NEWS FROM GLENIS WILLMOTT

Together for Health                       

On the back of my successful report on Health and Safety at Work, I have been working on the European Parliament's input into the EU's Health Strategy, called Together for Health 2008-2013. As the Shadow Rapporteur for the Socialist Group, I have been involved in negotiations and have put forward my own additions and changes to the strategy in order to strengthen and improve it. One such addition is for further work and research on antibiotic resistance, which is an increasing problem.

Of course, health is primarily a national competence, with sensitive issues such as the organisation of health services being unquestionably a matter for individual Member States. Nevertheless, there are important areas where we do need to cooperate with our European partners.

One such important area is the exchange of information and learning from the experience of others about what works and what doesn't, in terms of both disease prevention and healthcare. 

The EU has a major role to play in coordinating and encouraging joint research efforts, ensuring that the same medical research is not carried out simultaneously in more than one Member State.  In this way we can save on our limited resources, whilst improving the quality of research that is done and avoiding unnecessary duplication.

The EU must also act to protect citizens from possible threats to health, such as pandemics and biological terrorism. The effects of both these threats will not respect national borders. It is vital that we develop coordinated surveillance mechanisms so that we can respond in a cohesive and organised way, should such threats materialise. The strategy will see that such mechanisms and coordination are put in place.

Should you be interested to read more you can find the strategy document here:

http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_overview/Documents/strategy_wp_en.pdf

Best wishes

Glenis Willmott

The Tory Threat

The Conference season gives us a chance to focus on what a Tory Government would really mean.

Watching the Tories at their own conference always focuses the mind. Is there really any substance behind the green and cuddly image? There’s still a big divide between the friendly sounding pronouncements of the Tory leadership and the views and voting behaviour of many of their MEPs.  They habitually oppose ‘regulation’ – protection for workers and the environment to you and me - and their family friendly rhetoric is also suspect, when you look at their voting record. Earlier this month, nine Tory MEPs voted against a resolution urging EU action to meet the fifth UN Millennium Development Goal to cut global maternal deaths by 75%. Across the world 1,500 women die every day giving birth. Opposing this action exposes Cameron’s Conservatives for what they are. They have voted to deny the chance of family life to hundreds of thousands of the world’s poorest women.

more

The Far Right in the European Parliament

Labour MEPs have welcomed changes to the rules governing the way in which groups of MEPs  obtain extra finance for their political activities.  The changes would make it harder for extreme-right politicians to form a group in the European Parliament and obtain extra taxpayers' money for extremist causes.

The threshold required to form a political group in the European Parliament will change from 20 to 25 MEPs from seven EU countries.  This will come into force following next year's European elections.
 
This is not about attacking small Groups, as it will still be possible to create a group with far fewer members than in most national parliaments. On the contrary, the new rule is actually beneficial for small groups, who will now not be automatically disbanded if they fall just below the threshold.

Strasbourg fiasco

Both plenary sessions of the European Parliament in Strasbourg scheduled for September have been moved to Brussels after the ceiling of the main chamber in Strasbourg collapsed and the safety of the building could not be guaranteed. 

Labour MEPs have long been campaigning for the seat of the European Parliament to be in Brussels. Strasbourg costs £200 million a year and leaves a massive carbon footprint. The monthly move of the European Parliament from Brussels to Strasbourg is producing 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year, equivalent to the greenhouse gases produced by 13,000 round-trip flights from London to New York. Strasbourg is a waste of taxpayers money.

The arrangement for the European Parliament to sit in Strasbourg 12 times a year is an obligation in the European treaties. John Major made it binding at the European Summit in Edinburgh in 1992. The European Parliament does not have the power to decide to abandon Strasbourg - it must be decided by a unanimous vote by all 27 member states.

Labour MEPs are opposed to the Strasbourg travelling circus. It is time for national governments to bite the bullet, to end the wasteful monthly commute and to give the European Parliament a long overdue permanent home in Brussels. More than one million people have now signed the One Seat Petition.

You can sign at: http://www.oneseat.eu/

Contact Glenis

Glenis Willmott MEP
Harold Wilson House
23 Barratt Lane
Attenborough
Nottingham  NG9 6AD
 
Tel. 0115 922 9717
Fax. 0115 922 4439

office@gleniswillmott.org.uk
 

Glenis’s team
 
Paddy Casswell: Political Manager
Chris Poles: Brussels Researcher
Ted Willmott: Parliamentary Assistant
Maggie Hudson: Constituency Assistant
Elizabeth Udall: Media Officer
Kelly Tomlinson: Secretary
Phillippa Garner: Stagiaire (Intern)