The European Parliament is now in recess for the summer break. MEPs return to Brussels on Monday 30 August, which is not a Bank Holiday in Belgium.
Highlights of the next plenary session in Strasbourg (from 6-9 September) include:
Here we look at some of the stories that have made the headlines in the UK since the last European Parliament elections in June 2009. We look at people (Joe Biden, Tony Blair, Thabo Mbeki; Paul McCartney); at policy-based stories (bank data transfer; hedge funds; food labelling; working time; industrial emissions); and at petitions dealt with in the European Parliament (bats; sewage; sheep-tagging; vitamin supplements).
PEOPLE
Joe Biden
The US Vice-President spoke to the European Parliament's plenary session in May 2010, almost 25 years to the day since former President Ronald Reagan addressed MEPs to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of World War Two. The Vice-President focused on common challenges facing the USA and the EU, including the financial crisis and the fight against terrorism. One of the contentious issues he addressed was the SWIFT agreement on transferring European bank transaction data to the US (see policies below).
Tony Blair/Thabo Mbeki
The European Parliament's committees regularly invite guests to give evidence as they prepare their legislative reports. Often these are academic experts or representatives from industry or campaigning bodies. In two cases in the last 12 months, this has involved former heads of government. Tony Blair appeared before the Development Committee in March 2010 to update MEPs on his latest work on the Middle East peace process; also in March 2010, former South African President Thabo Mbeki spoke to the Foreign Affairs Committee in his capacity as chair of the African Union's panel on Sudan.
Sir Paul McCartney
In December 2009, Sir Paul McCartney attended a hearing on climate change and launched his campaign for meat-free Mondays. This is not European Parliament policy and not all MEPs would subscribe to this campaign. But his appearance in Brussels demonstrated how the European Parliament attracts major public figures when it is discussing issues of global importance.
POLICIES
SWIFT - bank data transfer to the USA
The SWIFT anti-terrorist agreement on bank data transfers to the USA was blocked by MEPs in a vote in February 2010, due to concerns about data protection and human rights. SWIFT allows US authorities access to bank transactions undertaken by EU citizens who wish to enter the USA. Following February's vote, MEPs negotiated various safeguards and won an undertaking that the EU will start work in the second half of 2010 on a European data processing system that precludes the need to transfer data in bulk to the USA. With these new clauses in place, the European Parliament then approved the overall agreement with the USA in July 2010.
Hedge funds, bank bonuses & financial supervision
In the wake of the financial crisis, MEPs have been dealing with a whole raft of legislative proposals affecting the financial services sector. In July 2010, MEPs approved some of the strictest rules in the world on bankers' bonuses; they also toughened rules on the capital reserves that banks must hold to guard against any risks from their trading activities. In autumn 2010, the European Parliament will also adopt its 1st reading on regulation of hedge funds and private equity, along with the formal adoption of proposals to overhaul the whole system of supervising the EU's financial services sector. (Negotiations ongoing at the time of writing.)
Food labelling - red light for traffic light labels
A June 2010 vote on a new EU food labelling Regulation followed months of lobbying from all sides: food and retail sectors; consumer groups; women's groups; farmers. In the end, a majority of MEPs voted against a traffic light labelling system for indicating levels of salt, sugar and fat. Instead, the European Parliament opted for guideline daily amounts, nutrient profiles and tightened up the rules on country-of-origin labelling. This was Parliament's 1st reading. At the time of writing, negotiations are ongoing with the Council of Ministers on the final text of the new rules.
Food labelling - no ban on 'half a dozen eggs'
The same vote on the same legislation led to a second spate of stories, this time alleging that the MEPs' vote would mean a ban on selling eggs (or bread rolls, fish fingers etc) by the dozen. Sometimes votes on complex legislation lead to different legal interpretations of what was agreed. On this occasion, the European Parliament's rapporteur German MEP Renate Sommer could not have been clearer: "There will be no changes to selling foods by number. Selling eggs by the dozen, for example, will not be banned".
Working Time for lorry drivers
The Working Time Directive always attracts the UK media's attention. This time it was the specific directive covering the road transport sector. At issue was whether to include self-employed drivers in the scope of the directive, and in particular whether to make a distinction between genuine and 'fake' self-employed (the latter driving for the same employer but under a self-employed regime). MEPs in the plenary in June 2010 voted to include all self-employed drivers on health and safety grounds. This reversed an earlier committee stage vote from September 2009, showing how delicately balanced the politics of the European Parliament can be.
Industrial emissions - power stations to pig farms
Large combustion plants (including fossil fuel power stations) will have until July 2020 to meet new emissions standards agreed by MEPs in July 2010. (Some older plants may not even have to meet the targets at all, as long as they close by the end of 2023). The new Industrial Emissions Directive brings in tougher limits for air pollution; it will cover large combustion plants and around 52,000 industrial and agricultural installations with a high pollution potential, from refineries to pig farms.
PETITIONS
The work of Parliament's Petitions Committee is a great source of stories, especially in local media.
Local campaigns: Since July 2009, the Petitions Committee has received evidence from a wide range of local campaigns, including: bats habitats in Bath and Radstock; sewage treatment in Chepstow; and the closure of Sheffield Airport.
National campaigns: Two national campaigns have appeared before the Petitions Committee in the last year raising problems with the implementation of existing EU laws on: sheep-tagging; and vitamins/mineral supplement.
Personal cases: Individuals affected by Spanish urban development laws have continued their campaign; as have many individuals with claims on access to benefits or pensions in another EU Member State and other free movement questions.
The next issue of EP News will be published on Friday 3 September.
1 July-31 December 2010: Belgian Presidency
European Parliament plenary sessions 2010
6-9 September, Strasbourg
20-23 September, Strasbourg
6-7 October, Brussels
18-21 October, Strasbourg
10-11 November, Brussels
22-25 November, Strasbourg
13-16 December, Strasbourg