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Will a future Conservative government renegotiate ECJ control over criminal justice?
Open Europe Blog The EU's structural funds - still heading in the wrong direction? Open Europe Blog Slush fund scandal reignites in Spain, but risk of early elections remains small Open Europe Blog | |
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague will tonight give a speech at an Open Europe dinner, setting out why reform in Europe is possible. We will post a video and a transcript of the speech on our website. For media enquiries, please contact the office on 0207 197 2333. Daily Press Summary
MPs back Government motion to opt out of EU crime laws;
Theresa May: ECJ jurisdiction over crime and justice could be addressed in EU renegotiation MPs last night backed Government plans to opt out of 133 EU police and criminal justice measures. The Government accepted an amendment by Conservative MP Bill Cash giving a greater remit to Parliamentary select committees to scrutinise which crime and justice laws the Government decides to opt back in to. Opting back into laws means accepting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over them. Referring to Conservative plans to renegotiate the UK’s relationship with the EU, Home Secretary Theresa May said the opt-out “should not be a one-off event before usual service resumes.” She added, “I am clear that the decision to opt out of these justice and home affairs measures in 2014 does not leave us with the ideal settlement – far from it. Significant problems still need to be addressed, such as…the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.” Meanwhile, the Times notes that the Government’s EU Balance of Competences review, which was due to be published last week, will be published later in the month. Open Europe research Open Europe research 2 Spectator: Coffee House blog BBC Times Hansard Spanish Prime Minister refuses to resign, as new details of slush-fund cash payments emerge At a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk yesterday, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said, “I will fulfil the mandate I was given by Spanish voters” – a clear indication that he is not planning to resign. Meanwhile, Luis Bárcenas, the former treasurer of Rajoy’s party, yesterday told a court that he made illicit cash payments to the Spanish Prime Minister in 2008, 2009, and as recently as March 2010. Spanish daily El Mundo has today published several receipts of cash payments allegedly handed out by Bárcenas. Open Europe’s blog post on the Spanish slush fund scandal featured on theGuardian’s live blog. Open Europe blog El País El País 2 El País 3 El Mundo El Mundo 2 Cinco Días City AM Independent IHT FTFT 2 City AM WSJ Euractiv BBC Guardian: Live blog Andrea Leadsom: No future for Britain in the EU unless democratic deficit is resolved Andrea Leadsom MP, co-founder of the Fresh Start Group of Conservative MPs, writes on Conservative Home, “Without resolving the democratic deficit, there will be no future for Britain in the EU…Against this background, national parliaments need to be empowered to resist the centralising tendency, and strong enough to deploy all the powers at their disposal.” She goes on to recommend a ‘red card system’ which would allow national parliaments to veto EU legislative proposals they didn’t agree with. Open Europe research Conservative Home: Leadsom The Institute of Economic Affairs is offering a €100,000 prize to find the best blueprint for Britain outside of the EU. In the Telegraph, Labour MP Gisela Stuart writes, “Unless there is a credible scenario for a UK outside the EU there is little point in debating whether we should stay or leave.” City AM FT City AM: Philip Booth Telegraph: Stuart A new Guardian/ICM poll puts the Conservatives and Labour neck and neck on 36%, the Lib Dems on 13%, and UKIP on 7%. Guardian Mail Sun Greece’s two largest unions launched a 24-hour strike today ahead of tomorrow’s vote in the Greek parliament on the new multi-bill which plans for further austerity and massive cuts to the civil service as part of the latest agreement with the EU/IMF/ECB Troika. Kathimerini Welt Le Figaro Le Monde FAZ Süddeutsche FT Germany’s new anti-euro party, Alternative für Deutschland, has confirmed it will run candidates in all of Germany’s 16 federal states. Stuck on between 2% and 3% in the polls, the party is now looking to develop its policies on a wider range of issues, including the shift to renewable energy and healthcare. No link Ruth Berschens, Handelsblatt’s Brussels bureau chief, writes, “With their united strength, Germany and France seem determined to push the [European] Commission ever more into the political abyss…Barroso and his 18,000 or so authorities have reason to be worried.” No Link Following its downgrade of France’s credit rating on Friday, Fitch yesterday also downgraded the eurozone’s temporary bailout fund, the EFSF, from AAA to AA+. City AM Il Sole 24 Ore FAZ Süddeutsche Die Welt reports that senior politicians from Eastern German states yesterday proposed that the current solidarity levy – whereby West German states transfer funds to East German states – ought to expire by the end of 2019 and instead be replaced by a fund which would target underdeveloped areas across the country. Welt Welt 2 Welt 3 The Express reports that the European Parliament may spend up to £1.6m on a four-storey shelving unit to be built inside the House of European History in Brussels. Express
EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has come out supporting German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s call for tougher EU rules which would force internet companies – such as Facebook – to disclose who they pass personal information on to.
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