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Strasbourg Round-Up

Thanks to new laws voted through by the European Parliament this month, the use of the most dangerous chemicals in thousands of everyday household products - from cleaning substances to children's toys - will soon become a thing of the past. At present, very little is known about the side effects on human health of a great many of these chemical products. But there is mounting scientific evidence that increases in the number of cancer cases, hormone disruption and infertility are directly attributable to all the foreign substances swirling around in our veins.

The new law is known as REACH - Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals. It will force manufacturers to take responsibility for proving a chemical's safety and to replace the most hazardous substances with safer alternatives. Animal testing will also be reduced under the OSOR (one chemical substance, one registration) provision. This requires manufacturers to share the information they have on a chemical, rather than each carrying out tests.

Welcoming the vote, Gary Titley said: "This legislation has proved highly contentious from the very outset. Every MEP I know has been subjected to massive lobbying. We on the Labour side have always taken the view that safeguarding public health and the environment must be top priorities. But, by the same token, we have tried to avoid placing unnecessary burdens on the chemical industry and putting vital North West jobs at risk. I firmly believe that this legislation gets that balance right.”

Labour MEPs strongly supported moves to draw up a "blacklist" of airlines that fail to meet safety requirements. Under the plan, listed airlines would not be allowed to operate at any EU airport. The proposals are a direct response to the tragic aeroplane crashes in the EU this summer that killed more than 500 passengers. Under current rules, carriers banned in one country can simply switch their operations to a neighbouring one, thereby avoiding any restrictions.

Speaking after the vote, Gary said: "Passengers need to know that the aircraft they fly on conform to the highest possible safety standards. Once the blacklist is up and running, consumers will have to be told the name of the airline when they book their tickets. Should that later be changed to a carrier on the blacklist, passengers may be able to claim a refund."

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was in Strasbourg this month to report back on last month’s Hampton Court Summit. Since the London bombings in July, the UK has put security at the heart of its EU Presidency. In his capacity as Labour’s Leader in Europe, Gary told the Parliament that Europe can make a real difference in the fight against terrorism. He said: "The extradition from Italy of one of the London bombing suspects took only 2 months, thanks to the European Arrest warrant. Before, it would have taken two years or even longer."

The European Parliament rejected a European Commission proposal to implement the International Humane Trapping Agreement with Canada, Russia and the US. For their part, Labour MEPs thought that the agreement fell well short of acceptable animal welfare standards. Gary said: "There was some confusion about whether this meagre legislation ‘jumped’ or it was ‘pushed’. At the eleventh hour, the Commission seemed to realise it would do nothing to enhance animal welfare, but did not get the chance to withdraw it before Parliament put the final nail in its coffin."

The European Court of Auditors published its annual report on the EU accounts this month – to the accompaniment of all the usual press hysteria alleging fraud and mismanagement. Yet according to Gary’s fellow North West MEP, Terry Wynn who sits on the Budgetary Control Committee, few people are aware that 80% of EU spending is administered by member state governments.

“The EU ‘s financial management is not possible without member states’ active participation, and this must be anchored at political level,” Terry said. “That’s why I have proposed before that each country’s finance minister should sign off their European accounts. For those who care to read it and not selectively pick from it, the Court of Auditors’ report shows a welcome improvement this year. But there is no doubt there is still a long way to go until we can account for every euro spent.”

Shortly before heading off to Strasbourg for the November plenary session, Gary welcomed the Global Discourse on Kashmir Delegation to the European Parliament in Brussels on behalf of the ‘All Party Group for Kashmir’. The aim was to discuss ways of bringing the factions in India and Pakistan closer together to resolve the dispute in Kashmir. Gary chaired one session exploring ideas on how to protect human rights, whilst promoting peace and security in the troubled region. The two-day conference was a resounding success and delegates headed home with many new ideas on how they can work towards a peaceful solution to the conflict.

It has been reported that erstwhile Tory Leadership hopeful, Liam Fox, is urging the EU to start trading with Muslim countries on the Mediterranean – 10 years after EU-Med trading began! And just when the European Parliament’s delegation is due to meet in Morocco to mark the 10^th anniversary of EU-Med relations, the bookies’ favourite for the Tory Crown, David Cameron was reported by ‘The Sun’ to be backing Fox’s plan to start trading talks. Admitting he was “gobsmacked” by these revelations, Gary said: “Where have the Tories been for the last ten years? Muslim countries on the Mediterranean do more business with the EU than they do with each other. The Tories are not just ignorant of European policy, they don’t even know who Britain’s trading partners are.”

The Strasbourg saga continues. Regular readers will know that Strasbourg has become the bane of Gary's life! This month its taxi drivers went on strike in protest about the city being invaded by German taxis. For years Strasbourg's taxi drivers have been charged with the task of ferrying MEPs to and from the airport and railway station. But this agreement has now ended. Unhappy with this, the French cabbies downed tools for 24 hours and, with the trams crammed like sardine-tins, most people – Gary included – had to resort to Shank’s pony to get around