http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/newsarchive.php Recent News Stories from Graham Watson MEP en-GB Graham Watson MEP http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2008 Graham Watson MEP 2008-05-10T21:14+01:00 United Kingdom http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/news/000478/mep_condemns_79_million_treasury_theft.html South West MEP Graham Watson has reacted in fury to news that the Treasury will keep £79 Million of the £110 Million granted by the EU's Solidarity Fund to help with the clean-up from last year's floods. 2008-05-08T16:46+01:00 http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/news/000477/watson__eu_wide_missing_alert_system_essential.html Local Liberal Democrat MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, Graham Watson is supporting calls for the introduction of an EU missing alert system for children who are suspected of being abducted. 2008-05-01T13:33+01:00 http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/news/000476/mep_graham_watson__eu_must_act_to_stop_porpoise_and_dolphin_deaths.html Following the discovery this week of two further dead porpoises on Westcountry beaches, at Slapton Sands near Dartmouth and Torquay, Devon, local Liberal Democrat MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, Graham Watson commented following his recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Commission on the plight of these marine mammals. 2008-04-23T16:33+01:00 http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/news/000475/food_price_rises_biofuels_only_a_small_part_of_a_bigger_problem.html The European Parliament today raised its concerns on rising global food prices in a debate with the Commissioner Louis Michel, EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid. 2008-04-22T17:25+01:00 http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/news/000474/mep_stands_up_for_rock_in_new_flame_debate.html Gibraltar Liberal Democrat MEP Graham Watson will tonight take up the cudgels for the southernmost part of his constituency in a debate in the European Parliament about the grounding of the ship 'New Flame'. The debate, secured by Spanish Partido Popular MEPs Gerardo Galeote and Luis de Grandes Pascual, seeks to discredit Gibraltar's handling of the incident and to cast doubt on the legality of oil bunkering. 2008-04-21T11:00+01:00 http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/news/000473/watson_urges_commission_to_ban_all_forms_of_discrimination.html The European Commission and Council will decide this spring on an EU horizontal directive to combat discrimination. After statements from Commissioner Spidla about the "difficult political environment", ALDE members are concerned that directive will only focus on disability and not include sexual orientation, age, religion and belief. Media reports confirmed that sexual orientation would not be included. 2008-04-16T09:27+01:00 http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/news/000472/tibet_china_has_chance_to_act_as_a_partner_not_a_pariah.html Following the European Parliament vote on a key resolution on the ongoing political tension over China's policy on Tibet ahead of its hosting of the Beijing Olympics this summer. 2008-04-15T12:03+01:00 http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/news/000470/graham_watson_mep_joins_liberals_in_estonia_ahead_of_euro_election_campaign.html Today Graham Watson, Lib Dem MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, and Leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the European Parliament joins fellow Liberals including Prime Ministers Andrus Ansip (Estonia) and Premier Anders Fogh Rasmussen (Denmark) in Tallinn Estonia for the European Liberal Democrats Council meeting. Graham will be addressing the Council on the issue of Foreign Security and Defence issues. 2008-04-11T09:27+01:00 http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/news/000469/local_mep_graham_watson_to_meet_president_sarkozy.html Graham Watson MEP, for South West England and Gibraltar and Leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe will be meeting Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of the French Republic at noon on Thursday 10 April at the Elysée Palace. They will discuss the effects of the Lisbon Treaty and UK-French relations on security, defence and immigration in preparation for the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union commencing this July. 2008-04-09T10:00+01:00 http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/news/000471/watson_launches_new_pamphlet__making_migration_work_for_europe.html Migration is one of the greatest challenges facing not only the UK but the European Union as a whole. Today local Liberal Democrat MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, Graham Watson launches a new pamphlet entitled 'Making Migration Work for Europe' written together with eight MEPs from across the political spectrum. 2008-04-08T14:30+01:00 http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/news/000468/nato_summit_hijacked_by_a_dispute_over_a_name.html Commenting on the conclusions of the NATO summit in Bucharest, local MEP Graham Watson said: 2008-04-04T15:20+01:00 http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/news/000467/local_mep_joins_prime_ministers_at_euro_summit.html This weekend Graham Watson, Lib Dem MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, and Leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the European Parliament has been invited by Finnish Liberal Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen to attend a summit of European Liberal Prime Ministers in Lapland, Finland. 2008-04-04T09:01+01:00 http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/news/000466/kosova_on_the_right_path_to_stability.html An ad hoc delegation of the Liberal and Democrat group in the European Parliament has visited Kosova for a series of high level meetings with officials and elected representatives in the region including the President and Prime Minister. The delegation has expressed its continuing support for full Kosovan independence and a roadmap for future membership of international organisations such as the EU. 2008-03-28T16:00+00:00 http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/news/000464/local_lib_dems_host_party_peer_ros_scott.html Baroness Ros Scott of Needham Market, Liberal Democrat life peer since 2000, visited Somerset last weekend. The visit was part of her campaign for election to become President of the Liberal Democrat Party nationally. In Langport she joined Graham Watson, Liberal Democrat MEP for the South West of England and Gibraltar and his wife Rita who live in the town, for a enjoyable lunch hosted by local party supporters Alex and Hattie Findlater. 2008-03-19T00:35+00:00 http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org:80/news/000463/watson__europe_must_keep_the_door_open_to_trade.html Addressing the Commission and Council in Strasbourg on Wednesday 12 March, ahead of the Spring European Council meeting to assess progress in raising competitiveness of the European economy and responding to the dual challenges of climate change and financial instability, local Liberal Democrat MEP Graham Watson, who leads the Group of Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament underlined that it was more important than ever that political consensus is reached on an open trade policy and investment in innovation and training. 2008-03-14T09:11+00:00