September 1st, 2008 (No. 368)

MEPs meet in plenary session in Brussels this week, rather than Strasbourg. This is due to damage to the ceiling of the chamber in Strasbourg during the summer recess. The next session - 22-25 September - will be held in Strasbourg. Highlights of the agenda this week include:

• Telecoms - (1st reading of 3 pieces of legislation: Monday debate)
• Computerised Reservation Systems (travel agent bookings) 1st reading
• Animal cloning - oral question - Tuesday debate
• Child 'amber alert' - formal announcement of MEP signatories

NEW TELECOMS RULES
West Midlands Conservative MEP Malcolm HARBOUR is one of the MEPs leading Tuesday evening's debate on telecoms. He is steering through Parliament a report on the proposed directive covering electronic communications. Among the main issues addressed in amendments adopted at committee stage:

• Operators to provide better information on prices and tariffs; and make it easier for customers to switch operators;
• Easier access to the 112 emergency number, especially for disabled people;
• More information to subscribers on privacy and on potential restrictions on use and distribution of content.

Three other telecoms proposals will also be debated. These concern:

• Setting up a body of European telecoms regulators;
• Use of spectrum frequencies released through the analogue-digital switchover;
• Achieving effective functional separation in all 27 domestic telecoms markets, as has already taken place in the UK

Since the vote on the whole telecoms package will only take place at the second plenary session in September (22nd-25th), EP News will return to the issues in our next edition.

Information: Simon Duffin, EP Office, London, simon.duffin@europarl.europa.eu - Tel: 020 7227 4300

COMPUTERISED RESERVATION SYSTEMS
Yorkshire & Humber MEP Timothy KIRKHOPE (Conservative) will lead Wednesday evening's debate on changes to the computerised systems travel agents use for displaying price and ticket availability. The revised Code of Conduct is designed to close potential loopholes whereby airlines which have a financial stake in one system can give priority fares or information to agents using that system to the detriment of those using another system. 60% of tickets bought from high street travel agents or via travel websites are still based on information taken from one of these systems (rather than, for example, the airline's own website). By creating a level playing field and access for all systems to all information available, it is hoped that fares may come down and customers will have access to the broadest number of options for their travel.

Among the amendments agreed in the Transport Committee are clauses guaranteeing information on each flight's CO2 footprint and information on potential alternative rail routes where the flight is of 90 minutes duration or less.

This is the 1st reading in the codecision procedure where the European Parliament has equal decision-making powers with the Council of Ministers. If the Council agrees to all amendments adopted at 1st reading, it is hoped that the Regulation can come into force in time for next season's holiday bookings.

ANIMAL CLONING
South West Conservative MEP Neil PARISH will be asking the European Commission an oral question about animal cloning on Tuesday evening. The Agriculture Committee, which he chairs, is calling on the European Commission to prohibit animal cloning for food and the import of cloned animals and their semen or offspring. Concerns have been raised following the recent challenge to a moratorium in the USA. MEPs will adopt a resolution on the subject on Wednesday.

CHILD 'AMBER ALERT' SYSTEM
418 of the 785 MEPs have now signed the Written Declaration calling on Member States to set up a missing child alert system. This was tabled following a campaign headed by the parents of Madeleine McCann. The fact that it now has the support of more than half the total number of MEPs means that it has become official Parliament policy and this will be formally announced during the plenary session. The text of the Declaration will now be forwarded to the European Commission and the Council for them to consider what action to take.

OTHER LEGISLATION
LABELLING OF HAZARDOUS PRODUCTS
UN agreements on a Globally Harmonised System for labelling hazardous goods need to be transposed into EU legislation. A series of reports aimed at doing just that is due for adoption at 1st reading on Wednesday morning. This would mean hazardous products would have the same verbal or pictorial warnings, recognisable anywhere. The reclassification and labelling of most substances must be in place by 1 December 2010, with 1 June 2015 for some mixtures.

HYDROGEN VEHICLES
A Regulation on type-approval of hydrogen-powered vehicles is due for its 1st reading on Wednesday morning. These vehicles are not currently covered by existing European regulations on vehicle type-approvals, but manufacturers are beginning to adopt their own approaches for developing them, so there is a risk of barriers being created to the operation of the single market.

The amendments adopted in the Internal Market Committee report are largely technical but focus in particular on safety, both in loading fuel into the vehicles and in terms of information to emergency services in the event of accidents. If agreement can be reached between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers following this 1st reading, the provisions of the Regulation would take effect in two years' time.
 
MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF COURT RULINGS
The session kicks off on Monday with a debate on three proposals for legislation in the area of justice and home affairs. Two of these won't affect the UK, but the third has actually been proposed by the UK and six other EU Member States. It concerns rules for dealing with trials 'in absentia'. Legislation which already exists for mutual recognition of judicial rulings has not been effective in many cases where the person concerned was not present in court in the other EU Member State. The new proposal aims to define conditions for summons, the right to retrial and the appeal process if there is no right to retrial in that Member State's law. Amendments at committee stage in the Parliament also suggest that defendants should have the right to information in a language they can understand. The European Parliament is only consulted on these proposals: the final decision rests with the Council of Ministers.

UK MEPs
VAT FRAUD
South East Liberal Democrat MEP Sharon BOWLES will present her report on combating fiscal fraud on Monday evening. The loss of revenue from tax fraud amounts to some €250bn a year across the EU, with VAT fraud the largest chunk of that amount. In the UK alone, it is estimated that £14.4bn was lost to VAT fraud in 2005-6. The report, as adopted in the Economic Affairs Committee, suggests a 15% VAT rate on all EU trade in goods and services, with Member States able to charge top-up rates on imports if their current rates are higher. The report calls for better exchanges of information between Member States on fiscal fraud and more administrative co-operation. "If we are losing 2.5% of EU GDP on fiscal fraud, why are we not spending 2.5% of our time and energy on resolving it?" Sharon Bowles has said.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN SERVICES
London Conservative MEP Syed KAMALL will present his report on the international trade in services on Wednesday evening. The report highlights the importance of trade in services as a creator of wealth and jobs for all economies around the world, as well as a catalyst for development. The resolution, due for adoption on Thursday, makes general remarks on the importance of services, especially financial services and on the stalled Doha trade negotiations. It also makes specific reference to ongoing negotiations for Free Trade Areas with India and with Korea.

ASYLUM SEEKERS - the 'Dublin' system
London Greens MEP Jean LAMBERT will lead Monday evening’s debate on the Dublin system for dealing with asylum seekers. The 'Dublin System' aims to determine which EU Member State is responsible for examining an asylum application from a non-EU citizen. The current system has proved particularly burdensome for countries such as Malta, Cyprus and Spain: countries which are the first port of call for many seeking asylum, but not necessarily their preferred final destination. The non-binding report looks both at ways forward for improving 'burden-sharing' and at issues such as detention and family reunion. (Vote: Tuesday)

OTHER ISSUES

• WORKS COUNCILS/EQUAL TREATMENT proposals: New proposals for legislation on works councils and on combating discrimination will be presented to MEPs on Tuesday morning. This is just an initial debate, with detailed committee discussions to follow over the coming months. West Midlands Conservative MEP Philip Bushill-Matthews has been appointed the European Parliament rapporteur on the Works Council Directive and will lead debates in the Employment Committee. The equal treatment directive aims to prohibit discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief - it complements existing EU rules covering the workplace, by proposing to extend protection to delivery of goods and services (protection which already exists for discrimination on the grounds of race and gender).
• MOTOR INSURANCE: Existing EU motor insurance directives affect more and more of us as the number of cross-border road journeys increases. A report due for discussion on Monday evening assesses how those directives have been working in practice. Among the issues raised in the non-binding resolution due for adoption on Tuesday: the need for more information to drivers on existing legislation; the availability of legal expenses insurance; and the question of Motor Third Party Liability Insurance.
• FREIGHT TRANSPORT: Freight transport is the focus for one of Wednesday evening's debates. A report from the Parliament's Transport Committee suggests that at least 40% of EU transport infrastructure funding should be allocated to railways and that freight should be prioritised within that.
• ADVERTISING AND GENDER: Tuesday evening sees discussion of a report on gender-stereotyping in the media and advertising. Among the proposals in this non-binding report: that other EU Member States follow Spain's example by awarding national prizes for advertisements challenging gender stereotypes; that codes of conduct be drawn up in an attempt to avoid media and advertising portrayal of 'ideal body image' which can have adverse effects on women or men.
• PORTS: European ports come under the spotlight on Wednesday evening as MEPs debate a report setting out recommendations for future action. Among the demands is that the European Commission publish guidelines before the end of 2008 on state aid to ports. Other recommendations include creating separate port zones for intra-community traffic as distinct from ships arriving from outside the EU; the report adopted by the Transport Committee also advocates that European Community-cleared goods should be exempt from customs controls. (Vote Thursday)
• DEVELOPMENT GOALS - maternal health: The Millennium Development Goal No 5 aimed to reduce by three-quarters the ratio of women dying in childbirth between 1990 and 2015. On Wednesday afternoon MEPs will hear statements from the European Commission and Council on progress made towards reaching this goal - the discussion takes place ahead of a UN meeting in New York on 25 September.
• EUROPEAN OMBUDSMAN: Tuesday evening sees a debate on the European Ombudsman. At issue is the particular case of a complaint from a German doctor about implementation of the Working Time Directive and on-call time. As well as the substance of the issue, the report before MEPs in plenary deals with the whole process for taking infringement procedures against a Member State.
• PALESTINE: MEPs will vote on a resolution on the situation of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. During the debate on the subject held on 9 July 2008, the following UK MEPs spoke: Charles Tannock (Conservative, London); Richard Howitt (Labour, Eastern); Caroline Lucas (Greens, South East); Chris Davies (Lib. Dem., North West); Sarah Ludford (Lib. Dem., London); John Bowis (Conservative, London)
• GEORGIA: MEPs will discuss latest developments in Georgia on Monday evening, with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner representing the Council. The discussion comes immediately after the special EU Summit convened in Brussels for Monday which Prime Minister Gordon Brown will attend. European Parliament President Hans Gert Pöttering will address EU leaders at Monday's summit. The European Parliament will adopt a resolution on Georgia on Thursday.

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

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