This first one will certainly please residents and visitors who have to use mobile telephones as their only form of telephonic contact to individuals and for web access.
Lower charges for mobile roaming from 1 July
Charges for calling, texting and mobile internet surfing while travelling abroad in the EU will be cut from 1 July 2009.
The amended regulation was adopted by 646 votes in favour, with 22 votes against and 9 abstentions.
Cutting the charges for roaming phone calls
The regulation does not fix roaming prices at rates set by the EU, but sets ceilings beneath which mobile operators can compete by offering lower prices. The existing 2007 roaming regulation lays down that from 1 July 2009 consumers will have to pay a maximum of €0.43 per minute (excluding VAT) for outgoing and a maximum of €0.19 per minute (excluding VAT) for incoming roaming calls.
The new legislative text sets roaming phone call caps for 2010 and 2011 - i.e. home operators may charge their customers for a roaming phone call:
- from 1 July 2010: a maximum of €0.39 per minute (excluding VAT) for outgoing and a maximum of €0.15 per minute (excluding VAT) for incoming roaming calls;
- from 1 July 2011: a maximum of €0.35 per minute (excluding VAT) for outgoing and a maximum of €0.11 per minute (excluding VAT) for incoming roaming calls.
From 1 July 2009 operators would have to charge their customers by the second but can apply an initial minimum charging period of 30 seconds, says the text.
Cheaper data roaming services
MEPs and the Council Presidency agreed with the Commission that a roamed text message (SMS) should cost a maximum of €0.11 (excluding VAT) from 1 July 2009. (Art.1, para 7, point 2).
Other data roaming services (such as sending emails and pictures or web-browsing from mobile phones or laptops) will be regulated at wholesale level – i.e. there will be a price cap for the rates the host operator charges a roaming customer’s home operator, calculated on a kilobyte basis:
- from 1 July 2009: a maximum of €1.00 per megabyte (excluding VAT);
- from 1 July 2010: a maximum of €0.80 per megabyte (excluding VAT);
- from 1 July 2011: a maximum of €0.50 per megabyte (excluding VAT).
To prevent "bill shocks", roaming customers would be able to opt free of charge for a maximum financial limit from 1 March 2010, stipulates the new regulation. One of these financial limits should be set at €50 (excluding VAT) or the corresponding data volume, agreed MEPs and the Presidency. This limit would automatically apply to all customers who have not made another choice by 1 July 2010, says the text.
The new legislation says that providers will have to warn their customers when 80% of the agreed limit has been reached. Once the limit is reached, another notification should be sent, indicating the procedure to be followed if the customer wishes to continue data roaming. If the user does not respond the provider should cease all data roaming services.
Tyre labels to show fuel efficiency, safety and noise.
Tyre buyers will be better informed about their fuel-efficiency, safety and noise performance thanks to a mandatory tyre label proposal adopted by the European Parliament. Like the European energy label, the tyre label will use fuel-efficiency classes ranging from best-performance (green “A” class) to worst (red “G” class). It will also show the tyre's wet grip and noise performance.
The amended regulation was adopted by 642 votes in favour, with 23 votes against and 8 abstentions.
Fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise label
From November 2012, suppliers must show fuel efficiency, wet grip and external rolling noise classes in any technical promotional literature for C1, C2 and C3 tyres (fitted to passenger cars, light and heavy duty vehicles) propduced after 1 July 2012, says the report drafted by Ivo Belet (EPP-ED, BE). Distributors must also include these values in their bills, says the amended draft legislation.
The label will also have to be attached, e.g. as a sticker, to C1 and C2 tyres, says the European Parliament.
Low noise mark for very quiet tyres
To promote low-noise tyres, the European Parliament inserted a provision in the text for a new "low noise mark", showing a tyre with earmuffs if the noise level is below 68 decibels (C1), 69 decibels (C2 tyres) or 70 decibels (C3 tyres).
Europe must deliver a common immigration policy, say MEPs
The European Parliament is proposing a blue-print for a common policy on European immigration. The report recognises the importance of legal immigration, in the face of Europe's ageing population and declining workforce, but also urges Member States to jointly tackle the problems caused by illegal immigration. They also propose to reinforce migrant's rights, by allowing them to vote in local elections.
MEPs describe immigration as "one of the foremost challenges that Europe is currently facing", and believe that it will remain a significant challenge for the coming decades. Furthermore, a common approach to immigration is vital as shared European borders mean that "action or inaction by one Member State has a direct impact on others and on the EU as a whole." If migration is poorly managed, it will not only have a negative impact on the countries of destination but also to the countries of origin and the migrants themselves.
The European Parliament adopted an own-initiative report drafted by Simon Busuttil (EPP-ED, MT) on Wednesday, by 485 votes in favour, 110 against and 19 abstentions.
Migrants have always played "a vital role in the development of the EU", and the report stresses the importance of recognising their past and continuing contribution. Therefore, Europe should continue to be a welcoming environment for migrants; especially as, according to Eurostat statistics, the European working age population is expected to fall by 50 million workers by 2060. Well managed immigration could help to provide crucial economic stimulus to the EU in the coming years.
MEPs call for Member States to maintain minimum stocks of crude oil
Crude oil is one of the main energy sources of the EU, and is likely continue to be for several decades. The Commission estimates that in 2030, European demand will be one third higher than it was in 2006, which is of concern as demand was already outstripping supply in 2006. Therefore, the European Parliament is calling on Member States to maintain minimum stocks of crude oil as a barrier to protect against any unexpected cuts in supply.
MEPs are concerned that a sudden shortage of crude oil could be extremely damaging to the economies of Member States, and that could also "compromise" national military capabilities. The risk of an unexpected shortage of oil has increased in recent years due to increasing global demands, the concentration of oil supplies in often unstable areas and decreasing resources within the European Union. In light of this, the report drafted by Miloslav Ransdorf (GUE/NGL, CZ) calls for increased energy security and more effective monitoring of oil stocks in the EU. The report was adopted with 629 votes in favour, 24 against and 8 abstentions.
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