Committee Week Begins

Leave home for Heathrow at 10.00. Flight is a little delayed so I do not get to Brussels with any time to spare before committees start at 3.00

3.15 Rush straight into the Legal Affairs Committee in time for the discussion on designs. It is packed out again, and as far as I can tell very little progress has been made in trying to get the French and German car industry to accept that they should not monopolise the spare parts markets. I talk to Piia-Noora Kauppi about the proposed Oral Question on copyright levies. As I am to represent the Group at the coordinators meeting because Diana Wallis who is the coordinator can not be there, I agree with the EPP coordinator that we will raise it and we get agreement in principle to proceed, ideally also with the Internal Market Committee . I will now circulate a draft before the next coordinators meeting and we should get it on to the plenary for April.

17.30 I return to the office and send out emails about the coordinators agreement, and go through the JURI voting list for tomorrow on damages actions. We have a few differences from the proposals from the Wallis Office and Carol goes to explain our reasoning. I find the JURI report very difficult to make compatible with what we have managed to agree in ECON, they are much more focussed on consumer protection and the outcome of ECJ decisions than with tackling the discovery of more abuses.

18.45 Proceed to the ‘cocktails’ with the insurance industry people here for tomorrow’s Hearing on solvency 2. The expression ‘cocktails’ seems to mean a glass of wine, champagne or orange at the cocktail hour. Only crisps and nuts and I suddenly realise the usual Monday problem of there having been no food all day. Useful conversations held and it gets to around 9.00 before I leave to go to the flat.