9th – 12th September 2013. State of the Union. Banking Union. Online Gambling. Baltic fishing. Market abuse. Egypt. Syria. EU energy market. Eastern Partnership.

State of the Union

Commission President Barroso will present what is likely to be his last annual speech setting out the priorities for the European Commission in the year ahead. ECR Chairman Martin Callanan will argue that the outdated model of EU integration is the cause of many of today’s problems and a fundamental shift in thinking is needed at the next European elections.

Debate: Wednesday morning

Banking Union

MEPs will hold a discussion on the current state of play in efforts to create a eurozone banking union. The ECR believes that the agreement reached on the Single Supervisory Mechanism was seminal because it was able to ensure that non-euro nations are protected by a double voting system when setting the rules for banking in the single market. However, ECR economics spokesman Derk Jan Eppink will argue that the tough questions are still to be answered – namely who pays to recover failing banks in the eurozone.

Debate: Tuesday morning

Online Gambling

A report by ECR MEP Ashley Fox – to be voted on by the parliament – aims to revamp regulation surrounding the online gaming industry in Europe. Mr Fox’s report says that each Member State should determine how to organise gambling services but he calls for a number of measures to ensure such services comply with the principles of the EU Single Market, and offer a high level of protection for consumers. His report includes a call for the promotion of legal websites with a trustmark on the site to improve consumer confidence. He also wants more responsible advertising which limits advertising to minors and vulnerable people, and EU-wide interoperability between national self-exclusion registers so gamblers can exclude themselves from gambling across EU sites. He also wants to see cooperation to tackle match fixing, and strong measures to tackle money laundering.

Parts of the report have been made more protectionist by members of the EPP and the left but Mr Fox still believes they represent a good step forward for opening up gambling markets whilst increasing protection of consumers.

Vote: Tuesday @ 12.00

Baltic fishing

Although a technical report bringing fisheries conservation in the Baltic, the Belts and the Sound in line with the Lisbon Treaty, the report’s author, ECR fisheries spokesman Marek Grobarczyk expresses his dissatisfaction with issues such as the discards of fish or specifications of fishing gear. Therefore, his report also introduces a requirement for the commission to bring forward new proposals for technical measures once the major reform of the Common Fisheries Policy is formalised.

Vote: Tuesday @ 12.00

Market abuse

Proposals to introduce new rules on market abuse – particularly in wake of the LIBOR scandal – will be adopted by MEPs. The legislation due to be adopted will introduce fines of up to 15 percent of turnover or 15 million euros, whichever is larger. They will also make transmission of false or misleading information illegal to counter the situation revealed by the benchmark manipulation scandals. ECR shadow rapporteur Kay Swinburne supports the agreement reached.

Vote: Tuesday @ 12.00

Egypt

MEPs will debate the tumultuous summer in Egypt with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton. They will then adopt a resolution on the situation there. ECR Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Tannock will speak in the debate.

Debate: Wednesday afternoon

Syria

MEPs will also debate the situation in Syria with Baroness Ashton, before adopting a resolution. Charles Tannock believes that the best solution is a no fly zone over Syria imposed by western powers.

Debate: Wednesday afternoon

EU energy market

The parliament will debate the current situation in the internal market for gas and electricity after the commission warned that as many as 19 Member States are not on track to fulfil their 2014 commitments. ECR Shadow rapporteur Konrad Szymanski believes the creation of a single market for energy will be good for consumers and industry The report set to be adopted by MEPs contains many positive aspects but ECR MEPs are concerned about an element of the report calling for a ‘compulsory levy’ on energy consumption to fund energy networks. In addition we were also disappointed that the report does not adopt a more positive stance towards the significant contribution that shale gas could make to the European energy mix, in terms of both diversification and security of supply, and also the opportunities that it presents economically.

Vote: Tuesday @ 12.00

Eastern Partnership

MEPs will debate the pressure that has been placed by Russia on countries to the east of the EU not to sign up to EU agreements at the forthcoming Vilnius summit. ECR MEP Pawel Kowal chairs the parliament’s delegation for relations with Ukraine and Milan Cabrnoch chairs the delegation for relations with Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Debate: Wednesday afternoon