The People's Republic of South Devon

South West MEP Sir Graham Watson: ‘leaders of all authoritarian regimes should be targeted alike with smart sanctions’

My week started with a visit to Utrecht to join Dutch Liberal MP Han ten Broeke in addressing Dutch Liberals (and anybody else who wanted to come along) via a microphone in a pub which opened onto a small street. It was a question and answer session, with no introductory speeches, and was a welcome change from the rather staid format of public meetings in the UK.

The Euro-zone’s finance ministers also met that day, preparing the release of the next tranche of aid to Greece. The Parliaments of The Netherlands and Slovakia have yet to authorise it: it is expected they will do so before the EU Council (heads of state and government ‘summit’) meeting on October 17-18.

ECB President Jean Claude Trichet was in Parliament on Tuesday speaking of preparations for a cut in interest rates and German Chancellor Angela Merkel came on Wednesday to discuss with the political group leaders the broad economic management of the euro-zone.

The main implication for the UK of such enhanced co-operation among euro-zone countries is that countries not in the euro may increasingly be left on the sidelines when important decisions are taken. Nick Clegg warned against this in his speech to the Eastern Neighbourhood Partnership conference in Warsaw last week; and I suggested to Vince Cable (when he came to see me in Parliament on Wednesday afternoon) that the UK should join the ‘Euro-plus pact’ discussions – which we currently shun – to mainstream our agenda for kick-starting economic growth through improvements to the EU’s single market.

The 27 Employment ministers met on Tuesday, though to no obvious benefit. Their deliberations about work-life balance, while important, seem of little urgency at a time of great economic uncertainty. Tourism, Telecomms and Transport ministers meet today.

I voted on Tuesday in the foreign affairs committee for a successful call to freeze the EU-Uzbekistan textile trade agreement until forced child labour in cotton fields is dealt with.

On Wednesday I presented to the committee a Recommendation to the Council (a new power parliament has gained under the Lisbon Treaty) on the guidelines for the use of sanctions as a foreign policy tool, arguing that double standards damage our credibility and that leaders of all authoritarian regimes should be targeted alike with smart sanctions to prevent them laundering money and buying assets in the EU. My report is unlikely to be adopted unscathed – even the Green MEP who spoke opposed it – but will give the EP some say over the use of sanctions.

The European Commission has published three interesting (and regular) reports in recent days: its annual report on the fight against fraud (found here);  its annual report on human rights and democracy (download the pdf here ); and its financial report for 2010 (here), which shows that the UK remains the fourth contributor to the EU budget behind Germany, France and Italy.

Last night I addressed the Blackdown Hills Business Association; today I campaign in a by-election to Somerset CC (Brent division) at lunchtime and speak to the Devon branch of the European Movement in the evening.

Related posts:

1. Common policy on economy pushed in Euro-zone but few commitments to single market in energy
2. European Parliament returns to face up to the state of the Euro
3. Another week in Europe and the euro still exists…

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