Oneseat Campaign
For most of the year, the European Parliament meets in Brussels. However, once every month all 732 MEPs travel to Strasbourg for the plenary session of the European Parliament. They are accompanied by their assistants and a host of technical and administrative staff. This travelling circus takes place twelve times each year at a cost to the European taxpayer of over EURO 200 million – 13% of the European Parliament’s annual budget. When the MEPs are not in Strasbourg the building sits empty. This means that it is empty for 307 days each year.
The decision to meet in Strasbourg was taken by the heads of the Member States in 1992, without consulting MEPs. Since then we have campaigned to end this farcical waste of your money. However, because the decision was written into a treaty the only way that we can change the status quo is if the current heads of the Member States all agree to one seat for the European Parliament. At the moment no head of state has even put forward this suggestion. We feel that one way to make them listen is with a petition signed by the citizens of Europe. Currently over a million people have signed the petition. The petition was presented to the European Commission in September but we are still collecting signatures. If you agree as I do, that we must stop this monthly travelling circus, please visit here and add your name to mine and those of your fellow citizens who feel the same.
European Federal Police Force
The abolition of internal borders in Europe makes travel for European citizens easy. Unfortunately, the same can be said for organised criminals who move people and objects around Europe with relative ease. Conversely, national police forces cannot follow the criminals across borders. Although they have set up some agreements to aid cooperation it remains patchy. Europol has no investigative powers so is not an effective tool in the practical fight against organised crime. I believe that we need to establish a Europe-wide federal police force. Until such an organisation exists we will continue to lose the fight against Organised Crime.
Would a European FBI be too costly? Even if it were given a huge annual budget of €500 million, that would be an annual cost of one euro per head of population across the enlarged EU of 25 countries. That’s one euro per year to stop heroin reaching our children’s playgrounds. The obstacle to creating a European FBI is not that there is not a huge job for it to do. It is not a question of cost. Simply, it is a question of political will in the national capitals. I have proposed that E150,000 of the EU budget be devoted to a study on the pros and cons of a European Federal Police Force.
Read my leaflet: Europe needs an FBI
The Democratic Deficit
In 1986 I first coined the phrase, the democratic deficit to describe the situation we still have in Europe where the heads of our national governments meet in secret at the Council of Ministers to make decisions and pass legislation which affect us all. Conversely, the European Parliament represents the opinions of the public and meets in public. I have been campaigning for two decades to introduce more transparent decision making by the Council of Ministers. It is unacceptable that Ministers make such important decisions behind closed doors.
Data Protection
Taking steps to protect your personal data from misuse is essential in today’s world. Data is valuable to crooks and businesses alike. Data which is incorrect can lead to many problems for the individual when applying for loans, a mortgage, a job, etc. I hope to make Europeans more aware of the importance of protecting your personal data and regularly checking that data held about you by government and large companies is not incorrect or out of date. I have set up a website outlining your rights in relation to accessing your personal data which you can visit here. I also keep a close eye on laws being passed through the European Parliament to ensure that the appropriate levels of data protection apply. This is of particular importance in cases where Member States swap information on individuals.
Tibet Intergroup
The Tibet Intergroup was established in 1989. I am currently one of its vice presidents. The aim of the intergroup is to provide information on the subject of Tibet to colleagues and the general public and to encourage various forms of political action. I have visited the Tibetan government in exile on a number of occasions and met with his Holiness the Dalai Lama, most recently when he visited the European Parliament earlier this year.
Organised Crime Intergroup
As founder of the Organised Crime Intergroup I maintain a website which deals with all aspects of Organised Crime in Europe and is a useful resource for anybody researching organised crime. Click here. It is kept up-to-date with the latest figures and reports on Organised Crime as well as the latest news about efforts to try to combat crime.
Save our Post Offices
Over the last two decades, post offices have been closing at a rate of over 300 a year. Under the last Conservative Government, 3,500 local post offices closed, and under Labour another 4,000 have closed, hitting communities across the country. And things are set to get even worse. The Government’s policy to avoid “unnecessary” rural Post Office branch closures came to an end in March. This policy had previously slowed down the rate of closure in rural areas. Government financial support for rural post offices is due to end in 2008. And the Government has announced that it will not extend its contract beyond 2010 for pension and benefit payments using the Post Office Card Account, worth £1billion of income for post offices between 2003 and 2010. The likelihood is that, without government intervention, over the next few years, 10,000 of the current 14,000 post office branches (urban and rural) will close.
Only the LibDems have a plan which can save our post offices. To read more about this plan and to sign our petition against closures, visit our site.
The First Law which Applies to the EU and the USA
A US Congressman and I are searching for a non-controversial subject on which to introduce the same draft law simultaneously on both sides of the North Atlantic.
Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC)
GOPAC is an international network of parliamentarians dedicated to good governance and combating corruption throughout the world. I am one of the three founding member of the European Chapter of GOPAC launched in May 2005. We work closely with Transparency International, a global network which fights corruption around the world. Corrupt individuals in the police, customs and judicial systems play a significant role in ensuring the success of organised crime throughout Europe, therefore fighting corruption is a necessary part of the fight against organised crime.
Encouraging Closer Ties Between UK LibDems and European LibDems
Legislation which is passed in Europe affects new laws in the UK. It is therefore of paramount importance that political parties in the UK communicate effectively with their colleagues in Brussels. Currently, I do not think that our modes of communication are as effective as they should be. Therefore, I am working to encourage better communication between the LibDems in Europe and out counterparts in London. I have been inviting British LibDem MEPs to the European Parliament to strengthen relationships and build awareness.