News

Commenting on a coordinated cross-border operation against sham marriages that saw 17 arrests in the UK - including 5 in London - and a total of 16 in France and Portugal, LibDem European justice & human rights spokeswoman Sarah Ludford MEP commented:

Commenting on the EU’s decision to donate its Nobel Peace Prize award of €930,000 to children in war and conflict zones, LibDem European justice & human rights spokeswoman Sarah Ludford MEP said:

Marking World Diabetes Day on November 14^th 2012, LibDem European justice & human rights spokeswoman Sarah Ludford MEP who is also co-chair of the European Parliament's cross-party European Union Diabetes Working Group, commented:

“Diabetes is a disease from which 50 million Europeans already suffer, 325,000 die annually and that consumes one-tenth of health budgets in EU countries. In the UK at least 3 million people have the disease and it costs £4 billion of the NHS budget.”

Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg made a speech to the European Liberal Democrat and Reform party (ELDR) Congress in Dublin.

ELDR is an alliance of Liberal sister-parties across Europe. The annual Congress is being hosted this year by Fianna Fáil.

Please find a transcript below:

You’d think that a disease from which one-tenth of all Europeans – 50 million people – will soon suffer from and that already consumes one-tenth or even more of health budgets in some EU countries, would be frequently on the front pages, in the public consciousness and would fill parliamentarians’ in-trays. You’d think that the European commission would rush to draft a strategy on how EU countries can tackle the diabetes epidemic that is set to be the biggest health challenge of the century. Sadly, you’d be wrong.

Commenting on the All Out-Invisible Parent campaign and its petition to the European Union calling for mutual recognition of same-sex families and their parental ties to their children across the EU, LibDem European justice & human rights spokeswoman Sarah Ludford said:

“I am very pleased to support this campaign. For thousands of children in the EU who have parents of the same sex, crossing borders can mean the trauma and distress of one parent becoming 'invisible'. Whilst many countries allow same sex couples to marry or enter into civil partnerships, they don't necessarily recognise these families.”

A change of face in the White House would have an impact on transatlantic relations. The EU is therefore closely watching the US presidential campaign, but politicians are reluctant to take sides.

If the US public were as keen on their president as the Europeans, Barack Obama would sleep soundly ahead of the forthcoming US elections on November 6. In a survey conducted this summer by the German Marshall Fund, 75 percent of Europeans said they would back Obama, with just eight percent supporting Mitt Romney.

Third response from Sarah Ludford to LibDem Friends of Palestine

Dear John,

25 October 2012

I really will close the correspondence after this, but you cannot get away with your attempt to be the sole arbiter of party policy. Not only is there no party policy on the ACAA as such but I am advised by a senior party official that the line in my original letter is 'at least an arguable interpretation of the policy motions.'  Like other parliamentarians I am using my judgement and conscience on the matter and respect those who disagree with me.

Commenting ahead of the vote on the proposed EU agreement with Israel on trade in pharmaceutical products, known as the Agreement on Conformity Acceptance and Assessment (ACAA), Liberal Democrat MEP for London Sarah Ludford said:
 
“I support the conclusion of this agreement as an application of the EU's balanced 'neighbourhood policy' of trade mixed with political engagement which also saw a new agricultural trade agreement with the Palestinian Authority last year."