CHAIRMAN OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT'S INTERNAL MARKET COMMITTEE DIES.

• Position: Brief Article

A vacancy for a top European Parliament post has appeared following the sudden death on December 31 of Philip Whitehead MEP who was Chairman of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee. The position is likely to go to one of the eighteen British Labour party MEPs as all the key jobs in the EP were carved up between the political groups at the start of the legislature in 2004. Arlene McCarthy is an obvious candidate as she is the only other UK Socialist deputy who is a full member of the committee, although Gary Titley and Stephen Hughes are both substitutes. Ms McCarthy was rapporteur on the controversial Software Patents draft Directive and...