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Italian Interior Minister: “I wonder if it still makes sense to remain in the EU”
At yesterday’s meeting of EU interior ministers, Italy’s decision to grant temporary residence permits to around 23,000 Tunisian migrants who reached the Italian island of Lampedusa over the past weeks attracted widespread criticism. Austrian Interior Minister Maria Fekter warned that the EU’s border-free Schengen area could “collapse” if Italy’s behaviour is tolerated. French Interior Minister Claude Guéant said that, despite of the permits, France will continue to send back to Italy all Tunisian migrants who break the Schengen rules.
Speaking after the meeting, Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said that the EU “is an institution which acts quickly only to bail-out banks and declare wars, but when it’s about showing concrete solidarity to a country like Italy, it disappears…I wonder if it still makes sense to remain in the EU.”
AGI Corriere della Sera Repubblica EUobserver Economist: Charlemagne Le Figaro Les Echos EurActiv France FTEuropean Voice EurActiv Elsevier
Conservative backbench MP calls for Osborne to be investigated for misleading the House of Commons over EU bailout fund;
Open Europe: The political lesson from the Portuguese bail-out is don’t give up EU vetoes
The Telegraph reports that Conservative backbench MP Douglas Carswell has called for Chancellor George Osborne to be investigated for misleading Parliament over his role in signing the UK up to the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism. “Officials used an interregnum between governments to sign Britain up to something which is not in our interests and the House of Commons appears to have been inadvertently mislead,” Carswell said.
Meanwhile, writing on Conservative Home, Open Europe’s Director Mats Persson argues that the main political lesson to be learnt from the UK’s involvement in the bail-out of Portugal is: “Don’t give up vetoes over sensitive areas of EU policy without first thinking through every possible consequence.” He notes that, in 2001, the Labour government gave up the veto over the part of the EU treaties which is now being used to justify the euro bail-outs.
“Even if Darling, or Osborne for that matter, had objected to the emergency EU bail-out fund last May, they would probably have been outvoted as the decision was subject to majority voting…Financial aid to countries that run into hard time for one reason or another can certainly be justified, but why make this subject to majority voting on such ambiguous grounds? Alas, it wasn’t the first or last time the UK government foolishly gave away EU vetoes,” he argues.
Conservative Home: Persson
EU and IMF to launch assessment of Portuguese economy today
A delegation of EU, IMF and ECB officials arrives in Portugal today, to make a ‘technical assessment’ of the Portuguese economy. Political discussions on the bailout are due to start on 18 April, with the package expected to be finalised at the meeting of EU finance ministers on 16 May. As expected, the former government’s latest austerity plans will form the basis for the bailout conditions. Pedro Passos Coelho, leader of Portugal’s largest opposition party, continued to campaign for some of the details to be left for the new government to negotiate, despite it being made clear the opposition will be involved in the bailout talks.
El País reports that, according to the IMF World Economic Outlook report, published yesterday, Spain’s economy is predicted to grow by less than 2% until at least 2017. Meanwhile, Open Europe’s Raoul Ruparel appeared on BBC Radio Scotland, discussing the similarities and differences between the Icelandic and Irish economic crises.
The FT reports on the rise of populist parties in the core eurozone countries on the back of anti-bailout sentiment, citing examples in Finland, France, the Netherlands and Belgium. The article suggests that “we are witnessing Europe’s own Tea Party movement.” Finnish TV Yle notes that the True Finns have lost support in a recent opinion poll, now at 16.9% compared to 18.4% a month ago. It is still trailing the largest party, the national Coalition Party, by only 3% however.
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On his Telegraph blog, Dan Hannan hat tips Open Europe for various quotations showing how politicians, media and others failed in their forecasting of how the euro would evolve.
Telegraph blogs: Hannan They said it: How the EU elite got it wrong on the euro
Reuters reports that, according to EU officials, Germany is lining up to support Italy’s Central Bank Governor Mario Draghi in his attempt to become the next ECB President, rather than pushing through a German candidate.
Reuters
FAZ reports that the German government has voiced opposition to EU Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski’s plans for a direct EU tax. A spokesman for German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble is quoted saying: “The German government rejects any new way of directly funding the EU.”
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The Mail reports that the European Commission’s upcoming proposals to tax fuels according to their energy content will cost British motorists an additional 1.5p per litre of fuel, with diesel hit hardest as it contains more energy and carbon than petrol.
EUobserver Mail
The Guardian reports that the 260km long BritNed cable linking the UK to the Netherlands, which has just entered operation, may be the first step towards a European electricity ‘supergrid’ aimed at harmonising Europe’s access to renewable energy.
Guardian
De Standaard reports that NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called on the EU to play a role in protecting humanitarian aid convoys to Libya, saying “I would appreciate it if the European Union would take the initiative”, however he stressed that “if asked, NATO is capable of protecting the deliveries.”
Standaard
World
EU Foreign Minister Baroness Catherine Ashton welcomed the arrest of former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo yesterday and expressed “full support” for President-elect Alassane Ouattara, as the EU is set to follow up on last week’s decision to lift its sanctions on the country. Ashton also called for the investigation of crimes committed against civilians during the struggle, as reports emerged that atrocities were committed by both sides.
EurActiv
New on the Open Europe blog
The political lesson from the Portuguese bail-out: Don’t give up EU vetoes
Open Europe blog