seven political groups and more than 150 national political parties; we are both a legislative and a budgetary authority, on an equal footing with the Council of Ministers; we exercise oversight over the European Commission and elect its President; we are the representatives of close to 500 million Union citizens; we reflect all political tendencies in the European Union; we have become self-assured and a major player in European politics", he said.

Further Info on www.europarl.europa.eu

The European Parliament's audio-visual services have prepared audio and video files of highlights from the last 50 years. Among those which may be of interest to readers in the UK:

June 1979: 1st European elections
December 1981: Margaret Thatcher to the European Parliament
May 1985: Ronald Reagan to the EP
October 1988: Pope John-Paul II to the EP
June 1990: Nelson Mandela receives the Sakharov Prize (for 1988)
May 1992: HRH Queen Elizabeth II addresses the European Parliament
July1996 Visit to UK by BSE Committee of Inquiry
October 1996: Dalai Lama addresses MEPs
May 1998: Gordon Brown attends EP as Chancellor during UK Presidency
January 2003: Dockers protest outside the EP

Other highlights: Visits of Presidents Sadat (1981); Yeltsin (1993); Karzai (2005); PM Rabin (1993); Yasser Arafat (1993).

You can download the video kit in professional quality, from this FTP link:
ftp://epavvideoget:mo12ssb@ftpeps01.europarl.eu.int/epavvideo/archives/50ansPE

The audio kit will be accessible on EP LIVE:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/eplive/public/default_en.htm

 

 

Hearings