Graham's blog Friday 13 June

Published on Fri 13th Jun 2008

My week started in the way I like best: on constituency business. I was invited to open the Barle Enterprise Centre near Brushford in West Somerset. £800,000 of EU funding matched the same amount provided by Somerset County and West Somerset District Councils between them, to finance a small development of business units already in demand. Exactly the kind of thing we should be doing with EU Competitiveness funding.

An example of where the EU could also help but fails was provided that afternoon by a packaging company in Avonmouth, who had called me in to discuss problems with the EU Waste Directives. Their problem is that the definition of waste is insufficiently precise and the law is interpreted in different ways in different member countries: in some cases, indeed, even within a country. If you are involved in the transport of waste (in this case, re-usable bulk packaging) this makes business difficult at best and impossible at worst. I will take their concerns to Brussels: but I know that the logic of the single European market which has made us all so much wealthier over the past sixteen years is to have tighter central control over the application of the law; and that is fiercely resisted by the EU's member states.

I reported last week on the draft Directive governing Return (or repatriation) of illegal migrants. My Group discussed on Wednesday how we will vote on this next week. I am proud to say it was one of the best debates we've had in a long time: informed, disciplined and decisive. With the exception of very few colleagues we will vote against all the amendments tabled, thus securing their defeat, and for the deal agreed with the Council (the 27 member states). Nine countries which currently can detain illegal migrants indefinitely (including the UK and, most importantly, Greece) will likely soon be obliged to limit detention to a maximum of six months (or 18 months in very exceptional circumstances) and to treat detainees fairly and humanely.

On Wednesday I took my team of spokespersons to Paris to meet the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister and six other ministers to discuss France's plans for its six month stint chairing Council meetings. They are well prepared to take over from Slovenia on 1 July. But in Paris there has been a huge collective intake of breath this week, as in Brussels and elsewhere, about whether the Irish voters might actually reject the Lisbon Treaty. By the time you read this we may know the result. If rejected it will be a major headache for the EU, since this treaty was plan B and there is no plan C. In a democracy, however, the voter is always right. A solution will have to be found and in my view no more quick fixes are possible.

Merkel and Sarkozy have agreed between them a maximum limit for carbon dioxide emissions of 120g by 2012. It is not enough to save the planet. Other Member States and the European Parliament will have to persuade them to agree to lower their limits.

I spent thursday night in the Hanseatic city of Bremen addressing a public meeting about the EU's future with Helga Truepel MEP, a German Green MEP representing the area, and was pleased to see how much we agree on. The Germans are very divided about Turkey possibly joining the EU, though it is unlikely for at least ten years. Today I rose at 0400 hrs for a flight to Bristol via Frankfurt and will meet regional CBI leaders in Bristol, visit another industrial company and then speak to Liberal Democrats in Weston super Mare. On Saturday I work on casework and campaign planning and later join Vince Cable MP at a social event in Wells.