Europe 'Phantom' MEPs to cash in £6m The Telegraph reports that, due to the fact that the Lisbon Treaty has not been ratified, 18 MEPs elected in June's European elections will receive normal MEPs' salaries despite the fact that they will not be able to take up full political office for at least two years. The article notes that amid confusion over when and how they will take up their seats, the European Parliament has decided to give the MEPs only "observer" status from next year. These 'observer members' will receive a normal MEPs' salary, and collectively account for a £6m bill, including their salary, assistant and office allowances, as well as tax-free allowances on a daily basis. The Irish rejection of the Lisbon Treaty means that after June's election 736 instead of 754 MEPs will take office. However, 18 further MEPs will be elected under the Lisbon rules, despite the fact that the Lisbon Treaty is yet to be ratified. Spain's Europe Minister Diego López Garrido has said that Spain will propose a protocol that would give the 'phantom' MEPs the right to take up full office with immediate effect should the Lisbon Treaty be ratified after a second referendum in Ireland. Labour MEP Richard Corbett defended the arrangement saying "this is straightforward and there is no need to make a fuss. They can do all the work of an MEP except taking part in votes. This is a way of making a smooth transition and has been done before." Camilla Cavendish: People wonder what they pay MPs for, when Westminster has given so much power to Europe In an article in the Times, Camilla Cavendish looks at the Westminster expenses scandal and writes, "It is the absence of power, it seems to me, that is an important part of public outrage. Westminster has given up so much power - to Europe, to quangos, to judges - that people wonder what they are paying for." She goes on to say, "When the annual EU membership fee is £6.5 billion, when EU directives have driven almost half of the regulations passed here since 1998, and when implementing those regulations has cost £106 billion (according to a recent study by Open Europe), it is not surprising that people ask what MPs are doing." Regarding the Lisbon Treaty, she writes, "The readiness of politicians to relinquish power amazes me. Take the European constitution, now rebranded as the Lisbon treaty. I read all the drafts of that document, spoke to lawyers and became convinced that its calculated opacity was a charter for the creeping takeover of national policy by bureaucrats and judges... The EU machine marches on, constraining everything from the future of the Post Office to what vitamins we can take. The promised referendum on the Lisbon treaty has been ditched." On BBC Question Time last night, the EU's former Chief Accountant Marta Andreasen argued that, "75% of the regulations that this Parliament works with is rubber stamped from Brussels. So what are we paying these people [MPs] for really?" Times: Cavendish Open Europe research Question Time New poll: 62% of UK voters would vote No in Lisbon Treaty referendum; 67% say none of the main parties represent their views on Britain's relationship with the EU A new poll by the Taxpayers' Alliance/ICM has found that, if people were asked in a referendum whether or not they would vote for Britain to sign up to the Lisbon Treaty, 62 percent said they would vote not to sign up to it; 28 percent said they would vote to sign it; and 9 percent said they didn't know. When asked about the question, "If other countries wouldn't let us take back powers or renegotiate our relationship, should the British Government...?", 37 percent agreed with the option that the Government should abide by that decision, and 57 percent agreed with the option that the Government should take the powers away regardless of what other countries or the EU said. When asked, "Some people we have spoken to have said that none of the main political parties adequately represents their own views on Britain's future relationship with the EU", 67 percent agreed and 28 percent disagreed. When asked if the Government should comply with EU rules on working time and VAT, 28 percent said the Government should "always abide by these rules" but 69 percent said the Government should "abide by those rules the British Government agrees with but not others". When asked if Britain should pay fines imposed by the EU for breaking EU rules, 38 percent said Britain should pay the fines, and 60 percent said they should not pay the fines. Times: Government should not monopolise right to call referendums A leader in the Times proposes a new political manifesto with increased transparency and argues for more powerful and accountable local Government. It argues: "No consideration of devolution can be complete without considering the powers that the European Union now has and its ability to exercise those powers without proper democratic scrutiny...At the same time, both locally and nationally there should be greater use of referendums. And government should not monopolise the right to call one." Meanwhile, German MEP Silvana Koch-Mehrin argues on the German Free Democratic Party website, "Without referenda, the EU distances itself from its citizens". Critics warn Government's review of EU's working rules for junior doctors is too late The Government has agreed to a review to determine whether the 48-hour weekly limit for junior doctors, entailed in the EU's Working Time Directive, will require changes to the current system of postgraduate medical training, amid fears that the new rules could harm the quality of training. The rules will come into force in August this year. Dr Andy Thornley, chairman of the BMA's junior doctors committee, is quoted saying that junior doctors "need time to train to become the consultants and GPs of tomorrow", adding that the Government's review was coming a little late as ministers had had over a decade to prepare. Shadow Health Minister Stephen O'Brien added: "The review is too little too late. For months, the government has stubbornly refused to recognise the impact of the directive on the nation's doctors." Open Europe: UKIP MEPs' expenses are unpublished anywhere in the public realm Open Europe is quoted on Rochdale News responding to UKIP claims that it has published its expenses on Open Europe's website: "UKIP have not published their expenses on Open Europe's website...UKIP's expenses continue to be unpublished anywhere in the public realm." Union threatens national ballot over foreign workers The FT notes that one main union, the GMB, is threatening a national ballot for official action if demands are not met for a national agreement that local or UK workers should have priority for jobs before foreign contract staff are hired to meet shortages. They also want tighter auditing of contracts to ensure agreed pay rates are not being undercut. "I think that's the way we have to go. Then we have control over it, it's going to be done in a proper manner and it's going to be done legally," said Phil Davies, National Secretary. The article notes that wildcat strikes were sparked off at seven sites in England and Wales this week after 40 Polish workers were hired to do lagging work at the South Hook liquefied natural gas terminal in Milford Haven, west Wales. The dispute ended yesterday after the subcontractor, Hertel UK, agreed to replace the Poles with UK workers. The company previously said it had been unable to find enough qualified local staff. EU and Russia make limited progress during summit The Guardian reports that the EU-Russia summit is taking place amid strained relations due to the EU's Eastern Partnership with former Soviet states, the gas supply crisis, the Georgian conflict and trade and security policy. The article quotesFyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-Chief of Russia in Global Affairs as saying, "Russia and EU relations are in stalemate. There is a serious lack of mutual understanding, a lack of willingness to understand each other, and a lack of strategic common values". According to the BBC, the summit has seen limited progress on any topic. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has also expressed concern at the Ukraine's ability to afford gas in the future, hinting that there could be another gas crisis. Meanwhile Le Figaro reports that the EU is concerned about Russia's tendency towards protectionism, noting that some EU exports are taxed up to 400%. However, the article notes that the EU is reluctant to take action against such an important trade partner. Le Monde reports that the EU is lacking a long-term strategy concerning its relations with Russia and is instead focussing solely on managing immediate crises. Le Monde Le Monde 2 Guardian EUobserver BBC Deutsche Welle ARD Yahoo FT Le Figaro US Vice-President's trip to Balkans signifies growing concern over EU's ability to influence the region An article in the Economist notes that US Vice-President Joe Biden's visit to the Balkans is evidence of the US Administration's concern over the stability of the region and that Mr Biden believes that the western Balkans may need outside help again. On the Guardian's Comment is Free site, Ian Bancroft argues against growing calls for the deployment of a US special envoy to the region, writing that such a move "would only serve to undermine the legitimacy and leverage of the EU in a region that is deemed key to the development of its Common Foreign and Security Policy capabilities." Appointment of German President to serve as indicator for upcoming general elections WSJ and Die Zeit report that delegates from Germany's national parliament and its 16 states will choose Germany's new President on Saturday. The WSJ notes German Presidential contests are "often a sign of which way the political wind is blowing" and that incumbent President Horst Köhler, a conservative ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, is expected to secure a second term. CDU: European elections should determine choice of German Commissioner Handelsblatt reports that the CDU/CSU's European election campaign posters demand: "Citizens' vote for the election of the European Parliament also has to be reflected in the choice of the European Commission and the German Commissioner". According to DPA, the CDU and CSU have been active in staking their claim to the post of German Commissioner, currently held by SPD politician Guenther Verheugen. Meanwhile, Handelsblatt reports that the CDU and CSU have said they want to "scrutinise whether competencies can be re-transferred from the European level to the nation states". Handelsblatt dpa CDU/CSU Focus Yahoo Eurozone economic contraction shows signs of slowing The FT reports that the purchasing managers' indices survey shows that the rate of economic contraction in the eurozone has slowed for the third consecutive month, and that the eurozone could begin to grow again in the second half of the year. The Charlemagne column in the Economist predicts that Libertas' Declan Ganley "is heading for humiliation" in the European elections on 4 June. In reference to the upcoming second Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, it notes: "The next Lisbon campaign will not be headed by politicians or big businessmen: expect lots of wholesome young people from European-studies courses." In an interview with Sueddeutsche, former German President Richard von Weizsaecker says: "Europe's independence has grown since the economic crisis and...It is now important that the EU alleviates its dependency on Wall Street." Sueddeutsche Project Syndicate An EUobserver article notes that ruling parties in some of the EU's biggest member states are coming under heavy fire in EU election campaigns, citing Libertas and UKIP's challenges to the established parties in the UK. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has claimed that Iran has successfully tested another ballistic missile capable of reaching Europe. A similar test was carried out in November, while in February Iran launched a satellite that has prompted concerns over its missile capabilities. In the FT David Marsh, Chairman of London and Oxford Capital Markets, argues that the ECB needs to move away from "undue reliance" on its President Jean-Claude Trichet. Die Welt reports that, after discussions on whether to limit the access of immigrating EU workers, the Swiss Bundesrat decided on Wednesday not to impose limits on EU workers' access to its labour market. Writing in European Voice Lorenzo Valeri and Neil Robinson argue that the lack of common EU rules on data privacy is leaving individuals' data unprotected. European Voice: Valeri and Robinson UK UK warned it may loose its triple-A credit rating The WSJ reports that Standard & Poor's Ratings Service has warned the UK that it may lose its triple-A credit rating. TheTimes reports that the agency said that its move was motivated by concern that public debt could reach 100 per cent of GDP, from 55 percent now, and remain stuck there. "A government debt burden of that level, if sustained, would in S&P's view be incompatible with a AAA rating," it warned. WSJ WSJ: Leader WSJ: Editorial IHT Guardian Mail FT Irish Times Times Telegraph Telegraph: Conway Telegraph 2Independent Le Monde The Sun reports that Lord Mandelson wants the job of Foreign Secretary, and that Gordon Brown is "50-50" on whether to appoint him or not. No link Open Europe
Friday, 22 May 2009
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