BUILDING EUROPE’S DEMOCRACY

Andrew Duff is one of the European Union’s most influential reformers. Having had a career as an academic specialist in European integration, he was elected in 1999 pledged to put into practice what he had long preached. The message was that Europe must become more united to deliver the policy that people need, and that such policy has to be made from beyond the confines of the old nation states, at the supranational level.

Andrew denies that he is an arch-federalist committed to the destruction of states. "On the contrary, we need the states to be represented strongly and effectively in the new Europe – but we need to feel the power of the citizen too. The EU cannot be run in secret by diplomats or government ministers frightened about their own fading authority at home. We’ve got to build a thriving parliamentary democracy on a transnational basis. That is why the European Parliament has to have more clout and public recognition," he says.

Soon after his election less than four years ago, Andrew was elected by other MEPs to serve on the Convention that drafted the famous Charter of Fundamental Rights. He also became the Parliament’s official rapporteur on the Charter, and is proud of the results. "The Charter spells out for the first time what EU citizenship really means for individuals. It protects us from any abuse of the powers that the Union now enjoys."

When the new constitutional Convention on the Future of Europe was set up last year, Andrew was the natural choice. He leads the Liberal caucus in the Convention and is Vice-President of the European Parliamentary delegation. He has proved himself to be one of the most fertile and hard-working of conventionnels, and was the first to present a comprehensive draft constitution of his own. He is one of the most quoted members of the Convention in the media. The Financial Times calls him a "chief strategist’. Convention President Valery Giscard d’Estaing has admitted to being much influenced by Andrew’s input. It seems that Andrew Duff is already fulfilling his election promise.

For more information on the Convention see european-convention.eu.int.

Andrew Duff has been working to get the East of England recognised as Europe’s top region for scientific research and new technology. The European Union invests large sums of money in R&D. Our region has a wider variety of EU-funded research than any other. Andrew explains: "It is the rich mix of science and technology that makes the East of England special. It’s not just the famous ‘Cambridge phenomenon’ – although that certainly helps to give us profile and focus that other places lack. But we also have, for example, a centre of bio-science research at Norwich that is of international significance, BT led IT research at Martlesham in Suffolk, pharmaceuticals at Stevenage, aeronautics at Cranfield and in Hertfordshire, media at Watford and automotive technology at Brentwood".

Andrew spends much of his time in the constituency visiting hi-tech companies, learning about leading-edge science, and helping them with their approaches to EU funded R&D. "The more a company put into its European effort, the more it will get out of it. The same goes with universities. Cambridge has been very focussed on American partnerships, but it needs to develop its presence in Europe too. I have been encouraging this."

"The East of England is special because of its science. Unfortunately, it is not special because of its poor education, lack of transport, crime figures and NHS waiting lists", argues Andrew. "If we aim to compete with Europe’s best regions, we need to play to our strengths."

Government economic policy is endangering success, claims Andrew. "Not only have successive governments failed to back the region’s science effort with first class education and infrastructure, but they are letting manufacturing industry drift abroad and take their design capacity with them. Engineering is now at great risk. Fewer children are drawn into engineering and the number of companies prepared to invest in design in this country is falling. The hopelessness of the government’s position on the euro is forcing companies to invest abroad. The closure of Vauxhall’s car plant at Luton is only the most dramatic failure. Hundreds of small firms way down the supply chain are hit by these decisions to source manufacturing industry either from inside the eurozone, where risks are less, or from Central and Eastern Europe – all future members of the eurozone – where there is a large educated and enterprising workforce".

Environmental issues feature centrally in Andrew Duff’s work as our MEP. All the tough anti-pollution legislation now in place stems from the European Parliament, and Andrew is in close touch with conservation groups and the fast-growing sector of eco-companies. He has welcomed the development of renewable energy businesses from windmill technology to bio-fuel production. He sees the latter as offering huge potential for East Anglia’s ailing arable sector. "Sugar beet grown for food cannot really compete in price and quality with sugar grown in less developed countries whose exports we are honour-bound to buy," says Andrew. "But bio-mass products to fuel generators and engines, including sugar, can keep our farmers farming."

He accuses this government and its Tory predecessor of having failed to develop consistent agricultural or fisheries policies within the EU framework. "Money that has been available from Brussels to switch to environmental schemes and rural development projects has not been used by the UK," he laments. "The British fishing industry has not been helped to re-structure according to regional needs. Now the North Sea is almost exhausted for certain species, such as cod."

Andrew keeps a close interest in coastal erosion issues and in enlarging the natural habitats for flora and fauna. He is actively supporting the RSPB and the National Trust in their projects to develop large inland wetlands in the fen. He supports the Norfolk Broads in their efforts to get a fair share of the money going to National Parks. "Conservation is good for the planet, good for recreation and good for employment too," he says. "The government should offer much better tax breaks for our nascent renewable energy and conservation industries. Tourism too will benefit if can be seen to be modernising. The Bedford to Milton Keynes canal is a brilliant example of ecological thinking attracting public and private sector investment. We need more of this."