Phil Bennion's Manifesto for Europe

As an MEP, Phil Bennion will represent all aspects of the West Midlands.

Phil was born in the West Midlands where he was educated within the state sector; he lives and works in a rural area of the Region; he spent three years in the heart of the Region at Birmingham University; he has represented the Region on national committees for many years; his connections with the Regional Development Agency give him a good insight into regional economic problems and his work on the International Relations Committee gives him a broad knowledge of issues affecting different communities in our multi-ethnic Region.

Phil sets out his policy priorities below:

• 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 as an MEP will be 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, which must include emerging economies such as India and China, as well as the United States.

• Trade and Agriculture - Further reform of the CAP is necessary and the EU must take the lead in proposing a radical deal in concluding the WTO Doha round. Trade liberalisation must remain a multilateral process. Naïve unilateralism and divisive bilateral agreements must both be avoided in the search for a deal which will 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.

• 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 ELDR Congress two years ago when the party brought forward its policies on International Competitiveness. He also met EU Commission officials last year to discuss the hold-ups in implementing the Lisbon Agenda.

• The Single Market - Phil believes strongly that the Single Market should be completed without delay. It is important to bring forward a new attempt at a services directive, as the one agreed last year 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.

• The Constitutional Treaty - Phil has been a consistent advocate of EU enlargement for many years. The new Constitutional Treaty is a necessity for the efficient working of the Union, largely as a result of the success of Enlargement. Phil will work for the early ratification of this treaty; a decision that he believes should be taken by parliament, rather than through a referendum.