Jonathan has represented Wales in the European Parliament as an MEP since 1999, which means he is a strong voice for Wales and the Conservative Party in Europe.

Many of the decisions that the European Parliament takes have a direct impact on the daily lives of Welsh citizens, taxpayers, businesses, farmers and fishermen.

Jonathan works to make Europe a better place to do business, with less red tape and more opportunities for Welsh firms to grow and create jobs.

He meets with his constituents, Welsh business, local authorities, voluntary groups, party activists and many other Welsh citizens. He has actively worked to support the farming community in Wales, and works closely with the National Farmers Union (NFU) and the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW).

Jonathan holds regular meetings with his colleagues in the National Assembly for Wales, Westminster and local Welsh councils.

If you would like to contact Jonathan to discuss issues in your area, you can find his contact details here.

Because of his legal expertise, Jonathan sits on several of the European Parliament's committees and delegations. The most important of these are the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (EMAC), the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue (TLD) – of which he is Co-Chairman – and the delegation for relations with the US Congress.

Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (EMAC)

The financial services industry, pensions, the European central bank, competition policy, and most contentiously, the single currency, or Euro, are all dealt with by this committee.

Jonathan wrote a report on ways to reform and reorganise the Structural Funds Programme, one of the biggest expenditures of the EU, and particularly important to Wales, which has qualified for some £1.2 billion of this aid under Objective 1.

He wrote a report into the European Commission’s plans to reform competition policy. This is an area that Jonathan has been particularly involved with, as a former UK Competitions Minister at the DTI.

Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue (TLD)

As Co-Chairman of the TLD, Jonathan is charged with fostering stronger parliamentary links between the EU and the United States.

The United States – European Union relationship is a pivotal one. Together the EU and the US account for about 40% of world trade and investment and the total annual bilateral trade and investment is valued at $1.4 trillion or 1.3 trillion €. The US was amongst the first to recognise the European Economic Community, as the EU was known then, in 1961.

Bilateral relations transcend economic boundaries by far and their development is crucial to facing the challenges of the 21st century at a global level. The origins of interparliamentary relations between the European Parliament and the United States Congress date back to 1972 when a US Congress delegation for the first time visited the European Parliament in Brussels and Luxembourg.

The TLD aims to strengthen the level of political discussion between European and American legislators and includes bi-annual meetings of the European Parliament and the US Congress delegations and a series of teleconferences on topics of mutual concern.