Malcolm Harbour

Malcolm Harbour, MEP

Malcolm Harbour (born 19 February 1947, Woking, Surrey) has been a British MEP for West Midlands from Conservative and Unionist Party since 1999.

He studied Engineering and Management, and worked in the fields of design, development, product planning, sales and marketing.

Affiliations

• Chairman, Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection
• Member, Conference of Committee Chairs
• Member, Delegation for relations with Afghanistan
• Substitute, Committee on Legal Affairs
• Substitute, Delegation for relations with Japan

Former Affiliations

• Coordinator member, Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection
• Member, Delegation for relations with Japan
• Substitute, Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

Record and Controversies

Declaration of Financial Interests

• Nothing to declare.
• Additional transparency declaration on my expenses will be added later.

Former Declaration of Financial Interests

• In accordance with UK Parliamentary practice, as set out in the Code of Conduct for MPs (HC351), a list of gifts, benefits and hospitality for the period 1st January to 31st December 2008, each with a financial value above 1% of my annual parliamentary salary, have been declared.
• In accordance with UK Parliamentary practice, as set out in the Code of Conduct for MPs (HC351, I have also declared 2 overseas visits where travel and accommodation costs were met by a sponsoring organisation. In accordance with UK Parliamentary practice, this supplementary declaration does not include visits that were funded by my normal Parliamentary allowances. In 2008, in my role as Vice President of the Parliament's Science and Technology Assessment Panel (STOA), I attended the European Science Open Forum in Barcelona and the Global Science and Society Forum in Kyoto, Japan. In my role as EPP-ED Co-ordinator on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, I visited China and Slovenia.

Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality received in 2008:

• 6th July - Wimbledon Men's Championship Final - my wife and I were guest of Inchcape plc.
• 7th September - Belgian Grand Prix - my wife and I were guests of Toyota Motor Europe.

Overseas Visits:

• 22nd to 23rd July - European Internet Foundation Study Tour to Sophia Antipolis and Paris. EIF paid for 3 nights hotel accommodation for my wife and myself and my flight from Nice to Paris.
• 23rd to 25th October - European Telecom Network Operators Annual Conference and Chief Executives Forum in Venice, where I was a speaker. ETNO paid for two nights hotel accommodation and travel from Strasbourg to Venice. My wife joined me for one night.
• In addition to these specific activities, Birmingham Airport provides me with a pass to access their staff car parking facilities.

Information on my Staff and Support Services:

• Information on my Staff and Support Services are shown in a separate "Right to Know" Declaration that appears on the Conservative MEPs web site.

Background of Conflicts

Before becoming an MEP, Harbour had a long career in the motor industry, starting as an Austin Engineering Apprentice in 1967, co-founding a consulting and research company, Harbour Wade Brown in 1989, and the International Car Distribution Programme (ICDP) in the early nineties.

On Harbour’s website it says: “His companies have carried out business research and consultancy for all the major European, US and Japanese car makers, governments, dealers and suppliers. In a 1997 survey by a leading car magazine, he was listed among the 200 most influential people in the world car industry.” After becoming an MEP in 1999, he remained an advisor to ICDP and was a Director until 2005. Corporate members of ICDP include the European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association (ACEA) – the main car lobby organisation in Brussels – as well as some of the most active car companies involved in lobbying the EU on policy such as BMW; Daimler, Fiat, Ford, Renault and VW.

Harbour has been one of the key MEPs in recent years to have helped frame the debate on fuel efficiency and climate change in favour of the motor industry. Pressure has been growing on car manufacturers to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from cars to mitigate climate change. The industry’s response since 1991 has been to advocate an alternative ‘integrated approach’ to emissions reductions, which critics say is an attempt to shift the responsibility away from the industry and onto others, such as drivers, town planners and governments.

Register of Interests

• Founder Partner (1989-1999), Harbour Wade Brown International, Warwick - Automotive Research & Consulting Company
• Founder and director (1993- ), International Car Distribution Programme Ltd, Solihull - Car Distribution Company
• Project director (1998-1999), Three Day Car Programme, Solihull, Bath, Cardiff - Program examining the total automotive supply chain

Conflicts of Interest

Harbour has advocated the industry’s preferred ‘integrated approach’ through two organisations: the ‘high level stakeholder group’ CARS 21 (Competitive Automotive Regulatory System for the 21st Century), and the Forum for the Automobile and Society, a joint Parliamentary / industry organisation of which Harbour is a founder and co-Chairman.

CARS 21 was set up in 2005 by EU Enterprise and Industry Commissioner Gunter Verheugen, and the then President of the car industry’s main lobby group in Brussels, the ACEA, Bernd Pischetsrieder, “to boost the competitiveness of the European car industry”.

In December 2004, internal Commission documents show that Pischetrieder wrote to Commissioner Verheugen that an “integrated approach [to CO2 emissions reduction] would substantially increase the cost-efficiency and the effectiveness of measures by distributing the burden more evenly.”

CARS 21 subsequently proposed an integrated approach to CO2 reduction in its final report in 2006. The report has since been used by the automotive industry and its supporters as a quasi-official reference point in the debate on fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions from cars. This is interesting given that CARS 21 was set up to look at competitiveness. For example, Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne, then chair of ACEA, said in 2007: “It is essential that the recommendations of the high-level group CARS 21… are respected,” and “To approach CO2 emissions reduction just with automobiles is against the spirit of CARS 21.”

Harbour also argues that CARS 21 “will provide the context for subsequent detailed legislation”. In September 2007, he produced an Opinion Report for the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, which called on the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the recommendations of CARS 21, including an “integrated legislative approach”.

The joint Parliamentary / industry group, the Forum for the Automobile and Society, of which Harbour is co-Chairman, has also been a strong advocate of the ‘integrated approach’ to CO2 reductions in cars, and has promoted positions identical to the car lobby. In November 2007, the Forum organised one of many seminars on the integrated approach. It was co-chaired by Harbour. At the meeting, the Director General in Europe of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Hiroki Oti, urged all the stakeholders at the meeting to come forward to “advance” the integrated approach concept.

Harbour denies that the Forum for the Automobile and Society is a lobbying group. He also says: “CARS 21 was not an industry-led body at all.” He adds: “The European Parliament is a different animal to many other parliaments in that we are dealing with highly technical issues and all I plead guilty to is that I do know something about the industry.”

Harbour in the Car Club

Malcolm Harbour is a leading pro-car voice in the European Parliament. However, he has denied being a “lobbyist for the car industry”, arguing: “I do not support the industry stance automatically.” Through his interest and involvement in the automotive industry, Harbour has been loaned numerous cars and accepted free trips from car companies.

In 2004, Harbour and his wife were guests of Jaguar at the British Grand Prix. He was also loaned a Jaguar S-Type for “appraisal” for a week. In the same year, Harbour also accepted on loan a Rover, two Ford Focuses, a Peugeot 406, a BMW, a Land-Rover Discovery and a Toyota Prius. He attended the British Grand Prix in 2005 as a guest of Michelin, and the Belgian Grand Prix with Toyota. He also enjoyed cross-country driving instruction courtesy of Land Rover, and a visit to a car design centre followed by a trip to the Frankfurt Motor show, courtesy of General Motors.

In 2006, Harbour drove a loaned Range Rover, a Toyota, two Alpha Romeo’s and a Ford. Harbour and his wife were also guests of Toyota at the British Grand Prix. In 2007, Ford, Fiat and Honda all loaned him cars and he enjoyed the British and Belgian Grand Prix courtesy of Toyota, and the Lichfield Festival, concert and dinner courtesy of BMW. In January 2008, at the same time as he handed back the keys of a loaned Land Rover Freelander, Harbour was quoted as saying he was working on a compromise solution on CO2 that “does not damage the auto industry”.

Harbour argues that he drives cars “because I need to know what is going on. I do it deliberately. I declare it because I feel I have nothing to hide. I am not even required to declare it under the rules, but I believe it is appropriate to do so.”

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 against the directive on "waste electrical and electronic equipment" (A5-0100/2002). The amendment sets higher reuse and recycling rates for IT and telecommunication equipment. Rejected due to lack of absolute majority.
• 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.
• Voted against the amendment on Bulgaria’s progress towards accession (A5-0105/2004). The report objects to extending the life of the nuclear power stations in Bulgaria.

Personal Information

Curriculum Vitae

• Bedford School (1960-1964).
• BA (Mechanical Sciences), Trinity College, Cambridge (1964-1967).
• Diploma in Management Studies, University of Aston, Birmingham (1967-1970).
• Engineering apprentice, BMC, Longbridge (1967-1969).
• Held posts in design, development and product planning from 1969 to 1980.
• In Austin Rover (1980 -1989) held director-level posts in planning, sales and marketing.
• Founder partner, Harbour Wade Brown, motor industry consultancy (1989-1999).
• Founder and director, International Car Distribution Programme Ltd (1993- ).
• Project director, Three Day Car Programme (1998-1999).
• Member of the European Parliament (since 1999).
• Vice-Chairman of the STOA Panel (2002-2004).
• Member, Conservative Delegation Bureau (1999-2002).
• Chairman and Deputy Chairman, European Parliament Ceramics Industry Forum.
• European Parliament delegate to the World Summit on the Information Society.
• Co-ordinator for the EPP-ED Group on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee.
• Co-Chairman, European Forum for the Automobile and Society (1999-2004).
• Governor, European Internet Foundation (2003-2004).

Contact

Address:

Parlement européen

Bât. Willy Brandt

06M099

60, rue Wiertz / Wiertzstraat 60

B-1047 Bruxelles/Brussel

Phone:

+32 (0)2 28 45132

Fax:

+32 (0)2 28 49132

Email:

malcolm.harbour AT europarl.europa.eu

Website:

http://www.torymeps.com

This article is part of the MEPedia project of Spinwatch.

Resources

• Competitive Automotive Regulatory System for the 21st Century (CARS 21), "EU car industry: Commission announces initiatives to boost competitiveness," 13 January 2005, accessed 10 November 2008.
• Competitive Automotive Regulatory System for the 21st century (CARS 21), Final Report, 2006, accessed 10 November 2008.
• European Parliament, Declaration of Members' Financial Interests: Malcolm Harbour, 07 January 2009, accessed 10 February 2009.
• European Parliament, Declaration of Members' Financial Interests: Malcolm Harbour, 23 June 2009, accessed 05 November 2009.
• European Parliament, MEP Directory: Malcolm Harbour, accessed 10 November 2008.
• European Parliament, MEP Directory: Malcolm Harbour, accessed 10 February 2009.
• Forum for the Automobile and Society, About the Forum, accessed 10 November 2008.
• Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 10 February 2009.
• Rowell, Andy, "Too Close for Comfort?" Spinwatch, July 2008.
• Tory MEPs, West Midlands Conservative MEP Team: Malcolm Harbour, accessed 10 November 2008.