Brussels, 14/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 14 December, the European Parliament plenary assembly was unable to reach an agreement on the draft “single permit” directive for facilitating an EU residency and work permit in the EU for legal immigrants and providing equal treatment with workers from EU member states. The amended proposal was rejected by 350 votes against, 306 in favour, with 25 abstentions. The European Commission did not announce that it would withdraw its proposal. Consequently, the draft law has been sent back to the civil liberties committee and the employment committee. Véronique Mathieu (EPP, France) the rapporteur on the text deplored the fact that “the Left is blocking workers' rights, while claiming to defend them”. She said that the Left was demonstrating a striking lack of faith when it outrageously claimed that this directive was “a new Bolkestein directive”, which was preparing the ground for global social dumping. (B.C./transl.fl)