tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9257080441337579792012-01-29T22:30:05.961ZLa Treizième ÉtoileDispatches on key events from the European Parliament, Commission and the Council, with a particular focus on the South West UK region.Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.comBlogger3561100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-47770730762223074952012-01-28T17:15:00.003Z2012-01-29T11:31:26.122ZDavid Cameron stands firm on Gibraltar’s right to self determination during speech before the Council of EuropeBritish Prime Minister David Cameron was in Strasbourg this week to address the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (note: entirely different to the EU) of which the UK has now assumed the presidency.Following his speech delivered on Wednesday in which he urged EU leaders to seize a 'once-in-a-generation chance' to make sweeping changes to the European Court of Human Rights (see alsoAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-45102368615767278472012-01-25T13:45:00.018Z2012-01-29T21:05:04.229ZHappy Birthday BloggingPortal.eu: three years youngTomorrow (Thursday 26th) marks three years since the launch of BloggingPortal - a website ran by volunteers that now aggregates more than 900 blogs written in an array of European languages and each discussing European affairs and political activity.As many will testify, a week is a long time in politics (all the more so in current times of European crises) but over the last three years, bloggingAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-29211562763175483312012-01-23T22:18:00.008Z2012-01-23T22:47:56.628ZEgg on your Face(book)? MEP Girling takes her Good Egg Bad Egg campaign onlineConservative MEP Julie Girling has this week taken her Good Egg Bad Egg Campaign onto the social network Facebook and is calling on users to speak up for the 'Good Eggs' and name and shame the 'Bad Eggs'.OK, OK please don't crack up, it may not be the most egg-citing issue but it is a serious one. As Mrs Girling explains "fourteen EU member states have failed to fully enforce the Welfare of Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-1613448791265805382012-01-23T20:13:00.004Z2012-01-28T15:17:36.333ZDobrodošli u Europsku uniju: Croatia votes overwhelmingly in favour of joining the EUCroatia is finally set to become the 28th Member of the European Union in 2013 after its citizens voted to join the EU by a sweeping majority in a referendum held at the weekend.Despite the disappointingly low turnout (44%), the result delivered a greater than expected yes result than what had been predicted in the opinion polls. With nearly all ballots counted, Croatia's state referendum Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-67309376764638832152012-01-21T21:59:00.002Z2012-01-29T22:30:05.965Z'Gibraltar, Español!' - new Spanish foreign minister’s jovial quip angers the RockI think it's safe to say that Spain's new foreign minister José Manuel García-Margallo Y Marfil has certainly got off to a rocky start. Video footage has emerged of an ill-advised quip he made after a press conference in the European Parliament that was televised, streamed live online, and immediately caused upset on the Rock.Following the conclusion of the press conference held in Strasbourg onAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-92213941701378337162012-01-21T09:47:00.008Z2012-01-21T21:27:39.698ZInteresting Economist debate concludes 'this house does not believe Britain should leave the EU'The Economist have been hosting a debate this week on their website with the motion for debate: "This house believes that Britain should leave the EU". Throughout the week there have been guest contributions both for the motion (Tory MEP and Telegraph columnist Daniel Hannan) and against the motion (Labour MP Douglas Alexander) as well of course as comments submitted by users, with an ongoing Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-73352341101698717462012-01-21T09:38:00.003Z2012-01-21T16:58:36.624ZMEPs call for urgent and coordinated measures to halve food wastage in the EUMEPs in Strasbourg have this week called for urgent and coordinated EU-wide measures to halve food waste by 2025 and to improve access to food for needy EU citizens in a resolution adopted on Thursday. It is estimated that almost 50% of edible and healthy food gets wasted along the entire food supply chain each year.To drastically reduce food wastage by 2025, the resolution says new awareness Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-57914476469056565522012-01-18T21:47:00.009Z2012-01-20T21:46:01.576ZMEP Girling posts her January vlog update and talks about her constituency at last!Conservative MEP Julie Girling has this evening released her January video blog from Strasbourg. In this edition she discusses the elections in Parliament of a new President and Vice-Presidents ("staged and stage managed; not exciting and not many surprises"), the launch of her new healthy living campaign (some of her ECR colleagues have signed up to the initiative with WeightWatchers!), the Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-78606680455909079622012-01-17T21:46:00.012Z2012-01-21T09:47:13.997ZMartin Schulz elected new Parliament President - some reactions from our MEPsThe result was as expected, but it was not the walkover that many (myself included) had expected. German MEP Martin Schulz (S&D) was indeed elected by the members of the European Parliament today in Strasbourg to serve as its new president with 387 votes in favour out of 670 cast (58%). Replacing Polish Jerzy Buzek (EPP), he will hold the post for two and half years until the beginning of the Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-15761202835359290232012-01-16T08:01:00.001Z2012-01-17T22:31:11.689ZAs MEPs meet to elect their new President, Giles Chichester is certain to lose his Vice Presidency positionMEPs are in Strasbourg this week where they will meet and elect the new President of the European Parliament as well as its 14 vice chairs. While the German MEP Martin Schulz is widely expected to be coronated in the final vote on Tuesday, one result is already certain: South West Conservative MEP Giles Chichester will lose his position as Vice President.This is a direct result of the British Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-50867496807181132122012-01-15T15:48:00.004Z2012-01-22T13:59:01.486ZDartmouth: David Cameron must stop supporting Turkey's EU membershipUKIP MEP William Dartmouth has today called for David Cameron to stop supporting Turkey’s aspirations for eventual membership of the European Union in direct response to Turkish threats to jail the Duchess of York over a secret film on children abandoned in a Turkish orphanage.In a statement, the Earl said: “the Duchess of York has done trojan work exposing the inhuman conditions of Turkish Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-59118426155733971282012-01-14T21:20:00.016Z2012-01-15T23:34:13.277ZIt's full steam ahead for HS2! But at a cost of £32.7 over 21 years, where are the benefits for the West Country?It was one of the Government’s worst kept secrets, and a project to which a recent poll shows nearly two thirds of population are opposed or in favour of better spending the cash, yet it is happening.HS2, the proposed high-speed line connecting London to Birmingham continuing on to Manchester and Leeds was officially given the green light this week and is to go ahead at a cost of at least £32.7 Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-15114397785429693172012-01-14T21:13:00.006Z2012-01-28T21:31:26.964ZGirling vows to fight the ‘Festive Flab’ as she launches 'Healthy Living' campaign and a Weight Watchers service for MEPsIt simply would not be Christmas without all the food, and diets are of course a popular New Year’s resolution. With that in mind, and as Parliament returns from its Christmas break, South West Conservative MEP Julie Girling has decided to this launch a new Healthy Living campaign. Working in partnership with Weight Watchers, she wants to help MEPs and Citizens across Europe get healthy in 2012.“Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-29441943030358621102012-01-10T21:53:00.011Z2012-01-14T10:10:54.348ZA European Financial Transactions Tax is ‘highly unlikely' – Sir Graham Watson MEPA European financial transactions tax (FTT) is "highly unlikely", a senior Liberal Democrat MEP has said.French President Nicolas Sarkozy vows to press ahead with a tax on financial transactions in France to force the issue in Europe, despite concerns that a unilateral move would isolate the country and damage the French financial services industry, while Germany is standing firm that it should Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-68201012059056885522012-01-09T08:13:00.001Z2012-01-14T11:32:35.452ZSW MEP Watson to host meeting of European liberal leaders in London to address European economic growthLeading Government ministers, party leaders and European Commissioners from Liberal parties across Europe are meeting in London today at the invitation of South West England and Gibraltar MEP Sir Graham Watson, in his role as president of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform party (ELDR).The main topics to be addressed at the meeting, co-hosted together with UK Deputy Prime Minister and Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-78958751458975474172012-01-07T10:54:00.007Z2012-01-16T09:22:09.007ZJD Wetherspoon’s ‘Veto Ale’ to celebrate Cameron's ‘patriotic act’ is a clever stunt of tremendously poor tasteI have to admit I was not sure whether to laugh or cry when I first learned of the news that JD Wetherspoon – the UK’s largest, cheapest and most well-known pub chain – has introduced a 'Veto Ale' to celebrate Cameron's “patriotic act” at the last European Council meeting in December. The beer, brewed only with British ingredients (of course), registers 4.3% ABV and while is quite a good little Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-79457617257524141922012-01-05T19:56:00.005Z2012-01-08T13:35:49.100ZTory MEP Ashley Fox ‘bows to pressure and joins the 21st Century’South West Conservative MEP Ashley Fox has today announced he has “bowed to pressure and joined the 21st Century” and has signed up for an account on the social networking site Facebook.On his website, he writes: “As probably its 850millionth(ish) user I feel quite special.""I hope to use this as a means to keep those interested regularly updated with what I have been doing on your behalf. I Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-65167060683185336082012-01-04T23:33:00.010Z2012-01-14T12:57:48.874ZMEP Girling praises EU Citizens' Initiative as 8Hour campaign hits 1 million milestoneConservative MEP Julie Girling has welcomed the news that the one millionth signature from an EU citizen has been registered on the www.8hours.eu website - a campaign initiated by Danish MEP Dan Jørgensen calling for an end to long-distance journeys for horses and other animals sent for slaughter in the European Union. Writing today on Public Service Europe, Mrs Girling, who likes to spend her Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-59114157606219077632011-12-30T12:44:00.007Z2011-12-30T13:02:49.375ZSir Graham to launch a new, modern, and more orange website for the new yearThe website of the region's Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson is undergoing a revamp and is getting a fresh new lick of orange paint in time for the new year 2012. The former website, a modified form of a template used on many other Liberal Democrat websites, has been discarded in favour of a fresher and more interactive site layout featuring amongst many other things an embedded feed from Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-73236986916850341902011-12-22T20:57:00.006Z2011-12-22T21:48:47.174ZTwo seasonal messages from Sir Graham Watson, our local MEP and ELDR presidentWith less than a week now until Christmas itself, the region's Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson has recorded and published two seasonal messages: one wearing his hat as our local liberal MEP...... and the other wearing his new hat as the President of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR).Merry Christmas!Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-6897449913083040262011-12-18T22:09:00.006Z2011-12-20T13:46:57.348ZA festive message and "reassuring words" on UK's EU isolation from Julie GirlingSouth West Conservative MEP Julie Girling has this week published a special Christmas edition of her video blog. In this edition, filmed in Strasbourg, her message remains on issues at the national level - a.k.a. the fallout of Cameron's veto at the latest EU Summit (PS: Why still no constituency issues Julie?).Anyway, my particular favourite passage:“For all those of you who are worried that we Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-82646733915685421372011-12-16T22:00:00.005Z2012-01-20T21:47:08.288ZOne-minute speeches: Sir Graham and the 'unrecognised' laxative qualities of prunes!Late on Monday night during the allotted period for One-minute speeches, Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson raised the unusual issue of prunes and their laxative qualities in the Strasbourg chamber of the European Parliament. Sir Graham's comments have arisen from the (remarkable) refusal of the European Food Safety Agency to recognise the high fibre quality of fruits such as berries, Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-38204204564236186432011-12-14T22:46:00.009Z2011-12-20T13:47:24.336ZChichester 'full supports' use of UK veto - not to prevent a new treaty, but to prevent an FTT...Giles Chichester, the former Conservative MEP leader in Europe and current Vice President of the European Parliament, has pledged his “full support” to PM David Cameron following his decision to cast the UK’s veto at last Friday’s Brussels summit meeting.However, speaking to Marlborough News Online, a news outlet in the South West constituency, Mr Chichester decided to base his defence of CameronAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-24639321704912513882011-12-13T17:14:00.003Z2011-12-20T17:45:39.827Z'Liberal Democrats are right to be angry' - Sir Graham writes to local members about December's European Council outcomeAs Europe struggles to get to grips with David Cameron's wielding of the British veto during Thursday and Friday's European Council meeting in Brussels and its future implications for the EU and the EU-UK relationship, Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson has written to all Lib Dems in the region to give his two cents. "Liberal Democrats are right to be angry", he writes, "Cameron has done Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-42049682698687011892011-12-10T17:04:00.003Z2012-01-14T14:28:17.148ZCameron 'was so keen to protect the bankers that he's caused a lot of problems for Britain and the EU'Drama; always drama. At Thursday night’s meeting of the European Council in Brussels, David Cameron vetoed the proposed treaty to enforce fiscal discipline on Eurozone countries. He did so, threatening to isolate the UK within the EU in the process, because the safeguards he sought for the financial sector in this country could not be secured. So did he isolated Britain or stood up for its Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-61559016931026525862011-12-09T20:28:00.005Z2011-12-20T16:58:53.686ZSeven Days - a week in the life of SW Tory MEP Giles ChichesterOver at Public Service Europe they have begun a regular feature (a very good one at that) of asking an MEP to outline a week in their busy lives as European parliamentarians. This week it's the turn of South West Conservative MEP Giles Chichester, left, and in this update he "holds meetings on key European gas pipeline projects, chairs a debate about CO2 emissions reductions, and finds time to Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-35167058279525151612011-12-09T20:02:00.004Z2012-01-28T19:07:26.402ZA 'new era has begun' in Gibraltar declares the Rock's Liberal MEP WatsonGibraltar’s Liberal Democrat MEP and President of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party Sir Graham Watson has today sent his congratulations to the Gibraltar Socialist Labour/Liberal coalition for their victory in yesterday's parliamentary elections.Following the result, Sir Graham commented: “after 15 years, it is high time for change and I am excited by the prospect of Gibraltar's Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-12926126777742763082011-12-09T10:37:00.006Z2012-01-28T19:07:26.402ZRecord turnout delivers electoral defeat for Social Democrats in Gibraltar after 15 years in chargeGibraltarians have turned out in record numbers in their latest parliamentary elections and have elected a coalition of Gibraltar’s Socialist Labour (GSLP) and Liberal (GLP) parties to head up the 17-seat administration finally ousting Social Democrat (GSD) leader Peter Caruana who served as the Chief Minister since 1996.The GSLP/GLP alliance won 10 on the Parliament's 17 seats with 48.88% of theAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-7261352576561704092011-12-03T23:27:00.007Z2011-12-19T23:52:18.633Z'No EU barrier to development of Falmouth Docks', states local MEPFalmouth's special European environmental status will not stand in the way of the docks' redevelopment, according to local MEP Sir Graham Watson. It is estimated that dredging the harbour - part of the Port of Falmouth Masterplan - would bring thousands of jobs and investment to the area's economy.jwplayer('mediaplayer').setup({'flashplayer': 'http://www.eureporter.co/player.swf','id': 'playerID'Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-38292481573362212052011-12-01T19:53:00.002Z2011-12-20T13:53:42.926ZIt may have taken a mere 535 days but at last Belgium is to get a government!Yes, you did indeed read that headline correctly - Belgium is, at last, to get a government - a mere 535 days after the inconclusive elections in June 2010.The news Belgium has long been waiting for broke late yesterday evening after the country's politicians agreed the last details of a 185-page deal that will guide them for the remaining two-and-a-half years of their mandate - before MORE Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-23593101786422537592011-11-29T23:51:00.007Z2012-01-29T11:31:58.642ZDavid Lidington repeats UK government's pledge on Gibraltar’s sovereigntyA week after the Spanish Partido Popular swept into power in Spain, the British Government's Europe Minister David Lidington has vigorously restated the Government’s long-standing assurance that it will not talk about Gibraltar’s sovereignty against the wishes of the Rock’s citizens.The PP, lead by the country’s new Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, had said in its electoral manifesto that it would Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-25662085929584580442011-11-26T22:34:00.005Z2012-01-14T23:42:57.331ZAwarding the Sakharov prize for human rights is 'Parliament at its best' - WatsonThe Sakharov prize, awarded once a year to individuals or organisations for their outstanding contribution to human rights and democracy, is “an integral part of the European Parliament's role as a 'megaphone' or 'loudspeaker' for the defence of human rights worldwide, and is the European Parliament at its best” according to Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson.“Concern for human dignity lies Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-54851286888154022782011-11-26T22:33:00.004Z2012-01-15T22:42:52.067ZMEP Girling delighted as EU ‘finally’ moves to outlaw 'cruel practice’ of shark finningSouth West Conservative MEP Julie Girling has welcomed with open arms a proposal by the European Commission for an outright ban on the practice of shark finning, which she has described as "unacceptably cruel".Shark finning is where fishermen cut the valuable fins from a shark and throw the rest of the shark back into the water – often while still alive. While it has officially been illegal sinceAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-2214583534339897402011-11-25T20:24:00.002Z2011-12-01T22:03:20.915ZIt's official: Sir Graham Watson elected new ELDR party presidentIt's official: shortly after 5.30pm local time, Sir Graham Watson, the sole Liberal Democrat MEP for the South West, was declared the new President of the European Liberal and Democrat and Reform party (ELDR), elected unopposed with massive support by delegates meeting for its congress in Palermo.Mr Watson will take over from Belgian MEP Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck and serve an initial mandate of Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-50052613385125007712011-11-24T17:18:00.011Z2011-12-01T22:13:45.893ZSW MEP only formal candidate for ELDR presidency vote - but it's no done deal yetTwelve months ago we learned that South West Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson was to stand as a candidate for the presidency of the European Liberal and Democrat and Reform party (ELDR).This week, the ELDR bureau, members, and associates have convened in Palermo, Italy, where on Friday (tomorrow) they will elect their new President and set of Vice Presidents.Nominations for all posts closedAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-71072261961802198652011-11-20T00:07:00.006Z2012-01-28T19:07:26.403ZMEPs miss opportunity to create a single market in online gambling - Ashley Fox“Protectionism has won over common sense” – those are the powerful words of South West England and Gibraltar Conservative MEP Ashley Fox in response to the European Parliament’s adoption this week of a resolution on online gambling.Responding to a Commission Green Paper on online gambling, MEPs have made proposals that would continue the "current problematic patchwork of national legislation" - Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-42305151189450097992011-11-16T21:23:00.005Z2012-01-28T19:07:26.404ZSW Tory MEPs express collective dismay as Court rejects Gibraltar tax code proposalsConservative MEPs Giles Chichester, Ashley Fox and Julie Girling have together expressed their disappointment at the European Court of Justice after it ruled yesterday (15 November) that proposed changes to Gibraltar's corporate tax code did in fact constitute unlawful state aid.The changes as were proposed over a decade ago by Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Peter Caruana, sought to cap tax liabilityAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-62020415769437155712011-11-15T21:05:00.006Z2011-11-24T13:30:30.429ZChichester produces booklet outlining EU funding opportunitues for SW SMEsOne of the region's Conservative MEPs Giles Chichester, who has himself ran a small business for many years, is urging firms to look at what opportunities there are in the rest of the Europe.Mr Chichester, a vice president of the European Parliament and member of its Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), believes there is plenty of money and advice available if firms know where to Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-12025121484939476572011-11-15T20:11:00.002Z2011-11-24T19:22:24.099ZMEP Girling slams adopted EP report on poverty as 'well-meaning but naïve'South West MEP Julie Girling and her Conservative colleagues have reacted angrily to a motion for resolution adopted today by show of hands by MEPs in Strasbourg that calls for the possibility of creating a legally-enforceable Europe-wide minimum income be investigated and for poverty to become classified as a 'violation' of human rights.Mrs Girling, who is the Conservative MEPs' spokeswoman on Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-89141287841599871532011-11-14T09:28:00.009Z2011-11-14T10:02:40.639ZWatson vs Farage: 'not one single British job depends on EU membership' exclaims UKIP leaderThis week's The Record Europe again saw South West Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson clash with UKIP leader and MEP Nigel Farage, and thanks to the UKIP press team, we can all enjoy the confrontation via YouTube.While the continuing troubles in the Eurozone took centre stage, the two British MEPs clashed over whether EU membership was beneficial to the UK with Sir Graham managing to extort Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-48387256657990857412011-11-08T23:03:00.009Z2012-01-21T17:04:21.433ZBathing water quality in South West continues to improve: only two of our 144 beaches fail EU quality standardsAlmost every beach in the South West has reached the European Union standard in bathing water quality, South West Water has announced today.142 of the South West's 144 beaches passed the mandatory standards, a 2% increase on 2010, with 137 of those beaches reaching the highest standards set by the European Union, a 5% increase compared to last year.The only two beaches that failed to meet the Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-9988162590891739902011-11-01T15:30:00.005Z2011-12-01T21:35:28.207ZJulie Girling becomes first SW MEP to launch a video blogConservative MEP Julie Girling has today launched a video blog, with the first monthly updated posted on her YouTube account page.Filmed in the nice area behind the Plenary Chamber in Strasbourg overlooking the river, she decides to speak about three issues: 1) healthcare professionals in the UK being able to speak English, 2) the EU budget that the MEPs are due to vote on that week in Plenary, Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-1947799320796824282011-10-23T22:18:00.004+01:002011-12-20T00:43:31.658ZDamien Hirst designs special edition bottle label to mark Somerset Cider Brandy’s European victoryTo appreciate the work of West Country born Damien Hirst one does require a particular taste, so perhaps then it is fitting that the internationally renowned artist has designed a psychedelic label for a special limited edition 20-year-old Somerset Cider Brandy being launched to celebrate its recent award of EU PGI protected status.Hirst’s involvement in the celebrations is reportedly the result Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-12598798889786332962011-10-21T23:27:00.004+01:002012-01-16T21:55:15.089ZCommission proposals for £8 billion investment in rural broadband welcomedSouth West Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson, left, has this week welcomed the European Commission's announcement for a multi billion pound investment in rural broadband to bring all homes up to a 30 Megabits per second speed (Mbps) by 2020.The announcement, part of a package of measures launched by the Commission “Connecting Europe”, is designed to boost economic growth by encouraging Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-3472497473881393292011-10-20T08:00:00.008+01:002011-10-20T19:17:51.082+01:00Arise Sir Graham! South West MEP at Windsor Castle to receive his knighthoodSouth West MEP Sir Graham Watson is due at Windsor Castle today for the investiture ceremony when his knighthood, one of the highest awards given to an individual in the UK, will be conferred upon him.Earlier this year, Sir Graham was awarded the honour for public and political service, in Her Majesty the Queen's Birthday Honours List.He was the first Liberal Democrat MEP to be elected, taking Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-39413270531193832222011-10-15T18:06:00.008+01:002011-10-17T21:32:45.790+01:00Future remains unclear at Newquay Airport despite closure declared not an option 'no matter what'Shortly after midday on 30th September, an Air South West plane taxied away from the terminal building and took off from the runway at Newquay Cornwall Airport. Bound for Dublin, this departure was unusually significant: it was to be the airline’s final flight, and its last from Cornwall’s principle airport. Two weeks on and the future of the airport remains uncertain despite Cornwall Council Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-7426519447191373912011-10-12T22:22:00.001+01:002011-10-17T20:03:36.918+01:00Controversial UK MEP Roger Helmer announces he is resigning his seatRoger Helmer,the controversial and frequently disillusioned Conservative MEP for the EastMidlands, has announced he is stepping down from his seat at the EuropeanParliament effective 1st January 2012.Mr Helmer (pictured far left in the photo) has certainly been no stranger to controversyduring his time in Brussels thanks to his “interesting” viewpoints, and personallyI thought he would more Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-32468679507660257182011-10-08T16:41:00.004+01:002012-01-21T16:52:27.817ZSW MEP welcomes landmark ECJ verdict in pub landlady case on live football coverageGood news football fans: you may potentially be able to watch Premier League matches at a reduced cost, after the European Union's highest court ruled on Tuesday that it is not illegal for individuals to buy set-top box decoder cards from foreign broadcasters.The European Court of Justice (ECJ), based in Luxembourg, has ruled that TV viewers should be able to watch live Premier League football Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-14855073583296585992011-09-22T11:59:00.004+01:002011-10-20T18:34:57.131+01:00South West MEPs clash over Commission proposals to scrutinise energy dealsSouth West MEP Giles Chichester has vowed to fight the latest proposal from the European Commission to inspect and vet all major energy deals between EU Member States and other countries such as Russia, labelling them as the “worst kind of meddling”. But fellow MEP Sir Graham Watson has said it was no surprise “blue-in-the-face eurosceptics” such as Mr Chichester were “jumping up anddown decryingAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-64769369720078527882011-09-20T21:11:00.001+01:002011-12-20T00:46:13.535ZFuture of favourite West Country tipple saved thanks to four-year campaign from region’s MEPThe future of Cider Brandy, a favourite regional tipple, looks rosier today after a four-year campaign championed by one of the regions MEPs to correct an “gross oversight and ineptitude on the part of the previous British Government” that would have seen it excluded from products granted EU protected status ended in success.Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson joined forces with local Cider Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-43254391863941771492011-09-20T20:08:00.006+01:002011-12-18T00:19:21.759ZMEP Chichester supports call for obligatory spending and debt advice in school curriculumsGiles Chichester, the Conservative MEP for South West England and Gibraltar, has backed a petition calling on the Government to introduce a compulsory element of spending and debt advice to the curriculum taught to secondary school students across the UK.The petition, started by financial journalist Martin Lewis of Moneysupermarket and Moneysavingexpert fame, has so far collected over 65,000 Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-26594884271039473902011-09-17T16:55:00.000+01:002011-09-23T17:11:59.473+01:00UK plans to reduce fuel duty on its remote isles gets Commission green light
Proposals to give rural
communities in the United Kingdom a 5p per litre discount on the cost of their
fuel has been given the green light by the European Commission.
The plans form part of the
coalition government’s strategy to help remote communities deal with the high
and rising price of fuel, and the discount will initially apply to all islands
in the Inner and Outer Hebrides in Scotland,Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-13382448411097792242011-09-16T18:59:00.002+01:002011-11-20T11:42:37.907ZStop press! 'Active' SW UKIP MEP Trevor Colman actually addresses the EP PlenaryAs regular readers of this blog will have noted, it is not often that I am able to write about the activity of the region's UKIP MEPs, but during this week's plenary session in Strasbourg, Trevor Colman actually addressed the chamber (!).In the debate on Wednesday morning on the economic crisis and the Euro, the Cornish-born MEP rose for only the second time in 2011 to remark "in the history of Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-50404104519624293832011-09-15T22:57:00.004+01:002012-01-28T23:17:13.560ZMEP Girling questions Commission over safety of energy-efficient light bulbsAs she vowed to do when the 60W light bulb was turned off for the final time, Julie Girling has tabled a parliamentary question to the Commission over the Safety of new energy-efficient light bulbs.In her question (E-008174/2011), Mrs Girling asks:"A number of my constituents have contacted me with concerns regarding the safety of new energy-efficient light bulbs.Does the Commission have any Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-12147895091165707102011-09-10T21:13:00.002+01:002012-01-29T21:37:49.635ZCornwall Council rules that second-home owners should lose their voting rightsIn an extraordinary move, Councillors in Cornwall are set to withhold voting rights for local, national and European elections from persons who have homes in the region that they use solely as their second home.Around one in 20 homes across Cornwall is a second home, and some politicians in the region are worried that second-home owners who try to vote in the county rather than where they live Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-55633118267923551232011-09-07T23:00:00.000+01:002011-09-22T01:48:41.111+01:00Van Rompuy confirms intention to seek second term as European Council President
Herman Van Rompuy, the former
Belgian Prime Minister chosen by European leaders to become the EU’s first
President of the European Council back in December 2010, has said he will seek
a second two-and-a-half-year term in the role when his current mandate expires
in May 2012.
His post, chairing the regular
summit meetings of the 27 European leaders, was created when the Lisbon Treaty
finally Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0City of Brussels, Belgium50.8503396 4.351710350.7701401 4.1937818 50.9305391 4.509638799999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-81832072358047961272011-09-05T13:15:00.007+01:002012-01-16T13:22:28.061ZColman hails big victory as UKIP members overwhelmingly reject PEP proposalThe results of UKIP's pan-European party ballot have been announced and Trevor Colman has scooped a massive victory as more than two thirds of the party membership agreed with him that UKIP should not become a pan-European political party.Of the 7,696 total number of valid votes cast (turnout 49.2%), only 2535 (32.9%) were in favour, compared to 5161 (67.1%) in opposition.Reacting to the result, Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-3696687766668341472011-09-04T22:43:00.007+01:002012-01-28T22:56:41.109ZIn a move to save energy and citizens' money: it's lights out for the 60W light bulbAs of Thursday (1st September), the 60-watt light bulb, left, can no longer be produced nor marketed in the European Union. For some bizarre and unenlightened reason, this has caused upset.Following the demise of the 100W light bulbs in 2009, 60W bulbs are to be removed from European supermarket shelves in order to encourage greater use of energy-saving alternatives.This has prompted leading Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-73254174584668937942011-07-27T11:52:00.014+01:002011-08-07T13:34:48.084+01:00The Cornish Pasty gets EU protected status but big-name bakers win concessions to continue using the name until 2014The regulation granting the Cornish Pasty EU protected status has this week been published in the Official Journal of the European Union and will thus soon take effect, but major brand-name bakers Greggs and Pukka Pies have remarkably won concessions to continue labelling their imitations as Cornish Pasties for three more years.As a result of Commission Implementing Regulation No. 717/2011, only Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-88011268250627911512011-07-22T13:20:00.008+01:002011-07-22T15:44:43.862+01:00How to lose votes and disappoint your constituents - a lesson from Mr ChichesterHe may have 17 years of experience in the European Parliament and now serve as one of its Vice-Presidents, but that doesn’t mean he’s incapable of epic lapses in judgement. The following tale from the column by High Street Ken appearing in the Independent today explains all:[L]ast month in Totnes, 89-year-old grandmother Eileen Noakes emailed her Conservative MEP, Giles Chichester, to ask him to Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-27876491527381245602011-07-20T17:37:00.000+01:002011-09-22T18:02:23.373+01:00Watson vs Dartmouth: a studio debate on the European Arrest Warrant
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In the latest studio debate recorded for Europe&You, Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-67488870640123234982011-07-14T22:21:00.007+01:002012-01-22T00:17:25.754ZMEPs Girling, Watson and Dartmouth have their say on latest CFP reform proposalsMaria Damanaki, the European Commissioner for Fisheries, yesterday finally unveiled her proposals for reforming the existing EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Since fisheries is a very important industry for the South West region, our MEPs were quick and numerous to have their say on it:Julie Girling (Conservative) said she was delighted the Commission was now taking the issue of discards "Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-4461696602842760452011-07-12T23:38:00.007+01:002012-01-16T12:58:40.104ZTrevor Colman explains why UKIP must not become a pan-European political partyYou know it's really an issue of major concern when Trevor Colman comes out of the woodwork - and in the case of UKIP, it indeed is such a big issue.Next month (August), UKIP members will cast their ballots on whether or not the party, campaigning for the UK to leave the EU, should become a pan-European political party. If yes, it would provide rather significant existential problems for the Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-49737128048308193002011-07-10T15:40:00.005+01:002012-01-21T15:59:28.821ZAshley Fox: why I'm against whole notion of transnational lists for Euro electionsEarlier this year British Liberal Democrat MEP Andrew Duff proposed the creation of an additional 25 members of Parliament who would be elected on EU-wide transnational lists presented by the European political parties. He believes truly European elections would contribute to a greater identification of citizens with European affairs.However, Ashley Fox, a fellow member of the Parliament's Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-16438096329965739242011-07-09T10:04:00.015+01:002011-07-14T09:23:56.716+01:00Giles Chichester shows promise in his hour-long début in the Strasbourg hot seat (and even manages to anger the UKIP's Earl)Less than 24 hours after being appointed the latest Vice-President of the European Parliament, South West MEP Giles Chichester took up his place in the hot seat to oversee the conclusion of debates on Wednesday night of the July plenary session in Strasbourg.Assuming the chair shortly before 9pm, ECR colleague and former group leader Timothy Kirkhope rose on a "point of information" to Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-88457959708292859022011-07-05T21:36:00.010+01:002011-07-05T22:07:33.367+01:00Long-serving SW MEP Giles Chichester becomes the EP's newest Vice-PresidentConservative South West MEP Giles Chichester was today elected by acclamation as a Vice-President of the European Parliament and said his appointment gives “prestige and status [to the region] in a way that we haven’t had for many years now”. His nomination was unopposed.Mr Chichester, who was first elected to Parliament in 1994, replaces the ALDE member Silvana Koch-Mehrin who resigned her Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-87221320407040399632011-07-03T18:03:00.010+01:002011-07-05T22:05:14.081+01:00The Record Europe: Watson & Farage clash over Commission’s plans for an EU FTTIn this week’s edition of the BBC’s The Record Europe, UK MEPs Sir Graham Watson and Nigel Farage clashed over the European Commission’s proposal to introduce a tax on financial transactions (FTT) to raise money to finance the EU budget.Once previously ruled out by the European Commission, South West MEP Sir Graham noted “there many of us were sceptical of the idea [of an FTT] when it was first Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-84244185256507926392011-07-02T13:05:00.002+01:002011-07-02T22:20:27.552+01:00MEPs adopt text calling on the Commission to tackle corruption in sportCorruption in sport benefits the few to the detriment of many, gives it a bad name and leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. Examples are being more numerous and high-profile: in 2010 the cricket world was stunned when the News of the World exposed a £150,000 scam involving members of the Pakistani cricket team. Then just four weeks ago in Zurich, amongst widespread allegations of vast corruption Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-38366144686782839842011-07-01T22:50:00.006+01:002011-07-04T17:00:01.347+01:00Poland assumes EU presidency as Hungary signs off by sealing Croatia accession dealFor the first time since joining the European Union in 2004, Poland have assumed the six-month rotating presidency which is likely to be a difficult one at a difficult time for the 27-member bloc.The Poles take over from the Hungarians, who rounded off their successful six month stint in typically dramatic fashion sealing a late political deal on Croatia’s eventual succession to full EU member inAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-27667384110618126972011-06-29T22:14:00.014+01:002011-07-01T13:23:08.554+01:00Ashley Fox and Julie Girling reflect on their first two years in the European ParliamentAshley Fox and Julie Girling (left, both seated) joined "veteran" South West Conservative MEP Giles Chichester in the European Parliament following the elections in June 2009. In the first instalment of a feature on the ConservativeHome website, they have joined four fellow "newbie" Tory MEP to reflect on their first two years in Brussels and Strasbourg within the sidelined ECR group. While theirAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-18464637091129732682011-06-26T13:17:00.001+01:002012-01-22T13:29:07.660ZGirling cancels billed appearance with controversial Polish priest at last minute owing to 'toothache'According to an article published in the Guardian this week, a controversial Polish priest known for running a radio station that regularly broadcasts anti-semitic and homophobic views attended the European Parliament on Tuesday at the express invitation of MEPs from the group home to the British Conservative members.Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, above left, whose Radio Maryja station has been Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-73256537220726612442011-06-25T13:28:00.015+01:002011-06-25T14:18:26.671+01:00Reviewed: ‘50 Days that Changed Europe’“There was consternation in the room. Journalists, scribbling away madly, looked perplexed. Here and there, applause broke out. A supranational institution that could take binding decisions on behalf of France, Germany and other states? They were curious to see what Konrad Adenauer, the newly-elected Chancellor of West Germany, would make of it all. It quickly became clear that Adenauer was fullyAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-2048331481176558302011-06-24T20:48:00.005+01:002011-06-25T22:25:53.090+01:00Croatia gets EU green light to conclude negotiations and become its 28th memberAfter six long years of tense negotiations, Croatia has today finally received the green light from European leaders to conclude membership talks and look set to become the bloc’s 28th member state from 1st July 2013.Subject to ratification by all current member states, Croatia, which will mark its 20th anniversary of their independence from Yugoslavia tomorrow (25th), will be the first new Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-82792111653294881762011-06-21T20:20:00.020+01:002011-06-22T15:36:30.964+01:00Euroblogging the EPP Summit – part three and featuring yours trulyWhile entries on this blog normally address European Union developments with a focus on the beautiful South West region of the United Kingdom and the six MEPs that serve it, this week shall see something rather different.Following eagerly (and humbly) in the footsteps of Julien Frisch in June 2010 and Joe Litobarski in March this year, on Thursday (23rd) I shall become the third Euroblogger to Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-81512976105766094072011-06-11T10:08:00.012+01:002011-06-13T16:48:05.817+01:00Arise Sir Graham! South West MEP honoured with knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours ListGraham Watson, the long-serving liberal Democrat MEP for the South West England and Gibraltar, has been awarded a Knighthood “for public and political services” by her Majesty the Queen in her annual Birthday Honours List released this morning.Mr Watson, now residing in Langport (Somerset), was born in Rothesay (Scotland) and was first elected to serve the residents of the South West in the Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-37265718270284541322011-06-09T22:11:00.002+01:002011-07-03T16:27:11.950+01:00SW MEP says 'Save the Fish!' and calls on UKIP to get their act together and do so tooThe fishing industry is of great importance to many citizens in the South West, and one of its longest-serving MEPs, Graham Watson, has joined those backing plans for changes to Europe's fisheries policy, and has called for his two UKIP MEP colleagues to follow suit.Maria Damanaki, the European Union’s Fisheries Commissioner, has already said she wants to install a science-led approach to fishingAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-76513343578205033142011-06-08T21:37:00.000+01:002011-06-11T17:33:38.738+01:00A worst-kept secret no more: Martin Schulz to run for the Parliament's presidencyIt’s been one of the worst-kept secrets in and around the corridors of the European Parliament but now it is finally official and confirmed: the German leader of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) Martin Schulz will "certainly be a candidate for President of the European Parliament”.He made this declaration during his regular press conference as the Parliament met for its monthly plenary in Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-67335591576966624082011-06-07T21:32:00.007+01:002011-06-11T23:22:28.652+01:00MEPs and the Commission back Christine Lagarde's candidacy for IMF headMEPs have today voiced their support for French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde’s candidature for the recently vacated position as head of the International Monetary Fund.The position has traditionally been awarded to a European, with an American given the head of the World Bank position, but this year developing and emerging economies are pushing for the position to be awarded to a candidate Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-43883561647511068312011-06-02T19:28:00.003+01:002011-06-03T18:11:35.665+01:00ECR nominates long-serving SW MEP Giles Chichester for vacant vice-presidency spotSouth West MEP Giles Chichester has been nominated by the ECR group to be their candidate for the vacant position of Vice-President of the European Parliament.In a statement posted on the group’s official website, Mr Chichester’s nomination was “agreed through an acclamation”, and has the support of Jan Zahradil, the group’s chair, who said: "Giles is an excellent candidate who commands respect Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-65263914699166006732011-06-02T10:47:00.002+01:002011-06-03T09:50:44.404+01:00354 days and counting: Congratulations Belgium – the world record is finally yours!This morning – Thursday 2nd June 2011 - marks the 354th day since the inconclusive Belgian elections held last June 13th, and Belgium remains locked in a political impasse and without a federal government.As a result it finally passes the previous world record of days without an administration held by the Kingdom of Cambodia who spent 353 days without a government between the elections on 27th Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-47121258951575847462011-05-31T22:53:00.006+01:002011-06-03T10:27:28.066+01:00South West chef and food campaigner takes his Fish Fight to BrusselsHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the celebrity chef from the South West, kicked off his European campaign to end fish discards outside the European Parliament in Brussels today.Launched in the UK last January, the chef’s Fish Fight campaign to end the practice of discards – whereby fish are thrown back into the sea usually dead by European fishermen to ensure they meet fishing quotas - has already Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-60673215459322268822011-05-28T16:26:00.007+01:002011-07-02T16:42:06.935+01:00UKIP MEPs defection to the Tories draws immediate criticism from the party's EarlUKIP MEP David Campbell Bannerman, left, has revealed he is defecting from UKIP back to the Conservative party and has immediately drawn stark criticism from his former colleagues in the European Parliament.The East of England MEP had previously served as the UKIP party’s chairman and deputy leader, and rose quickly through the ranks after gaining his seat in Brussels in the 2009 European Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-59977711830110392882011-05-26T21:06:00.009+01:002011-05-28T16:19:16.958+01:00EU finds political agreement to launch ‘European Heritage’ label (but UK declines to take part)Last week (19th May) in a meeting of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport ministers of the European Council, a political agreement was reached on launching a 'European Heritage' label that will mark sites which have an important place in European history and EU integration.Modelled on the United Nations’ World Heritage program (UNESCO), it is hoped the label will foster a common identity Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-90202055216565483562011-05-23T18:39:00.004+01:002011-05-23T22:20:17.601+01:00EU’s ambitious and costly GPS satellite programme Galileo set for October take-offThe first two satellites of the EU’s Galileo satellite programme will be launched on Thursday October 20th from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, the European Commission has announced today.Taking its name after the Italian Galileo Galilei, the "father of modern observational astronomy", the much-delayed programme was first devised in 1999 and got the go-ahead in 2003 by has been Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-66169053370015547002011-05-18T21:38:00.012+01:002011-05-19T22:05:27.134+01:00Eight-foot scone to be baked to promote Devon Cream Tea bid for EU protected statusTo the outsider, it will appear a rather trivial issue, but for those in the Westcountry it is an issue of surprising importance and the subject of a long-standing rivalry: should the cream go on top of the strawberry jam or underneath it in your traditional Cream Tea?For those in Cornwall, the jam should be spread first over the scone with clotted cream placed on top, but for those on other sideAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-13661044647131844192011-05-16T19:58:00.007+01:002011-05-18T20:12:26.441+01:00337 days and counting: is Belgium finally on the cusp of forming a government?This morning in the Metro, after skipping past the unusually large number of pages dedicated to Lady Gaga, I came across an article entitled “Elio Di Rupo formateur” which was strangely optimistic about Belgium finally forming a government.The article reports that the Belgian King Albert II has called on Mr Di Rupo, a French-speaking socialist, to form a government. “The King this evening Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-45029450023687969082011-05-15T00:38:00.019+01:002011-05-16T18:54:44.761+01:00Azerbaijan scoops unexpected Eurovision win just days after MEPs bemoan human rights abusesThe Eurovision Song Contest will next year be heading east to Baku, Azerbaijan as Eldar Gasimov and Nigar Jamal, singing as Ell/Nikki, were the surprise winners of the 56th competition and crowned before 35,000 in the Fortuna Düsseldorf Arena, Germany.The eastern country only joined the contest in 2008, but after a series of strong entries in previous years it finally clinched the title with a Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-75477186886911186482011-05-14T15:24:00.006+01:002011-05-28T15:39:50.405+01:00Leaked CFP reform proposals could 'wipe out' South West fishing industry warns MEPThe South West’s thriving fishing industry could be “wiped out” if plans revealed in a leaked document turn out to be true, according to one of the region’s MEPs.While the exact details of the Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki’s ‘radical’ reform of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy are not due to be made public until 13th July, a draft version obtained by BBC News reportedly includes proposalsAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-17137995481125924032011-05-12T21:45:00.001+01:002011-07-02T22:21:09.438+01:00MEPs vote to press on for coveted EU seat in the hallowed UN Security CouncilLess than two weeks after the EU gained a 'largely symbolic' upgrade to its status at the UN General Assembly, MEPs have voted in favour of pushing for an EU seat on the hallowed UN Security Council (UNSC), shown left.The resolution ‘The EU as a global actor: its role in multilateral organisations’ adopted by MEPs in May’s plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg states that “an Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-70556587403877001442011-05-11T19:31:00.010+01:002011-05-16T19:49:50.414+01:00South West MEP calls for EU-wide fire safety law for hotelsIn August 2007, fire swept through the corridors of the Penhallow Hotel in the popular Cornish holiday resort of Newquay and flames were reported to reach 30ft into the sky. More than 100 firefighters fought to contain the blaze but were ultimately unsuccessful in what was quickly described as the worst in the UK for nearly 40 years. Three holidaymakers lost their lives.O&C Holdsworth Ltd, the Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-64692373099510951842011-05-10T21:49:00.019+01:002011-06-30T15:19:42.773+01:00Poland unveils its colourful and symbolic logo for upcoming EU presidencyOn the 1st July Poland will assume the rotating six-month presidency of the European Council, and today the logo for its upcoming spell in the hot seat was unveiled.Consisting of six arrow heads directed upwards (perhaps symbolic for growth / progress), the logo was designed by the Polish graphic artist Jerzy Janiszewski, who created the recognisable Solidarność/Solidarity logo which can be seen Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-10650164911495673892011-05-09T19:27:00.006+01:002011-05-18T20:13:15.518+01:00Lauded Georgieva pledges to 'finish term as a Commissioner' dashing Bulgarian hopes of a Presidency bidKristalina Georgieva, the European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response who recently became the first woman to top the most popular politicians' ranking in Bulgaria in 10 years, has today stated she does not intend to run in the Bulgarian presidential elections due in October.Speaking this morning to Bulgaria’s Nova TV channel and consequently reported Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-23994808696117030172011-05-07T23:06:00.003+01:002011-05-31T23:09:49.394+01:00Open doors at the EU's institutions as Brussels celebrates Europe Day [PHOTOS]To mark the forthcoming Europe Day - the anniversary of the 1950 Schuman Declaration (May 9th) - the various European Institutions in Brussels threw open their doors to the general public for one day only... EU Institutions Open Day, a set on Flickr.Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-84212053114225136322011-05-04T11:02:00.003+01:002011-05-04T13:05:44.767+01:00Persistence prevails as EU gains 'largely symbolic' upgrade to its status at the UNAfter succeeding to allay the fears of smaller states that their influence would be eroded, the European Union has finally succeeded in its long bid to obtain a greater status at the UN – even if it’s only largely symbolic.Now dubbed a “super-observer”, the European Union will be conferred special rights in the General Assembly where it can now address UN meetings through its own officials, Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-26143791753010631672011-04-21T12:40:00.007+01:002011-05-02T19:36:04.676+01:00Approved plans to elect additional 25 'pan-EU MEPs' declared as 'nonsense'Proposals to increase the number of MEPs by 25, elected on a pan-EU basis rather than representing individual countries as is done currently, have received substantial backing despite one MEP swiftly labelling them as “nonsense”.In its last meeting before the Easter recess held in Brussels last week, the European Parliament's Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) voted 20-4 in favour of the Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-54921824178268051282011-04-17T08:07:00.004+01:002011-04-17T08:26:14.162+01:0070% in South West want a referendum on EU membership according to new pollMore than two-thirds of people in the South West want a referendum on whether Britain should remain part of the European Union, an exclusive poll published this week in the Western Morning News has revealed.According to the regional daily, 35% of people surveyed said they "strongly agree" that there should be a referendum on EU membership, while a further 34% "agree" that a vote is needed.The Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-15453910398491158952011-04-10T17:14:00.000+01:002011-04-10T23:22:42.659+01:00Will unpopular Nick Clegg be the UK’s next EU commissioner? ‘No chance’ says his party's number twoNick Clegg, left, is hardly the most popular figure in the UK politics at the moment, and it is even starting to look as though he will face a serious struggle to hold onto his seat of Sheffield Hallam at the next election, so if the worst came to worst and he did lose his seat, where would he go?Well back in December, there was talk of “Downing Street sources” suggesting an emergency exit Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-29211514507299368862011-04-09T14:57:00.007+01:002011-04-09T15:12:31.387+01:00Which MEP best represents your political views? My intriguing results.VoteWatch.eu (a fantastic website which provides easy to understand coverage and analysis of political decisions taken and activities of the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers) has launched a new interactive tool that claims it can calculate which MEPs currently best represent your personals interests in Brussels and Strasbourg.So I thought I’d give EP VoteMatch a try, and after Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-65705387824010854042011-04-07T23:07:00.009+01:002011-04-16T23:15:34.614+01:00Parliament moves quickly to approve new rules on Bluetongue vaccinationsThe European Parliament has this week moved quickly to back plans to reduce red tape and allow for farmers to voluntarily vaccinate their animals against the bluetongue disease before the summer, when an outbreak is likeliest.The decision still has to be ratified by the European Council in May, but it paves the way for the UK to move out of the low-risk zone category, qualifying it for Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925708044133757979.post-36527195775829928182011-04-05T08:41:00.003+01:002011-04-05T08:41:00.286+01:00Damanaki sets a date for unveiling Commission’s proposals for radical reform of the CFPThe Commission aims to have its proposals for a new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) ready for scrutiny on Wednesday 13th July, Maria Damanaki, the European Commissioner for Fisheries told the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee in a special session in Strasbourg last night.Convened to discuss the Commission’s political and legislative priorities for 2012, Ms Damanaki said the CFP reform Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17586155172290683615noreply@blogger.com0