This week, the European Parliament has voted on a Commission proposal, which provides for EU support payments starting at 500 employees made redundant. So far, at least 1,000 redundancies per application were required.

The relevant Women’s Committee in the European Parliament thinks that the proposal of the European Commission on improvements with regard to maternity leave do not go far enough. This is the result of the vote taken last week. Parliament and Council must now come to an agreement until the beginning of May. Currently, however, this seems to be unlikely.

This week, the European Parliament voted on new rules concerning the establishment and organisation of a European rail network for a competitive freight transport system.

The second meeting of the Conciliation Committee for the Working Time Directive took place on 1st April 2009. The subjects once again revolved around old acquaintances: the opt-out problem, the stand-by duty including rest periods, the definition of senior employee, the item “Multiple Contracts” and the reconciliation between professional and family-life. The negotiations adjourned without progress being made.

The European Commission provides some interesting reading these days.

For some years now, discussions are ongoing at EU level with regard to allowing so-called Monster Lorries (also called gigaliners or megatrucks): they are up to 25.25 metres long and have a payload of 60 tons.

On 8th April, the European Commission presented its proposals for supporting the developing countries in tackling the crisis. What has emerged is that after the industrial and threshold countries a third wave of the crisis has also reached the developing countries with full force. The planned measures of the European Commission, however, contain not really anything new.

On Thursday last week the heads of state and government of the 20 major industrial nations met in London to reach an agreement on how to tackle the financial and economic crisis on a global scale. It was their second meeting following the one taking place in Washington in November last year.

At first glance, the intention of giving patients the opportunity of getting treatment in other Member States seems by all means positive. A more detailed analysis of the Directive proposal, however, reveals that the text includes a number of pitfalls and threats to the health sector. This week MEPs voted on the proposal by the responsible Committee on the Environment and Public Health.

Whilst the heads of state and government of the world’s 20 major industrial nations are meeting in London to deliberate ways out of and possible lessons from the financial and economic crisis, some representatives of the industry have already drawn their lessons from the crisis: to carry on as usual!