MEPs debated the deadly E. coli outbreak in Germany, and approved a deal on charging trucks for air and noise pollution.

The News: E. coli outbreak - Truck tax

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/15631031/N001-110607-EN.srt

MEPs say yes  to the revised Eurovignette.

Polluting trucks will soon  have to pay their way, but why?

What are the lessons to be drawn  from the E. coli outbreak?

And how can we better react  to health crises?

Spanish MEP Iratxe García Pérez  debates with German MEP Peter Liese.

And the rest of today’s news in brief.

Owners of heavy goods vehicles will pay  for wear and tear to infrastructure

That’s the aim of a new  Eurovignette directive,

a compromise with the Council  after 3 years of talks

and approved by the European Parliament  with a large majority.

We have to start somewhere, and what  we do now is to create possibilities

for Member States which have  the political support in their country

to introduce  the polluter pays principle.

MEPs wanted to earmark revenue from  the Eurovignette for infrastructure

but the Council refused,  although 15% must be spent that way.

Irish MEPs were among those who fear  it will hamper economic recovery.

95% of our exports actually travel by road.

Very often they have to go via the UK  on to mainland Europe.

At a time when our economy is hurting  badly and we need to maintain exports

we’re unfortunately not in a position  to support the Eurovignette project.

Member States can decide  whether or not to charge and how much,

but charges will rise and apply  to double the length of motorways.

Truckers' organisations say that  with 75% of goods travelling by road

Eurovignette means more charges,  so our companies will have to pay more,

and we have to cover this  by charging it to the final consumer,

so the final consumer  will pay more for his goods.

It’s hoped the Eurovignette will help cut  CO2 emissions and control congestion.

The death toll stands at 22,  with thousands seriously ill.

It has already cost Spain €200 million  in exports in just one week.

Germany stands in the dock  after falsely accusing Spanish cucumbers

as being the source  of the lethal E. coli outbreak.

The fallout is being counted  in euros and lives.

Farmers can’t sell their produce, retailers  are affected, distribution has stopped,

so the full extent of the losses  must be calculated.

or new instruments  within the framework of the CMO,

we must be able to compensate  for the losses.

I welcome the Commission's work  also in that direction,

but the biggest problem is  that people are dying,

I want to make clear that  with respect to traceability

and compliance  with health and safety standards,

Spanish products  are fulfilling them 100%.

The Spanish need to accept that  there is a problem with their cucumbers.

There was EHEC on them. It wasn't  the one that caused the epidemic,

but EHEC bacteria should not be  on cucumbers anyhow.

We need compensation, but from  the EU budget or the Spanish budget,

not from those who communicated  what was necessary to communicate.

Germany should take into account  the principle of solidarity,

and to a certain degree  face up to this compensation

and to returning the honour  to a very important sector,

Juncker reveals  death threats from Greece.

The austerity measures, the spectre  of privatisation and tax hikes

are increasingly being  frowned upon by the Greeks.

Anger is growing in the country after the  EU and the IMF demanded more efforts

before granting a new tranche  of the €110 billion bailout

aimed at pulling the country  out of the crisis.

Corruption must be dealt with  at European level,

Home Affairs Commissioner  Malmström said.

Every two years, the EC will review the  states' progress in combating corruption.

80% of Europeans think their country  is affected by corruption.

The cost of the problem is  some 120 billion euros per year –

Some 5,000 people were evacuated from  the plenary session in less than an hour,

a success for the French prefecture  overseeing the exercise.

The exercise, performed twice per term,  involved the Louise Weiss building

which houses the hemicycle  and the offices of MEPs.