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New on the Open Europe Blog The coalition has missed a chance to debate the fundamental issue at the heart of cross-border crime Open Europe Blog Athens strikes another bargain in Brussels, but how long will this one last? Open Europe Blog Theresa May to announce EU crime and justice opt-out this week Open Europe Blog
Daily Press Summary Theresa May met with Conservative jeers as she says UK will keep EU Arrest Warrant; Stephen Booth: Coalition has missed a chance to debate the fundamental issue In a Commons statement yesterday, Home Secretary Theresa May was jeered by several Conservative backbenchers as she confirmed that the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) was among 35 EU criminal justice measures the Government would seek to retain after exercising a block opt-out from a total of 133 measures. Mrs May said she would amend the UK’s Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Bill and Extradition Act to ensure more safeguards for civil liberties are in place. However, it is unclear whether domestic reforms will be enough to rectify the flaws in the EAW. MPs also complained about the short time-frame within which to study the Government’s proposals before a vote next week. Writing for the Guardian’s Comment is Free, Open Europe Research Director Stephen Booth argues, “The coalition has missed a chance to debate the fundamental issue…once the UK opts back in to these 35 measures, EU judges rather than UK judges will have the last word on how they are interpreted… amending EU law in the wake of an EU judgment that results in something our elected representatives did not intend is extremely difficult, as it can only be achieved through complex EU negotiations. Thus, the democratic link to citizens is broken.” Stephen also appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live discussing the opt-out. Guardian: Booth Open Europe press release FT Independent IHT Conservative Home: GoodmanTelegraph: Rees-Mogg EUobserver Conservative Home: Leadsom Ruling on whole-life tariffs strengthens calls for withdrawal from European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights has ruled the whole-life tariffs, without review, given to murderer Jeremy Bamber and two other killers breached their human rights. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said the ruling “reaffirms, to me, my own determination to bring real changes to our human rights laws and to see a real curtailing of the role of the European Court in this country.” In the Times, Martin Howe QC writes, “Sadly the only way forward may be for the UK to withdraw from the Convention. If we do, we should simultaneously declare that we intend to uphold its principles by embodying them in a Bill of Rights that will be interpreted and applied by our own courts, not Strasbourg.” Times Times: Howe Mail Mail: Grayling Mail: Leader Guardian BBC Telegraph Telegraph 2 Express Sun: Leader Express: Leader Independent: Rentoul Commission proposals for eurozone resolution authority set up clash with Germany The European Commission will today present its proposals for a single resolution authority for the eurozone banking union. The plan is expected to propose giving the Commission power over all 6,400 eurozone banks, with final say over how and when banks should be wound down. The authority would have 300 staff and control a circa €60bn bank resolution mechanism, funded by bank contributions over 10 years. No country will have a veto over decisions made by the authority and decisions must be implemented by national regulators, however, the Commission will not be able to impose additional fiscal costs on member states. The proposal is expected to set up a clash between the Commission and the German government. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble warned yesterday that the Commission proposal “won’t work”, pointing out that “The plans need to hold out against the [German] Constitutional Court.” He added that he “urgently recommends that the European Commission keeps its proposal…within the limited interpretation of the given [EU] treaties.” Reuters FT WSJ FT Brussels blog FT: Bini-Smaghi CityAM IHT El País Expansión Welt Welt 2 FAZSüddeutsche Handelsblatt The Greek government yesterday submitted a multi-bill to parliament which aims to incorporate reforms to its tax system and close a funding gap as part of the deal struck with the EU/IMF/ECB Troika to release the next tranche of bailout funds. The bill must be passed by 19 July. Kathimerini Kathimerini 2 Kathimerini 3 WSJ Review & Outlook Welt New tensions in Italy’s coalition as Supreme Court sets earlier date for final verdict in Berlusconi’s tax fraud trial Italy’s Supreme Court has announced that it will issue the final verdict in Silvio Berlusconi’s tax fraud trial on 30 July, much earlier than expected. Berlusconi’s MPs will ask to block all parliamentary activities for three days in protest against the Supreme Court, reports La Stampa. Separately, Standard & Poor’s yesterday cut Italy’s credit rating by one notch to BBB, leaving it on a negative outlook and only a few notches above ‘junk’ level, citing concerns over economic output growth as a key reason for the decision. Il Sole 24 Ore Il Sole 24 Ore 2 La Stampa La Stampa 2 Repubblica Repubblica 2 Repubblica 3 WSJ CityAMIrish Times Welt Le Monde George Freeman MP writing on Conservative Home calls for a “London Convention on EU reform” to “seize the opportunity of the Prime Minister’s speech and show that we are committed to leading the reform agenda; why we need the years between now and 2017 to build the alliance for reform; start to define the Europe we could be happy in; secure the mandate at the Election, and then try and negotiate it.” Conservative Home: Freeman Spain’s opposition Socialist Party has said Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy should resign if the allegations that he received illegal extra payments during his time as minister were confirmed by a court. El PaísEl MundoEl Mundo 2El Mundo 3Irish TimesTelegraphEuractivFTTimes EU finance ministers yesterday voted to top up this year’s annual EU budget by an additional €7.3bn – the first tranche of a total €11.2bn requested by the Commission and demanded by MEPs to be paid in full in exchange for the European Parliament approving the cut to the EU’s long-term budget for 2014-2020. The UK was expected to have voted against the move. European Voice Luxembourg’s Prime Minister and Former Eurogroup chief, Jean-Claude Juncker, may resign today over accusations of “leadership failure” in a spying scandal engulfing Luxembourg’s Srel intelligence-agency. HandelsblattEUobserverLes EchosTageblattLe Quotidien At yesterday’s Eurogroup meeting, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble called for a ban on the so-called "patent box" tax break – lower corporate tax rates on profit related to innovations and exploiting patents – offered by Britain, the Netherlands and some other EU members, which he says results in unfair competition for foreign investment. FAZ FAZ: Schaefers Guardian In an interview with Reuters, ECB Executive Board member Jörg Asmussen suggested that the ECB’s promise to keep interest rates at current levels or lower “for an extended period”, “goes beyond 12 months”. Following the report the ECB released a statement stressing that “no guidance” was given to the length of this promise and it was not Asmussen’s “intention to do so”. Reuters WSJ The IMF halved its growth forecast for the German economy in 2013 to 0.3% and lowered its estimate for 2014 from 1.4% to 1.3%, in its ‘World Economic Outlook’. Welt A new study by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research shows that the birth rate in Europe is at its lowest in a decade, directly correlating to low employment rates brought on by the eurocrisis. Presse The new Czech prime minister, Jirí Rusnok, and his cabinet, will be inaugurated by the country’s president today. Czech weekly Respekt reports that the new government does not hold a majority in parliament. Zpravy.Rozhlas, Respekt Gazeta Wyborcza reports that Belgian brewers will present a complaint to the European Commission after France increased the excise duty on beer by up to 160% while leaving the tax rates on wine unchanged. Gazeta Wyborcza EU finance ministers yesterday officially approved Latvia’s application to become the eighteenth member of the eurozone from January 2014. FT Spiegel EUobserver La Tribune Euractiv reports on a survey of EU expatriates living in Brussels which finds that 74% felt that “the international community lives in a world of its own and has few contacts with other Brussels residents”. Alain Hutchinson president of the Europe-Brussels Liaison Office, who presented the survey says they confirmed a tendency for EU expats to “live among themselves” in “luxury ghettos.” Eurctiv