Graham's blog entry 30th March

Published on Fri 30th Mar 2007

Greetings,

I mentioned last week the ten reasons to be thankful for the EU which were published on the BBC's website. I've since discovered that a much more comprehensive list, '50 reasons to love the EU', was published in The Independent. You can find it at

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2377694.ece

My week started on Saturday afternoon when I flew to Berlin for the signing ceremony of the Berlin Declaration. The German Presidency of the EU brought together the other 26 heads of state and government plus the Presidents of the European Parliament and European Commission for an event to celebrate 50 years of the EU; and to look forward to deeper co-operation in the future. For a flavour of the event, see my speech in Parliament's debate on Wednesday when Angela Merkel came to present the declaration to us in Brussels http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org/speeches/000100.html . Briefly, though, it was a considerable diplomatic achievement and all countries agreed to try again before the end of this year to reach agreement on a Constitutional Treaty for EU, to be ratified before the next European elections in June 2009.

The member countries of the eurozone seized the occasion to issue a special 2 Euro coin, with a common design on both sides, to mark the signing fifty years ago of the Treaty of Rome.

At the end of last week the European Commission launched court cases against the UK and thirteen other member states for failing to respect the EU Landfill Waste Directive and in some cases one or two other environmental directives. The Anti Fraud Office also ordered three arrests and the searching of over thirty offices over allegations of fraud in the awarding of contracts for security equipment for EU offices. The anti-Europeans may claim the system doesn't work, but these are examples which prove them wrong.

Probably the most important decision this week was the adoption by the 27 finance ministers of the Payment Services Directive. This will mean that cash can be withdrawn and payments made across the EU under the same conditions as within each member state. It should now be signed off by Parliament next month and enter into force within a year.

On Wednesday the European Commission agreed proposals gradually to end the discarding of fish from fishing boats at sea. In the North Atlantic fishery, 13% of total catch volume is discarded and in the waters west of Scotland and Ireland sometimes up to 90%. It is about 5% in the Mediterranean. This huge waste is utterly unjustifiable and probably contravenes UN Conventions on sustainability. If the proposals are agreed there will be a system of maximum acceptable by-catch.

I spoke to groups of students from South Devon College and Truro College on Wednesday: the former by video-conference, the latter in person.

I hope an interview I gave to West Country television about the maritime safety package approved in parliament this week was screened; the laws we are passing - which seek to bring safety standards in shipping gradually up to the levels of safety in air transport - will help prevent a repeat of the beaching of the MSC Napoli in Lyme Bay.

Today I visit the Green Car Show at the Eden Project in Cornwall. Tomorrow I go to Scotland for Ming Campbell's 20th anniversary dinner. From there to Dakar for a big conference of African Liberals. And then for a few days holiday. I'll write again in two weeks' time.

Best wishes,

Graham

PS. Some Party activists have requested extra copies of Reporting Back for delivery to the public with other Lib Dem literature. There are about 500 copies left. Does anybody want them?