Strasbourg, 18/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - There is no unity among MEPs before the vote on the transfer of air passenger information to the United States. Everything depends on the assurances that will be given that the information is to be used exclusively to combat terrorism and organised crime. The vote on Thursday 19 April on passenger information (PNR) may be at the top of MEPs' priority list, the follow-up to the crisis and the role of the European Central Bank (ECB) are still high on the agenda. The Socialists also want tax evasion to be addressed as a matter of some urgency. The Greens are playing down anxieties over the taxation of diesel.
Passenger information. The EPP has made it clear that it will vote for the PNR agreement: “The USA has the right to know who is arriving, and we do not want air relations with the United States to stop”, said Axel Voss (Germany). Socialist leader Hannes Swoboda (Austria) has already said that he will back the agreement but he is happy with the free vote for his group members: “I will support the agreement despite its failings. I hope that my group members will vote for it but I can understand that, for some, this will not be possible”, he said. He wants the Commission to promise to monitor how the information is used and says that, if the European Parliament (EP) finds any abuses, the legislation should be suspended. The Liberal Democrats of the ALDE Group will flatly reject the continuation of information transfer until such time as clear guarantees are given. “Exchanging information is supposed to combat terrorism and organised crime but we don't want the USA to use this information for other purposes. (…) Whether our group votes for or against will depend on these assurances”, said group leader Guy Verhofstadt (Belgium). On the eve of the vote, the Greens are still divided. Rebecca Harms (Germany) said, however, that her group is not satisfied with the proposals that have been made.
Role of the ECB in the crisis. As MEPs prepared for the meeting with Commission President José Manuel Barroso on how to tackle the economic crisis (see related article), the leaders of the European political groups emphasised that the crisis is not yet past, and that the Commission has to look to growth rather than austerity measures, “which have brought Spain to bankruptcy”, in the words of Daniel Cohn-Bendit (Greens/EFA, Germany). Joseph Daul (EPP, France) called for job creation at all costs. Defending the role of the ECB, Cohn-Bendit and Verhofstadt point out that more than anything it tried to buy time. Cohn-Bendit, however, regretted that the “major decision-makers have not always taken on board the lessons of the ECB strategy”. Swoboda said that “the ECB has done much to save the eurozone” and is working well, but “we don't have any corresponding social and employment policies”.
Tax evasion. Swoboda highlighted the importance of tackling tax evasion: “If even €200 billion could be recovered every year, investment could be increased by between 2.7 and 3.5% of GDP. Imagine what that would do for jobs!” The Commission and Council were to present measures on this issue after Barroso's speech.
Taxing diesel. The Greens also stress the importance of the vote on taxing energy products and energy, which includes taxation of diesel. Harms does not believe the new tax has been properly presented. “It has been said that fuel prices will go through the roof in Germany. That's an absurd statement. In Germany, this could be resolved by reducing the petrol tax. And anyway, there is a transition period until 2025”, she said. She urged support for the Commission's plans in Thursday's vote. (MD/transl.rt)