Brussels, 24/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 24 June, Anne Sander MEP (EPP, France) set up a parliamentary workgroup to help improve the cross-border dimension in Parliamentary debates at the respective political groups and committees.
The MEP explained to EUROPE that “questions relating to cross-border cooperation are not sufficiently treated in a transversal way. This is why I launched an appeal to the whole European Parliament, in an effort to identify the MEPs interested in the project”.
The workgroup will tackle a range of different dossiers. Firstly, it will look at the difficult question of overcharging telephone messages and calls made from abroad (roaming). The MEP from the Alsace region in France declared “An end to roaming is eagerly awaited by all those in border areas”.
The European Parliament and Council of the EU will resume their negotiations on this issue during a trialogue meeting next week (see EUROPE 11341).
One of the priority subjects mentioned by the MEP includes the question of online purchasing and sending parcels abroad (see EUROPE 11301), as well as the challenges linked to a high level of professional mobility at a cross-border level, such commuter congestion between the French city of Thionville and Luxembourg.
Around 20 MEPs responded to Sander's appeal and around 10, mostly from the EPP, came to the group launch. These MEPs included Jo Leinen (S&D, Germany), Axel Voss (EPP, Germany), Claude Rolin (EPP Belgium), Nathalie Griesbeck (ALDE, France), Michel Dantin (EPP, France), Tom Vandenkendelaere (EPP, Belgium) and Georges Bach (EPP, Luxembourg).
The next meeting of the group is expected to take place next October. (Pascal Hansens)