Environment and human rights

Penultimate session for the European Parliament before the elections of 4-7 June: the EP met at Strasbourg from 21 to 24 April to debate various foreign policy issues and legislative proposals. MEPs focused on the conclusions of the G20 summit in London after having held a debate with the representatives of the European Council and Commission on the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and on the rights of the disabled.Ecodesign and energy saving. The Parliament was called to adopt a directive aimed at extending to all products connected with energy saving the existing EU legislation on the ecocompatible design of energy-consuming products: so-called “ecodesign”. In practice, not only television sets and computers, but also windows, insulation materials and taps will have to respect minimum standards to be able to be marketed in the EU. The objectives of the provision, presented by Romanian MEP Magor-Imre Csibi, include the increase “of energy efficiency and of the level of environmental protection”. “In practice, the current directive applicable to energy-consuming products – such as water heaters, computers and TV sets – is being extended to any product having an impact on energy consumption”. The position of WWF Europe. “Ecodesign” was also supported by WWF Europe which held an exhibition in Strasbourg to coincide with the debate, dedicated to buildings designed and built in such a way as to reduce energy consumption and reduce waste. WWF Director, the Englishman Tony Long, commented favourably on the directive, aimed, he said, at the “defence of the environment and at the same time able to promote the research and development of new green technologies, and the creation of new jobs”. The German architect Thomas Rau, famous at the international level in the design of green, low-energy buildings, explained: “In future we will be able to produce and reuse in our homes all the energy we need”; prototypes of such buildings already exist; now it’s no longer a technological problem and not even a financial problem, because these buildings will enable us to save money. If anything it’s a problem of the demonstration of the political will” to protect the environment and human health. Roaming, tariff reductions. With an overwhelming majority (646 votes in favour, 22 votes against and 9 abstentions) the Parliament then adopted a regulation aimed at ensuring that the users of public networks of mobile communication who travel within the 27 member states “don’t have to pay excessive prices in comparison with competitive tariffs at the national level for mobile telephone services of inter-Community roaming when they make or receive calls, send or receive sms and use the internet”. The rapporteur, Romanian MEP Adina Valean, explained that the tariffs “would be progressively reduced from July 2009 to 2011”. By this latter date a tariff of 0.35 euro per minute, excluding VAT, as the maximum cost of an outgoing call (in comparison with the 0.46 at the present time) and 0.11 euro for incoming calls is fixed. The maximum tariff for the sending of sms (text messages), on the other hand, will be 0.11 euro already from 1st July this year.Violence against women, zero tolerance. The European Parliament asks the Commission to declare, within the next five years, a “European Year of Zero Tolerance for Violence against Women”. The position of the EP in Strasbourg was expressed by a written declaration presented by Swedish MEP Eva-Britt Svensson which received majority support from MEPs. The document points out that “violence against women is a universal problem that has reached pandemic proportions”, and refers to other resolutions adopted by the EP in the past. It invites member states to strive to put an end to violence against women, given the millions of cases reported by the judicial authorities and the forces of law and order, not to mention those that remain unreported and concealed “between the walls of the home”.Common approach to immigration. Maltese MEP Simon Busuttil was assigned the task of drafting a report on common policies towards immigration. It too was approved by a large majority of MEPs. “The influx of migrants into Europe will continue to exist so long as there are considerable differences in the prosperity and quality of life between Europe and other regions of the world”, he observed. That’s why “a common approach to immigration in the EU has become essential” given that the action or inaction of one member state may have direct consequences on the others”. The report recommends that “clandestine immigration be effectively curbed” by an integrated management of frontiers, the reinforcement of the powers of the Frontex agency and cooperation with third countries.