Plenary Roundup January 2011
Strasbourg -- Thursday 20 January, 2011
The Plenary Session in Strasbourg took place from Monday 17 to Thursday 20 January 2011. There were many LIBE (Justice and Home Affairs) Committee dossiers discussed and some important decisions taken and there were interventions on a wide range of topical issues. Here is a summary of the main headlines, with Timothy's comments:
MEPs urge Lithuanian parliament to reject anti-gay law
The European Parliament called on the Lithuanian parliament on Wednesday (19 January 2011) to reject a draft law that would punish the "public promotion of homosexual relations". It added that minors should be able to access information about homosexuality freely and asked the European Commission to present a plan to combat homophobia. The Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas) has already voted, in June 2009, to amend the Law on the Protection of Minors against Detrimental Effects of Public Information, so as to ban minors from accessing information about homosexuality. But MEPs argue that "no credible research indicates that educating children and young people about sexuality may affect their sexual orientation (...) Education about sexual diversity encourages tolerance and acceptance of differences". This is a difficult issue, because on the one hand I don't agree with the law, but on the other I don't tend to encourage European Parliament interference in state affairs. Having said that, I voted in favour of the European Parliament resolution.
President Buzek is right on Tunisian political crisis
After the political upheaval in Tunisia the European Parliament the session opened on Monday with a statement by President Buzek. The situation in the country was a "cause for concern" and he went on to say: "Peaceful demonstrations in defence of legitimate grievances were turned into violent clashes: we deplore the fact that Tunisian authorities failed to understand that their first and foremost duty is to serve the good of their citizens." I would echo that.
Hungary takes over revolving Presidency of the EU
Hungary unveiled its work programme but this was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the draft media law in the country. Dealing with the economic crisis will dominate the agenda, as will many issues which I deal with in the LIBE Committee, such as: the plight of the Roma, Passenger Name Records and border issues. I was in the Chamber to hear Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban outline the plans, but an almighty row broke out. As the European Parliament press service diplomatically puts it: "The debate became quite heated at times with some MEPs taping over their mouths and holding placards as Mr Orbán came in for criticism over Hungary's controversial media law." Mr Orban did give assurances that he would amend the law if it was found to be incompatible with the EU legal framework.
Good news for patients' cross-border health care
On Wednesday MEPs approved a new law setting out patients' rights to seek medical care in another EU country. Of course I welcome the safeguards that prevent a 'free for all' that could have decimated the NHS and that ensure national rules on healthcare provision are respected, but on the whole I think this is a positive step. Cross-border healthcare can be a very useful tool in patient care, giving choice to the patient and taking pressure off the NHS in areas where a backlog exists. The legislation clarifies the rules for advance authorisation and reimbursement in cross border healthcare. Now we need to make sure people are properly informed about their rights and the procedures that will come into effect.
Communication on sport
Conservatives welcomed proposals by the European Commission to develop the European dimension in sport. Commissioner Vassiliou presented the long-awaited Communication on the future sport strategy, which included nine specific areas of interest, including anti-doping, the free movement of sportsmen and women, and the participation of women in sport. After the Lisbon Treaty gave the EU a say on Sport, the Commission were initially a little slow in reacting to that, but Commissioner Vassiliou has delivered on her promise to publish her White Paper in 2011. The ideas contained in the Communication are wide-ranging, comprehensive and on the whole, helpful. The Commissioner has shown that she was willing to listen to us in the Parliament, and I look forward to furthering talks with her.
And finally: Haiti
One year after the earthquake, Haiti is still in chaos: the rebuilding has barely begun in spite of the best efforts by NGOs. My colleague Nirj Deva MEP gave an impassioned speech which levelled much of the blame at the EU's door. In fact many MEPs supported a resolution that identifies the weak capacity of the Haitian state and the risk of a political crisis as the biggest obstacles on the road to recovery.
