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Liberal Democrat MEP for London Sarah Ludford has welcomed the Commission announcement to withdraw its controversial plans to ban refillable olive oil containers like jugs and dipping bowls in restaurants.

The Commission says it will now consult with stakeholders including producers, consumers and restaurants to try and find a more satisfactory solution.

After a week of public outrage over the Commission's plans, Sarah Ludford MEP commented on today's U-turn:

Ahead of tomorrow’s EU Summit in Brussels, the European Parliament has backed a common European strategy to combat tax fraud, evasion and havens.

Sarah Ludford, Liberal Democrat MP for London, said:

“It is totally unacceptable that corporate tax avoidance is now the norm in Europe, aided and abetted by aggressive tax planning and tax consultancy firms.”

“The public were rightly outraged by the recent allegations from a former Google executive turned whistleblower that the internet giant has cheated UK taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of pounds by diverting British profits through Ireland to the Bermuda tax haven.”

A survey produced by Gallup Europe for the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) to mark the forthcoming International Day Against Homophobia (May 17th) has revealed that almost half (47%) of the Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual community in Europe has been personally discriminated against or harassed on the grounds of their sexual orientation.

The survey was the EU’s largest LGBT hate crime and discrimination survey ever conducted with responses from over 93,000 LGBT people from all 27 EU Member States, plus Croatia which is about to join.

Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman and London MEP Sarah Ludford has welcomed the arrest of Andrew Moran, one of Britain’s most wanted criminals, at a luxury villa in Spain’s Costa Blanca. Mr Moran was charged with armed robbery in 2005, but escaped justice by fleeing to Spain before being convicted in absence of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and placed on the Serious Organised Crime Agency’s most wanted list. He is set to be extradited back to the UK using the European Arrest Warrant after appearing before a Spanish court earlier today.

Sarah Ludford commented:

Commenting on the publication of the 2013 EU Citizenship Report which sets out 12 concrete ways to help Europeans make better use of their ‘EU rights’, Liberal Democrat MEP for London Sarah Ludford said:

“British citizens already benefit from free healthcare and cheaper mobile phone calls in other European countries due to our EU membership, but these new plans would make moving home, travel and shopping across the Continent even easier.”

“One of the proposals - extending to 6 months the period during which unemployment benefits for job-seeking EU migrants are paid for by their home country - would help address UK concerns about so-called ‘benefit tourism’ as well as assist British people seeking work abroad.”

London Liberal Democrat MEP Sarah Ludford, a campaigner for clean air in London, has welcomed as justified the declaration of the Supreme Court in a case brought by environmental campaign group Client Earth that the UK government has breached European air pollution rules. The Court decided to refer the case to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for further clarification.

“The Supreme Court declaration that the government has breached the EU Air Quality Directive is regrettable but necessary. Instead of acting swiftly to protect the public from harmful levels of air pollution, a Tory Environment Minister just last week shamefully tried to water down EU air quality rules and the Tory Mayor of London drags his feet.”

The Abu Qatada saga demonstrates the challenging complexity of extraditing suspected criminals and terrorists through bilateral arrangements. Of course there are special features in that case and it concerns a non-EU country, but it still serves to highlight the sheer absurdity of the Conservatives' desire to pull out of the European Arrest Warrant. It is madness to want to replace the EAW, which facilitates speedy and streamlined extradition within Europe, with old-style cumbersome arrangements with our European partners involving complex negotiations and often ministerial involvement in individual cases.

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) are calling for an ambitious mandate to be given to the Commission to negotiate an agreement on trade and investment between the EU and the United States. The vote that took place this morning in Parliament's International Trade Committee reflects this desire to liberalise transatlantic trade, which could lead to substantial economic benefits such as a 28% increase in EU exports to the United States and a 6% increase in total EU exports.

Marietje Schaake, ALDE spokesperson on this issue, said: