"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.