Labour MEPs this week renewed their calls for a thorough investigation into a strike at Cammell Laird shipyard where strikers were arrested despite no laws being broken. Jude Kirton-Darling MEP, member of the European Parliament petitions committee, last night called on the UK government to release all relevant papers and… read more →
This January a new VAT system was introduced to deal with the supply of digital services across Europe. The move was supposed to promote more fairness and equality – especially for small and micro businesses. No such luck. The Tory/LibDem government made a right mess of implementing this system in… read more →
In September I was appointed the S&D Shadow Rapporteur for an opinion by the Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE) of the European Parliament on the establishment of a Market Stability Reserve for an EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The Environment and Public Health Committee (ENVI) was producing a report… read more →
Speaking from the European Parliament in Brussels, Theresa Griffin, Labour MEP for the North West of England, has secured the rejection of an opposition opinion in the Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) committee of the European Parliament on the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Ms Griffin, who was the Shadow… read more →
At last week’s plenary session in Strasbourg, MEPs passed legislation allowing EU member states to restrict or ban the cultivation of crops containing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in their own territories. GMOs are plants whose genetic materials have been artificially modified, for example to make them resistant to droughts or… read more →
Labour MEPs are leading the push for legislation that will give disabled people greater accessibility to shops, work places and transport in Britain and across Europe. Richard Howitt MEP, newly-elected co-president of the re-formed all-party European Parliament disability rights group, says a draft law on disabled access – which was… read more →
Speaking from the European Parliament in Brussels, Theresa Griffin, Labour MEP for the North West of England, has called for an urgent review of the closure of the Liverpool coastguard service at Crosby. From Friday, January 16th, those who phone 999 or put out a mayday signal off the Merseyside… read more →
This week in Plenary saw the launch of 2015 as the European Year for Development; this is to focus the minds of MEPs and the work of the Member States on development issues and how we can all work together to end poverty. We are now 15 years on from… read more →
This week in Strasbourg MEPs have been discussing the issue of Women on Boards and the idea that at least 40% of non-executive directors on listed company boards should be female. The discussion arose from a draft EU directive designed to ensure we reach this level by 2020. This draft… read more →
Last week, the Russian Government took radical steps to clamp down on bad driving practices and introduced a new totally discriminatory amendment to driving legislation which effectively banned transsexual and transgender people from holding licenses. Russia has one of the worst records in Europe for road accidents (30,000 deaths and… read more →
