 |
Sharon Bowles MEP |
Campaigns
In her time as a Member of the European Parliament, Sharon has run campaigns on a number of different issues.
Below you will find a short description of each campaign, and also a link to find more in-depth information, including how to get involved.
Sharon's most active campaigns are listed first, and older ones toward the end of the list.
Own Up, Pay Up! 
Multinational companies are using legal loopholes to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. Sharon has been campaigning for legislation to force companies to be honest about their overseas operations ever since she became Chair of the Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee. Read more
Fair Fishing
The Fair fishing campaign has been a constant theme for Sharon since she first became an MEP in 2005. She has highlighted the injustice in the treatment of smaller fishing fleets, the criminal levels of waste due to the Common Fisheries Policy of discards and most recently, the scandal of "Armchair Fishing" Read more or Download campaign pack
Justice for Equitable Life Pensioners
Equitable Life, the world's oldest mutual insurer, faced near-collapse in 2000 after making promises it could not afford to keep. As a result, policyholders were subjected to large cuts to the value of either their prospective or current pensions. According to the Equitable Members Action Group, 15 Equitable Life victims die each day in the UK, many in poverty. Sharon has been working to help these people get justice since before she became an MEP and the fight still continues today. Read more
Sat Fat awareness and labelling
Sharon is campaigning for the food industry to stop making readymeals for one person containing over 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowance of saturated fat. According to the Food Standards Agency the Recommended Daily Allowance of saturated is 30g for a man and 20g for a woman. The UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has said that thousands of lives could be saved if high levels of saturated fat in processed food are reduced. Read more
Save Ashford International Eurostar
In 2006, Eurostar announced that they were to end direct high speed services from Ashford to the continent. Sharon immediately launched a campaign to save the service, and together with local residents raised a petition of more than 15,000 signatures, which they presented to Downing Street. In the end, Eurostar relented, and kept a reduced service running from Ashford thanks to this campaign. Sharon still keeps a watchful eye on the problems Eurostar are experiencing, particularly with winter delays and closures of many hours. Read more
Save the Moon Bears
When Sharon first became an MEP in 2005, a charity called Animals Asia asked her to help them in highlighting the plight of Moon Bears. These bears are kept in cramped cages and tortured to produce bear bile, which is used in Chinese medicine. Sharon's awareness campaign was a huge success with people even leaving legacies in their wills to help free these beautiful creatures. Sadly the practice continues in Asia, and the campaign continues. Read more
One Seat for the European Parliament
The European Parliament is primarily based in Brussels, but has not always been, and still travels to Strasbourg in France 12 times a year. This is at huge cost to the taxpayer and is very disruptive to the everyday work of MEPs and their staff. Offices are packed up into large crates which are shipped up to Strasbourg and all the MEPs and staff go to stay in hotels for this one week. Sharon has worked with MEPs of all parties and the One Seat campaign to end this travelling circus and declare Brussels the permanent home of the Parliament. Read more