The EU policy area broadly known as 'justice and citizenship' covers a series of important areas such as European police and customs cooperation and asylum and immigration policy.
The EU policy area broadly known as 'justice and citizenship' covers a series of important areas such as European police and customs cooperation and asylum and immigration policy. With new plans for European cooperation being debated in these areas over the coming weeks and months, we look at them and some other issues such as music copyright, a new right of citizens' initiative and maternity leave.
Parliament's civil liberties, constitutional and legal matters, women's rights and citizens' petitions committees will be heavily involved in any proposed new EU legislation over the next months.
An asylum package to share applications?
A proposed new asylum package aims to share the burden between countries when handling asylum applications from people wanting to come to the European Union. It also seeks to increase the rights open to those who claim sanctuary. Also foreseen is the setting up of European Asylum Support Office to share expertise in the asylum sector.
The planned new measures return to the Civil Liberties Committee this autumn. Much negotiation with member states' governments in the Council lie ahead before any new measures become law under the co-decision procedure.
Stockholm: a path to police and asylum cooperation?
The coming months will also see the rolling out of the Stockholm programme.
The Swedish EU presidency's plans aims to establish ways for European states to cooperate through the police, the judiciary, customs, asylum, migration and visa policy. The new plans are needed as the previous agreement on cooperation is coming to an end and new plans are needed for 2010. It is expected that by November the House will have agreed a common policy ahead of a meeting of EU leaders in December.
Lisbon treaty: people could take the initiative
Lisbon Treaty: Members of the Constitutional Affairs Committee will continue to look at practical ways to implement the Lisbon treaty should it be approved. In particular they will look at how in practical terms a new right of 'citizens' initiative' would enable groups with one million signatures from different countries to call upon the Commission to put forward new policy proposals.
Copyright for music and industrial design
Intellectual property rights: The Parliament is likely to consider the use of criminal sanctions to enforce copyright at EU level as well as to protect industrial design, such as automobile spare parts. MEPs have also called for an extension of royalties from the current 50 year term to 70 for recorded music and new rules to protect audiovisual works. These proposals are still on the table.
Succession and wills: The Commission is expected to give its long-awaited private law proposal on wills on 14 October. It will look at ways to improve the legal cooperation between different countries as around 8 million Europeans live in a foreign country and legal complications can often occur.
Maternity leave - new rules may or may not come back...
New rules for maternity leave were moth-balled in May due to differences between the political groups in the Parliament. The Women's Rights Committee originally backed an EU-wide minimum maternity leave to 20 weeks and will continue to work on revisions to the proposals. Look out for this being a hot issue in the coming months.
Petitions & a new European Ombudsman
Petitions: In the petitions Committee Members will continue to deal with a huge amount of petitions from members of the public. In 2008 they received over 1800 petitions on things like environmental and infrastructure projects.
MEPs select new Ombudsman: MEPs on the Petitions Committee will also proceed to elect a new European Ombudsman. A hearing of the candidates is likely to take place in the Committee at the end of November with the candidate being chosen in early 2010. The holder of this key post investigates complaints by people about the application and implementation of EU law.