News from Fiona Hall, member of European Parliament

O2 MAST

I've been working with local campaigners fighting to stop the erection of an O2 phone mast next to the primary school in Darras Hall. I got O2 to agree to put the plan on hold and meet local representatives. At this meeting on Friday 26th February, O2 agreed not to progress the mast plan at all and to work with residents to find an acceptable site outside the residential area of Darras Hall. One of the O2 representatives said this was the largest local protest against a phone mast which he had seen in ten years. I am taking forward a number of issues relating to planning guidance, which needs to be changed in order to make it easier to apply the precautionary principle when siting masts. The Tory MP and MEP turned up for the meeting but had been very inactive up to that point.

LIB DEMS LAUNCH GREEN JOB MANIFESTO PLEDGE IN NEWCASTLE

On February 11th, Nick Clegg came to Newcastle to launch a Lib Dem manifesto pledge to create 57,000 jobs by investing £400million upgrading disused shipyards to enable the production of off-shore wind turbines. Having been a leading negotiator in the European Parliament on renewable energy legislation, I had input into the preparation of this new commitment. Without the investment in infrastructure proposed by the Lib Dems, the development of wind farms in the North and Irish seas could see every one of the 6,400 turbines needed brought in from abroad, as there are currently no turbine manufacturers in the UK.

Analysis by the North East Regional Development Authority shows attracting wind turbine manufacturing to the region could bring economic benefits worth as much as £1.9 billion. The Liberal Democrat proposals also include a pledge to invest £100million in training and testing facilities, including at universities with specialist engineering research facilities such as Durham and Newcastle.

FUTURE FOR FUEL EFFICIENT CARS IN THE NORTH EAST

I attended a private presentation of the Nissan LEAF in Brussels and used the occasion to lobby Nissan officials to build this cutting-edge electric car at its plant in Sunderland. The model will be on sale in Europe from 2011 and if produced in the North East would secure thousands of jobs in the region's car industry. The batteries for the Nissan LEAF are already set to be produced in Sunderland and with plans for a region-wide charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, already getting off the ground in Newcastle, there is an excellent case for the actual car to be built in Sunderland as well.

Electric vehicles and fuel efficient cars fit in with EU requirements to reduce CO2 emissions from vehicles and with the target of 10% of energy used in transport to come from renewable sources by 2020. Latest figures for the 12 million cars sold in Europe in 2008 reveal that average emissions were down by 3.3%, the largest fall since records began to be kept a decade ago.

SINGLE SET OF RULES NEEDED TO BOOST NORTH EAST BOTTLE SCANNERS

I've been pushing in the European Parliament for the revision of the Liquids and Gels legislation, due in April, to include use of innovative bottle scanning technology developed here in the North East by Kromek in Co Durham. Bringing in bottle scanners would both enhance security and make it possible for legitimate duty-free purchases to go through in-transit security checks without fear of confiscation. Kromek is very keen to get a single set of EU rules on liquids and gels rather than 27 different national versions: a very good example of how setting standards at a European level can make life much easier for business.

MOVE TO END HORSE CRUELTY

A Written Declaration in the European Parliament calling for an end to the cruelty suffered by horses transported for slaughter has been adopted after having been signed by a majority of MEPs. The declaration, supported by World Horse Welfare, was launched before Christmas to highlight the scandalous conditions endured by many horses as they are moved in lorries and trailers. The European Parliament declaration reinforces a petition signed by 120,000 people. MEPs from all parties have looked at evidence that EU rules meant to protect the welfare of horses during long distance transport are being flouted, resulting in appalling cruelty. Now that a majority of MEPs have signed the written declaration, the issue must be looked into at a European level. This success is thanks to the hard work of World Horse Welfare and the campaigning carried out by hundreds of individuals, including many in the North East.

MORE INFO NEEDED ON EMERGENCY NUMBER 112

I took the EU's '112 Day' - February 11th or 11/2 - as an opportunity to publicise the Europe-wide emergency number 112 which can be dialled free of charge by mobiles or landlines from any EU member state, as well as countries such as Switzerland and the Vatican. The service is multi-lingual.

Knowing to call 112 in an emergency can make the difference between life and death for UK citizens travelling in Europe. Our national emergency services number 999 is taught to children from a very young age but there is no widespread scheme to teach British citizens about 112, despite the fact that in 2009 more than 1.8 million passengers embarked on international flights to and from Newcastle Airport alone. I would like to see a publicity drive to advertise the existence of 112 and have written to Tessa Jowell MP as the Minister responsible for the Central Office of Information to ask about Government plans to improve awareness of the 112 emergency number in the UK.

CALL FOR TOTAL BAN ON TRADE IN BLUE FIN TUNA

I've joined calls in the European Parliament for a total ban on the trade in blue fin tuna. The huge Mediterranean fish, beloved of Japanese sushi eaters, is the most expensive food in the world and individual fish can sell for more than £10,000. However, the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) claims that stocks of blue fin tuna have collapsed and that the fish will become extinct if controls are not introduced urgently. Organised crime is also said to be involved in the lucrative business, flouting all EU controls on the fishery. Ministers of EU member states must now agree a European position to take at the next meeting of CITES (the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species). I am urging the UK Government to support a total ban on the trade of blue fin tuna.

MEPS PROTECT CONFIDENTIAL BANK DATA IN HISTORIC VOTE

MEPs made good use out of their new power under the Lisbon Treaty to approve or reject international agreements by rejecting a deal between EU governments and the USA that had allowed confidential data about British citizens to be handed over to the American authorities. SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, facilitates trillions of dollars in financial transactions across the world each day. Until now a temporary agreement between the EU and the USA had meant that the US Government had access to SWIFT records. The US claimed a need to monitor terrorism financial transactions but other legal routes are available where terrorism is suspected. The SWIFT agreement was one-sided in that data about European citizens was being given to the USA with no US data in return, and there were inadequate safeguards in place for the correcting of wrong information.

LESSONS LEARNT IN MOZAMBIQUE

In February I made a brief visit to Mozambique where I presented the final report of the EU Election Observation Mission which I headed as the Chief Observer last October. Although election day had been well managed and the electoral campaign was constructive there was a lack of transparency in the legal framework and we offered a series of recommendations at the end of our report. The EU Election Observation Mission facilitated a two-day workshop during which Mozambican election officials, political parties and civil society organisations used our recommendations as a starting point for a debate on what changes were needed. Putting on such a workshop was a first for an EU election observation mission and given the warm welcome and wide press coverage that it received I think the exercise will be repeated in other countries - it is so much a better idea than letting our recommendations gather dust on a shelf!

Keep up to date with all the latest news from Fiona, along with details of what Fiona has been doing in the North East and in the European Parliament, by visiting her website, www.fionahall.org.uk.