Find out how Fiona spends her week

Monday

This is the last Strasbourg week of 2005 and with no heating in my train compartment I was glad when the 5 hour journey was over. As always we have our ALDE group and UK Lib Dem meetings to discuss this the week's plenary agenda. At around 8.30pm I took part in the final plenary debate on the Energy Efficiency directive (http://www.fionahall.org.uk/news/19/index.phtml) . Afterwards I met up with the Commissioner and the MEPs from the other political groups to celebrate the fact that we had managed to work together and came to a second reading agreement with the Council.

Tuesday

A typical Strasbourg day. Although my diary at first looked fairly empty it filled up with new meetings throughout the day. I had long discussions with the other political groups to find a compromise text on a resolution on Ethiopia and the border conflict with Eritrea. The UK permanent representation (like a UK embassy to the EU) provided 'end of the UK presidency' mince pies, which were a welcome boost to the sugar levels before the ALDE group meeting which lasts until 9pm.

Wednesday

I attended a debate in which the Council and Commission made statements in preparation for the European Council (where all the heads of government, including Tony Blair meet). It looks like they have a long way to go to come to an agreement on the budget. This afternoon I took part in the Council question time (a bit like departmental question times in the House of Commons) and asked if they could really give the public sector an exemplary role in energy efficiency (as voted on yesterday in the Energy End-use Efficiency directive (http://www.fionahall.org.uk/news/22/index.phtml) . Bringing together two of my favourite campaigning issues, I suggested that the Council look at ending the treaty requirement for the European Parliament to meet in Strasbourg, given that the European institutions should be playing an exemplary public sector role in energy efficiency.

Thursday

Today started with a meeting with the first secretary of the Ethiopian Mission to the EU to discuss the Urgency resolution to be debated in the afternoon. We had an early and long voting session because we had to vote on next year's budget and wait for it to be signed by the Parliament, Council and Commission. After the Ethiopian debate (http://www.fionahall.org.uk/articlesandspeeches/14/index.phtml), it was back to Brussels: a long and sombre journey because of two tragedies en route - the death of a passenger on the train and a suicide on the tracks.