Graham's blog Friday 18.04.08

Published on Fri 18th Apr 2008

Parliament has been in committee session in Brussels this week. My Group seized the opportunity to organise three extra events: a public hearing on the Natura2000 programme (protected conservation areas) in which we sought to examine how local business had been affected in these areas; a hearing on how to secure better protection aginst discrimination for LGBT (Lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender) people; and a conference which brought Asian, African and European MPs together to discuss world issues of mutual concern. We also pressed for and obtained agreement to a debate in our plenary session in Strasbourg next week on rising world food prices. Contrary to some allegations, there is little evidence this is linked to biofuel production: rather it arises from growth in demand, especially in China and India where people are better off and can afford to eat more, and from speculative forward purchasing of food stocks. (Why we allow people to buy goods that do not yet exist with money they do not yet have is beyond me. This kind of casino capitalism can be deeply damaging.)

Bulgarian Interior Minister Rumen Petkov resigned early this week after implication in a corruption scandal. I claim at least some of the credit for this, since I used a visit to Sofia a week earlier to tell the Prime Minister, his coalition partners and the press that the man had to go. The fact that he did, however, is a sign of maturing democracy in Bulgaria.

At long last, the EU is to have a Small Business Act, recognising that small and medium sized enterprises face particular challenges and need encouragement. The Commission will publish a proposal early in July. There were no formal decisions at the Commission's meeting this week, but not a week goes by without some development in Brussels.

The Advocate General at the European Court of Justice gave an interesting opinion that air safety laws are so full of holes they should be declared null and void. Currently there is a EU regulation decreeing that certain items and substances are not allowed on aircraft in hand baggage: however no list of these is published for fear that publication might help terrorists. A tennis player refused permission to take his racquets on board challenged this on the grounds that he could not know it was illegal; and the Advocate General believes the Court should find against the Commission because, since a Regulation is applied without transposition into national law, citizens must have full information about its provisions. My Group pointed out in Parliament at the time how unreasonable non-publication of the list was: the Court will probably now insist on its publication.

Good news for Alastair Darling: the European Union underspent by one and a half billion euros last year (of a total budget of nearly 114 billion) and the UK's share of the rebate announced this week will be EUR 258 million.

The major subject of discussion in the bars and corridors of Parliament this week was the General Election result in Italy. The centre left, which had sorted out the public finances but failed to stimulate economic growth, was heavily defeated. Berlusconi now has a clear majority in both houses. And speculation is rife that he will once again manage his country irresponsibly and prove a difficult partner at EU level. The first test at EU level will be in his nomination of a Commissioner to replace Franco Frattini, tipped for a top government job. Since the person takes over the Justice and Home Affairs portfolio they will need to be well qualified.