Speech and Votes

8.00 Arrive in office and start to organise papers to take back to the UK.

8.45 The constituent meeting of ECON. As for JURI yesterday it is in the room opposite the hemicycle, which is quite sensible as it means it is close for those who are engaged in debates. This enables me to be present and then get to the chamber in time for the start of the debate at 9.00 because I am due on at 9.08. Astrid Lulling is in the Chair as the oldest Member, and I now realise is it obviously the form to make jokes about tying to occupy that place for as long as possible. Anyway she does her amusing bits. Events are a bit more formal with the nominations for positions including a plug for the worthiness of the individuals. We re-elect, by acclamation, Pervenche Beres as Chair/President. We then do the same for four vice presidents, only they are done individually then summoned up to the front, so Astrid manages to spin things out longer. But no surprises.

9.00 Into plenary. This is Diana’s first time in the chair of a session so Elspeth and Andrew have also turned up to give moral support. She speaks very clearly, as do all the Brits, which is more than can be said for some others. My speech seems to work OK, making my points without putting backs up. I congratulate Diana, as have others, apologise to the rapporteur for intervening when I had not at the committee stage and make my point. I use about three and a half minutes.

10.00 Back to my office and UKRep comes to update me on the latest on payments. There is still no real progress at Council level on the capital requirements. Carol is having another meeting with the Rapporteur’s assistant Cecile this afternoon. I do a telephone radio interview, continue sorting papers then Liz raises a query on one environment committee vote, which I settle with Chris Davies.

11.30 Votes. Poettering is in the chair again, but he establishes a rhythm and it is much better than his first go at Strasbourg. I lose concentration at one point where some votes fall and we have to skip to the next page and manage to vote the wrong way on the recorded vote discussed with Liz! It does not make any difference to the end result, indeed it is one of those things where one agrees with what is said, but it is not within the EU’s remit and in factual terms is a little inaccurate, so a vote in any direction is possible. I usually abstain on such occasions so I will have to amend the record to that. (MEPs can inform of mistaken votes and have that shown on the record so their actual intentions are known, but it can not change the result of the vote that was taken).

12.30 Back to the office. I send an email to the Lib Dem MEPs about the vote mix up in case anyone else was caught on the hop, sign the amendments we are submitting on PPP; Russia we have already done. Head for Eurostar at 2.00. I have the same driver as last week, but no accidents this time. Get home a bit before 6pm. Tomorrow I am having discussions about VAT, Tax and fiscal fraud with PriceWarterhouseCooper.