Jim Murphy

French Presidency Preparations

With just a week to go until the French Presidency of the EU kicks off (and the Slovenians get a well deserved summer break) I'm off to Paris this afternoon to see French Europe Minister Jean Pierre Jouyet. We've spoken by phone over the last couple of weeks, as I have to a number of my European counterparts following the Irish No vote, but it's good to see him face to face, and reinforce the UK's support for the French government's work on climate change, migration policy and European defence.
 
I left for Paris straight after Oral Questions from MPs to Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers in the House of Commons earlier today. After a debate on the European Council last week, and the PM's statement on it yesterday, it was good to focus on some questions about what the UK and EU are doing to actually help people - tackling human trafficking for example. See what was said in Oral Questions, and other debates in the House of Commons.

Posted at 18:43 24 June 2008 by Jim Murphy  |  Comments[3]

Visit by President Christofias of Cyprus

President Dimitris Christofias and Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou of Cyprus were in London recently for their first official visit to the UK since President Christofias’ election in February. Given the sun that was beaming down on London during their visit, clearly the Cypriots brought some of their eastern-Mediterranean weather with them. 
 
I must admit to being very impressed by President Christofias’ commitment to a settlement and the leadership he has shown since his election earlier this year. This commitment was apparent throughout the visit.  Both in the meetings with the Prime Minister, and with the Foreign Secretary and I, we made it clear to President Christofias and Markos Kyprianou that the UK is ready and willing to support the settlement process as best possible, and is fully committed to the establishment of an indivisible Cyprus.  The Prime Minister also stressed that the UK wants to work with all parties, to help ensure progress towards a Cyprus settlement that all parties are happy with. 
 
The UK and Cypriot populations could not be closer –every year, more than 8,000 Cypriot students come to study in the UK, and Cyprus is the tourist destination of choice for more than one million Brits.  But politically, given our many shared objectives, there are also plenty of areas of potential cooperation between the UK and Cyprus, both in the EU and bilaterally, including subjects like water management, road safety, education and tourism.  Both the Foreign Secretary and I made clear throughout our meeting that we are looking forward to a strong partnership with Cyprus, based on friendship and cooperation.
 
I am very much looking forward to visiting Cyprus in the near future, and meeting, amongst others, the President and Foreign Minister again. My visit will be an opportunity to listen and learn, and explore how best the UK can support the settlement process.  Interesting times to come!

Posted at 10:36 11 June 2008 by Jim Murphy  |  Comments[1]

UK - France Summit

On Thursday I met my friend Jean-Pierre Jouyet, the French Minister for Europe, as part of the UK-France Summit at the Emirates stadium. The fact that there were another dozen British and French Ministers working together on issues from the environment to criminal justice [PDF] shows just how close the relationship is. The fact is that so much of what matters to people in UK matters just as much to people in France too. We can't hope to tackle issues climate change and other challenges without working with other countries. You can read the Joint UK-France Summit Declaration here.

Jean-Pierre and I discussed a range of issues. One thing I am really looking forward to is making sure that the opportunities for EU schemes such as those which involve access to education in other countries are accessible to all -not just a few.

After the meeting Jean-Pierre and I had a chance to meet Arsene Wenger on the pitch. He told me to get the ligament I damaged playing in football in Bosnia seen to! Thanks to Arsenalpics for sending me the photo.

Posted at 12:05 31 March 2008 by Jim Murphy  |  Comments[2]