David Martin, Scottish Labour MEP

David Martin MEP, May 2008

MEPs urge EU-wide alert system for missing children

Last month the parents of Madeleine McCann attended the launch of a European Parliament Written Declaration ‘on emergency co-operation in recovering missing children’.  Labour MEPs have been campaigning on the issue of tracking missing children within the EU for a number of years.  Indeed last year I wrote to the European Commission, prior to the Scottish school holidays, asking what progress had been made in putting into place the common EU free phone help line 116-000 for missing children.  The EU-wide alert system being proposed in the Written Declaration would be similar to the US style ‘Amber Alert’ which, it is claimed, has helped recover nearly 4000 missing children in the US since being set up in 1996.  Currently only Belgium, Denmark, France and Portugal have such a system in place.  The European Parliament Written Declaration calls on Member States to introduce a child alert system, the activation of which shall require the immediate supply to relevant news media, borders authorities, customs and law enforcement agencies details of: the missing child, with a photograph if available; information relevant to the disappearance and/or the suspected abductor(s); and a 116 000 telephone number to call with information.  If the Written Declaration is signed by over 50% of the 785 MEPs in the European Parliament it will be forwarded to the European Commission as the European Parliament’s official position.

EU-Latin America Summit could show way forward to new era

A growing bond between the European Union (EU) and Latin America could signal a new era in multilateral cooperation contributing towards peace and stability in the globalised world.  The EU-Latin America Summit, which starts in Lima on 16 May, will concentrate on the consolidation of the alliance between the two continents in areas such as climate change as well as creating ‘human ties’ between Latin America and Europe.  Speaking in anticipation of the summit Martin Schultz, the leader of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, expressed the sentiment of many MEPs when he said that: “European Union interests are better served by an alliance with Latin America than by Bush-style isolationisms”.  The EU’s interests could be well served by prioritising transatlantic links with the countries of Latin America rather than focusing too exclusively on a United States which has a different ethos to that of Social Europe. Working together Europe and Latin America would make a powerful bi-regional strategic alliance making up one third of UN members, 25% of world GDP and over a billion people.  If we are to solve the problems of global warming and food shortages we can best do that through dialogue and cooperation not by isolation and self-interest.

MEPs back EU-wide organ donor cards

The European Parliament has backed the issuing of a EU-wide donor card, amongst other measures, to tackle the shortage of donors, transplantation risks and organ trafficking.  More than 60,000 people across the European Union are currently on waiting lists for transplants.  Last year around 2,000 people in the UK benefited from an organ transplant, but more than 1,000 people die every year waiting for a suitable donated organ.  Despite robust legislation in many parts of the world, the international black market in organs is now well established, coaxing desperate people to far-flung countries in search of a kidney or other organ.  However organ trafficking should not be seen as a distant crime.  Several poorer European nations have also become embroiled in the transplant trade.  According to MEPs European Governments and institutions must do more to prevent the shameful trafficking in human organs.  The European Parliament also came out strongly in favour of the view that the organ donation system should remain strictly non-commercial.  MEPs were also in favour of the introduction of a transplant hotline, which would be able to provide relevant and accurate information quickly.

Climate change kills!

The European Parliament has voted for a Resolution highlighting the impact of Climate Change on Public Health.  MEPs acknowledged that the threats posed by Climate Change to human health need to be placed at the centre of EU policy.  Research by the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that already 60,000 deaths per year can be attributed to climate related natural disasters.  Labour MEPs are particularly concerned about the spread of tropical diseases and are calling for health facilities to be targeted at those vulnerable areas of society likely to need greater and swifter adaptation to climate change.

Environmental damage should be a criminal offence

If the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee gets its way seriously damaging the environment could be made a criminal offence in all E U Member States. The Committee agreed that in principle governments should apply criminal measures to punish any illegal behaviour likely to seriously injure people or damage air, soil, waters, plants and animals when committed intentionally or with serious negligence.  Amongst the offences considered a crime would be the emission of radiation or waste into air, soil or water.  Also included would be the possession, killing or trading of protected animal and plant species and the deterioration of a habitat or protected site.  In many Member States damage to the environment is currently dealt with by civil sanctions e.g. a fine only.

World Trade Organisation (WTO) needs democratic reform  

If world trade is to play a positive role in promoting development and democracy then the World Trade Organisation (WTO) itself should be modernised and reformed – this was the clear message of a debate on the future of the WTO held in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.  According to MEPs, one of the key reforms should be to bring parliamentary democracy to the WTO, giving it a parliamentary assembly that meets regularly and monitors the work of its negotiating table.  It is also necessary to update WTO rules to ensure that environmental sustainability and climate change are taken into greater account in WTO negotiations and that social and labour clauses are included in WTO negotiations.  The WTO would also greatly benefit from working in close harmony with other international organisations like the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the World Bank and various UN food and development agencies.  As the European Union is itself collectively a member of the WTO, with the European Commission acting on behalf of the member states, the EU should be in a strong position to promote such democratic reform.

European Socialists open consultations for Euro Elections in 2009 

The Party of European Socialists (PES) has opened consultations on its manifesto for the next European Parliamentary Elections, due to take place in June 2007.  The Socialist Group in the European Parliament is currently the second largest party, after the European Peoples’ Party (EPP), which represents the Conservatives.  The European Socialists, with trade union support, are keen to secure a majority of seats in the 2009-14 European Parliament.  The PES wants a “common progressive manifesto shaped through open discussion and debate” hence the consultation, which Labour Party members, can take part in on line by going to http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en.  The UK TUC has already held a conference, Mapping a future for Social Europe to raise awareness of the consultation and give UK trades unions the opportunity to contribute to the manifesto.  Amongst the issues highlighted were: assuring quality public services for all; insuring that the Charter for Fundamental Rights fully applies to the UK; a co-ordinated EU policy to deal with financial crises; and a social action programme including the Temporary Agency Workers Directive, a revised European Works Council Directive, improvements in the areas of health and safety, pensions, migration and equalities policies.

Strasbourg Roundup 

If you find this European Report useful you might also like to read my monthly Strasbourg Roundup, which you can access by visiting my web page on www.martinmep.com, also for Labour Party members accessible via their Members Net.

PREVIOUS EUROPEAN REPORTS