http://ldeg.org/newsarchive.php Recent News Stories from Liberal Democrat European Group (LDEG) en-GB Liberal Democrat European Group (LDEG) http://ldeg.org/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2008 Liberal Democrat European Group (LDEG) 2008-05-13T12:54+01:00 United Kingdom http://ldeg.org/news/000118/news_from_the_european_parliament.html Bill Newton Dunn, MEP for the East Midlands, tells us that ratification is proceeding slowly through each of the 27 national parliaments of the EU. Hopefully the treaty will come into effect in January 2009 and will improve the EU because it will make decision-making between the 27 national governments in the EU more effective than it is now. First, however, there has to be a referendum in Ireland. The date will be in the second week of June and the result is predicted to be close. Already a Danish anti-EU MEP has been to Ireland and said that the Lisbon Treaty will make abortion easier - totally untrue, but successfully creating an unpleasant anti-EU fear. 2008-05-03T10:56+01:00 http://ldeg.org/news/000117/helen_wallace_lecture.html The Charlemagne Lecture 2008 is to be given by Professor Helen Wallace CMG FBA on Tuesday 20th May at 5.30pm and is entitled "A Bigger Europe - But is it Better?" 2008-04-12T10:06+01:00 http://ldeg.org/news/000116/commissioner_rehn_event_30th_april.html CentreForum invites LDEG members to: "Does the EU have to choose between widening and deepening?" with Olli Rehn, Commissioner for Enlargement, on Wednesday 30th April 2008 at the Carteret Room, One Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1H 9BT between 1830-2000. 2008-04-09T11:19+01:00 http://ldeg.org/news/000115/one_president_for_europe.html A campaign has been launched to merge the post of president of the European Commission with the new post of president of the European Council created under the Lisbon treaty. The argument is that the Commission president is more legitimate but the European Council president is more powerful therefore power can be made legitimate by merging the posts. What do you think? 2008-04-09T11:02+01:00 http://ldeg.org/news/000114/invitation__beyond_the_lisbon_treaty.html The Federal Trust is pleased to invite LDEG members to a conference entitled "The European Parliament in an Enlarged EU: Beyond the Lisbon Treaty" with opening address by LDEG president Andrew Duff MEP. The event is on Friday, 25 April 2008, 14.00 - 17.30 and is to be followed by a reception. 2008-03-24T11:49+00:00 http://ldeg.org/news/000113/ldeg_at_liverpool.html The LDEG event at the Liverpool Spring Conference included Phil Bennion (LDEG chair) discussing the conclusions of the "Making Europe a Vote-Winner" break-out group from the Liberal Democrat one day conference held at the LSE earlier this year. Also, Catherine Bearder (vice chair) commented on the European elections and Andrew Duff MEP gave us an update on the Lisbon Treaty. 2008-03-16T14:29+00:00 http://ldeg.org/news/000112/european_parliament_celebrates_50th_birthday.html The European Parliament celebrated its 50th birthday on the 12th March. In 1958 it was known as the European Assembly and consisted of 142 members who could only be consulted. It now has 785 MEPs with substantial legislative powers and the number of official languages has increased from four to twenty-three. The European Parliament has the right to dismiss the Commission and approves the EU's budget. It also has a co-say with the Council in a number of policy areas and is the world's only directly elected multinational legislature. 2008-03-16T12:12+00:00 http://ldeg.org/news/000111/local_government_association__links_to_the_eu.html "EUpdate" is the LGA's fortnightly newsletter providing the latest news, information and opportunities from the EU and worldwide - you can sign up at http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/reg/user-register.do LG International, the new quarterly magazine from the European and international unit at the LGA is also available. 2008-03-16T11:41+00:00 http://ldeg.org/news/000110/how_to_reduce_aircraft_emissions_by_12_at_a_stroke.html At a briefing for MEPs given by the European Air Safety Agency (EASA) we are told that they "could reduce aircraft emissions by 12% at a stroke". Challenged to explain how, the EASA answer is to "create a single European air space". At present, aircraft weave their way across Europe, being subject to instructions from each separate country's air traffic controllers. The result is a zig-zag flight-path across European skies. If air traffic controllers controlled a single European air-space - as there is for the USA - aircraft could come in to land on a straight line and thus save lots of fuel. Why doesn't this happen ? Because each national government in Europe wants to keep control in its own hands, rather than seeing the overall beneficial European picture. - From Bill Newton Dunn MEP 2008-03-15T11:29+00:00 http://ldeg.org/news/000109/eu_to_give_uk_120m_for_flood_repair.html MEPs in Strasbourg have voted to approve the European Commission's proposals for £120m of Solidarity Funding to go to the UK to help with repairs following the flooding last summer which caused chaos across the country. Liberal Democrat South East MEP Sharon Bowles has welcomed the move, "As the UK takes a battering from the worse storms this winter the timing of this approval could not be more apt. Eight months after the clean up in the UK began, thousands are still waiting to move back into their homes. Large numbers in the South East were affected. This funding will be welcome to help our local authorities and emergency services cover the costs of recovery." 2008-03-15T11:14+00:00 http://ldeg.org/news/000108/60_ideas_for_europe.html A new public consultation of European citizens has been launched to mark the 60th anniversary of the Congress of Europe, which was presided over by Sir Winston Churchill and founded the European Movement. The consultation will be conducted via a blog, at http://speakup-europe.blogactiv.eu/ The European Movement now invites citizens to participate in the consultation and spread the word to others. A conference will be held in The Hague on 23-24 May 2008, as the culmination of the consultation phase. On this occasion, the presidents of the European institutions and the leaders of the main European political parties will be challenged to address the citizens' recommendations on the future of Europe. Visit the blog, join the debate and have your say. 2008-03-06T12:07+00:00 http://ldeg.org/news/000107/law_and_peace__lecture_by_dr_hans_blix.html On Monday 10 March, Dr Hans Blix, Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, will deliver a lecture - Law and Peace - at 6.30 pm. It will be held at the Lecture Theatre, Brunei Gallery Building, School of Oriental and African Studies, London and is being organised by the United Nations Association, Westminster Branch. Dr Blix has a background in the Swedish Liberal party including having being Foreign Minister. He also played a role in WFLRY (the old Liberal youth international). 2008-03-06T12:03+00:00 http://ldeg.org/news/000106/ldeg_at_liverpool.html Lisbon Treaty Update and AGM 2008-03-06T11:54+00:00 http://ldeg.org/news/000105/the_london_festival_of_europe_2008_6th__16th_march.html The London Festival of Europe is an annual series of public lectures, debates and art events opening up spaces for public discussion about the many European questions. The 2008 festival includes an event marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a summit on the future of feminism in Europe and a key-note debate on the status of democracy in Europe amongst its highlights. 2008-03-06T11:48+00:00 http://ldeg.org/news/000104/europe_day_may_9__giant_euro_quiz.html To respond to the general public's plea for more EU information, the UK Office of the European Parliament has designed a Quiz Book (400+ questions, 20 individual rounds) on European and EU subjects. Set for the generalist with a few tough questions for the EU anorak, they are looking for teams to volunteer to compete the length and breadth of the land, and even from the Continent and beyond. The quiz will serve both to jog the memory, revealing to people that they actually know more than they think they do and add to the sum of knowledge. Anyone interested in getting a team together and joining in what might well become an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of Records and make history, please contact caroline.boyle@europarl.europa.eu 2008-02-27T11:00+00:00