An EU-wide compulsory labelling system for beef has been backed by the European Parliament this week in Strasbourg. However, MEPs are demanding that the first stage of the labelling system is brought into force in September this year, four months earlier than proposed by the European Commission. If this is agreed by EU member states, from 1 September the compulsory label would have to include information about the place and date of slaughter. Parliament then wants the labelling system upgraded from 1 September 2001, and not from the start of 2003 as proposed by the Commission, to state the country of origin and where fattening and slaughter took place. Other amendments put down by Parliament would remove derogations from the rules for minced beef or cut beef, and would apply the same labelling rules to beef imported from outside the EU. The proposal, together with Parliament's amendments, will now be considered by EU ministers before returning to MEPs for a second reading.
The European Parliament has called on the European Commission to tighten up the rules governing the distribution of regional aid to member states. MEPs want the Commission to be vigorous in the application of what is known as 'additionality' which requires EU countries to provide match funds for EU programmes financed under the structural funds. Parliament is calling for clear guidelines to make sure member states are providing additional funds when they receive EU regional aid, and it wants the Commission to name those member states not respecting the principle of additionality.
Sir Alec Ferguson, the manager of Manchester United was in Strasbourg this week as part of a UEFA and FIFA delegation to meet MEPs and the Commission. On the agenda was the Bosman ruling on free movement of professional footballers, television in sport, and recognition for sport in the EU Treaty. According to FIFA, "the judgement of the European Court in the Bosman case changed football in Europe beyond recognition. Not only did the case result in the abolition of the transfer system and limits on non-national players, it also opened up many other rules and practices in football to potential legal challenge." Other members of the delegation who came to Strasbourg included UEFA President Lennart Johansson and its General Secretary Gerhard Aigner. Concerns about the UEFA Cup second leg between Leeds and Turkish club Galatasaray were also raised by MEPs.
After a long and difficult vote the European Parliament has agreed its proposals for the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on reforming the European Union in advance of enlargement. After voting on over 250 amendments, the final resolution was adopted by 238 votes to 147 with 73 abstentions. The European Parliament takes the view that the member states meeting at the IGC should take an ambitious and long term view of reforms and not just deal with the "Amsterdam left-overs".