Feet first

9.00 The legal opinion from the Parliament’s services on EPLA has arrived. It seems a bit over the top and with inaccuracies, over emphasising where there is overlap with EU legislation, but that is what I would expect from institutions. Following last night’s meeting a letter to the Times on Eurostar has been drafted by the Ashworth office, so we slightly amend and agree. This will go from the 4 MEPs. We send off first drafts of our business letter for consideration.

11.30 Go to working group C. We discuss child soldiers. I intervene on some amendments on trade relations with Mediterranean countries (non EU) that Saj Karim has put in, backing up his arguments. We have a bit of a battle of free traders (me) versus Southern European colleagues being protective of their fruit markets. So the matter is deferred to full Group with the expectation that some compromise text can be worked out.

12.45 I go to the Rennaissance Hotel for a meeting of the European Enterprise Institute at which the Nobel Prize winner for Economics Prof. Edmund Phelps is speaking on the spirit of entrepreneurship. In theory EEI is a cross party organisation but as far as the platform is concerned they are all from the EPP. There are a few useful references made, but not surprisingly he seems to speak the lingo of an economist rather than of an innovator/entrepreneur. So no help for my report on innovation.

15.30 Back to the Parliament for working Groups A and B. The oil prices report and my single amendment is up for presentation. I explain how all my amendments are already in the report and the only amendment I now wish to make is to delete a phrase on hedge funds that is in the wrong place, and so unbalances the report. The only reason it is there is because it got inserted as part of a compromise, which it was not, and the EPP got their voting wrong when I asked for a separate vote. We actually smell a bit of a rat in how it was sneaked in (we suspect the PSE chair of the committee exerting undue influence). The EPP have asked me to put in my amendment to delete again – presumably it is a bit embarrassing for them to go to their Group and admit they got confused! Anyway, no problems, I get the agreement.

We then have a discussion on incinerator efficiency. None of the UK’s incinerators would pass the new proposals for 70% efficiency. In France only 8 would pass. Germany and the Scandinavian countries do better. Hot countries that do not need to produce heat will have a different formula. We then discuss definitions of waste for the waste directive. It seems that products, or rather by products, that have an economic value should not be classed as waste, e.g tallow. Also animal carcasses not meant to be covered. Then we have a brief discussion about European Coastguards. Good idea, but there may be subsidiarity problems in such a proposal.

16.30 Back to the office. More work on roaming amendments, emails on EPLA.

17.30 I get down to Group in time for discussion on CIA flights. Sometimes we are very frustrated at not getting information, and that will surely change now the US Congress is looking at the issue. However there are legal actions pending in Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal as well as the US Congress inquiry, largely due to the European Parliament work on special rendition.

18.30 Go to the launch of the Women Inventors and Innovators network, of which I have agreed to be a patron.

19.15 Go to the ELDR offices for Lex’s leaving party.

20.00 Go to dinner with members of our UK Lib Dem International Relations Committee, of which I used to be co-chair. I have a session to talk with them tomorrow. Andrew Duff says he has never known anyone find their feet in the Parliament as quickly as me (thank you Andrew) then says he thinks I came in feet first – I think he meant it in a favourable way…..