Brussels, 19/12/2008 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament wants the legal protection enjoyed by certain vulnerable retired persons or persons with disabilities to be consolidated, mainly due to their increased mobility throughout the EU. With the adoption on Thursday 18 December of the own initiative report by Antonio Lopez-Isturiz White (EPP-ED, Spain) by 493 votes to 6 and 23 abstentions, MEPs called on the European Commission to step up cooperation between member sates. Although there is national legislation to ensure that protection regimes are adjusted to people and to their heritage, there is also considerable disparity between the protection regimes. It must be possible to easily recognise and implement these schemes with the Union, when a protected person moves from one member state to another or when his/her property is shared out between several countries. MEPs therefore suggest that harmonised European formulas should be created to promote the circulation and recognition of protection measures taken. Such a formula would for example be useful in the case when a person under a protection measure is to be hospitalised while temporarily residing outside the usual country of residence. Furthermore, MEPS hope a single formula will be developed concerning unfitness mandates for ensuring the movement, recognition and implementation of such mandates. Persons having entrusted powers of representation to a third party may thus live or reside in a member state other than their state of origin, without losing the advantages gained from the incapacity mandate. (B.C./transl.jl)