8.30 Our Lib Dem European Parliamentary Party meeting. Sarah is to get the human rights position and a place on the US delegation so she is happy. Under any other business we discuss the NHS computer. Several of us are worried that it is an infringement of data protection that police and others will have access. It seems the Government get around this by saying the data is not owned by individuals but by the NHS! Of course when it comes to other data they argue the other way round: eg not giving tax info to other countries to help track fraud. We would like to challenge them on the NHS.
9.00 Nothing of mine in the working groups so I continue with work on amendments on Russia and putting a note together on trademarks and the Russian Civil Code for Commissioner Mandelson.
10.00 ALDE Group meeting. We hear the final package of committee places. We seem to have traded one of our JURI places for something else and behind the scenes several of us are unhappy at that. In the Committees later today and tomorrow we will vote for chairs and vice chairs. Normally one follows the agreed (or is that ‘greed’!) package but there are some that do not want to do that for the far right wing group. It is argued than for some committees that are technical it would not matter but on committees like culture which is about ‘values’ they are a bigger problem. We agree that we will not propose candidates against them. Individuals will have to vote as they see fit. I am uncomfortable at a discriminatory approach.
14.00 Another ECON prep meeting to elect our co-ordinator. Wolf tried to do this yesterday but had to be reminded it could not be done until committee places allocated. Technically I still think it is too early as we do not vote the places until 5.30 in plenary. I am late again because just as I set off Diana comes to say that tomorrow when she is in the chair in Plenary for the first time there is a debate on a European Private Company Statute which she shadowed. We have no speaker from ALDE and 8 minutes speaking time, so do I want to say something? I say ok, but not 8 minutes as that would be disproportionately long, longer than the Rapporteur. So I say I will do 4 minutes.
When I arrive at ECON prep Margarita has already started to complain that Wolf is not giving a fair share out of work and is keeping too much to himself, especially the best things. This is true. Anyway we let him continue with the job. I will be far to busy with JURI stuff as well to want the coordinator job, indeed I suspect I will have to help Diana out on JURI when she is doing Parliament Bureau stuff.
16.30 Having filled in time with press releases more work on Russia and looking out documents on the Company Statutes I see Mikael Down from UKRep on fiscal fraud. The UK just wants freedom to reverse charge selectively and on other frauds to get better information.
17.30 Into Plenary to vote for the committee places. There are no allowed amendments, so there ends up being no votes.
18.00 We have the ‘constituent meeting’ of JURI. As the oldest member Marco Pannella is in the Chair. Rather like with the Group when he did the same function he likes his moment in the chair and, quite amusingly, manages to draw things out longer than necessary. Anyway, no surprises here and we re-elect Gargarni as Chair then the four vice presidents agreed in the ‘package’ en bloc by acclamation (clapping).
18.20 Back in my office to work out what I am saying tomorrow in the debate on Private Company Statute. It seems that the JURI committee voted for the report unanimously, but I do not agree. I think it would only work for medium sized companies because of the capital provisions. That would not matter as long as it does not introduce an element of discrimination. Anyway, that is what I intend to say.
19.30 Leaving party for Desiree, Graham’s assistant who is going to work for Commissioner Kallas. Some useful networking with Italian, Hungarian and German colleagues.
Wednesday, 31 January 2007
Tuesday, 30 January 2007
Russia and Roaming
8.00 Kangaroo Group Breakfast Debate with the German Finance Minister. He makes it quite clear that to tackle VAT fraud they want to agree that any Member State can switch to using the Reverse Charge mechanism for everything. He is at least candid about Germany wanting this for itself because it solves other problems that they have with VAT collection under their Federal system. I am already getting a little fed up with hearing about the German ‘constitutional position’. I ask whether their scheme would rule out abolition of cross border tax (which I think it must) and close off other options. He does not really answer. Other tax issues are discussed but most of us have to leave at 9.00 to get to Committee.
9.00 I get to ECON just after 9.00 in time to discuss mobile phone roaming charges. I say that we should have a sunrise clause for data. I think broad agreement on this is building and I ask the Commission whether it raises any problems. They say not and that there are already similar proposals coming from the Presidency. The only other significant point debated is whether the retail mark-up should be 130% or 150%. Some members fear that companies will just mark up their domestic tariffs to compensate for losing their roaming super-profit. However, that would be illegal and is probably why companies have said they will not do that. Goebbels the Rapporteur on Russia comes to discuss his report and a WTO amendment he has drafted. He will send it to me.
11.00 Charlie McCreevy comes to update us on his plans. Seems not long ago that he did this, so some is similar and some has moved on. I leave at 12.00 to go to the JURI Committee as they are meant to be discussing damages actions. In fact they are running late and it is postponed again. I do wish they would be a bit more organised, but at least I am not alone in not knowing as the Commission chap has sat there to no avail too.
12.30 ECON Prep meeting. Carol and I get waylaid so arrive a little late. We go through votes, the only real discussion is on pensions and how/whether to move funds when an employee moves firms. It seems the problem in Germany is that there are no separate pension funds, the money is used by firms and then when workers retire they pay out of ongoing revenue, just like Governments do. So if they had to pay out a pension fund share for a moving employee they would lose capital, and for that reason they try to reduce mobility!! Anyway, we thought this not very liberal so stuck with Sophie’s voting proposals that the money should move.
13.30 A ‘lunchless’ meeting with the FSA about hedge funds. The usual suspects there: Peter Skinner, me, Wolf Klinz, Margarita Starviecute, John Purvis, Ike van den Burg and Prevenche Beres. The presentation is quite interesting but the answers to questions not as informative as hoped. Anyway I suppose the conclusion is that the things that are complained about with hedge funds are activities that could happen with other funds – one should target the behaviour not the fund. To some extent that is what the FSA do by regulating fund managers. They can not get at the fund anyway as they are always offshore. It also seems they could avoid regulation by appointing more than one manager, e.g. one not in the UK so not FSA regulated, but when I asked they said this was not common – however, when LTCM had their crisis they had two mangers.
15.00 ECON and votes. I leave after votes and work on Russia and Roaming. Leave at 7pm in order to get to the supermarket.
9.00 I get to ECON just after 9.00 in time to discuss mobile phone roaming charges. I say that we should have a sunrise clause for data. I think broad agreement on this is building and I ask the Commission whether it raises any problems. They say not and that there are already similar proposals coming from the Presidency. The only other significant point debated is whether the retail mark-up should be 130% or 150%. Some members fear that companies will just mark up their domestic tariffs to compensate for losing their roaming super-profit. However, that would be illegal and is probably why companies have said they will not do that. Goebbels the Rapporteur on Russia comes to discuss his report and a WTO amendment he has drafted. He will send it to me.
11.00 Charlie McCreevy comes to update us on his plans. Seems not long ago that he did this, so some is similar and some has moved on. I leave at 12.00 to go to the JURI Committee as they are meant to be discussing damages actions. In fact they are running late and it is postponed again. I do wish they would be a bit more organised, but at least I am not alone in not knowing as the Commission chap has sat there to no avail too.
12.30 ECON Prep meeting. Carol and I get waylaid so arrive a little late. We go through votes, the only real discussion is on pensions and how/whether to move funds when an employee moves firms. It seems the problem in Germany is that there are no separate pension funds, the money is used by firms and then when workers retire they pay out of ongoing revenue, just like Governments do. So if they had to pay out a pension fund share for a moving employee they would lose capital, and for that reason they try to reduce mobility!! Anyway, we thought this not very liberal so stuck with Sophie’s voting proposals that the money should move.
13.30 A ‘lunchless’ meeting with the FSA about hedge funds. The usual suspects there: Peter Skinner, me, Wolf Klinz, Margarita Starviecute, John Purvis, Ike van den Burg and Prevenche Beres. The presentation is quite interesting but the answers to questions not as informative as hoped. Anyway I suppose the conclusion is that the things that are complained about with hedge funds are activities that could happen with other funds – one should target the behaviour not the fund. To some extent that is what the FSA do by regulating fund managers. They can not get at the fund anyway as they are always offshore. It also seems they could avoid regulation by appointing more than one manager, e.g. one not in the UK so not FSA regulated, but when I asked they said this was not common – however, when LTCM had their crisis they had two mangers.
15.00 ECON and votes. I leave after votes and work on Russia and Roaming. Leave at 7pm in order to get to the supermarket.
Monday, 29 January 2007
Start of Mini-Plenary week
10.00 I get a train to London as we have arranged to have an Office meeting with Miranda coming from Folkestone, Sue from Berkhamsted and Carol is over for the weekend from Brussels. We have a useful session in the National Liberal Club then I go to get a flight from City Airport.
It does not seem such a bad trek with the break for the meeting and I quite enjoy seeing the sights of East London from the Docklands Light Railway. I get to Brussels about 5pm. Carol has used Eurostar to get back and arrives at about 6pm, but as she left the NLC about half an hour after me I reckon she had the better deal in terms of comfort. There is an email from Andrew Duff saying that there is a vacant vice chair position on the human rights sub committee. We have four people on that committee. I tell him that under our agreed protocol of the long serving members who have not been VPs, it should be Sarah and he says that is what he will be aiming for.
19.00 I have a meeting with Brenard-Louis Roques from Truffle 100. He seems to want to pick my brains on the current situation with Intellectual Property.
It does not seem such a bad trek with the break for the meeting and I quite enjoy seeing the sights of East London from the Docklands Light Railway. I get to Brussels about 5pm. Carol has used Eurostar to get back and arrives at about 6pm, but as she left the NLC about half an hour after me I reckon she had the better deal in terms of comfort. There is an email from Andrew Duff saying that there is a vacant vice chair position on the human rights sub committee. We have four people on that committee. I tell him that under our agreed protocol of the long serving members who have not been VPs, it should be Sarah and he says that is what he will be aiming for.
19.00 I have a meeting with Brenard-Louis Roques from Truffle 100. He seems to want to pick my brains on the current situation with Intellectual Property.
Wednesday, 24 January 2007
Early finish and travel delays!!
9.00 Arrive in the Parliament. I have to go back to the UK today as I have a conference to speak at tomorrow morning in London. So I have my suitcase with me, which feels very odd!
9.30 Votes in ECON. Only four of our seven there – where are they?? Seems we have clash of voting with other committees again. The Chair tries to take the votes very quickly and trips herself up. We have 9 pages of votes on broad Economic Guidelines, 6 on the EIB Annual Report and 35 pages on Prudential Assessment Acquisition. I reckon that there are up to 20 votes per page, but as some fall when compromises are passed we may only have to vote on 5 to 10 per page.
After votes we talk about Economic Relations with Russia so I bring up the TRIPS and WTO concerns, which is agreed by the Rapporteur and EPP shadow (and Olle Scmidt our shadow).
12.30 Working Lunch on the Investment Funds White Paper. I leave a little before the end at 2.00 in order to get the 3.00 Eurostar. En route to the station my driver ever so slightly nudges another car. So he has to stop and the other driver seems to insist he wants to make a claim. My driver a little concerned about what he is meant to do with me but we are right by a Metro Station so I jump out. It seems another driver would be sent to the first with crash paperwork to complete.
Anyway, I get to Gare du Midi and first of all the train is delayed, and then cancelled. Then all the Investment Fund speakers whom I ran out on earlier arrive at Gare du Midi for the next Eurostar, which is also delayed. I chat to some very nice people travelling to Ashford and tell them how we are campaigning to try and maintain the Brussels - Ashford service. On the train I write my speeches for tomorrow.
Miranda emails to say that her work is all going wrong as my weekend engagements this week and next are cancelled, so not a good day for the Bowles Office. Tomorrow is all day in London and Friday I will be able to work on the Zingaretti Report on criminal sanctions on IP and do the usual radio interviews.
9.30 Votes in ECON. Only four of our seven there – where are they?? Seems we have clash of voting with other committees again. The Chair tries to take the votes very quickly and trips herself up. We have 9 pages of votes on broad Economic Guidelines, 6 on the EIB Annual Report and 35 pages on Prudential Assessment Acquisition. I reckon that there are up to 20 votes per page, but as some fall when compromises are passed we may only have to vote on 5 to 10 per page.
After votes we talk about Economic Relations with Russia so I bring up the TRIPS and WTO concerns, which is agreed by the Rapporteur and EPP shadow (and Olle Scmidt our shadow).
12.30 Working Lunch on the Investment Funds White Paper. I leave a little before the end at 2.00 in order to get the 3.00 Eurostar. En route to the station my driver ever so slightly nudges another car. So he has to stop and the other driver seems to insist he wants to make a claim. My driver a little concerned about what he is meant to do with me but we are right by a Metro Station so I jump out. It seems another driver would be sent to the first with crash paperwork to complete.
Anyway, I get to Gare du Midi and first of all the train is delayed, and then cancelled. Then all the Investment Fund speakers whom I ran out on earlier arrive at Gare du Midi for the next Eurostar, which is also delayed. I chat to some very nice people travelling to Ashford and tell them how we are campaigning to try and maintain the Brussels - Ashford service. On the train I write my speeches for tomorrow.
Miranda emails to say that her work is all going wrong as my weekend engagements this week and next are cancelled, so not a good day for the Bowles Office. Tomorrow is all day in London and Friday I will be able to work on the Zingaretti Report on criminal sanctions on IP and do the usual radio interviews.
Tuesday, 23 January 2007
Tax, Damages and my First Report
8.00 Attend a Welsh Breakfast organised by the Farmer’s Union of Wales. No lava bread (seaweed) in sight but we do at least have British style sausages and bacon instead of the continental varieties which I do not like.
We talk about issues such as hormone beef still coming in from Brazil. All cattle are supposed to be ear tagged 90 days before slaughter, but it is reckoned that many are done much later and that it is simply impossible to check, after all there are 160 million cattle in Brazil. They complain that the Forces can have food imported that is banned for the rest of us and this is a risk. The last outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease was apparently traceable to a farm that took swill from an army camp that was still importing beef on the bone despite a general ban.
Also, the average age of British farmers is now 60, that is a very high average and has gone up 4 years from 56 when Tory MEP Neil Parish did his report. Then there was an interesting exchange between Labour and Tory MEPs on who to blame for the mess with milk. It seems the Tories made it half a mess and then Labour completed making it worse!!
9.00. Dump my coat in my office and go to a Workshop on Integration of EU Financial Services. It is in a room on the 5th floor where the seats are in concentric circles around a large open space – I always think it is a bit like a small ice rink and that we need a floor show. I sit opposite the window and at lazy moments contemplate the tallness of trees which reach up to the fifth floor level and the perspective that makes the occasional plane seemingly inches from their branches. Despite the distractions of the perspective I take notes on several interesting presentations.
9.00. Dump my coat in my office and go to a Workshop on Integration of EU Financial Services. It is in a room on the 5th floor where the seats are in concentric circles around a large open space – I always think it is a bit like a small ice rink and that we need a floor show. I sit opposite the window and at lazy moments contemplate the tallness of trees which reach up to the fifth floor level and the perspective that makes the occasional plane seemingly inches from their branches. Despite the distractions of the perspective I take notes on several interesting presentations.
I ask a question about the new technical platform for the Euronext Exchange and the fact that the supervisory board have suggested a US system. How does this fit with encouraging innovative European procurement and could it make platform sharing and the import of the US regulatory regime a little more likely? No admissions made. Price and quality of the platform will be the deciding factors, they say. Nevertheless there is acknowledgement that overspill of US regulation is huge, as they are thorough with strong leadership. In the EU only the UK’s FSA shows the same kind of leadership. An interesting diversion leads to the comment that Trade Secrets are a huge issue for Investment Banks.
11.30 I temporarily leave the hearing to meet the Prime Minister of the Azad Government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan. Saj Karim and I discuss the strategy on the amendments that we have filed on the Kashmir report.
12.00 Back to the Hearing
14.00 ECON committee prep meeting. We go through upcoming votes, but nothing critical.
14.30 I Meet with other Liberal MEPs in the car park under the Parliament to do a photo about car emissions. Chris Davies has a little device that produces steam to simulate an exhaust and we position it underneath Graham Watson’s car. The best photo opportunity is missed – that of a gaggle of MEPs carefully planting something under their Group Leader’s car, but I guess that is not funny in today’s terrorist concern climate.
11.30 I temporarily leave the hearing to meet the Prime Minister of the Azad Government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan. Saj Karim and I discuss the strategy on the amendments that we have filed on the Kashmir report.
12.00 Back to the Hearing
14.00 ECON committee prep meeting. We go through upcoming votes, but nothing critical.
14.30 I Meet with other Liberal MEPs in the car park under the Parliament to do a photo about car emissions. Chris Davies has a little device that produces steam to simulate an exhaust and we position it underneath Graham Watson’s car. The best photo opportunity is missed – that of a gaggle of MEPs carefully planting something under their Group Leader’s car, but I guess that is not funny in today’s terrorist concern climate.
15.00 Commissioner Kovacs is in ECON Committee, he is the Tax Commissioner. After his update I ask him about the delays in the UK on getting VAT refunds. Although this is caused by having to check that it is not part of a carousel fraud, some businesses are waiting a year for significant sums, even when they have themselves done lots of due diligence checks. Some go bust. Is this proportionate? Kovacs does not specifically say it is disproportionate but I get the feeling he thinks it is and says the Commission are aware and are keeping watch. Hopefully I have made him watch even closer.
ECON continues with discussion on the Damages actions amendments. I say the compromise amendment's basically OK but I still have some problems with the language of paragraph 5 (on mutual recognition of decisions – I think this is ok as a longer term objective but it can not be denied that there are some Member States that have not got their existing legal systems up to scratch. The Commission is threatening to suspend recognition for Romania.) Paulis of the Commission again repeats that he will proceed in little steps. We then get to PPP and I present my report and proposals. This is actually my first presentation as a legislative Rapporteur (all the rest so far have been as a shadow rapporteur, though several others are now in the pipeline). I cannot say it felt momentous, maybe because I have actually done some significant things from the shadow position.
17.00 Go back to the office and paperwork and a meeting with Vernon Everitt of the FSA to talk about consumer education. It seems money management is to become part of the school curriculum. That I do not mind, but he did mention that it would be part of maths – which I reckon is just more dumbing down of maths!!
19.00 The ECON Committee New Year Cocktail. Commissioners Kroes, McCreevy and B’s Almunia there. Charlie McCreevy comes to say hello before he leaves and I say we must have a chat. He suggests during Strasbourg week, maybe dinner or whatever fits in. Carol will fix something. Going to this means that I miss going to the Celebration of Scotland’s Beers, which I have co-sponsored as a vice chair of the Parliamentary Beer Club.
Monday, 22 January 2007
Committee Week. Late Start
Monday 22 January 2007
No meetings today so I am on a midday flight again, only it gets very delayed and I do not get to the Parliament until about 4.15pm. I check the week ahead and sort papers. Leave at 6.30 and proceed to my flat with my ‘homework’.
No meetings today so I am on a midday flight again, only it gets very delayed and I do not get to the Parliament until about 4.15pm. I check the week ahead and sort papers. Leave at 6.30 and proceed to my flat with my ‘homework’.
Thursday, 18 January 2007
Away Day
9.00 The luxury of a late start. Spoilt a little becase the MEP sharing my car is not ready to depart on time. Get to office and finish the damages actions amendments and try to organise some meetings, then it is off to plenary votes at 12.00. This is the first voting session chaired by Poettering in his new position os President and he seems a little nervous. He does not set a good rhythm and on the electronic votes there is not enough time to check, lose concentration and you get it wrong. I hope someone tells him. The votes are nearly all second reading issues so ‘qualified majorities’ of half of the total number of MEPs (not just half of those present) are needed. It looks to me as if there are a few too many absentees, and this proves the case as quite a lot of amendments that have a majority of those present do not get passed. Voting lasts until nearly 1.30
14.00 The UK Lib Dems are staying in Strasbourg for an ‘Awayday’, which extends over dinner. It was going to include tomorrow as well but we have all found reasons to do other things! I change my flight to an early one tomorrow. It seems there are loads of cancellations because of the wind, so just as well I am not heading back today. We have fixed up to visit flood planes in Wokingham on Sunday. All fits in with insuring.
14.00 The UK Lib Dems are staying in Strasbourg for an ‘Awayday’, which extends over dinner. It was going to include tomorrow as well but we have all found reasons to do other things! I change my flight to an early one tomorrow. It seems there are loads of cancellations because of the wind, so just as well I am not heading back today. We have fixed up to visit flood planes in Wokingham on Sunday. All fits in with insuring.
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