BFWG MEMBERS VISIT BRUSSELS – WWG Members' AccountsA fascinating three-night visit to Brussels from 7th- 10th February was arranged by CER, Sheila Youngs, and President Marianne Haslegrave for a group of about 34 BFWG Members to visit the European Parliament to attend a seminar on the theme of Women Entrepreneurs and the EU, chaired by the London MEP, Marina Yannakoudakis. (Other MEPs were invited to attend and a few did so, but it was a very busy day for many, as HRH Prince Charles was visiting Brussels that same day.) Also included that same day was a tour of the Parliament building and a chance to meet with our own MEPs. The previous day we visited the British Council Office and the bilateral British Embassy in Brussels. We also managed a little sightseeing (the Magritte museum) and enjoyed some jolly good meals.
(Rory Haigh)
OFFICE of THE BRITISH COUNCIL in BRUSSELSWe were warmly welcomed by Jonathan Brennan, Communications Manager, and his staff. He explained that there were British Council Offices in 109 countries throughout the world and described the BC as a ‘non-political quango’. It is independent of the British Government but guided by British Foreign Policy. The income is derived from government funding and fees for teaching and examining English.
The purpose of the organisation is to break down barriers and establish trust between the UK and other countries world-wide. This is done by providing English classes, organising cultural visits, promoting the arts, sport and education – particularly science and technology. At the moment climate change is very much on the agenda.
There is a young leaders’ programme for those with aptitude for, and aspiring to, leadership roles in society in all countries. These could become ‘Global Change Makers’. The British Council already has 700 and it is looking for 10,000.
The Council arranges visits for MEPs to countries outside the EU. Work is also being done with Burma and Afghanistan and the countries behind the former Iron Curtain.
The subject of Women’s Rights is on-going, particularly in North Africa and the Middle East. Exchanges are arranged with female parliamentarians looking for career avenues, and gender stereotypes are avoided where possible. The Council works with local civil societies while respecting their customs; e.g. the English classes in Saudi Arabia are separate for males and females.
In answer to a question we were told that although most of the work is done with young people, developing the next generation of leaders, the accumulated wisdom of the older generation is referred to and respected.
In response to another question it was explained that the Council works with other organisations in Europe (Alliance Français, Goethe Institute, Italian, Polish and Czech societies) forming clusters which work on their own local projects – there are 60 clusters in operation. For example, Generation ‘89 (the post-Berlin-Wall generation) sent a declaration to the European Parliament for preventing a future ‘wall’ in Europe.
Sharing the floor in a building housing the British Council is The Mayor of London’s European Office. It has a small staff whose brief is to promote London’s interests in Europe. This is to make sure that London gets its fair share of development funding. It is particularly important with the approaching Olympic Games in 2012. It also wants to share policies: regional; judicial and home affairs; counter terrorism and police co-operation; immigration and asylum; economic development, including the development of employment skills; and, of course, climate change, energy and the environment.
It was a most interesting and information-packed morning.
(Sue Ouvry)
After a good lunch accompanied by exotic fruit juices in an African restaurant nearby, our friendly coach took us to the British Embassy, which is a fairly new fortress building near the Commission.
VISIT TO THE BRITISH EMBASSYWe were welcomed by Tim Foley in a main council room on the first floor. Mr Foley is a charming man and an excellent speaker, as you would expect from a Foreign Office man working at the UK mission to the EU. His particular job is to give information to the public, working with the TV and press worldwide and with the EU media, the second largest press corps in the world (that of the USA is the biggest). He was standing in for Helen Bower, First Secretary (press and information), who was away on sick leave.
Tim Foley explained that this British Embassy (there are three embassies in Brussels) is a mini-Whitehall and is bilateral, dealing with Belgium only. After outlining the structures of the EU, he said that the EU was “a victim of its own success” and since it is taken for granted now, it seems “unremarkable” and almost inevitably has an “element of corruption”. He stressed that there are great benefits of EU membership and the Foreign Office tries to make people appreciate these: the ability to work abroad in the EU without permits; health cards for travelling and the cross-border health service; cheaper phone calls abroad; and lower car prices.
“This place is still finding its way” he said, and “learning what it should and shouldn’t do”. There are undoubtedly problems and we (the UK) are not necessarily the odd ones out. Sadly we don’t hear via the press what other countries are doing about contentious laws and issues; e.g. votes for prisoners. We have a big say in the EU; we are in the top three for wealth and thus power, and other countries do listen to us. We also have 2.5 million British people living elsewhere in the EU. Immigration into the EU needs to be “managed right”. The UK is one of the more open countries in the UK and should protect itself against “welfare tourism”, but Tim Foley believes, despite the problems, membership of the EU is beneficial to the UK on the whole.
Answering a question on the Parliament’s periodic moving to Strasburg, it was apparent that this is a very sore point with all EU countries except France! He said “It is a total duplication of Parliament but it’s laid down in the original Treaty agreement which demands 12 sessions there per year.” (The whole lock stock and barrel is moved there every month except August, but twice in September!) It causes increased carbon emissions, security problems, great extra cost and inconvenience for all - except the French. Tim said that for the EU, “It’s almost an own goal – indefensible!”
Tim Foley said that the nature of media reports is to emphasise negative aspects and so coverage of what the Parliament does will inevitably be based on local conflict with EU Directives. That said, the British press coverage was more negative than that of France or Germany.
Generally speaking, EU negotiators speak with a single voice at the UN; there are 500 million people in the EU and when the EU speaks on trade, others listen. Within the EU, when some countries don’t agree with what is proposed, e.g. when, say, Poland and Malta disagree with the majority view on reproductive health, then the whole thing breaks down. The Lisbon Treaty is a streamlining attempt and it is the only real option; as the EU increases, countries like the UK will have to lose some of their vetoes.
Asked what effect the change of government had made, he believed that on the whole there had been little difference; the UK had already taken a hard line on borders and the currency position was already established.
He believes in the principle of subsidiarity –that we should have EU law only for something we cannot do at home. Although the UK joined 16 years after the Treaty of Rome was signed in 1957, we have shaped a great deal of the EU. However, we have no say in the euro discussions, of course, and if we ever consider joining, we shall have to accept the entry level as it is – or not join.
The CAP involves €40 billion of the EU’s total budget of €120 billion! The pound sterling has fallen but we still have huge vested interests in France. The British want more reform of subsidies and changes in the way Europe farms: there should be less emphasis on American-style farmlands, but the dairy side is quite encouraging.
Climate change is a priority for the British Government and we are arguing to aim for a 30% decrease by 2020 in carbon emissions rather than the current aim of a 20% decrease from 1990 levels.
In summing up his role as the Man from the Foreign Office, Tim Foley said it was essentially intelligence gathering: knowing the right levers to push and the right person to approach. As far as we were concerned, he certainly was the right man in the right place at the right time.
(Rory Haigh)
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTOn Wednesday morning we arrived at the Parliament building, which is a huge glass ‘palace’. After security procedures we ascended to the first floor and made our way to a small room where we were addressed by Ryan from Malta. He explained the structure of the government of Europe:
The European Commission which consists of 27 commissioners – one from each member country. This is the executive which proposes and implements the laws. There are 35,000 people working with the commissioners – each specialists in their field e.g. health, defence, agriculture etc.
The European Parliament which has 736 members and is ‘the citizens’ voice.’ The members sit according to their political group. It debates and votes on the proposed legislation and works closely with –
The Council of Ministers which has 27 ministers who rotate according to the matter under discussion.
The Parliament can suggest legislation, but has to work through the Commission. It has 14 Vice-Presidents, each with a specific area of responsibility. They, together with the chairs of the political groups, organise and schedule the work of Parliament.
According to the original Treaty, Strasburg is the Official seat and therefore the Parliament is obliged to sit there for 12 sessions a year. So - every month except August (there are 2 sessions in September) everything is packed into boxes and transported to Strasburg. This is not popular with the MEPs and it is also very expensive and not very ‘green’. Although there have been suggestions that it should be stopped, because it was written into the original treaty, every country has to agree the change, and the French will never agree.
Following this introduction we were introduced to the three London Conservative MEPs.
Marina Yannakoudakis (our sponsor) told us that she was on the committees for Women’s Rights and Gender Equality and also Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.
She is also a member of the delegation which works with other countries in Europe who are not part of the EU: Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo.
Every Friday she meets her constituents and discusses their difficulties which may lead to her writing a question to the Commission. Sometimes these questions lead to proposals for new legislation.
Charles Tannock was formerly a consultant psychiatrist who decided on a change of career. He sits on the Foreign Affairs and Human rights committee and the Security and Defence Committee.
He has been a member of many Election observation missions and the delegation to America ensuring that America works with the EU. He also belongs to several ‘Friendship’ groups – India, NATO and Ukraine
Syed Kamall, who lives in Kingston and was lecturer in several business schools, is a member of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee and the Financial, Economic and Social Committee. He has been very involved in discussing the ideas for regulating the Financial industry. He is worried that too many restrictions will damage Europe’s financial sector and push it towards the Far East. He belongs to the Northern Europe delegation and the Maghreb countries’ delegation.
After the three MEPs had departed, we were then conducted to the Council Chamber and sat in the balcony where we had an excellent view of the segmented arrangement of the parties and the row of booths for the translators. Although most people speak or understand English there are 14 official languages and these are translated in sequence. This tends to slow the pace of discussion and quick witty comments or jokes are not advisable as they usually fall flat.
Lunch was very welcome at this point!
(Sue Ouvry)
It was a working lunch and, between bites of assorted bread rolls and glasses of wine (or soft drinks), several members were able to meet their local MEPs informally. Sue and I had a long chat with the Green MEP for SE England, Keith Taylor. There is a photograph of him with Sue and me taken in the glass corridor, five stories high, which connects two of the major buildings of the Parliament. Naturally the environment is one of his major portfolios and he offered to come to speak to us in Winchester.
We had expected to meet Nigel Farage (Ukip) and hoped to meet Daniel Hannan (Con), but as the room for our lunch and seminar was changed a few days before, and these two men did not respond until 24 hours before the date of the seminar, and did not pick up later messages, unfortunately, it seems that Mr Hannan went to the wrong room and probably so did Mr Farage! However, Mr Hannan has agreed to talk to us in Winchester in coming months.
After the seminar, three of us from WWG then met informally with two of our MEPs who had not been free earlier in the day. Sue, Georgette and I spent about an hour with firstly James Elles (Con) and then Catherine Harder (Lib Dem). Catherine Harder’s special interests are women’s affairs and the environment, and she too offered to come to Winchester to see us all - so there’s the beginning of our own little local seminar emerging here, I think.
(Rory Haigh) SEMINAR: WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS and the EUThe subject will be covered elsewhere in BFWG News but I should say that we were all impressed by the speakers, the lecture theatre and the publicity for the seminar. It was good to have some young women who work at the Parliament present, as well as some MEPs; Keith Taylor stayed for almost the entire meeting as did a male MEP from Bulgaria.
Marianne Haslegrave, in introducing the panel of speakers, declared that developing entrepreneurship is a key message for the future and “the role that women play in this is an even greater message.” Following on, another major point to emerge during the presentations was the need to set up a European fund to support women entrepreneurs.
The chair and our sponsor, Marina Yannakoudakis first introduced Deborah Lang, the top women entrepreneur of 2010; Deborah, an English graduate, is the CEO of Forensic Pathways, an international science company dealing with data storage and encryption. She said that the London School of Economics had forecast that there would be an explosion of women entrepreneurs in the next few years, but she doubted that the systems supporting new entrepreneurs are fit for purpose and whether there are proper support mechanisms. The key is mentoring new entrepreneurs, she believes.
What a woman embarking on this course of action must realise is that it is not a simple lifestyle choice. A woman wishing to become an entrepreneur must be passionate but pragmatism is also needed. Ordinary things done consistently lead to extraordinary results! This is what is needed:
1. Self-belief. She must get rid of control negativity and believe that anything is possible.
2a. Financial intelligence. Always ask “What’s the bottom line?” She must take a calculated risk and put her case correctly to her bank. There are always some upsets but “Things don’t go wrong – they go differently!” should be the attitude to take.
2b. A financial framework is essential to enable the follow-though of the business plan.
3. Mentoring: Mentors involved with business (some own their own) help both in a general way and with business exams. Mentors sometimes offer apprenticeships too. They can help with forming the structure of the company: start ? growth ? exit (with profits).
4. New internet and social media techniques are also needed. The use of Twitter etc, a webpage, Link-In, must be used and the new company should be international from the start. A language problem is “not a “barrier” but a “challenge”; there is a mindset issue to deal with here.
Deborah concluded by denying the myth that women are not interested in making money. Women like doing “good business”: it’s the way you do business, not just what you do. A business must be professionally sustainable, international, and be involved with training, linking with professional associations. Her association is the British Association of Women Entrepreneurs; I wish we had her in ours too!
Sally Goodsell, the CEO of Finance South East followed and gave us some interesting statistics:
• 49% of the world’s wealth is in the hands of women;
• 56 % the world’s wealth will be in the hands of women by 2020;
• 96% of male-owned companies are backed by venture capitalists.
• £10,000,000 was invested in 150 new businesses across the UK last year.
Very few female-owned businesses had approached her company for venture capital last year, so, Finance South East became more proactive, and Funding Enterprising Women was set up as a female version of Dragon’s Den. Many women do not realise the potential of their business, so her company got women together to compare their problems and helped them set up business plans. The business plan is a personal road map, not a rigid vision. By the end of last year, the number of business they backed had trebled.
The key to the challenges (not difficulties!) facing women in business are education and awareness, Sally believes. She concluded with the plea for a European fund to support women entrepreneurs in order to give every woman an equal chance across Europe.
The final speaker, Emma Holland had just six months ago set up a company called You Bake A Cake and she has now two shops in London, but is setting up a franchise system which may go international. She gave us her personal story of how this came about. She argued that banks should lend on the basis of the person and her business plan, not on a rigid blanket basis set in stone. Emma certainly projects enthusiasm and professionalism and it was thought that she and Sally would get together after the seminar to their mutual benefit. Emma is now in her forties and it became apparent that many people felt that the forties-to-sixties group of women were going to be an economic powerhouse in future.
In the discussion that followed Deborah expressed the belief that business studies should start at junior school and also international studies should be taught earlier but you cannot “teach” entrepreneurship.
On protection of intellectual property, Deborah said that there is no need to patent a new idea in every case as it’s very expensive. It can be better to market it well rather than patent the idea sometimes. As for financial backing, Sarah said that women-owned businesses are a better bet for banks as they can be strong performers and less likely to fail.
Is there a good time to start a business? Not really, came the response, but a woman has to prioritise what she wants in terms of family and business - and what she is prepared to give up for the business.
Summing up Marianne commented on the discrimination latent in other countries and the Commission on the Status of Women’s “decent work” concept. It’s “better to get people working than to give aid,” as was said earlier in the day. Women must turn their own way of thinking into ideas for prospective products.
The seminar ended at 3pm and we found that the remains of lunch had been brought into the room for us. Some members and some of the MEP’s assistants were glad of a spare bread roll, but it was sad to see several bottles of wine left opened but corked up. Marianne encouraged us to take what we liked, and I must say the bottle of Côte du Rhone I nursed all the way back to Winchester was delicious!
(Rory Haigh)
I stayed Brussels in 1958 for the 'Expo 58' but have only made cursory visits since then, so the EU visit, although limited in time, was a wonderful opportunity to revisit such an architecturally interesting city, with its not-to-be missed emblem of Brussels, The Atomium, designed by André Waterkeyn. This symbol of an iron crystal structure remains the unavoidable - in the best sense of the word - icon of Brussels and Belgium, making the city such an important place for international visitors, and is the most popular tourist attraction of Europe's capital.
Hopefully the next stay in Brussels will not be so brief and time will allow a return visit to this fantastic achievement as well as a thorough revisit of all the city's wonderful architectural treasures.
The Belgian architect Victor Horta (1861-1947) studied in Paris and influenced the style of several buildings in Brussels with his Art Nouveau style. Interestingly, Horta and Ensor (the father and the son) all studied music before moving into their eventual fields of creativity, as did the Moravian-born Alphonse Mucha, whose birth was only a few months before Horta's, and who also studied in Paris where he too became known internationally for his Art Nouveau works.
In 1932 King Albert 1 of Belgium conferred on Horta the title of Baron for his services to architecture. Four of the buildings he designed have each been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. His main works include Hotel Tassel, the House and Studio Victor Horta, Hotel van Eetvelde, Hotel Solvay and Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, as well as the project Brussels-Central railway station.
Several of the group including myself thoroughly enjoyed a visit to the magnificent Cathedrale des Saints Michel et Gudule, which is to be found at the Treurenberg hill on the edge between the lower and upper part of the town. Its history harks back to the beginning of the 11th century. Various kings and emperors bestowed the richly decorated stained glass windows, including Charles V and Philippe 11 of Spain. The arresting, almost macabre, heavy dark carved wood Baroque pulpit was made in 1699 and shows Adam and Eve being cast out of hell - quite an experience, which left some of us feeling in dire need of refreshment; so we made our way down to the historic and rather surreal La Roue d'Or brasserie in the Grand’ Place to indulge in its many specialities, especially its tasty beers and coffees, where the sun (yes, sun, as we were blessed with good weather) was just setting, making the rooftops and some facades twinkle and sparkle as it settled down for the approaching night.
Even here in this Belgian café/pub we were confronted by, and could almost feel, a sense of being haunted by strange, slightly grotesque, puppet-like figures hanging down from the ceiling. I decided it was perhaps easier on the eye to keep my gaze lowered and looking into our drinking vessels and to join in with the convivial spirit of my companions, who were obviously enjoying their chosen beverages! However, I encountered a horse on my way up the ancient original staircase to where the facilities were, off the balcony. The horse, (of course!) was not real - rather it was a stuffed effigy of a prized equine beast of bygone times, but with the gentlest of eyes.
Brussels is also awash with a wide range of wonderful exhibitions from 'Sculpture Lapidaire, Instruments de Précision, Arts du Metal' to the permanent house of the Belgian 'Magritte', but with the brevity of hours to explore, Geraldine and I opted for 'Ensor Demasqué’. It’s certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but in addition to his famous (some might say infamous) 'Masques' works, there was for me one gem of a painting and that alone was worth the visit - 'La Mangeuse d'Huîtres' of 1882.
I found this to be an exquisite, gleaming and gently colourful work of oil on canvas, depicting a serene and harmonious scene - perhaps conceived in one of the most balanced moments in Ensor's strange approach to life. Immersing oneself in its warm ambience, one could feel not only the contentment and stability emanating from the lady so enjoying her oysters, but that the very bottles, glistening glasses, plates and fruit could actually be lifted from the subtly tinted drapes of the tablecloth astride the large, solid round table. This Belgian, James Ensor, born 150 years ago, was the son of an Englishman and was not only a student of the arts, but also a writer and composer; his works from the latter two aspects of his creativity are to be found in the neighbouring museum bookshop.
Like the rest of our most affable group, I thoroughly enjoyed the meal at Restaurant Vincent where my starter of the Belgian speciality, les croquettes et les tomates aux crevettes grises (small shrimps) was a portion large and tasty enough to fill (fool) me into thinking I had already had an 'elegant sufficiency'! I was amused at learning that although Belgians are coffee drinkers (people after my own heart), they love their beer. A Belgian drinks 100 litres a year - how the male contingent of my family would enjoy living in this country together with its wonderfully varied cuisine!
A few moments from many marvellous memories of our EU visit to Brussels where the pride of the past year of presidency was still palpable adding to the amazingly enjoyable and informative quality of the visit.
(Georgette Miller) |
