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New on the Open Europe Blog Aufstand im Bundestag: Who are Germany's most rebellious MPs?  Open Europe Blog IMF sees a mixed outlook for Europe - calls for more ECB action and a fiscal union Open Europe Blog Has Germany really gone off the idea of EU treaty change? (Part II)  Open Europe Blog
Daily Press Summary Austria and Sweden echo Germany’s calls for EU treaty change over banking union  Austria’s Finance Minister Maria Fekter has said that Germany’s desire for an EU treaty change to fully separate monetary policy from supervision in the banking union "is legitimate and we share this view.” She added that otherwise "the ECB would not be independent but rather a political body, and nobody wants this." Swedish Minister Anders Borg also said yesterday that in order for eurozone and non-eurozone countries to have equal say in the banking union – a precondition for Sweden to join - “our understanding is that a Treaty change is needed.” The Irish EU presidency said it will not change its timetable for banking union. Meanwhile, German officials have said EU treaty change is not a political precondition for allowing bank recapitalisations from the ESM eurozone bailout fund, reports the Irish Times. Irish Times Europaportalen Reuters Parool Kathimerini reports that, according to a new poll by Marc for Alpha TV, eight out of ten Greeks want the Greek government to pursue the issue of outstanding WWII reparations from Germany. The poll also found that 40% now want Greece to exit the euro. Kathimerini Kathimerini 2 Kathimerini 3 Rift between Cypriot government and Central Bank grows; Bundestag to approve Cyprus bailout with clear majority In a letter to the ECB, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades accused Cypriot Central Bank Governor Panicos Demetriades of a “failure of effective prudential regulation and supervision of the banking system” relating to his oversight of now defunct lender Laiki Bank. Separately, Kathimerini reports that the latest draft of the EU/IMF/ECB Troika documents on Cyprus have revised the country’s funding needs from €23bn to €21bn. In a letter to the Cypriot government European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso suggested that the pay-out of EU structural funds to Cyprus could be frontloaded, but there is no scope to increase the amount of funds. The Bundestag is tomorrow expected to approve the Cypriot bailout with a clear majority. Only around 12 MPs from Merkel’s governing coalition are expected to vote against, according to German media. FT Kathimerini Kathimerini 2 Cyprus Mail Cyprus Mail 2 Famagusta Gazette Cyprus Mail 3 EUobserver La Tribune FT 2 EUobserver 2 Spiegel In an article for Endeavour Public Affairs, Open Europe Research Director Stephen Booth argues that “the EU needs to reflect the new reality that not all of Europe’s nations are destined for ‘ever closer union’ and that this is not a threat but a result of the democratic preferences of individual member states.” Endeavour: Booth The Mail reports that MEPs have warned that, while the Commission has asked member states for an additional €11.2bn to top up the EU’s 2012 and 2013 annual budgets, the true extent of the shortfall could be as high as €16.2bn. Open Europe’s Pawel Swidlicki is quoted as warning that without the extra cash, MEPs could try to hold the deal struck by EU leaders to cut the EU’s long term budget hostage. Mail MEPs yesterday voted to reject a change to the EU’s carbon emissions trading scheme which would have seen the postponement of 900 million carbon allowances from 2013-2015 until 2019-2020 in an effort to bring up prices, which are currently at such a low level that companies have little incentive to cut emissions. The move raises questions about the scheme’s long term viability.  FT CityAM WSJ IHT EUobserver Welt Spiegel Reuters Kurier FAZ Süddeutsche: Gammelin The Slovenian government will today look to sell €500m in short term debt as well as buying back and retiring a further €855m in an attempt to avoid asking for a bailout. Domestic banks, which hold large amounts of the debt, are likely to help support the deal.  WSJ Reuters Spiegel Following an online survey, Beppe Grillo’s Five-Star Movement has chosen journalist Milena Gabanelli as its official candidate for Italian President. On his blog, Grillo urged centre-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani to vote for Gabanelli, adding that “this could really mark the beginning of a collaboration.”FT WSJ Il Fatto Quotidiano AGI Corriere della Sera Repubblica TGcom24 Beppe Grillo’s blog Corriere della Sera La Stampa Sole 24 Ore The IMF yesterday released its latest World Economic Outlook report, once again revising down the growth prospects for the eurozone. The Fund warned of complacency in terms of instituting the necessary policies to overcome the eurozone crisis – particularly the completion of the banking union – and also called for further ECB action and a clear path towards fiscal union. Open Europe blog WSJ WSJ 2 Spiegel Presse Guardian Telegraph Independent Reuters The European Parliament yesterday approved new EU rules on bankers’ bonuses and bank capital. City AM BBC Le Monde Europarl A new YouGov poll for the Sun has Labour in the lead on 40% ahead of the Conservatives on 7%, UKIP on 11% and the Liberal Democrats on 10%. Last week Labour was on 42% with a 14 point lead over the Conservatives. Sun A Forsa poll for Stern/RTL taken before last weekend’s SPD party conference and published today has Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU on 42% followed by the SPD on 22% - a new low for the party – the Greens on 15%, Die Linke on 8% and the FDP on 5%. The poll also found that in a direct head to head, 17% would vote for the SPD’s chancellor candidate Peer Steinbrückcompared with 58% for Angela Merkel.  Spiegel FAZ FAZ 2 Bild reports that according to figures from the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce, Germany has overtaken the US as the world’s second largest export nation behind China. No Link In an article on Swedish news site Newsmill, Michael Sohlman - Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation and head of the new EU reformist think-tank Forum för EU-debatt – argues that Sweden has ”handed over considerable levels of power to the EU without an open discussion and a possibility to exercise accountability. This can’t continue in a democracy.”  Newsmill Forum för EU-debatt FAZ reports that EU Social Affairs Commissioner László Andor has rejected German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s suggestion of early retirement schemes to fight EU youth unemployment, saying that such plans would be too expensive.No link The European Court of Justice has dismissed the actions brought by Spain and Italy against the Council’s decision authorising enhanced cooperation in the area of the single European patent.Open Europe Blog Bloomberg ECJ Press Release Irish trade unions yesterday voted to reject a series of public sector pay cuts and work practice changes, which could potentially derail reforms promised to the EU/IMF/ECB Troika by the Irish government. FT Serbia kept its hopes of joining the EU alive after it agreed to resume negotiations on ending the ethnic partition in Kosovo, reports Reuters.Reuters Kurier

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