uuptoday.org

Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has said he is outraged that the European Commission and Portuguese Presidency of the European Council have decided to extend and invite to Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to attend next week’s EU – Africa summit in Lisbon.

Speaking from Brussels Mr Nicholson said,

“It has been reported that the Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe has accepted an invitation from the Portuguese Government to attend next week’s EU – Africa summit. This comes despite diplomatic pressure from a number of sources aimed at preventing Mugabe from attending the conference.

“I am absolutely appalled at the UK Government for agreeing to send a Minister of State to the summit. There is no point in the Prime Minister talking tough about the situation and declaring he won’t attend if his Government then turn round and dignify the summit by sending a Minister of State in his place anyway.

“The British Government should exercise its right to block the Portuguese Government obtaining an exemption to the EU’s ban on Mugabe.

“It is an affront to the millions of Zimbabweans abused and dispossessed by Mugabe that he is being given a platform in Lisbon. So much for EU concerns about human rights and good governance in Africa.

“The EU’s decision to allow Mugabe to attend the summit is yet another example of the limitations there are in pursuing a common European foreign policy. It is not surprising that many people are extremely sceptical regarding EU’s efforts at assuming a meaningful role on the global stage.”

Ulster Unionist Member of the European Parliament Jim Nicholson MEP said today that over the years the PEACE Programme in Northern Ireland has made a significant contribution to moving Northern Ireland forward.

Mr Nicholson was speaking after a public hearing, in the European Parliament’s Regional Affairs Committee on the PEACE Programme, to assess the work it has carried out since its inception and prospects for the future.

Last week the SEUPB made the first call for applications under the new PEACE III and INTERREG IVA Programmes for 2007 – 2013.

Speaking after the hearing Mr Nicholson said,

“I think it is important to recognise the contribution the PEACE Programme has made in moving Northern Ireland forward. It is easy to find faults with or criticise many of the projects but the truth of the matter is that because of the PEACE Programmes, thousands have had an opportunity to become involved in and be part of a process of reconciliation in the Province.

“It is very unfortunate that Barbara de Brun was unable to present her report on the PEACE Programme at this time. It would have been a good time to have had her report debated.

“The PEACE Programme must now move on to deliver projects which are sustainable and which have the ability to stand alone when European support ultimately disappears. Northern Ireland has come a long way since the start of PEACE in 1995 but still has some distance to travel and it must not be presumed that all Northern Ireland’s problems have disappeared. We still need and require the type of support that the PEACE programme provides.”

Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Tom Elliott has stated his anger at figures revelling that billions of pounds that should be released to farmers across Europe is instead been given to businesses who are not entitled to a penny.

Mr Elliott said: “Figures released by the European Court of Auditors show that upwards of 2.8 billion pound was wasted or mismanaged by the EU during 2006. Some of this money was due to be put into farming initiatives including here in the United Kingdom, at a time when the agricultural industry needs all the support it can get. To hear of such a loss is aggravating to say the least. However, what is worse is the fact that much of the mismanaged money is going to companies such as Golf Clubs and railway companies when many of them are not entitled to any of the funding.”

The figures released meant that for the thirteenth year in a row the European Court of Auditors was unable to give EU spending a ‘clean bill of health’. Rather, it stated that individual members of the EU, who are responsible for overseeing up to 80% of EU funding, are failing their citizens by not efficiently monitoring who is getting money more carefully.

The Ulster Unionist Agricultural spokesman went on to say: “It is a disgrace that so many farmers are losing out due to the mishandling of money. We cannot afford to be wasting funds or giving it away to people who are not eligible. The necessary checks should be reviewed to see how this money is being allowed to go to companies that should not be receiving it. If the government are serious about helping the agricultural industry then it is vital that the look into this, and see how things can be improved.”

Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has appealed for calm today as the authorities in England attempt to determine the source of an outbreak of bird flu at a Suffolk farm.

Speaking from Strasbourg Mr Nicholson said,

“DEFRA must act swiftly to contain and trace the origins of this latest bird flu outbreak.

“The Government was right to close the area down quickly but they must ensure that the exclusion zone is properly enforced and act ruthlessly to stamp out the disease and identify its source. It is important that this action is matched by increased vigilance and bio – security in the weeks ahead. Allowing it to spread would do untold damage to the sustainability and viability of the entire poultry industry.

“In the event of an outbreak of bird flu in Northern Ireland public communication will be essential to dealing with the problem. Information must be given to the public promptly, efficiently and in an easily accesible manner so that they know what to do should they discover a dead bird. Time is of the essence.

“DEFRA must keep all poultry keepers informed. During the last outbreak, keepers complained that not enough information was being provided and not quickly enough. Farmers must know exactly what they have to do.

“It is unfortunate but it appears that outbreaks of bird flu will become a sad reality across all of Europe. Bird Flu is no respecter of borders and as such requries a strategic and coordinated response to combat it at European level.”

Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has taken the row over FIFA’s proposal to allow players born in Northern Ireland the opportunity to play for the Republic of Ireland onto the international stage this evening as he told fellow Members of the European Parliament in a debate in Strasbourg that if FIFA’s proposal went ahead it would be a kick in the teeth for Northern Irish football.

Speaking to MEPs Mr Nicholson said,

“I would like to bring to the attention of the House a proposal by FIFA, the global governing body for football, to allow players born in Northern Ireland the opportunity to represent the Republic of Ireland at international level.

“The Northern Ireland football team has a proud history going back many decades and over the years has produced many great footballers and defeated many great teams.

“Northern Ireland has had many difficulties over the past 35 years and during those dark days soccer was able to bring people together in our community. So I say very clearly to FIFA that they are wrong to go down this road. At a time when I believed that society in Northern Ireland was becoming normal and moving on from the past, this has come as a major shock and may even harm efforts to move society forward.”

Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has launched a blistering attack on the European Commission today over their stance on imports of Brazilian beef to the EU.

Mr Nicholson was speaking as the European Union’s Food and Veterinary Office published their latest report on Brazil’s failure to meet EU standards and food safety controls.

The FVO report found that:

- The Brazilian State Veterinary Service had no systematic audit system for animal health.
- No criteria for such an audit established.
- Cold stores in ports dealing with beef destined for Europe were not audited.
- There was a lack of adequate trained staff in the State Veterinary Service.
- Shortcomings that previous FVO investigations had identified had not been addressed.
- The 90-day residence rule on cattle destined for EU was regularly broken.
- Insufficient protection against rodents and insects by food Business operators.
- Operation hygiene could not be fully guaranteed.

Speaking from Brussels Mr Nicholson said,

“Once again we have concrete evidence to support the introduction of an immediate ban on imports of Brazilian beef to the EU. The Commission cannot be allowed to duck the responsibility they have to consumers and the farming industry to ban this sub standard product immediately. It is time they took their head out of the sand on the issue.

“Time after time, Brazilian beef has been proven to be of a sub – standard nature. Traceability is non-existent, there are no controls at regional borders, no controls on animal movement and there are risks of further Foot and Mouth outbreaks. Northern Ireland’s farmers must comply with the high standards laid down by the EU in terms of health, food safety and traceability so why shouldn’t imports coming into the EU from other countries do the same?

Ulster Unionist Member of the European Parliament Jim Nicholson MEP has said that there is no new money in the European Commission’s announcement today on future European funding for Northern Ireland.

Mr Nicholson made the claim as the European Commission announced that it has adopted three programmes involving Northern Ireland as part of EU Cohesion policy for 2007-2013.

Speaking from Brussels Mr Nicholson said,

“I want to make it absolutely clear that there is no new money in this announcement made today by the European Commission. The public should not be misled into believing that Northern Ireland has earned some massive cash bonanza from Europe.

“As I recall this is probably the fourth or fifth time in a 2 year period that an announcement has been made regarding this funding. It seems that yet again this money has been recycled, repackaged and made to appear like it is new money.

“Back in July I met with the First and Deputy First Minister where I told them they had seriously undersold Northern Ireland in Europe and that it was vital for them to visit Brussels as soon as possible. I am still waiting for that visit. In terms of investment Europe is just as important as any other region in the world.

“It is almost 6 months since devolution was restored and yet we are still waiting for the First and Deputy First Minister to work out how they are going to deal with Europe.

“Whilst I am disappointed that the European Commission and others have attempted to portray this as new money I do welcome the impact today’s announcement will have for the many groups on the ground who have been waiting for the European Commission to approve this money. Hopefully, Intermediary Funding Bodies should be able to start funding projects by the New Year.”

Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has said that Love Beef Week – an initiative by the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) to highlight Northern Ireland’s exceptional Farm Quality Assured (FQA) beef – reminds us how important it is to support local farmers by buying local produce first. Northern Ireland’s first Love Beef Week has been running from Monday and ends this Saturday (3rd November).

Mr Nicholson also called for more transparent and rigorous food labelling, which shows clearly where the origin of the produce is.

In a statement Mr Nicholson said,

“Over the past year I have been campaigning hard to get the European Commission to ban imports of Brazilian beef to the EU. Time and time again, it has been independently proven to be of a sub – standard nature. Cheap imports of food from South America and South East Asia, which are not produced to the highest of European standards, have done tremendous damage to the local beef and lamb industry.

“However, the Love Beef Week campaign, which has been running all week, provides all of us with a stark reminder of how important it is to support local farmers by purchasing local produce first.

“The long term interest of the agri – food industry is best served by Northern Ireland’s consumers demanding quality local produce. Buying local first strengthens the local economy and also helps the environment. When moving produce around the world we must consider how many food miles the produce has travelled and the environmental impact of moving produce such a large distance.

“To help consumers make an informed choice to buy local produce first, they need more rigorous and transparent food labelling. Inadequate and misleading labelling prevents consumers from being able to make that informed choice.

”In many cases food can be imported to Northern Ireland, processed here, and then labelled in a way that suggests it is genuinely British. This misleading practice must come to an end.”

Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has launched a blistering attack on the First and Deputy First Minister this morning over their failure to secure a financial package for Northern Ireland.

Mr Nicholson was speaking as the Executive’s Programme for Government and budget was being presented to the Assembly. The UUP MEP has accused the DUP and Sinn Fein of brushing the issue under the carpet.

In a statement Mr Nicholson said,

“Today’s announcements in the Assembly on the budget and the Executive’s programme for Government have reminded people of the DUP and Sinn Fein’s utter failure to secure a financial package for Northern Ireland.

“During March’s Assembly election campaign both the DUP and Sinn Fein made great noise about the need for a financial package from the Treasury to underpin any return to devolution in Northern Ireland. It was a make or break issue for the First Minister who even threatened that he wouldn’t consider entering an Executive until he got a financial package from the Treasury.

“Instead of explaining to the people of Northern Ireland why they haven’t delivered the DUP and Sinn Fein have conveniently tried to brush the whole issue under the carpet. It is almost 6 months since devolution was restored and yet the mysterious financial package talked about so loudly by the DUP and Sinn Fein during the Assembly election campaign remains beyond the grasp of these politicians.

“From my perspective in Europe I still remain deeply sceptical of the First and Deputy First Minister’s commitment to engaging with Brussels in financial terms.

“After decades of the Troubles and years of underinvestment in our infrastructure, Northern Ireland needs and deserves an economic package from the Treasury that will enable a new Executive to invest in growth, innovation and enterprise.”

Ulster Unionist Member of the European Parliament Jim Nicholson MEP has said the Prime Minister’s refusal to hold a referendum on the EU Treaty agreed last night at a meeting of EU Leaders in Lisbon is an affront to democracy.

The Treaty of Lisbon will be signed by EU Leaders on December 13th in Lisbon.

In a statement Mr Nicholson said,

“The new EU Treaty will have a profound effect on the way the UK is governed taking further powers away from Member States and it is nothing less than an affront to democracy that the Prime Minister will not allow the British people to have their say on it.

“The new EU Treaty contains more than 90% of the original constitution that was rejected in 2005 by the French and Dutch voters. The name may have changed but the substance is still the same.

“No – one disagrees with the need for fundamental reform in the EU so that it can become more accountable, transparent and more responsive to people’s needs but this is not the answer.

“At a time when public confidence and belief in the work of the EU is at an all time low the Prime Minister should be encouraging people in Northern Ireland and all across the UK to debate the future direction of the EU, not stifling discussion and attempting to bring the constitution in through the back door.”