MONDAY,  8 APRIL

Graham Watson is in Strasbourg for a week-long session of parliamentary debates and committee meetings.

This afternoon, Graham chairs a meeting of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Group of MEPs.

Parliament is discussing new proposals to establish which country is responsible for dealing with asylum applications. This has important implications for the Sangatte refugee centre in France from which many asylum seekers try to reach Britain.   Mr Watson, former chairman of the European Parliament’s Justice and Home Affairs Committee responsible for immigration issues, said: “I welcome new and more appropriate proposals from the Commission for determining which member state is responsible for examining asylum applications.   The Dublin convention makes the country of arrival responsible.  The new proposals broaden the convention to take account of illegal immigrants.  This would oblige the French government to deal with the asylum seekers at Sangatte.”

TUESDAY,  9 APRIL

Graham Watson will be meeting the US ambassador to discuss the Middle East crisis prior to a debate in parliament on Wednesday morning.

WEDNESDAY,  10 APRIL

Graham Watson will be in parliament for Council and Commission statements on EU response to the situation in the Middle East.

In the afternoon, Graham will be meeting Jim Wallace, Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Scottish Minister for Justice.   They will be discussing the establishment of a permanent international criminal court for dealing with crimes against humanity.

THURSDAY,  11 APRIL

Graham Watson will be in parliament to hear a Commission statement on the Second United Nations World Assembly on Ageing, being held this week in Madrid.  Today, one in 10 people is aged 60 or over.  By 2150, this figure will rise to one in three.   Graham is concerned that steps are being taken now to cope with this demographic challenge.  He will push to ensure that state pensions are maintained in all EU countries.

FRIDAY,  12 APRIL

Graham Watson will be travelling to Florence where he will be looking at how Italy is dealing with the issue of an ageing population.   Italy currently has the lowest birthrate in Europe.

MONDAY,  15 APRIL

In Brussels, Graham Watson will be receiving a group of representatives of town twinning associations from Dorset.  He will be discussing the value of twinning and the challenges facing rural communities.

Graham will later be travelling to Poland where he will be meeting government ministers and Liberal party leaders to discuss enlargement of the EU.  Poland is a leading contender among the 13 applicant countries.

TUESDAY,  16 APRIL

Graham Watson will be continuing with his series of meetings in Poland.

In the evening, Graham will be returning to Brussels for a meeting with the directors of Birdlife International, an association of which the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is a member.  He will be raising a number of issues including the practice of shooting migrating birds in some EU countries and the dying out of songbirds as a result of intensive farming.

WEDNESDAY,  17 APRIL

Graham Watson will be meeting representatives of the South West region’s Brussels office where he will be briefing them on current issues before parliament and discussing with them how to promote the region to best effect.

THURSDAY,  18 APRIL

Graham Watson will be meeting Poul Nielson, the Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid.  He will be discussing Third World development and urging an increase in United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) contributions which have fallen by more than one third in the last decade although the refugee problem has increased.

Graham will also be meeting Beate Winkler, director of the European Monitoring Centre for Racism and Xenophobia.

Graham will be returning to his constituency where he will have talks on regional government issues with the Bishop of Exeter at the Bishop’s Palace in Exeter.

FRIDAY,  19 APRIL

Graham Watson will be in Stroud, Gloucestershire, where he will be campaigning on behalf of Liberal Democrat candidates standing in the forthcoming local council elections.

In the evening, Graham will be the main speaker at a meeting organised by Frome Peace Forum to discuss terrorism and human rights.  It will take place at Wesley Hall, Wesley Slope, Frome, Somerset, at 7pm.

MONDAY,  22 APRIL

In Brussels, Graham Watson will be meeting Mrs Souhayr Belhassen, head of the Tunisian Human Rights League, the Arab world’s oldest independent human rights organisation.  They will discuss the league’s work to combat human rights violations in Tunisia.   EU policy on human rights will be debated in the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday (24^th April).

Graham will later be meeting Dr Solomon Passy, the Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Minister.  Graham recently visited Bulgaria, where the Liberal party is in coalition government, as part of his campaign to re-unite Europe with an early and successful enlargement of the EU.  He hopes that Bulgaria will become a member of NATO at the end of this year.

In the evening, Graham will have talks with Digby Jones, Director General of the Confederation of British Industry.  They will be discussing the UK Budget and also the effects of European legislation on economic competition.

TUESDAY,  23 APRIL

Graham Watson will be in London for a series of meetings in and around the House of Commons.   He said: “No MEP can do their job effectively unless they keep closely in touch with what is happening in the nation’s capital.”

In the evening, Graham will be meeting the Belgian ambassador to the EU at the Royal Palace in Belgium.

WEDNESDAY,  24 APRIL

In a European Parliament session in Brussels, Graham will be closely monitoring a Council of Ministers statement on Council reform and transparency.  Graham has been a champion of greater openness in EU decision-making including better public access to documents.

In the evening, Graham will have a supper meeting with Alan Yentob, head of drama at the BBC.

THURSDAY,  25 APRIL

Graham will be meeting a representative of the Canadian province of Quebec. They will be discussing Graham’s visit to Canada later in the year which will take him to both Quebec and Ontario to meet members of the Liberal government.

On the European Parliament agenda will be the size of fishing fleets, third world debt, and a proposal for a directive laying down minimum standards on the reception of applicants for asylum in member states,

Returning to his constituency, in the evening Graham will be speaking at a meeting of Milborne Port branch of Somerton and Frome Constituency Liberal Democrats.  The meeting will take place at the Dairy House, Stowall at 7.30pm.

FRIDAY,  26 APRIL

Graham Watson will be leading a fact-finding trip to Devon for Liberal Democrat members of the European Parliament’s foot and mouth committee of inquiry.  He will be accompanied by East Midlands MEP Nick Clegg and Dutch MEP Jan Mulder.  They will be talking to farmers, business people, MPs, councillors and NFU representatives in a number of areas, including Barnstaple, Meeth, Hatherleigh and Heathfield.

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