Monday 30 April 2007
Thursday 26 April 2007
Meetings and votes round off the week
8.30 Arrive in office then go to out ALDE ECON prep meeting. We are now having meetings with Italian translation, but our Italian members are not there. We decide to change the format again and go back to having an informal breakfast meeting followed by our more formal meeting, all on Strasbourg Thursdays.
9.45 Back to the office and I have another telephone discussion on statistics.
11.00 Yet another meeting, this time with the UK advisor from the Patent Office. This is really so we can update one another on how we think things are being perceived. He was present for my presentations at the conference in Berlin just before Easter.
12.00 Votes, including my report on PPP which goes through as expected.
13.00 Back to the office and begin the clear up and packing.
16.30 Go to meet a visitor Group.
17.30 Type up some more thoughts for the statistics paper, tend to emails and then go to get my car to Basle at 7pm. Get home at about midnight UK time which my body now thinks is 1am. A week of campaigning now beckons with the local elections next Thursday.
9.45 Back to the office and I have another telephone discussion on statistics.
11.00 Yet another meeting, this time with the UK advisor from the Patent Office. This is really so we can update one another on how we think things are being perceived. He was present for my presentations at the conference in Berlin just before Easter.
12.00 Votes, including my report on PPP which goes through as expected.
13.00 Back to the office and begin the clear up and packing.
16.30 Go to meet a visitor Group.
17.30 Type up some more thoughts for the statistics paper, tend to emails and then go to get my car to Basle at 7pm. Get home at about midnight UK time which my body now thinks is 1am. A week of campaigning now beckons with the local elections next Thursday.
Wednesday 25 April 2007
Another record breaking voting session!
9.30 Arrive in the office and spend the morning on voting lists. Amidst all the work on my own dossiers and speeches we are still having to do the whip's job of checking all the voting lists and getting information in from colleagues.
11.00 I do a radio interview on payments.
11.30 Votes start. We apparently have another biggest ever voting session with 827 votes to take. This includes lots on criminal sanctions, which by about 100 votes goes the wrong way for me so we vote against at the end, but it is passed by about 100 votes. The voting list is marked to follow my lead. I did get one useful amendment in, but it is over to the council and national governments now. Damages actions is also voted and everything goes as planned and the EPP are outvoted. There is a break in the voting session for an address by the Indian Prime Minister, which is interesting and unusual in content. We do not finish voting until just before 2pm.
14.00 Straight to my office for a meeting with Microsoft. We discuss competition policy, the latest communication to Microsoft from the Commission, criminal sanctions and EPLA.
15.00 Another meeting, this time with the European Digital media association on Rome 1.
16.00 I have a telephone discussion with Tony Clayton about the Statistics Advisory Board. This gives me useful background information about how the statistical system works.
17.00 We get summoned to go to plenary by Sarah as there is an attempt to vote out the homophobia resolution from the agenda. Reasonable numbers of us turn up and the vote is won to keep it in the agenda.
17.30 I do a television interview on criminal sanctions.
18.00 Back to the office, start clearing away redundant papers and contemplate a joint draft letter to the commission on the audio visual media directive. Have quick discussion on this with Sayeed Kamall, then go down to Group at 7pm. Stay to the end when we have an update from Ignasi on the latest on the audio visual media directive. Leave at 21.00 and after getting back to my hotel go on a walkabout for half an hour to remind myself that there is such a thing as outside.
11.00 I do a radio interview on payments.
11.30 Votes start. We apparently have another biggest ever voting session with 827 votes to take. This includes lots on criminal sanctions, which by about 100 votes goes the wrong way for me so we vote against at the end, but it is passed by about 100 votes. The voting list is marked to follow my lead. I did get one useful amendment in, but it is over to the council and national governments now. Damages actions is also voted and everything goes as planned and the EPP are outvoted. There is a break in the voting session for an address by the Indian Prime Minister, which is interesting and unusual in content. We do not finish voting until just before 2pm.
14.00 Straight to my office for a meeting with Microsoft. We discuss competition policy, the latest communication to Microsoft from the Commission, criminal sanctions and EPLA.
15.00 Another meeting, this time with the European Digital media association on Rome 1.
16.00 I have a telephone discussion with Tony Clayton about the Statistics Advisory Board. This gives me useful background information about how the statistical system works.
17.00 We get summoned to go to plenary by Sarah as there is an attempt to vote out the homophobia resolution from the agenda. Reasonable numbers of us turn up and the vote is won to keep it in the agenda.
17.30 I do a television interview on criminal sanctions.
18.00 Back to the office, start clearing away redundant papers and contemplate a joint draft letter to the commission on the audio visual media directive. Have quick discussion on this with Sayeed Kamall, then go down to Group at 7pm. Stay to the end when we have an update from Ignasi on the latest on the audio visual media directive. Leave at 21.00 and after getting back to my hotel go on a walkabout for half an hour to remind myself that there is such a thing as outside.
Tuesday 24 April 2007
Criminal Sanctions disagreements
10.00 Arrive in the Parliament after a small detour because the chauffer goes to the wrong side of the river for my entrance. We are having a meeting on the voting list for Criminal Sanctions at 10.30 with others in the Group who have taken an interest. I have done my preferred list. On the way over I see Toine, who is the shadow for the sublect, walking in the opposite direction with Commissioner Kroes, which is bad news as it means he will not be joining us. We have our meeting and it seems that Ignasi, Marco and I have broadly similar thinking. The differences that we do have stem from the different ways legal systems work in different countries, which is half the problem with the criminal sanctions proposals. Anyway, we agree between ourselves and will take our line to Group tonight. I will see if I can find Toine before then as he is not going to like our conclusions and I regret that he was not present.
11.45 I head over to the hemicycle for votes. We are voting on payments today. There is to be an oral amendment to put a data protection bit in the resolution, providing that first we have rejected the amendment. This keeps it out of the directive and seems a good compromise. The ECON chair Pervench Beres is to move it and has the sense to let everyone know before the votes. The hard line civil liberties members of ALDE still ignore my voting list and vote for the amendment, but the amendment is rejected and then the oral amendment passed. It is a very small number of votes for just a big portfolio, because everything is voted en bloc, so the rapporteur does not get the amount of applause he deserves. We should have made them take 800 votes: then maybe they would have applauded more!
13.15 We have a photo-opp with cricket bats and balls, on the problems in Sri Lanka. This causes interest among continental media and so Sarah and Saj play cricket to show them (Sarah hits the ball too far and into a camera crew but fortunately the balls are soft).
14.00 We have a JURI extraordinary meeting on verification of credentials. This is all about ensuring everything is correct about new members papers etc. Sometimes it is not as straightforward who substitutes should be. There has been a court case in Italy over who should be the replacement for Di Pietro when he joined the Italian Government.
15.00 We have a press conference on payments.
16.00 Back to the office. I have a meeting at 4.30 with Sanchez Presado the rapporteur on damages actions. He has not been able to reach any agreement yet with the EPP. I agree with him some possible compromises and split votes and he goes off for another try.
17.00 Back to paperwork and voting lists and emails. I try to find Toine but do not succeed until just before the group meeting, by which time he has had an email of the voting preferences from this morning’s meeting. Needless to say he is not happy.
19.00 Group meeting. We get on to the criminal sanctions and Toine indicates his displeasure. I want to let the debate get underway before I intervene so I let Ignasi speak first from our side but he is preceded by our Bulgarian vice-chair who says there have been demonstrations in Bulgaria. The demonstrations concern the panic about the prospect of the directive criminalising individuals for private copying, but it is already pretty well unanimously agreed that will be taken out. When it is my turn I give a bit more explanation of the wider picture, the different conditions in member states, why it should not cover all intellectual property but only copyright and trademarks (as the most closely related to counterfeiting and piracy) and how we have come to a least bad compromise between ourselves on the available amendments. I think most are able to follow the arguments. We get to a vote and win our line reasonably comfortably. After Group I leave at 9.30 and the driver (a different one) gets lost again.
11.45 I head over to the hemicycle for votes. We are voting on payments today. There is to be an oral amendment to put a data protection bit in the resolution, providing that first we have rejected the amendment. This keeps it out of the directive and seems a good compromise. The ECON chair Pervench Beres is to move it and has the sense to let everyone know before the votes. The hard line civil liberties members of ALDE still ignore my voting list and vote for the amendment, but the amendment is rejected and then the oral amendment passed. It is a very small number of votes for just a big portfolio, because everything is voted en bloc, so the rapporteur does not get the amount of applause he deserves. We should have made them take 800 votes: then maybe they would have applauded more!
13.15 We have a photo-opp with cricket bats and balls, on the problems in Sri Lanka. This causes interest among continental media and so Sarah and Saj play cricket to show them (Sarah hits the ball too far and into a camera crew but fortunately the balls are soft).
14.00 We have a JURI extraordinary meeting on verification of credentials. This is all about ensuring everything is correct about new members papers etc. Sometimes it is not as straightforward who substitutes should be. There has been a court case in Italy over who should be the replacement for Di Pietro when he joined the Italian Government.
15.00 We have a press conference on payments.
16.00 Back to the office. I have a meeting at 4.30 with Sanchez Presado the rapporteur on damages actions. He has not been able to reach any agreement yet with the EPP. I agree with him some possible compromises and split votes and he goes off for another try.
17.00 Back to paperwork and voting lists and emails. I try to find Toine but do not succeed until just before the group meeting, by which time he has had an email of the voting preferences from this morning’s meeting. Needless to say he is not happy.
19.00 Group meeting. We get on to the criminal sanctions and Toine indicates his displeasure. I want to let the debate get underway before I intervene so I let Ignasi speak first from our side but he is preceded by our Bulgarian vice-chair who says there have been demonstrations in Bulgaria. The demonstrations concern the panic about the prospect of the directive criminalising individuals for private copying, but it is already pretty well unanimously agreed that will be taken out. When it is my turn I give a bit more explanation of the wider picture, the different conditions in member states, why it should not cover all intellectual property but only copyright and trademarks (as the most closely related to counterfeiting and piracy) and how we have come to a least bad compromise between ourselves on the available amendments. I think most are able to follow the arguments. We get to a vote and win our line reasonably comfortably. After Group I leave at 9.30 and the driver (a different one) gets lost again.
Monday 23 April 2007
Speeches!
5.30 Leave for Luton airport. The plane lands early and I get to the Parliament in Strasbourg by 11.30. As usual I am in well ahead of everyone else so I can get to work on my speeches and amendments. I have three speeches to do today. Also, on Friday we discovered that the GUE group had put an amendment in to the Payment Services Directive broadly the same as the one I persuaded ALDE not to put in. This means I will have to revisit the whole matter again. I decide that I will say something in my speech, which rather ironically is probably going to be at just the time when it might be discussed in the working group. I check the wording of the amendment again and the final text agreed with Council, and I am not convinced the amendment is in the right place anyway. Anyway, as before, my line will be that I agree with the principle of the amendment but it is a bigger issue than just payments.
15.30 Group meeting. Nothing spectacular, just updates and I then leave before the end because plenary is due to start at 17.00.
16.45 Head over to the hemicycle. Talk to some media people on the way. They want to know what I think about an issue of including inland waterways in shipping insurance compensation requirements. Typical, I do three speeches today and they want to know about something else.
Plenary starts and I get a small surprise when it is announced that the ALDE group have asked to delay the vote on my PPP report until Thursday, so I get up and explain that it is because we only got the legal opinion on comitology last Friday and have some final checks to make. (Later Titus our administrator says to Carol perhaps he should have warned me…). There is much to-ing an fro-ing among those involved in the payments portfolio. It is suggested to me that whether there is a majority for it depends upon our votes. I am pleased we had the discussion in Group last week, I just hope it holds and is not reopened in my absence.
The debate starts a bit late and I discover that my success last week in not tabling the amendment has not been reopened in Group so my voting list in which I have marked a vote against the GUE amendment is approved. I do my speech and at the end clarify that I persuaded our Group not to submit a similar amendment, that if it comes to it a vote against the amendment is not a vote against the underlying principle and that I hope it can be handled in another way. I think this probably increases the pressure for another way to be found.
19.00 We are having an ECON committee meeting. First is the ECB annual report. I get there for that, but leave at 7.30 because I am due on for my second speech of the day in plenary. This is on Criminal Sanctions for Intellectual Property. I have decided that unless my amendments pass, or the one from the Greens restricting the scope, then I will be voting against the directive irrespective of what the group line will be. Given this is about something where I have had professional experience for over 25 years, I can not desert my personal expertise. The Law Society also agrees with me on this, as does the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys and, it has to be said, the UK Government. Unfortunately it is unlikely that our shadow will take the same view. Anyway, I say my bit and make it clear that the whole thing should be restricted to counterfeiting and piracy, organised crime and risk to health and safety. Debates are already running late so my third speech, originally scheduled for around 10.30 is now moving towards midnight.
21.00 Back in the office working on papers, doing press releases, notes for colleagues and voting lists and generally filling in time until the start of the last debate. Having to speak late on a Monday, when getting up at 4 in the morning is beginning to feel like a cruel and unusual punishment. Hasn’t anyone here heard of the working time directive?
23.00 I go to plenary. Our debate on damages actions eventually starts about 23.25. I think Commissioner Kroes does a good introduction. I say that when this all started I felt like a latter day Cassandra, only unlike Cassandra notice has been taken of what I have said and that, even if gently, it is embedded in the report. It is rather too gently for the EPP, so it looks like it will be a battle of votes not a broader compromise deal. But the rapporteur and the Commissioner offer to be open for discussions. The Commissioner’s summing up is also very good, acknowledging that the devil will be in the detail – a phrase I nearly used in my own speech. We finish at ten past midnight. I get a car to my hotel and check in at half past midnight. I am by now well into my second wind and not at all tired. I have already made the decision that I am not going to our 8am Lib Dem breakfast.
15.30 Group meeting. Nothing spectacular, just updates and I then leave before the end because plenary is due to start at 17.00.
16.45 Head over to the hemicycle. Talk to some media people on the way. They want to know what I think about an issue of including inland waterways in shipping insurance compensation requirements. Typical, I do three speeches today and they want to know about something else.
Plenary starts and I get a small surprise when it is announced that the ALDE group have asked to delay the vote on my PPP report until Thursday, so I get up and explain that it is because we only got the legal opinion on comitology last Friday and have some final checks to make. (Later Titus our administrator says to Carol perhaps he should have warned me…). There is much to-ing an fro-ing among those involved in the payments portfolio. It is suggested to me that whether there is a majority for it depends upon our votes. I am pleased we had the discussion in Group last week, I just hope it holds and is not reopened in my absence.
The debate starts a bit late and I discover that my success last week in not tabling the amendment has not been reopened in Group so my voting list in which I have marked a vote against the GUE amendment is approved. I do my speech and at the end clarify that I persuaded our Group not to submit a similar amendment, that if it comes to it a vote against the amendment is not a vote against the underlying principle and that I hope it can be handled in another way. I think this probably increases the pressure for another way to be found.
19.00 We are having an ECON committee meeting. First is the ECB annual report. I get there for that, but leave at 7.30 because I am due on for my second speech of the day in plenary. This is on Criminal Sanctions for Intellectual Property. I have decided that unless my amendments pass, or the one from the Greens restricting the scope, then I will be voting against the directive irrespective of what the group line will be. Given this is about something where I have had professional experience for over 25 years, I can not desert my personal expertise. The Law Society also agrees with me on this, as does the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys and, it has to be said, the UK Government. Unfortunately it is unlikely that our shadow will take the same view. Anyway, I say my bit and make it clear that the whole thing should be restricted to counterfeiting and piracy, organised crime and risk to health and safety. Debates are already running late so my third speech, originally scheduled for around 10.30 is now moving towards midnight.
21.00 Back in the office working on papers, doing press releases, notes for colleagues and voting lists and generally filling in time until the start of the last debate. Having to speak late on a Monday, when getting up at 4 in the morning is beginning to feel like a cruel and unusual punishment. Hasn’t anyone here heard of the working time directive?
23.00 I go to plenary. Our debate on damages actions eventually starts about 23.25. I think Commissioner Kroes does a good introduction. I say that when this all started I felt like a latter day Cassandra, only unlike Cassandra notice has been taken of what I have said and that, even if gently, it is embedded in the report. It is rather too gently for the EPP, so it looks like it will be a battle of votes not a broader compromise deal. But the rapporteur and the Commissioner offer to be open for discussions. The Commissioner’s summing up is also very good, acknowledging that the devil will be in the detail – a phrase I nearly used in my own speech. We finish at ten past midnight. I get a car to my hotel and check in at half past midnight. I am by now well into my second wind and not at all tired. I have already made the decision that I am not going to our 8am Lib Dem breakfast.
Thursday 19 April 2007
Packing for the trip home
9.15 Arrive at the office with my huge suitcase. I need it for taking back a vast number of letters that we have printed and stuffed. There is then no room left for the suits I will need in Strasbourg so I stuff them into my trunk as well. It will be a bit problematical if my trunk goes walkabout now as sometimes happens. After completing the packing of trunk and suitcase I turn again to various amendments. We are then contacted by the tabling office about the language of the compromise amendments on damages actions. The rapporteur says he is happy for me to resolve the problem. There is one place where there was some awkward English that I had left because it was clearer than the alternative, which the tabling office now proposes. I find a clearer third suggestion.
12.15 I meet with people from FFII. I had replied to one of their emails to explain how my amendments dealt with some of the same concerns that they had. We have a useful exchange on a range of issues.
13.50 I leave with my huge and heavy suitcase to get the Eurostar. I am going to have problems with this when I get to the London end and all the steps…. The weekend now beckons with visits to Lewes and Eastbourne
12.15 I meet with people from FFII. I had replied to one of their emails to explain how my amendments dealt with some of the same concerns that they had. We have a useful exchange on a range of issues.
13.50 I leave with my huge and heavy suitcase to get the Eurostar. I am going to have problems with this when I get to the London end and all the steps…. The weekend now beckons with visits to Lewes and Eastbourne
Wednesday 18 April 2007
Payments, Audio Visual Media Services
9.00 I get to the office. I go down to group to make a few notes about what I want to say about Payments before I am due to speak. Carol has been busy getting in the proxy votes from the UK delegation. I am having Wolff Klinz vote for payments. Not usual to give proxies to another countries’ MEP but he wants to make it clear he supports my line. After I do my presentation Alexander Alvaro presents the amendment. This then seems to get support from Graham in the chair as he asks are we not having the wool pulled over us in that it would upset the package. I then give a comprehensive reply dealing with the SWIFT issue and the data protection directive, whether the amendment properly has a place in the payments directive and what it would mean to reject the amendment should we subsequently wish to run it as a separate issue. We then vote. The civil liberties side have organised proxies too. However I seem to have won support on the arguments so the amendment is not approved.
12.00 Back to the office. I draft my opinion on attachment of bank accounts.
14.30 We have a meeting on the audio visual media services. There are still some issues that are not quite satisfactory but there is quite a common consensus of opinion among the various parliamentarians there. We are possibly embarking on an ‘accelerated second reading’ procedure where we agree everything with the Council. If we do not agree and go to a full second reading the Council are threatening to back track to their November position. After the meeting I have a discussion with Chris Heaton-Harris and Sayeed Kamell about advertising braks in children's programs as we have all raised the point again. In the end we think that it is just about workable given that there are usually significant advert breaks at the half hour which can accommodate the extra few seconds that are needed to take a scheduled slot for half an hour and no break allowed to half an hour and a few seconds when a break is allowed.
16.00 Back to the office. I have a meeting at 4.30 with the Alternative Investment Management Association for whom I am co-hosting a lunch on June 12th. We discuss the issues that we think should be raised. The purpose of such a lunch is to provide information and an opportunity for MEPs to question industry experts. I also have a dinner I am sponsoring on June 12th – I can remember this as it is my birthday so bang goes any idea of keeping part of it free!!
17.30 I commence the tidying up and dealing with odds and ends and start heaping papers into my Strasbourg trunk. Leave at 7.30
12.00 Back to the office. I draft my opinion on attachment of bank accounts.
14.30 We have a meeting on the audio visual media services. There are still some issues that are not quite satisfactory but there is quite a common consensus of opinion among the various parliamentarians there. We are possibly embarking on an ‘accelerated second reading’ procedure where we agree everything with the Council. If we do not agree and go to a full second reading the Council are threatening to back track to their November position. After the meeting I have a discussion with Chris Heaton-Harris and Sayeed Kamell about advertising braks in children's programs as we have all raised the point again. In the end we think that it is just about workable given that there are usually significant advert breaks at the half hour which can accommodate the extra few seconds that are needed to take a scheduled slot for half an hour and no break allowed to half an hour and a few seconds when a break is allowed.
16.00 Back to the office. I have a meeting at 4.30 with the Alternative Investment Management Association for whom I am co-hosting a lunch on June 12th. We discuss the issues that we think should be raised. The purpose of such a lunch is to provide information and an opportunity for MEPs to question industry experts. I also have a dinner I am sponsoring on June 12th – I can remember this as it is my birthday so bang goes any idea of keeping part of it free!!
17.30 I commence the tidying up and dealing with odds and ends and start heaping papers into my Strasbourg trunk. Leave at 7.30
Tuesday 17 April 2007
"Sharon's hour"
9.00 Arrive at the office. There are alarms and excursions going on concerning the proposed amendment to the Payment Services Directive. We are told that a rumour is being spread that in any case the European Banking Federation do not like the package. We know that is not true so we take steps to make sure the truth is known. There are also some final tweaks on Purchasing Price Parities to do.
9.30 I have a meeting with Dr Thomas Steffen the director of the German Financial Services regulator (Bafin). We have a wide ranging discussion on various issues linked to Solvency ll and the issues that it raises, including guarantee schemes, transparency, group supervision and independence and liability of supervisors.
11.00 Toine Manders’ assistant comes to see me about amendments on criminal sanctions. We agree on what we are each going to table to group. I then pop down to check on what is going on in Working group C, which deals with the international affairs issues.
12.30 Our Lib Dem Parliamentary Party meeting and once again I am in the chair. We discuss possible controversies in the Strasbourg agenda and agree the sharing out of cover for checking votes.
14.30 Working Group A, which deals with all the ECON and JURI issues. Carol has dubbed this ‘Sharon’s hour’ because I seem to be the lead person on everything. Payments is going to Group, so we do not deal with it here. We reach agreement on Purchasing Price Parities and damages actions. On criminal sanctions I have amendments that do the same sort of thing as those of Marco Capparti and I am charged with making a composite.
15.30 Back to the office. I work on the composites.
16.00 I have a meeting with representative from UEFA. This is really to catch up on where the Audio Visual Media services directive has got to in Council. It seems that in Council they are finally getting round to understanding that my solution on short news reports is the only one that is compatible with other copyright legislation (hooray at last). Then finish the composites and also do some more tweaking on the language of the damages amendments.
17.30 I go down to Group. I have a quick chat with Alexander Alvaro about the proposed amendment to Payments. He says they had not realised the precariousness of the situation. I joke that I will direct the entire wrath from the German Banks towards him. He says he cannot withdraw the amendment because it is supported by Sophie and Sarah who are in the US. I confirm that Marco is happy with the composite amendments and they are signed off.
18.30 I go back to the office. I then start to look at the papers on attachment of bank accounts for which I have to draft an opinion this week. I have already looked at these over the weekend. Leave at about 7.30 taking the attachment papers for homework.
9.30 I have a meeting with Dr Thomas Steffen the director of the German Financial Services regulator (Bafin). We have a wide ranging discussion on various issues linked to Solvency ll and the issues that it raises, including guarantee schemes, transparency, group supervision and independence and liability of supervisors.
11.00 Toine Manders’ assistant comes to see me about amendments on criminal sanctions. We agree on what we are each going to table to group. I then pop down to check on what is going on in Working group C, which deals with the international affairs issues.
12.30 Our Lib Dem Parliamentary Party meeting and once again I am in the chair. We discuss possible controversies in the Strasbourg agenda and agree the sharing out of cover for checking votes.
14.30 Working Group A, which deals with all the ECON and JURI issues. Carol has dubbed this ‘Sharon’s hour’ because I seem to be the lead person on everything. Payments is going to Group, so we do not deal with it here. We reach agreement on Purchasing Price Parities and damages actions. On criminal sanctions I have amendments that do the same sort of thing as those of Marco Capparti and I am charged with making a composite.
15.30 Back to the office. I work on the composites.
16.00 I have a meeting with representative from UEFA. This is really to catch up on where the Audio Visual Media services directive has got to in Council. It seems that in Council they are finally getting round to understanding that my solution on short news reports is the only one that is compatible with other copyright legislation (hooray at last). Then finish the composites and also do some more tweaking on the language of the damages amendments.
17.30 I go down to Group. I have a quick chat with Alexander Alvaro about the proposed amendment to Payments. He says they had not realised the precariousness of the situation. I joke that I will direct the entire wrath from the German Banks towards him. He says he cannot withdraw the amendment because it is supported by Sophie and Sarah who are in the US. I confirm that Marco is happy with the composite amendments and they are signed off.
18.30 I go back to the office. I then start to look at the papers on attachment of bank accounts for which I have to draft an opinion this week. I have already looked at these over the weekend. Leave at about 7.30 taking the attachment papers for homework.
Monday 16 April 2007
Intellectual Property, Damages Actions and Payments
10.30 Leave for Heathrow. I have already had telephone conversations with Carol in Brussels to confirm wording of an amendment to the Equitable Life report which is due in by noon (11 am our time). We land early in Brussels so I get to Parliament by just after 3pm. I immediately start work on more amendments for the directive on criminal sanctions for intellectual property. This is being voted in Strasbourg next week so I have to get the amendments approved by the Group this week.
16.30 Sanchez Presedo the Rapporteur on the damages action report comes to see me. He starts by saying “I have come to see you about your report – after all it is now more yours!”. It is true I controlled the voting in committee but we had actually reached agreement on most of my changes anyway. He now wants to reincorporate two things that were deleted in the committee votes. One is ok because it was lost because the socialists were too slow to vote. The other we voted against because the language was confused and it had slipped my notice. However I am now able to agree how to change it so that it fits in with everything else.
17.15 We have been alerted to an amendment that our Civil Liberties colleagues want to put to the payments directive. It is about SWIFT. The content I can agree in sentiment but I do not think it has a place in the directive, especially at this stage, and as it is of wider significance it is hard to see how any rapid agreement on it, or indeed practical implementation, could be reached, and so if it were passed it would also cause the package to fail. I send out a few emails of explanation. I am reluctant to argue it just on the basis of ‘the package’ agreed with Council but think I have to make sure the significance is appreciated. Leave at about 7.45pm taking various papers with me.
16.30 Sanchez Presedo the Rapporteur on the damages action report comes to see me. He starts by saying “I have come to see you about your report – after all it is now more yours!”. It is true I controlled the voting in committee but we had actually reached agreement on most of my changes anyway. He now wants to reincorporate two things that were deleted in the committee votes. One is ok because it was lost because the socialists were too slow to vote. The other we voted against because the language was confused and it had slipped my notice. However I am now able to agree how to change it so that it fits in with everything else.
17.15 We have been alerted to an amendment that our Civil Liberties colleagues want to put to the payments directive. It is about SWIFT. The content I can agree in sentiment but I do not think it has a place in the directive, especially at this stage, and as it is of wider significance it is hard to see how any rapid agreement on it, or indeed practical implementation, could be reached, and so if it were passed it would also cause the package to fail. I send out a few emails of explanation. I am reluctant to argue it just on the basis of ‘the package’ agreed with Council but think I have to make sure the significance is appreciated. Leave at about 7.45pm taking various papers with me.
Thursday 12 April 2007
Roaming Votes
7.45 Arrive in the office for my interview. We continue with checking the votes and I assemble my papers for going to Croatia this afternoon for the ELDR Council meeting.
10.30 Votes in Industry on roaming. It all goes pretty well. Lots of member leave afterwards so we are down to about 30 instead of 50 voting on the innovation report. That is mixed. Votes take until 12.45
13.00 Interview on roaming with Quadrant radio
13.15 start to write up notes on the advisory board. The do the forthcoming diary events check and leave for the airport at 3pm.
10.30 Votes in Industry on roaming. It all goes pretty well. Lots of member leave afterwards so we are down to about 30 instead of 50 voting on the innovation report. That is mixed. Votes take until 12.45
13.00 Interview on roaming with Quadrant radio
13.15 start to write up notes on the advisory board. The do the forthcoming diary events check and leave for the airport at 3pm.
Wednesday 11 April 2007
Equitable life, Statistics and Communications
8.30 Arrive in the office. Sort out papers and head for the JURI committee. Votes are due at 9.30 but are delayed. Eventually I leave because the Equitable life committee of Enquiry has a discussion on its report which is more important. Anyway, I know that the EPP are supporting a few of my amendments in JURI to the innovation report which will carry them whether I am there or not. The others that they do not support will fall whether I am there or not!
10.15 Arrive in the Equitable life committee. Peter Skinner is speaking about what was meant to be confidential after our last meeting and should there have been a press release from the rapporteur. We then move on to discussing the report which has been amended to include my and others comments during the informal amendment period. Most are content. Peter is not and seems to want more about Solvency ll (which I thought I had covered reasonably well) and makes some points about other directives that could be mentioned. Some of the Conservative members criticise Peter for being political, and in doing so are political themselves. I eventually intervene to point out the changes that have been made to introduce solvency ll and also say that we have to make sure (in ECON when we do the directive later this year) that it does solve all the problems that we are told it does. I am not yet 100% convinced that it does.
11.15 The ECON members of the Equitable life committee leave because we have a discussion in ECON now on solvency ll. A bit of a mad morning with three committees all doing relevant things.
12.45 The European Parliament Financial Services Forum lunch. This is on the EU-US dialogue. The main thrusts of the dialogue are on intellectual property, standards and financial services, so in many ways I am more involved than everyone else as I cover all three topics. However lunch is on the financial aspects.
14.30 Back to the office and a telephone conference with Radermacher of the German Presidency about the statistics directives. I tell him we are still awaiting the opinion of legal services on comitology but I am hoping it is as we agreed at our meeting. We then have a useful discussion on the purpose of the advisory board. I find this a more helpful than the discussions with the Commission were in terms of getting a handle on what is really intended. However this is probably largely due to the fact that I am more up to speed now. Additionally I have located a UK expert that I can also consult next week.
16.00 Meeting with members of GSM representing communication operators. They really wanted to know about payments, so I told them I expect the Presidency text as agreed by Council to be approved without any or much change by Parliament. They are happy with that. We also discussed that the e payements directive will now need to be brought in line, but that was always the intention. Seems to me the capital requirements in that were made too high by a factor of 10.
16.30 Meeting with Timothy baker of LIBA. We discuss financial services white paper and various other issues.
17.00 Tomorrow the industry committee votes on roaming and the innovation report and I have got myself a place as a substitute in the voting. The voting lists are long and compromise amendments are appearing so we start checking those. Media are very interested in roaming and I agree to do an interview with five live at 8am in the morning. Leave at 7pm
10.15 Arrive in the Equitable life committee. Peter Skinner is speaking about what was meant to be confidential after our last meeting and should there have been a press release from the rapporteur. We then move on to discussing the report which has been amended to include my and others comments during the informal amendment period. Most are content. Peter is not and seems to want more about Solvency ll (which I thought I had covered reasonably well) and makes some points about other directives that could be mentioned. Some of the Conservative members criticise Peter for being political, and in doing so are political themselves. I eventually intervene to point out the changes that have been made to introduce solvency ll and also say that we have to make sure (in ECON when we do the directive later this year) that it does solve all the problems that we are told it does. I am not yet 100% convinced that it does.
11.15 The ECON members of the Equitable life committee leave because we have a discussion in ECON now on solvency ll. A bit of a mad morning with three committees all doing relevant things.
12.45 The European Parliament Financial Services Forum lunch. This is on the EU-US dialogue. The main thrusts of the dialogue are on intellectual property, standards and financial services, so in many ways I am more involved than everyone else as I cover all three topics. However lunch is on the financial aspects.
14.30 Back to the office and a telephone conference with Radermacher of the German Presidency about the statistics directives. I tell him we are still awaiting the opinion of legal services on comitology but I am hoping it is as we agreed at our meeting. We then have a useful discussion on the purpose of the advisory board. I find this a more helpful than the discussions with the Commission were in terms of getting a handle on what is really intended. However this is probably largely due to the fact that I am more up to speed now. Additionally I have located a UK expert that I can also consult next week.
16.00 Meeting with members of GSM representing communication operators. They really wanted to know about payments, so I told them I expect the Presidency text as agreed by Council to be approved without any or much change by Parliament. They are happy with that. We also discussed that the e payements directive will now need to be brought in line, but that was always the intention. Seems to me the capital requirements in that were made too high by a factor of 10.
16.30 Meeting with Timothy baker of LIBA. We discuss financial services white paper and various other issues.
17.00 Tomorrow the industry committee votes on roaming and the innovation report and I have got myself a place as a substitute in the voting. The voting lists are long and compromise amendments are appearing so we start checking those. Media are very interested in roaming and I agree to do an interview with five live at 8am in the morning. Leave at 7pm
Tuesday 10 April 2007
EPLA and committee preparations
9.30 Arrive in office because I travelled to Brussels yesterday, as always seems to be necessary on our Bank holidays. This month we are having a second committee week so it is a little unusual, presumably because of the constituency weeks. This morning has been kept free for me to review again the legal services opinion on EPLA, which we are discussing this afternoon. However, the deadline for ECON committee amendments to the report on the financial services white paper is upon us at noon tomorrow so we start on that first. The draft report contains too much of the usual ‘rant’ against hedge funds and I have decided that it would be useful to draw attention to the difference between Europe, where there is already registration required and regulation of the mangers and brokers, and the US which remains predominantly unregulated. This adds a new dimension.
I then update my Berlin speech text with what I actually said as some people have been asking for it. Finally I settle to work on EPLA and write an outline of what I want to say in JURI about the opinion. I am assuming that the legal services will respond to the paper that I previously circulated so I can now introduce further points which I will need to give them in writing. Really I have too much that is specialist, and I worry that some will not be able to follow it, but it needs to be said so that everyone understands that a lot of the points made in the opinion are extreme views and debatable.
14.00 Go to the ECON prep meeting for our group. We review upcoming votes tomorrow, nothing controversial except for how to fix excise duty where we have free votes. I will have to miss votes because things that I am shadowing are being voted in JURI at the same time.
15.00 I go to the JURI meeting. We discuss EPLA. My points seem to go down well. We then vote on the JURI opinion on the financial services white paper. Two of my four amendments are passed.
17.00 I look in on the end of the ECON committee meeting then return to the office to complete work on votes for tomorrow in JURI and on the ECON amendments on the white paper. Leave at 8.00pm
I then update my Berlin speech text with what I actually said as some people have been asking for it. Finally I settle to work on EPLA and write an outline of what I want to say in JURI about the opinion. I am assuming that the legal services will respond to the paper that I previously circulated so I can now introduce further points which I will need to give them in writing. Really I have too much that is specialist, and I worry that some will not be able to follow it, but it needs to be said so that everyone understands that a lot of the points made in the opinion are extreme views and debatable.
14.00 Go to the ECON prep meeting for our group. We review upcoming votes tomorrow, nothing controversial except for how to fix excise duty where we have free votes. I will have to miss votes because things that I am shadowing are being voted in JURI at the same time.
15.00 I go to the JURI meeting. We discuss EPLA. My points seem to go down well. We then vote on the JURI opinion on the financial services white paper. Two of my four amendments are passed.
17.00 I look in on the end of the ECON committee meeting then return to the office to complete work on votes for tomorrow in JURI and on the ECON amendments on the white paper. Leave at 8.00pm
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