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Strasbourg Roundup (May 2009)

Strasbourg Round Up May 2009

Dear Friend,

Greetings once again from the Strasbourg Parliament – only two weeks after the last one, it seems like I'm here all the time at the moment! This was the last Strasbourg session in the life of this Parliament, so it was a time to say goodbye to friends who aren't standing for re-election in the elections on June 4th. We tried to pack in as much as possible in the time left, and the voting sessions lasted a lot longer that usual. The whole place resembled a TV station because of the number of crews around - it's obvious there’s much more interest in the European elections than here. The headlines this week: people power leads to ban on seal products, Parliament throws out telecoms package much to the surprise of the European Commission, animal welfare was also at the top of the agenda, as was approving additional funding for the economic crisis.

The session opened with EP President Poettering commemorating the fifth anniversary of EU enlargement in 2004, when 10 new Member States joined the EU. He then made a statement about human rights abuses in Iran, where I’m pleased to say US-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi, who had been sentenced to 8 years in prison on trumped-up charges of spying, has now been freed, but where this same week another young woman has been executed for crimes she committed as a minor.

Just after the President's statement, I voiced my concerns to the EP that thousands of innocent civilians have been turned into refugees in their own homeland by the Taleban in the Swat valley. We're all familiar with stories about how the Taleban mistreat women, and with the news coming out of the valley in the last month of barber shops being closed, music being banned and satellite TV being disabled. But I've heard from constituents that things have taken another sinister turn. Sikhs have been living peacefully in the area for 60 years are having to pay jizza, an ancient form of tax got non-Muslims. I stressed that it’s vital for the international community to understand exactly the kind of threat these extremists pose.

There was good progress on animal welfare this week in the EP. After a long-running public campaign, Labour MEPs were successful in getting a vote through to protect seals by ensuring that the trade in seal products is banned in Europe. Seal products are sold in many ways - for example seal skins can be used to make handbags. A crucial part of the deal was a derogation to protect Inuit and other indigenous hunters' way of life. I said that many people in my constituency have contacted me to say that this is the most disgusting killing of lovely creatures. When one sees videos of the methods used one realises that commercial seal slaughter, in particular, is unnecessary because many alternatives are available.

In other animal rights news, MEPs voted to further limit the use of animals in scientific experiments and improve the welfare of those experimented on. The report stressed that this needs to be done without prejudicing the fight against human diseases. The number of animals tested should be reduced to a minimum, and any planned tests subjected to compulsory ethical assessment to take into account the public’s concerns.

We also debated the welfare of animals at the time of slaughter. The report called for all suffering to be reduced, but made an exception for the killing of animals in religious rituals. Labour MEPs believed that this particular issue would be best dealt with by national governments, not at EU level. In the UK Defra has already conducted fruitful dialogue with religious leaders and has reached compromises.

The biggest legislative news from Strasbourg was Parliament’s amendment of a telecoms package, which insisted that Internet access cannot be restricted without judicial ruling. The package dealt with reforming the regulatory framework for electronic communications - including mobile and fixed telephones, and wireless and fixed internet. This amendment means that the package will be kept on hold for discussion with Member States governments until after the election in June. Provisions include a hotline for missing children, recognising the rights of people with disabilities, and protection against spam and cyber attacks.

I’ve been campaigning recently for the reinstatement of direct flights from Birmingham to Amritsar, a very popular and profitable route until it was indefinitely postponed in October last year by Air India. There are many airlines willing to fill this slot but the national carrier is refusing to give it up. I have contacted the Indian government about this, met with the management of Birmingham Airport, and this week in Strasbourg has a meeting with the Vice-President of the European Commission and Transport Commissioner Tajani, who has promised to look into the issue. On Thursday, I also spoke to the European Parliament, where I urged the Commission not to let the economic downturn become an excuse for airlines monopolising routes. Having recently spent four hours on the M40 coming from Heathrow to the West Midlands, I know how frustrating it is for the 330,000 people of Asian background and other travellers in the region to have to make their way to London to get to the subcontinent. If you want to hear more about my campaign, take a look at my campaign website at www.neenagill.eu and join my facebook group – ‘Reinstate direct flights to India NOW’.

We had so many votes to get through on Wednesday that it was decided to put back statements from MEPs until midnight! I spoke on four reports – firstly, social protection of the spouses of self-employed people, including pension rights and health insurance. Self-employed people, and women in particular, are often overlooked. Better maternity protection would help spouses in agriculture, commerce, and small businesses, and encourage women into these vital industries, where they are underrepresented. We have to end the travesty of women losing money when they bring someone into the world.

Then there was the opportunity to welcome the economic recovery plan proposed by the EU. The Commission is making available €5 billion to Member States. I had earlier made a statement to the House about the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, an EU fund that provides help to industries affected by globalisation to pay for retraining schemes. I have contacted the UK government to urge them to apply for this funding. In my late-night speeches I welcomed the decision to invest €1 billion of recovery money in improving the rural economy, particularly investing in broadband, something I have been working on for a long time for Shropshire. Then I spoke about Labour’s focus on investment in energy efficiency and the creation of smart cities, a great vision for the future.

Regrettably this will be my last Strasbourg Roundup before the elections on June 4th, so I look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail. You can keep up with me and what’s going on in the campaign at www.neenagill.eu, www.twitter.com/mepneenagill and www.youtube.com/mepneenagill.

In the meantime, I’d like to thank you for following my work in Strasbourg, and I’m sure you’re aware of the implications of low turnout resulting in extremist parties doing well on June 4th. I hope that as many of you as possible will contact me here: www.neenagill.eu/volunteer.asp, to make sure we have a European Parliament that will continue to deliver for this region. But more importantly, it is essential to vote if the people of this great region are to have future prosperity and opportunities.