MEPs water down tax changes that risked making diesel dearer. Italian Liberal elected head of anti-mafia committee. MEPs demand EU lives up to its rhetoric on human rights.

Diesel price / Anti-mafia committee / Human rights

A European Commission proposal  to change energy tax structure

to encourage a move away  from diesel fuel

has been watered down  by the Parliament.

MEPs agreed in principle with applying tax  according to CO2 and energy content,

but feared it could put up the cost of diesel.

Supporters of the proposal were outraged.

The German and French car industry have  been lobbying like mad for the past days,

trying to overturn the convictions  of their own MEPs.

And they succeeded with the EPP  and with the Socialists

The EP’s new 45-member  anti-mafia committee

Sonia Alfano was elected to head the body  which has an extendable one-year mandate

in which to strengthen co-operation  and produce a report.

Ms Alfano would like the EU to follow  Italy’s lead in tackling organised crime.

to bring the best of the Italian anti-mafia  legislation to Europe is a positive one,

also because unfortunately our legislation  is for obvious reasons the best in the world.

Just across the river from the EP stands  the European Court of Human Rights.

Some MEPs are concerned  at British moves to weaken its powers.

MEPs called for new rules  for EU firms exporting to repressive regimes

They want a special representative  on human rights

and they’re concerned at EU trade  with regimes that abuse them.

The European Union was  negotiating with Colonel Gaddafi

four weeks before Britain  and France started bombing him

and that’s how bad it was,  for Europe...

On the one hand,  we want better trade relations,

and on the other,  we want better human rights.