Marshalswick South Focus Team

Councillors, Rod Perks and Allan Witherick working with Andrew Duff MEP and Melvyn Teare for you Learn more

Archive for the ‘Europe’ Category

Working for your safety, both here and abroad

by awitherick on 28 May, 2012

If you’re planning your summer holiday already it’s always worth considering travel insurance to cover some of the unforseables and making sure your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card – http://www.nhs.uk/healthcareabroad) is up to date.  But there are some things you just can’t plan for. Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman and neighbouring MEP Sarah […]

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There’s nothing quite so satisfying as when an Anti-European asks a questions and gets the opposite answer to what they expected… In our local case the St Albans Tory MP asked a good, decent question which has been recorded in Hansard: “How much an average household would save each year by 2020 if the Energy […]

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Air passenger rights need strengthening

by awitherick on 1 April, 2012

Did you know that because of the EU you’ve got more rights when there’s problems with your flights? Current EU laws are in place to compensate passengers for long delays and cancellations. Financial compensation can be sought if a flight is cancelled less that 2 weeks before the scheduled departure, and tickets may be refundable […]

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MEPs to back plans for low carbon economy

by awitherick on 14 March, 2012

The European Parliament is expected on Thursday (March 15) to endorse the Commission’s low carbon ‘Roadmap’ by a large majority. The document provides a policy framework for the European Union to achieve an 80-95% reduction in its CO2 emissions by 2050. Its formal endorsement by EU governments was last week blocked at the Environment Council […]

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The European Union has been there a while, and often we hear all kinds of horror stories and claims about what it’s up to.  But we don’t hear that much, which is really frustrating, especially when we’ve elected our MEPs from the UK and even our MPs which sit in the European Council of Ministers […]

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Euro-MPs put pressure on dodgy doctors

by awitherick on 12 January, 2012

Euro MPs have sent a strong signal of support to the European Commission to put in place a cross border alert system to stop so-called ‘dodgy doctors’ from moving from country to country to continue malpractice. The NHS relies heavily on the EU’s free movement of labour with almost 1 in 10 health care professionals […]

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The UK has taken over for 6 months the chairmanship of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe which hosts the European Court of Human Rights. That Court applies the European Human Rights Convention (ECHR) in cases brought by citizens of the 47-country organisation. Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman and London MEP Sarah Ludford […]

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European Union gets to grip with juices

by awitherick on 29 December, 2011

Next time you grab a juice, pause and ask yourself, is it really healthy? What’s in it? For you it might just be a small issue, but for some with allergies or diabetes it can literally be a matte of life or death. MEPs have voted in favour of stricter rules on what goes in […]

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How many batteries have you killed already?

by awitherick on 27 December, 2011

It’s that time of year where all those cheap batteries which came with the toys have already died (sometimes giving a merciful break from the noises!).  But as you reach for the replacements don’t throw the old ones in the bin, collect them to recycle. If you think about what’s in them, it’s some pretty […]

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EU takes on the Global Polluters that the UK can’t

by awitherick on 19 December, 2011

Many global companies produce goods which are used not just in the UK, or even the EU, but as their name suggests, globally, so what we do here can make a real difference throughout the world. Laundry and dishwasher detergents to become phosphate free One small but significant chance to come out of the European […]

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