Parliament in brief
Organised crime
MEPs yesterday (23 October) endorsed a report by the special committee on organised crime, corruption and money-laundering. The report calls on the next European Commission to propose legislation setting standards for member states in dealing with organised crime and corruption, for example by banning people who have been convicted of such crimes from bids for public contracts.
Visa-free travel
The civil-liberties committee on Monday (21 October) endorsed a proposal from the Commission to allow citizens of five Caribbean countries, ten Pacific island states and Timor-Leste to travel to the EU’s Schengen area without visas. The MEPs also added Colombia, Peru and the United Arab Emirates to the list. The vote gives Mariya Gabriel, a centre-right Bulgarian MEP, a mandate for negotiations with the Council of Ministers.
Click Here: All Blacks Rugby Jersey
Ship recycling
The plenary on Tuesday (22 October) voted in favour of legislation that allows the dismantling of EU-registered ships only in facilities approved by the EU. The move, already agreed with the member states, is designed to put an end to the dangerous and polluting practice of ‘beaching’ ships in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Medical devices
On Tuesday, MEPs approved tougher scrutiny procedures for the approval of medical devices that are implanted into the body. The rules would create an EU-level supervisory group to oversee the 80 ‘notified bodies’ that currently approve such devices. MEPs voted to start negotiations with member states on this issue and a related file on diagnostic kits straight away.
Small investors
The economic and monetary affairs committee on Tuesday backed draft rules obliging investment brokers to provide small investors with a ‘Key Information Document’ with clear, comparable and complete information on any investment product before they sign a contract. MEPs will vote on the proposal in plenary before centre-left French MEP Pervenche Berès can start negotiations with the member states.