ONE of the SNP’s three MEPs yesterday celebrated a European double when she was appointed to two parliamentary committees.
As well as taking her place as a full member on the European Parliament’s prestigious Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI), Dr Aileen McLeod also joined the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO).
As Scotland’s former Environment and Climate Change Minister, McLeod believes she is ideally placed to work with fellow MEPs from across the continent to secure ambitious, European-wide climate change targets with co-ordinated action by the EU to meet them.
ENVI is the biggest committee in the European Parliament for the first time with 76 members, which indicates that climate is an absolute priority in this new mandate.
McLeod said: “Tackling the climate emergency will be the biggest issue for the new European Parliament. During the recent European election campaign, the SNP made a commitment to pushing for an EU-wide Green New Deal in response to the climate emergency we face and to pressing the EU to do more to protect our planet and our environment. I look forward to taking forward that agenda.
“Only by working together with our European friends to tackle our common challenges can we hope to have any success. Leaving the EU threatens that collaboration and I will do everything I can to stop Brexit.”
AFCO, the other committee on which McLeod will serve, has played a crucial role in the Brexit negotiations, gathering evidence on the options available for the future EU-UK relationship. It is the lead committee for giving the Parliament’s consent to the Withdrawal Agreement.
McLeod said: “AFCO has been conducting serious research and has consistently put citizens’ rights at the heart of the Brexit issue. AFCO is a great opportunity to get Scotland’s voice recognised on the European and global stage. I can think of no better way to prepare the European Parliament, and the EU, for an independent Scotland taking our rightful place as a full member of the EU.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here