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Human Trafficking and the UK opt-out
Having watched Channel 4’s recent programmes on Britain’s sex traffickers I found this piece in the Guardian very interesting (Labour Condemn’s UK opt-out from EU directive against sex trafficking), detailing Denis MacShane’s criticism of the...
Humanitarian aid and the economic crisis
I was pleased to hear EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva announce a further €30 million of aid for those affected by the devastating floods in Pakistan.There are those who believe that, given the economic situation in Britain and...
Time for UKIP MEPs to grow up
It seems like UKIP MEPs are spending their summer by taking part in a letter writing campaign to their local papers with scare stories about supposed EU plans to require the UK to dissolve dead bodies in acid and tip them down the drain to save on bu...
Bird flu - mistakes made, and lessons to be learnt
Some interesting news from last week's meeting of Health ministers, where they discussed the reaction to the H1N1 (bird flu) pandemic and by all accounts concluded that by acting together the EU's Member States could have negotiated better terms with...
Tobacco control
I spoke today in a debate with Laurette Onkelinx, the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and also Public Health Minister, who will be leading on health for the new Belgian Presidency of the Council of Ministers over the next 6 months.Specifically I wanted...
Hypocrisy from Tories on junk food
It is absolutely disgraceful that, as reported in the Guardian, (No anti-junk food laws, health secretary promises) the coalition government, in the form of Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, has apparently given guarantees to the food industry that it...
A way forward for homeowners in Spain?
Today in a debate with Spanish PM Zapatero in the European Parliament, I spoke to remind him of the issue of Spanish property abuses, involving many British citizens, who through no fault of their own face the prospect of losing their homes. I previo...
Good news for Brits on holiday
As from tomorrow (July 1) the cost of using your mobile phone in another EU country will fall even further and the risk of racking up a bill for thousands of pounds for using e-mails and internet on your phone will also disappear.The new maximum tari...
Euromyths by the dozen
Never mind the arrival of summer, it was silly season which broke out this weekend with the UK papers gleefully denouncing the EU's supposed ban on selling eggs by the dozen, whipping themselves into a fervor over this despicable attack by barmy Brus...
Supermarket supply chains and workers in the developing world
Yesterday in the European Parliament, I hosted a major event bringing together supermarkets, NGOs such as Oxfam, Fair Trade organisations, consumers organisations, MEPs, representatives from the Commission and trade unionists, both from Europe and La...
A mixed bag of food labelling
Now the dust has settled, last week's plenary vote, as I blogged beforehand might well be described as a mixed bag.We lost our headline campaign, which was to get mandatory traffic light labelling on processed convenience foods and unfortunately the...
Left Food Forward article - Cameron plays the statesman in predictable Brussels affair
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/06/cameron-plays-the-statesman-in-predictable-brussels-affair/Cameron plays the statesman in predictable Brussels affair Our guest writer is Glenis Willmott MEP, Labour’s leader in the European Parliament.As ever...
Tense vote
In just a few hours time MEPs will be voting here in Strasbourg on amendments to the new regulation on food labelling and things are quite tense. The votes are shaping up to be very close on two key point: traffic light labels for sugar, salt and fat...
First European test for the coalition government's programme
MEPs will be voting next week in Strasbourg on a new legislative proposal which would see mandatory country of origin labelling on much of the food we eat, including meat, poultry, fish and dairy products, as well as fresh fruit and vegetables. My am...
The first of our meetings with the candidates
Labour MEPs met with David Miliband yesterday who was over in Brussels as part of his campaign for the Labour Party leadership.We had a positive and constructive meeting, with a good discussion on the role of MEPs in the party's structure and how as...
Reducing red tape and bureaucracy
It's a committee week in Brussels this week which is where in-detail scrutiny of legislative proposals occurs.I have been voting this morning in the Environment committee on an updated directive restricting hazardous substances in electrical and elec...
Positive meeting with new Europe Minister
From my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/glenis.willmottGlenis Willmott Had a meeting with the new Europe Minister yesterday - surprising to see that he wasn't taking the usual eurosceptic line that we hear so much of. I await with...
European co-operation to increase organ donations
Currently in the European Union over 56,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant which could give them a new lease of life. Every day 12 people die waiting. To tackle this tragic problem there are two things we must do: increase the donation ra...
The leadership contest
I attended Labour's NEC (National Executive Committee) today where we took decisions regarding the leadership contest and specifically the timeline.At such an important stage, where we need to reinvigorate and rejuvenate our party, I believe a longer...
Gordon Brown
As I watched Gordon Brown outside Downing Street yesterday, announcing his intention to step down as Labour Leader, my thoughts were first and foremost ones of great sadness and injustice, tinged with a not insignificant amount of anger.For all his f...
