Europe EU to spend €2.3 million on MTV campaign According to Agence Europe, EU Communications Commissioner, Margot Wallström, yesterday announced the launch of a campaign, targeting the 18-24 year old age group, to encourage participation in June's European elections. Reportedly, the campaign will be carried out by the MTV music channel and financed with a budget of up to €2.3 million. On 30 April at 3.30pm the campaign will gather young people from European cities to cry out "Europe, can you hear me?" Artists backing the campaign include Depeche Mode and the Italian singer Tiziano Ferro. Open Europe blog De Morgen Euronews Slovakian criminal allowed into UK to commit murder under terms of EU Free Movement Directive Scottish daily The Herald reports that Slovakian Marek Harcar, sentenced to life in prison for murder today, had 13 criminal convictions but was allowed to enter the UK because he did not pose a significant threat to public security. The paper notes that Article 27 of the EU Free Movement Directive states that "previous criminal convictions shall not in themselves constitute grounds [to restrict entry]" and the UK law which implements the directive backs up this approach. Open Europe's Pieter Cleppe is quoted saying: "Freedom of movement is something we should all cherish but that shouldn't mean giving countries a hard time to ban access for convicted criminals. European laws are not clear, as they say that convicted criminals have to present a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat' in order to be refused access. This leaves room for European judges to transfer power away from the UK so that these issues are decided at EU level. This is dangerous because there are no sufficient guarantees." A 2006 briefing by Open Europe warned the Directive would lead to less control over crime, borders and social security. Construction industry awaits outcome of EU negotiations on working time Construction News reports on the ongoing negotiations in Brussels on the UK's opt-out from the EU's 48-hour week, noting that a decision could be reached at the end of the month. Open Europe's Lorraine Mullally is quoted saying: "It's really hard to call. On the one hand, the Council has the upper hand as the Parliament wants a deal rather than for the talks to fail. But on the other hand, some members will be willing to trade-off the opt-out in order to sort out issues with on-call time." Construction News Time's Up! The case against the EU's 48 hour working week Commission draws up plans to regulate hedge funds European Voice reports that the EU Commission is to put forward proposals on regulating hedge funds and directors' pay on 29 April. A draft of the proposal reportedly foresees that managers of alternative investment funds, which include hedge funds, private equity funds, real estate funds and commodity funds, should be set a minimum capital requirement of €125,000, plus 0.02% of the amount by which their portfolios exceed €250 million. Those with fewer than €250m of assets under management would be left entirely outside the scope of the legislation. Those managing more than €250m in assets would be placed under a legally binding "authorisation and supervisory regime", including requirements to implement solid risk management systems, and to take "all reasonable steps" to avoid conflicts of interest. The proposal foresees the creation of an internal market for fund-managers, in which registration in one member state would entitle them to operate throughout the EU. Commission advises employees on how get around Freedom of Information EUobserver reports that new rules on public access to EU documents have prompted the European Commission's DG Trade to circulate a memo warning officials to be careful about what they write in emails and advising them on how to narrowly interpret requests for information. The memo, circulated to employees of DG Trade, said "Each official must be aware that all his/her documents, including meeting reports and e-mails can potentially be disclosed. You should keep this in mind when writing such documents...Don't refer to the great lunch you have had with an industry representative privately or add a PS asking if he/she would like to meet for a drink." As a way of avoiding officials having to blank out parts of documents they release to the public, the transparency guide suggests writing two accounts of meetings, a "factual" or neutral one that can be released to the public and a more "personal/subjective" one with assessments and recommendations for follow up that need not be disclosed. Charlemagne: A Czech technocratic government will leave EU presidency "politically dead"; Mardell: EU President would reach "lowest common denominator" The Economist's Charlemagne column argues for an end to the rotating EU Presidency, so that "small, incompetent countries like the Czech Republic no longer take turns to speak for Europe." It also argues that "If a technocratic government takes office, it will leave the presidency politically dead, even if Czechs physically keep chairing meetings. In the depths of a world crisis, the other 26 governments will not allow appointed bureaucrats to set the agenda." Mark Mardell's BBC blog reports on a conversation with a senior American official about the possibility of a permanent European President, envisaged in the Lisbon Treaty. Mardell writes, "He wasn't convinced, pointing to the compromises the person would have to make to get the job, and would have to honour every time they opened their mouth. Lowest common denominator again." Economist: Charlemagne BBC: Mardell blog Irish Europe Minister Dick Roche denies saying he wants Ireland "isolated" After this week's announcement of Ireland's draft budget, on her Reuters blog Margaret Doyle notes that Ireland's Finance Minister Brian Lenihan "signalled that the Irish people would be much more likely to accept the Lisbon treaty now that its 'false sense of invincibility' had been shattered." She writes "Ireland is likely to huddle even closer to the European Union, and especially to Germany, the EU paymasters." In the Irish Times, Stephen Collins writes that the Irish public's reaction to the budget will be articulated in June's local and European Parliament elections. Meanwhile, the Irish Times reports that Libertas founder Declan Ganley has said that he will step down from leading the organisation if he fails to win a seat in the European Parliament in the June elections. At a debate with Irish Labour leader Pat Rabbitte, Mr Ganley said that Czech Deputy PM Alexander Vondra had told him that Irish Europe Minister Dick Roche and civil servants had said: "We want to be isolated. We want Ireland isolated. We want everybody else to have ratified [the Lisbon Treaty]." The paper reports that Mr Roche has rejected the claim. Irish Independent FT FT: Leader Irish Times Irish Times: Collins Reuters: Doyle Irish Times 2 Die Welt: "MEPs should show some solidarity" Welt leader Welt 1 Welt 2 Handelsblatt Morgenpost FTD Zeit Presse Kurier RP Main Post Commission produces draft plans to alter CFP fishing quota allocations European Voice reports that a draft green paper from the EU Commission has outlined reforms to the Common Fisheries Policy, including proposals to end the annual meetings of national ministers that set fishing quotas and replacing them with expert committees or regional bodies. The Commission says that the current procedure "has resulted in a focus on short-term considerations at the expense of the long-term environmental, economic and social sustainability of European fisheries", but Gerbelto Ferrari, Director-General of Federcoopesca representing Italian fishermen, is quoted accusing the Commission of being "worried more about fish than fishermen". Waste project bailed out by taxpayer in order to avoid EU fines The FT reports that the UK's biggest waste project was finally signed off yesterday. However, the deal, which is critical to the Government avoiding EU fines for sending too much waste to landfill, was finally closed only after almost £350m of taxpayers' money was injected into the project. The Treasury's new Infrastructure Finance Unit put in £120m, with a further £180m or so coming from the taxpayer-financed European Investment Bank, and some £40m from the nine local authorities that make up the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority. Two out of three Swedes in the dark about European elections According to a study conducted by research company Synovate, only a third of the Swedes correctly answered identified when the next European elections were, with two thirds saying they either did not know, or opting for 2010 or beyond. The question was most poorly answered by those below the age of 30, and above 65. EU Commission to investigate Fortis bailout The EU Commission has announced that it is to open an investigation into last year's bailout of Fortis by the Dutch government, according to the WSJ. If the investigation determines that the transactions amounted to illegal aid, it could require the money to be paid back. Economist: Europe's new military aircraft hangs in the balance The Economist writes that talks are about to commence on the future of Europe's biggest defence-procurement programme, the Airbus A400M military transport aircraft, which is three years late and €2 billion over budget. It notes that if no agreement is reached, "It would be a humiliating admission of defeat both for Europe's defence industry and for the sponsoring governments, which would have to turn to America for a replacement aircraft." The article notes that "the Germans sound increasingly cool about the project. And the French and the British, who are desperate for additional heavy-lift capacity to support their operations in Afghanistan, are busy looking for ways to bridge the gap." Commission announces measures to tackle late payments, despite own record of late payments El País reports that Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen has declared that late payments by public authorities are 'intolerable' and result in viable small and medium sized companies filing for bankruptcy as well as tens of thousands of jobs being lost. However, PA reports that the announcement comes during an inquiry by the European Ombudsman into late payment claims against the Commission. El País Irish Independent EurActiv FT The Telegraph reports that a "simmering" trade conflict between Europe and China over steel tariffs is nearing boiling point, as Chinese companies step up capacity, despite a worldwide fall in demand. The article quotes a report from the European Parliament which accuses China of systematic distortion of its steel market, resulting in "irrational capacity extension". ECHR ruling prompts Government to give prisoners the vote The Mail reports that the Government is proposing that prison inmates serving up to four years in jail will be allowed to help elect MPs and councillors. The Government is implementing a verdict by the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled five years ago that it was unfair to stop convicts casting their vote. A leader in the Economist describes US President Barack Obama's statement that the EU should admit Turkey as a "tactical mistake", adding that, "Keeping it on the table is the job of political leaders in Brussels and Ankara, not Washington." In an interview with Toute L'Europe, Czech Regional Development Minister Cyril Svoboda declared that, although President Vaclav Klaus is against the Lisbon Treaty "if it is ratified he will probably sign it." Svoboda also said that "the situation in the Czech Republic today is completely irrational and this is also the reason why I am rather pessimistic about the Treaty". The Independent reports that Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin has accused the EU and Romania of backing a coup attempt, and has received support for the claim from Russia. Writing in the Times, Anatole Kaletsky argues that the question of whether the eurozone could cope if an emergency package of support was needed for a eurozone member, "is the big question for the world economy". Times: Kaletsky EU Referendum blog At least five big wind energy projects aimed at meeting UK and EU energy targets are in danger of being delayed or shelved owing to higher costs and a shortage of credit, the British Wind Energy Association said yesterday.Open Europe
There is further coverage in Germany of the new rules to come into force in June which will for the first time explicitly allow MEPs to claim expenses for business class plane fares, even on short-haul flights. The new rules are designed so that MEPs are reimbursed for the actual price they paid for a ticket, instead of receiving a lump sum equivalent to the maximum economy fare available, even if they travelled on a low-cost airline, as is currently the case. A leader in Die Welt argues that this new, open invitation to fly business class "is unacceptable, at a time when many Europeans are fearing for their jobs and are having to tighten their belts. Instead of showing off, MEPs would do better to show some solidarity."
Thursday, 9 April 2009
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