| Open Europe |
Europe
European Parliament funds role-playing website recreating the life of MEPs in virtual reality
On his blog, Jon Worth notes that the European Parliament is financing the development of a role-playing and networking website modelled on the European Parliament, named 'Citzalia'. The project appears to be financed from €4 million allocated to European Service Network (ESN), a Brussels-based communications agency, from the European Parliament. The Citzalia webpage describes the project as follows: "Citzalia is a world you inhabit and help create. Using your avatar you can walk around, interact, network, debate the issues of today, propose legislation, vote and learn about how the European Parliament works for citizens [...] Current Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and European officials will be on hand to guide you through the procedures and provide background information".
Government's 'One-in, one-out' system won't include EU regulation
The Government announced yesterday that it is to introduce a 'one-in, one-out' system of regulation. However, it will only apply to domestic legislation and not cover EU regulations. PA quoted Open Europe saying: "If laws coming from the EU aren't included, it will not only look like the Government is trying to hide how much regulation now comes from the EU, the scheme will also have a limited impact on reducing costs for individuals and businesses. If the Government's promise to reduce the number and costs of regulation are to be credible, then EU laws must be included in this scheme".
Meanwhile, the FT reports that an independent report by the Regulatory Policy Committee warns that ill-thought out regulations are being passed without sufficient analysis. "There are a number of impact assessments that lack significant analytical rigour, are poorly presented or appear to be produced as an afterthought, seemingly as a means of 'ticking the right boxes'", the document reads.
Tax bill to increase by £150 million for UK businesses following ECJ ruling
The Telegraph reports that British businesses offering staff vouchers as part of a salary deduction will no longer be entitled to recoup VAT costs, following a new ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ). About half of British employers currently offer some kind of vouchers paid for through deducting an employee's salary, and under the new rules it would cost around £150 million to keep the scheme running.
Case against five Britons extradited to Greece under EU arrest warrant "ridiculously weak";
Mail: The coalition must take the fight over civil liberties to Europe
The Mail reports that a student and four of his friends have been extradited to Greece under the EU's European Arrest Warrant (EAW). Lawyers for the five claim the case against them is "ridiculously weak", but they were powerless to prevent the extradition as the Greek authorities used the controversial EAW to force them to stand trial. They are likely to spend up to 18 months in a Greek prison until their case is heard, and face ten-year sentences if found guilty. The five stand accused of assaulting a man outside a Crete nightclub two years ago. Karen Todner, of Kaim Todner Solicitors, who is representing the five, said they were being jointly charged with the attack despite witnesses - including friends of the victim - stating that only one man was involved.
Meanwhile, a leader in the paper argues, "The coalition has shown great determination to restore civil liberties at home. They must take the fight to Europe, too. The very freedoms of British citizens are at stake".
Five Italian entrepreneurs arrested for misappropriation of €42 million of state and EU funds
La Repubblica reports that five entrepreneurs were yesterday arrested in the Southern Italian Calabria region following allegations of fraud against the Italian government and the EU. The entrepreneurs used to manage 14 companies for the production of olive oil. They are accused of illegally obtaining €42 million of public funds - including both direct aid from the Italian government and EU farm subsidies - primarily through 'inflated' invoices and account books. However, the Guardia di Finanza (the Italian police corps in charge for financial protection) has said that it is currently impossible to have a clear breakdown of how much of the misappropriated money comes from the EU.
Trichet defends decision to buy government bonds as critics warn ECB's credibility has been "shattered"
The WSJ reports that European Central Bank (ECB) President Jean-Claude Trichet has praised the ECB's handling of the eurozone crisis, including its purchases of struggling governments' debt, which critics say has undermined the institution's credibility and political independence. "The first time pressure came, they gave in," said Charles Wyplosz, a Professor of International Economics at the Graduate Institute in Geneva. "That credibility has been shattered". Manfred Neumann, a professor at the University of Bonn, said, "It seems they will slowly bring the program to an end because they realise they made a mistake, at least to their reputation, particularly in Germany".
Meanwhile, Trichet said that the eurozone's economic recovery was unlikely to retain its current pace but that a double-dip recession "is totally out of scope for the present moment".
WSJ WSJ 2 Times FT European Voice Les Echos IHT El Pais EurActiv.es
Hungary to grant EU citizenship to diaspora in Eastern Europe
The Express reports that Hungary, whose citizens have full rights to work in Britain, has been forecast to grant as many as 500,000 passports to ethnic Hungarians living outside its borders, including in Ukraine and Serbia, from January next year. Similar passport handout schemes are under way in Romania and Bulgaria.
Spanish press agency Europa Press reports that a recent Eurobarometer poll shows that public support for EU managed humanitarian aid has fallen in the EU to 79 percent - down by an average 9 percent since 2006. In the UK, Denmark, Belgium, Poland and Romania, support has fallen by 14 percent.
It is widely reported that, according to EU, IMF and ECB inspectors, Greece has made 'impressive' progress in implementing fiscal reforms required under its €110 billion bailout deal. An editorial in El Pais argues that "the Greek case infuses optimism, although the partial fulfilment of the austerity program doesn't guarantee that it will be able to recover development levels or normal financing by the time the austerity package has finished".
WSJ WSJ: Analysis Guardian Telegraph IHT IHT 2 El Pais Expansion El Pais 2
Les Echos reports that Hungarian Economy Minister Gyorgy Matolcsy has said that his country will not make any additional efforts to keep its public deficit below 3 percent of GDP in 2011 if other EU member states are allowed to run higher deficits.
British diplomat Rosalind Marsden has been appointed as EU special envoy for Sudan.
UK
A survey of Conservative Home readers has ranked "anger from Tory MPs and conservative-supporting newspapers at Coalition policies on prisons, immigration and Europe" as the third biggest threat to the Government.
Posts
