British MEPs accused of corruption
12 May 2008
The News of the World reported that British MEPs are using lax expenses rules to claim huge amounts of money. The paper accuses Independent MEP Tom Wise, and Conservative MEPs Robert Atkins, David Sumberg, Roger Helmer and Conservative leader in the European Parliament Giles Chichester of exploiting the system by making exorbitant claims for expenses such as flights, daily allowances, staff allowances and office costs. Sumberg reportedly paid his wife £95,000 a year to work as his secretary and
When the News of the World asked Sir Robert Atkins about his staffing allowance, he said: "It's very complicated and I don't suppose any of your readers would understand it."
The paper’s leader describes the European Parliament as a “money-pit for cash-grabbing freeloaders who cynically milk our taxes for thousands of pounds a week each.”
In a separate story the Independent on Sunday reported that British MEPs are routinely accepting gifts, wages and hospitality from companies they are charged with regulating. The paper names Conservative MEPs Giles Chichester, Malcolm Harbour, John Purvis and Martin Callanan and Lib Dem Sharon Bowles as having all received benefits from organisations and businesses regulated by the European Parliament.
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Comment: MEPs are the beneficiaries of a double standard – behaviour that would lead to de-selection in
We think it is, and will be publishing research on the Parliament over the coming weeks. David Cameron has said that he will publish a line-by-line breakdown of public spending on the internet (a good idea). He should extend this to the spending of MEPs and the European institutions. But the crucial thing is to reintroduce accountability at the ballot box and scrap the closed party list system – which prevents voters from punishing corrupt or ineffective MEPs.
“Major row” predicted as
The front page of the Mail reports that food price inflation has hit 19% in the
In addition, British Chancellor Alistair Darling will today write to fellow EU Finance Ministers, ahead of a meeting in
The EU agreed in December to temporarily drop import prices on all cereals except oats, buckwheat and millet as a response to tight supplies and soaring prices. Darling said the tariff suspension should be extended and import tariffs on other agricultural commodities should be cut: "It is unacceptable that at a time of significant food price inflation the EU continues to apply very high import tariffs on many agricultural commodities."
The FT notes that the British proposals to “pick a fight” over farm support go against the grain of government thinking in France and Germany, which support greater protectionism as a response to food price rises. It reports that Berlin and Paris, in addition to proposing higher import tariffs, also want tighter product standards for farm goods to protect EU producers from competition from the US, China and India. The paper predicts a “major row” over the issue, with German Farm Minister Horst Seehofer dismissing British arguments over the cost of the
Darling’s letter also said that the EU should review its 10% biofuel target: "We need a close examination of the direct and indirect effects of EU biofuels policy, including a full assessment of its effects on food prices."
A leader in Saturday’s Guardian argued that “One simple move
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British passports to have EU treaty stickers
Several papers report that the Commission has asked the British Government to produce stickers, quoting Article 20 of the EU's founding Treaty which sets out the right of EU citizens to protection by the consular authorities of any
Commission: Lisbon Treaty "a new epoch... more profound and far-reaching than anything else in the EU’s 50 year history”.
On his blog, Telegraph journalist Bruno Waterfield looks at the process to fill the top jobs created by the Lisbon Treaty and notes, "The battle to fill the top jobs, including powerful new posts, such as the EU president, will set Europe’s political agenda for the next decade. It is the complete opposite of democratic politics or an electoral race."
“A lot of people are just beginning to realise what they have signed up to,” one of the negotiators working on the new EU constitutional settlement said. One EU official said the Lisbon Treaty was “more profound and far-reaching than anything else in the EU’s 50 year history. It might not be quite Constitutional in the national sense but for us here it is the most important time in our lives,” he said. “There has never been such a constellation of jobs and institutional changes aligned at the same moment. A lot of people are talking about a new epoch.'"
Irish referendum: ‘Yes’ camp 10 points ahead
The Irish Times reports that Taoiseach Brian Cowen is calling on every unit of the Fianna Fáil party "to mobilise" over the next four weeks behind the ‘Yes’ vote.
The latest Sunday Business Post opinion poll showed ‘Yes’ support up three percentage points to 38; ‘No’ support down three percentage points to 28 points; and ‘don't knows’ static at 34 percentage points.
Open Europe Director Neil O’Brien had an article in the Irish Sunday Times which looked at how the Lisbon Treaty will damage business. It argued “Firstly Irish businesses would have to put up with more unnecessary EU regulations, because
Saturday’s Irish Times reported that French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier has warned about the direction of world trade negotiations, telling the Taoiseach, ministers and farming representatives during a visit to Dublin that proposals currently on the table are unacceptable. However he warned that Irish farmers should remember that the Lisbon Treaty and the trade talks are “two different exercises.” He said: “If we do not have the Lisbon Treaty, we still keep the WTO negotiations… What’s on the table today is not acceptable to us.” He said
He concluded that, “With 27 member states we need an efficient toolbox so that we can preserve our agriculture and our common policies.”
The Telegraph reports that Peter Mandelson “now adorns thousands of placards and ‘Stop Mandelson’ posters as Irish opposition to the EU treaty grows ahead of a referendum next month.”
Meanwhile former EU Commissioner Peter Sutherland has said “There is no escaping the fact that
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EU taxpayers funding destruction of African fish stocks and 400,000 jobs
The Observer reported on the EU's role in accelerating the depletion of global fish stocks: "Since 1979 the EU has negotiated deals on fishing rights with a string of impoverished African countries. Despite the EU's own studies indicating massive and quite possibly irreversible damage to fish stocks off west Africa, these deals continue to be struck. In 2002, the year an EU report revealed that the Senegalese fish biomass had declined 75 per cent in 15 years, Brussels bought rights for four years' fishing of tuna and bottom-dwelling fish on the Senegal coasts, for just $4m a year. In 2006, access for 43 giant EU factory fishing vessels to Mauritania's long coastline was bought for £24.3m a year. It's estimated that these deals have put 400,000 west African fishermen out of work; some of them now take to the sea only as ferrymen for desperate would-be migrants to the Canary Islands and Europe. And among the millions of Africans who depend on fish as their main source of protein, consumption has declined from 9kg per year to 7kg...
While EU ministers promise action on illegal fishing of tuna, they also continue to underwrite the tuna fishing industry through massive subsidies: €16m (£13.1m) has been spent in recent years on the European purse seining fleet alone, according to the international lobbying group Oceana. Xavier Pastor, its director in Europe, says bluntly: “The over-exploitation of the bluefin tuna has been promoted and financed by European taxpayers and continues through the subsidising of operating costs, such as fuel.”
German disagreements over EU diplomatic service
The weekend FT reported that splits are emerging in
Writing on his Telegraph blog, Bruno Waterfield reports that the External Action Service will probably consist of 2,000 staff from five existing departments of the Commission: the Directorate-Generals of External relations, Humanitarian Aid, Aid Cooperation, Trade and Enlargement, plus 400 from the Council Secretariat. They will be joined by national officials.
“Gigantic” EU milk scam uncovered in
El Pais reports that “gigantic” fraud has been uncovered in
Europa-Nytt reports that Roberto Maroni –
Danish opt-out referendums to be announced during the summer
The Danish press reports that Danish PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Friday announced that he will set a date for a Danish referendum on the Danish opt-out “sometime during the summer”. According to the Coulisses de Bruxelles blog, the announcement could take place anytime between now and July. Berlingske Tidene notes that the Danish Social Democrats have warned against early referendums, saying that it would not give voters enough time and could play in to the hands of the “no” side.
The Fistful of Euros blog picks up on a comment by French journalist Jean Quatremer that the French are involved in secret negotiations with the
EU using same poultry cleaning for exports that it has banned on imports
The FT reports that European poultry producers are using a chlorine-washing process on exported chicken, even though the same cleaning method is prohibited on imported chicken and has led to a ban on American sales in the EU. The article quotes a senior Commission official saying, “The French use [chlorine washing] for exports to
A new opinion poll shows that 60% of Norwegians oppose EU membership – the highest figure in several years.
Pro-EU party projected winner from Serbian elections
The Serbian Democratic Party led by President Taric appear to have won nearly 40% of the vote in the country's general election. The nationalist Radical Party, though, insists that it could still head a coalition forming the next government. Coalition talks are expected to take months.
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The Coulisses de Bruxelles blog reports that French Prime Minister François Fillon has said that there will be a discussion in the French Parliament on whether or not 9 May – ‘Europe Day’ – should be made a public holiday.
El Pais reports that Eurogroup ministers have blamed executive pay and bonuses for the turbulence in financial markets.
Saturday’s papers reported that according to Cherie Blair, Tony Blair is secretly advising Gordon Brown on how to win the next election.