Sharon leads the way in Europe on fighting financial pollution

11.35.59am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 20th May 2008

Sharon is one of the EU Parliament's leading MEPs on finance

The South East's Lib Dem MEP Sharon Bowles is leading the fight on financial pollution in Europe.

Sharon says, "Just like with the environment, financial pollution does not stop at borders, so we in the UK cannot act alone."

Sharon is one of the European Parliament's leading MEPs on finance and works hard to ensure a fair balance between consumer protection and avoiding excessive regulation. She was at the centre of Parliament's investigation into the demise of Equitable Life, identifying the UK's flawed process of implementing EU law as the root cause of the mess.

Meanwhile she is leading the European Liberal group on modernising EU insurance rules, so insurance companies match their capital to a better analysis of their risk. "The heart of this is keeping insurance affordable and policyholders safe", says Sharon.

And Sharon is working hard on legislation that stipulates how much money a bank must hold to balance its risks. Sharon says, "So far the EU has been at the forefront of international negotiations following the credit crunch - after all, it was a US problem that spread to us."