Hampshire Women's Institute Visits Brussels in Force

5.24.02pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 26th Jan 2005

Hampshire Women's Institute visited Brussels today with a large delegation to find out how the European Union and the European Parliament works.

WI County chairman Sue Atrill and WI Public affairs chairman Ann Mattingly led the 45-strong delegation from branches as far afield as Andover and Lee-on-Solent, Nether Wallop and Petersfield.

The WI delegation was met by Hampshire MEP Chris Huhne (pictured here in the European Parliament visitor centre with Ann Mattingly and Sue Atrill to his right and a picture of Winston Churchill in the background).

Mr Huhne organised their visit to the plenary session of the parliament to hear a report from the Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso about the Commission's work priorities for the coming year.

Mr Huhne also briefed the group on the work of an MEP both in handling constituents' concerns about EU legislation, and also in amending EU draft legislation proposed by the EU Commission.

Mr Huhne said that a visit to Brussels often put the EU institutions into a proper context. "Like most people, the delegation was surprised to discover that all the EU bodies - Commission, Parliament and Council of Ministers - employ fewer people than Hampshire County council and are responsible for just one fortieth of all public spending" said Mr Huhne.

"I suggested the visit when I spoke to the Hampshire WI last year ahead of the european elections as there is no substitute for finding out what Europe really does and does not do" said Mr Huhne.

"Quite rightly, the delegation was bubbling with pertinent questions and I think many were surprised by what they found here".

Mrs Mattingly thanked Mr Huhne for arranging the WI visit, and also for his very clear descriptions of how the EU system worked.