Labour meltdown in Glasgow East

I couldn't believe it when I woke this morning to the news that Labour had failed to select their candidate, George Ryan, for Glasgow East after he had failed to show up at a hustings meeting last night - you just can't make this sort of stuff up with Labour clearly in their own meltdown. What a non-way to start their by election campaign.

In complete contrast, I was back in Glasgow East today and what a fantastic day its been despite the pouring rain. I heard there were over 300 activists out today along with our candidate, Cllr John Mason and First Minister Alex Salmond, our MPs and MSPs and to be honest it was great to be there doing what I could to help. In all the campaigns I've been involved in I've never quite seen anything like this. I heard someone say it was like being at our Annual National Conference except everyone was outside campaigning, meeting the voters, and talking to the locals about the issues that matter the most to them. Every street I was in was blanketed by us. With SNP brollies, cars, posters, leafleters and canvassers out across the whole constituency it was certainly a sight to see.

If you can help, there are various ways in which you can do so by clicking on this link to the by election campaign page on the SNP website. This also gives details of the Glasgow East campaign headquarters, opening hours, map and directions, etc.

With a heavy legislative agenda next week in Brussels, I have to head back to hold the fort there but I'll be back in Glasgow East for the last push before polling day.
 With our candidate for Glasgow East Cllr John Mason outside the party rooms on Baillieston Road.

Glasgow East By Election

With me being back in Scotland for a couple of days I went across to Glasgow East this afternoon to help out in the by-election.

There was a squad of activists already out and about across the constituency, leafleting and canvassing. I had the opportunity to meet with John Mason, who is going forward as one of our three candidates at a constituency meeting this evening. John's been a local Councillor for the past ten years and worked extremely hard on behalf of his constituents. He was in fine form when I met him and with his experience he is certainly on the side of the people of Glasgow East.

France at the helm of the EU

The glamour and the glitter of France's six month Presidency of the EU officially begins today. When the French President, Nicholas Sarkozy, outlined his vision for the French EU Presidency on the same day as the start of Slovenia's EU Council Presidency it was all too clear that this was going to be an ambitious policy agenda - much of which is more about France regaining the initiative and its leadership role in Europe: to ensure France's place is at the heart of Europe.

With its slogan, "a more protective Europe", what can Scotland look forward to being achieved between now and the end of December? In an ambitious programme, Sarkozy has listed energy and climate change, security and defence, immigration, and the CAP health check as its top priorities. Beyond this Sarkozy has plans to reinvigorate the EU's relations with its Mediterranean neighbours through his Union of the Mediterranean. Key issues for Scotland are reaching a political agreement on the Commission's legislative plans for cutting carbon emissions and increasing the use of renewables, and reforming the CAP. Trouble is this needs to happen for sure by the end of the French Presidency – the European Parliamentary elections next June mean that the Parliament will pack up earlier that normal thus cutting short (by a couple of months) the time it has to enact legislation. It is also all the more imperative given the EU needs to have its negotiating position agreed before the world climate change conference in Copenhagen in December 2009.

Of course the French had hoped that in addition to its ambitious EU policy programme, its Presidency would be crowned by its success in preparing for the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty – and overseeing the appointment of the ‘new’ top jobs, President of the European Council and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. This has all been torn to shreds with Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty. Instead the French Presidency will be dogged by trying to resolve the so-called ‘crisis’ created by the Irish doing no more than exercising their democratic rights!! If there is a crisis then it is one that will be triggered by the ill-advised line coming out of Paris insisting that if there is no Lisbon Treaty there will be no further enlargement. Let’s be honest – had Gordon Brown not welched on his commitment to hold a referendum in the UK over the Lisbon Treaty then Ireland would not be alone in the veto corner!

At the recent European Council EU leaders agreed to give the Irish government more time to come up with some proposals on how next to proceed, reporting back at the next meeting of EU leaders in October. Before that though Sarkozy will be in Dublin to hear Ireland's concerns and one can only hope that he will listen. Threatening to block further EU enlargement and using it to push for Lisbon's ratification is not the answer Europe is looking for, nor what it wants.

Slovenia: So long, farewell...

Slovenia's six month presidency of the EU comes to an end today. Certainly there is a general perception here in Brussels that Slovenia's leadership of the EU, despite the ongoing difficulties with the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, has shown once again that a ‘small’ country can successfully take on the EU Presidency and manage it just as effectively – if not more so – than, say, Germany, France or the UK.

By chance I stumbled across a report in today's Deutsche Welle with the headline - "Slovenia's strong EU Presidency sets the stage for small countries".

It's hard to believe that its less than 17 years since Slovenia achieved its independence and now, a full EU member state, Slovenia is handing over the EU presidency baton to France.

As the first of the countries that joined the EU in 2004 to host the rotating EU Presidency, there is recognition of the need to "put an end to the artificial distinction between the ‘new Member States’ and the former ones" as stated by the French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner at the end of last week, before he went on to congratulate Slovenia on the success with which it had managed the EU Presidency.

As one of its last Presidency tasks, this week the Slovenian Presidency was at the Parliament where Slovenian Ministers appeared before each of the Parliament's Committees to outline what they had achieved in their respective portfolios. Although this happens at the end of every presidency, just ahead of the next lot arriving to outline their plans for the next six months, it is a useful stock-taking exercise and one that sets out the sometimes surprising number of achievements recorded by the out-going presidency. Or not, as the case might be!

This week Janez Jansa, Slovenia's Prime Minister (and current President of the European Council) came to the European Parliament and did just that. For the record, Slovenia should be remembered for the following:

(1) bringing the Western Balkans closer to Europe and ensuring their future lies within the EU. Slovenia's experience and expertise in the Western Balkans ensured the EU played a key role in providing unity and stability to Kosovo following its declaration of independence in February. And this despite the various delays and difficulties surrounding the establishment in Kosovo of the EU’s new law and order mission (EULEX). In addition, pre-accession agreements were signed with Bosnia and Serbia putting them firmly on the path for eventual EU membership.

(2) On the energy and climate change package, Slovenia reached a compromise on the proposals for opening up Europe's gas and electricity markets to competition, something which many of us in the Parliament thought would end up being kicked into the French Presidency with no agreement possible.

(3) Also resolved under the Slovenian Presidency was a 4 year dispute over the 48 hour maximum working week, which saw the UK government retain its opt-out from the Working Time Directive, and an agreement for temporary workers to have the same rights as permanent employees

Other achievements included agreeing a mandate for the Commission to negotiate a long-term partnership agreement with Russia, enlarging the eurozone to Cyprus and Malta, and overseeing the entry of Slovakia to the eurozone on 1 January 2009.

It is worth reflecting that back in 2006 in a piece for the Guardian, Timothy Garton Ash wrote that Europe's future was increasingly becoming one of ‘small’ countries that no longer could be made to work by a directorate of the 3 largest states, Germany, France and the UK. Memorably he stated that what a large Europe needed was for the small countries to think big. I think over the past 6 months that Slovenia with a population of 2 million has done just that. I'm sure when it comes the turn of an independent Scotland to assume its turn in the Presidency hot seat it too will approach that task with a high degree of confidence and eager anticipation.

Cutting EU red tape

The Commission this week finally published its long-awaited proposals for cutting red tape and minimising the costs and burdens of EU legislation for Europe’s SMEs via its Small Business Act. This follows a wide public consultation earlier in the year.

According to the Commission’s press release, the Small Business Act aims to promote and encourage entrepreneurship, make legislation more SME friendly by way of ensuring that all new EU proposals are subjected to an “SME” test in order to assess their implications for SMEs. These are part and parcel of 10 common principles and essentially its about ensuring SMEs can compete within the EU on a level playing field.

The Small Business Act outlines the need for EU and national-level action in a number of policy areas, which should make it easier for Scotland’s small businesses to access the single market as well as finance. Included in the package is a proposal during 2009 to revise the late payments directive so that SMEs can be paid within 30 days. This is a welcome move. The issue about collecting late payments from customers in another EU country is one which has been raised with us and which we subsequently raised with the Commission to see whether any action had been taken or would be taken to develop more streamlined methods for helping companies collect payments from both EU clients and non EU clients.

Also of some interest will be the proposal providing member states with the option of applying lower VAT rates for locally supplied goods and services. Public procurement accounts for some 1800 billion euros within the EU (16% of EU GDP) so being able to source goods and services locally can only be good for Scotland’s economy and its environment.

Other proposals include a new General Block Exemption Regulation on state aids which will increase the aid intesity for SMEs and make it easier for SMEs to benefit from state aid for training, R&D, environmental protection and other types of aid as well as a new single statute for a European Private Company allowing a "Société privée européenne" (SPE) to be created and which would operate according to the same uniform principles in all Member States. I think on the latter proposal lets wait and see what the Commission actually brings forward.

There is much in the package that is good for Scotland’s small businesses and while the Small Business Act is set to be adopted by EU leaders meeting in the European Council in December 2008 the real challenge is to ensure what is being proposed actually happens.

French Senate votes to scrap referendum on EU accession

The French Senate today voted to remove the constitutional requirement from France’s Constitution that any further enlargement of the EU following the entry of a new country would be put to a referendum in France.

The new law is expected to be voted on 7 July when both houses of the French parliament meet in a joint Congress just as France takes over the EU Council Presidency for the next six months until the end of December. A three fifths majority is needed to approve the law.

Article 88-5 of the French Constitution states that “Any Government Bill authorising the ratification of a Treaty pertaining to the accession of a State to the European Union and to the European Communities shall be submitted to referendum by the President of the Republic”. This was introduced in 2005 by the former French President, Jacques Chirac in an attempt to reassure French public opinion about their concerns over any further EU enlargement (and in particular the possibility of Turkey joining the EU) in the run-up to the French referendum on the EU Constitution, which in the end was still rejected.

The vote in the French Senate is part of a broader package of constitutional reforms put forward by the French government in April. The draft bill on institutional reform contains an article deleting all references to the requirement that referenda must be held each time a new country joins the EU. At the end of May the French National Assembly voted to retain this measure.

I was chatting the other day with one of the officials in the French National Assembly about this requirement who told me that this was aimed at any candidate country whose population exceeds 5% of the total EU population. Indeed, this was specifically, if not overtly, targeted at Turkey and to a much lesser extent Ukraine. Since Scotland falls far short of the 5% population limit, he said we would be spared the referendum.

Whenever I’ve been in France, as soon as I mention I’m Scottish that’s it, the response is usually how much they like the Scots, Scotland and the tartan army even when we managed to beat France during the Euro 2008 qualifiers last autumn.

The future of the EU cannot be answered in simple 'yes' or 'no' terms

I wrote the letter below in response to Ian Bell's article that appeared in yesterday's Herald on "The EU is determined to prove it won't listen". This was published in today's Herald.

Not for the first time Ian Bell has captured almost precisely the dilemma confronting those who wish to see, and who support, further European integration but who have considerable reservations about the democratic basis on which the EU conducts its activities.

On the one hand the EU faces global challenges that require a collective response (energy security, climate change, food security) but on the other hand it is unable to deliver the institutional reforms needed to make such a collective response workable while at the same time ensuring it respects the principles of democratic control and accountability. Mind you the same might be said of elements of UK politics (and how many in Scotland today could name their MP after 9 years of devolution?).

However, people across the EU today are fundamentally sceptical about the ambitions of the “Brussels elite” and are increasingly resistant to further powers being transferred to the EU. It is likely that the referendum result in Ireland would have been repeated in a number of EU countries, including the UK, had the people been consulted.

But what is the appropriate response for those who recognise that the EU has a positive role to play, albeit one that does not involve it meddling needlessly in domestic policies? It must not be to try and railroad through the Lisbon Treaty as that will violate the foundational EU principle that all member states must ratify any treaty reform before it can be enacted in any member state. Instead EU politics has to be better mainstreamed into domestic politics.

This is not a plea to launch yet another pro-EU campaign. Rather it is to ask domestic politicians from all “levels” within the political spectrum to acknowledge the importance of EU issues to their own activities – be these local, national, or on a UK-wide basis – and to treat the EU seriously.

The important questions about the future of the EU and the contribution it can continue to make to improving our lives cannot be answered in simple “yes” or “no” terms. If people across the EU are to engage in EU issues then the principal route for that to occur is through a better engagement of these policy issues via domestic politics.