6th - 10th May 2013 - Brussels

Eurogroup President Confiscation of criminal assets NATO Secretary General CAP in ‘new’ Member States Van emissions 4th Railway package

Eurogroup President

Confiscation of criminal assets
NATO Secretary General
CAP in ‘new’ Member States
Van emissions
4th Railway package

Eurogroup President

The President of the Eurogroup Jeroen Dijsselbloem will discuss the situation in Cyprus with the economics committee. ECR committee member Derk Jan Eppink will speak for the group.

Press officer to contact: Luc Rochtus on +32 479 73 45 67

Debate: Tuesday @ 14.00

Confiscation of criminal assets

The justice and home affairs committee will vote on proposals to improve the effectiveness of confiscation and freezing of criminal assets. Current EU and national laws for confiscating the proceeds of crime are currently uneven and ineffective as organised criminal gangs often reinvest assets in EU Member States different to where the crime was committed. UN estimates show that criminal proceeds in 2009 were 3.6 percent of global GDP. ECR shadow rapporteur Timothy Kirkhope MEP supports the proposals.

Press officer to contact: John Furbisher on +32 498 984760

Vote: Tuesday @ 15.00

NATO Secretary General

The Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen will talk about the future of European defence from a NATO perspective. ECR Security and Defence spokesman Geoffrey Van Orden MEP believes that a revitalised NATO should continue to act as the cornerstone of Europe’s defence, recognising the overriding value of the transatlantic security relationship.

Press officer to contact: John Furbisher on +32 498 984760

Debate: Monday @ 15.00

CAP in ‘new’ Member States

The agriculture committee has organised a hearing on the experiences of new EU Member States with the Common Agricultural Policy. ECR Polish Vice-President of the agriculture committee Janusz Wojciechowski is disappointed that the EU still does not have equality in direct payments to newer Member States who must compete in a single marketplace.

Press officer to contact: Katarzyna Ochman on +32 470 955928

Hearing: Monday @ 15.30

Van emissions

MEPs in the environment committee will vote on a review of legislation passed four years ago regulating CO2 emissions from light goods vehicles.

ECR shadow rapporteur Martin Callanan steered the original LGV proposals through the parliament, and he believes that his approach of incentivising manufacturers, rather than setting punitive targets, provides a workable regulatory framework for reducing emissions and advancing vehicle technologies and should be continued.

Press officer to contact: James Holtum on +32 473 861762

Vote: Tuesday @ 10.15

4th Railway package

Parliament’s transport committee will hold a hearing on the 4th Railway Package, which aims to improve the functioning and further liberalise the European railway market. ECR coordinator Roberts Zile MEP who is rapporteur on the European Railway Agency (ERA) Regulation, broadly welcomes the proposals but wants to see it address the issues created by different track gauges in the part of the EU (Baltic States and Finland), which acts as a barrier to an integrated EU-wide rail network. On the technical side of the Package, he considers that a number of aspects in regard to the new functions taken up by the ERA should be better clarified.

Press officer to contact: Roland Petersons on +32 498984707

Hearing: Tuesday @ 10.30

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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