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Strasbourg Round-Up

The UK Presidency of the EU got fully into its stride in Strasbourg this month, following the European Parliament’s six-week summer recess. A whole host of ministers, including Home Secretary Charles Clarke, Europe Minister Douglas Alexander and Economic Secretary Ivan Lewis were in town to address the parliament. EPLP Leader Gary Titley was also pleased to catch up with former MEPs, Geoff Hoon and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, to discuss how the UK Presidency was progressing.

A call for greater openness in EU decision making was made by Gary this month, with the backing of the heads of the other British political parties in Europe. At present, the EU’s ultimate decision making body, the Council of Ministers, meets behind closed doors. Once negotiations have ended, all parties traditionally emerge declaring victory, with varying accounts of what happened inside.

Gary has now stepped up pressure on the Council to make its debates more open, by demanding that it lifts the veil of secrecy. At a press conference he said: “The Council needs to start a revolution about how the EU communicates by opening up and conducting its affairs in public. At the moment its secretive procedures are more like Papal enclaves.”

China and the EU have recently been at loggerheads about the volume of Chinese clothes coming into the EU. As part of an agreement reached in June, the EU placed limits on Chinese imports to protect the European clothing industry. But almost immediately, it emerged that China had already exceeded its quotas for 2005, with the result that millions of items destined for Europe’s shops were embargoed.

As MEPs were arriving in Strasbourg, news reached them that, following many long hours of talks in Beijing, Commissioner Peter Mandelson had finally resolved the so-called ‘bra-wars’ problem. Once EU member countries approved the new deal, the embargoed goods started to flow out of Europe’s ports and on to retailers’ shelves.

Speaking on behalf of Labour MEPs, Gary said: “I am very pleased that an agreement has been reached between China and the EU. This means that shoppers will have a full range of goods to choose from this winter. That will leave the politicians to get on and iron out their differences over next year’s import limits.”

Home Secretary Charles Clarke outlined his plans to MEPs this month to make Europe safer. Mr Clarke told the parliament that a balance had to be struck between respect for human rights and the threat of terrorism. One of his key proposals was better data retention law, which would mean increased surveillance of electronic data, such as phone calls and emails.

Gary welcomed the proposals. “The recent terrorist attacks in London have shown the lengths some people will go to, in order to destroy our way of life,” he said. “Although we must respect individual freedom, we must also give our police and intelligence services the tools they need to stop these terrible outrages happening again.”

The parliament passed new measures this month to reduce radiation related illnesses. But MEPs said that the decision whether or not to give workers information about the risks of excessive exposure to sunlight should be left up to EU member countries.

More than 69,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the UK alone every year. It is also the cause of 2000 deaths in this country each year. Critics of the new law dubbed it the ‘tan ban’ and came up with the bizarre claim that it would mean the end of busty Bavarian barmaids and bare-backed British builders.

“We are not telling people that they have to hide themselves away from the sun or completely cover up out doors, far from it,” Gary explained. “But we do have a responsibility to make sure people are safe in their work place and are protected from serious danger.”

This month, the European Parliament approved new rules that will make pharmaceutical companies design and test drugs especially for children. Up until now, companies have treated children as ‘mini-people’, by simply reducing the doses of adult medicine for children. But experts have long complained that this isn’t good enough.

“The lack of testing of children’s medicines was not acceptable and needed to be addressed,” said Gary. “Without this new law, children would continue to be exposed to unwanted side effects or be prescribed drugs that make their condition worse. The EU is now going to make sure that drug companies design the best and most effective medicines for our children”.

Avid cricket fan that he is, Gary was keen to show his support for England this month as the team took to the field to battle it out against the Aussies in the final Ashes test of the summer. But he didn’t go to the same embarrassing lengths as some of his Conservative colleagues to demonstrate his commitment to the cause. Several Tory MEPs gathered outside the parliament to give a rendition of “Jerusalem”, much to the amusement of bemused onlookers. It’s just as well England can play cricket better than the Tories can sing!