My work is really making a difference

OUR MAN Torr with Chris Davies in the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe’s meeting room

14 years in the job and loving it
CHRIS Davies has been an MEP for nearly 14 years - and he loves every minute of his job.

The former Littleborough and Saddleworth MP — he lost his seat to Phil Woolas in 1997 after two years at Westminster — believes implicitly in the European institution.

Having spent two days in and around his company in Strasbourg, at the seat of the European Parliament, he is clearly comfortable within the hothouse environment of Europolitics.

This is where he wants to be - where this consummate politician believes he can make a difference.

He argues with a passion that he is making a significant contribution and he will argue long and hard, and at length if necessary, to stand his corner in the increasingly diverse debate surrounding this country’s continuing involvement in an institution of which the United Kingdom has been an integral part since 1970.

We chatted in the press bar, the MEPs bar, the corridors, his office . . . just about everywhere. He is known and welcomed and is clearly part of the furniture.

And a respected part, too. He is one of the most frequent speakers in the sessions, offering Liberal views of a range of subjects, although he specialises in environmental issues and has been the ALDE Group — that’s the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe — lead in this area for several years.

He is a difficult to dislike and that’s a fact, whether or not you agree with his politics.

So what makes EuroChris tick, I asked?

His answer was surprising: “My two years in the House of Commons gave me experience of a place that works very differently from the European Parliament, but if I had a choice to return to Westminster politics or remain here I would definitely choose to stay where I am.

“The Commons is a great talking shop but in the European environment, ordinary MEPs- and I suppose that is the equivalent to backbencher at the House of Commons - have a realistic chance of shaping legislation. much more so that my opposite numbers at Westminster.”

He pointed out that, in the past few weeks, nearly £1 billion from a funding mechanism that he first proposed has been invested in new sustainable energy projects across Europe.

“Just at present I’m playing a significant role in bringing about radical reform to the Common Fisheries Policy. So I have a pretty strong sense of achievement.

“I think my work is making a difference for the better. I know it is.”

He believes this is possible because the European Parliament doesn’t operate on a ‘Them and Us’ basis.

“We are all members of political groups but most of us work across parties and across nationalities all the time, exploring the common ground between MEPs rather than simply exploiting the differences to score political points.

“Views cannot always be reconciled, of course, but at best the EU approach seems more grown up than all the shouting that goes on at Westminster.”

Davies believes he has been “lucky” to have worked primarily on environmental issues, saying: “The European Parliament has long held equal lawmaking powers with Ministers.

“ I’ve done my share of 3am negotiating sessions when MEPs do final battle with the representatives of national governments, each side arguing their case and eventually hammering out agreements.

“This really feels like politics in the raw.”

He has been around the Euroscene now for long enough to recognise that: “Whatever nation we come from, it’s very obvious that so many of the problems we face are common to us all and they need shared solutions if they are to be fixed.

“It’s a privilege to work alongside MEPs from 26 other nations and to learn from their different experiences. I’m also grateful that so many of our debates take place in English, without the need for formal interpretation.”

His defence of the Euro institution extends beyond political boundaries. “Can you imagine how many jobs would go, and how much investment would be lost, if Britain left the EU and set different standards to those of the rest of Europe?

“Why would a manufacturer want to build a car here in the UK that doesn’t meet the requirements of their major export market? And surely we want a place at the table when the standards are set?

“Does anyone really think that Britain alone would be stronger at negotiating trade deals with China than it would be as part of the EU team representing the largest trading bloc in the world? The Chinese could eat us up and spit us out!

“Paul Nuttall and his Ukip colleagues choose to have no involvement in the day-to-day work of the European Parliament. That’s his choice but I’d rather use my time to fix the problems we face.”