Focus Items and Stories

Blame Westminster, not Brussels!

A new report shows that many new rules which are blamed on the European Union, are actually made up by Britain's own civil servants in Whitehall. Local Lib Dem candidate XY said "This report blows the gaff on British civil servants who take sensible proposals from the EU, and add on a whole load of other more onerous rules of their own. Many other EU countries manage to implement exactly the same European rules in far less detail. It's clear that too often when Brussels gets criticised, we should actually blaming civil servants in Whitehall."

Lib Dems back equality!

Liberal Democrat Members of the European Parliament have given their backing to groups which will work to tackle discrimination. Lib Dems voted to support the work of the cross-party 'Intergroups' in the European Parliament, on anti-racism, disability and lesbian and gay issues. Local Lib Dem XY said "Liberal Democrats are fundamentally committed to equality, and this move will see us taking steps to tackle discrimination even further."

Lib Dems lobby for diabetics

Lib Dem Euro-MP Sarah Ludford has called for end to discrimination against diabetics seeking new jobs. She has welcomed the impact an EU equality law has already had, preventing a blanket exclusion of diabetics from being police officers, firefighters or prison officers. But job bans from the army and air traffic control continue. Sarah says: "There are almost 2 million diabetes sufferers in Britain. With huge advances in modern medicine and care, most diabetics now live a completely normal life. Each person's health and fitness for a particular job must be assessed individually."

Lib Dems back 'booze cruise' travellers

Liberal Democrat Euro-MPs have backed moves to protect the rights of British citizens travelling to France on cross-channel ferries to buy wine and cigarettes. Because Britain is part of the European Union, British people are allowed to bring back as many goods as they like, as long as they are for personal use. But the British Government has been challenging this right, seizing the goods and sometimes even confiscating their cars. Local Lib Dem XY said "We are all entitled to buy goods for our own personal use and bring them back into Britain, and the Government has no right to stop us. Thank goodness the European Union is standing up for our rights."

European action on justice and security

Liberal Democrat Euro-MPs have backed plans to get European governments to work closer together to tackle terrorism and organised crime. Local Lib Dem XY said "When criminals are crossing easily from country to country, the law must not just stop at national borders. Effectively combatting many serious crimes means co-operation between different governments. But of course the measures taken must still be open to public scrutiny by the European Parliament, and not just allow bureaucrats to stitch up deals behind closed doors."

Pets get their Passports!

Liberal Democrat MEPs have welcomed the introduction of measures to make it easier to take your pet with you when you travel to another European Union (EU) country. Local Lib Dem XY said "From now on, if your pet has a pet passport showing that they had the anti-rabies injection, they will be able to travel with you. The new scheme is a safe and far happier alternative than the old system of having to leave your pet in quarantine for six months. As well as making it easier for you to get around Europe, the EU is now making it easier for your pet to travel too!".

Europe brings you more choice!

Liberal Democrat Euro-MPs have backed moves which will give us all a greater choice of drinks in shops. Action by the European Commission has forced the Coca-Cola company to stop preventing other drinks being stocked in shop fridges. Local Lib Dem campaigner XY said "Go into any local newsagent or shop now and it's almost impossible to find something to drink that's not one of the brands made by this company. But now Coke has been told that it isn't the only real thing, and people will be able to choose from a wider choice of drinks. But it has taken the power of the European Union to force one of the largest multinationals to back down, and give consumers a better deal."

Europe protects hundreds special natural sites

Liberal Democrats are celebrating after action by the European Union to protect hundreds of sites of special natural interest in the UK. Local Lib Dem campaigner XY said "Many places in Britain of unique scientific and natural interest will benefit from this move. Although the British government initially proposed to protect some, it is only action by the EU which has forced them to go further and protect more than 600 key sites. Among the species that will benefit are stag beetles, Ram's horn snails, Fisher's estuarine moths and the Lady's slipper orchid, in sites from the Scilly Isles to the north of Scotland. It will now be illegal to do anything to endanger their habitats."

Europe gives job equality to older people

Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament have welcomed the introduction of new EU rules to outlaw discrimination in giving jobs to older people. Local Lib Dem candidate XY said "These European rules mean that in future it will be illegal to refuse a job to someone capable of doing the job, purely on the grounds of age. It will also outlaw more subtle discrimination by employers, such as refusing older employees to go on training courses."

See who is polluting

Local Liberal Democrats have welcomed a new European Union (EU) website giving information about who is responsible for pollution in [name of constituency]. Local candidate XY said "This website makes it very easy to find out who is causing pollution in [constituency]. Although there are still people polluting around here, it also shows the progress that many companies have made in reducing pollution in recent years. Above all this, this latest initiative by Europe to improve the environment, makes it easy for local people to see what is really going on.". The address of the website is www.eper.cec.eu.int

Lib Dems back dolphins against US Navy

Liberal Democrat Members of the European Parliament have voted for a moratorium on the use of new sonar devices used by submarines, which appear to have caused the death of dolphins, whales and other sea life. Local Lib Dem campaigner XY said "The new low frequency sonar devices generate a sound which is extremely loud for sea creatures. They should not be used again until claims can be investigated that they have deafened and disoriented dolphins and whales, leading to their deaths."

Lib Dems back nuclear inspectors

Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament have welcomed the news that the European Commission is taking legal action against the British government for not allowing inspectors into Sellafield, to check that nuclear material there is safe. Local Lib Dem campaigner XY said "It beggars belief that the same British government which went to war against Iraq because it did not allow access to nuclear inspectors, is now doing the very same thing itself! It is vital for the future of the whole world that we can be confident about nuclear safety, and yet we must wonder why the British government is refusing access to safety inspectors."

EU helps drivers

Local Liberal Democrats are celebrating the success of their calls for action to mark the different sorts of fuel available at petrol stations more clearly. Local campaigner XY said "It is an embarrassing but very easy mistake to put diesel into your petrol tank by mistake, or vice versa. And it can cost thousands of pounds to put right. It would be very easy to take steps to prevent drivers from putting in the wrong fuel by mistake, so I am very glad that the European Commission is now taking action to achieve just this."

VICTORY IN SIGHT AFTER NINE YEAR BATTLE

The European Parliament has supported a plan to make all new buses and trains accessible to disabled people, after a nine year campaign by a coalition of disability campaign groups.

The Bus and Coach Directive will secure minimum safety standards for the design of all buses operating in Europe and also lay down basic requirements to ensure access for disabled people and other people with reduced mobility, including older people and parents with children

Liz Lynne MEP said: "The Bus and Coach directive is extremely important for disabled people. I am particularly pleased that as well as making new buses more accessible to wheelchair users the directive will also now cover passengers who have hearing or sight problems as well as those with heavy luggage or accompanying children.

LIB DEM MEPs PUSH FOR ACCESS TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION FROM UTILITY COMPANIES

Baroness Sarah Ludford, Liberal Democrat MEP for London, has challenged the European Commission to ensure that new EU rules on public access to environmental information do cover data from privatised water, energy and transport companies, as it originally intended.

She said: " The new rules will be a great advance, not least in stressing internet access to data. But I want to be sure companies cannot wriggle out of the obligation of openness, as they did under the old EU rules with the connivance of the Tory government".

"Labour and Tory MEPs pushed - though unsuccessfully - for amendments to relieve such companies of the obligation of openness. But the Commission must affirm that the text as it now stands will guarantee that information, for instance on radiation from pylons, sewage at bathing beaches, or pollution of drinking water, can be freely and easily obtained".

"I also want assurances that information from, for example, airlines on noise pollution or developers on environmental impact of planning proposals, will be accessible."