Martin Callanan

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Martin Callanan, MEP

Martin Callanan (born 08 August 1961, Newcastle) is a Euro-sceptic Conservative politician. He was appointed Brexit minister in the Department for Exiting the European Union in October 2017. He was made a life peer in the House of Lords in September 2014.

Callanan was a Conservative and Unionist Party MEP for the North East from 1999 to 2014. During this time he was a member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly; a substitute member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, the Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, and the Delegation to the EU-Kazakhstan, EU-Kyrgyzstan and EU-Uzbekistan Parliamentary Cooperation Committees, and for relations with Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia. He is the leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group.

Callanan also led the fight for the car industry on environmental issues. Green MEP Rebecca Harms called Callanan “the most active Conservative” attempting to delay regulation on cars in 2007.

Affiliations

Former Affiliations (MEP)

• Member, Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
• Member, Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
• Substitute, Delegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
• In February 2016, Callanan was appointed as a member of the Trade Union Political Funds and Political Party Funding Select Committee.
• Substitute, Committee on Employment and Social Affairs
• Substitute, Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee
• Substitute, Delegation to the EU-Kazakhstan, EU-Kyrgyzstan and EU-Uzbekistan Parliamentary Cooperation Committees, and for relations with Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia

Record and Controversies

Declaration of Financial Interests

• Newcastle Airport car parking permit.

Former Declaration of Financial Interests

Paid Functions or Activities:

• EU Chief Election Observer, 2008 Cambodian Parliamentary elections, Re-imbursed by European Comission.

Financial Support Received in Connection with Political Activities:

In terms of material:

• Airport Car Parking Pass - granted by Newcastle Airport

Further Information:

• 1 adult return business flight to Claiformia, Conference Pass fees, accommodation, entertainment and dinners at ALEC Conference. Flight to Seattle to meet American business leaders (Microsoft, Starbucks, Boeing and the Gates' Foundation), accommodation and dinners. Allprovided by Alec, American Legislative Exchange Council, 1129 20th St. NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036.
• 1 ticket & hospitality at Newcastle United FC. Courtesy of Alcan.
• 2 tickets & hospitality for Northumberland Plate horseracing meeting. Courtesy of Northumbrian Water.
• Loan of Qtek 9100 PDA by Microsoft.
• 2 tickets & hospitality at Middlesbrough FC. Courtesy of the Premier League.
• Airport car parking passes at Newcastle & Durham Tees Valley airports.
• Discount on purchase of vehicle from Ford UK.

Background of Conflicts

Nowhere is Callanan’s influence more apparent than in amendments he tabled for the recent influential report by Chris Davies for the Environment Committee on a ‘Community Strategy to reduce CO2 emissions from passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles.’ Callanan tried to water down both the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) allowed from vehicles as well as the deadline for compliance by the car manufacturers.

In 1995 the European Commission originally proposed a CO2 emissions reduction target of 120g CO2/km (grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre) by 2005, which the car industry failed to meet. Chris Davies’ important draft report in June 2007 then argued for a target of 120g CO2/km by 2015 (for all new cars in the EU). Callanan’s amendment to the report however argued for a much weaker target of 130 g/km CO2/km by 2015. Davies and Callanan finally tabled a joint amendment proposing a still weak target of 125g CO2/km by 2015, which was the one adopted by the European Parliament. This was far less ambitious than the target proposed by the Environment Committee.

Register of Interests

• Known to have favoured the car industry in his parliamentary actions, financially benefited from a discounted car from Ford in 2006.

Conflicts of Interest

Callanan defends his position arguing that his Amendment “actually imposed a more stringent CO2 limit on manufacturers (125g instead of 130), but gave them a slightly longer time period in which to comply (2015 instead of 2012). However, this is contradicted by figures calculated by Green MEPs. Claude Turmes MEP said: “I think this is the right moment to inform the outside world about what this Callanan-Davies deal is…It is delaying action from 2012 to 2015.” Jos Dings from environmental NGO, Transport and Environment, says: “If Callanan is arguing that he has strengthened the CO2 law he is wrong, he has weakened it. The reduction path that the car industry has to follow is less under his proposal than under the Commission proposal.”

Since then Callanan has continued to put forward positions favorable to the car industry. A potential conflict of interest – one of many grey areas under current parliamentary rules – is that he financially benefited from a discounted car from Ford in 2006. Justifying the payment, the MEP says: “I declared the receipt two years ago in the register of Members interests, whose purpose is to put all such matters in the public domain, to avoid any accusation of a conflict of interest.”

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 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.

Date	Name of Document	MEPs Vote
13.03.2012	Should there be an obligatory quota of at least 40% (by 2020) of female representation in the management boards imposed on companies?	Against
16.02.2012	Should the European Parliament have a single seat (instead of two, Strasbourg and Brussels)?	For
15.02.2012	Should the Eurozone Member States pool their public debts by creating Eurobonds?	Against
15.12.2011	Should public access to EU documents be made easier?	For
14.12.2011	Should the EU have a stronger and united defence policy?	Against
17.11.2011	Should nuclear energy be phased out?	Against
25.10.2011	Should a global tax on carbon emissions be introduced?	Against
28.09.2011	Should the European Commission supervise the budgets and economic policies of the Member States and apply sanctions for non-compliance with EU-agreed rules on fiscal discipline?	Against
05.07.2011	Should the cultivation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the EU be made more restrictive?	Against
20.10.2010	Should the minimum length of the maternity leave on full pay be extended from 14 to 20 weeks?	Against
09.02.2010	Should the proposed Barosso II Commission be appointed for the 2009-2014 term?	Abstain

*Source: www.votewatch.eu

Personal Information

Curriculum Vitae

• B.Sc. (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) (1985).
• Project engineer, Scottish and Newcastle Breweries (1986-1998).
• Councillor, Tyne and Wear County Council (1983-1986).
• Councillor, Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council (1987-1996).
• Member of the European Parliament (since 1999).

Contact

Address:

Parlement européen

Bât. Willy Brandt

06M115

60, rue Wiertz / Wiertzstraat 60

B-1047 Bruxelles/Brussel

Phone:

+32 (0)2 28 45701

Fax:

+32 (0)2 28 49701

Email:

martin.callanan AT europarl.europa.eu

Website:

http://www.martincallanan.com

This article is part of the MEPedia project of Spinwatch.

Resources

• European Federation for Transport and Environment, "Reducing CO2 emissions from new cars: A Study of Major Car Manufacturers' Progress in 2006", November 2007, accessed 15 November 2008.
• European Parliament, Community Strategy to reduce CO2 emissions from passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles (debate), 22 October 2007, accessed 15 November 2008.
• European Parliament, Declaration of Members' Financial Interests: Martin Callanan, 18 January 2007, accessed 05 February 2009.
• European Parliament, Declaration of Members' Financial Interests: Martin Callanan, 21 January 2009.
• European Parliament, Declaration of Members' Financial Interests: Martin Callanan, 17 June 2009, accessed 03 November 2009.
• European Parliament, European Parliament resolution of 24 October 2007 on the Community Strategy to reduce CO 2 emissions from passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles (2007/2119(INI)), 24 October 2007, accessed 15 November 2008.
• European Parliament, MEP Directory: Martin Callanan, accessed 05 February 2009.
• European Parliament, MEP Directory: Martin Callanan, accessed 15 September 2010.
• Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
• Rowell, Andy, Too Close for Comfort? Spinwatch, July 2008.