1.10.2009 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 236 E/1 Monday 23 March 2009 IV (Notices) NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS AND BODIES EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 2009-2010 SESSION Sittings of 23 to 26 March 2009 STRASBOURG MINUTES OF THE SITTING OF 23 MARCH 2009 (2009/C 236 E/01) PROCEEDINGS OF THE SITTING Contents Page ............................................................................................................................................. 2 1. Resumption of the session .................................................................................................. 2 2. Statement by the President.................................................................................................. 2 3. Approval of the Minutes of the previous sitting................................................................... 2 4. Composition of Parliament ................................................................................................. 2 5. Welcome............................................................................................................................ 3 6. Lapsed written declarations................................................................................................. 3 7. Action taken on Parliament's positions and resolutions........................................................ 3 8. Texts of agreements forwarded by the Council..................................................................... 3 9. Petitions............................................................................................................................. 3 10. Documents received ........................................................................................................... 6 11. Oral questions and written declarations (submission) ........................................................... 9 12. Order of business ............................................................................................................... 11 13. One-minute speeches on matters of political importance ..................................................... 11 14. Economic Partnership Agreement between the EC and Cariforum *** — Stepping-stone Agreement towards an Economic Partnership Agreement between the EC and Côte d'Ivoire *** — EC-Cariforum States Economic Partnership Agreement — EC-Côte d'Ivoire stepping stone Economic Partnership Agreement — Stepping-stone Economic Partnership Agree­ ment between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and Ghana, of the other part — Interim Partnership Agreement between the Pacific States, on the one part, and the European Community, on the other part — EC-SADC EPA States Interim Economic Partnership Agreement — Economic Partnership Agreement between EC and Eastern and Southern African States — Economic Partnership Agreement between the EC and the East African Community Partner States — Stepping-stone Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and Central Africa, of the other part (debate) ............................................................................. 11 C 236 E/2 EN Official Journal of the European Union 1.10.2009 Monday 23 March 2009 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SITTING (continued) Contents 15. Cosmetic products (recast version) ***I (debate) ................................................................... 14 16. The placing of biocidal products on the market ***I — New biocides revision proposal (debate) .............................................................................................................................. 14 17. One year after Lisbon: the EU-Africa partnership at work (debate) ....................................... 15 18. The MDG contracts (short presentation).............................................................................. 15 19. Social responsibility of subcontracting undertakings in production chains (short presentation) ...................................................................................................................... 15 20. An EU-India Free Trade Agreement (short presentation)....................................................... 16 21. Food prices in Europe (short presentation) .......................................................................... 16 22. Artistic studies in the European Union (short presentation).................................................. 16 23. Active dialogue with citizens on Europe (short presentation)................................................ 16 24. Combating female genital mutilation in the EU (short presentation) ..................................... 17 25. Multilingualism: an asset for Europe and a shared commitment (short presentation) ............. 17 26. Agenda of the next sitting .................................................................................................. 17 27. Closure of the sitting .......................................................................................................... 17 ATTENDANCE REGISTER............................................................................................................. 18 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SITTING IN THE CHAIR: Hans-Gert PÖTTERING President 1. Resumption of the session The sitting opened at 17.05. * * * The President congratulated Klaus Welle, the incoming Secretary-General of the European Parliament, and David Harley, Deputy Secretary-General. 2. Statement by the President The President made a statement on the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Baltic citizens in March 1949. 3. Approval of the Minutes of the previous sitting The Minutes of the previous sitting were approved. 4. Composition of Parliament The President noted the appointment of Valdis Dombrovskis as Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia. 1.10.2009 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 236 E/3 Monday 23 March 2009 Since, pursuant to Article 7(1) of the Act concerning the election of the members of the European Parlia­ ment by direct universal suffrage, this office was incompatible with that of Member of the European Parlia­ ment, Parliament established under Rule 4(4) of its Rules of Procedure that the vacancy would take effect from 12 March 2009 and informed the Member State concerned thereof. 5. Welcome On behalf of Parliament, the President welcomed members of a delegation from the Pan-African Parliament — led by Marwick Khumalo — who had taken their seats in the distinguished visitors' gallery. 6. Lapsed written declarations In accordance with Rule 116(5), written declarations 0095, 0096, 0097, 0098, 0099 and 0100/2008 had lapsed as they had not obtained the required number of signatures. 7. Action taken on Parliament's positions and resolutions The Commission communication on the action taken on the positions and resolutions adopted by Parlia­ ment at the November 2008, December I and II 2008 and January 2009 part-sessions was available on the Séance en direct site. 8. Texts of agreements forwarded by the Council The Council had forwarded certified true copies of the following: — Agreement between the European Community and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on certain aspects of air services, — Interim Agreement with a view to an Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Com­ munity and its Member States, of the one part, and the Central Africa Party, of the other part, — Agreement between the European Community and the Government of the People's Republic of China on drug precursors and substances frequently used in the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs or psycho­ tropic substances. 9. Petitions The following petitions, which had been entered in the register on the dates shown below, had been forwarded to the committee responsible pursuant to Rule 191(5): 10.03.2009 José Antonio Redorat Fresquet (Federación de Municipios y Provincias) (2 signatures) (0184/2009) Miguel Ángel Gea Rifa (Izquierda Unida Los Verdes-Convocatoria por Andalucía (IU LV-CA)) (0185/2009) Manfred Zeh (IACE Deutschland) (0186/2009) Magdalena Bakos (0187/2009) Adrian Vacarescu (0188/2009) (name confidential) (0189/2009) José Luis Ruiz Rojas (0190/2009) (name confidential) (0191/2009) C 236 E/4 EN Official Journal of the European Union 1.10.2009 Monday 23 March 2009 Michael Ashbrook (0192/2009) Maria Heidelerg (0193/2009) (name confidential) (0194/2009) John Paul (0195/2009) Jörg Thieme (0196/2009) Peter Janoff (0197/2009) Carmen Burca (0198/2009) Heinz Klaus Thiesen (0199/2009) Axel Scheffler (0200/2009) (name confidential) (0201/2009) (name confidential) (0202/2009) Nikolina Dimitrova (0203/2009) Vasudey Gowrkha (0204/2009) Kalin Minev (Human Resources Development Agency) (0205/2009) Robert Cassar (0206/2009) Harald Karl Heinz Lang (0207/2009) Florenza Scholtes (0208/2009) Horst Stamm (0209/2009) (name confidential) (0210/2009) Liudvikas Ragauskis (0211/2009) (name confidential) (0212/2009) Stephan Weinberger (0213/2009) Corneliu Caileanu (0214/2009) (name confidential) (0215/2009) Lenka Hlochová (0216/2009); 11.03.2009 Philipp Polster (0217/2009) Louis Baumann (0218/2009) Robert Levy (0219/2009) Birgit Klein (0220/2009) (name confidential) (0221/2009) Bruce Burgess (0222/2009) Krystyna Kaczor (0223/2009) Fernando García Torres (0224/2009) Thorsten Niemeier (Bürgerinitiative gegen Schreckschussanlagen) (0225/2009) Emil Moise (Asociația Solidaritatea pentru Libertatea de Conștiinț) (0226/2009) Argyri Karanasiou (0227/2009) Anton Krastev (0228/2009) Plamen Yankov (Фирмена