Graham's blog Friday 11 September 2009 (St Ives Liberal Democrats)

Graham's blog Friday 11 September 2009

September 11, 2009 4:00 PM
Originally published by Sir Graham Watson MEP

My letter to Barroso last week may have had some impact. On Tuesday the Commission decided to support the move to have bluefin tuna included in Annex 1 of CITES (the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species), which would ban all trade in the fish until stocks have recovered. This position needs to be approved by the Council of Ministers, which brings together ministers from each of the 27 member states; it already has the support of MEPs. Japan has lobbied against it (though the new Liberal government in Japan may change this position); Spain and Italy prefer inclusion in Annex 2, which is less restrictive.

Jose Manuel Barroso, president-designate of the Commission for a second term, was grilled by each of parliament's political groups this week. When he came to the Liberal Group on Wednesday afternoon he was on good form. In discussions that morning my colleagues had been almost equally divided over whether to approve him for a second term, but he undoubtedly won over some of the doubters. When the political group leaders met on Thursday morning they agreed to put on parliament's agenda a vote of investiture on Wednesday of next, though the Greens have said they will challenge it on the floor of the House on Monday. And the idea of holding a second vote if the Lisbon Treaty enters into force this autumn (ie voting again on the new basis of the Lisbon Treaty, which requires the Commission President to command an absolute rather than a simple majority of votes in Parliament) was given short shrift. Liberals won a concession from Barroso: he has agreed to designate a Commissioner specifically responsible for citizens' freedoms, as we asked. I expect him to be approved next Wednesday, perhaps after making one or two further minor concessions in his speech to the House.

Two interesting ideas have come from Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas' desk this week. The first is a Communication (ideas paper) redefining well being by adding the GDP figures a calculation of social and environmental well-being. This would place a monetary value on goods and services which are not traded such as the health of the environment and health care provision. A pilot environmental pressure index will be presented next year. The second idea is a Communication proposing giving up to EUR 15 billion a year to developing countries with public funding to fight climate change. I share the view of many NGOs that probably twice this amount will be needed, but his paper at least opens the discussion.

The Commission also agreed on Thursday to recommend measures making it easier for police forces to access the Eurodac database containing finger prints of immigrants and asylum seekers for the purposes of fighting crime. They recognise that accompanying measures on date protection will be needed; I hope Parliament will insist on them, though our new, more right-wing majority may tone down our demands.

Julie Edwards of the SW NFU came to Brussels to lobby MEPs for funding for a continuation of aid to milk producers, support for whom the Commission wants to extend for four months. Dairy farmers are in such difficulty I think we will agree to it. As I pointed out to listeners to BBC Radio Devon on Thursday, the south west of England is a net beneficiary from membership of the EU, due in large part to the help we receive for farming and rural communities.

I have had to cancel my attendance at the meeting of the Severn Estuary Forum in Gloucester today to attend the funeral of Steve Smith, Devon County Council's man in charge of the distribution of EU funds, who has died unexpectedly and at a fairly young age. He was excellent and very helpful to me in the organisation of visits by Commissioners and other matters. I will miss him.

I will write next week from Strasbourg.

St Ives Liberal Democrats