Archive for April 2010
Know your rights as a stranded airline passenger
Posted on April 27, 2010 by Bronwen Maher
Having spoken to the European Commission regarding passenger rights this morning, I can confirm that under EC Regulation 261/2004 any passenger stranded across Europe as a result of cancelled flights is entitled to have their accommodation costs covered by their airline while they wait for a rescheduled flight.
The right to accommodation while waiting for alternative transport is iron-clad under European law. If a passenger is stranded in a European city and later travels home on a re-routed flight, they are entitled to have their accommodation costs for the interim period covered by the airline involved.
EU to bring in tougher rules on monitoring of medicines
Posted on April 27, 2010 by Bronwen Maher
With almost 200,000 deaths per year in the EU caused by adverse reactions to professionally prescribed drugs, Labour MEP Nessa Childers has welcomed moves today to bring in a new EU system to monitor the safety of medicines already approved for use by doctors.
The Leinster MEP also said that she looked forward to the proposed new system which was voted through at a meeting of the Parliament’s Environment and Public Health in Brussels today targeting the growing problem of forged or falsified medicines which she says poses an enormous threat to public health.
Culture of secrecy around Brussels lobbying must be tackled head on
Posted on April 23, 2010 by Bronwen Maher
Gaping holes in EU governance in relation to the activities of lobbyists in Brussels have been exposed in a new report published today.
The revelations contained in the research which was carried out by Friends of the Earth Europe has led to demands from Labour MEP Nessa Childers for the mandatory registration of lobbyists who engage with the EU institutions and elected MEPs.
She said, “Big business interests are not taking the European Commission’s efforts to regulate the activities of lobbyists seriously. The question remains – why would they? The code introduced two years ago is voluntary and by definition contains no sanctions whatsoever to properly enforce acceptable standards.
Action plan needed to tackle high rate of suicide amongst young men
Posted on April 21, 2010 by Bronwen Maher
Nessa Childers MEP has told the EU Commissioner for Health at a sitting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg that the Irish government and the European Commission must develop a new EU action plan on mental health to tackle Ireland’s high rate of suicide of young men. Ms Childers demanded an increased emphasis on suicide prevention in Europe from Commissioner John Dalli.
Directly addressing the recently installed Commissioner, Ms Childers referenced her experience as a mental health professional and cited three separate, unrelated cases of suicide which occurred at the end of February this year in County Kildare.
Ms Childers said: "Recently in my own constituency, three men living within 30 kilometres of each other took their own lives. This is an all too familiar picture in the Ireland of 2010. Anyone who contemplates taking their own lives or indeed friends or family members who have concerns about the mental health of a loved-one need to have services available close by which they can access for support during difficult times.
Continuing travelling circus to Strasbourg, plain wrong
Posted on April 19, 2010 by Bronwen Maher
Irish Labour MEP Nessa Childers speaking in Brussels before getting a train to Strasbourg has again condemned the waste of taxpayers money in forcing MEPs, parliament staff and journalists to travel to south for this weeks plenary session - "Like many MEPs, I am long on record as being against the practice of having two parliament locations. Of all times, insisting on continuing this circus during a period of unprecedented travel disruption across Europe is plain foolish.
EU set to give dodgy agents the red card
Posted on April 13, 2010 by Bronwen Maher
Tough new proposals to regulate dodgy football agents will be brought forward by the European Parliament before this summer’s World Cup in South Africa, Labour MEP Nessa Childers has revealed today.
Over 66s free travel pass should be extended Europe-Wide
Posted on April 07, 2010 by Bronwen Maher
The EU should provide free public transport to all senior citizens, by extending the successful Irish model to all 27 EU member states, Nessa Childers MEP has told the EU Transport Commissioner today.
"I proposed today to the new Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas the extension of free public transport for older people across the EU. Regardless of what country they come from, are living in or are even visiting, older people across Europe should have those same basic set of transport entitlements as their Irish counterparts. What better place to start than an EU-wide bus & train pass?
“This would also have the added benefit of providing older people from Ireland with the opportunity to travel extensively and inexpensively throughout Europe, something they may not have had the option to do when working full-time and rearing their families.
The Labour MEP added, “I believe there is also an argument to be made for the extension of the scheme to those in receipt of the European equivalent of Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Carer’s Allowance and Invalidity Pension as is the case in Ireland.
