A record of delivery

What has Chris Davies MEPbeing doing foryou in Europe?

for North West EnglandLiberal Democrat achievements in the European Parliamentprotecting jobs, fighting crime and delivering for our environment

Delivering on the environment

Chris Davies is the leader of the Liberal Democrats in theEuropean Parliament on environmental issues.

Since he was first elected in 1999 Chris has developed atrack record of real achievement on the environment andwas awarded “MEP of the Year” in 2014.

Chris works to create green jobs and prevent climatechange. He believes the two must go hand-in-hand if we are to meet the global challengesfacing us.

Chris has the experience andknow-how when it comes todelivering real solutions.

He knows how to get support across parties andnationalities for effective and practical environmental lawsin the European Union.

One of Chris’s biggest achievements was ensuring that aportion of the money brought in from polluters wentdirectly to developing green technology.

The EU fund that resulted from this is now up and running.

More than €300 million can now be directed to Britain’sfirst carbon capture power station, storing carbon dioxidethat would normally be put into the air.

It isn’t perfect, but could be a vital technology that stopsus polluting our atmosphere and keep our lights on.

Chris’s priority is to work with both industry andenvironmentalists to reduce the harm that energyproduction can cause while meeting our growing demand.

His approach contrasts with those that oppose almostevery form of energy production, but also withthose that don’t care about theenvironment who tried to stopChris’s investment measures.

No hot air, just real solutions

The rising cost of running ourcars is a common problemacross Europe.

Chris’s work means that carmanufacturers will have to makenew cars sold in Europe more fuelefficient, and therefore cheaper to run.

Good news for the environment and our wallets.

So much of the energy thatpowers our lives comes fromfossil fuels like gas and coal.

But practical action is needednow to halt the global warmingthese fuels cause.

The EU fund Chris helped create takes money from pollutersand invests into green technology like clean coal.

Flooding in our region, such asin Carlisle and Cockermouth,brings home the real impact achanging climate can force ontoour everyday lives.

This is why Chris fights for EU action tolimit greenhouse gases. Only by working withother countries can we face up to global warming.

You can’t reform anything without getting stuck in. That’swhy Chris Davies plays an active part in the EuropeanParliament, representing constituents in the North West ofEngland.

What a contrast to those UKIP MEPs that don’t bother toturn up for important votes that affect Britain.

In 2011 Chris formed a cross-party campaign group inEurope to change the wasteful and

bureaucratic EU commonfisheries policy. ‘Fish for theFuture’ fought to stop ourseas being emptied of fish.

The policy used to mean fishermen were forced to throwperfectly edible dead fish back into the sea if they were notcommercially viable.

Channel 4’s Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall helped promotedthe issue here in the UK, while Chris fought on the politicalfront to get agreement across the EU.

Chris used his cross-party group to campaign for realreform. In the final vote, 502 MEPs took his side and maderadical changes that support sustainable fish stocksaround Europe and the future jobs of fishermen.

Chris is also a transparency campaigner and leaked detailsabout a confidential report into MEP expenses to Britishnewspapers back in 2008.

The publicity helped Chris successfully campaign to makeexpenses more transparent and expose those MEPs onthe fiddle.

He also helped bring about a £30billion cut in the EU budget toforce EU institutions tocontrol waste.

Delivering Real EU Reform

Fighting and winning

In 2008 Chris leaked aconfidential report on MEPexpenses to the press to

expose bad practice.

Since then he has fought to makeMEP expenses more transparent,

and has fought for justice for those Tory and UKIP MEPswho were rightly forced to pay money back.

North West mountain rescueteams sought Chris’s helpbecause they have to payVAT on their rescueequipment even though searescue teams do not.

Chris launched a petition to level theplaying field, which so far has more than 6,000 signatures.

Chris set up a cross-partycampaign group in Europe topush real reform of the EUfishing policy.

The changes now mean betterconservation of fish in our waters, and amore secure future for jobs tied to that industry, and an endto the disgraceful waste of dead fish thrown back to the sea.

Delivering on protecting jobs

Research has shown that 3 million British jobs are linked toBritain’s membership of the European Union.

The fact is that being able to buy and sell goods andservices on the EU single market has been enormouslybeneficial to our economy.

Recent business polling by YouGov suggestedthat as many as 50,000 businesses in the UKwould have to ‘close if Britain were to everleave the EU.’

While Labour stay silent on Europe, Chris takes the fight tothe reactionary forces of those Conservative and UKIP

politicians who would gamble withthese jobs, just as our economy

is improving.

The fact is that the net cost of being in the EU is about£139 per person per year.

But the benefits, according to the CBI, are worth £1,225per person per year.

EU membership helps our industries and protects jobs.

IN Europe, IN WorkChris helped protect jobs bystopping European recyclablepaper being lost to Asia.

“Chris Davies and the broadcoalition of MEPs he built havedone a good day's work to defendpaper recycling,” said Jori Ringman ofthe Confederation of European Paper Industries. “20,000 greenjobs in paper recycling jobs have been saved across the EU.”

What businesses say“the UK’s active membership of theEU is an essential factor in theautomotive industry’s current andfuture success.”

“we cannot afford to risk the disruptionthat leaving the EU would cause....

“the UK must stay in to help rebuildthe EU....The UK must not become aperipheral country on the edge ofEurope.”

“Departure would undermine jobs,dilute international relationships anddamage national wealth.”

It is really poppycock to believe thatthe City can survive in its present formif it is not an integral part of theEuropean financial servicesframework.

IN OUTor

INVerdict:

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A Manchester recyclingcompany is thriving thanksto EU environmental

legislation Chris helped topass.

Axion are already hitting the EUtarget of recycling or reusing 95% of our old cars andproducing material that can be used again and again.

Delivering for his constituents

Chris represents a regionstretching from the south ofCheshire to the Scottish border.

Here are just some of the issueshe has taken up as an MEP.

One resident contacted Chris for helpwith EU pet passport legislation.

EU law now means pets can accompany their ownersacross borders if they are microchipped to prove theyare rabies free.

Backing the Heysham link road &the jobs it will create in Morecambeand Lancaster.

Clitheroe

Making cars more fuel efficient forthe environment and our walletswith Manchester MP John Leech.

As a local resident, Chrisbegan his expenses reformcampaign in Oldham.

Championing hi-tecmanufacturers in Burnley with MPGordon Birtwistle.

Supporting a campaign fornoise screening in Carlisle

Celebrating the successful fishreform campaign with a classicchippy tea in Chester.

Debating the best way to meetour energy needs in Clitheroe.

Taking up concerns about saltlevels at Winsford’s salt mines.

NORTHTHE

WEST

Working with fish mongers inPenrith to reform the EU fishpolicy.

Joining Southport’s JohnPugh MP to stop Tories blockingEU anti-crime measures.

Launching a VAT reductioncampaign for mountainrescue teams in Cumbria

Collecting signatures on a rescuepetition in Kendal Tim FarronMP - 6,000 and counting.

Backing Stockport’s youthapprentice scheme creatinghundreds of new local jobs.

What others say about our Lib Dem MEPAs the owner of a small business, Iwant an MEP who is serious aboutprotecting jobs and not harmingour economic recovery. ChrisDavies and the Lib Dems will begetting my vote.

- John

Chris got the EU to use the moneymade from taxing pollution to bespent on green technology. Justlast month this fund spent £247million on a carbon storage projectin the North of England.

- Nazia

Next year I can do part of myuniversity course elsewhere in theEU with the Erasmus programme.Chris is right that leaving the EUwould mean thousands of youngpeople like me would lose thischance.

- Joi

Chris fights the corner ofbusinesses that create green jobslike mine. He gets results too, ourremanufacturing businesscompetes with big corporationsbecause Chris got the EU to makethe rules fairer.

- Laura

A record of delivery and a promise of more

Improving the European Parliament’slax MEP expenses regime. In his lastvote of the outgoing parliament, Chrisclaimed a victory after his call forgreater allowance transparency waspassed. This work must continue.

Chris wants to set up a cross-partygroup to link environmentalists withindustry in an ambitious new approachtowards improving the environment atthe same time as creating jobs.1

3Making sure that the reformssuccessfully achieved as part of the fishpolicy campaign come to fruition, andgetting the EU to take a lead on a globalapproach to sustainable fishing.2

If re-elected in the European electionon 22 May, Chris has outlined thethree key priorities that will underlinehis work in the next parliament.

Dear Resident

Thank you for your support this last five

years.

I hope you think the work we have done is

worthwhile and that you can support us

again in the European elections on 22 May.

Best regards,

Chris

Contacting Chris

7facebook.com/chris.davies.mep

* 87a Castle StreetStockportSK3 9AR

chris@chrisdaviesmep.org.uk

Contact Chris if you have anyquestions about his work in theEuropean Parliament.

Published and promoted by R Marbrow on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, all at 87a Castle Street, Stockport, SK3 9AR

@ChrisDaviesMEP: www.chrisdaviesmep.org.uk