South East England Lib Dem Euro MP Sharon Bowles, Chair of the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, welcomed proposals on Eurobonds presented to her committee by European Commissioner Olli Rehn, but noted that they will not solve the crisis in the short-term.
EU leaders have been asked to explain what they are doing to cut deaths on Europe's roads.
The battle to protect fishermen and dwindling fish stocks has been supported by South East England Lib Dem MEP Catherine Bearder.
To mark this Wednesday's European Parliament conference to celebrate the institution's Sakharov prize for freedom of thought, Lib Dem MEP Sir Graham Watson said: "Concern for human dignity lies at the core of the values which created the European Union. I am delighted that this year's Sakharov prize was awarded to 5 activists from across the Arab world, including Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian who set himself on fire and unknowingly provoked the Tunisian, Egyptian, Libyan, Syrian, Bahraini and Yemeni uprisings, and, in the first three countries, the overthrow of the authoritarian regime."
Local Lib Dem MEP Sharon Bowles, who represents South East England in the European Parliament, has signed a parliamentary resolution which aims to cut VAT on e-books. Currently, EU countries may apply reduced rates of VAT for books bought in shops but e-books are often subject to a standard VAT rate of at least 15%.
Intervening in an important debate today in Strasbourg on the future scope and structure of economic governance in Europe, Guy Verhofstadt (ALDE group leader) drew attention to widening spreads on European bond markets - even amongst AAA countries - and called for a bold and global step forward towards economic and fiscal union - the missing piece from the EMU project dating back 20 years to the Treaty of Maastricht.
Ed Davey's Leader's Speech to Spring Conference 2026
After years of neglect, our local councils are in financial survival mode. The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to move past emergency bailouts and deliver a sustainable future for local government.
The international stage has been shaken by a series of reckless and illegal actions from Donald Trump’s White House. Liberal Democrat members have passed a new motion to bolster our national defence and strengthen our alliances with reliable partners.
For too long, tech giants have treated children as data to be mined, using addictive algorithms and harmful content to keep them scrolling. While some are calling for blanket bans, we know these are impractical and risk isolating vulnerable groups.
If the answer to “Is our nuclear deterrent working?” depends on what Donald Trump had for breakfast, then the answer is no, it’s not. And our deterrent is not truly independent.
The UK is facing a mental health emergency. Liberal Democrats have a proud record of pushing Britain’s mental health services forward. Now we are offering the bold solutions we need to fight the crisis unfolding in our communities.