European Union News - 13 June 2012

Member States are preparing for the roll-out of the smart metering systems, and therefore, the Commission has presented a Recommendation to them on preparations for the roll-out of smart metering systems. The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) welcomed such recommendation but regrets that the Commission has not provided more specific, more comprehensive and practical guidance in the Recommendation itself.

The decision by EU governments to change the legal basis for evaluating the functioning of the Schengen visa-free travel agreement might be brought to the European Court of Justice. MEPs at the Civil Liberties Committee voted last 11 of June to strongly object to Council decision and consider legal action. The Committee also stood by its amendments to two draft laws on the temporary reimposition of internal border controls and the evaluation mechanism.

The Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting ended with the Ministers agreement on a general approach for the two main regulation proposals of the common fisheries policy (CFP) reform "package". This general approach constitutes a political agreement within the Council pending the future first-reading position of the European Parliament.

The European Parliament approved a report that opposes the drastic cuts to EU development aid for Latin-America proposed by the Commission. According to the MEP responsible for the report, Ricardo Cortés, MEPs do not support the radical approach proposed by the Commission, which is based solely on economic criteria and would deprive countries like Ecuador, Colombia and Peru of EU aid.