Graham's Week
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July 2002
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June 2002
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May 2002
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April 2002
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March 2002
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February 2002
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January 2002
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December 2001
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Published and promoted by Graham Watson MEP, Bagehots Foundry, Beards Yard, Langport, TA10 9PS. Printed and hosted by Nextra, Global House, Ashley Avenue, Epsom, KT18 5AD.
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January 2002
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| 07 - 12 January |
| 21 - 26 January |
28 - 31 January
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07 - 12 January
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MONDAY, 7 JANUARY
In Brussels, Graham Watson will be meeting with his constituency and parliamentary staff to discuss priorities for the year ahead and the ways in which his constituents' interests can best be represented in Europe.
Graham will also be meeting his UK Lib Dem MEP colleagues to discuss the initial impact of the introduction of the euro.
TUESDAY, 8 JANUARY
Graham Watson will be chairing a meeting of his Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs which will finally adopt his report introducing a European arrest warrant to combat terrorism and other international crime. This will mark the successful completion of nine months of work to introduce new legislation. "The measures show that it is possible to be tough on terrorism without trampling on human rights," said Graham who has criticised America for "riding roughshod" over civil liberties in its anti-terrorism measures.
WEDNESDAY, 9 JANUARY
In the morning, Graham Watson will be meeting members of the Church of Scotland who are visiting the European Parliament and he will be discussing asylum policy.
In the afternoon, he will be attending the first meeting of the year of the 52-strong multi-national European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Group of MEPs. The group will be discussing its future leadership in the event of its current leader, Pat Cox, being elected president of the European Parliament on 15 January. Graham is currently the sole nominee to take over as chairman of the ELDR group.
THURSDAY, 10 JANUARY
Graham Watson will be meeting Nigel Sheinwald, UK ambassador to the EU, and will be stressing the need for the UK to have an early referendum on joining the euro now that the single currency has replaced the currencies of 12 other member states.
FRIDAY, 11 JANUARY
Graham Watson will be meeting senior members and staff of Dorset County Council at County Hall in Dorchester to brief them on current EU issues and the challenges and opportunities for the South West in an enlarged European Union.
SATURDAY, 12 JANUARY
Graham Watson will be in London for a series of meetings concerned with the leisure industry.
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21 - 26 January
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This will be Graham's first full week as ELDR President - the leader of the Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament. He will be spending some time during the week meeting and recruiting his new staff, and setting up his new office, alongside what will be his regular weekly routine of chairing group meetings, and representing the group to the rest of the Parliament's bodies.
MONDAY, 21 JANUARY
In the morning Graham will be meeting with David Fieldsend of the organisation Christian Action for Refugees in Exile to discuss the plight of refugees around the world living in exile from their own country.
Graham will then meet Colin Jeavons, Managing Director of Parliament Communications Ltd to submit formally his resignation as editor of the Parliament Magazine. "I have enjoyed editing this dynamic publication for the last three years, but I feel the job of editor, which requires neutrality, is incompatible with being the leader of a political party", said Graham. Since Graham has been editor the circulation of the magazine has doubled, and its advertising revenue has increased by over 50%.
TUESDAY, 22 JANUARY
Graham will be meeting Commissioner Vitorino and Ana Palacio MEP, who succeeds Graham as Chair of the Committee on Justice and Home Affairs. The discussion will centre around the implementation of the European Arrest Warrant legislation that Graham introduced while he was chair of the committee.
In the evening Graham will be attending the annual reception of Adamson / Weber Shandwick Public Affairs to meet key players in the PR business in Brussels.
WEDNESDAY, 23 JANUARY
In London, Graham will be meeting Charles Kennedy MP and other senior Liberal Democrat party members and officials.
In the evening, Graham will chair a meeting of the Liberal Democrat European Group, which will be discussing the UK's expected Euro referendum. Graham has led calls for an early referendum on whether the UK should join the single currency, before it is forced to join, if, as Graham predicts the Euro becomes a "parallel" currency to the pound.
THURSDAY, 24 JANUARY
Back in Brussels, Graham will have a morning meeting with the Norwegian Minister for Justice, Einar Dorum, and the Norwegian Ambassador to the EU. They will discussing co-operation between the police and judical departments in the EU and Norway.
In the afternoon, Graham will return to his constituency, where in the evening he will be attending a meeting of the Cornwall branch of the European Movement. The title of Graham's talk will be 'From Tampere to Laeken: building an area of freedom, security and justice for EU citizens'.
FRIDAY, 25 JANUARY
Graham will be meeting senior members and staff of Gloucestershire County Council at County Hall in Gloucester to brief them on current EU issues.
He will then travel to Cheltenham to join local Liberal Democrats with various campaigns that are being run in the town.
In the evening, Graham will address Exeter Liberal Democrats at their annual dinner. He will talk about the work Liberal Democrats will be doing on the European Parliament's enquiry on the Foot and Mouth outbreak, which affected Devon so badly.
SATURDAY, 26 JANUARY
Graham will travel to Trier in Germany to speak to the Academy of European Law on the subject of terrorism.
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28 - 31 January
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MONDAY, 28 JANUARY
In his role as the newly-elected president of the ELDR group - leader of the Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament - Graham Watson will be meeting Arturo Mas, leader of the Catalan parliament, and Spanish MEP Carlos Gasoliba.
Graham will later be meeting with the ELDR party executive including party president Werner Hoyer, vice-president Lord Alderdice and former Italian Prime Minister Lamberto Dini. Also at the meeting will be Pat Cox, newly-elected president of the European Parliament, and Graham Tope, president of the ELDR group in the Committee of the Regions. They will be discussing the party congress to be held later this year in Bath.
Graham will be having lunch with the ELDR party leaders and Belgian Prime Minister, Guy Verhofstadt.
Graham will later be discussing immigration matters with Jan Niessen, of the Migration Policy Group, a non-governmental organisation.
In the evening, Graham will meet Regional Policy Commissioner Michel Barnier as part of Graham's campaign to increase public access to EU documents.
TUESDAY, 29 JANUARY
Among today's meetings, Graham Watson will be discussing the new European arrest warrant with Susan Allegré, from the lobby group, JUSTICE.
WEDNESDAY, 30 JANUARY
Graham Watson will be discussing the agenda for his first year as president of the ELDR group with members of the group's executive.
Graham will later have discussions with members of the ELDR group of the Committee of the Regions. The Committee of the Regions is a consultative committee comprising representatives of regional and local authorities in member states.
In the evening, Graham will be attending the launch of the Northern Ireland executive office in Brussels.
THURSDAY, 31 JANUARY
Graham Watson will be in London for a face-to-face meeting at Westminster with Customs Minister Paul Boateng. Graham is campaigning to stop Customs and Excise officers impounding the cars of innocent cross-Channel shoppers. Mr Watson will be accompanied by Liberal Democrat MPs whose constituents have been victims of the customs action. The meeting starts at 9.45am.
In the afternoon, Graham will be returning to Brussels for a meeting of party leaders in the European Parliament chaired by Pat Cox, the newly-elected president of Parliament.
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