14-18 July European Parliament plenary session

Date: 24/07/1997

MEPs were the first to learn officially of the European Commission's plans for the future of the Union when the institution's President Jacques Santer formally presented his wide-ranging Agenda 2000 programme. The proposals to open enlargement negotiations with six would-be members early next year, to overhaul agricultural, regional and social policies and to keep the current ceiling on expenditure levels won broad approval from Euro MPs. But the failure to propose opening talks with all the applicants and to set a target date for the next accession was criticised by several, mainly French, members.

LUXEMBOURG Foreign Minister Jacques Poos, introducing his government's six-month EU presidency programme, told MEPs that the Union would have to take a final decision in December on its strategy for eastward expansion. He confirmed that during its turn at the EU helm, Luxembourg would take practical steps to introduce a single European currency and launch a coherent campaign against drugs and crime. Poos announced that a special summit would be held in the autumn to consider concrete ways of fighting unemployment, while Luxembourg would also try to improve procedures for consulting and informing employees. On the economic front, the next six months would see efforts to complete the internal market and to examine proposals for EU-wide direct and indirect tax regimes.

PLANS for Union legislation allowing the patenting of biotechnological inventions moved a step closer to fruition when MEPs overwhelmingly approved draft legislation by 388 votes to 110 with 15 abstentions. In a rare move, Internal Market Commissioner Mario Monti announced that he and his colleagues could accept all the amendments adopted by MEPs. These aim to strengthen the ethical provisions for excluding the patenting of human genes or parts of the human body. The patent systems are designed to promote research into technical processes to obtain elements similar to the make-up of the human body, which would have benefits for society. The text now returns to EU governments before its final approval by the Parliament.

THE Parliament called on External Relations Commissioner Manuel Marín to relaunch the Mediterranean programmes, which he suspended in October 1995. The decision to freeze the schemes was taken after the discovery of irregularities involving some of the companies which had been contracted to provide technical assistance to the Commission.

EURO MPs gave a warm welcome to the report presented by EU Ombudsman Jacob Söderman on his activities last year. In an attempt to strengthen his hand in putting right cases of maladministration brought to his attention, MEPs urged Söderman to inform them of any difficulties he encountered in carrying out his duties. They also suggested that a greater effort be made to inform the public of his role and existence, and called on Söderman and the Parliament's petitions committee to collaborate on methods of handling complaints more efficiently and speedily.

THE former leader of the Socialist Group Jean-Pierre Cot was elected one of the Parliament's 14 vice-presidents by acclamation. Cot replaces fellow French Socialist Nicole Pery, who stood down as an MEP to take her seat in the French national assembly.

A SMALL group of MEPs, accompanied by sundry parliamentary officials, constituents and local French enthusiasts celebrated the joys of motorcycling in Strasbourg and the nearby Vosges mountains. Organised by British Socialist MEP Roger Barton and the local branch of the Fédération Française des Motards en Colère, the annual event was instituted after a number of notable parliamentary successes in amending EU legislation opposed by the motorcycle industry.