No green light for food labelling: MEPs are against 'traffic light' information scheme. Spain is leading the way in organ donation, we went to see how and spoke to MEP Juan Andrés Perelló Rodríguez on the matter. And finally, MEPs approve a bluefin tuna t

The News: Designing labels - Organ donors - Bluefin tuna ban

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What should we be told about where   it's from and how healthy it if for us?

Better European cooperation on   transplanting human organs.

The fate of the blue fin tuna   hangs in the balance

Hello and welcome to this edition of   EuroparlTV News.

We begin with the labels on   the packaging of the food we eat.

Just how much do we want   and need to know about its origin

and whether it contains   a lot of sugar, salt or fat?

If your New Year’s resolution   was to eat more healthily

but you never have time,   so you choose a ready cooked meal.

But how can you tell   it meets your requirements?

Information displayed   on food varies greatly in Europe.

That's soon to change,   with a new EU directive underway.

We would like the MEPs to vote for   a multiple ‘traffic light’ labelling scheme

We don't tell them what to eat, but   enable them to make informed choices.

Studies show that displaying sugar,   salt and fat contents

is popular with consumers but   today the committee rejected it.

As EP rapporteur points out,   we must consider other things.

This regulation shall help   the food sector with more legal security,

and it’s a legislation for better   harmonisation inside the internal market.

Small and medium sized businesses   make up around 80% of the food sector

and are keen on the directive’s   stated aim to cut red tape.

But big food business   has been lobbying hard.

how many additional labelling rules   can be implemented by Member States.

The EP Internal Market Committee   member found out the hard way.

I was surprised by the fact   that there was a majority in IMCO

to delete two whole chapters   concerning national provisions.

I reacted by voting against my own report.

Today’s vote in the committee in charge   of food safety lasted 3 hours,

Negotiations before   the first reading in plenary,

Every day more than 50,000 Europeans   are waiting for organ transplants.

A proposal aims at more cooperation   between states on organ donation

One country where   the system works well is Spain.

I have a donor.   It's a 46 year old man, blood type B.

Doctor Miguel Casares from   Getafe Hospital in Madrid,

has just found an organ donor who died   from a brain haemorrhage.

The information is relayed in real time by   a transplant coordination centre.

In another hospital in Madrid the receiver   awaits the precious organ, a lung.

My key duty is to find all   the potential donors in this hospital

and coordinate the whole process so that   potential donors can become real donors.

Spain leads the world in organ donation.

In 2008 almost   4000 transplantations took place.

The number of donors in this country   is twice the European average.

The key to success was   the creation 20 years ago in 1989

of a national transplantation organisation   and the development of Spain's model.

That means having trained people,   the transplantation coordinators,

in all the hospitals where   you can find a donor.

Another reason for its success is   hospital staff training.

about how to receive and inform families   of potential donors.

These are families who must   be convinced quickly

Above all it’s about putting yourself in this   family's place, understanding their pain

and then put them in a situation where   they can help the other family.

Today in Europe 12 people die each day   from a lack of suitable donors.

In an effort to resolve this the European   Union is preparing a directive.

This law aims to define quality standards   and improve coordination between states.

Today's guest is the Spanish socialist   MEP Andrés Perelló

who is on the committee considering   the organ transplant proposals.

I spoke to him when he came to   the studio earlier today.

Andrés Perelló,   what are you trying to achieve

We are trying to ensure that people   in need of an organ survive,

that those 56,000 Europeans   waiting for an organ to live,

who have the right conditions   to live will stay alive.

You say we need these   new coordinators in every country.

Some Member States say   they've got good systems already.

If this was true we wouldn’t still have   56,000 Europeans waiting,

maybe we'd have some but not so many.   The system needs to be more efficient.

If we compare national systems   we see that some work better

because it’s not only about   solidarity between citizens,

we must make the most of solidarity by   coordinating at hospital and national level.

We saw the Spanish example.   What's the one thing you would highlight

that makes the system   work well in Spain?

People think the reason is we show   great solidarity, and we do,

but there are 13 EU countries that   show more solidarity than the Spaniards.

But what we have are teams   in every hospital

that know how to ask for organs   and talk to families.

There are hospital coordinators   working with the national organisation

that has a fair waiting list,   which people accept as necessary,

reasonable and well organised,   so they are entrusted with organs.

There is a possibility   of abuse of the system,

like people being paid money   for their organs.

Both the directive and the action plan   that the EP is passing prevent this.

All groups agreed that donations   will be unpaid and voluntary,

and the national systems   will make sure of this.

But we need living donors as there are   fewer accidents in some countries.

We can prolong life   with living organ donations.