Welcome to the February edition of my Brussels Briefing.This month, in addition to my involvement in the appointment process of the new European Commission, I have been keeping a close eye on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy while striving to seek clarity on the issue of food labelling. 

In these tough economic times local businesses and farmers need our support. Locally sourced produce is no longer a fashionable phrase, it now relates to the very survival of local shops and businesses. 

In addition,  the people of Scotland recognise the quality of home-grown produce and want to buy food that is genuinely Scottish. For too long consumers have been duped by products that have been mislabelled or not labelled at all. It is about time that producers are given clear guidelines for labelling. I will continue to campaign to have existing legislation changed to reflect the choice and clarity that consumers expect.

Join up here to support my campaign and help protect Scotland's local farmers and businesses.

Best wishes,

Struan Stevenson MEP

Last month I hosted the tenth annual European Burns Supper to help survivors of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

The evening was a great success and raised £6354 for Mercy Corps' Appeal for Haiti. It was attended by Scots from across Europe and included a performance from the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra.

Jamie McGrigor MSP toasted the Immortal Memory of the Bard and former City of Edinburgh Councillor Lindsay Walls gave the Address to the Haggis together with highly energetic and uproarious recitals of Willie Wastle and Tam O'Shanter, with interpretation of Willie Wastle into English by his wife Daphne Walls.

The evening's auction raised a staggering £2354 for Haiti. Successful bids included £500 for a signed tennis racquet from Andy Murray and £275 for an Edinburgh Gunners rugby shirt and £180 for a bag full of Tunnocks Caramel Wafers and Teacakes with a bottle of Irn Bru. The Royal Mail's sponsorship was £4,000.

Picture caption - Struan with the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra at this year's European Parliament Burns Supper.

I was in Strasbourg last week to vote for the appointment of the new European Commission.

For many, the European Commission may seem distant and perhaps irrelevant but almost 70 per cent of our laws and almost half of our business regulations come from Europe. There are rules and regulations covering many aspects of our daily lives, from the working time directive to electronic sheep tagging and the Common Fisheries Policy.

In recent years the European Commission has implemented more and more red tape. But if the European Commission is to help Scottish businesses and industries claw their way back out of the economic recession they will have to cut bureaucracy and red tape and remove some of the obstacles which make us uncompetitive.

As a Scottish MEP I would urge the newly elected Commission to start again and strive to cut red tape to enable businesses across the Eurozone to create new jobs and prosperity.

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The announcement that the Scottish Government has approved the highly controversial power line from Beauly to Denny was extremely disappointing.

While I understand the need for upgrading the line to help with the transmission of renewable energy I am frustrated that after so many years of planning and debate, approval was given for overhead power lines and mega-giant pylons.

The 137 mile power line from Denny which will run through the heart of Perthshire and the Cairngorms National Park to Beauly will see 600 giant pylons standing 217 feet tall, destroying our country’s most beautiful landscapes.

The project was opposed by over 18,000 people who wrote letters of objection. It is unbelievable that their protests were simply brushed aside by the SNP government.

What many of us would have preferred was for approximately 25% of the proposed route to be underground across the areas of highest landscape value and away from people’s homes. 

While I support renewable energy and fully endorse the need to meet ambitious carbon reduction targets, it is also vital that when considering substantial energy projects that careful consideration is given to Scotland’s priceless landscape.

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