Struan Stevenson

Struan Stevenson, MEP

Struan Stevenson (born 04 April 1948, Ballantrae) is a British MEP from Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. Stevenson also co-chairs the Friends of a Free Iran Inter-group in the European Parliament, and has been active in events sponsored by the Iran Policy Committee -- the "group is dedicated to regime change in Iran".

This seasoned political campaigner is a former leader of Kyle and Carrick District Council and also headed the Tory group on the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

Stevenson has also served as his party's spokesman for environmental issues, transport, the media, arts, heritage, and tourism.

A former lobbyist, he was one of the directors of the Edinburgh-based PS Communications Ltd. He is also the director of a long established family farming and tourism business in Ayrshire.

Affiliations

• Member, Committee on Fisheries
• Member, Delegation to the EU-Chile Joint Parliamentary Committee
• Member, Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly
• Substitute, Committee on Employment and Social Affairs
• Substitute, Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development
• Substitute, Delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China
• European Parliament
• Friends of a Free Iran Inter-group
• Iran Policy Committee
• Indigo Strategic Communications

Record and Controversies

Declaration of Financial Interests

24 August 2008:

• I have received a gift of a wool tapestry fro the Kazakh Artist Eduard Kazarian.
• My service Provider is R.C. Wilson, CA, Pritchards, Ayr.

14 July 2008:

• In my capacity as President of the Parliamentary Intergroup on Sustainable Development I was provided with air travel to and from Reuniun Island between 9th and 13th July 2008, to address an international conference, under the auspices of the French Presidency, entitled "The EU and its Overseas Entities: Strategies to Counter Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss." My air tickets were paid for by IUCN - the International Union for Conservation of Nature - and their partner sponsors of the conference, including the French Presidency.
• While I was in Reunion Island, a car and driver was placed at my disposal courtesy of the Regional Council.

16 April 2008:

• I employ a firm of Chartered Accountants as my service provider and they provide me with the services of a full-time parliamentary assistant, two contracted researchers, a contracted Media/PR company to undertake my press output, the part-time services of office receptionists/telephonists, etc. at my Edinburgh office and the periodic employment of ad-hoc researchers, temporary holiday cover, interns, etc. as and when necessary.

12 March 2008:

• I attended as an invited guest the French Start Business Group Annual Dinner in Edinburgh on Thursday 28th February 2008.
• I spent from 5th to 7th March in Washington DC as a guest of the Women Freedom Forum, speaking at Congressional Briefings and conducting one-to-one meetings with Congressmen and Senators, discussing Iran. Return flights to Brussels, together with hotel accommodation, meals and transport within Washington DC were all provided.

27 November 2007:

• Paid functions or Activities: Fees & travel expenses for attending & speaking at occasional seminars, meetings & conferences.
• Further information: Occasional gifts, hospitality, travel & subsistence costs in connection with parliamentary visits.

Activities: events with the IPC

The Iran Policy Committee is lobbying to confront Iran and obtain "regime change". Part of its activities are coalition building, lobbying for the removal of an Iranian terrorist group from an official U.S. terror list (so that it can then be funded by the U.S.). On 28 July 2006, the IPC met together with European parliamentarians to discuss Iran, and in front of this gathering Stevenson stated:

"Iran is surely the most important issue facing the world today; the mullahs are playing a game with the West; and they are not serious about the nuclear negotiations." Instead of getting tough with Iran, "We've decided to hamstring the Iranian opposition. We've put the Mujahedeen-e Khalq and, here in the United States, even the National Council of Resistance of Iran, on the terror list without any justification."

Record of Parliamentary Votes

• Voted against the directive on "establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy" (A5-0027/2000). The directive covers all water management aspects in order to achieve a 'good status' of all waters by 2015.
• Voted in favour of the directive on "national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants" (A5-0063/2000). The amendment allows setting less ambitious national emission ceilings for sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ammonia (NH3) and volatile organic compounds (VOC), which would result in more damage to human health and the environment.
• Voted in favour of the Commission White Paper on "Strategy for a future Chemicals Policy" (A5-0356/2001). The amendment helps avoid the necessary precautionary approach towards some chemical substances that are not proven to be completely safe.
• Voted in favour of the report on "Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network" (A5-0135/2002). The Trans-European Network of Transport (TEN-T) is a network of so-called 'transport corridors' through Europe. This amendment calls for a full Strategic Environmental Assessment of these transport corridors and calls on the Commission to improve methods for analysing the environmental and economic impact of the TEN-T.
• Voted against the regulation concerning "traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and traceability of food and feed products produced from genetically modified organisms" (A5-0229/2002). The amendment allows customers the right to choose GM free food.
• Voted against the report towards a "thematic strategy on the sustainable use of pesticides" (A5-0061/2003). The amendment proposes to ban or severely restrict use of pesticides in areas around sources of drinking water and nature protected zones.
• Voted against the directive on "environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage" (A5-0145/2003). According to the amendment, polluters have to pay for environmental clean-up, and it supports an EU-wide regime which makes polluters liable for the damage they cause to wildlife, water and land.
• Voted against the directive on restructuring the "Community framework for the taxation of energy products and electricity" (A5-0302/2003). The amendment aims at giving tax benefits to environmentally friendly sources of energy, which would make them cheaper and more competitive to conventional (more polluting) sources of energy. It also gives tax benefits to environmentally friendly uses of energy for transport, for instance trains. Rejected due to lack of absolute majority.

Personal Information

Curriculum Vitae

• West of Scotland Agricultural College (1967-1972).
• Dip.Ag. Honorary Doctor of Science, State Medical Academy, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan (2000).
• Director, J. and R. Stevenson Ltd (farming and tourism business) (1968-2004).
• Director, Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh (1986-1990).
• Director, Saferworld (international foreign affairs and defence think-tank) (1992-1994).
• Director, PS Public Affairs Consultants, Edinburgh and Belfast (1993-1999).
• Chairman, Scottish Conservative Candidates Association (1992-1997).
• Chairman, Arts and Heritage Committee (1992-1997).
• Spokesman on the environment, transport, media and arts (1997-1998).
• Chairman of the Tuesday Club (1998).
• Member of the European Parliament (since 1999).
• Vice-Chairman, Sustainable Development Intergroup (1999-2004).
• Co-Chairman of EPIC (European Parliamentarians and Industrialists Council) (1999-2004).
• Chairman of the Committee on Fisheries (2002-2004).
• Board Member, Kangaroo Group (1999-2004).
• Led campaigns to raise awareness of plight of victims of Soviet nuclear testing programme in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan (1999-2004).
• Awarded Honorary Doctorate in Medicine - State Medical Academy Semipalatinsk (2000) and given Freedom of Semipalatinsk City in 2003, in recognition of this humanitarian work.
• Won $50,000 in The John Templeton Foundation International Essay Competition for writing an article on the Victims of Soviet Nuclear Tests (2004) and gave prize to 'Mercy Corps Scotland - Aid International' to provide aid to Semipalatinsk.
• Campaigned to ban the import of cat and dog fur products from China into the EU (since 1999).

Contact

Address:

Parlement européen

Bât. Altiero Spinelli

14E154

60, rue Wiertz / Wiertzstraat 60

B-1047 Bruxelles/Brussel

Phone:

+32 (0)2 28 45710

Email:

struanmep@aol.com

Website:

http://www.scottishtorymeps.org.uk

Resources

• European Parliament, Declaration of Members' Financial Interests: Struan Stevenson, 24 August 2008, accessed 08 February 2009.
• European Parliament, MEP Directory: Struan Stevenson, accessed 08 February 2009.
• Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 07 February 2009.
• Larkins, Sarah, "Maliki Urged to Resist Pressure From Iranian Mullahs," 26 July 2006, accessed 08 February 2009.
• Larkins, Sarah, "Maliki Urged to Resist Pressure From Iranian Mullahs," 27 July 2006, accessed 08 February 2009.
• Newswire, Unnamed article, 27 July 2006], cited in Noblesse Oblige, Iran Manufacturing IED’s used in Iraq; factories," 27 July 2006, accessed 08 February 2009.