La Treizième Étoile: European Union Edition
Cornish Flag An Tredhegves Steren - agas pennfenten a nowodhow dhyworth an Kesunyans Europek.
How our MEPs see the EuroParl Plenary: the views from their seats in Brussels

Saturday, 12 May 2012
The Brussels European Parliament Plenary chamber as seen from seat no.76: Ashley Fox MEP (ECR, UK)The Brussels European Parliament Plenary chamber as seen from seat no.309: Giles Chichester MEP (ECR, UK)The Brussels European Parliament Plenary chamber as seen from seat no.312: The Earl of Dartmouth MEP (EFD, UK)The Brussels European Parliament Plenary chamber as seen from seat no.365: Julie Girling MEP (ECR, UK)The Brussels European Parliament Plenary chamber as seen from seat no.838: Trevor Colman MEP (NI, UK)The Brussels European Parliament Plenary chamber as seen from seat no.148: Sir Graham Watson MEP (ALDE, UK)

Taking advantage of the latest edition of the EU Institutions Open Day in Brussels, I took the opportunity to join a debate being held in the European Parliament's Plenary chamber, and watch the debate from the chairs of all six of our region's MEPs.

Above are the views that each of our MEPs currently enjoys during debates and votes held within the Plenary chamber in Brussels.

He may have next to no influence or clout being a Non-attached member, but since he is sat right at the very back it has arguably given UKIP's Trevor Colman the best view of the chamber. Then again, he isn't there enough to enjoy it...

Note: the location of each MEP is governed by their political orientation and by and large by their status within the political group. As seen from the the Speaker's chair, left-wing MEPs sit to the left with the spectrum extending around to the right and far-right wing MEPs sat to the right. The group leaders sit in the very front row, the higher level group members sit in the next few rows and so on. The non-attached members sit right at the very back.
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'However one measures the achievements [of the Schuman Declaration goals], the EU has delivered' - Graham Watson MEP

Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Today - 9th May - is celebrated as Europe Day, the anniversary of the 'Schuman declaration' delivered in Paris in 1950 by Robert Schuman (the Luxembourgish-born French foreign minister at the time) in which he proposed a new form of political cooperation for Europe. The goal and vision was to make war between Europe’s nations unthinkable and forge shared prosperity through economic growth.

To mark this years’ anniversary, Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson has penned an article with fellow regional party member Andrew Wigley in which he argues ‘however one measures the achievements of those goals, the conclusion has to be the European Union has delivered on both counts’. As the authors explain:

“for those of us who believe in the EU’s objectives and feel that Britain should be leading in Europe, these are turbulent times. Liberal Democrats tend to default to a more enlightened, progressive mindset. Our values are anchored in being engaged in the international community; sufficiently self aware to recognise the UK no longer has the clout to go it alone. Internationalists by instinct, we recognise the challenges of our age are rarely managed at the national level alone. Tackling global issues can only be achieved in concert with other countries and within an agreed framework of action that has political and legal bite.”

But the authors do issue a warning to the party and a rallying call: while the Liberal Democrat party ‘should keep the EU in check, we should not sleepwalk down the slippery slope of euroscepticism’. They write:

“let UKIP spew nonsense, and Conservatives spin half-truths, but it is our responsibility as Liberal Democrats to defend the reality of living in a globalised world; that if we want less crime on our streets, if we want a cleaner environment, if want to guarantee affordable energy solutions, if want to safeguard economic growth and prosperity, that can not only be achieved realistically by means of the European Union. There isn’t an alternative.”

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EU demands Gibraltar comply with 2009 directive on defence and procurement contracts

Saturday, 28 April 2012
European Commission has threatened Britain with legal proceedings if it doesn’t fully comply with agreed standards set for tenders of defence contracts and immediately close a loophole being exploited by weapons procurement firms located on the Rock of Gibraltar.

The EU-wide rules – agreed and published in the EU Official Journal in July 2009 – are designed to increase transparency and competition in the arms, munitions and security industries while also regulating public contracts for the purchase of arms, ammunition, military equipment and related services throughout Europe.

“These rules are tailored to the specificities of defence and security equipment and markets,” reads a notice transmitted today by the European Commission. “The deadline for implementing the rules in question was 20 August 2011. The United Kingdom has not yet transposed the Directive’s provisions with regard to Gibraltar, which means that the measures do not cover its full territory.”

“If the UK authorities do not implement it within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Courts of Justice and may request to impose financial penalties,” it continues.

The clampdown would affect firms based in Gibraltar, which include one that builds armoured troop carriers used in Afghanistan and one that recently landed a lucrative contract with the US government to supply anti-drug trafficking vehicles.

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Seven Days - a week in the life of SW Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson

Thursday, 26 April 2012
Continuing their series of asking MEPs to produce a diary feature presenting one week of their parliamentary lives, Public Service Europe have this week published an entry from our Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson.

It soon becomes very clear that the man is busy: his seven days (Monday 9th - Sunday 15th April) sees him visit Gibraltar, celebrate Bristol's inclusion in the shortlist for the EU's green capital 2014, take some constituents for a meeting with the European Commission, fly to Prague for a series of meetings, and even find time for a Chinese lesson before concluding the week back in the South West.

Click here to read the piece over at publicserviceeurope.com.

SEE ALSO:
Seven Days - a week in the life of SW Tory MEP Giles Chichester (09/12/11)

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MEPs split over benefits and pitfalls of gas extraction by 'fracking' in the South West

Friday, 20 April 2012
In the wake of the news that a Government-appointed panel has said fracking - the gas extraction method which triggered two earth tremors near Blackpool last year - should continue, although with strict controls, two of the regions senior MEPs have emerged at odds with each other, with one labelling the plans that could pave the way for controversial gas drilling in the region as "sheer folly".

A fracking protester (Photo: Guardian/PA)The controversial process – known as fracking - involves injecting high pressure water and chemicals into shale rock to blast out trapped natural gas (see explanatory graphic below). Two firms have Government licences to test drill for gas on the Mendip Hills, just south of Bath, although they still need planning permission to commence their work.

Giles Chichester (Conservative) believes the gas could end the reliance on importing energy and "spawn a whole new industry and jobs" but Sir Graham Watson (Liberal Democrat) has rebuked this claim saying: "to even contemplate the extraction of a gas that requires vast amounts of water and chemicals which have the potential to contaminate an already scarce water supply is sheer folly”.

While both were in agreement over the potential to reduce dependency on imported supplies (EU countries depend on imported gas for over 60% of their consumption), Sir Graham said “if the Russians turn off the gas taps, the UK is short of gas within 30 days. Even the whiff of a fuel strike caused chaos with fuel shortages at the pumps within 48 hours […] but in this day and age, where there are a variety of clean, affordable and renewable methods of securing future energy supplies, we should not be pursuing an energy source that can cause earthquakes."

According to a Government document produced in 2011 “shale gas resources in the UK could be considerable—particularly offshore—but are unlikely to be a ‘game changer’ to the same extent as they have been in the US, where the shale gas revolution has led to a reduction in natural gas prices” yet large areas of eastern and southern England were identified as having the best potential for shale gas – with large deposits reckoned to be found in Dorset and Somerset.

Nationwide, the process was unofficially suspended between June 2011 and April 2012 after it was found to have triggered two small earthquakes of Magnitudes 2.3 and 1.5 in April and May near Blackpool, Lancashire.

In September 2011, Bath and North East Somerset Council publicly expressed its concern that the hydro-fracturing process could contaminate the water courses leading to the natural hot springs – one the region’s major tourist attractions.

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‘Suspension will allow reform to continue and be rewarded" - MEP Girling on Burma EU sanctions

Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Earlier today the South West Conservative MEP Julie Girling spoke during the Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg in the debate on the situation in Burma. Recalling her participation in the historic first official delegation visit from the European Parliament, Mrs Girling spoke of her admiration for Burmese democracy and human rights campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi and her support to the calls for the suspension – not full lifting – of sanctions by the EU in recognition of the changes taking place in the country.

Here is the transcript of her intervention in the debate:

"Mr President, I was also privileged to be part of the Parliament delegation to Burma. I had the pleasure of meeting Aung San Suu Kyi in her home and I can only echo the words of David Cameron when he said that everyone has been inspired by her struggle.

However, I was also struck by her very cautious attitude to the way ahead. She was absolutely clear that any rush to completely remove sanctions would be premature and reminded us what happened after the last ‘free and fair’ elections in her country – that is, within months, the entire cohort of successful candidates were in prison as the military junta cracked down. She has welcomed proposals to suspend rather than lift sanctions and I believe that this is now the appropriate way forward. Suspension will allow reform to continue and be rewarded but serve as a reminder that the world is still watching.

On the other hand, I would also like to stress that it is vitally important for the well-being of the people of Burma that we move quickly towards opening up the economy and encouraging strong and fair governance, both politically and financially. European companies can, and should, play an important part in harnessing the entrepreneurial flair of the Burmese people and I look forward to seeing them thrive."


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BIG NEWS: Bristol makes final shortlist for 2014 European Green Capital award

Thursday, 12 April 2012
In what is a tremendous piece of news: Bristol has been named among the three finalists in the competition to find Europe's Green Capital for 2014. The Danish capital Copenhagen and the German city of Frankfurt are now its final competition.

The European Green Capital Award is presented to a city in the vanguard of environmentally friendly urban living. Four cities have been awarded the title of European Green Capital since its inception in 2010.

Stockholm (Sweden) won the inaugural title, followed by Hamburg (Germany) in 2011. The current holder is Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain) and the French city of Nantes will hold the title in 2013.

The contest for the 2014 title has been whittled down to three cities from the 18 cities that applied and the finalists were proposed by an independent panel of experts, who assessed the entries in 12 different areas including local contribution to global climate change, quality of local ambient air, eco innovation and sustainable employment.

If Bristol won the award, it would not only be a feather in the cap for the city, but would also open the door to European funding for hi-tech "green" projects, and attract economic investment from companies both home and abroad with "green" credentials. The spin-offs could galvanise Bristol as a European hub on sustainable issues.

Bristol last entered the competition in 2010 and reached a shortlist of six cities but this year marks a considerable achievement since among the defeated rivals were three capital cities – Brussels, Paris and Vienna.

Delighted with the news, Sir Graham Watson, the sole Liberal Democrat MEP for the city and region, tweeted: “Great to see Bristol in the big league as a finalist for the 2014 European Green Capital. @bgreencapital Best of luck for June!”

Bristol, Copenhagen and Frankfurt will present their vision, action plans, communication strategy and their potential to act as a role model for other cities to the Jury on 8th June in Brussels. The Jury will deliver its verdict at an award ceremony in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain on 29th June.

You can add your name to those who back the Bristol bid by clicking here and supporting Bristol Green Capital.


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Former ‘Bobby on the Beat’ MEP confirmed as member of Parliament’s special committee on Organised Crime in the EU

Saturday, 31 March 2012
Trevor Colman, one of the UKIP MEPs for the South West of England and Gibraltar, has been confirmed as a member of the European Parliament’s special Committee on Organised Crime, Corruption and Money Laundering in the EU after MEPs adopted the list of members in Brussels last week.

Mr Colman, who before becoming an MEP served as a policeman for more than 30 years and even advised on the scripts for the TV crime series 'Wycliffe' that was set and filmed in Cornwall, is the sole member of the Committee representing the Non Attached members of the Parliament.

During the special committee’s 12-month mandate, Mr Colman and 44 other colleagues from across all the political groupings will evaluate the extent of organised crime's impact on the EU economy and society and recommend legislative and other measures to enable the EU to respond to these threats at international, European and national levels.

The committee will have the power to make on site visits and hold hearings with EU and national institutions from all over the world. MEPs may also invite testimonies from representatives of business and civil society and victims’ organisations, and officials, including judges, involved in the daily fight against organised crime, corruption and money laundering.

Italian Liberal MEP Sonia Alfano, the European Parliament's rapporteur on this issue, said the establishment of the anti-mafia committee at the European Parliament "represents a real turning point in the history of European Union policies". "Finally", she said "Europe is sending a clear message to criminal organisations and gangs: the institutions are not going to back down in the face of organised crime".

In October 2011, the Parliament adopted a resolution by Ms Alfano on Organised Crime in the EU that recognised the large scale of operations in Europe and called on Member States to improve cooperation and coordination and to approximate their legislation in order do more to combat it.

Organised crime, the resolution says, "has a substantial social cost, in that it violates human rights, undermines democratic principles, diverts and wastes financial, human and other resources, distorting the free internal market, contaminating businesses and legitimate economic activities, encouraging corruption and polluting and destroying the environment."

"Although no comprehensive study exists," the resolution notes, "mafia-style criminal organisations operating in Europe have an impressively large turnover, particularly in the case of Italian organised crime groups, which […] are conservatively estimated to have revenues of at least EUR 135 billion, a figure which is higher than the combined GDP of 6 EU Member States".

The Committee will begin its work before the end of April 2012 and its mandate may be extended once.

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