"MEPs today voted through positive provisions on information on medicinal products today in Strasbourg despite right-wing attempts to put pharmaceutical companies before patients" Czech GUE/NGL MEP Jiří Maštálka said following today's European Parliament vote on the provision of information from pharmaceutical companies to the general public on prescription medicines.

"The right-wing groups tried to dilute this legislation with proposals that would allow health care professionals to personally provide informational material without any quality criteria or control to patients."

The leaders of the political groups in the European Parliament (EPP, ALDE, Greens/EFA, ECR and GUE/NGL) firmly condemn the insulting remarks directed at Martin Schulz, leader of the socialist group, this morning by a Member of the UK Independence Party during Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg.

"We can never accept that Members of the European Parliament insult their colleagues in a way that recalls the worst hours of our history."

Brussels (17 November 2010) – Fire-safety requirements for Reduced Ignition Propensity (RIP) cigarettes, i.e. cigarettes that self-extinguish when not actively smoked, are now covered by a new European Standard, EN16156 “Cigarettes – Assessment of the ignition propensity”. This European Standard complements a first standard published by CEN and ISO in September this year, ISO 12863 “Standard test method for assessing the ignition propensity for cigarettes”.

Jelko Kacin MEP (LDS/Slovenia), member of the Delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula, has KACIN_90.jpgresponded to the exchange of fire between the two Koreas, strongly condemning the provocations from the North just a few hours after the confirmation of the existence of new additional uranium enrichment facilities.

"It is unbelievable that the regime would once again use an armed conflict to facilitate the transition of power to the new generation of the Kim dynasty," he said.

Agency work industry gives picture of where vacancies are and what skills are needed most

Brussels, 23 November 2010; Eurociett, which represents the agency work industry in Europe, has provided data on the number of temporary vacancies in Europe for the Commission’s first European Vacancy Monitor (EVM), launched today.  The EVM will inform policy makers at European, national, regional and sectoral level as to where vacancies lie and what occupations and skill sets are most needed.