News Releases
Showing: Recent News
Here you can find an archive of all the news items that have been on this website as well as any comments, polls or surveys.
Battle lines drawn on Arctic oil
Posted,2/3/2012 6:00:00 PM
MEPs are set for a fight over drilling for Arctic oil as new regulations for the offshore industry come before the European Parliament in the spring.
MEP pleased by court's support for sports broadcasters
Posted,2/3/2012 6:00:00 PM
Conservative sports spokesman in the European Parliament, Emma McClarkin MEP, has welcomed the ruling of a High Court judge which will allow the Premier League and satellite broadcasters to enforce their screening rights to live games.Last autumn, the European Court of Justice ruled on whether it is within EU law for establishments such as pubs in one EU country to transmit Premier League football matches using the decoder card from another EU country, where the cost of the broadcast will be significantly cheaper. It followed the case of a UK pub owner who acquired a Greek decoder to show UK football matches broadcast on Greek TV.The court ruled that national legislation banning the use of overseas decoders was not justified. However, it added that surrounding media - such as anthems, graphics and pre-recorded films - could be protected by copyright. It is the latter point that is prominent in the UK High Court's interpretation.
"EU flag on sports shirts" report adopted by parliament amid angry scenes
Posted,2/2/2012 2:00:00 PM
An EU report calling on national sports teams to wear the EU flag on their shirts received its final backing from the European Parliament today - with the support of Socialist and Liberal MEPs.
New Conservative employment spokesman to put small businesses top of growth agenda
Posted,2/2/2012 12:00:00 PM
Anthea McIntyre has been appointed Conservative employment spokesman in the European Parliament. As the party's lead on a major area of the the EU's legislative power, she will play a key role in fending off potentially harmful new rules and regulations and fighting for the support and freedom that British companies need to boost enterprise and jobs. Having run her own small business for 20 years Miss McIntyre, who joined the Parliament in December as MEP for the West Midlands, has a wealth of experience in management consultancy. She aims to roll back damaging social legislation and argues: "Most decisions on employment law are best left to national governments. I want to protect the right of British workers to opt out of restrictive regulations such as the Working Time Directive. She said: "I know about the challenges and opportunities of running a small business and I recognise that, given the right backing and freedom from red tape, they can be the real engine room of a growing economy. "Too often entrepreneurs, would-be wealth-creators, and jobseekers feel that Brussels is working against them. As the lead Conservative voice on the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, I shall be urging fellow MEPs to think growth instead of restriction, to promote enterprise ahead of bureaucracy, to back opportunity over regulation. "That is what I came into politics to do. That is why I am a Conservative" Miss McIntyre was congratulated by the leader of Britain's Conservative MEPs, Martin Callanan, who said: "I know that Anthea's passion for driving enterprises forward, combined with her grasp of the fine detail of business practice, will make her a formidable operator in this role."
Tannock questions mounting cost of EU diplomatic service
Posted,2/1/2012 5:00:00 PM
Charles Tannock, Conservative foreign affairs spokesman in the European Parliament, today challenged Baroness Ashton over the mounting structural costs of her EU External Action Service (EAS).
Callanan: the best answer to the crisis - get out of the way
Posted,2/1/2012 4:00:00 PM
Speaking in the European Parliament this afternoon on the outcome of Monday's EU summit, Martin Callanan MEP, Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists group, said that the best way to create jobs in the EU is for Eurocrats and MEPs to get out of the way and allow employers and businesses to grow.
European Parliamentary Indian Trade Envoy Welcomes William Hague's commitment
Posted,1/30/2012 5:00:00 PM
British MEP Sajjad Karim is welcoming the UK government's decision to step up trade with India.
Callanan: shift on fiscal pact recognises practical reality
Posted,1/30/2012 5:00:00 PM
The leader of Britain's Conservative MEPs today acknowledged the Government's change of tack over the fiscal pact.
Cameron's Davos agenda of competitiveness and opening trade is real answer to EU's crisis
Posted,1/26/2012 4:00:00 PM
David Cameron's agenda for growth - set out in his Davos speech today - is the only long-term answer to the EU's competitive crisis, which is just as serious and pressing as the Sovereign Debt crisis, the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, said today.
Robert Sturdy hosts Seminar on Invasive Alien Species
Posted,1/26/2012 10:00:00 AM
Brussels, 25th January 2012 – Robert Sturdy, MEP for the East of England and member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, welcomed guests from European Anglers Alliance, European Squirrel Initiative, COPA-COGECA, European Landowners Organisation, the Australian Representative to the EU, the RSPB and many more, to the European Parliament to discuss the escalating problem of Invasive Alien Species in Europe.