At a press conference in Strasbourg, UK Liberal Democrat MEP Edward McMillan-Scott, Chairman of the Brussels-Strasbourg Seat Study Group, said that in 2012 a new SingleSeat.eu campaign to involve the public would begin, possibly including the launch of a petition under the new Citizens' Initiative. This process allows more than one million citizens to achieve legislative changes through the European Commission and would build on the OneSeat legacy, which secured more than 1.2 million signatures within a short time.
McMillan-Scott said: "Under the Lisbon Treaty, the EP now has the right formally to propose Treaty changes. The new President of the European Parliament should accept this and speak out on behalf of the majority of its members and European citizens. It is time the EP had an open debate about this". In June MEPs voted by an absolute majority of 373 - 285 for a single seat in a non-binding motion.
McMillan-Scott added: "I am also delighted to have the support of Burson-Marsteller working on the campaign for a single seat. Burson-Marsteller is a top international firm with massive scope and experience. This arrangement complements the legal advice we already receive from Sidley Austin, one of the largest law firms in the world".
Alexander Alvaro (FDP, Germany), Vice-Chair of the Parliament's Budgets Committee, who today convened a well-attended seminar on 'The autonomy of the European Parliament after Lisbon', commented: "The EP has a great deal of autonomy within the existing yearly budget process, but its democratic rights are still limited when it comes to the power to decide its own working arrangements.
McMillan-Scott also announced that a leading public affairs and communications agency, Burson-Marsteller, will support the campaign for a Single Seat for the European Parliament.The firm has previously provided services to the Campaign for Parliament Reform, which embraced the OneSeat campaign.
David Earnshaw, CEO of Burson-Marsteller Brussels, added: "It is a privilege to be retained to work on this campaign, which addresses one of the key EU institutional issues of our time: the right of MEPs to choose their working arrangements".
The Directive would ensure that all people arrested or detained in an EU country would be given information about their procedural rights in an easily understandable form.
Sarah Ludford commented:
"The core of the new measure is that everyone arrested will be handed a 'letter of rights' setting out their entitlements such as the right to have a lawyer, have consular authorities informed and get urgent medical care. This already happens in the UK so we will not have problems complying, but it will be of major benefit in raising standards for Brits arrested abroad or extradited under a European Arrest Warrant."
"Being arrested abroad can be a frightening experience. Nobody should have their right to a fair trial denied. Disgracefully, some EU states still fail to meet the requirements of the European Convention of Human Rights guaranteeing respect for the rights of the defence and the importance of an EU measure is that it comes with enforcement powers."
As I have made clear since Friday, I am bitterly disappointed by the outcome of last weeks summit, which ended with the UK in a minority of one. There is now a real danger that over time the UK will be isolated and marginalised within the EU and as a consequence, our influence in the world will shrink. That is not good for jobs and growth; and will do nothing for struggling families across the country.
There is no doubt that we were in a difficult position because of the refusal to compromise from some member states and the eurosceptics in the Conservative Party. It was clear that some combination of guarantees on the operation of the single market, including in financial services, was necessary if we were going to ensure the safe passage of the package through Parliament. I regret the negotiations failed to arrive at a compromise, as I had hoped.
It is important that we now look to the future. That's why I, as a Liberal Democrat in this Coalition Government will do everything I can to make sure that this setback does not become a permanent divide. I am determined that we redouble our leadership on things like the single market, the environment, foreign policy, and defence - all the things that we need to do at a European level.
All my political life I have believed that Britain is stronger, better, greater when we lead and when we stand tall in Europe. Now, more than ever, we need a strong Liberal Democrat voice inside government making this case.
Councils are being rewarded for building new homes and bringing empty homes back into use under a new initiative announced by Liberal Democrat Communities Minister. Andrew Stunell announced the cash boost each authority in England would receive from the New Homes Bonus.
The money means councils are rewarded for building new homes and bringing empty homes back into use. In Birmingham, for instance, the Coalition has given £7.4m for delivering 1,100 new homes and bringing 1,330 empty homes back in to use. Other councils who have benefitted include: Tower Hamlets (£10m), Leeds (£5.4m), Cornwall (£5.1m), Manchester (£4.6m), Bradford (£3.9m), and Sheffield (£3.3m).
"Britain's number one priority should be helping Eurozone leaders to find a way forward in the Eurozone crisis and we shouldn't be threatening to disrupt or delay the process.
"Britain is still deep in the process of cleaning up Labour's economic mess. Our economy is still fragile and the Eurozone crisis has the potential to damage the whole world economy and with it the British economy. It is completely reckless for Eurosceptic MPs to call for a British spanner to be thrown into the works of any rescue plans.
"This kind of posturing weakens the British position at the European Council and risks damaging our national interest."
"This major investment in our bus services is testament to the fact we are continuing to assert our Liberal Democrat values in the Coalition Government. It will help to ensure we provide a first-class public transport network that supports jobs and growth, but at the same time, green and sustainable.
"By encouraging bus operators and local authorities to work together, we can improve services and increase passenger numbers. We have also recognised that support for Community Transport is vital especially in rural areas and for elderly and disabled passengers who find accessing regular services difficult.
"We can only encourage people out of their cars by giving them a bus service that is cost-effective and reliable and makes a genuine commitment to cutting carbon emissions."
"It's appalling that such a major retailer would seek to mislead their customers, many of whom are impressionable young people, by using virtual images to sell products.
"The fact that H&M has resorted to modelling their clothes using computer-generated bodies tells you everything you need to know about the fashion industry's current obsession with idealised and biologically impossible bodies.
"Fashion brands and advertisers should recognise the clear public appetite for a greater diversity of body shapes, sizes, colour and age in the images they see, rather than promoting such an unrealistic and narrow definition of beauty."
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg last Friday outlined a £1bn Youth Contract to tackle youth unemployment. Starting next April, the Youth Contract will provide at least 410,000 new work places for 18 to 24-year-olds over a three-year period, including 160,000 wage subsidies and 250,000 new work experience placements.
In addition, there will be at least 20,000 more incentive payments to encourage employers to take on young apprentices. There will also be a new programme to help the most disengaged 16 and 17 year olds - getting them back to school or college, onto an apprenticeship or into a job with training.
The Youth Contract is open to all businesses, including those that already employ large numbers of young people (like retail and construction) and emerging sectors (like the green economy, creative industries and ICT).
"I am delighted that after months of pressure these proposals have finally been dropped.
"Liberal Democrats have consistently opposed these plans, which would have cut a vital lifeline for many disabled people, and the Party passed a conference motion earlier this year calling for the decision to be overturned.
"Today's announcement ensures that the Coalition Government is doing the right thing by protecting 80,000 people, including many disabled children, who would have lost the mobility support that allows them to lead active and independent lives."
"It is an honour for me to have this chance to fight for the people of Feltham and Heston.
"I hope my experience as an advocate for some of the most vulnerable in society, including the elderly and those with mental capacity problems, shows I will be a powerful and passionate voice for people in Feltham and Heston.
"Both Labour and the Conservatives have taken Feltham and Heston for granted.
"Conservatives handed over Feltham Arena to developers while Hounslow's Labour bosses have refused to even talk to local residents who wanted to express their concerns.
"I pledge to fight for a fair deal for local residents who have been let down by both Labour and the Conservatives in recent years.
"I am proud that Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government are doing the right thing, clearing up Labour's mess and cutting taxes for working people."
