The European Parliament's agenda for next week
Being a bit wonkish, I read a fair few EU internal policy documents for fun. The summary for the week ahead (next week) gave me a bit of a pang though. Of the 20 or so committees meeting some 121 times, an oversized proportion seem to be internally-focussed, screwing-money-out-of-the-taxpayer focussed, or not focussed at all. (My text below, based on my interpretation of an agenda from europarl.)
- 13 meetings will deal with internal budgets - including one to apparently discuss the budget for internal budget meetings.
- Economic and monetary affairs get 13 too, but all except three deal with proposed taxes and tax policy; i.e, how to screw more money out of us.
- On security and defence (a major issue I think) there are just 3 meetings, and two of them are merely 'exchange of views' (i.e. Powerpoint presentations.)
- Employment and work (8) includes a major session on whether truck drivers' permitted breaks should be increased from 12 to 13 hours.
- Environment's 12 deal mostly with tiny subjects like a rubber compound in EU tyres - one session is on 'infrastructure on spatial information', which presumably means road signs. Nutkins rejoice though: the Red Squirrel gets a session all to itself.
- Internal trade gets 7, international trade only 6. Who said the EU was inward-looking?
- Of Transport's 14, 3 are about seatbelts.
- Regional Development either has the most puffed-up airy-fairy sessions, or the biggest soaring visions, depending on your viewpoint. With titles like 'Urban Dimension in the Context of Enlargement', I'm not sure any concrete policies are likely to emerge from this Committee next week.
- Agriculture and fisheries - industries employing fewer than 1% of Europeans, yet which soak up fully half the EU's budget - get 6 sessions. Hooray!
- While Legal Affairs and Constitutional affairs get a total of 16 meetings on the schedule, two committees have no meetings whatsoever - Culture & Education, and Civil Liberties. So it seems artists, teachers, and freedom are somewhat less important than lawyers and paperwork.
The only committee with an agenda that didn't make me laugh is Energy (big issues like nuclear and ensured supply coming up). EU, I love you... but can't you talk about something other than yourselves occasionally?
- 13 meetings will deal with internal budgets - including one to apparently discuss the budget for internal budget meetings.
- Economic and monetary affairs get 13 too, but all except three deal with proposed taxes and tax policy; i.e, how to screw more money out of us.
- On security and defence (a major issue I think) there are just 3 meetings, and two of them are merely 'exchange of views' (i.e. Powerpoint presentations.)
- Employment and work (8) includes a major session on whether truck drivers' permitted breaks should be increased from 12 to 13 hours.
- Environment's 12 deal mostly with tiny subjects like a rubber compound in EU tyres - one session is on 'infrastructure on spatial information', which presumably means road signs. Nutkins rejoice though: the Red Squirrel gets a session all to itself.
- Internal trade gets 7, international trade only 6. Who said the EU was inward-looking?
- Of Transport's 14, 3 are about seatbelts.
- Regional Development either has the most puffed-up airy-fairy sessions, or the biggest soaring visions, depending on your viewpoint. With titles like 'Urban Dimension in the Context of Enlargement', I'm not sure any concrete policies are likely to emerge from this Committee next week.
- Agriculture and fisheries - industries employing fewer than 1% of Europeans, yet which soak up fully half the EU's budget - get 6 sessions. Hooray!
- While Legal Affairs and Constitutional affairs get a total of 16 meetings on the schedule, two committees have no meetings whatsoever - Culture & Education, and Civil Liberties. So it seems artists, teachers, and freedom are somewhat less important than lawyers and paperwork.
The only committee with an agenda that didn't make me laugh is Energy (big issues like nuclear and ensured supply coming up). EU, I love you... but can't you talk about something other than yourselves occasionally?
posted by chrisworth at 4:04 PM
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