Robert Sturdy's Strasbourg report – September 2011 [2]

 
One of the most prestigious dates in the US political calendar is the President's Annual State of the Union address to a joint sitting of Congress, traditionally held in January. The EU adopted this practice last year to much acclaim, if we needed any more evidence for a United States of Europe! Unfortunately for the EU, the MEPs were not as enthusiastic and they had to be bribed to be there. This year President Barroso's big speech was less State of the Union and more the Union in a state.

President Barroso has seized on the failures of the EU and its member states to address the continent’s economic woes to support deeper and deeper integration. One such proposition, and a long-standing demand of the Parliament, is a financial transaction tax. The European tax would levy trades in shares and bonds at a rate of 0.1 per cent and derivative contracts at a rate of 0.01 per cent from January 2014 and would be expected to generate €55 billion a year for the EU coffers. When one considers that City of London officials have warned that 80 per cent of these funds would come from the square mile, then this is nothing more than a tax on our capital.

This is exactly the kind of policy from the EU that infuriates the British public. Not only is this an attack on the City of London but the Commission's own study has shown that if a financial transaction tax were to go ahead, EU growth would be detrimentally affected to the tune of 0.5 per cent, more than the €55 billion that the tax would generate!

History is not on the side of the President Barroso and his fellow euro maniacs; a similar tax on financial transactions was introduced in Sweden in the 1990s after a financial crisis but when trading volumes moved abroad it was hastily revoked. Sweden's finance minister recently said that as a result of Sweden's financial transaction tax, 'between 90 to 99 per cent of traders in bonds, equities and derivatives moved out of Stockholm to London.' Thankfully the UK has a veto over taxation issues and George Osbourn, the Chancellor, has expressed his absolute commitment to use it.

Speed limits – 18.64 mph anyone?

The European Parliament has plans for the tentacles of EU power to spread ever further with proposals that were debated. The plans would see Europe-wide speed limits of 30 kph on all single lane routes without cycle lanes, the harmonisation of road traffic rules and road signs and the replacement of the British Highway Code with one covering the whole of Europe.

Personally, I don't think it is particularly helpful to have signs declaring a speed limit of 18.64 mph; such complicated signs will probably cause more accidents! As any British holiday maker to the continent will attest, or anyone who has ever seen the Italian Job, Europe has 27 different driving traditions from its 27 different member states. For example, while single lane roads in the rest of the EU may be minor roads, in the UK single lane roads can have speed limits that vary from 20 to 60 m/ph. The one size fits all approach that the EU is so fond of is simply unworkable in situations like this.

In the spirit of fairness it is important to point out that the proposals do contain some useful suggestions, such as teaching children at the youngest possible age and that accompanied driving should be permitted from the age of 17, to enable young people to learn more gradually, but these are things that have been standard practice in the UK for years.

Full body scanners

On Wednesday the Parliament addressed an issue that I have been contacted about on numerous occasions by a number of my constituents. Full body scanners have been quite controversial since their introduction in response to the heightened security at airports of the last decade.

Concerns have been raised about the level of detail these scanners provide and also the health risks associated with their use, no matter how unlikely this may be. After a rigorous debate, the Parliament reaffirmed its position that passengers have the right to refuse body scanner and opt for traditional body searches, should they see fit.

As another Strasbourg session draws to a close and a long journey back to my constituency draws near, I am deeply concerned with news that the Coalition Government has decided not to support the European Conservative's position to abolish these monthly jaunts to France, one can only hope that common sense prevails.

Contact Robert

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any enquiries of a European nature – I very much enjoy attending events and welcome any invitations.

       Robert Sturdy MEP

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                  Julia Smith – PA to Robert Sturdy
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