Thank you very much for inviting me to speak to you today.
I was first elected to the European Parliament in 1999 to represent the whole of Wales. I wasn`t on my own - there were five of us then, we are down to four MEPs now. But the size of the constituency presents a challenge, not least in making direct contact with constituents. One of the most frequent questions I´m asked is ‘which part of Wales do you represent?’ The answer, of course, is "here".
I represent Welshpool, I represent Montgomeryshire. I represent Powys. But I represent every part of Wales. It`s a tremendous honour to be able to speak on behalf of Wales in the European Parlia nent. But I can only do that if I have enough contact with people across Wales so I know I am giving them a voice in Brussels and Strasbourg.
I’ll come back to this later, but I’d like to tell you something first about my background.
One of the other questions I`m asked most is how and why I became an MEP.
I was born in Ystrad Rhondda in 1959 and I still live there, in the same street where I was born. I grew up in a Rhondda still dominated by coalmining, although it was in decline. It was, and still is, a very close knit community where everyone knows each other although that too, some say, is declining. Although a valley that produced enormous wealth in the past , it suffers from severe poverty today.
It`s clear from the research we`ve done on family history, that until my grandmother was a child, the family were Welsh speaking. Her parents did not pass on the language so I was raised in a non Welsh speaking family, although I later learned Welsh at school and college.
I went to university in Aberystwyth where I first joined Plaid Cymru. It wasn`t my first interest in politics, although my involvement up until then had been with Oxfam, Shelter and saving the whales - the fishy types - with Greenpeace. I once wrote to Jim`ll Fix It asking to go out on the Rainbow Warrior. Thank goodness I wasn`t successful - I think I would have been terrified!
Aberystwyth in the late seventies was an exciting place to be. There was a huge campaign to stop the government burying nuclear waste in Powys, the Welsh Language Society were very active campaigning for a Welsh television channel and we were all beginning to take an interest in acid rain and the greenhouse effect - before we ever called it climate change. One of the reason I joined Plaid was that it took a very strong stand on these issues and others very close to my heart.
After graduating I returned to the Rhondda and had various jobs - as a research assistant, helping out with a theatre company, work as a carer for social services....and I waas a borough and cou nty councillor. In 1989 I got what I call my first proper job - as Admin. and Public Affairs Officer for the National Federation of Women's Institutes in Wales. I actually was a European candidate for South East Wales at the time so when I went for the interview my mind was certainly elsewhere, but to my delight I was offered the job. As a young woman interested in current affairs, I was of interest to the WI. And I soon found out why! I don`t have to tell you that the WI is the most political, non-political movement, the most impressive and effective campaigning and lobbying organisation, as well as being educational and social. I learned many skills during my seven years working for the WI that have been of great use tpo me in my worl as an MEP. I worked with Rhiannon Bevan, who some of you will remember well, and with Lisa, who is still in the Wales Office.
After ‘the WI years’ I took up a post as Wales Regional Organiser for CHILD now called Infertility UK until elected as numbert one on Plaid`s list for the European elections in 1999.
When I wrote to you about speaking to your branch, I told you that in 2010 I became the first ever woman president of Plaid Cymru the Party of Wales.
Another Wales-wide post! And a significant milestone for equality within my party, which is also well represented by women in our National Assembly as well as currently having a female Chair and Chief Executive * can`t comment on the election of the new leader but who knows!
So you know a bit of my background and how I got to the European Parliament. What do I do there?
I’d like to explain a little about our structure in the parliament. As I mentioned, we’re part of the European Free Alliance, which includes our sister party in Scotland, the SNP, and since 1999, we’ve been part of the larger Green / European Free Alliance (EFA) Group - the fourth largest group in the parliament.
You have to be part of a larger group to get committee positions, which enable you to contribute significantly in areas of interest, but it’s also been a very good arrangement in practice, which is why it’s lasted all that time.
One of my former colleagues in the group is Caroline Lucas, who became MP for Brighton at the Westminster election in 2010. Of course, she wasn’t quite the first Green MP – Cynog Dafis won Ceredigion on a joint Plaid / Green ticket in 1992!
At present I’m President of EFA, and first Vice-President of the Greens/EFA Group in the EP, which means that Wales has an even greater input and influence in matters coming before the parliament.
As far as committees are concerned, I’m a member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the Delegation for relations with Iraq, and also deputise on the Agriculture Committee.
My work has taken me to Palestine on a number of occasions, and at present I deputise on the Delegation for Relations with the Palestine Legislative Council. I would be happy to tell you more about the time I have spent there when we get to questions later on, as well.
Although my working life is spent mainly in Brussels and Wales, there are times when I travel outside the EU as part of a delegation to destinations such as Palestine, as I’ve mentioned. Over the years I’ve also been to Iraq, Lebanon and XYZ, but the Syrians wouldn’t let me in!
This is no doubt what some people think is the glamour of international travel! In fact, travelling is without doubt the least attractive part of the job, especially when travelling to the office (Brussels) can take eight? hours.
And of course there’s Strasbourg every three weeks or so. This is part of the system which I – and my party - have opposed consistently: the madness of packing everything into large trucks and relocating to the parliament building in Strasbourg, when we could and should be doing everything perfectly well in Brussels.
But of course, some of you will already be familiar with Strasbourg because, in September 2010, I welcomed a WI group from Montgomeryshire to the parliament there.
I always welcome the opportunity to show groups from Wales exactly what I do in the European Parliament and to get their views on all the issues that affect them and their communities. It helps to create a better understanding of the role Wales can play within Europe and how we can benefit from working more closely together.
Hosting groups from Wales is one of the pleasures of representing Wales in the parliament, and it gives me an opportunity to explain some of the work done there.
We have also had a number of young people from Wales gaining experience by working as stagieres in Brussels and in Strasbourg, some for a week, some for several months. This has included people from Powys, and one of my staff members at the moment is someone who originally spent time in my office gaining experience.
When the Montgomeryshire group visited we were able to talk about the influence of the movement. I’ve worked closely with the WI for stronger laws on chemicals and more recently for better food labelling.
WI members were vocal in pressing for improved labelling of the country of origin of meat, poultry, dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables and it’s an issue on which we've had some success. It was adopted by the European Parliament in June 2010.
In July this year, I hosted a meeting in Strasbourg for the Women's Institute to present their campaign for mandatory country of origin labelling to fellow MEPs. The debate was held in advance of a further vote on food labelling.
Despite the UK government insisting that a voluntary scheme is sufficient, recent research by WI members had revealed that products without appropriate labelling can be found in most supermarkets.
I fully support the WI's efforts in campaigning for the EU to make the place where food comes from obligatory on the labelling. Their research has shown that this is what consumers want - indeed 98% of WI members support this.
In Wales, our meat is a high quality product that we are proud of and we want it to be identified as such, especially when it may be in competition with a lower priced meat from a country without such high standards. This is the sort of law the EU should be adopting- one that protects both the producers and the consumers.
Whilst some people might view this aspect of parliamentary work as mundane, I feel it is highly important, because it is dealing with concerns raised by many, many constituents.
For that reason, the campaign does not stop here. I will continue working with the WI as well as consumer groups and farming unions in Wales to ensure that we get the best labelling possible for our consumers.
I gave my support also to the WI campaign with Oxfam Cymru "Mums Matter", which calls for more action to improve maternal healthcare in developing countries.
I mentioned earlier about the question often put to me about which part of Wales I represent.
One great advantage of having a Wales-wide constituency is that for issues like the one I’ve just mentioned – food labelling – I can put forward an argument for Wales as a whole.
Yes, I represent Welshpool, I represent Montgomeryshire, but it’s also very good to be there putting forward the concerns of people throughout Wales, and working for the benefit of Wales as a whole.
This has been particularly important on issues such as the campaign against the use of GMOs. When these crops were scheduled for trials in Wales, two sites were chosen in opposite corners of Wales, one in Pembrokeshire and one in Flintshire.
The campaign was Wales-wide but the Pembrokeshire trail was soon abandoned, leaving only the one at Sealand, right on the border near Chester.
All attention was then concentrated on the remaining crop trial and we were able to set up a day of events in the area, doing things like holding a public meeting in Connah’s Quay Civic Hall to discuss the issue.
George Monbiot was one of the people taking part in the meeting and also the subsequent march. I suspect that some of the people driving into Chester that day for shopping were given a strong reminder that Wales had strong opinions on GMOs!
I’ve tried to give you a picture of some of our work in the European Parliament and in the constituency. Of course there are many, many topics which I haven’t mentioned such as people trafficking, the fight for official recognition for the Welsh language and many environmental issues.
Please ask me questions about any aspect of my work, whether that be about the minutiae of committee work or the broader topics. And of course, if there are issues you want to draw to my attention, please do that.
Being selected as the lead Plaid Cymru candidate and then being elected to parliament in 1999 rank as two of the great occasions in my life. Since then I like to think I’ve done my best for Wales and I will continue to do that to the best of my ability, for Welshpool, for Montgomeryshire – for all the people of Wales.
Diolch yn fawr. Thank you.
Jill Evans ASE/MEP
