EU summit debate

David Cameron has been criticised for "heckling from far away", during a debate on the recent summit of EU leaders.

Speaking in Strasbourg on 23 October 2012, socialist group leader Hannes Swoboda said it was "not right" for the British prime minister to move "further and further away from Europe".

"If you don't want to be with us, go your own way," he said, arguing that it was wrong for one country to hold up further economic integration.

However the conservative group leader, Martin Callanan, retorted that the problem lay with a lack of EU leadership.

"Difficult decisions are delayed, timetables slip and political realities are ignored," he claimed.

The summit that took place earlier in the month saw the European Council - made up of EU heads of government - agree to set up a single eurozone banking supervisor, in what is being seen as the first step towards a banking union.

The European Central Bank-led mechanism will have the power to intervene in any bank within the eurozone.

This will not directly affect the UK, where the Bank of England will retain control over banks, but David Cameron has promised on Monday to "defend national interests".

The supervisor is not expected to be in place until later in 2013, and liberal group leader Guy Verhofstadt accused German chancellor Angela Merkel of holding up the plans due to the country's general elections that take place next autumn.

Mr Verhofstadt also accused the European Council for a lack of action over the violence in Syria.

He said that it was a "scandal" that EU institutions were not taking responsibility for ensuring peace in the country, and urged the EU to enforce a no-fly zone.

"Aleppo is becoming more and more like Dresden, with bombardments every day," he warned.

Useful links:

Democracy Live's guide to how the plenary sessions work.

A disclaimer on the use of simultaneous interpretations, on the European Parliament's website.