In everyday life

At the present time the European Parliament is tackling various issues that impact directly on the life of citizens: the liberalization of postal services, the protection of public health, greater information to consumers about food products, more transparent air tariffs and the crackdown on counterfeit products from China. The plenary session of the EP, held in Strasbourg from 9 to 12 July, defined some strategies and voted on some legislative provisions. OLD THERMOMETERS BEING PHASED OUT. The provisions that have caused most stir in the European media include the report presented by the Spanish MEP MARÍA SORNOSA MARTÍNEZ . The EP then voted in favour of a directive that bans, “from 2009 on, the production of thermometers and other measuring instruments on sale to the general public”, such as pressure gauges, barometers, and sphygmomanometers, “that contain mercury”. Antique pieces over 50 years old, on the other hand, can continue to be sold and those already produced or in use can continue to circulate. The ban is “intended to prevent the mercury” present in these measuring instruments “entering into refuse dumps and polluting the environment”. A two-year exemption is granted for the use of traditional barometers, so as to “permit the few small specialist manufacturers”, especially in the UK, Belgium and Holland”, to “convert their production to barometers without mercury”. COMPETITION IN POSTAL SERVICES. The final phase of the liberalization of postal services, concerning the mailing of items weighing less than 50 grams, has successfully passed through the EP, though fiercely combated and in part obstructed by the trades-union organizations that asked for guarantees on job security for their members. The provision will come into force on 1st January 2011, two years after the date hoped for by the Commission. But various exemptions are provided, especially for the countries of Eastern Europe and for Greece, which has to provide a postal service in a geographical situation comprising many small islands. MEPs ask for reasonable prices “irrespective of the geographical situation”; compensation is also provided for citizens in the event of damaged or lost post. The report, approved by a large majority, was presented by the German MEP MARKUS FERBER and forms part of the process of opening up postal markets to competition begun in 1997. So the state monopoly will progressively make way for private firms in the postal sector: “From the further opening up of the market – said Ferber – consumers and small and medium businesses, both as mailing companies and as recipients of mail, will especially benefit, thanks to improved quality of service, wider choice, and price reductions passed on to users”. COMMON COMMITMENT TO THE SAFEGUARD OF HEALTH. At Strasbourg a compromise was also reached between Parliament and Council on the second EU Programme of Action in the field of health. The EP had initially asked for 1.5 billion euros for the period 2007/2013, but the funding was reduced to just over 300 million. This permitted the unblocking of the programme’s implementation; it will enter into force on 1st January 2008. ANTONIOS TRAKATELLIS , Greek MEP, explained however that the EU will try “each year to find supplementary funding”. EU action in this field includes among its objectives “the reduction of healthcare disparities and cross-border cooperation in terms of the treatment and mobility of patients”. The text also makes reference to “complementary and alternative medicine” and the “prevention, diagnosis and surveillance of major diseases”, including cancer. According to the principle of subsidiarity, the health system remains the responsibility of the member states but, as Trakatellis pointed out, “in some fields EU action is justified”. He cited such examples as epidemics, exposure to chemical products, and prevention of accidents on the workplace. “In these situations, European regulations permit the problems to be more effectively solved thanks to cooperation between the national authorities, the pooling of data and the promotion of healthy lifestyles”. “TRANSPARENT” AIRLINE TICKETS. The issues discussed in the EP also included a packet of measures regarding additives, aromas and enzymes present in food products. The report presented by the Swedish MEP ASA WESTLUND asked that, if these substances derive from OGMs, “a clear indication of the fact be given on the label”. The use of the said substance should “be permitted only if they pose no risk for health and do not deceive consumers about the ingredients present in a food product”. In another document the EP asked airline companies to make airline tariffs more transparent: the airline ticket should indicate “all the applicable taxes, obligatory duties, surtaxes and taxes” charged to the traveller.