We must act soon

The European Parliament tries to raise its voice, and, while appreciating the results of the last European Council it emphasizes the need to get down to facts and not to lose another six precious months. So, with a resolution sponsored by the four major political groups (People’s Party, Socialists and Democrats, Liberals and Greens), it sends a strong signal to the Commission to present by September a package of legislative proposals.Proposals by September. The message addressed to the Executive was drawn up after a lively debate between MEPs, Commission President Barroso and European Council President Van Rompuy during the plenary session in Strasbourg (2-5 July). The resolution adopted with 501 votes in favor, welcomes “specific measures taken by the European Council to tackle the crisis in the Eurozone and the acknowledgement by the Council of the need to give an answer that addresses both fiscal consolidation and growth". But nevertheless “at legislative level much remains to be done to give a comprehensive, exhaustive, structural response to the ongoing crisis". Since the Heads of State and Government have decided that the second half of 2012 will be devoted to put into force the decisions taken at the summit – economic and fiscal union, banking union, anti-spread shield, growth pact – Parliament steps on the gas. "We need urgent legislative proposals, for urgent action", says Guy Verhofstadt, Belgian, ALDE leader. "Markets don’t wait and there are too many countries that risk speculation. And even growth cannot wait. The ball is now in the court field of the Commission, which must act now. Otherwise, the standstill might lead to a no-confidence vote". Equally resolute statements emerge from the EPP group. EPP leader Joseph Daul, French, and Dutch MEP Corien Wortmann-Kool, are among the first signatories of the resolution. German Green Rebecca Harms said: “We have to pick up the pieces left after the summit. We must act quickly to defend the integrity of the Eurozone and prepare for economic recovery". Austrian Socialist and Democrats member Hannes Swoboda focused on the prerogatives of the EU Parliament: “For the decisions that lie ahead, namely, to build a true economic, monetary, fiscal and political union, the Parliament must be fully involved, representing the European citizens” .Peace for the Holy Land. The plenary session then addressed several other political and legislative issues. The Assembly voted against the anti-counterfeiting treaty (ACTA, Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement), which aims to strengthen the enforcement of intellectual property rights, while according to the vast majority of MEPs it would occur at the expense of civil liberties and free expression on the Internet. "We must find new ways to protect intellectual property”, said rapporteur David Martin (GB). MEPs then addressed the 2013 and the multiannual budget along with various foreign policy issues. To this regard the European Parliament renewed, with a non-legislative resolution on the Holy Land, its "strong support to a two-State solution, based on 1967 borders, which includes Jerusalem as the capital of both, the State of Israel, within safe and recognized borders, and an independent Palestinian state, democratic, territorially contiguous and viable, living side by side in peace and security". Parliament underlined that “the conclusion of the conflict is a fundamental interest of the Union, as well as of both parties and of the region as a whole, that can be achieved through a comprehensive peace agreement, based on the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council”, on the ‘Road map for peace’ of the Quartet (UN, U.S., EU, Russia) and on the "Arab peace initiative".Stop to Strasbourg? The majority of MEPs asked for a single seat for the European Parliament with an amendment to a broader report on the 2013 EU budget, approved with 432 yes-votes, 218 noes and 29 abstentions. “In the context of austerity policies under way” Parliament “must act responsibly and take immediate concrete steps to establish a single seat". It’s a recurring issue, and claims have been raised in support of the suppression of the official seat in Strasbourg, used for one week per month, compared to the “operative seat” in Brussels. According to ‘reliable’ sources, the costs of the two seats, established for historical and symbolic reasons, determined by the Treaties, amount to approximately 200 million euros a year. But, under the treaties, each decision to this regard must be taken by the Council of the Heads of Government or State, and not by the European Parliament.