News from Bill Newton Dunn MEP
Euro-zone crisis - Today and tomorrow, the 27 national leaders meet in Brussels for one of their regular summits. We must all hope that they finally agree a plan for more "federal" central control in Brussels over erring national budgets.
2011 EU Budget
The parliament passed the 2011 budget for the EU this week. Details at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/en/pressroom/content/20101215IPR10188/html/Parliament-adopts-EU-budget-for-2011
I regret that Cameron niggles about small percentages (to get headlines from the rightwing press) rather than fighting for the potentially enormous savings - by abolishing the parliament's obligation to travel endlessly between buildings in both Brussels and Strasbourg - and by abolishing both the powerless "Economic & Social Committee" and also the "Committee of the Regions" in Brussels.
LibDem successes
In case you have not already seen it, attached is the latest list of LibDem successes in the Coalition government in London. I fully back Nick Clegg : he is doing the right thing for the country, and is giving the LibDems our first painful experience of being a party of government after eighty years.
Two useful EU Directives from which the UK government may opt-out
The UK government is talking about asking for an opt-out from two useful EU Directives which are coming up
a. the Cross-Border Enforcement Directive of Road Traffic Offences In other words, speeding fines and parking tickets by visitors to the UK from other parts of Europe could not be enforced - all because of London's fears about 'losing sovereignty". (The Italians have no such reservations - I know - I paid a massive parking fine in Italy this year - Shirley)
b. The Human Trafficking directive - to improve crossborder cooperation against the international organised gangs who traffick victims into the EU. Again, London has fears about sharing its precious "sovereignty".
Climate Change
Last week at Cancun in Mexico, the United Nations conference (following up Copenhagen last year) on Climate Change took place - with small advances. The UN's own report is at http://unfccc.int/2860.php
The European Parliament ....
Meanwhile, Roger Helmer, the East Midlands "Conservative`" MEP went to Mexico on his own, and is now postering the East Midlands with his private views about climate change (which are not his party's views) and using your taxpayers' money to do it. I checked whether this is permissible but parliament officials say he is able to use funds from the parliament's Information Campaign and say that different views of MEPs should not be suppressed even if they are silly - because he was duly elected by the East Midlands.
If you wish to follow more about the parliament, you can access its website at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/default_en.htm and also at http://votewatch.eu/index.php
Very best wishes to you for the holiday period ahead and for all of 2011
The parliament resumes work on Monday 11th January.