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New on the Open Europe Blog Turning a corner in the eurozone? Not quite yet...  Open Europe Blog Debt problems in Europe extend beyond the headline figures  Open Europe Blog Open Europe Berlin interviews Prof. Bernd Lucke, leader of Germany's anti-euro party AfD  Open Europe Blog
Daily Press Summary Disbursement of Greek bailout funds expected on Monday as government pushes to complete civil service reforms The Greek parliament will today look to pass legislation amending a bill passed last week which will allow it to meet the requirements for transferring civil servants to the ‘labour reserve’ after the EU/IMF/ECB Troika suggested the current approach had too many exceptions. Once the bill is passed, approval for the release of the next €2.5bn tranche of bailout funds is expected by Monday. Kathimerini WSJ EUobserver Reuters Kathimerini 2 Le Monde Dijsselbloem’s statement Mats Persson: Should the EU really be involved in how the NHS is run?  Writing on his Telegraph blog, Open Europe Director Mats Persson writes that the “EU treaties explicitly state that ‘health’ is a national issue….Yet, the cumulative impact of EU rules on UK healthcare is substantial. Is this right?” He argues that despite EU rules, such as the Working Time Directive, being “unwelcome, unnecessary or counterproductive”, the Government’s balance of competences review doges the question and he concludes that unless future reports address similar concerns more seriously, “the whole exercise risks backfiring spectacularly.” Meanwhile, in the Telegraph, Peter Oborne cites William Hague’s speech to Open Europe last week but calls on David Cameron to be “far more audacious” in “negotiating for ourselves a much looser, trading relationship” with the eurozone. Telegraph: Persson blog Telegraph: Oborne According to new figures from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE), the number of unemployed people in Spain fell by 225,220 in the second quarter of the year. The unemployment rate still stands at 26.3%, while the youth unemployment rate is 56.1%.  El País El Mundo Expansión Expansión 2 El Economista PA reports that David Cameron has formally notified the EU Council of Ministers that the UK will opt-out of EU police and criminal justice powers. MPs and peers have backed Government plans to drop 133 measures before renegotiating to opt back in to 35 measures that the Government considers “to be central to EU co-operation in this field”. Open Europe blog Open Europe research Open Europe research 2 Following a new public opinion survey which found that 60% of EU citizens “tend not to trust the EU”, Open Europe’s Vincenzo Scarpetta is quoted in the Mail as saying that, “Despite what the Commission suggests, it is clear that trust in the EU is falling.” Open Europe’s blog post on the subject is cited by the Telegraph’s Bruno Waterfield on his blog. Mail Telegraph blogs: Waterfield The Yorkshire Post reports that Labour politicians have appealed to the European Commission for a review of the government’s decision to cut South Yorkshire’s share of EU’s regional development subsidies in half. The EU has to sign off on the UK plans and could intervene if it considers the money is not being used to help the most deprived parts of the country as intended. Open Europe research: EU regional policy Yorkshire Post Economic data released by Markit yesterday, in the form of its Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) showed that as a whole the eurozone’s private sector posted slightly positive growth in July – the highest level for 18 months – raising hopes that the bloc may be exiting recession. Open Europe’s blog titled ‘Turning a corner in the eurozone? Not quite yet…’ was cited by theGuardian live blog. Open Europe blog FT CityAM WSJ Guardian live blog Irish Times Telegraph BBC Portugal’s public deficit in the first half of the year stood at €3.85bn – below the €6bn limit set by the EU/IMF/ECB Troika. However, the deficit more than doubled between May and June.  Diário Económico Público Público 2 FAZ Welt According to new estimates published by the Italian traders’ association Confcommercio, Italy’s black economy was worth €272bn (17.4% of GDP) in 2012-2013. Repubblica La Stampa The European Commission’s plans to cut transaction fees on credit and debit cards have received a mixed reaction from retailers and card companies. Retailers claim it will result in lower prices for consumers, while card companies argue that, if the plans are approved, consumers will face increased banking costs. FT FT 2 CityAM WSJ Euractiv BBC IHT Welt Reuters reports that following six weeks of talks between EU and Chinese officials, the two sides are close to striking a compromise deal on a minimum price and an annual quota for Chinese solar panels, thereby likely ending a dispute which could have escalated into a wider trade war.  Reuters FAZ The EU has proposed increased cooperation amongst the EU nations on military matters and aid in the form of research funding and developing new military technology, as a way to boost EU’s competitiveness in the defence industry.  EUobserver Reuters Welt Welt 2