Citing rationales ranging from "health and safety" to the need to maintain "minimum social standards" in the EU and to strike a better balance between work and family life, the commission is launching a "consultation of interested parties" on possible changes to the directive.
The European commissioner for consumer affairs, Meglena Kuneva, will announce the change to the Package Holiday Directive in Brussels later this month.
The findings may be implemented as part of changes to the Roadworthiness Directive, which sets the framework for MOT testing, and is scheduled to be introduced in the UK in 2017-18.
"The changes to the ePrivacy Directive are already woefully out of date," said Mr Hanff.
This is also aided by Parliament's mandate as the only directly democratic institution, which has given it leeway to have greater control over legislation than other institutions, for example over its changes to the Bolkestein directive in 2006.
However, in the fall of 2001 changes to the European Council directive lying down minimum standards for the protection of pigs was passed, becoming effective by January 1st 2003 [ 3, 4].
Germany is now working to persuade other union members to join it in voting to change the directive, which is also the subject of talks between the union's Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, which favors an approach more like Germany's.
On May 7th a committee of the European Parliament will debate changes to the Shareholders' Rights Directive of 2007.
In January, a bipartisan group of about 20 lawmakers in Congress urged the VA to change the directive, which expired in February, and asked VA Secretary Robert McDonald to ensure that "doctors and patients are allowed to have honest discussions about treatment options".
There could be an attempt to change the directive that puts the freedom into practice but that would require agreement by EU leaders and the parliament.
To be continued... UPDATE: The European Science Foundation also spoke out yesterday on the new animal use directive, releasing a report detailing its concerns and recommending changes to the current language of the directive.
