Monday's session opened with Parliament's President Hans-Gert Pöttering leading a minutes silence for the two British soldiers gunned down by renegade terrorists in Northern Ireland at the weekend.

Monday's session opened with Parliament's President Hans-Gert Pöttering leading a minutes silence for the two British soldiers gunned down by renegade terrorists in Northern Ireland at the weekend. MEPs then moved on to discuss what should be the priorities in the European Union's budget for 2010 with the economic crisis and measures to tackle climate change being high on the list.
As the session opened in Strasbourg the President also called for more women to be involved in local, national and European politics in part to mark International Women's Day on 8 March.
 
Economic crisis could be 2010 budget priority
 
A report on the budget for next year - which must past muster from MEPs - identifies the economic downturn, climate change, energy policy, illegal immigration and crime as key concerns. Hungarian EPP-ED member László Surján is drafting Parliament's report on this issue. He told fellow Members in the debate that: “our citizens in Europe have fears, what about heating their own apartments, what about their food. We need a budget that restores faith again in Europe.”

MEPs also want €10 million shaved off translation costs for the European Institutions and money made available to allow the Union to be able to handle possible enlargement to include Croatia. These proposals were contained in a report by Slovak Socialist MEP Vladimír Maňka.
 
Steps for small businesses
 
Monday evening also saw three reports debated which look at various ways to help small and medium size companies across Europe. These include a single private company statue which would make it easy for companies to operate abroad as they would have a single legal identity.
 
Another non-legislative report would aim to establish a common set of principles to guide them as well as steps to cut red tape. Another asks the EC to submit a directive aimed at facilitating cross-border transfers of registered businesses within EU.
 
Monday also the social situation of the Roma, asylum system, online gambling and food quality discussed.