Monthly Archives: April 2015

Declaration of the Chairmen of the ALDE, EPP and S&D Groups on migration ahead of the EU Summit

We cannot remain silent in the face of recurring tragedies in the Mediterranean. We want a European solution to what we consider a European problem, involving all the Member States that have exclusive competence on external borders, all E…

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We must defend all those standing on the front-line for free speech in Turkey

Press Freedom in Turkey will be debated this afternoon in a joint conference by the ALDE Group and the Green Group in the European Parliament, focusing on the main issues journalists are facing in this country.

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Provisional agreement on trade mark legislation: ALDE welcomes better protection for businesses and entrepreneurs

The European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission have today reached an agreement on a modernisation of the European trade mark package. This revised piece of legislation, which has been discussed for two years, will tackle…

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The “Juncker” Plan: Existing EU programmes must be protected

The "Juncker" Plan: Existing EU programmes must be protected
A joint meeting of the Committee on Budgets and the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs will this afternoon adopt their recommendations for the European Fund for Strategic Investments, otherwise known as “the Juncker Plan”. Due to an unwillingness of EU Member States to back the plan financially, the proposal from the European Commission reallocates money from existing EU programmes, specifically €3.3 billion from the Connecting Europe Facility and €2.7 billion from Horizon 2020. ALDE opposes this funding method and calls for existing EU programmes to be protected.

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Migrant tragedy: Shambolic EU migration system leads to human tragedy in the Mediterranean

Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament urge the Foreign Affairs Council, meeting today in Luxembourg, to take immediate action on the shambolic EU migration system that has led to the worst human tragedy in the Mediterranean in…

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Liberal victory in Finland

Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the European Parliament, has congratulated Finnish liberal parties, Suomen Keskusta and Svenska Folkpartiet. Exit polls suggest that Finnish Liberals have exc…

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The poisonous climate of racism/xenophobia UKIP rhetoric creates

This morning an ex-flatmate of mine, a Yorkshire girl of Indian heritage (UK born and raised British citizen), had a very unpleasant experience on her commute to work. Two older men were sat near her on the train talking loudly about how they were goin…

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The poisonous climate of racism/xenophobia UKIP rhetoric creates

This morning an ex-flatmate of mine, a Yorkshire girl of Indian heritage (UK born and raised British citizen), had a very unpleasant experience on her commute to work. Two older men were sat near her on the train talking loudly about how they were goin…

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Les procédures budgétaires européennes sont trop lourdes et complexes, déplore l’ADLE

Les procédures budgétaires européennes sont trop lourdes et complexes, déplore l'ADLE
Le Parlement européen, réuni en session plénière à Bruxelles, a modifié aujourd’hui les plafonds du Cadre financier pluriannuel afin de permettre le transfert de 21,1 milliards d’euros en crédits d’engagement, qui n’ont pas été utilisés en 2014 et qui seraient autrement perdus. Pour l’ADLE, ce vote nécessaire met en évidence la lourdeur, la complexité et l’inertie des procédures budgétaires.

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Liberal Democrat manifesto supports vapers!

PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release 15 April 2015

Liberal Democrat manifesto supports vapers!

The Liberal Democrats manifesto released today Wednesday 15 April 2015 recognises that electronic cigarettes are a way out of tobacco for many people, and that any restrictions should be proportionate and evidence based. (1)

The party has also ruled out a ban on vaping in public places. There is no evidence of bystander harm from vaping and making it more difficult for people to vape risks discouraging smokers from making the switch from tobacco to e-cigarettes. In addition, forcing vapers to stand with smokers and be exposed to the product they are trying to avoid, seems somewhat perverse.

Rebecca Taylor, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Morley and Outwood, former Yorkshire and Humber MEP and campaigner on tobacco harm reduction (2) welcomed the move:

“I am very glad that my party has taken a Liberal and pragmatic position on e-cigarettes and vaping. I hope that other political parties will see through the misleading research put out by some (3) and come to the same conclusion”.

ENDS

Notes for editors

(1) The manifesto text (on page 76 http://www.libdems.org.uk/read-full-manifesto) is: “Carefully monitor the growing evidence base around electronic cigarettes, which appear to be a route by which many people are quitting tobacco, and ensure restrictions on marketing and use are proportionate and evidence based. For example, we support restrictions ton advertising which risks promoting tobacco or targets under 18s, such as those introduced in 2014, but would rule out a statutory ban on “vaping” in public places.”

(2) In a personal capacity Rebecca Taylor is an associate of the New Nicotine Alliance (http://nnalliance.org/about-us/associates/40-taylor) and is on the advisory board of a large scale study on the use of e-cigarettes, which is currently applying for funding.

(3) For a good explanation of much of the misleading research on e-cigarettes, please see: http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2015/02/12/a-marathon-not-swings-and-roundabouts-the-evidence-on-e-cigarettes/

Contact:

email: rtaylorlibdem@gmail.com
Twitter @RTaylor_LibDem

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