Europe Mandelson dismayed by Chancellor Darling's "defeatist" approach The Times reports that Business Secretary Lord Mandelson, taking over the running of the Government this week in Gordon Brown's absence, has promised to redouble efforts to fight to amend the EU's proposed Directive on private equity and hedge funds, having been dismayed by Chancellor Alistair Darling's "defeatist" approach. According to the article, he specifically wants to reduce the amount of capital that finance companies would have to set aside and to limit the information they would have to make public. An industry source said: "Mandelson's concern is that the Treasury has been defeatist and defensive. He wants to go on the offensive and fight for private equity and hedge funds, even though both are hardly popular businesses. He feels that the Treasury's game plan is like trying to reduce the charge from murder to manslaughter. Mandelson wants to get rid of the charge." Lord Mandelson has privately indicated that he is to take a more hands-on approach, instructing industry figures to rally resources before a major lobbying operation this autumn, according to the article. Open Europe: The Commission tries to stifle debate about the EU Open Europe's Lorraine Mullally and Mats Persson have an op-ed Sweden's biggest paper Aftonbladet, arguing that the European Commission - led by Communications Commissioner Margot Wallstrom - spends an estimated €2.4 billion each year on various projects and campaigns which intentionally confuse propaganda with information, in order to promote further European integration. The article notes that the Commission is "increasingly looking like a political lobby group with its own agenda" and that EU communication officials have admitted in internal documents that "factual information isn't enough". The article cites the Commission's attempt to blame "euro-sceptic British papers" for the Irish No vote, and the press release from Wallstrom's office to the Swedish media which wrongly claimed that the think-tank campaigns for the UK to withdraw from the EU. The article concludes that "None of these examples can be seen as attempts to inform the general public about EU affairs...instead of contributing to a diversified debate, the Commission is instead stifling the debate. This does not fare well for the democracy in the EU." Saturday's Grimsby Evening Telegraph looked at the question of what proportion of laws in Britain come from the EU and concluded that there is no simple or straightforward answer, but cited Open Europe's research which found that 72% of the cost of regulation in the UK came from EU regulations. Grimsby Evening Telegraph OE research European Ombudsman: Commission failed to record "potentially exculpatory" evidence in €1 billion Intel case The European Union's Ombudsman has said the Commission is guilty of "maladministration" in its probe against US chip manufacturer Intel, since it failed to record "potentially exculpatory" evidence from the investigation. In May, the EU ordered the company to pay a record fine of €1 billion for alleged market abuse. The Commission claimed that Intel had misused its dominant position in the market to coerce computer makers such as Dell and Acer into using Intel chips in their micro-processors. However, according to the WSJ, in a soon-to-be published report, the Ombudsman said that the Commission ignored the testimony by a Dell representative, in which the representative said that the company viewed the performance of Intel rival Advanced Micro DevicesIn as very poor, suggesting that the Dell was choosing Intel products for technical reasons. Paul Otellini, Intel's Chief Executive, is quoted saying, "We believe a significant amount of evidence was either ignored or disregarded or both by the case team that would refute allegations". In the Telegraph, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard notes that "The [EU] Competition Directorate has extraordinary powers to launch dawn raids without a search warrant and impose fines large enough to constitute criminal sanctions, but without the due process protections of criminal law." Telegraph EUobserver Bloomberg Reuters Wall Street Journal Booker: EU leaders could not have imagined what the European Arrest Warrant would mean in practice Christopher Booker's column in the Sunday Telegraph cited Open Europe in its discussion of the use of the European Arrest Warrant in the case of Andrew Symeou, who has been extradited to Greece and could be in jail for up to 18 months awaiting trial because he cannot be bailed, as a non-resident of Greece. The column argued, "Little could Tony Blair and his fellow European leaders have imagined in 2001, when they blithely agreed to strike a blow against terrorism by agreeing to the Arrest Warrant, that this was what it would come down to in practice." Sunday Telegraph: Booker Mail EU Referendum blog OE blog New ECR head in favour of Lisbon Treaty and Common Agricultural Policy The Observer reported that Michal Kaminski, the head of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, has previously spoken out in favour of the Lisbon Treaty, saying that it "guarantees Poland's sovereignty". The paper also reported that Kaminski has called for his Law and Justice Party to unite with others in support of the Common Agricultural Policy. The Guardian politics blog also reports that Kaminski spoke at a meeting of the heads of the new European groupings in Brussels on 16 July, saying he wanted a quick decision on whether to reappoint José Manuel Barroso as Commission President because he did not want uncertainty over the position, because this could increase the chances of a No vote in the Irish referendum on the Treaty. Mirror Observer: Leader Observer EU Referendum blog Independent Guardian: Politics blog Britain's annual EU payments grow by £500 million The News of the World reported that Britain's annual payments to the EU have risen by £537 million to £16.3 billion this year, equivalent to £45 million a day. Figures from the Office of National Statistics also show that Britain received £9.8 billion in grants from the EU, meaning that it receives 60 pence back for every pound it pays in. No link Eilis O'Hanlon: The EU's waste and bureaucracy never ceases to amaze In an article for the Irish Independent, Eilis O'Hanlon notes that "it never ceases to amaze when one is confronted by the waste and bureaucracy and sheer dodginess of so much that happens in the federalist European institutions. Whistleblowers in Irish hospitals might think they have a hard time, but that's nothing compared to the treatment of those who expose the corruption of their masters in the European Parliament, most of whose careers subsequently sink faster than a Mafia victim in concrete boots." Councils and police seeking access to people's private telephone and email records almost 1,400 times a day The Telegraph reports that Councils, police and other public bodies have made more than 500,000 requests for confidential communications data last year, equivalent to spying on one in every 78 adults. Powers, under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, allow authorities to request access to confidential communications data, including lists of telephone numbers dialled and email addresses to which messages have been sent. Service providers are legally obliged to record communications data under the EU's Data Retention Directive. New conflict in German parliament debate on how to strengthen its role in the EU decision making process According to news magazine Spiegel, CSU head Horst Seehofer wants to ensure that "the German government has to issue a statement that the Treaty of Lisbon is valid within the interpretation of the Federal Constitutional Court." He underlines that this is "a crucial point within the negotiations" for the CSU. This demand is heavily opposed by the CDU and SPD. The German news agency DPP regards that if Seehofer's demand should be successful, the German government would also have to issue such a statement to its EU partners. The judges of the Constitutional Court could then possibly stop the German government in case it does not comply with their rules. Meanwhile, TAZ reports that 30 lawyers, mainly judges and law professors are demanding that the parliament obliges the Constitutional Court in the future to pass on proceedings related to EU law first to the European Court Justice (ECJ). They fear that the Constitutional Court is heading for a judiciary conflict with the ECJ, whose consequences would be fatal. Tagespiegel TAZ FAZ 1 FAZ 2 Newsticker Ad hoc news Government's plan to meet EU renewable energy target may cost 17 times more than its benefits The Telegraph reports that the Government's plans to increase the proportion of Britain's energy generated by 'green' sources is set to cost between 11 and 17 times what the change brings in economic benefits. The Government's Renewable Energy Strategy, unveiled last month, is designed to meet the UK's share of EU renewable energy targets, including plans to raise the proportion of British electricity produced by renewable sources from 5.5 percent today to 30 percent by 2020. The expected cost of meeting the targets will total around £4bn a year over the next 20 years, amounting to between £57bn and £70bn, the eventual benefit in terms of the reduced carbon dioxide emissions will be only £4bn to £5bn over that entire period. The Sunday Telegraph reported on the EU's Artificial Optical Radiation Directive, and the conclusion from the Health and Safety Executive that the Directive is "considered to bring no additional benefit to health and safety in the UK", but it could impose costs of up to £50 million on business. Paul Taylor: French illegal CAP subsidies could "drive a wedge" in Europe Paul Taylor, a columnist for Reuters, writes that the €330 million in illegal EU farming subsidies that France is required to repay could "drive a wedge" between Paris and its traditional allies - Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece by highlighting how the French distorted the EU's common market with "under-the-table payments to buy off rebellious peasants". The article also reports that it could offer "fresh ammunition" to countries such as Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands that want to cut EU farm spending and redirect the money toward research and innovation in areas such as renewable energy. Conservatives pledge to block law that could allow Mandelson to return to Commons The Conservatives have vowed to block the Government's Constitutional Renewal Bill, which would allow life peers to resign their seats in the Lords, amid speculation that the bill - although intended to allow the expulsion of peers who break expenses rules - could allow Lord Mandelson to leave the Lords and seek a return to the Commons, the Telegraphreports. On BBC Radio 4's Any Questions? programme, Charles Moore argued that it is "absolutely absurd" that junior doctors' hours are decided at EU level and by qualified majority voting, whereby "even the British Government, let alone hospitals, can't decide these matters". He argued it would cost an extra £200m to make up the shortfall in doctors resulting from the 48-hour maximum week. The Defence Minister of Sweden, Sten Tolgfors, argues in an op-ed in Swedish daily Ornskoldsviks Allehandathat a strong EU defence is necessary for the EU to be a global actor. He outlines three security policy areas which the Swedish EU Presidency will focus on: Increased usability of rapid reaction crisis management, increased ability for international military missions and ongoing EU military missions, European Voice reports that President Obama has nominated William Kennard, former Head of the Federal Communications Commission as US Ambassador to the EU. The Weekend FT reported that India's Commerce Minister Anand Sharma has warned the EU that its seizure of generic drugs could imperil the global response to epidemics such as swine flu. Sharma said his government had protested to the EU about consignments of Indian drugs being "unfairly" stopped by customs. Authorities have held up shipments of Indian generic drugs, on the grounds that they violated patents. El Mundo reports that a €34 million package has been approved by the EU to tackle hunger in developing countries. The package is set to help more than 200 million people. Xornal reports that the Spanish Socialist Party, PSOE is proposing to establish a pact between political parties on the country's future EU presidency. Swedish Radio reports that a new climate deal, set to replace the Kyoto protocol, might be in jeopardy if the EU member states are unable to agree on a common policy at an environmental meeting being held in Bonn today. The Times reports that new polls in Germany suggest that Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats are likely to win 36 percent of the vote and the Free Democrats 13 percent in German elections next month, while the Social Democrats are lagging behind with 23 percent. In an interview with Austrian newspaper Der Standard, Bulgaria's new Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva stressed that she is against an accelerated EU accession procedure for Iceland. UK Police chiefs told to ignore human rights ruling over collection of DNA Saturday's Guardian reported that Chief Constables across England and Wales have been told to ignore a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and carry on adding the DNA profiles of tens of thousands of innocent people to a national DNA database. The ruling found that the retention of the DNA profiles and fingerprints of 850,000 people arrested but never convicted of any offence amounts to an unlawful breach of their rights. The advice to senior officers comes in a letter from the Association of Chief Police Officers criminal records office. The letter, seen by the paper, tells Chief Constables that new Home Office guidelines are not expected to take effect until 2010. The Weekend FT reported that the Equality and Human Rights Commission has warned that the new guidelines still do not satisfy aspects of the ECHR ruling.Open Europe
Monday 10 August 2009
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