Welcome to my Strasbourg Roundup. This very brief update is to let you know what happens at the plenary meetings of the European Parliament, which usually happen in Strasbourg,
France.
This month's Strasbourg session was a busy one, dealing with several important issues. MEPs debated and / or voted on the following:
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Aviation emissions in the ETS - the Parliament endorsed the Commission's proposal that internal EU flights should have
their carbon emissions included in Europe's Emissions Trading Scheme from 2010. Labour supported amendments so that all flights arriving in the EU would be included but unfortunately other
parties did not support these.
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Soil protection framework - the Commission is proposing a directive to require the better maintenance of soil resources
across the EU. With my Labour colleagues, I accept the importance of this issue and in particular of dealing with contaminated sites, and the growing impact of climate change on Europe's soils.
I am not yet convinced, however, that a Directive and a detailed compliance regime is the right way to approach the problem. We voted as such on the proposal and associated
amendments.
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Commission Legislative & Work Programmes for 2008 - the Commission presented its programmes here. Their focus for
2008 and priorities for the year are "growth and jobs, sustainable Europe, an integrated approach to migration, putting the citizens first and Europe as a world partner." We will vote on this
in December.
Other matters that came up in Parliamentary business this week included:
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A formal presentation from French President Nicolas Sarkozy setting out his vision of the future of the European Union.
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A debate on the Commission paper on Europe's success in an age of globalisation.
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Questions for the Commission and the Council on negotiations leading up to the Bali conference on Climate Change which is happening next month. This conference will kick
off the negotiations for a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, and Europe's leadership role in ensuring progress happens is vital.
Outside the Parliamentary programme, I had the opportunity to meet with the Ambassador of Pakistan, to discuss the very concerning situation there. The recent declaration of a
state of emergency by the Government there and Bhenazir Bhutto's return to the country have left the situation delicately poised.
In Scotland you may have seen a joint letter I organised between MEPs from the Liberal Democrats, Labour and SNP calling on the European Commission to take a more sensible
approach to the ongoing negotiations of renewed trading arrangements with the poorer African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states. The Commission is trying to hold to a 31 December deadline, and is
pushing these states too hard to try and meet it. Trade justice, which the EU says it is committed to, does not involve forcing developing countries into agreements without the time to consider and
negotiate them properly.
Finally, the Socialist Group in the European Parliament launched a petition calling for EU member states to cut the rate on VAT on condoms, in order to help fight the HIV/AIDS
pandemic. You can find out more information and sign the petition for yourself here:
http://www.socialistgroup.eu/gpes/petition.do?lg=en
The next Strasbourg Roundup will be published on the Friday after the next plenary session, which is actually in Brussels at the end of the month.
David Martin MEP
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