April newsletter from Claude Moraes MEP

Welcome to my April newsletter Welcome to my newsletter for April. This monthly report is a chance for me to keep you up to date on what your London Labour MEP is doing on your behalf, as well as to give you a regular analysis of developments in the EU. This month, I piloted my report on protections for seasonal and vulnerable workers in the EU through its committee stages and led for the Socialists and Democrats on the anti-terorism PNR agreement. I also wrote for Next Europe about the state of the Greco-Turkish relationship, as well as for Labour List about the presidential elections in France. Please feel free to get in touch and I always welcome any feedback. Claude Moraes MEP

French elections show far-right's rise

I've written for LabourList about the first round of presidential elections in France. What we're seeing there is a far-right triumph, with Marine Le Pen winning just under 18% of the popular vote. Whilst it now seems likely that French socialist candidate Francois Hollande will win outright, the damage to French society has been done by such a resounding endorsement for the Fascist agenda in Europe. Sadly, many of President Sarkozy's anti-diversity policies have helped create Le Pen's success.

A new wall between Turkey and Greece I've written for Next Europe about a three metre high, eight mile long wall that Greece is building along its shared border with Turkey. That one country, acting unilaterally by building a new border wall, can influence Europe’s overall relationship with so many other countries is wrong. It is also sadly a sign of  the growing influence on mainstream European politics of new far-right political strategies.

Seasonal Workers in the EU After a year's work, my report on the protection of seasonal workers was successfully voted through the European Parliament's committee stage on April 25th. It gained all-party support. This legislation provides basic legal protection against employers who exploit temporary workers and undercut the working conditions of established workers in the European Union. This report is controversial at a time of austerity, as any report in the area of migration would be, but I was careful to ensure that basic protections would be available by law, and that we worked closely with trade unions in guaranteeing that workers' rights were not compromised in any way.

Data sharing between the EU and US Members of the European Parliament have put in place the only legal framework on data-sharing between the European Union and the United States. I led on this issue for the Socialists and Democrats Group, as reported by BBC Democracy Live. MEPs achieved important concessions on rules for sharing data and also clarified the legal position on behalf of EU citizens in 27 Member States.

MEPs vote for a Single Seat This month, a strong majority of MEPs voted for a "Single Seat" for the European Parliament. This was the highest ever majority in favour of one meeting place for the Parliament, with 429 in favour, 184 against and 37 abstentions. Over a million signatures have been collected to the end "travelling circus" to Strasbourg and all Labour MEPs agree.

Opposition Watch This month, Tory MEPs voted against demands to combat tax fraud and tax evasion, despite a damning Treasury report released in April. The report shows billions of revenue lost to tax avoidance in the UK. Vice Chair of the Economic Affairs Committee, Arlene McCarthy MEP, said: "Once again the Tories have turned a blind eye to tax evasion and refuse to take on the privileged tax dodgers and fraudsters".

Labour Party News London goes to the polls on May 3rd. This is our chance to elect Ken Livingstone as our Labour Mayor of London.   During hard times, Ken's promises on cutting fares and police numbers will really help Londoners. Let's make sure on May 3rd that we elect Ken as London's Labour Mayor.