Round-up of Strasbourg session 12-15 January

Published: 20 January 2009 y., Tuesday

Strasbūras
Last week's first Parliamentary session of the year opened with Members dealing with key international issues such as the crisis in Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute. The week also saw MEPs vote to ban certain pesticides to protect safety.

With the death toll rising in Gaza last week Parliament's President Hans-Gert Pöttering led calls for an “immediate end of violence on both sides”, with fellow MEPs echoing these sentiments all week.
 
The start of the year also saw many homes in eastern and central Europe without gas as Russia and the Ukraine became locked in a fierce dispute over gas supplies. Throughout the week MEPs voiced condemnation of the whole debacle, with a resolution having now being passed.
 
A decade of the euro was also marked with MEPs being joined by the President of the European Central Bank Jean Claude Trichet and Europe's Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquín Almunia to debate the impact of the currency.
 
The first session of the year also saw the Czech Republic's PM Mirek Topolánek come before the House to set the priorities of his country's 6-month presidency of the EU.
 
In other debates the House passed the resolution to ban harmful pesticides in a bid to increase safety. Also discussed was the introduction of biometric passports, humane animal transport across Europe and the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet.
 

Šaltinis: europarl.europa.eu
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

Summit wraps up on rebuilding Haiti

World Summit for the Future of Haiti wraps up in Dominican Republic with President Leonel Fernandez calling on countries to firm up previous pledges for reconstruction. more »

Mini-tornado hits Australian town

A mini-tornado tears through a town on Australia's east coast, leaving a trail of destruction. more »

European members of parliament and US congressmen support the intensification of mutual dialogue

This Sunday, at the end of the LXVIII EU-US Interparliamentary Meeting, the delegations of European MPs and US congressmen approved a joint declaration in which they support the intensification of mutual dialogue. more »

Green Week: Fighting biodiversity loss will fail unless local and regional level is more widely implicated

This year's Green Week is focusing on halting biodiversity loss, but the Committee of the Regions has warned that European and international efforts will continue to fail unless more is done to involve local and regional authorities in both the creation and implementation of policy. more »

Bosnia and Herzegovina: MEPs dissatisfied over limited progress

MEPs are dissatisfied over the limited progress made by Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), a potential candidate for EU membership. more »

Humanitarian convoy: MEPs condemn Israeli commando operation

Israel's Tzahal commando operation against a humanitarian convoy was almost unanimously condemned by the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, in a debate in Brussels with the Israeli Ambassador and a Council representative. more »

EU and Russia launch new partnership for modernization

The 25th EU - Russia Summit took place in Rostov-on-Don on 31 May and 1 June. more »

“End the siege on Gaza now” say MEPs visiting the territory

“The worsening humanitarian situation calls for an immediate, comprehensive and lasting end to the Israeli blockade on Gaza”. more »

MEPs see Nepal face stability and climate challenges

The Himalayan country of Nepal has endured years of violence and instability as Maoist rebels battled against the government. more »

EP delegation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories

MEPs visiting Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories welcomed the launch of proximity talks, and stressed that negotiations should lead to a solution based on two viable and autonomous states. more »