http://www.openeurope.org.uk/
Europe
11 June: Lords to vote on referendum issue today
The House of Lords will today vote on amendments calling for a referendum on the revived European Constitution. The vote has been scheduled to take place at the same time the House of Commons debates the Government's controversial 42-day detention proposals. The Liberal Democrats have said they will vote against a referendum in the Lords, despite abstaining in the Commons and calling for a referendum at the last election. The Liberal Democrats also have voted against proposals for enhanced scrutiny which they voted for in the Commons. William Hague has written to Nick Clegg asking him to explain why he has reversed his position.
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Lib Dems deny channelling £86,000 of EP funds into party coffers
The Liberal Democrats are reportedly in "disarray" over figures showing that eight of their eleven MEPs had donated £86,000 to the party over the last seven years. Four Lib Dem MEPs have the party as their service provider, but haven't said how much has been paid into the party and how much has been paid out. Chris Davies, a Lib Dem MEP has already admitted using his "excess" travel allowances as donations to his party. "We get a ridiculously generous travel allowance," he told the BBC last week. However, yesterday Davies appeared to backtrack, claiming: "I do not make donations to my political party out of expenses intended to meet the cost of performing my parliamentary duties in any way."
The Telegraph reports that Andrew Duff, the leader of the Lib Dems in Brussels, and one of those who made gifts to the party, denied that the donations were siphoned off from excess travel allowances. "I guess so many of us donate to the party because the party is relatively poor and deserves our support."
The Liberal Democrats have refused to release figures on how much has been paid into the party by the Lib Dem MEPs who are using the party as their service provider.
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MEPs say being forced to reveal their expenses would lead to further sleaze revelations; Cameron said to be ready to "butcher" MEPs who break the rules
The Times reports that Conservative MEPs yesterday warned of a "timebomb" of further damaging disclosures about their expenses when they are forced to apply Westminster-style transparency. Some complained about the levels of openness being demanded by Hugh Thomas, the party's "enforcer", who was sent to Brussels last week to investigate MEPs' expenses.
Conservative MEPs told the Telegraph that David Cameron is prepared to "butcher" four or five of them to cleanse the party's image. One MEP told the Times: "I am hearing that they want to remove the whip from two people, which will then be seen as a strong response to all the revelations."
The Times and Telegraph report that bitter infighting broke out at the MEPs' private meeting with Thomas yesterday, with some MEPs accusing Open Europe of sparking a "witch hunt" by demanding greater transparency over their expense arrangements.
Open Europe Director Neil O'Brien is quoted in both papers saying that there were allegations of unacceptable use of expenses against MEPs from all the main parties, and argued: "There will be a huge premium for whichever party leader can be shown to take action against sleaze in Brussels." He told the Telegraph, "In the end there will be full transparency and MEPs might as well get on with it now." Open Europe is also quoted on page 2 of the Sun and in Private Eye.
The Telegraph reports that Conservative Party sources fear that in some cases MEPs are using European Parliament money to fund regional Tory activities and offices.
The Sun reports that each British MEP can claim up to £360,000 a year in expenses and pay, bringing the bill for UK MEPs to £28m. The Mail reports that MEPs have been using their expense allowances to pay into the European Parliament pension scheme, which Davies described as "akin to embezzlement".
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Martin Bell calls for resignations over MEP sleaze
Speaking about Den Dover the anti-sleaze campaigner said: "I would like to think that the Tories in the North West, who are decent people, will make it clear to him that he should resign his seat."
UK gave up energy liberalisation and flexible temp workers rules for opt-out from EU's working week rules
The FT reports that several business groups have criticised the deal the UK Government struck with EU ministers on Tuesday, in which they accepted stricter rules for employing agency workers in return for an opt-out from the EU's maximum working time rules. Tom Liptrot of recruitment agency Espirit People is quoted saying, "Claims that this is a good deal for Britain are flatly untrue. What this deal will ensure straight away is...that anybody in a temporary job for more than 12 weeks will be let off; and secondly that companies who can send jobs overseas to cheaper, more flexible markets will do so."
In a separate article, the FT notes, "As so often in Brussels, Britain's opt-out from the European Union's 48-hour maximum working week was entrenched only after a raw bout of political horsetrading with other member states." It is noted that the UK agreed to drop its demands for pan-European energy liberalisation, after failing to build a necessary majority in Europe to push through such measures. In return, France allowed the UK to keep its opt-out from the working time rules, given that the UK also accepted the Agency Workers Directive.
The deal still has to be accepted by the European Parliament. Le Figaro reports that the European Trade Union Confederation has declared the deal struck on the working time directive as "unacceptable", and is counting on the European Parliament to amend it "along more social lines".
Le Figaro Le Monde FT FT2 Mail IHT Open Europe press release
France and Germany prepare a joint response in event of Irish 'No'
The FT reports that Irish PM Brian Cowen has sent voicemail messages to 15,000 Fianna Fail activists, urging them to help boost turnout for the 'yes' side ahead of tomorrow's referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
Neil O'Brien, Director of Open Europe is quoted in the Evening Standard arguing that "The political elite are prepared to say anything to ensure this pet project gets through. The experience in Ireland shows that the people are far more sceptical of the project than their leaders".
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has pledged to work jointly with Berlin in the event of an Irish 'No': "The eventuality of an Irish rejection would be a problem not only for the French presidency but for Europe. It's for the Irish to decide on this, but what Madame Merkel and I have decided is that, whatever happens, the reaction will be a Franco-German one."
A leader in Handelsblatt argues "An Irish 'no' would be a setback for Germany in particular, which benefits especially from the reform treaty".
According to the FT, some pro-treaty campaigners say that, if the No camp were to win a narrow victory, it might be possible for Dublin to ask for a special protocol safeguarding its right to set its own tax rates and then to hold a second referendum.
Declan Ganley, Director of anti-Lisbon group Libertas is quoted in the Times arguing that "We want a European Union that's credible but we're sick of the failure of this Brussels elite to bring the people with them - it almost seems like some sect of secular cardinals who think they know better than us."
A leader in the Times urges a 'No' vote: "The Lisbon treaty does nothing about EU corruption and waste, which have returned to centre stage this week. It does nothing about the EU's notorious farm subsidies. It enshrines, rather than bridges, the gulf between the public and the elite. Brian Cowen, the Irish Prime Minister, has implied that an Irish "no" vote would be a vote to "disengage" from Europe. That is disingenuous. An Irish "no" would signal that the elites must go back to the drawing board. Deprived of our own vote, we must pin our hopes on Ireland to speak for all of us." Meanwhile, BBC notes that the Irish referendum commission has been accused of bias.
AFP reports that Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker has called on the Irish to vote yes during a press conference. He said, "The Lisbon Treaty is good for Ireland and good for Europe. I am not Irish, I am Luxemourgois and therefore European and therefore a little Irish."
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Times O'Toole Times leader Times Le Monde Van Renterghem Sun IHT Evening Standard Spiegel Svenska Dagbladet FT FT-Peel FT-Fianna Fail El Mundo FT blog FT BBC
Can Ireland really veto EU trade deals?
On his blog, BBC's Mark Mardell looks at the promise made by Irish PM Brian Cowen to the Irish Farmers' Association, saying that he would 'veto' any WTO deal that was not in Ireland's interest. After that promise the IFA urged its members to vote 'yes' to the Lisbon Treaty. Mardell notes that first, the question is if Ireland would really have the stomach to block a global trade agreement or if the PM sees a global agreement as so unlikely that a 'veto' promise is harmless. Secondly, Mardell asks if Ireland even have such a veto at its disposal. Open Europe's Neil O'Brien is quoted, arguing that for all practical purposes Ireland does not in fact have a veto.
Berlin sees French 'green trade tariff' plan as "utterly impractical"
Handelsblatt notes that during its EU Presidency France wants to agree an import tariff for those countries not implementing an emissions trading scheme. Germany however has rejected the plans. Government circles in Berlin speak of a "rare consensus" in dismissing the French initiative as "utterly impractical"
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Merkel calls for eurozone rating agency; Anglo-Saxon model has failed
The FT notes that Angela Merkel has called for a Europe-wide credit rating agency, because the "Anglo-Saxon dominated system" has failed and "the robust currency system of the euro has not yet secured sufficient influence over the rules governing financial markets."
Agence Europe quotes French Employment Minister Xavier Bertrand, who will Chair meetings of the EU Employment and Social Affairs Council during the French Presidency, saying, "The time has come to relaunch social Europe".
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Westholm: Political manipulation of Lisbon Treaty has no counterpart in democracies in modern times
In Swedish daily Dagens Industri Dr. Carl-Johan Westholm of the Swedish Federation of Private Enterprises, argues that, "The intellectual vacillation and political manipulation which have characterised the process to produce the Lisbon Treaty has no counterpart in democracies in modern times...Independent of what is said, this is a big step towards a United States of Europe. Over 70 percent of the decisions in the Swedish parliament are already adapted to Brussels...I hope the Irish vote no to the Lisbon Treaty."
A leader in the FT looks at the French proposals for a common consolidated corporate tax base across the EU, arguing that the proposal could lead to healthy "fiscal competition" within the EU.
UK
The Guardian reports on speculation that a £200m pledge to Northern Ireland has been made by the Government in return for the support of the DUP for terror suspects for 42 days.
The Guardian reports that the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) - said that despite the billions of pounds spent on tax credits, Labour had yet to meet its 2005 benchmark of reducing child poverty by a quarter and that the prime minister would have to divert money from middle-class tax cuts to have an even chance of hitting the 2010 target.
Gawain Towler's blog notes that funds means for peace reconciliation in Northern Ireland are being used to fund adverts for Aer Lingus.
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