Arrival in Strasbourg

10.05 Flight to Basle arrives on time, but something has gone wrong with my car booking. More people than usual have come in at this time and I appear to be the one missing from the list! A gallant Austrian MEP Johannes, who regularly travels in the same car suggests I go in his place and he will go with the next car, due in about half an hour. When in the car I phone Carol to find out what has gone wrong. My booking was confirmed, but she finds out that the next car is also full so Johannes will have to get the train and, it being a Strasbourg week, there is also a rail strike! (I harbour deep suspicions that French strikes are always scheduled to disrupt Strasbourg). I find out later that Johannes arrives ok, by train, and I promise recompense in the bar.

11.30 I arrive in Strasbourg, among the first to do so. Carol is there because rail strike has stopped her going back to Brux until later; usually she would not arrive until a couple of hours after me. I unpack my trunk, check emails and start working on voting lists. We vote on the Audiovisual Media Directive this week and the phones and emails are hot. Our Group’s voting list is out and we check through that Ignasi and the Group secretariat have got it all as expected, which is the case. My amendment on 30 minutes has been split into two parts, which is good because otherwise I would have asked in Group to split it as the second part is unrelated to time. It seems the EPP also agreed to put in the 30 minute amendment, but they have not got ‘scheduled’ in, so it is not quite as good. Still that makes it look like we may get it through, but nothing is certain as all Groups are split on this. Carol leaves and Joe arrives.

15.30 I go down to working Group C to find out what is going on and stay for full Group which starts at 15.30. Numbers in attendance are low. I guess the rail strike and fog has taken its toll. We discuss various issues (not mine) and I find out that I have 1 minute to speak in the Audivisual Media debate. So that is now the challenge, how to make sense and a valid contribution in a minute.

17.00 I sort out papers for the LDEPP meeting, I am in the chair again. I am just getting ready to trot over to the other building when I am telephoned by the Times. I give comments on the lastest proposals from the UK on mobile phone roaming charges. UK do not want to regulate retail prices, only wholesale. That does not ensure adequate competition. So I side more with the Commission and say that the Treasury probably has its eyes on the next round of bidding and does not want anything that would depress that, meanwhile consumers are left paying through the nose. I also have my eye on data roaming charges. I finish the interview as I get to the LDEPP meeting and wonder why it is they only call when one in on the march.

17.30 LDEPP meeting. We get through the business quickly and agree proxies for AMS just in case a hijack comes up in Group, and also for the report on Romania. We are concerned about the treatment of motorcyclists in the European Driving Licence Directive, and we also discuss Menzies Campbell’s upcoming speech on Europe. We wish we could update it a bit more.

18.00 Working Group A. We do not discuss the Audio Visual Media Directive because Ignasi has not arrived yet. I report on one ECON vote Liz and I go to dinner at 20.00