Brussels briefing

EUROPOL INFILTRATE BABY-TRAFFICKING RING

The going rate for babies is apparently €15,000. At least, that is what a Bulgarian gang is selling them for in Greece. The mother receive €3,000 when she hands over her baby.

Five people were arrested in Thessaloniki following a Europol investigation when they tried to sell a newborn to two police officers posing as a childless couple.

The 13-day-old boy was born in an Athens hospital and brought with his mother to Thessaloniki. The baby’s mother was also arrested and two other pregnant women planning to sell their babies are also being questioned.

Two of the gang tracked down pregnant women and offered to buy their babies. Police are investigating whether doctors, nurses, or lawyers were also involved.

LET WORKERS HAVE A SAY IN DECISIONS

Research shows that involving employees in decision making at work increases production, the quality of their work and lowers stress levels.

But according to the Dublin-based EU living and working conditions agency, Eurofound, only about a quarter of organisations bother to include their workers, either in decision-making about their immediate job or in wider organisational issues affecting their work.

Those working in the Nordic countries, and in hi-tech industries generally, have the highest level of involvement, followed by those in Ireland and Britain while those in Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain have lower levels and in Bulgaria and Romania it’s almost non-existent.

ELECTION POSTERS FOR THE CAN?

The decision is final. Ireland, along with a number of other countries, will lose one of its 12 seats in the European Parliament in next May’s elections.

The task of dividing the country’s constituencies should now begin — speculation is that Dublin will get five seats and the rest of the county will be divided into two with three seats each.

In the meantime, Labour MEP Nessa Childers has asked Environment Minister Phil Hogan to ban election posters, pointing out that they litter the country and at €12 per poster to print, erect, and dispose of, gives wealthy candidates an unfair advantage.

TOLL REPORT BACKED

Bad enough having to pay toll charges, but having to queue to do so, fish out the correct change, or waiting to see if your card will be accepted can be a pain.

So little wonder that Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins got a five to one vote supporting his report to have toll booths right across the EU from Ireland to Estonia accept the same tag for charges.

“You’ll never have to stop at a toll barrier in the EU again, once it is up and running,” he said. He hopes his report will now encourage the European Commission to move ahead swiftly with such a system.

REDISTRIBUTING CASH

Europol estimates there are at least 3,600 criminal organisations working the EU and the annual cost of crime and corruption to citizens is about €120bn.

The EU is going ahead with a system of confiscating goods and money suspected to have been made illegally, unless it is proved otherwise — similar to the Irish system.

The funds, according to Dublin MEP Emer Costello, should go into an EU fund from which citizens and community groups could draw — especially those affected by drugs and organised crime — for prevention, citizenship, drug awareness, and education programmes.

LEADER WARNING

The success of the Leader programme in Ireland over the past 25 years is due in no small way to its bottom up approach through local development companies, according to MEP Pat the Cope Gallagher.

Mr Gallagher was responsible for the pilot Leader programme in Ireland as Minister for the Gaeltacht in the early 1990s.

But despite this, rather than the top down method being recognised as ideal by the EU, Environment, Community and Local Development Minister Phil Hogan is planning to hand responsibility for Leader over to the local authorities.

Mr Gallagher believes this could result in less funds for the programme as the expertise build up among staff in the local development companies would be lost, and he points out that the local authorities themselves are against such a change.

CUTE BABIES NOT A WINNING FORMULA

Pictures of cute babies and text that idealises baby formula are to be banned from labels on infant formula to ensure they do not discourage breast feeding.

New legislation is going through the EU institutions at present to establish new rules on what has been descried as a “jungle of food products” designed for those with special dietary needs, those who are ill, some low-calorie diets and baby formula.

MEPs voted in favour of the new rules and want the European Commission to ensure pesticide residues are at a minimum in such foods. They’ve asked for a study on formula marketed for toddlers to compare nutritional benefits with a normal diet for a child being weaned.

EU LAUNCHES WEBSITE FOR EUROPE’S CARERS

An EU-wide website has been launched for Europe’s carers and Independent MEP Marian Harkin who chairs the European Parliament’s Carers Interest Group says it could be very useful for Irish carers.

At a time when supports are continuously being cut and increasing numbers cannot afford outside help or care homes, pressure is increasing on mostly family members.

The site provides quality information on a wide range of issues from health conditions and treatments, to financial and legal advice including welfare entitlements, to bereavement counselling and the use of various technologies that may be helpful.

The website is: www.discover4carers.eu