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20 Most Recent News Stories
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Sun 7th Mar 2010
LDEG's fringe event - "Liberals: leadership and power in Europe" will take place on Saturday 13th March from 20.00 to 21.00 in Hall 5 at the ICC. The European Union can lead the world and liberals hold the balance of power in the European Parliament. Come and hear Fiona Hall MEP, leader of the UK Lib Dems in the EP, and Sharon Bowles MEP, chair of the influential EP economics committee.
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Fri 26th Feb 2010
Our Forecasting Centre, which we run with the Met Office, has told us there is a risk of coastal and river flooding in Kent over the next few days as a result of predicted heavy rainfall. Rising spring tides and rain falling on already saturated land could result in localised flooding. We wanted to advise you of that and let you know what we, and others, are doing.
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Mon 15th Feb 2010
Catherine Bearder MEP has launched a campaign against the proposed ivory sale in Tanzania and Zambia. These countries are asking permission for a one-off sale of their ivory stocks. The decision will be made at a meeting of CITES (a body controlling trade in endangered species) next month. Catherine has been lobbied on the issue by a number of delegations from Africa, because of her conservation background and her role on the Parliament's Africa delegation. She started a petition this week to show our opposition to the sale. You can sign the petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/elephants/
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Mon 15th Feb 2010
Bill Newton Dunn MEP tells us that Tory disarray grows in Brussels as Tory councillors are also isolated now. "Last year, Cameron pulled his MEPs out of the big centre-right alliance in the European Parliament - a stupid move which damages Britain's ability to win votes. Now he has made matters worse - by forcing his Tory councillors to pull out of their alliance in the Committee of the Regions against their wishes. The Committee of the Regions is a part of the Council of Ministers, totally powerless but noisy." Read on:
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Mon 15th Feb 2010
1) The new Commission has now been voted into office by MEPs and will serve until October 2014 as the leaders of Europe's executive body. Liberals have 8 out of the 27 portfolios, a very strong share for us. Read on:
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Mon 15th Feb 2010
Andrew Duff MEP says the new Barroso Commission must take the lead on the current crisis and that President Barroso has no excuse not to act. He adds, "The new Commission has to be bold, original and coherent in initiating law and policy that sets the basis for Europe's economic recovery. The eurozone faces a structural crisis that can only be resolved by much closer fiscal coordination to back up the common monetary policy. Mr Barroso would be wise to set up an enquiry into the long-term impact of the crisis on the Union's arrangements for economic and monetary union. Where the current set up is not adequate it must be modified. Read on:
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Mon 15th Feb 2010
The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS) has launched a petition to No. 10 saying "We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to condemn the massacre of 613 innocent civilians in Khojaly on 26th February 1992." Read on:
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Mon 15th Feb 2010
Jo Hayes has discovered that J S Mill's "On Liberty" has only just been translated into Arabic. It is a fundamental text of British liberal thought but few native Arabic speakers can read English, so the work is unavailable to them. She is hoping to make the essay freely available (through Liberal International) in Arabic and English parallel texts via PDF email attachment.
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Wed 10th Feb 2010
Guy Verhofstadt, president of the ALDE group in the European Parliament, has written a letter to President Van Rompuy on the eve of a "state of the union" summit to be held on 11 February:
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Sun 7th Feb 2010
Catherine Bearder in an article for the Surrey branch of the European Movement says the following on Lisbon - 1. This is a period of great change in the European Union, but also one of great uncertainty. Much has changed to the structure and workings of the Union, but if we work carefully the threatened turmoil will be avoided.
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Sun 7th Feb 2010
The Federal Trust is organising a seminar on the 25th February 2010 entitled 'Local Government in a Devolved UK' at 31 Jewry Street, 3.30 for 4.00pm until 7.00pm, followed by a drinks reception. Since 2001, the Federal Trust has been monitoring the process and progress of devolution. In November last year they published Dr Andrew Blick's essay Devolution and regional administration: A federal UK in embryo? At the launch seminar a major discussion point was the currently asymmetrical nature of devolution in the UK.
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Sun 7th Feb 2010
Federal Union's annual conference will look at two subjects: 1) The future of democratic politics in Europe after the Lisbon treaty; 2) How Lisbon will affect the EU's role in the world. Non-members are welcome to the conference on Saturday 6 March 2010 at 11am. Room S421, St Clements Building, LSE, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE (nearest tubes Temple, Holborn). Read on for timetable:
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Sun 7th Feb 2010
According to the FT, the UK is to cut funding for scholarships to the College of Europe, the training ground for Eurocrats, in a move that could leave fewer Britons in a position to influence policymaking in Brussels, critics have said. The decision, part of a review of education spending, means that all but two of the 28 scholarships annually awarded to UK graduates will be discontinued.
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Sun 7th Feb 2010
Thanks to the Services Directive, "points of single contact" have been set up in each Member State which allow service providers to deal with and to complete their administrative formalities electronically when they want to do business across Europe. For more information see - http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/eu-go/index_en.htm
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Sun 7th Feb 2010
Ed Davey MP and Europe Minister Chris Bryant MP are to speak at a meeting on 23rd February at the House of Commons, Committee Room 19, between 6-8pm. The issues raised will then be debated. Everyone welcome.
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Fri 22nd Jan 2010
Saturday 06 March at the Anchor Hotel, Shepperton-on-Thames, TW17 9JZ is the venue for Spelthorne's inaugural dinner. ,
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Fri 22nd Jan 2010
From Tuesday 6th to Friday 9th April the European Atlantic Movement is organising a Study Tour to Brussels for lecturers, teachers and other professional and business people. The party will visit the European Parliament, European Commission, and Council of the European Union, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, NATO, European Union Trade Union Institute, Permanent Representation of Spain to the E.U., and BBC Brussels. Travel will be by Eurostar from St Pancras and accommodation will be in the 4* Hotel Carrefour de l'Europe which is in the centre of Brussels. The cost for those in shared accommodation will be £215 and for those in single accommodation will be £350. Arrangements can be made for those who wish to stay Friday and Saturday nights and return on Sunday.
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Fri 22nd Jan 2010
Monday - This week was a plenary week at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. On the first day Catherine Bearder MEP attended ALDE Group meetings and a meeting of the Liberal Democrat European Parliamentary Party. Location: European Parliament, Strasbourg.
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