EP News No. 430 (22 January 2010)

MEPs return to Brussels on 26 January for a week of committee meetings.

Highlights include:

• Spanish ministers appear before the relevant committees to discuss the Presidency plans for January-June 2010;
• Jacques de la Rosière - key speaker at Economic Committee hearing on bank supervision (Wednesday)
• Votes on Turkey, Croatia, Macedonia (FYROM) progress towards EU accession - Foreign Affairs Committee (Tuesday)
• Food information to consumers - discussion of 1st reading amendments - Environment Committee (Wednesday)
• Aviation security - discussion of draft report 1st reading - Transport Committee (Tuesday)

These meetings will be webstreamed and can be viewed on the live channel of European Parliament's webTV.

Among other issues involving UK MEPs:

• West Midlands LibDem MEP Liz Lynne - resolution on preventing sharps injuries (Employment Committee - Tuesday)
• North West Labour MEP Arlene McCarthy - discussion on Capital Requirements Directive (Economic Committee - Tuesday)
• North West Labour MEP Arlene McCarthy - discussion on freezing & disclosure of cross-border debtors' assets (Legal Committee - Wednesday)
• Yorkshire and Humber Labour MEP Linda McAvan - draft report on 1st reading pharmacovigilance directive (Environment Committee - Monday)
• Yorkshire and Humber LibDem MEP Diana Wallis - hearing on Rome II - rights of personality (Legal Committee - Thursday)

For all committee agenda, please see the European Parliament's website.

Public hearings with UK experts

• Rob Cooke of Natural England evidence to Agriculture Committee on climate change (Wednesday)
• Prof Sir Tony Atkinson of Oxford University - visiting Harvard University evidence to Financial Crisis Committee on social impact of the crisis (Thursday)
• Prof Sylvia Walby of Lancaster University - evidence to Women's Rights Committee on gender equality strategy (Thursday)
• Dr Jonathan Cohen of Conciliation Resources - evidence to Foreign Affairs Committee on South Causasus and Transnistria (Tuesday)
• Lord Bowness takes part in hearing with national parliaments in Internal Market Committee on late payments (Tuesday)
• William Bennett, barrister, gives evidence in hearing on defamation & other  rights of personality - Legal Affairs Committee (Thursday)
  

Other public hearings hearings

• Public procurement - Internal Market Committee (Wednesday)
• Jacques de la Rosière, AXA, Belgian Central Bank and others - Bank supervisory package - Economic Committee (Wednesday)

• Wendy Clark of Port Services Invergordon Ltd - petition on alleged abuse of dominant position in market (petitioners present)
• Ger & Bridget McLaughlin - petition on unexplained sheep deaths (Northern Ireland)
• David Skinner - on behalf of the Swedish Christian Business Owners Interest Association - petition on right to freedom of 'non-association'
• Safety standards for horse riding helmets (Irish petitioner)
• Child custody: recognition of another Member State's legal decision (Dutch-Polish case)

See Petitions Committee for full agenda.

Commissioner hearings

Following the withdrawal this week of the Bulgarian Commissioner-designate, a new name has been put forward: Kristalina Georgieva. It is hoped that the hearing with Ms Georgieva will take place on 3 February, with a final debate and vote in the full Parliament on the whole Commission team now scheduled for 9 February in Strasbourg.

European Parliament Journalism Prize

The European Parliament Prize for Journalism will be awarded for the third time in 2010. It will be given to journalists who have covered major issues at a European level or promoted a better understanding of the EU institutions and/or EU policies.

There will be four different categories for the prize:

• Written press
• Radio
• TV
• Internet

The winner in each section will receive €5,000. The deadline for submissions is 31 March 2010.

Individuals or teams up to 5 people are eligible to contribute with articles or reports. The contributions must have been published or broadcast between 1 May 2009 and 31 March 2010 in one of the official languages of the European Union. All entrants must be nationals or residents of an EU Member State and a registered journalist.

Entries will be accepted until 31 March 2010 inclusive. The prize will be awarded in October 2010.

A jury will be set up to select winners in each category in the UK, with an overall jury, led by a European Parliament Vice-President, selecting the four winners EU-wide.

Application forms and the full rules of the Prize are available on the European Parliament's UK Office website at www.europarl.org.uk or at our special website dedicated to this new prize http://www.eppj.eu/view/en/index.html.

The BBC TV programme The Record Europe was a joint winner of the TV prize in 2008. In 2009, the winners came from Germany, Hungary and Poland.

For further information, contact Simon Duffin, Head of Press, European Parliament UK Office, simon.duffin@europarl.europa.eu. Tel: 07786 060531

or Sanne de Ryck, EP Press Service, Tel: (32) 498 98 3451; dgcommsecreppj@europarl.europa.eu.

1 January-30 June 2010: Spanish Presidency

European Parliament plenary sessions to June 2010

8-11 February 2010, Strasbourg
24-25 February 2010, Brussels
8-11 March 2010, Strasbourg
24-25 March 2010 Brussels
19-22 April 2010, Strasbourg
5 May 2010, Brussels
17-20 May 2010, Strasbourg
14-17 June 2010, Strasbourg