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SOUTH WEST FIRST
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September letter - 2TRIBUTE TO ANNA LINDH
The
second September session opens with a tribute and a minute’s silence
for Anna Lindh, the assassinated Foreign Minister of Sweden. Conspicuous
by its absence was any reference to the outcome of the Swedish
referendum on the euro. Signed
up supporters of the European project only like mentioning the results
they agree with! UNNECESSARY INTERVENTION
I
had a busy Monday including a discussion about the Measuring Instruments
Directive, a special committee meeting, a co-ordination meeting, a
speech in a plenary debate as well as grappling with the usual paperwork
and Treasurers’ items. The
speech was about Commission proposals for oil and gas reserves which I
argued were an unnecessary piece of intervention, a solution to a
problem that doesn’t exist (as a green colleague said). IF IT AIN’T BROKE………I
had succeeded in getting over 32 colleagues to sign an amendment to
reject the oil proposal on the grounds that the IEA (International
Energy Agency) system set up in the 1970s works very well (so why
re-invent the wheel and replace it) and trying to use reserves to smooth
the market doesn’t work. I extracted an assurance from Energy
Commissioner de Palacio that she would respect the result if my
amendment succeeded and not seek to re-introduce it by some other route. A WEIGHTY SLIM?Tuesday
is always my busiest day of the week and this time I had extra pressure
from the need to discuss detailed amendments to the Common Position of
the Council on the draft directive for measuring instruments for which I
am Rapporteur. This is a weighty piece of legislation approximately 240
pages long including annexes containing a great deal of technical detail
and which I dearly wish to cut and simplify. MAJOR COUPI
also had a meeting with some Dutch industrialists to discuss energy
policy at the request of a Dutch colleague, before going to votes half
an hour earlier than usual because of a formal session with the Romanian
President addressing the Parliament. The vote on my amendment came in
the earlier part and I am pleased to report that we won it comfortably. ABSOLUTE MAJORITYI
had deliberately avoided having a roll-call or recorded vote which might
have reduced support and, when we had an electronic check, the vote was
473 participated with 337 in favour, 130 against and 6 abstentions.
That means an absolute majority of the Parliament supported my
amendment against the Commission, an emphatic rejection and a good
example of what I mean when talking about some of our best successes
being things we stop. GOOD HOUSEKEEPINGAfter
the votes came a working lunch meeting of the bureau (or management
committee) of we Conservatives in the European Parliament which included
my Treasurers report. This month it is more a case of Genial Giles than
Monsieur Non (my usual nickname for obvious reasons) announcing sound
finances. MUSCLES FLEXEDThen
I have to move on to chair, as Co-ordinator, the meeting for all EPP-ED
(European Peoples Party-European Democrats of which we Conservatives are
allied members) members of the Industry, External Trade, Research and
Energy (ITRE) Committee. This session we have a good debate about the
nuclear package of proposals for safety standards and de-commissioning.
This looks like turning into another vigorous disagreement with the
Commission and a possible vote to reject. Anyone would think there was
an election coming up with MEPs willing to flex their muscles visibly! CONTRARY CONTENDERSNext
comes our full UK Delegation meeting for all Conservative MEPs where we
discuss issues of the moment as well as all sorts of other things - two
of which were to hear from the German and Spanish EPP MEP contenders to
be one of the Parliament’s representatives on the forthcoming IGC
(Inter-Governmental Conference) about this draft constitution (visit my
website to view the text as long as your blood pressure can stand it!).
This is a bit tricky since neither of them even remotely represents our
point of view! LIKE POLES ATTRACT!!The
second other thing was a visit by two Leaders of the Polish Law and
Justice party observers. They appear to very much share our views on a
wide range of issues and we all hope they do well in next year’s
European Parliament Elections so they can reinforce our numbers and
influence within the next Parliament. There was a certain element of
harking back to the past which might make relations with the Germans
problematic, but we shall see. GALLIC SUPPORT
Next
I had a further meeting with George the committee secretariat member
dealing with the measuring instruments directive. And a meeting with
representatives of Total Fina Elf who are very pleased about the oil
stocks vote. They played a part in encouraging French MEPs to both sign
my amendment and vote for it. Later in the evening I attended the EPP-ED
Group meeting to hear a discussion of other issues coming up for votes
on Wednesday and Thursday. CONSTITUENTS’ CONCERNS
In this September session of the
Parliament, there have been half a dozen topics which are of relevance
or interest to constituents in the South West, judging from my postbag
and email inbox. IT’S ALL IN THE DETAIL
Probably the most interest has
been aroused by the directive on patentability of computer-implemented
inventions. This is a rather complex matter where the big problems seem
to revolve around the difference between copyright and patents and the
definitions of invention, technical feature, computer programme and so
forth. INVENTION DEFINITION
Fortunately for me, I haven’t
the space here to go into all the detail except to set down the main
definition of “a
computer-implemented invention as any invention in the sense of the
European Patent Convention the performance of which involves the use of
a computer, computer network or other programmable apparatus and having
in its implementation one or more non-technical features which are
realised wholly or partly by a computer programme or computer programmes,
besides the technical features that any invention must contribute.”
So that’s perfectly clear, is it? COSTLY ADVICE
Next is the Investment Services Directive and the Report on it by my colleague Theresa Villiers MEP which aims to set a Europe-wide regulatory framework for the very important service industry. It has been strongly supported by the City. It has also been of concern to all those constituents who have contacted me about the threat to execution-only stockbroking from an early requirement that such firms should advise investors of the risks involved (which advice would cost extra and negate the whole point of execution-only lower cost transactions). “JUST TIDYING UP”!?
An important issue was addressed
by the debate on the draft European Constitution and the forthcoming IGC
(Inter-Governmental Conference) on it. Arguably this is the most
important constitutional issue facing us all because, if adopted, it
would transform the EU into a legal personality otherwise described as a
state (but not according to “just a tidying up exercise” Tony Blair
and his government). I certainly don’t have the space to go into the
detail but urge readers to visit my website
www.gileschichestermep.org.uk to view the draft text. I also urge
everyone to write to 10 Downing Street London SW1 to demand a
referendum. CANCUN COLLAPSE CAUSES CONCERN
There was a debate about the
collapse of the WTO (World Trade Organisation) Ministerial Conference at
Cancun in Mexico. You could well ask what is that to us in the South
West, but the answer is that global trade and all the related issues
about investment, invisible barriers, development and so forth is
important to our economy and all our companies that export as well as to
those constituents who have contacted me about sustainability and aid in
less well-off countries and access to western markets for their
agricultural produce. LLOYDS’ “NAME” ENQUIRY
PRESTIGE PROBLEM
And
the sixth topic was a report on the Prestige disaster which has also
been a matter raised with me by constituents and several local
authorities. The problem is that the whole situation was made much worse
by the Spanish authorities decision to refuse the Prestige shelter in a
bay or harbour, sending it offshore to break up and sink in deep water,
but no-one wants to rock the boat, so to speak, by point this out.
By a clear majority, the Parliament supported a call to set up a
temporary committee to look at this subject in more detail. WALL-TO-WALL MEETINGS
Wednesday
was another full day for me. I had meetings in the morning with a nice
woman from the Australian civil services on one of the Parliament’s
visitor programmes and a lobbyist for the music industry on the subject
of piracy and downloading from the internet. After votes on some of the
issues mentioned above, I had lunch with Commissioner de Palacio to
discuss ways forward on the nuclear package.
Then on to a meeting with my shadow or counterpart from the
socialist group about Measuring Instruments to explain my thinking and
strategy and keep him on board with the approach. AND SO IT GOES ON!
A chunk of the afternoon goes on dealing with diary requests and mail as well as discussing a variety of constituency mail and issues with my assistant who is down the line in Brussels. Then a couple more meetings before I’m off to an Energy Foundation dinner debate on the subject of coal. The main speaker was from UK Coal but wearing a hat as chairman of the European Coal Association. And so it goes on.
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COURT
OF AUDITORS REPORT |
Table 1. Staff numbers by institution and by place of employment as at 31 December 2000 Table 2. Revenue for the financial years 1999 and 2000 |
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Letter sent to South West Daily Newspapers and London Press "In
the context of all the debate about nuclear energy, I do hope the Labour
Government will resist any primeval urge to renationalise British
Energy. Nuclear energy
supplies about a quarter of our electricity in the UK and more than one
third across the European Union. It is virtually a zero emitter of
carbon dioxide and all the other greenhouse gases (GHGs). It is vital to
a secure, diversified energy supply in Europe..... cont'd
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