Our party conference showed us stronger and more purposeful than we have been for many years - despite the challenges of an EU referendum ahead. Your Conservative MEPs have won a number of significant gains for Britain in pursuit of our reform programme. And - I never tire of saying this - you in the West Midlands helped deliver our first Conservative majority government since 1997. Congratulations!
In my own field of employment, for which I hold the Conservative portfolio in the European Parliament, the past month alone has seen two landmark successes. We launched a well-received report as part of our campaign on "reshoring" - bringing back jobs which gone abroad. And we scored a striking win on the issue of British jobs for British workers.
In 2016 we are sure to see ever-greater focus on the Prime Minister's renegotiation stratagem as it progresses. The going will not be easy, despite some people's claims, and his requirements are significant.
My fellow MEPs and I will be working with him to get the best deal for the UK in the EU, before a referendum takes place by the end of 2017.
The decision could not be more important for the UK and for the West Midlands with its strong manufacturing base.
I want to make sure everyone in the debate - and the public at large - are as well-informed as possible when they cast their vote.
That is why I am planning a public questions-and-answers evening in Herefordshire in the New Year, and if it is a success I will repeat the exercise across the region. My aim will not be to push either an "in" or an "out" agenda, but to answer people's queries as honestly and dispassionately as possible in good faith as their MEP. Keep an eye on the local press and on our website www.antheamcintyre.com for details.
Interinstitutional Agreement
It may sound rather dry - in fact sometimes it is - but the so-called Interinstitutional Agreement (IIA) currently under negotiation is vitally important as it touches on the terms of the UK's future EU membership.
I am closely involved in these protracted talks between the EU's Parliament, Commission and Council. Sometimes they resemble an arm-wrestling contest and sometimes a game of three-dimensional chess.
Essentially we are deciding which institution plays what role in the legislative process. But more fundamentally, this is a good opportunity to advance our reform agenda of cutting red tape and minimising the administrative burden on business.
As Chairman of our group's Better Regulation Working Group, I have been working with like-minded colleagues from other political groupings to ensure these principles are included. Specifically, we have called for the new agreement to include a target to cut EU red-tape on business, an annual review of administrative burdens and independent assessments on proposed laws.
Launch of re-shoring report
Last month we launched the European Conservatives and Reformists Group's publication on Re-Shoring. If you have not heard of re-shoring yet, this is the encouraging trend of off-shored jobs returning to the EU. Our report described the phenomenon and outlined some of the reasons it is happening.
It included the deliberations of a high-profile ECR round-table discussion earlier in the year and a subsequent hearing in the Employment Committee in September, which featured a string of key speakers and was outlined in the October issue.
Autumn University
The ECR Group held its first Autumn University in London between 17th and 20th November. A series of plenary sessions and smaller policy workshops heard from ECR MEPs, Conservative MPs and Government Ministers, including our own Home Secretary and the Finnish Foreign Minister.
The event brought together academics, business leaders, policy experts, Conservative candidates and members of the Conservative Policy Forum at the invitation of ECR Leader Syed Kamall MEP.
I chaired the session on re-shoring, which involved a constructive discussion on how better and less regulation can encourage jobs which have once been moved abroad to be brought back home.