EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT INFORMATION OFFICE IN THE UK MEDIA GUIDE 2011 This guide is intended to provide journalists with: • Basic information on the European Parliament and its activities • European elections 2009 and 2004 • A Who’s Who in the European Parliament • Press contacts • What the UK Office does Michael Shackleton Paoloa Buonadonn Head of UK Office Press Attachée Tel: 020 7227 4325 Tel: 020 7227 4335 www.europarl.org.uk 01_2010-5128_EN-text.indd 1 20/01/11 10:59 Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00 800 numbers or these calls may be billed. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2011 ISBN 978-92-823-3324-2 doi: 10.2861/60847 © European Union, 2011 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Italy Printed on white chlorine-free PaPer 01_2010-5128_EN-text.indd 2 20/01/11 10:59 Contents EP PRESS CONTACTS • Who’s who? 5 • European Parliament Information Office in the UK 5 • UK political party press officers in Brussels 7 • Heads of press/spokespeople of political groups in Brussels 8 • Press accreditation in Brussels 10 • Other EU institutions’ press offices 11 • Council of Europe 14 • Other organisations 14 • Websites 15 • UK Office Press Office 19 EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS • EU Institutions – basic facts 21 • The EU institutions – what is their role? what do they do? 21 • European Parliament Key Dates 23 • Composition of the European Parliament (June 2010) 24 • Where do the UK political parties sit? 25 • List of European Parliamentary committees 26 • Seats at the European Parliament as at July 2009 27 • The European Parliament in the UK media 2009-2010 28 • People 28 • Policies 29 • Petitions 32 • Frequently Asked Questions: 33 • What is the budget of the European Parliament? 33 • Why does the EP have 3 homes and what does it cost to go to Strasbourg every month? 33 • What are MEPs’ salaries and expenses? 34 • How many languages are spoken in the EP? 35 • How many translators and how many interpreters work for the EP? at what cost? 35 • How many people does the EP employ as a whole? (not including MEP assistants)? 35 • How many parties are represented in the EP – how many from the UK? 35 • 18 new MEPs – but when? 36 3 01_2010-5128_EN-text.indd 3 20/01/11 10:59 EP ELECTIONS • European Parliament elections 39 • Summary of the electoral system in the UK for the European Parliament elections 39 • How to become an MEP 40 • What can stop you standing for the European Parliament? 41 • Can anybody from the EU vote in the UK at European/local/general elections? 42 • Results of the 2009 European Elections 43 • Overall distribution of votes and seats by party 43 • Regional constituency distribution of UK seats, electorate and turnout 2004 and 2009 44 • Turnout by country 2004-2009 45 • Turnout trends UK/EU 2004-2009 46 • 2009 Election Results for the UK 47 • Eastern 48 • East Midlands 51 • London 54 • North East 57 • North West 59 • South East 62 • South West 65 • West Midlands 68 • Yorkshire & the Humber 71 • Scotland 74 • Wales 77 • Northern Ireland 79 • Summary of results by party 81 • Overview 88 UK MEPs • Alphabetical list of the 72 UK MEPs 89 • EU Constituencies in the UK 91 • Eastern 92 • East Midlands 96 • London 99 • North East 103 • North West 105 • South East 109 • South West 114 • West Midlands 117 • Yorkshire & the Humber 120 • Scotland 123 • Wales 126 • Northern Ireland 129 • UK Membership of Standing Committees 131 4 01_2010-5128_EN-text.indd 4 20/01/11 10:59 Who’s who? EP press contacts European Parliament Information Office in the UK Europe House 32 Smith Square London SW1P 3EU Tel: 020 7227 4300 Fax: 020 7227 4302 Email: [email protected]; [email protected] Web: www.europarl.org.uk Michael Shackleton, Head of Office Email: [email protected] Paola Buonadonna, Press Attachée Tel: 020 7227 4335 Mob: 07786 060531 Email: [email protected] Office in Scotland The Tun 4 Jackson’s Entry Holyrood Road Edinburgh EH8 8PJ Tel: 0131 557 7866 Fax: 0131 557 4977 Email: [email protected] James Temple-Smithson, European Parliament Office in Scotland Email: [email protected] 5 01_2010-5128_EN-text.indd 5 20/01/11 10:59 Media hotline Karima Ben Salah Tel: +32 (0)2 283 3000 (Brussels) +33 (3)88 17 28 00 (Strasbourg) Email: [email protected] 6 01_2010-5128_EN-text.indd 6 20/01/11 10:59 UK political party press officers in Brussels Conservative: James Holtum Tel: +32 (0)473 861762 Email: [email protected] Liberal Democrat: Neil Corlett Tel: +32 (0)2 284 2077 Email: [email protected] Labour: Stephen Pearse Tel: +32 (0)479 790053 Email: [email protected] UK Independence Party: Gawain Towler Tel: +32 (0)496 510711 Email: [email protected] Greens: Helmut Weixler Tel: +32 (0)475 671340 Email: [email protected] Plaid Cymru / SNP: Steven Cornelius Tel: +32 (0)473 560967 Email: [email protected] 7 01_2010-5128_EN-text.indd 7 20/01/11 10:59 Heads of Press/Spokespeople of Political Groups in Brussels Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) (EPP Group) Robert Fitzhenry Tel: +32 (0)2 284 2786 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.eppgroup.eu/home/en/ default.asp?lg1=en Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D Group) Tony Robinson Mob: +32 (0)475 257410 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu/ gpes/index.jsp Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE Group) Neil Corlett Tel: +32 (0)2 284 2077 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.alde.eu/ 8 01_2010-5128_EN-text.indd 8 20/01/11 10:59 Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance (Green/EFA Group) Tel: +32 (0)475 671340 Email: [email protected] Web: www.greens-efa.org/cms/default/ rubrik/6/[email protected] European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR Group) James Holtum Tel: +32 (0) 473 861762 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.ecrgroup.eu/ Confederal Group of the European United Left – Nordic Green Group (GUE/NGL Group) Gay Kavanagh Tel: +32 (0)473 842320 Email: [email protected] Web: www.guengl.eu/showPage. php?ID=1&LANG=1&GLANG=1 Europe of Freedom and Democracy Group (EFD Group) Hermann Kelly Tel: +32 (0) 2 284 6057 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.efdgroup.eu/ 9 01_2010-5128_EN-text.indd 9 20/01/11 10:59 Press accreditation in Brussels TV & Radio: Kirsten Van Kampen Tel: +32 (0)2 284 4817 (Brussels) Tel: +33 (0)3 88 17 45 61 (Strasbourg) Email: [email protected] Press: Claudine Biasini Tel: +32 (0)2 284 3359 (Brussels) Tel: +33 (0)3 88 17 44 57 (Strasbourg) Email: [email protected] TV / Radio facilities Free TV studio and crews: To use the free studios in Brussels or Strasbourg: Tel: +32 (0)2 284 2010 (Brussels) Tel: +33 (0)3 88 17 48 10 (Strasbourg) Mobile: +32 (0)498 983520 Email: [email protected] Free radio studio: To use the free studios in Brussels or Strasbourg: Tel: +32 (0)2 284 4801 (Brussels) Tel: +33 (0)3 88 17 44 42 (Strasbourg) Email: [email protected] Archives For a search of the footage archive or to order from the archives: Email: [email protected] 10 01_2010-5128_EN-text.indd 10 20/01/11 10:59 Other EU institutions’ press offices European Commission, London Antonia Mochan Head of Media Tel: 020 7973 1971 Email: [email protected] European Commission, Belfast Maurice Maxwell Head of Office Tel: 028 9024 0708 Email: [email protected] European Commission, Cardiff Andy Klom Head of Office Tel: 029 2089 5020 Email: [email protected] European Commission, Edinburgh Neil Mitchison Head of Office Tel: 0131 225 2058 Email: [email protected] Council of the European Union, Brussels Dominique-Georges Marro Head of the Press Office Tel: +32 (0)2 285 6423 Mobile: +32 (0)478 282556 Email: [email protected] 11 01_2010-5128_EN-text.indd 11 20/01/11 10:59 Court of Justice of the European Communities, Luxembourg Press and Information division – United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta Christopher Fretwell Tel: +352 4303 3355/3366 Email: [email protected] Court of Auditors, Luxembourg Press Office Tel: +352 4398 45224 Email: [email protected] European Ombudsman, Strasbourg/Brussels Gundi Gadesmann Press officer Tel: +32 (0)2 284 2609 Email: [email protected] Economic and Social Committee, Brussels Karel Govaert Head of Press Unit Tel: +32 (0)2 546 9396 Email: [email protected] Christian Weger Press Officer Tel: +32 (0)2 546 9586 Email: [email protected] 12 01_2010-5128_EN-text.indd 12 20/01/11 10:59 Committee of the Regions, Brussels Laurent Thieule Head of Communication, Press and Protocol Unit Tel: +32 (0)2 282 2199 Email: [email protected] Christopher Jones Press Relations Tel: +32 (0)2 546 8751 Email: [email protected] European Investment Bank Adam McDonagh Head of Office, London 2 Royal Exchange Buildings London EC3V 3LF Tel: 020 7375 9664 Email: [email protected] European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main