During this week's Plenary Session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, (16 - 19 January) MEPs will discuss and vote on the following issues:

- Election of new President and other key office holders
- International agreement on economic union and governance
- Follow-up to Durban climate change conference
- E-waste
- Safer pest control
- Food wastage in Europe
- European space strategy
- Danish presidency work programme
- Recent political developments in Hungary

For further information on the January Plenary Session please see the latest edition of EP News.

The European Parliament's first act in 2012 will be to elect its new President, fourteen Vice-Presidents and five Quaestors. The three candidates declared so far to succeed Jerzy Buzek are Martin Schulz (S&D, DE), Diana Wallis (ALDE, UK) and Nirj Deva (ECR, UK).

The votes to choose next EP President, Vice-Presidents and Quaestors will be taken on Tuesday and Wednesday by secret ballot.  Jim Higgins (Fine Gael - North West) will declare for renewal of his term as a Quaestor.

For more information on nomination and election procedures, the duties of the President, Vice-Presidents and Quaestors and on previous EP President election results, please see the background note at the link below.

Procedure: Election of President, Vice-Presidents and Quaestors
Votes: Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 January

Parliament's demands with regard to talks on a new international agreement on reinforced economic union will be set out in a resolution to be voted on Wednesday. The resolution will also stress the need to ensure that any new economic governance system promotes growth and solidarity.

The resolution is likely to stress that the aims of the international agreement can best be achieved through normal EU law and procedures and hence that as little as possible should be left to the agreement itself.

The draft resolution also underlines that democratic legitimacy will be weakened if parliaments are not given a bigger say in the new EU economic governance arrangements.

Political groups' speakers will take the floor for a brief debate before the vote.

Procedure: Resolution of the political groups
Debate: Tuesday 13 December
Vote: Wednesday 18 January

Statement by the European Commission

Europe is throwing away ever more fridges, phones and gadgets and often failing to recover valuable raw materials, MEPs warn. Legislation to improve collection and recycling of electric and electrical waste, while cutting red tape for producers, has already been provisionally agreed with Member States and will be put to a vote on Thursday.

Once Parliament and Council formally approve the deal, the update to the 2003 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive will phase in new collection targets.

By 2019 most Member States must achieve 65%, based on the average weight of e-goods going to market. Alternatively, they can collect 85% of e-waste, which is roughly equivalent. However, ten countries that need to improve their facilities will be able to postpone this deadline. Recycling rates will need to rise to 80% for some categories of goods.

To help everyone to play their part, Parliament - led by Karl-Heinz Florenz (EPP, DE) - successfully argued that consumers should be allowed to return very small items to any medium-sized or large shop selling electrical goods.

Meanwhile, producers, who are financially responsible for waste management, are to benefit from simplified reporting requirements and measures to avoid double charging of fees.

MEPs also negotiated a clampdown on illegal e-waste shipments to countries where it is processed in conditions hazardous to workers and the environment.

Procedure: Co-decision, 2nd reading agreement
Debate: Wednesday 18 January
Votes: Thursday 19 January

Pest control products - to repel insects or kill bacteria - must be approved as safe before they can be sold in the EU. On Thursday MEPs will vote on a provisional deal, already negotiated with the Council, which provides for stricter health and environment checks on these "biocides", whilst streamlining the marketing approval process.

When MEPs and Council formally approve the provisional agreement, the update to 1998 legislation will close a loophole so that treated products - such as furniture sprayed with fungicide - will be included under the rules. Agricultural pesticides will continue to be covered by other EU legislation.

The update will tighten up the safety approval process to ensure pest control products do not pose a threat to public health or the environment. The most problematic substances - such as those that are carcinogenic, affect genes or hormones or toxic to reproduction - should in principle be banned.

Member States should only make exceptions where absolutely necessary: for example if a biocide is needed to safeguard public health. Authorisations and their renewals will be subject to stricter time limits while work is done to find safer alternatives.

The new rules also aim to streamline application procedures and will set deadlines for authorities to complete their assessments. Other measures aim to facilitate the recognition of approvals among Member States and more assessments will be done at EU level in future.

To avoid duplicating tests on animals, companies will be required to share data in exchange for fair compensation.

Procedure: Co-decision, 2nd reading
Debate: Wednesday 18 January
Vote: Thursday 19 January
Press Conference: Wednesday 18 January 14.00-14.30

At least 50% of food wastage in the EU today is avoidable, and urgent measures are needed to tackle it, says a draft resolution to be voted on Thursday. MEPs will suggest awareness campaigns, food education courses, better packaging and new sell-by date labelling. In a separate debate with Commissioner Cioloş, they will also air the issue of rising food production costs.
Up to 50% of edible and healthy food (i.e. 179 kg per person per year) gets wasted in EU households, supermarkets and restaurants each year while 79 million EU citizens live beneath the poverty line and 16 million depend on food aid from charitable institutions, notes the draft.

Public procurement rules should also be updated so as to favour caterers who redistribute leftover food to needy citizens, it adds.

If nothing is done, food wastage will grow 40% by 2020, says a study published by the Commission.
Current wastage in EU27: 89 million tonnes per annum (i.e. 179 kg per capita)

Projection for 2020 (if no action is taken): 126 million tonnes (i.e. a 40% increase)

Responsibility for food waste:
households: 42% (60% of which is avoidable)
manufacturers: 39%
retailers: 5%
catering sector: 14%

(Source: European Commission)  

Procedure: Non-legislative resolutions and Oral Question to the Commission with resolution
Debate/Vote: Thursday 19 January

The EU's Galileo satellite navigation programme should get proper long-term funding and its GMES earth observation programme should be officially included in the EU's multi-annual financial plans, says a draft resolution on "EU space strategy" to be put to vote on Thursday.

Galileo, the world's first satellite navigation system designed for civilian use, could enable the EU to remain independent from the US Global Positioning System (GPS). Its funding plan should ensure that its long-term needs can be met, MEPs say.

MEPs also call on the Commission and the Council to include funding for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme, which is designed to help combat climate change and environmental degradation, in the EU's multiannual financial framework for 2014-2020.

So far, GMES has been funded by the EU budget. However, the European Commission said in a recent communication that after 2013, it would get intergovernmental funding instead.

Industry, Research and Energy Committee MEPs say that this would be highly detrimental to the programme's future development.

Procedure: Non-legislative resolution
Debate/Vote: Thursday 19 January

Denmark's "Europe at work" programme and priorities for its six-month Presidency of the Council (January-June 2012), will be presented by Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt on Wednesday at 10.00h, and then debated with MEPs.

Economic and financial developments, and notably the Eurozone debt crisis and Euro pact talks, will be high on the Danish Presidency agenda, as will implementing the economic governance "six pack" legislation and negotiations on the EU's multiannual financial framework for 2014-2020.

Other key priorities include further developing the single market, acting on the twelve initiatives set out in the Single Market Act, green growth and the new energy efficiency directive, and completing the Common European Asylum System before the end of 2012.

The debate will be followed by a press conference with Ms Thorning-Schmidt and the presidents of the European Parliament and the European Commission.

Procedure: Council and Commission statements - Danish Presidency Programme
Debate: Wednesday 18 January
Press Conference: immediately after the debate

Recent political developments in Hungary will be debated with Commission President Barroso on Wednesday at 15.00h. MEPs will comment on Hungary's controversial new constitution, which took effect on 1 January 2012, the laws implementing it and other measures taken by Viktor Orbán's government.

For further information, please contact Francis Jacobs, Head of Office on 086 8065795 or at francis.jacobs@europarl.europa.eu or contact the Irish MEPs' Press Officers directly.

To watch any part of the Plenary Session live, please click on the EP Live section of the Parliament's website and select Live Broadcast from the menu on the left-hand side.

To view a debate which has already taken place, please click on the Multimedia Library section of the Parliament's website, select 'search by date' from the menu on the left-hand side and choose the debate.  You can also scroll through the speakers and just listen to a speaker of your choice.

To access raw audio of interviews with the Irish MEPs recorded during the Plenary Session, please visit www.radioep.ie.