Phil Bennion

Phil Bennion's Manifesto for Europe

(Updated from Phil Bennion's Manifesto from 2009) As an MEP, Phil Bennion is determined to represent all aspects of the West Midlands region. From the shire counties to the manufacturing heart of Britain in the Potteries, Black Country, Birmingham and Coventry, Phil believes the battle for economic recovery in our region will be won or lost through our relationship with our European neighbours. Literally hundreds of thousands of local jobs depend on it. We need to punch our weight as a region in the corridors of power, whether in Brussels or London. He respects the anxieties that lead to the misguided views of Euro-sceptics but passionately believes that they are wrong. Turning our back on the EU and the single market would spell economic and social disaster for our region and our nation.

Phil was born in the West Midlands where he was educated within the state sector; he lives and works in a rural part of Staffordshire; he spent three years in the heart of the West Midlands at Birmingham University and has represented the region on national committees for many years. He worked closely with the former Regional Development Agency gaining insight into regional economic problems and his role on the Liberal Democrats' International Relations Committee has given a broad knowledge of issues affecting different communities in our multi-ethnic region.

Phil's policy priorities:

• Climate Change - The EU must maintain the momentum that it has gathered on measures to combat climate change. The EU has set out its targets in a number of new policies and directives, but they will have no effect if they are not implemented across the entire EU. The difficult task of agreeing the level of green house gas cuts for each member state is now upon us. Phil Bennion's first priority is to ensure that all EU nation states move forward together in reducing emissions. He will fully engage with the international community in bringing forward a successor to Kyoto, building on the recent progress at Durban, which must include emerging economies such as India and China, as well as the USA.
• Trade and Agriculture - Further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy is necessary and the EU must take the lead in proposing a radical deal in concluding the World Trade Organisation's talks on free trade known as the Doha round. Trade liberalisation must remain a multilateral process. Naïve unilateralism and divisive bilateral trade agreements must both be avoided in the search for a deal to benefit all nations. Phil Bennion will use his considerable knowledge and experience in these areas to help deliver such a deal.
• Terrorism and Organised Crime - Terrorists and criminal gangs operate across international frontiers and an international response is required. As an MEP Phil will look for alliances to bring forward a range of options on enhanced co-operation between the police and security forces of the EU nation states to target criminal conspiracies while protecting essential personal freedom of thought and expression.
• Globalisation - The EU must face the economic challenges of globalisation with a positive attitude and resist any temptation to retreat into protectionism. The approach must include a renewed emphasis on innovation and a real effort by the nation states to deliver on the Lisbon Agenda. Phil is well placed to take a leading role in this field, as he is currently involved in both business and research. He led for the UK Liberal Democrat delegation at the European Liberals and Democrats (ELDR) Congress in 2007 when the party brought forward policies on International Competitiveness. He also met EU Commission officials to discuss the hold-ups in implementing the Lisbon Agenda.
• The Single Market - Phil believes strongly that the Single Market is a huge advantage to EU member states and should be completed without delay. It is important to bring forward a new attempt at a services directive, as the one agreed in 2008 was weak and did not go nearly far enough.
• Regulation - Phil has a firm view that the EU should only regulate where necessary and should not encroach on member-state competences. New legislation and regulation should focus on true areas of EU competence such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and deepening the Single Market. The system also needs reform to make it easier to review old legislation and regulations. Pointless red tape and 'gold plating' of EU directives by over-zealous civil servants in countries like Britain must be exposed and eliminated.
• The Treaties - Phil has been a consistent advocate of EU enlargement for many years. But he is not in favour of a centralised European super-state, he is a firm decentralist in areas apart from trade, the environment and agriculture where rules need to apply internationally. The Lisbon Treaty is a necessity for the efficient working of the Union after so many new countries joined the EU with more likely to join soon.