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An end to cat and dog fur trade

Over 2 million dogs and cats are slaughtered each year for their furs and skins, mostly in China and other South East Asian countries. Many of these products find their way onto European markets.

Labour MEPs were among the first to call for a ban on this cruel trade and, with the support of over one million concerned citizens, persuaded the European Commission to act. And this month, they successfully brokered a deal to put a new law in place, finally bringing to an end the trade in cat and dog fur throughout the European Union.

Speaking after MEPs overwhelmingly approved proposals for a ban, Labour’s Leader in Europe Gary Titley said: “Many European citizens are unknowingly conned into buying garments made out of cat and dog fur because of misleading labelling. This new law will put an end to these deceptive practices and stop the inhumane suffering of thousands of animals.”

Labour calls the shots in saving spirit drinks

In Strasbourg this month, the European Parliament voted on new rules covering the production and labelling of spirits such as whisky and vodka. Dubbed the "vodka war" by the press, the row over what actually constitutes vodka pitted countries like Poland, Finland and Lithuania, who traditionally produce vodka from grain and potatoes, against other EU countries, which use sugar and fruit to make the drink.

Gary, who drafted part of the European Parliament report on the new rules, told MEPs that EU laws had to be brought up to date, due to changes in production methods and also to protect the consumer. “But we cannot limit vodka production to just grain and potatoes,” he warned.

"Not many people know but ‘vodka’ in the modern-day sense of the word has been produced in the North West and the UK as a whole longer than it has been in Poland or even Finland! The spirit industry is extremely important to us, creating jobs and raising revenue. To limit vodka production to grain and potatoes would put thousands of livelihoods at risk both here in the UK and in some of the poorest countries in the world.”

The new rules will also ensure that regional product labelling, such as Scottish Whisky and London Gin, is protected. Particularly welcoming that decision, Gary added: "This deal is vital for the Scottish whisky industry to protect Scottish brands and distilleries worldwide from cheap overseas imitations."

One seat for Parliament
A poll conducted by the Campaign for Parliament Reform (CPR) has revealed an overwhelming majority of MEPs (89%) not only want one permanent seat for the European Parliament but more than four out of five want the seat to be in Brussels. 84% also believed that the European Parliament itself, rather than the heads of member state governments, should be able to decide where it sits – like all other Parliaments in the world.
Labour MEPs have long supported a single seat for the European Parliament. The arrangement to meet twelve times a year in Strasbourg is an obligation set out in the European treaties. Former UK Tory Prime Minister, John Major, made it formally binding at the European Summit in Edinburgh in 1992.

Commenting on the CPR findings, Gary said: "Strasbourg costs £200 million a year and leaves a massive carbon footprint. Shifting the European Parliament and all those connected with it from Brussels to Strasbourg each month is producing 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year, equivalent to the greenhouse gases produced by 13,000 round-trip flights from London to New York.

“As long as we have to suffer this monthly trek to Strasbourg, people will rightly say that the EU is wasting money. Let’s be clear - Strasbourg is a waste of taxpayers’ money. I hope the results of this poll, alongside the one million citizens who have signed the online ‘oneseat.eu’ petition, will force EU heads of government to act when they meet at the European Summit this week."

Treaty talks in Brussels

Just as the week in Strasbourg was drawing to a close, EU leaders were indeed gathering in Brussels for a European Council, marking the climax of Germany’s 6-month Presidency of the EU - and the last summit of Tony Blair's premiership. Top of the agenda was what to do with the failed European Constitution and the changes needed to make the EU work better.

Before leaving Strasbourg, Gary said: "The Constitution is dead. What we should concentrate on now is delivering more jobs and improving people's quality of life. A revised treaty with minimum reforms will not see Britain lose control of its borders and police to Brussels as some Eurosceptics have claimed. It will simply increase democratic accountability and parliamentary scrutiny. It will also help an EU with 27 member countries function more effectively. This can only be good news for Britain."

Paying tribute to the outgoing UK Prime Minister, Gary added: "We should never forget that when Labour first came to power, the Tories had left Britain out in the cold and completely isolated in Europe. But Tony Blair has proved the importance of Europe in a globalised world and has made Britain an architect for change in Europe. He has focused European thinking on Africa and achieved huge advances on debt and development."

"Under his leadership, Labour has proved itself the only party capable of working effectively with its neighbours to find constructive solutions to cross-border problems. Now the EU is following a Labour-led agenda which focuses on climate change, energy security and protecting jobs. We can safely say that it has been Labour under Tony Blair that not only put the UK back on track but the EU too."

And finally…

UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom has been at it again. The man, who once suggested that small businessmen were lunatics if they employed women of childbearing age, has this time lambasted members of the European Parliament’s Women and Gender Equality Committee. Talking about his fellow MEPs, Bloom fumed: "It did not take long before the conversation got round to rape and prostitution… it always does. It is interesting that none of them are in danger of the first or indeed could earn their living at the second, though it would be ungallant to say so.” Bloom’s attention seeking, appalling ignorance and abusive rhetoric seems to know no bounds.


Gary Titley MEP
June 2007