No contradictions here:
(1) The Commission proposes various new environmental laws, casually helping itself to new competences in criminal law and taxation as it does so.
(2) The Commissioner in charge of fisheries admits (admittedly not exactly a newsflash) that the Common Fisheries policy is "morally wrong" and that "it is damaging the enviornment". He admits the EU's ludicrously designed policy is leading to the dumping of 880,000 tonnes of dead fish in the north sea every year (releasing at least their own weight in CO2 and methane).
(3) According to one of the other commissioners, Mandelson supposedly asked for his company car to be a environmentaly friendly er... Maserati. He didn't get the £80,000 supercar (in fact his people are denying it this morning), but at a cool 440gCO2 /km it would have been about three and a half times over the Commission's recently proposed 130g /km maximum. Some are more equal than others...
In other news, Dan Hannan has started a blog... his first piece looks at ludicrous EU expenses & perks. They are not going to be reformed any time soon... according to a recent written answer there is no discussion about stripping EU officials of their special low rates of tax. Dawn Primarolo says there are "no plans to amend" the current arrangements. At just 11% income tax EU officials can afford to cough up for the various measures the EU is now proposing.
The EU is also proposing a ban on smoking in public buildings which appears to have no legal basis, wheras the European Parliament has just dumped its own smoke ban. Remember: do as we say, not as we do.
1 comment:
"EU expenses and perks . . . are not going to be reformed any time soon."
In fact MEP expenses will be reformed from the start of the next EP mandate in 2009. The new MEP Statute provides for all MEPs to be paid a standard monthly salary of €7000 and their travel expenses will be refunded on the basis of costs incurred, instead of a flat-rate allowance.
This is something which Dan Hannan ought to know, though it does not surprise me that he's chosen to leave it out of his blog entry. A shame, because it means he's misled you chaps.
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