Next Thursday in Strasbourg MEPs will have the final say on the provisional nine-month agreement signed by EU government ministers on the transfer of bank data to the United States for counter-terrorism purposes. A rejection by MEPs would render the agreement legally void. Parliament will be exercising for the first time a new power conferred upon it by the Lisbon Treaty.Source : © European Parliament

The EU's crisis response to the tragedy in Haiti, establishing an EU civil protection mechanism and co-ordinating various portfolios within the Commission were among the issues raised by MEPs at the hearing of the Bulgarian Commissioner-designate for International Co-operation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva.Source : © European Parliament

A new mentality and public intervention are required, not only to change the very serious situation of women, but to improve society, said MEP Ms Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL, PT), at a public hearing on "Towards a new EU strategy for gender equality" held by the Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee on Thursday.Source : © European Parliament

Micro-companies could be exempted from having to draw up annual accounts under an amendment to EU accounting rules approved by the Legal Affairs Committee on Thursday. However, these exemptions would have to be granted by EU Member States, and the companies would still have to keep records of their business transactions and financial situation. Parliament is to vote on the amendment in February.Source : © European Parliament

Spanish Presidency ministers this week outline their EU Council Presidency priorities to a range of parliamentary committees and will field MEPs' questions on most EU policy areas. On Wednesday they faced, among others, the committees on Transport and Tourism, Employment and Social Affairs, Industry, Research and Energy and Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. This release will be updated throughout the week.Source : © European Parliament

During a public hearing on the financial supervisory package, MEPs of the Economic and Monetary Affairs committee discussed the current state of play and the future options regarding the EU's nascent supervisory bodies with leading experts, among whom Jacques de LAROSIÈRE, chairman of the high-level group on financial supervision.Source : © European Parliament

Joined-up information sharing is the first step towards preventing terrorists from boarding planes, reiterated Civil Liberties Committee MEPs in a debate with EU Counter-terrorism Co-ordinator Gilles de Kerkhove on Wednesday. The European Commission is to publish an impact evaluation on body scanners in the coming weeks, as requested by Parliament in October 2008. Aviation security measures, including body scanners, were also debated in the Transport Committee on Wednesday.

The Employment and Social Affairs Committee today backed an agreement between European social partners to help prevent needle-stick injuries in the hospital sector, one of the most common and serious risks for health workers across the EU.Source : © European Parliament

Spanish Presidency ministers this week outline their EU Council Presidency priorities to a range of parliamentary committees and will field MEPs' questions on most EU policy areas. On Wednesday they faced, among others, the committees on Transport and Tourism, Employment and Social Affairs, on Industry, Research and Energy and Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. This release will be updated throughout the week.Source : © European Parliament

Combating violence against women is necessary, but not sufficient, to achieve gender equality, says an own-initiative report on EU gender equality in 2009, adopted by the Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee on Monday. Paternity leave also needs to be tackled EU-wide, and linked to maternity leave so as to protect women better in the labour market, it adds.Source : © European Parliament

Spanish Presidency ministers this week outline their EU Council Presidency priorities to a range of parliamentary committees and will field MEPs' questions on most EU policy areas. On Tuesday they faced the committees on Civil Liberties, the Environment, Education and Culture, and Economic and Monetary Affairs. This release will be updated throughout the week.Source : © European Parliament

After his visit to Haiti last week, Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Karel De Gucht briefed MEPs on rescue and reconstruction efforts after the recent earthquake. MEPs quizzed him about the EU's visibility on the ground, the medium and long-term challenges of the reconstruction process and the possibility of establishing an EU rapid reaction capacity.Source : © European Parliament