European Parliament June Plenary Roundup
Gaza, lorry drivers’ working hours and food labelling were some of the issues debated during the June session.
MEPs condemned the blockade of Gaza, voted to include self employed lorry drivers in a working time directive and rejected a “traffic light” system for food labels.
The latest floods, the UN’s Millennium Development Goals to tackle poverty and the annual human rights report also featured.
Lorry drivers: MEPs put road safety first: The Chamber rejected by a handful of votes a Commission’s proposal to exempt self-employed truck drivers from limits on working time and compulsory rest breaks. On the whole, left-of-centre groups in Parliament argued that it is a matter of road safety and social protection, while the centre-right believes that more regulation will only burden the self-employed with inefficient and excessive bureaucracy.
Food labels: Food labels should feature mandatory nutritional information and guideline daily amounts, according to draft EU legislation as adopted by MEPs on Wednesday. However, they rejected a proposal for “traffic light” values to highlight the salt, sugar and fat content of processed foods. MEPs backed the European Commission proposal that quantities of fat, saturates, sugar and salt – as well as energy – must be indicated on the front of food packs.
Gaza: The EU is closely following the inquiry into Israel’s “unacceptable” commando operation on a humanitarian aid convoy attempting to run the blockade on Gaza, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton told MEPs Wednesday. However, the underlying cause is the “terrible plight” of those in Gaza and that raises two key issues, which must be dealt with together, she said: how to improve the daily life of the people in Gaza and ensure security for Israel.
United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals
Floods: Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary and the south of France have been hit hard by flooding in recent months. Europe’s European Commissioner for Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva made a statement to MEPs where she pledged that European solidarity to deal with the aftermath.
The UN’s Millennium Development Goals were in the spotlight with Parliament’s President calling for States to find ways of finding the funds to make the Goals a reality in time for 2015. “It is not our imagination that limits our ambitions, and neither are short-term economic and financial difficulties a justification for being less ambitious” Mr Buzek said on Tuesday.
Twitter: Twitter addicts once again had the opportunity on Tuesday to follow EP Question Time with Commission chief Barroso. Political group leaders and speakers grilled him on the Swift banking data transfer agreement with the US and Europe’s economic governance. He also had to respond to the thorny question of EU measures to avoid accidents like the oil spill in Gulf of Mexico.
Human rights and wrongs
Russia, Belarus, Mexico, Thailand, but also EU countries…the human rights situation across the world was raised in the Facebook chat with the Human Rights’ Sub-Committee chair Heidi Hautala on Tuesday. It was a foretaste of the most important human rights’ debate of the year in Parliament, held on Wednesday in presence of the High Representative Catherine Ashton.
Special committee on budget reform: MEPs looked to the future on Wednesday when they agreed to set up a special committee to start work on the EU’s long-term budgetary framework post 2013. It will propose how the budget is financed in the future – suggest how much money is needed and how it is spent.
Protection Bluefin tuna
Bluefin tuna: On MEPs backed on Thursday a new system for tracking tuna from catches to sale that will make it more difficult to cheat.
Internet of things: Imagine a fridge that is able to detect products past their use-by date and then inform you. That is one of the uses of the growing area known as the “internet of things” which was discussed by MEPs this week.
Topics: 2010, bluefin tuna, budget reform, business, commission, EC, economoy, environment, EU, Europe, European Commission, European Government, European Union, floods, food labels, Gaza, Governance, government, human rights, internet, June 2010, June session, lorry drivers, member states, Millenium Development Goals, moniter, monitor, news, online, Parliament, plenary, politics, society, Spanish Presidency, technology, Twitter, UN, United Nations
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