Phil Bennion

EU steps up fight against cross-border health threats as coronavirus death reported in UK

MEPs in Strasbourg have adopted new EU rules to improve cross-border co-operation to tackle serious public health threats such as influenza, coronavirus and E-coli outbreaks.

The news comes as a 49-year-old man died in St Thomas' Hospital in London after contracting a deadly new virus known asMiddle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-nCV)in Qatar.

Safer roads across Europe: Parliament backs minimum EU standards for MoT tests

The European Parliament has approved new EU-wide minimum standards for MoT safety tests and roadside inspections, with the aim of cutting road deaths by 50% between 2010 and 2020.

The Roadworthiness Package voted through in Strasbourg on Tuesday July 2nd will raise safety standards for vehicles on Europe's roads, says local MEP and Lib Dem European transport spokesman Phil Bennion MEP.

Revised Electro-Magnetic Fields Directive 'safe but practical' for industry and hospitals

A revised proposal for the Electro-Magnetic Fields Directive voted through by the European Parliament in Strasbourg today is 'safe, proportionate and practical,' say Liberal Democrat MEPs, who lobbied hard for the original draft directive to be withdrawn.

The new text has been substantially modified after Lib Dem MEPS, especially former West Midlands MEP Liz Lynne, highlighted objections from industry and in particular health services that safety restrictions to prevent exposure to Electro-Magnetic Fields were so tightly drawn that technology such as hospital MRI scanners would be impossible to use.