Graham's blog Friday 25 April 2008

Published on Fri 25th Apr 2008

I enjoyed this week a rare occasion to take up the cudgels on behalf of Gibraltar, which was added to my SW England constituency just before the 2004 European election. Two Spanish Partido Popular (Conservative) MEPs had tabled an Oral Question on the sinking of the ship the New Flame off Gibraltar last August and were trying to use it to accuse Gibraltar of almost every ill afflicting their country. As a Group leader I generally enjoy the privilege of speaking only in the major debates, at civilised hours; but on Monday I found myself in the Chamber from 1115 till nearly midnight demanding that the Commissioner set the facts straight. First, that the collision and the sinking took place to the south east of Gib, not in the Bay as the Spanish MEPs claimed; second, that the co-operation between the Gibraltar and Spanish authorities was excellent and third that no pollution (other than a minor spill of engine oil) occurred as a result. Commissioner Barrot obliged and as a result the resolution we voted was reasonable. It will be one of his last acts, however, as Transport commissioner, since he is about to be reshuffled to Justice and Home Affairs to prevent that post being filled by a Berlusconi nominee. (The vacancy arises from the resignation of the previous Italian commissioner.)

Parliament's main debate this week was on world food prices. Since 2000, the price of wheat has tripled and the prices of rice and corn have doubled, threatening to wipe out all progress towards the Millennium Development Goal to halve poverty by 2015. Cssr Michel (LibDem, Belgium) proposed to make Eur60 million available from emergency reserves, taking this year's total for food aid to Euro 283 million. Many speakers in the debate blamed the use of biofuels: I pointed out they need not be part of the problem and that the main causes are rising demand for food, speculation on the futures markets and a drop in the acreage of cultivated land world-wide. I fear that the oil industry will seize this chance to discredit biofuels, which are a useful resource in the fight against climate change.

On Tuesday parliament voted to grant qualified discharge to the European Commission for its spending in 2006. We have obliged them to make many reforms in the control of spending. We also voted discharge of the European Parliament budget, which led my colleague Chris Davies MEP to protest publicly over the defeat of a Liberal amendment which sought publication of a report by the auditors into MEPs' use of their expenses. Chris is right: but in protesting so loudly he gives the impression that parliament is rife with corruption, which it is not; and that nothing is being done to tighten controls, when in fact there have been huge improvements in recent years due mainly to Liberal Democrat action.

Air traffic continues to grow apace in the EU and the Commission will soon present its second package of legislation for a "Single European Sky". The aim is to have in place by 2012 one single aviation safety authority and one air traffic network management body, building on the 27 different national air traffic control frameworks. Currently, a flight from Milan to London involves changing air traffic controller three or four times; the networks are near saturation point and we are using at least 10% (and maybe up to 25%!) more aviation fuel than we need to.

On my return from Strasbourg last night I campaigned in a by-election in Taunton. Today I shall be out campaigning in Glos (Barton and Tredworth) and in NE Mendip. Over the next four days I'll be in Exeter, Swanage and Cheltenham and fitting in a visit to the SW by the EU Fisheries Commissioner and the wedding of my former assistant Sarah Kent. Sarah is marrying a former assistant to Emma Nicholson MEP, so it will be a double pleasure. Next week Parliament will be in recess for a week, allowing me more time to get out on the doorsteps, though my responsibilities also take me to Brussels and Berlin.

I will write again on 9 May, which is also Europe Day.