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Strasbourg Round-up June 2010

Strasbourg Roundup June 2010

Welcome to my Strasbourg Roundup. This is a very brief update to let you know what happens at the plenary sessions of the European Parliament. This month saw some key votes on food labelling and the Millennium Development Goals as well as Parliament's reaction to the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla and Korean relations after the sinking of the Chenoan.

 

Food Information

After months of intense lobbying from the food and drink industry, Parliament voted on draft EU legislation on food labelling. I was pleased that the Parliament backed provisions for clearer labelling, calling for food packs to be labelled with energy, salt, sugar and fat on the front of the packet per 100g and per portion. I was also glad that MEPs supported labelling more products with their country of origin. Currently, foods such as beef, honey, olive oil and fresh fruit and vegetables must be labelled, and the provisions adopted on Tuesday would extend this to all meat, poultry, dairy products and more. However, it was very disappointing that the traffic light scheme was not supported. I was backing the requirement to label all processed food with traffic light indicators for sugar, salt, fat and saturates as I believe this is the only way we can really know what is in processed food. It is expected that the draft legislation will return to Parliament for a second reading, and I will continue to support proposals for the traffic light system.

 

Millennium Development Goals

On Tuesday we voted on a resolution calling for a greater EU commitment to the Millennium development goals and in particular more funding for basic health and education. In September a United Nations meeting will examine global progress, and currently the EU is not on track to meet its interim target of 0.56% of gross national income being allocated for development. The Parliament has called for an ambitious and united position for the EU in the upcoming meeting, in the hopes of reinvigorating the campaign and reaching the goals by the deadline of 2015. In particular, progress in maternal health and combating infant mortality has been slow, and MEPs have backed calls for at least 20% of development spending to be targeted at basic health education, as well as a much-needed focus on voluntary family planning, safe abortion and the treatment of sexually transmitted infections. 13% of maternal deaths in developing countries are due to unsafe abortions, and the figure is much higher in Africa. I was disappointed that many British Conservatives did not support the resolution on the Millennium Development Goals, but was pleased nonetheless that Parliament has sent a clear message on the importance of reinvigorating the campaign to tackle global poverty ahead of the UN meeting.

 

Translation rights in criminal trials

In a vote on Wednesday, Parliament passed draft proposals to guarantee any EU citizen facing criminal charges in another Member State the right to translation and interpretation into their own language. Interpreters must be available for individuals during police questioning, court hearings and any communications with a lawyer. Similarly, all essential documents relating to the charges will be translated. These new minimum EU-wide standards will also establish provisions on the quality of interpretation and translation and give suspects the right to complain over the quality. This is a huge step forward for the rights of suspects abroad.

 

Parliament response to the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla

Parliament has once again called for the opening of all crossing points into and out of Gaza, an immediate end to the blockade and an independent inquiry into the recent flotilla raid. I personally advocate beginning an immediate and thorough investigation into Israel's current trade preferences with the EU and the suspension of the Association Agreement given grave human rights abuses. More information on the Gaza flotilla raid and my response can be found at http://www.martinmep.com/israeli-attack-on-gaza-bound-aid-flotilla.

 

Inter-Korean relations following the Chenoan sinking

Ten days ago I returned from a parliamentary delegation to South Korea, which I had attended as a member of the Delegation for Relations with the Korean Peninsula. There is grave concern over the future of Korean relations following the sinking of the Chenoan ship, and the recent findings that North Korea was responsible. Following our return Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the matter to be referred to the UN Security Council. It is vital, however, that given the grave humanitarian situation in North Korea, that humanitarian aid continues to be delivered to the region.