MEPs voted on some 70 legislative items during this week’s plenary session in Strasbourg (14-17 April), the last of the current parliamentary term. They rubber-stamped legislation agreed with the member states or set down the Parliament’s position ahead of negotiations in the next term.

To deal with the burden the Parliament’s administration added two extra voting sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. Yesterday’s session was also more substantive than would normally be the case on a Thursday.

Business

The most important piece of legislation adopted this week was a law creating a single European bank resolution authority and fund together with rules on winding up banks – the so-called banking union. MEPs endorsed a final compromise that was clinched during all-night talks at the European Council on 20 March.

On Wednesday, MEPs approved rules on the posting of workers from one European Union member state to another, giving governments greater powers to check that employers do not ignore national rules on pay, working hours and social security. 

MEPs adopted a first reading position on EU ‘made in’ labels on Tuesday. Consumer products sold in the European Union would have to carry labels indicating their country of origin or “Made in the EU”. Member states have yet to decide their own position, after which negotiations with MEPs would begin. The provision is part of a group of proposals that aim to streamline market surveillance and product safety rules.

Yesterday MEPs adopted their position on a proposal that would create European Long Term Investments Funds to increase funding for capital intensive projects such as infrastructure, energy or construction. The proposal is still being discussed by member states, who are expected to negotiate a final agreement with the next batch of MEPs following European Parliament elections in May. 

Security

On Wednesday MEPs approved with a sweeping majority amended rules on search and rescue at sea by the EU’s border-management agency, Frontex. The new rules, which had been agreed with the member states and are expected to take effect before the summer, are supposed to help prevent migrant deaths at sea. They define saving lives and protecting fundamental rights as priorities for Frontex sea operations.
 
The legislation sets out binding rules on Frontex search-and-rescue operations and where intercepted migrants should be made to disembark. It prohibits the push-back of vessels into non-EU waters.

Environment

A large number of environmental laws were voted on this week. On Tuesday MEPs rubber-stamped a deal reached last month on alternative fuel infrastructure. MEPS relented the member states’ demand that hard targets for new electric car charging stations be removed from the proposal. They also voted to approve a deal reached last month that will allow member states to have exemptions to a new EU list of banned invasive alien plant and animal species.

MEPs backed agreements on greening inland waterway funds, a new corporate social responsibility directive and implementation of the new Kyoto Protocol period. Yesterday they backed a deal with member states on new rules for shipping waste.

For issues on which member states have yet to reach an agreement, the Parliament voted to lock in a first reading position for the MEPs in the next term. They voted to back the European Commission’s proposal to begin monitoring CO2 emissions from ships, but rejected an amendment to also require monitoring of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur (SOx).

MEPs also voted to back a Commission proposal to allow member states to ban plastic bags, adding a target to reduce plastic bag use by 80% by 2019. Despite heavy lobbying by the plastics and waste industries, they voted to include provisions encouraging the use of biodegradable bags and allow de-facto exemptions for these bags in national bans.

MEPs gave final approval to the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) – the last step for completing reform of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) after almost three years of negotiations. The vote endorsed a deal reached with member states in January.

Transport

A number of transport issues were also voted on. The full plenary backed a deal reached with member states that rejects a European Commission proposal that would have given the EU the ability to overrule regional government decisions on airport noise. Instead, the proposal will only require the local governments to involve stakeholders in their decisions.

MEPs also voted to endorse a deal reached with member states to require all new vehicles put onto the market after 2017 to be equipped with an ‘eCall’ device – which automatically calls emergency services (112) in the event of an accident. The start date was delayed by two years from the deadline of 2015 proposed by the Commission.

The plenary also voted to reject a Commission proposal to allow megalorries to cross internal EU borders as part of trials. The provision was part of a larger package, which the Parliament passed, that sets out new weight and length standards for lorries to make them safer and greener. Member states have yet to agree a position on the proposal. Negotiations will be conducted by Austrian centre-left MEP Jörg Leichtfried, who is running to keep his seat in the next Parliament.

Politics

MEPs on Wednesday (16 April) censured Martin Schulz, the president of the Parliament, for using his office in his campaign to become president of the European Commission and for pushing through the appointment of close aides to civil-service posts in the Parliament’s administration. The passages criticising Schulz had been attached to a report on Parliament’s spending in 2012 which was adopted with 365 votes in favour, 190 against and 82 abstaining.

On Tuesday, MEPs voted with 646 in favour, seven against, and 14 abstentions to make changes to Parliament’s rules on the transparency register it operates jointly with the European Commission. The changes are supposed to provide additional incentives for unregistered lobbyists to sign up to the voluntary register. The plenary also called on the Commission to implement similar changes from its side, and to make a proposal by the end of 2016 on making the register mandatory. 

On Wednesday MEPs adopted with 539 to 103 votes and 20 abstentions, new rules on EU-level political parties and party foundations that are supposed to streamline the procedure by which they acquire EU status and raise funds. The new rules raise the upper limit for donations from €12,000 to €18,000 per donor per year, with public disclosure mandatory for donations of more than €3,000. An independent authority, located in the European Parliament, will verify whether parties and foundations meet the rules; it has the power to fine or de-register parties when rules have been violated. The new rules are to apply from 1 January 2017.