News

March 10, 2013 10:07 pm

Privacy need not be compromised

From Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP.

Sir, Your report on the progress of new EU data privacy legislation posits a battle in which the Goliath of US technology giants has vanquished the David of European pro-citizen enlightenment (“Brussels’ climbdown over data protection”, March 7)

LibDem European justice & human rights spokeswoman Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP has jointly with MEPs from other political groups condemned the United States’ targeted killing programme under which  the CIA and the military hunt and kill individuals suspected of links to terrorism anywhere in the world. They are calling on the EU to contest the US attempt to pervert international law.

Sarah Ludford commented:

Commenting on President Obama’s endorsement in his State of the Union address of talks for an EU-US trade and investment agreement, LibDem London MEP and Vice Chair of the European Parliament's US delegation Sarah Ludford said:

“The US is the EU’s most important trading partner, such that together they account for half of global trade, and a hugely valuable economic partner for Britain.”

"A transatlantic free trade deal will give a great boost to jobs and growth in both EU and the US. With such benefits on offer, this is hardly the time for the UK to exclude itself from EU leadership."

MEPs today backed a Liberal group proposal for mandatory introduction of 'acoustic vehicle alerting systems' (AVAS) in quiet vehicles such as electric and hybrid cars, to protect vulnerable road users. Road safety groups and organisations for partially sighted and blind people such as the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association had called for these acoustic warning devices in order to avoid increased accident risks.

Research from the United States indicates that very quiet vehicles are twice as likely to be involved in a pedestrian accident as vehicles fitted with an internal combustion engine - most typically when the vehicle is slowing or stopping, moving in reverse or entering or exiting a parking space.

The football match-fixing revelations show up yet again just how reckless the British Conservative Party's rejection of such Europe-wide cooperation is and how much it puts our security - and the integrity of our football and other endeavours - at risk, warns Liberal Democrat MEP 

Commenting on today’s announcement by Europol regarding match-fixing in 380 top international FIFA and UEFA football games, including one Champions League tie in England, LibDem MEP for London Baroness Sarah Ludford said:

Commenting on today’s judgement by the European Court of Justice in the Radu case on the European Arrest Warrant LibDem European justice & human rights spokeswoman Sarah Ludford MEP said:

“It is deeply regrettable that the Court has missed a major opportunity to reform the operation of the EAW.  In sticking to technicalities, they failed to endorse the need for proportionality and the possibility of a refusal to extradite on human rights grounds."

Commenting on her meeting with Liberal Democrat agriculture minister David Heath MP about the problems faced by east London sugar refiner Tate & Lyle because of EU restrictions on imports of raw sugar cane, LibDem MEP for London Baroness Sarah Ludford said:

“I am very glad to hear the minister confirm the UK government's push for reform of the EU sugar market and for parity between beet and cane producers."

Billed as the event that would end the European question in UK politics, David Cameron finally delivered his long-awaited speech on Europe today. If there was any silver lining to the postponement of the speech, then it was the fact that circumstances meant he had to deliver it in London. It's about time that Conservative prime ministers (Churchill, Thatcher) stopped addressing foreign audiences about Britain's role in Europe and started delivering a few home truths to their British fellow citizens.