Brussels Briefing - A weekly round-up of the most interesting news from Europe
A criminal gang specialising in horsemeat, with links in Ireland and seven other countries, was uncovered and disbanded following a two-year-long investigation.
Unlike the previous horsemeat scandal where the crime was labelling it as beef, this time it was more dangerous as the horsemeat had been declared unfit for human consumption.
Official health documentation was falsified to hide the fact that the meat should not be used as food. The French authorities estimate that close to 5,000 such horses entered the legal food chain in three years to 2013. The investigation began in Belgium in 2012 and led to Marseille in France and from there to Ireland, the UK, Netherlands, Germany, and Luxembourg.
Dozens of premises were searched, and 800 horse passports, medication, microchips, and 200 horses were seized.
EU ombudsman Emily O’Reilly is threatening to take on what could be her biggest job yet in an investigation that covers all three main EU institutions — the member states’ Council, the Parliament and the European Commission.
The Commission produces draft legislation and the Council and Parliament each make changes. However, then they have to negotiate to agree on the final law in meetings known as trialogue.
With around 100 EU laws agreed each year there is an average of 25 trilalogues per working week. Tensions can be high as there is a deadline and often there are radical changes made.
However, how the final deal is reached by the small team involved is a mystery as it happens behind closed doors. Now Ms O’Reilly, according to her office, may launch an investigation towards the end of May in a bid for greater transparency.
Traffic police throughout the EU had a ‘speeding marathon’ earlier this month and reaffirmed the need for more new technology — as well as human checks — on drivers. Italy is ahead of the pack with cameras that record passing vehicles, and if they reach the next camera ahead of the time it should take them driving at legal speed, they are automatically fined. It makes slowing down just for the cameras useless.
An estimated one in 10 people who have had a kidney transplant has bought the organ illegally.
While China is the best known source for country with organs taken from executed prisoners up to the end of last year, organs are also being sourced in dubious circumstances in Egypt, India, Pakistan and South America.
The issue was discussed by MEPs at a special workshop that was told by Marta López Fraga from the Council of Europe that people, including from Europe, pay up to €150,000 for a kidney.
The identity of many people who illegally get organs from executed prisoners is known as they suffer complications and have to receive medical treatment, but they are never investigated with physicians claiming patient confidentiality.
Alcohol directly or indirectly causes a quarter of the deaths among people aged 20 to 39 years who die and contributes to 60% of all chronic and often fatal diseases.
But despite these shocking figures the Euroepan Commission did not renew its alcohol policy that ran out in 2012. The European Parliament this week will vote for a new policy to be put together immediately.
However, as it is in the area of health, the EU has relatively little power to do anything as the member states retains competence.
But MEPs say that a comprehensive, well thought out policy should encourage and guide national governments in taking more action to reduce the number of wasted lives because of alcohol abuse.
Gas appliances from ovens to tower-block heating boilers should only be installed by professionals and the public should be made aware that carbon monoxide from gas installations is a silent killer.
MEPs agree with toughening up the safety rules on these and personal protective equipment including sunglasses, bicycle helmets and jackets.
But they drew the line at applying safety rules to less heavy duty protective equipment - such as oven gloves, dish-washing gloves or umbrellas.
Now they have to see if the member states agree when they talk to the Council to reach agreement on the various amendments.
The European Parliament is normally not at the receiving end of complaints from the European Commission, but vice- president Frans Timmermans told them they needed to set their house in order. They should follow the commission’s example and publish their meetings with lobbyists, he said.
While the commission rated better than almost all EU countries in a recent assessment by Transparency International, the parliament was close to the bottom.
TI’s Carl Dolan told the hearing that while the EU institutions had the hallmarks of accountability and transparency, they should not be complacent and needed to improve, especially in the area of lobbying.
Nobody is sure how many lobbyists there are in Brussels — TI estimates between 15,000 and 30,000 or up to 40 per MEP — compared to 40,000 civil servants in the institutions.
The Czech Republic has been accused of discriminating against its citizens who are Roma by the European Commission who is taking an unprecedented case against them.
The state segregates Romani children putting them into separate classes, buildings and schools, and even putting big numbers into schools for pupils with mild mental disabilities.
It means their chances of getting a proper education are marginal while those who are in mixed education are often bullied.
Amnesty International says its “racism, pure and simple” and says that despite a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights in 2007, nothing has changed.
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