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Dear colleague,

Please find attached the February issue of Strasbourg Round-up which I hope you will find of interest.
Wishing you all the best for the festive season.

With best wishes
Gary Titley
.......................................
Euro Office
16 Spring Lane
Radcliffe
Manchester
M26 2TQ
Tel 0161 724 4008
Fax 0161 724 4009
www.garytitley.com
 

Strasbourg Round-Up

Prince Charles' climate change speech

The "Doomsday clock of climate change is ticking", according to Prince Charles in a speech to the European Parliament this month. He said that any measures to tackle climate change would not succeed "without a strong lead from Europe and its citizens". He welcomed the recent proposals on combating climate change from the European Commission and told MEPs that the "role of each and every one of you will be absolutely crucial".

In his address, Prince Charles painted a picture of a world where climate change has taken hold. The Prince mentioned melting of the polar ice cap, telling his audience that "in the last few months we have learnt that the North Polar ice cap is melting so fast that some scientists are predicting that in seven years time it will completely disappear in summer".

The Prince insisted that "we cannot be anything less than courageous and revolutionary in our approach to tackling climate change. It is a task that calls for the biggest public, private and NGO partnership ever seen… Surely, this is just the moment in history for which the European Union was created?" The speech was clearly very pro-European in its calls for action. This was recognised by all MEPs at the end of the speech, who gave Prince Charles a standing ovation, with one notable exception.

Nigel Farage, the leader of the UKIP MEPs, remained firmly seated. Labour's leader in Europe, Gary Titley said he was "embarrassed and disgusted by such behaviour. I had not realised Mr Farage's blind adherence to right-wing politics involved disloyalty and discourtesy to the Royal Family, who are a symbol of our country. He should be thoroughly ashamed of himself and should apologise to the British people he represents."

Gary received some responses to these comments from UKIP supporters, which can now be seen on his website (www.garytitley.com), under the heading ‘Loopy Tunes’. When you see them, you’ll know exactly why.


Parliament ratifies the Lisbon Treaty

This month in Strasbourg, MEPs approved the Lisbon Treaty by an overwhelming majority of 525 to 115. All governments across the European Union and all main opposition parties from all 27 member state backed the new Treaty. Speaking after the vote, Gary said: "There is a broad consensus within the European Parliament that the Lisbon Treaty will enable the EU to better deliver on policies such as climate change, environment, international development and consumer protection - in short all those areas where we can achieve more for our citizens by acting together rather than on our own".

In yet another example of how the Tories can't get their story straight over Europe, it was interesting to see that Tory MEPs Christopher Beazley and Sajjad Karim - formerly of the North West Lib Dems until he defected to the Tories shortly before Christmas - actually voted in favour of the Lisbon Treaty. Meanwhile, Caroline Jackson abstained and Syed Kamall couldn't even be bothered to turn up to vote against. Labour´s Deputy Leader Richard Corbett MEP, who drafted the report for the European Parliament on the Lisbon Treaty, said: "I am glad that at least two Tory MEPs had the courage to vote in a way many more of them believe in."

MEPs’ expenses

There's no escaping all the kafuffle surrounding the recent investigation into MEPs' expenses. Whilst all sorts of allegations have been flying around, Gary was able to confirm that the finger could not be pointed at the Labour team of MEPs. He said: "The report into MEPs’ expenses is long overdue. Since 2000, British Labour MEPs have all their office and staff expenditure reviewed annually by an independent auditor to make sure that taxpayers’ money is used in accordance with European Parliament rules. The auditor then submits a report to the European Parliamentary Labour Party. I am calling on MEPs from all political parties to follow this example." Gary added that he personally had arranged for a chartered accountant to scrutinise and approve his accounts every year since he was first elected to the European Parliament in 1989.

Kosovo

The EU has always taken a keen interest in the future of the Western Balkans. It was no surprise then that Kosovo's declaration of independence immediately before the start of the February Strasbourg plenary session caused quite a stir. MEPs have decided that a comprehensive European plan is needed to provide stability to the whole region, not just Kosovo. The eventual goal is the full integration of the Western Balkans into the EU.

Richard Howitt, the Labour spokesperson on foreign affairs, said: "I hope Kosovo’s independence will be the same turning point in the history of former Yugoslavia that the fall of the Berlin Wall was for Eastern Europe." Gary added: "We should not underestimate what a very dangerous time this is in the Balkans. It’s really important now that Europe puts on a united front to keep the peace in Kosovo, so that the tragic Balkan wars of the 1990s are not repeated."

Free movement of goods

A series of trade restrictions across the EU on goods, ranging from bikes to bread, will finally be swept away after MEPs reached a ground-breaking agreement this month. The issues addressed cover various aspects of the marketing of goods including health and safety, technical and environmental standards and bureaucratic obstacles to trade. This is good news for consumers and small and medium sized businesses in Europe. From now onwards, there will be no need ever again to fill in forms to apply for goods to enter the market of another EU member country. This will in turn bring benefits for consumers, due to lower prices as a result of greater competition.

And Finally…

A band of protestors, led by UKIP MEPs, attempted to disrupt proceedings yet again this month, when they made their way into the debating chamber wearing chicken costumes. Unfortunately for them, the stunt fell flat on its face when Parliament staff asked them to remove their chicken heads before entering the chamber. Gary also said that it was surprising to see the leader of the UKIP MEPs joining in the standing ovation for the Treaty he had just voted against! After all, he could not even be bothered to get up on his feet when Prince Charles addressed the European Parliament!


Gary Titley MEP
February 2008