Welcome to my last Strasbourg Roundup of 2007. These very brief updates are to let you know what happens at the plenary meetings of the European Parliament.

This month's Strasbourg session was a busy one, dealing with several important issues. MEPs debated and / or voted on the following:

• Trade and Economic Relations with Korea - One of the most important events last week in Strasbourg for me was the adoption of a report I drafted for the International Trade Committee on Trade and Economic Relations with Korea. The EU hopes to sign a bilateral trade deal with South Korea next summer which will make it easier for Europe to trade with Korea and vice versa. It is important that this agreement covers goods and services as many foreign owned companies currently face great difficulty in operating in South Korea. The Royal Bank of Scotland, for example, plans to invest in South Korea. I know that foreign investment is much needed in South Korea to help grow their economy and I hope that the agreement can knock down all trade barriers for goods and services.
• EU Air Quality Directive - Parliament passed a new Directive which aims to reduce pollution to minimize its harmful effects on human health. The air we breathe is filled with Particulate Matter (PM) such as soot, smoke and dirt. The European Commission estimated in 2000 that exposure to PM reduces our life expectancy by 9 months. The new Air Quality Directive will ban the most dangerous PMs and set concentration limits for the less dangerous PMs . I believe that this is a positive step to improving our air quality and reducing the risk to our health.
• Charter of Fundamental Rights - This Charter, which sets out a range of civil, political, economic and social rights for people living in Europe, was signed last week amidst protests from UKIP and Tory MEPs. This Charter guarantees the right to join a trade union, the right to strike, the right to start a family and to have personal data protected. It was unacceptable that the ceremony was interrupted by chants from right wing, anti European MEPs holding banners calling for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
• Lisbon Treaty - Parliament debated the new Treaty, prior to its signing by the 27 European leaders in Lisbon on 13 December. The Lisbon Treaty will allow Europe to be more effective in a number of ways. In our external affairs, the Lisbon Treaty will give us more clout on the world stage through creating a new position to combine the roles of the external affairs Commissioner, Benita Ferrero- Waldner with the role of Javier Solana, High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The Lisbon Treaty will extend the rotating presidency of the European Council from six months to two and a half years. I believe this step will reduce bureaucracy and help us focus on the issues that matter for European citizens.
• European Wine Reform - the Parliament adopted a report on the Commission's plans to reform the European wine sector. There are some problems with overproduction of wine in Europe and the Commission aims to tackle this through preventing the planting of new grape vines. In the UK, we have a blossoming small scale wine industry which my colleagues and I believe must be nourished to grow and compete with other EU Member States. We have therefore secured an opt out from this proposal in order that UK manufacturers can plan new vines in response to market demand.

Other matters that came up in Parliamentary business this week included:

• The Sakharov prize 2007 for Freedom of Thought was awarded to Sudanese human rights lawyer, Salih Mahmoud Osman, who called for the world to intervene in Darfur
• The Parliament called on the Commission and the Council to take concrete action to help to reduce the ecological impact of the Black Sea disaster.
• Question to the Commission on the future of the textile sector after 2007. We are concerned at the high tariff and non tariff barriers in many third countries such as China. We have asked the Commission to secure better market access conditions in such countries when negotiating trade deals as this is vital for the future of the European textile industry.

During Question Time with the Commission, I had the opportunity to ask the Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas what action the Commission had taken to reduce sulphur emissions in shipping. I am pleased that the Commission has taken some steps to limit the sulphur content of fuel to 40% less than that of fuel used for international shipping. I recognise that more still needs to be done.

The next Strasbourg Roundup will be published shortly after the next plenary session which takes place 14-17 January 2008.

David Martin MEP