Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats
Strasbourg : Plenary session from 10 December 2012 to 13 December 2012
EU-Columbia/Peru trade agreement
Monday 10 December 2012
For the past three years, the S&D group has been at the forefront of attempts to strengthen the human/labour/environmental dimensions of the EU-Colombia /Peru FTA. This position has gained the support of all political groups.
On 19 January 2009, the European Council authorised the European Commission to negotiate a multiparty trade agreement on behalf of the European Union and its member states, with the member countries of the Andean Community. The parties involved shared the aim of reaching an ambitious, comprehensive and balanced trade agreement.
The agreement was signed in Brussels on June 2012 and requires the ratification of national parliaments and the consent of the European Parliament. It provides for progressive and reciprocal liberalisation by means of an ambitious, comprehensive and balanced Free Trade Area. This is vital in order to strengthen trade between the two regions, attracting investment to the Andean countries and helping local businesses develop the strength in their regional market to compete internationally.
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Transitional arrangements for bilateral investment agreements between member states and third countries
Monday 10 December 2012
Since the Lisbon Treaty, foreign direct investment has become an exclusive competence of the EU and an integral part of the EU's external trade policy. In light of this new context, we are adopting a draft regulation which aims to address the transition period linked with the transfer of competence to the European level.
Trilogue negotiations for this regulation have been held since July 2011 and an agreement was reached with the European Council in October 2012 in early second reading. We are now adopting the Council's position and finalizing the deal.
This agreement is a positive development from the S&D Group’s perspective, because on the one hand it guarantees the legal certainty of member states’ bilateral investment treaties and on the other hand it gives the Commission the appropriate tools to develop an EU wide investment treaty.
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Protection of animals during transportation
Monday 10 December 2012
S&Ds will this week vote to limit the transport of animals destined for slaughter to eight hours. This is positive news for the over 1 million EU citizens who have signed the '8hours' petition and also for the majority of MEPs who signed the Written Declaration 49/2011 on this issue.
The most important steps towards an improvement of the welfare of animals in transit can be summarised as follows: - a reduction both in the number of animals transported and the transportation time (the number of animals transported in the EU has surged in recent years, with the figures for pigs up 70% and with 1/3 of these journeys taking 8 hours or more)
- the proper enforcement of existing EU legislation in all EU member states
- an increase in the number of spot inspections which will focus on animal welfare and the transportation of animals
- the introduction of more effective and dissuasive penalties against rule-breakers
- the support of local slaughterhouses and local food supply chains to avoid unnecessarily long-distance transportation of animals.
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Creation of unitary patent protection
Tuesday 11 December 2012
The debate on the creation of a unitary patent is as old as the internal market itself. Now, 50 years later, in times of economic and social crisis, the S&D Group confirms its commitment to support Europe's innovative resources. The biggest opportunity to strengthen innovation in Europe with respect to intellectual property rights is the creation of an EU patent. The creation of a unitary patent would put an end to decade-long unfruitful negotiations. The unitary patent which should be granted in the 25 member states is based on a single application. This process will reduce costs by 70% for applicants, roughly down from 32,000 Euro which is now the cost for patent protection valid in 25 member states. Patent proprietors should pay one common annual renewal fee for European patents with unitary effect.
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Ground handling services at European Union airports. (Codecision, first reading)
Tuesday 11 December 2012
At the heart of the European Commission's proposal was the aim to raise the minimum level of ground handler providers from 2 to 3 for airports with a minimum of 5 million passengers per year.
Many speakers from the S&D Group intervening during the consideration of amendments in committee called for a rejection of the Commission's proposal. The main criticism was the social impact of the liberalisation of ground handling services on workers. Doubts were also raised about the impact of the proposal on the quality of service; the feasibility of including more service providers at the biggest airports; and on security issues.
The S&D Group expressed its firm opposition to any further liberalisation of the market as long as social safeguards are still missing. Any further liberalisation of the ground handling market at the expense of workers, in the form of lower wages and more job insecurity, is not the solution to making European airports and airlines more competitive. The ground handling costs per ticket amount to roughly €2.
This heated debate was reflected in the outcome of the final vote, when the Committee decided, with a progressive-led majority of 22 votes to 20, to reject the Commission's proposal.
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Annual report on global human rights and democracy in 2011 and European Union policy
Wednesday 12 December 2012
The S&D Group’s shadow rapporteur focused on five main points in this report:
- the need for the EU to strengthen its human rights policy and to speak with one voice
- the promotion of core labour standards through Free Trade Agreements
- stricter controls of exports, transfer, brokering and transit of dual-use items
- the request that member states put an end to discrimination and intolerance on all grounds, including gender, race, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief
- prioritising the protection of the rights of women and children in European politics.
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Review of the EU's human rights strategy
Wednesday 12 December 2012
The report welcomes the Strategic Framework and Action Plan (which aims at improving the effectiveness and consistency of the EU's human rights policy) and stresses the role of the European Parliament in the implementation of this reshaped policy framework.
Amendments brought forward by S&D, particularly by our shadow rapporteur, mainly focused on the following four areas:
- Lessons learned from the Arab Spring: the EU must engage with a broad range of stakeholders (in addition to official authorities), including civil society organisations, trade unions, political parties and other relevant actors.
- There is a need for better coordination and cooperation between the European Union and member states in order to ensure clear priorities and joint objectives regarding human rights. Only if the EU speaks with one voice will it be able to implement a strong human rights policy. The appointment of an EU special representative for human rights is a step in the right direction.
- In order to be a credible actor in the field of human rights, the EU must be coherent in its external and internal policies and apply the same standards both within and outside its territorial borders.
- Clear indicators and specific benchmarks must be developed within the strategic framework, which serve as a basis for monitoring and measuring the progress of human rights in third countries.
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New EU-Russia agreement
Wednesday 12 December 2012
The report takes stock of the negotiations with Russia over a new agreement which is intended to replace the one currently in force dating from 1997.
Rapporteur Swoboda stressed the EU’s willingness to enjoy a strategic relationship with Russia, but signalled that this is only possible if Russia moves closer to the EU values of democracy, human rights and rule of law.
At the same time, the report takes the pragmatic view that cooperation with Russia is necessary on a number of pressing global issues, such as the situation in the UN Security Council regarding Syria; Iran's nuclear programme; and global counter-proliferation and anti-terrorism efforts, among others. It takes a very critical view of Russia's troubling internal developments, made manifest by laws and judicial practices that increasingly stifle free speech and legitimate political activity. Despite negative developments in these areas in present day Russia, dialogue and engagement, not a revival of Cold War-style rhetoric, remain the best options in terms of relations with the country.
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SWOBODA Johannes (Hannes)+ 33 3 88 17 57 16
+ 33 3 88 17 97 16
+ 32 2 284 57 16
+ 32 2 284 97 16
hannes.swoboda@europarl.europa.eu
Situation in Ukraine
Wednesday 12 December 2012
The resolution appeals to the Ukrainian authorities to find, together with the European Parliament's envoys Aleksander Kwasniewski and Pat Cox, a reasonable solution to the Tymoshenko case. It also welcomes the decision of the Verkhovna Rada to create a parliamentary enquiry committee to investigate the problems which occurred during these elections and the violations of electoral law.
The resolution also urges the President, the government and the parliament of Ukraine to continue, intensify and strengthen the process of modernisation and reforms to bring the country closer to the standards of the countries of the European Union. It also notes that many of these reforms can best be realised through close cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union via the framework of the Association Agreement.
The resolution also strongly appeals to High Representative Vice President Catherine Ashton and Commissioner Stefan Füle to increase the EU´s engagement with Ukraine towards political association and economic integration. Moreover, the resolution stresses the need for the European Union to remain committed to using the full potential of EU-Ukrainian relations for the benefit of the citizens of Ukraine and the EU.
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Enhanced cooperation on the financial transactions tax
Wednesday 12 December 2012
Over a year ago the European Commission adopted a proposal on the FTT, after a long political battle fought by the S&D Group. It was immediately obvious that some member states did not want to accept the proposed Directive while others indicated their willingness to establish an FTT within the framework of enhanced cooperation.
This Recommendation is therefore drafted to give consent and authorise enhanced cooperation among participating members states. It is primarily a procedural issue at this point in time.
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Multiannual Framework for the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights
Thursday 13 December 2012
The current Multiannual Framework (2007-2012) expires at the end of 2012. It is therefore necessary to establish the Multiannual Framework (MAF) of the Agency for the period 2013-2017, as required by Article 5 of the regulation.
Following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, police cooperation and judicial cooperation in criminal matters have become part of the law of the Union and are therefore covered by the scope of the tasks of the Agency. However, there was no agreement in the European Council as regards the inclusion of the proposed new thematic areas of police cooperation and judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the new Multiannual Framework.
In addition, there are indications that the Council would only be able to take a formal decision on the MAF in April. This is because the UK parliament will be applying the usual pace of parliamentary scrutiny for the proposal on the MAF, so will probably not give their approval until that point.
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