01/06/09 - Euro Election Pledge

OUR COMMITMENT TO THE BRITISH PEOPLE

If elected to the European Parliament on 4 June we pledge to:

Transparency and Ethics

• Publish a breakdown of all office costs, signed off by a certified accountant.

• Publish details of all travel, including journeys to and from Brussels and Strasbourg and trips to any third countries.

• Publish the names of all staff, contractors and ‘paying agents’ engaged by us.

• Publish all expenses claims online and update them on a quarterly basis. Details included in the Register of Members’ Interests will be published on the Conservative MEPs’ website – providing a ‘one stop shop’ for members of the public to access full disclosure details of their Conservative MEPs’ expenses.

• Continue to oppose – and vote against – any bailout of the MEP pension fund using public money.

• Publish online details of all meetings with lobbyists and interest groups. We will only accept hospitality fromlobbyists and interest groups where it is relevant to the role of an MEP, and where this is of a value greater than £50 it will be listed in the Register of Members’ Interests. No Conservative MEP will accept gifts from lobbyists or interest groups.

• Press for these standards to be applied across the European Parliament.

Constitution

• Support a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, the renamed EU Constitution.

• Support the right of the British people to have their say – through a referendum – on any proposed future transfer of competences, as powers are called in EU jargon.

• Oppose any further moves to involve Britain in deeper political integration in the EU.

The Economy

• Keep Britain out of the euro.

• Support the return of social and employment legislation to national control.

• Work for an open and flexible Europe that brings down trade barriers, both within and outside the EU, and set a course for other countries to join the EU subject to a rigorous accession process.

• Work to cut the administration costs of EU legislation by 25 per cent.

• Defend our opt-out from the Working Time Directive.

More for Less

• Oppose wasteful spending throughout the EU, including calling for an end to European Parliament meetings in Strasbourg.

• Work to save up to €1 billion a year and for a firm cap on the EU budget.

• Continue to vote against the EU accounts until they are cleared by an auditor.

• Defend the UK's rebate so we do not pay more than our fair share.

• Press for legislation to provide greater transparency, access to documents and freedom of information in relation to EU institutions.