On 6 April the European Parliament approved, on the first reading, a proposal to recast the directive 2005/85/CE on asylum and international protection. The Members of Parliament suggest to introduce a single EU procedure to obtain international protection including common safeguards for the most vulnerable people. The text introduces some basic guarantees for all asylum seekers such as personal interview and the right to legal advice. Furthermore, applicants must be allowed to remain in the Member State, until the national authority makes a final decision, including in cases where an applicant lodges an appeal. Another amendment proposed by Strasbourg assembly provides EU financial support to help those states that accept a disproportionately large number of asylum applications compared to the size of their population.

A report on the future EU strategy for combating violence against women by GUE/NGL MEP Eva-Britt Svensson's received on 15 March unanimous backing in the FEMM committee of the EP. In today's vote the committee unanimously stated that prostitution is a form of violence against women and that surrogate motherhood is a serious problem that exploits women's bodies and reproductive organs. Commenting after the vote on the committee's demand for an EU directive against violence against women, something that does not exist today, Svensson, the Committee Chair, said it was "a historic decision when a committee unanimously calls for a directive on violence against women.'' The plenary vote on Svensson's report is provisionally scheduled for the April 4-7 session.

Consumers need better protection from potentially dangerous products, says a resolution on product safety passed in plenary session on 08 March. Strengthening customs checks in European ports and reforming the legislative framework to enable faster withdrawal of dangerous products are among the priorities of this non-legislative resolution drafted by Christel Schaldemose (S&D, DK). The Commission should establish a common EU framework for market surveillance and play a more active role in co-ordinating the activities of customs authorities, say MEPs. The text also proposes that manufacturers be required to do a risk analysis during the design phase in order to minimise the risk of placing unsafe products on the market.

The EU needs a long-term plan to support transition to democracy in the Mediterranean area and cope with any possible migration inflows, said the Civil Liberties Committee on 01 March. MEPs urged Member States to accelerate work on the "asylum package" and stressed the need for solidarity as regards relocating migrants. "A border operation is not enough", said Rui Tavares (GUE/NGL, PT), stressing that the EU must focus on humanitarian risk and reform its asylum and relocation systems. To most MEPs it is crucial to help these countries with the transition to democracy and to promote their economic and social development. The EU needs to draw up a new strategy on economic and migration issues, agreed Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström.

Last 16 February, S&D MEPs Françoise Castex and Stavros Lambrinidis together with their colleagues Jan Philipp Albrecht (Greens / EFA), Carlos Coelho (EPP) and Diana Wallis (ALDE), presented a written declaration on infringement of the fundamental rights of detainees in the EU, calling for the generalization of the structure of controller of prisons in all Member States to combat against violations of fundamental rights in European prisons, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity. MEPs also asked the Commission to set common minimum standards in terms of detention,which will apply in all Member States as to ensure equal conditions of treatment for all prisoners in Europe.

Stronger economic governance and firm budget commitments for concrete measures are the main demands set out in a resolution on the Europe 2020 strategy adopted by the EP on 17 February. The resolution calls EU for a stronger economic governance in pursuing the 2020 strategy's goals, therefore to significantly increase investment in research, innovation and development. Separately, MEPs also endorsed the 2011 EU guidelines for the Member States' employment policies but also asked for the employment policy guidelines to be better implemented in future, with an emphasis on more and better jobs for European workers. MS should step up their efforts to boost employment, exploit the job potential of a new low-carbon economy, develop a skilled workforce and promote job quality and low-carbon economy, believes Parliament. According to House national Reform Programmes should focus on creating more and better jobs, especially for younger people, women, the elderly, disadvantaged and disabled people, migrants and ethnic minorities.

Parliament adopted a new legislation on 15 February laying down greater rights for bus and coach passengers in the EU and covering all long-distance scheduled services (250 kilometres or more), whether national or crossborder, starting in spring 2013. The new set of rules regulates the compensation procedures and sets a package of twelve fundamental rights which will apply to all regular services regardless of distance. These rights include information before and during a journey and the needs of people with disabilities or reduced mobility. Non-discriminatory access to transport is guaranteed, with full compensation if wheelchairs or other mobility equipment are lost or damaged. "This agreement is very important for transport and tourism. It embodies a strategic balance, as it protects smaller firms and will make life easier for people with disabilities", said Antonio Cancian (EPP, IT), who steered the legislation through Parliament.

With a view to the presentation of the Commission's EU strategy for Roma inclusion, the LIBE Committee outlined its priorities, in an extraordinary meeting on 14 February in Strasbourg, by adopting the own-iniative report on the subject. The priority areas put forward by the report include equal access to employment and education, protecting fundamental rights, better use of EU funding and involving Roma women in policy development. The adopted report also calls on the EC to present a roadmap for introducing binding minimum standards at EU level for these priorities. According to Parliament's rapporteur, Lívia Járóka (EPP, HU), Roma inclusion is not merely a human rights obligation, but also an economic need and the financial interest of all Member States. The Parliament will vote as a whole on the EU strategy on Roma inclusion in March. The Commission is expected to present its proposal in April. The European Council (Member States) should adopt the strategy at its meeting on 24 June. Roma inclusion is one of the Hungarian Presidency's priorities.

Child pornography or child abuse material on the web must be removed in all EU countries, said the Civil Liberties Committee on 14 February, in amendments put forward during an orientation vote on the draft report on Sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, drafted by European Parliament's Vicepresident Roberta Angelilli. The original Commission proposal would have made blocking of child porn web sites mandatory for Member States. MEPs instead advocate removal at source. Negotiations between Parliament and Council representatives will continue in the coming months, with a view to reaching a compromise preferably in the first half of 2011. Once adopted, this directive will replace current EU legislation dating from 2004. Member States would then have two years to transpose the new rules into their national laws.

In the EU in 2008 4 people were employed for every pensioner, in 2020 it will be five and in 2060 it will be two. "We are facing enormous demographic challenges, and we need to act now to prevent problems in the future. Member States need to limit the the prevalence of early retirement schemes and create a labour market on which people can participate in old-age, especially in precarious jobs", said Dutch Christian Democrat MEP Ria Oomen-Ruijten rapporteur for the non-legislative report on "Adequate, sustainable and safe European pension systems" which was backed by MEPs on the Parliament's EMPL Committee on 1 February and debated on 15 February in plenary session. According to the report the ideas to make pension systems healthier is to raise the retirement age. French Socialist Françoise Castex has a different view: "The economy should adapt itself to the needs of people and not vice versa. France will never accept a European proposal that we have to work more. It is against our European social model. We need to protect employed people and to ensure enough pension funds." The European Commission is awaiting the EP's views before coming forward with a proposal on European [...]