Mobile phone manufacturers will be obliged to provide a common battery charger in order to cut cost and waste. The common charger is part of a provisional deal on radio equipment rules struck by MEPs and the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of Ministers on Thursday. Agreement was also reached on cutting red tape and more robust market surveillance.

On Thursday morning, the first plane of Belarusian Airlines BelAvia to Minsk departed from Lithuania's capital Vilnius.

During the holiday season from the 20th of December to the 5th of January Air Lituanica will be carrying flights from the airports of Vilnius and Palanga in Lithuania to London (Gatwick) and Dublin. Due to the increased passenger flows at this festive time, Air Lituanica would like to warn its clients to plan their time in advance and arrive at the flight registration desks earlier. The company also wishes to inform its passengers that currently each of the main flights introduced to provide Lithuanians with the means to visit their relatives in Lithuania, London or Dublin can still accommodate from 5 to 10 passengers.

President's wife Alma Adamkiene ascertained for the portal Delfi that her husband Former Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus was hospitalized in Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu Clinics.

On Saturday, the end of Lithuania's Presidency of the EU Council was marked at the Grand Hall of the Philharmonic by Richard Wagner's opera Tristan and Isolde.

Nine years ago many European politicians, including (or maybe first of all) the ones in the European Parliament, caught a 'Ukrainian fever'. Wherefore lots of them were wearing orange scarfs for this reason. Fortunately, it went away as fast as the bird flu, which then threatened Europeans. As it turns out, the recurrence of symptoms came up years later. This time it is a 'Ukrainian panic'. And what is needed here is a cold head, factual diagnosis, calculation of profits and loss, as namely this is the basis of international politics.

The European Parliament should consent to a trade deal with the US only if it makes no reference to data protection, says its Civil Liberties Committee in the preliminary conclusions of its inquiry into surveillance of EU citizens by the US National Security Agency (NSA) and EU member states, tabled by lead MEP Claude Moraes (S&D, UK) on Wednesday. The draft text also calls for the swift creation of an EU data storage "cloud" and judicial redress for EU citizens to protect their data in the US.

Loopholes that airlines use to deny compensation to passengers delayed for over three hours should be closed by Transport Committee amendments, voted on Tuesday, to the European Commission's proposal on revised air passenger rights. These amendments further restrict grounds for denying information, compensation and assistance, and make it easier for national authorities to penalise airlines that do not fulfil their obligations.

"Today, we see massive abuse of passenger rights by certain airlines which simply ignore passengers' complaints or requests, or systematically cite 'extraordinary circumstances' as grounds for denying them compensation", said Georges Bach (EPP, LU), who is steering the legislative proposal through Parliament. "Due to lack of information and enforcement by authorities, only 2% of passengers entitled to compensation actually get it under current rules", he added. MEPs tabled some 600 amendments to tighten up the Commission proposal and "put the passenger back at the centre of this legislation", said Mr Bach.

Clear definition of unforeseeable "extraordinary circumstances"

The "extraordinary circumstances" in which compensation may be denied should be limited to events (listed in the annexes) beyond the actual control of the air carrier and which "could not be avoided even if reasonable measures had been correctly taken by the airline". Any airline wishing to deny passengers compensation for flight disruption, should have to prove the existence of such circumstances, in writing, to the passenger, MEPs added.

Compensation due after three hours' delay on short flights

In the absence of such extraordinary circumstances, airlines should offer passengers compensation, reimbursement and/or re-routing in the event of denial of boarding or delays upon arrival exceeding:

• three hours for flights of up to 2,500 km (€300 compensation),
• five hours for flights of up to 6,000 km (€400), or
• seven hours for flights of over 6,000 km (€600).

The Commission's proposal of 5-9-12 hour thresholds was rejected.

Passengers should be given the right to disembark after three' hours maximum delay on the tarmac (down from five according to the Commission proposal).

Competent staff to inform and help stranded passengers in airports

Whereas the Commission proposal would require airlines only to inform delayed passengers on-the-spot, no later than 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time, MEPs say air carriers should have to set up contact points at airports where staff can inform passengers faced with flight disruptions or luggage delays, damage or loss, of their rights and choices, including complaint procedures and forms, and help them by taking immediate action. If an airline fails to respond in full to complaints within two months, it must be deemed to accept the passenger's claim, according to the amended new rules.

Further improvements for passengers

• Detailed information on hand-luggage allowances (including possible extra charges) and complaint procedures with regard to air passenger rights and luggage handling should be provided at reservation and contact addresses for complaints clearly indicated on the ticket, MEPs say.
• Coats, handbags and at least one bag of airport shopping should be accepted on all flights, in addition to the prescribed maximum cabin baggage allowance, MEPs added.
• Passengers who have not used their outward flight must not be denied boarding or face any extra cost on the return flight.
• Free-of-charge assistance (food, drinks, accommodation when necessary) must be provided already after two hours' delay, even in "extraordinary circumstances".

Final vote possible before EU elections

The legislative resolution was approved by 37 against 3 votes, no abstentions. The plenary vote is scheduled for 4 February, to allow time to negotiate a first-reading agreement with Council before the May 2014 European elections.

REF. : 20131217IPR31104

www.europarl.europa.eu

On December 17, in Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Ministers unanimously reached political agreement on the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks available next year in EU waters and for EU vessels in certain non–EU waters on a basis of a Presidency compromise, drawn up in agreement with the European Commission and taking into consideration some main remarks/concerns from EU Member States. Lithuanian Presidency broke with the traditional overnight councils and the above mentioned agreement reached in record time.

The European Commission today adopted "Shift2Rail", a new public-private partnership to invest just under €1 billion in research and innovation to get more passengers and freight onto Europe's railways. Rail is amongst the most efficient and climate-friendly forms of transport, but currently it only carries about only 10% of European cargo and 6% of passengers each year.