9.00 Reading more proposals on the van den Burgh report, followed by a meeting with LIBA, ISDA and SIFMA on the same subject. In general terms I have already covered the points they make.
14.00 Leave for Eurostar.
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Wednesday, 27 June 2007
9.00 Into ECON. We have votes at 9.30 My bank accounts opinion is scheduled last and I try to get it moved to the front because I am concerned I may not get away in time to get to the session I am chairing at the stock exchanges conference. Anyway, they will not move it. Voting takes ages. We seem to be holding the balance in everything and a lot of the votes are tight. The EPP do not seem to like some aspects of my opinion and vote against, but as they did not take part in the discussions or put in any amendments I do not know what their problem is. My opinion does not seem greatly at variance with the EPP report in JURI that we discussed, very briefly, on Monday. Anyway the Socialists vote with me so it all goes through.
10.45 I finally get away and head for the Conrad for the conference. Traffic is terrible and Carol is texting and phoning as they are getting worried. No real problem and I get there in time to chat to the people on the panel that I am chairing on governance. Anyway, all goes well, and I introduce into the discussion whether there is more market abuse by hedge funds than other investments, as some allege. My shoe breaks at the end of lunch so lop-sided walk to get the Metro back. Fortunately my flat en route for shoe change.
15.00 Plenary session with report back from Chancellor Merkel, or rather as she is for a few days yet, President in Office (of Council). Some good speech points made by various contributors. Graham Watson performs well and Poettering thanks him for his ‘remarkable’ speech.
17.00 Back to the office and some work on amendments for the van den Burgh report which I send to others in the Group.
19.00 Leave, early again(!). Unfortunately no live play at Wimbledon.
10.45 I finally get away and head for the Conrad for the conference. Traffic is terrible and Carol is texting and phoning as they are getting worried. No real problem and I get there in time to chat to the people on the panel that I am chairing on governance. Anyway, all goes well, and I introduce into the discussion whether there is more market abuse by hedge funds than other investments, as some allege. My shoe breaks at the end of lunch so lop-sided walk to get the Metro back. Fortunately my flat en route for shoe change.
15.00 Plenary session with report back from Chancellor Merkel, or rather as she is for a few days yet, President in Office (of Council). Some good speech points made by various contributors. Graham Watson performs well and Poettering thanks him for his ‘remarkable’ speech.
17.00 Back to the office and some work on amendments for the van den Burgh report which I send to others in the Group.
19.00 Leave, early again(!). Unfortunately no live play at Wimbledon.
Tuesday, 26 June 2007
End of term-itis
9.00 Get to the office. This morning there are some interesting sessions in the stock exchanges conference. Carol goes. I start working on various papers and points for speeches next week. On Friday I talk to TMPDF and three judges are coming. Feeling sick and suffering from hay fever so decide I can not face a lunch.
14.00 ECON prep meeting. One of those least said soonest mended sessions. I reckon some colleagues must be feeling even worse than me. Andreas Losco does a grand job trying to be peacemaker. I can not really work out what the problem is. I think this is what teachers must call end of term-itis.
15.00 Back to the office where I lurk for as long as possible to get through the papers. I go down to ECON at 4.45 for the session with Neelie Kroes. I get there just in time to hear Jonathan Evans giving a bit of stick about the deletion of undistorted competition from the treaty amendments. If I heard correctly I think he got into it by suggesting that a few members of the Council and Commission would learn a lot from attending a Competition Day! I lead the desk banging.
Neelie is robust in her response to this and other related points saying that the protocol is as binding as the treaty and there is no downgrading and she will not be doing anything differently. It is true nothing has been taken out of the treaty, it is just that a proposed amendment has been changed.
20.00 I go back to my flat having given apologies earlier today for not going to the Gala dinner at the Bourse. I would not be good company sniffling away.
14.00 ECON prep meeting. One of those least said soonest mended sessions. I reckon some colleagues must be feeling even worse than me. Andreas Losco does a grand job trying to be peacemaker. I can not really work out what the problem is. I think this is what teachers must call end of term-itis.
15.00 Back to the office where I lurk for as long as possible to get through the papers. I go down to ECON at 4.45 for the session with Neelie Kroes. I get there just in time to hear Jonathan Evans giving a bit of stick about the deletion of undistorted competition from the treaty amendments. If I heard correctly I think he got into it by suggesting that a few members of the Council and Commission would learn a lot from attending a Competition Day! I lead the desk banging.
Neelie is robust in her response to this and other related points saying that the protocol is as binding as the treaty and there is no downgrading and she will not be doing anything differently. It is true nothing has been taken out of the treaty, it is just that a proposed amendment has been changed.
20.00 I go back to my flat having given apologies earlier today for not going to the Gala dinner at the Bourse. I would not be good company sniffling away.
Monday, 25 June 2007
Travelling...
10.15 Off to the airport. Flight is delayed so a bit of a rush to dash straight to the legal affairs committee when I get in at 3.45. Votes at 4.15 include the compromise on the TRIPS amendments, which passes easily. Not surprising as it is a compilation of my and the EPP proposals.
18.00 Meeting with representatives from Scottish Widows and TSB on Solvency ll. Nothing new. The directive is launched in July, and then I will not be wanting to see anyone unless they are coming with a definite problem or proposal, preferably submitted in writing.
18.00 Meeting with representatives from Scottish Widows and TSB on Solvency ll. Nothing new. The directive is launched in July, and then I will not be wanting to see anyone unless they are coming with a definite problem or proposal, preferably submitted in writing.
Friday, 15 June 2007
Lisbon - Solicitors and Advocates
9.30 We set off for a meeting with the association of solicitors. They are not the same as UK solicitors in that they have fewer powers and barristers (or advocates) can do everything. However in 2003 solicitors here were also allowed to become enforcement officers. This could give them useful insight into the proposals for attachments of bank accounts so I ask them about this, and also class actions and whether there is a size limit to matters than can be handled via mediation.
11.00 A meeting with the chair of the advocates association. This covers many of the same topics again, but getting at more detail and is useful for future contacts.
13.30 Ursa (our ALDE administrator on JURI) and I take a city tour bus as my flight back is not until this evening and she is staying until Sunday. I have to get back to the UK as I have to go to Witney (Carterton) on Sunday to help with a local by election.
11.00 A meeting with the chair of the advocates association. This covers many of the same topics again, but getting at more detail and is useful for future contacts.
13.30 Ursa (our ALDE administrator on JURI) and I take a city tour bus as my flight back is not until this evening and she is staying until Sunday. I have to get back to the UK as I have to go to Witney (Carterton) on Sunday to help with a local by election.
Thursday, 14 June 2007
Lisbon
9.45 We assemble and go by coach to the European Parliament Office in Lisbon for a meeting with the former Commissioner Vitorino. It is raining (in Lisbon in June, meanwhile it is 30 degrees in Copenhagen!!) and we do not have umbrellas.
First our coach gets lost, well actually heads off for the Parliament which is where we are going this afternoon. Then it can not get close to the Parliament office so we all have to walk in the rain. Some of the female group staff have got the wrong shoes for this in the rain…female MEPs appear more circumspect….and we are all pretty good at adapting our dossiers as umbrellas. The meeting is interesting. Among other things we raise the issue of missing children in Portugal. It is a problem that in Portugal a missing child can not be deemed abducted for 48 hours. We also discuss mediation, which they have used effectively in Portugal in recent years and so it is hoped that this experience will help to solve some of the problems with the Directive during their Presidency. Other topics include money laundering, terrorism and immigration.
14.30 We arrive at the Parliament. Again we discuss mediation and arbitration.
16.00 Next meeting is with the Minister and his team. Again we discuss mediation and also the ECJ decision that says EU law can be backed up by criminal sanctions. The truth here is that we are all awaiting another ruling from the ECJ which we do not expect to be quite so extensive as the last one, or at last gives more guidelines as to where it may have a legal base. We also have some exchanges on intellectual property and class actions. The same subjects are discussed informally in different groupings over dinner.
First our coach gets lost, well actually heads off for the Parliament which is where we are going this afternoon. Then it can not get close to the Parliament office so we all have to walk in the rain. Some of the female group staff have got the wrong shoes for this in the rain…female MEPs appear more circumspect….and we are all pretty good at adapting our dossiers as umbrellas. The meeting is interesting. Among other things we raise the issue of missing children in Portugal. It is a problem that in Portugal a missing child can not be deemed abducted for 48 hours. We also discuss mediation, which they have used effectively in Portugal in recent years and so it is hoped that this experience will help to solve some of the problems with the Directive during their Presidency. Other topics include money laundering, terrorism and immigration.
14.30 We arrive at the Parliament. Again we discuss mediation and arbitration.
16.00 Next meeting is with the Minister and his team. Again we discuss mediation and also the ECJ decision that says EU law can be backed up by criminal sanctions. The truth here is that we are all awaiting another ruling from the ECJ which we do not expect to be quite so extensive as the last one, or at last gives more guidelines as to where it may have a legal base. We also have some exchanges on intellectual property and class actions. The same subjects are discussed informally in different groupings over dinner.
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