Brussels – Even though no decision is expected, the European Parliament is back, after 11 years, to work on the air passenger rights regulation. A file stuck in the Council, on which the European Parliament had been waiting for a confrontation since 2014 when MEPs defined the institutional position. Now, negotiations can resume after the green light that member states reached last week. It is the beginning of a path that promises to be tortuous because the position adopted by the 27 member states is controversial, to say the least. “The airlines are being protected, reducing refunds and increasing the time to obtain them,” criticized Pierfrancesco Maran (PD/S&D) on the eve of the House proceedings.
Under the current rules, air passengers can claim reimbursement of between 250 and 600 euros for delays of three hours or more. With the changes that the Member States would like to introduce, passengers will be refunded up to EUR 300 for delays of over four hours on intra-EU flights and routes less than 3500 kilometers and up to EUR 500 for delays of more than six hours on longer journeys. In the event of a flight cancellation, it will be possible to file for compensation if the notification of flight cancellation occurs less than 14 days before departure, and it is up to the airline to provide pre-filled forms to apply for reimbursement.
Therefore, the debate scheduled for the late afternoon of June 17 promises to be fierce, with Parliament closer to the citizens’ demands as opposed to a Council more in tune with the companies’ needs. A first round will serve to understand how the confrontation between airlines on one side and passengers and their rights on the other can end after 11 years of waiting.
Middle East and Hungary, new divisions and clashes
In an EU divided on transport and users’ rights, there is a Parliament that proceeds in no particular order on the big topical issue on the agenda of the Parliament meeting in plenary session: Israel. Israel’s attack on Iran agitates and divides the different camps. The spokespersons of the respective groups show the whole spectrum of possible views, which does not lead to unified reactions. The People’s Party (EPP) called for a new debate on the incident. The Socialists (S&D) declared themselves “concerned” about the risk of a possible escalation throughout the Middle East region and beyond, urging all sides to refrain from actions that could worsen the situation and calling for “suspension of trade relations” between the European Union and the Jewish state. Similar demands were made by the liberals (Re), who support the efforts of the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, to “revise the EU-Israel Association Agreement.“
UN human rights rapporteur for Palestinian people in Brussels: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza
The group of the Left accuses Israel of “genocide” in Gaza and calls for a hard line with an “arms embargo, suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and a follow-up on the arrest warrant for Netanyahu.” It is the Euro-sceptic and sovereignist right-wing groups that come to Israel’s aid: “ “Iran is threatening Israel, and there is a question of survival here. Israel has the right to defend itself,” is the position of the Patriots (PfE). The Conservatives (ECR) demand not to put at the same level the situation in Gaza and Iran.
Finally, Viktor Orban’s Hungary will be in the spotlight, with at least two debates: the European Commission’s rule of law report (June 17, around 1.30 pm) and the debate on the freedom of association and assembly in Hungary and the need for the Commission to intervene (June 18, 1 pm). Right-wing groups insist on the need not to interfere with internal political issues of independent and sovereign states. At the same time, socialists, liberals, Greens, and the radical left are united in pushing to put new pressure on the government in Budapest.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
