20th -24th May 2013, Strasbourg

European Council Oil and Gas Safety Banking Union Czech protocol EU-US trade deal

European Council

MEPs will debate this week’s EU leaders meeting, which will focus on tax evasion, and energy issues. ECR Chairman Martin Callanan MEP will call for concrete action to be agreed on both pressing issues that currently impede economic growth.

Mr Callanan will be available in the Justus Lipsius building from Wednesday afternoon.

Press officer to contact: James Holtum on 0032 473 861762

Debate: Tuesday morning
Summit: Wednesday

Oil and Gas Safety

MEPs will vote on new safety rules for the offshore oil and gas industry. For the ECR Group, the key outcome of the negotiation was that the proposed legislation was changed from a regulation to a directive. A regulation would have forced all safety regimes, including those that are well established with strong safety procedures in place, to repeal vast swathes of their existing law and replace them with the new EU standards.

This would have had significant time and cost implications for safety officials and the industry. It could have led to a reduction in standards.

Shadow rapporteur Vicky Ford tabled more than 300 amendments in a detailed, line-by-line, revision of the proposals to render them more practicable and effective. She believes that as a result best practice will be shared across the union. Without the changes she considers that the best existing safety regimes would have suffered and consumers would have faced unnecessary extra cost.

Press officer to contact: John Furbisher on 0032 498 984760

Vote: Tuesday @ 12.00

Banking Union

MEPs will debate and signal their position on an agreement reached with national governments to create a single supervisor for cross-border Eurozone banks.

ECR lead negotiator on the proposal Kay Swinburne MEP is pleased that her main aims have been delivered: namely preventing the Eurozone nations from caucusing when it comes to rule-making over all EU banks, and ensuring a clear separation between the European Central Bank’s supervisory and monetary roles to ensure its independence.

Press officer to contact: James Holtum on 0032 473 861762

Debate: Tuesday @ 15.00

Czech protocol

After more than a year of difficult negotiations, the parliament is expected to have its final word on the extension of so called Protocol 30 to the Czech Republic. The Protocol seeks to clarify the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights that currently applies to Poland and to the United Kingdom.

ECR shadow rapporteur on this matter Ashley Fox and Czech MEP Andrea Češková have supported the Czech application and therefore cannot support the highly politicized accompanying resolution, which is neither recommending nor rejecting the extension of the Protocol. However, Andrea Češková is glad to see the matter proceeding to the Council where she expects it to be treated in a much more reasonable and less ideological way.

Press officer to contact: Jan Krelina on 0032 493 214346

Vote: Wednesday @ 12.00

EU-US trade deal

The parliament will adopt its initial view on a trade agreement between the EU and USA.

ECR trade spokesman Robert Sturdy is a vociferous backer of an agreement, but he says it must be used to overcome vested domestic interest to the benefit of all. He will host a hearing on the subject in Brussels on the 4th June.

Press officer to contact: John Furbisher on 0032 498 984760

Vote: Thursday @ 12.00

Contact

ECR spokesman: James Holtum on +32 473 861762
UK delegation: John Furbisher on +32 498 984760
Czech delegation: Jan Krelina on +32 493 214346
Polish delegation (PiS): Mateusz Kochanowski on +32 489 582781
Latvian delegation: Roland Petersons on +32 228 41545
Danish delegation: Peter Hansen on+32 489 84 47 96
Belgian delegation: Luc Rochtus on +32 479 73 45 67
Netherlands delegation: Maarten van de Fliert on +31 652 24 44 64

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