SOUTH WEST FIRST
LETTER FROM STRASBOURG
April 2004
Late April Letter
YOU
CAN’T GET THE AIRLINES!
It had to happen. My flight was cancelled at the last minute because of
a technical fault. In other words, the plane wouldn’t work! Here I am,
doing all I can to avoid travelling Air France, and I am stymied by new
version German efficiency. Well almost, because, to do them justice,
Lufthansa transferred us swiftly to a Frankfurt flight and I was able to
get a lift.
CLEARING THE DECKS
This penultimate session is characterised by much longer voting sessions
than usual as certain committees try to clear the decks of all the
legislation on hand rather than risk delay or a different composition of
MEPS after the election less favourable to the measures involved. This
seemed particularly true of the Environment Committee.
QUIET, BUT……..
Otherwise things were quieter, although that still meant speaking time
for me on the Regulation on access to gas networks; a private meeting
with one of the new Commissioners, from Slovakia, covering some of my
committee responsibilities; presenting audited accounts to the AGM of
our British Conservatives' delegation; and an afternoon with a visiting
delegation of parliamentarians from Australia.
MULTI-NATIONAL SUPPORT
So
I thought I would include an end-of-term report on some of the things I
have done over the last 5 years. First of all there was getting myself
elected as co-ordinator for the EPP-ED (European Peoples’ Party-European
Democrats of which we Conservatives are allied members) group MEPs on
the Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE).
This required the support of MEPs from almost every member state.
INTERROGATING COMMISSIONERS
Immediately after that I had to lead our questioning of the then
candidate Commissioners in September 1999. This meant taking part in
the hearings of six of the candidates, a measure of the range of our
Committee responsibilities. Had we been able to vote on them
individually, I believe we would have claimed one scalp. At any rate
the Commissioner concerned has been conspicuously polite to us ever
since.
CHICHESTER SAVES THE
POUND
At the end of the year, I achieved
something of a legislative first by taking, as Rapporteur, a short
directive on units of measurement through to adoption at first reading
(the first since the Amsterdam Treaty). This has two elements, one a
list of names and definitions for ultra small or nano units of
measurement. The other was to extend the grace period for dual marking
in imperial and metric until end 2009. This enabled a somewhat
tongue-in-cheek press release to the effect that “Chichester Saves the
Pound”.
EFE – WHO’S SHE?
In 2000, I
inaugurated EFE with the active help of the CBI and BCCB (British
Chamber of Commerce in Belgium). Enterprise First Europe has operated
ever since as a forum for British business, industry and trade interests
in Brussels to talk to Conservative MEPS (and occasionally MEPs from
other countries’ centre right parties) about their concerns. Waiting
lists for each event I chaired was a measure of success. I also set up
my website which, thanks to designer Jan provides a window on my work.
I am proud of this bit of new technology.
WORK WITH
ENERGY
In 2001 I became Rapporteur on the Commission’s Green Paper on security
of supply for energy in Europe. This involved a wide-ranging look at
all energy sources and technologies, a working document looking at the
situation elsewhere in the world, a public hearing and the final report
in which I emphasised the need for diversity of energy sources; the
need for so-called demand side measures for efficiency and
conservation; the continuing need for nuclear power along with the
development of renewable sources; and the importance of research into
future technologies such as nuclear fusion and clean coal generation.
REASSURING RE-ELECTION
At the end of 2001, at the half-way mark of the term or mandate of the
parliament, I was re-elected as co-ordinator. This was a reassuring
sign that I had earned the respect of my colleagues. A co-ordinator
is a combination of whip, spokesman and leader for the group members on
the committee but without the sanctions available to the whips in the
House of Commons. Even so, we have had one of the best attendance and
voting records of our group on any Committee.
YEO FOR YOUTH AND OPEN SESAME
In 2002, much of my effort went into producing and distributing YEO or
Youth European Opportunities – a pamphlet for young people about work
experience and travel in Europe. I also produced SESAME (Supporting
Every Small and Medium-sized Enterprise) – a pamphlet aimed at giving
small business information about access to useful contacts and advice.
As part of the exercise, I organised a small business conference in
Brussels under the title Opening Doors .for Small Business. (Sesame –
get it?).
WHY MAKE PROBLEMS?
In 2003 I spent a lot of time on the highly technical complicated
Measuring Instruments Directive which combined earlier directives in one
establishing common standards. My greatest satisfaction, however,
derived from the success of the Chichester amendment in plenary to
reject a draft directive proposal from the Commission on managing oil
stocks and reserves. This being already done by the IEA (International
Energy Agency) satisfactorily, there was no need for a solution to a
problem that did not exist. Some 357 MEPs agreed.
ST BONIFACE CONFERENCE
In 2004, the highlight has been the St Boniface visitor group and
Conference in Brussels involving groups from Crediton, Dokkum
(Netherlands) and Fulda (Germany) to mark the 1250th
anniversary of his martyrdom. I am also glad to have been able to
ensure a practical contribution from Cornwall, Devon and Dorset
emergency control officers to the Report on improving safety at sea.
SATISFIED CUSTOMERS
Finally, I am proud of the volume of constituency casework and
correspondence, (both real, surface mail and virtual email) we have been
able to handle, as well as all the newsletters we have sent out, and we
have had some satisfied customers at that!
Early April Letter
BLUE
SKIES
It can’t go on like this but it’s fine by me while it lasts. That is to
say, I enjoyed trouble free travel and the sun was shining in a blue sky
on arrival at Strasbourg. However, for the record, that involves
getting up at 5.15 am and a total of approximately 11 hrs travel time
(including from Devon home to London home the day before).
GERMANS V THE REST ON GAS REGULATION
The first meeting in the early afternoon is to discuss 100 amendments to
the Report on the Commission Proposal for a Regulation governing access
to gas networks. There are two camps on this issue, both within our
Group and the Socialist Group, basically between the Germans and the
rest over whether a regulation is necessary at all and whether the
Guidelines for Good Practice agreed at the Madrid Forum of all the
different parts of the gas industry should be voluntary or mandatory.
HMG
AGREES WITH ME (A FIRST?)
On this occasion I am in favour of this proposal because I have been
persuaded by virtually all sectors of the industry (except the big
German-owned network operators) that the Madrid guidelines are being
honoured more in the breach and the Regulation is needed to enforce the
competition envisaged in the Gas Directive already adopted. Ironically
my position is close to that of HMG on this issue, but well done them on
this occasion! A short-term solution to the differences of opinion was
to delay the vote in Committee until next week.
LINGUISTICALLY CHALLENGED!
Later in the afternoon, a couple of other issues surface which will come
up later in the week. One is about a couple of amendments to a report
on Galileo, the European navigation and communication satellite project,
and the other concerns a draft resolution for a conference to be held in
Bonn at the beginning of June on the subject of renewable energy (said
date clearly set with an eye on the European Election a week later!) We
have problems with the wording in each case.
FAR-REACHING PROPOSALS
Tuesday morning I had a meeting
with experts from DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs) and DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) on the subject of
REACH (the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation
and restriction of CHemicals). This is a huge proposal
comprising 1200 pages aiming at putting in place a regime doing what the
title says so as to eliminate or reduce the use of hazardous chemicals.
It will be top of the agenda for the new Parliament as we succeeded in
deferring consideration until after the election
THE
KANGAROO HOP
After votes I have to take the Chair and start the discussion at a
Kangaroo Group luncheon debate about Energy Liberalisation – the
Unfinished Agenda. The Kangaroo Group was established long ago by a
Conservative MEP, Basil de Ferranti, with others who wanted to eliminate
barriers to trade within the then EEC (European Economic Community) by
finding ways to jump over said barriers.
EUROPE’S AUSSIE WILDLIFE
This Australian
angle tempts me to digress briefly. The Aussies must have a bit of a
laugh about some aspects of European policy; such as calling the
monetary policy EMU, a large bird that is well-known for not being able
to fly, and the currency euro, which is a type of kangaroo in Australia
(I kid you not). Roos are equally well-known for bouncing up and down
which, come to think of it, is just what the euro has done in the
foreign exchange markets!
FAR TOO COSY
Talk of being up
in the air brings me back to Galileo and those amendments which my
German colleagues were so keen on supporting while the rest of us did
not. Essentially they call for the HQ of the Supervisory Committee for
the project to be located close to the HQ of the consortium making it.
This sounds logical but if I tell you Bavaria is a common factor then
you might understand why we felt this was a bit too cosy. Unfortunately
a German Social Democrat MEP (coincidentally from Bavaria) managed to
change the Socialists voting list to be in favour late enough to make it
too difficult to change back even though most of the Socialists in
Committee voted against. Clever really!
UNREALISTIC ASPIRATIONS
The problem with
the other resolution was that the wording was too green by far calling
for at least 20% of all energy in Europe to be supplied by renewables by
2020 (current level 7% at best, current target 12% by 2012) and
demanding that international bodies like the World Bank be instructed to
give renewables priority for investment. It was going too far to be
telling outside bodies what to do and, in the intergroup negotiation
(which really amounts to drafting by committee), I managed to change it,
rather to the chagrin of the Greens.
KEPT OUT OF MISCHIEF!
On Wednesday, I
attended two further meetings about the Gas Regulation Report; a
meeting with my fellow South West MEPs; a special meeting of the EPP-ED
(European Peoples Party – European Democrats) to vote on rule changes
covering our Conservative delegation special status within the Group; a
meeting with Barry McSweeny, the D-G (Director General) of the JRC
(Joint Research Centre or research arm of the European Commission): and
a reception by the British Chambers of Commerce to launch their
manifesto or wish list for the next term of the European Parliament.
Another busy week against the
background of a ticking clock as the election approaches.
|
