16th – 20th September 2013. Hearing on boardroom quotas. Hearing on enterprise, businesses and start-ups. Sakharov Prize Monday. Organised Crime vote. Sales law. Medical and in-vitro medical devices.

Hearing on Boardroom quotas

ECR Women’s spokesman Marina Yannakoudakis will host a hearing on the case against quotas for women on boards.

Speakers include FT Columnist Heather McGregor and Helena Morrissey CBE, Founder of the 30 Percent Club aimed at voluntarily increasing the number of women on boards.

Contact: John Furbisher on +32 498 984760

Hearing: Wednesday 12.30 – 14.00 in European Parliament room A5E2

Hearing on enterprise, businesses and start-ups

The Parliament’s employment committee will hold a hearing asking, ‘How can the EU contribute to creating a hospitable environment for enterprises, businesses and start-ups to create jobs?’

ECR MEP Anthea McIntyre is writing a report on the subject for the committee and she will open and close the hearing. Speakers will include UK Work Minister Mark Hoban and representatives from Unions and small business organisations.

Contact: John Furbisher on +32 498 984760

Hearing: Wednesday 11.00 – 12.30 in the European Parliament room 2Q2

Sakharov Prize Monday

The Foreign Affairs, Development and Human Rights committees will meet in joint session to discuss the nominations for this year’s Sakharov Prize.

The ECR has nominated Malala Yousafzai, a teenager who was shot in the head and neck by the Taliban in Pakistan. http://ecrgroup.eu/?p=9008

The Conference of Presidents – comprising Group Leaders – will determine the final winner but as several other groups have nominated Malala, she has a strong chance of being awarded the prestigious prize.

Contact: James Holtum on +32 473 861762

Meeting: Monday afternoon

Organised Crime vote

The temporary committee set up to look at ways of improving the fight against organized crime, corruption and money laundering will vote on its final recommendations.

ECR spokesman James Nicholson and shadow rapporteur Timothy Kirkhope are supportive of the overall aims of the report but want to see the EU making better and more targeted use of existing tools, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel or create new EU bodies such as a European Public Prosecutor.

Contact: John Furbisher on +32 498 984760

Vote: Tuesday afternoon

Sales law

MEPs in the Legal Affairs committee will vote on proposals for a single sales law regime in the EU. The new regime would allow people or businesses to choose a wholly separate EU legal regime to apply to cross-border contracts. ECR Shadow Rapporteur Sajjad Karim believes the proposals are misguided and will add to business uncertainty and compliance costs, whilst offering consumers an often lighter regime than the national one.

Contact: John Furbisher on +32 498 984760

Vote: Tuesday @ 10.00

Medical and in-vitro medical devices

The Environment and Public Health committee will vote on legislation to strengthen certification and authorisation for certain medical devices in the wake of the PIP breast implant scandal. The committee will also vote on new rules for authorising new in-vitro medical devices (such as self-tests for blood sugar levels).

ECR shadow rapporteur on in-vitro devices Milan Cabrnoch supports this legislation and has improved it, especially in the area of genetic testing and distance selling of the products. Marina Yannakoudakis is the ECR shadow rapporteur on medical devices and whilst she supports efforts to strengthen EU legislation – through a system of notified bodies designed to supervise manufacturers – she does not see the value in a centralised authorisation system at EU level.

Contact: James Holtum on +32 473 861762

Vote: Wednesday morning