Statistical Office of the European Communities Eurostat this week presented alarming figures on poverty and social exclusion: in 2011, 27 % of children under 18 in the 27 Member States were either at risk of poverty, had to suffer significant material deprivation and/or lived in households with low levels of employment. In Austria, this already affects every fifth child, whereby here too, the risk of children living in poverty is higher than that of the overall population.

The Commission would clearly like to make the rail transport sector more appealing to private operators - whatever it takes. Hence, the Commission proposes among other in its by now Fourth Railway Package the complete opening of the domestic passenger transport sector, the institutional separation of infrastructure and railway operators, but also maintaining the standard of qualifications of personnel.

Just a month has passed since the plenum of the European Parliament rejected the liberalisation plans of the European Commission in respect of groundhandling services at airports with a clear majority. The Directive proposal was referred back to the competent Transport Committee to debate further action to be taken concerning this dossier.

On Wednesday, 579 representatives of the European Parliament voted in favour of new rules for rating agencies. However, the voting result is a compromise solution, which was brokered in negotiations with the European Commission and European finance ministers at the end of November. However, for procedural reasons alone nobody can claim that the resolution has been able to write the final chapter.

With a parliamentary question and a motion for a resolution on a Youth Guarantee, the European Parliament this week put additional pressure on the Member States and the EU Commission to speed up the introduction of a Youth Guarantee. However, the dispute concerning financing proves to be a major hurdle.

This week, once again EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas was invited by Members of the European Parliament to take part in a debate on Gigaliners – oversized HGVs weighing up to 60 tons with a length of 25 metres. Participants in the debate did not hold back with their repeated criticism of Commissioner Kallas, claiming that for years he had been declaring the cross-border use of these mega trucks illegal.

This was probably not what EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas had in mind: his legislative proposal on groundhandling services - aircraft loading and unloading, maintenance, security personnel, de-icing etc. - was rejected by a clear majority. Even many of his fellow party members of the European People’s Party had criticised the proposal in the run-up to the vote, reasoning that it would not bring additional efficiency but result in even more pressure for the workforce.

Following years of negotiation, the European Parliament has now voted in favour of the Free Trade Agreement of the EU with Columbia. In spite of the still existing human rights violations and violent acts against trade unions. The new Agreement is expected to come into force in 2013.

Following the publication by the EU Commission of the White Paper on Pensions, one of the most important strategy papers on the subject of pensions, in February this year, it is now the turn of the European Parliament to have its input. The competent rapporteur recently presented her report and made no secret of her ideas: expanding private retirement savings and occupational retirement schemes as well as the necessity to link the statutory retirement age to life expectancy.

The action plan on corporate governance continues the current course. Current company rules shall be modernised. The Commission focuses on enhanced transparency, greater engagement by shareholders and the promotion of cross-border operations. Individual points of the action plan are going in the right direction. Nevertheless, the rights of employees are being short-changed.