Europe
Hague writes to Clegg: if you "really" want an in or out referendum why didn't you vote for it?
What will the Lib Dems do in the Lords?
William Hague has written to Nick Clegg about the inconsistency between his party's position in the Commons and in the Lords on the referendum. Hague said: "Tomorrow the Lords will begin the key votes on the Lisbon Treaty, including the crucial vote on a referendum. In the Commons you ordered your MPs to abstain on the vote. You even ordered those frontbenchers who insisted on keeping their manifesto promises to resign... Yet in the House of Lords, when an amendment was tabled to provide for the very In-Out referendum that you had presented as the key Liberal Democrat objective, your peers abstained. Had those 76 peers voted for the amendment you would have won the vote. Why were they told to abstain?
"Now the Lords will soon vote on a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. The Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the Lords has indicated that Lib Dem peers will be whipped to oppose it. Do you support this? If not, have you lost control over your party in the Lords or will you publicly tell Lib Dem peers to vote the same way as Lib Dem MPs were told to? If you do, does that not expose your real position as being determined to force this Treaty through without the British people having the say they were promised in any way at all?"
Comment: There are a number of significant EU events next week: Monday 9 sees the adoption of the controversial agency workers directive; On the 9th and 10th the courts hear Stuart Wheeler's judicial review of the Government's broken promise of a referendum; Wednesday 11th is the crucial vote on the referendum in the Lords, and Thursday 12th is the Irish referendum, with results out on Friday 13th.
France unveils details of its proposed EU immigration pact
- Single set of rules for asylum applicants
- Common legal migration policy
Le Monde reports that according to a document circulating in Brussels, the EU immigration pact being proposed by Paris will invite EU member states to make "five commitments". They must cooperate to "better protect Europe" by controlling their external borders; organise legal immigration according to each member state's absorption capacity; ensure the effective removal of illegal immigrants; build a "Europe of asylum" and promote co-development and development aid.
The text notes that "No European leader supports the unrealistic and dangerous idea of zero immigration. Europe needs migrants for demographic and economic reasons. However, it is clear that Europe does not have the means to welcome with dignity all those who see it as an eldorado. The migratory flow must urgently become adapted to Europe's capacities for absorption, in terms of the labour market, housing, health, educational and social services."
To achieve these objectives, France proposes the following measures. In terms of controlling external borders, EU member states should commit to issuing only biometric visas from 2011 and to strengthening the powers of the Frontex agency, which is in charge of coordinating police action at borders. In terms of legal immigration, the member states will have to give up mass regularisation, and an "integration contract" will be imposed on new arrivals, making it obligatory to learn "the national language, national identities and European values" such as equality between men and women.
In terms of the removal of illegal immigrants, the member states will have to respect the rule that "a migrant in an illegal situation must either leave voluntarily or be taken back to their country", which may involve "joint return flights" between several member states. The fight against employers and people giving housing to illegal immigrants will be intensified. On the proposal for a "Europe of asylum", France wants harmonisation efforts to be intensified and member states must put in place by 2011 "common guarantees of terms of asylum and a uniform refugee status." Within five years, they must agree on "common criteria for the examination of asylum applications."
French diplomatic initiative to win EU support for immigration plans underway
According to Le Monde, France agreed to open up its borders to Polish workers from 1 July in the hope of receiving in exchange Polish support for French plans for an EU immigration pact.
Holland will now support French plans for the immigration pact, reports El Pais.
FAO, UN and UK call for review of EU biofuel targets as food prices soar
The Times reports that Gordon Brown indicated yesterday that he would support a review of a compulsory EU target for all members of a 10 per cent minimum of biofuels by 2020. "We need to look at whether we have made the right decisions over time about the production of biofuels at the expense of food." Britain is now reviewing its own target, which is to ensure that 5 per cent of transport fuel is made up of biofuels by 2010.
Recent estimates suggest that increased demand for biofuels accounts for 30 per cent of recent food price rises. Food prices in the European Union climbed at almost twice the rate of inflation over the past year, according to official EU figures released on Monday.
In a new report, Oxfam called for "the urgent review of compulsory biofuels targets in rich countries to stop their inflationary impact".
Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the FAO, told heads of state and government gathered in Rome for a UN summit that "the problem of food insecurity is a political one. Nobody understands how $11bn-$12bn a year on subsidies and protective tariff policies had the effect of diverting 100m tonnes of cereals from human consumption, mostly to satisfy a thirst to fuel for vehicles."
The UN task-force on food also said that the world needed to "reassess" subsidies and tariffs on biofuels. A leader in the Independent calls for a moratorium on biofuel targets. On the BBC Today programme, Paul Collier, Professor of Economics at Oxford University said that biofuel targets should be stopped, whilst the EU should drop its resistance to GM crops, arguing that this is merely a protectionist ploy by European farmers.
The front page of the Times reports that the European Food Safety Authority has suggested lifting the EU ban on feeding animal remains to chickens and pigs, questioning whether it is "morally or ethically correct" to continue feeding grain to animals rather than humans.
Times Times FT BBC Today FT-Rachman EUobserver AFP Independent
Quatremer: EPP and Socialists plan to force out minority parties to strengthen themselves
The Coulisses de Bruxelles blog of Liberation journalist Jean Quatremer looks at the plans to abolish minority parties in the European Parliament and notes, "The aim is to force the maximum number of MEPs to join the Socialists and the EPP-ED in order to establish a bi-partisan system within the Parliament."
EU Ombudsman warns EU freedom of information rules will mean less freedom of information
The EU Ombudsman, Ian Harden, has warned that Commission proposals to revamp freedom-of-information rules could make it harder for the public to get hold of official documents. He said: "The Commission's proposals would mean access to fewer, not more, documents. I have been unable to identify any of the Commission's proposals that would result in more documents being accessible than at present. This raises fundamental issues of principle about the EU's commitment to openness and transparency." He particularly criticised the Commission's definition of a document, saying that it would mean that members of the public could only apply for copies of a document if it appeared in an official register of documents. "The overall effect of the proposed revisions would be that the Commission could share documents informally with a limited number of favoured external recipients of its choice without having to give public access to them," he said.
The largest Swedish Trade Union Confederation, LO, has demanded that the Riskdag await the conclusion of a study of the implications of the Laval Case before ratifying the Lisbon Treaty, putting pressure on the Swedish Government and the Social Democrats.
EUobserver picks up on reports over the weekend, revealing that the head of the UK Conservative group in the European Parliament, Giles Chichester, has transferred some 565,000 euros in parliamentary allowances to his family firm.
In the Independent, Sean O'Grady argues that "The euro has confounded its doubters, magnificently. But in the final analysis, the case for UK entry remains weak."
What if Ireland votes no?
An article in Le Monde on the upcoming Irish referendum reports that three possible scenarios are being discussed in Brussels should there be a no vote. One is the abandonment of the Treaty, another is Ireland's isolation as the other countries continue with the new rules under Lisbon and a third is making them vote a second time, after securing some derogations, as happened with the Nice Treaty.
The French government has launched its website for the EU Presidency, which it assumes on 1 July.
The cost of building work has increased by about a fifth due to large numbers of eastern and central European tradesmen heading home.
Violence during Macedonia's parliamentary elections has raised fears for the country's EU accession process.
Willem Buiter of the LSE argues in the FT that the UK should join the euro:"The future of Europe is federal. The euro is a symbolic step towards deeper political integration."
World
Maddox: radical Islamists in Pakistan emboldened by growing instability
Bronwen Maddox argues in the Times that yesterday's bombing of the Danish embassy in Pakistan shows that the Islamist Right have been emboldened by the instability in the country's government, and at a political level are trying to "appropriate Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League for their own causes."
UK
A ComRes poll for the Independent puts the Conservatives on 44%, Labour at 30% and the Lib Dems on 16%.
Europe
Hague writes to Clegg: if you "really" want an in or out referendum why didn't you vote for it?
What will the Lib Dems do in the Lords?
William Hague has written to Nick Clegg about the inconsistency between his party's position in the Commons and in the Lords on the referendum. Hague said: "Tomorrow the Lords will begin the key votes on the Lisbon Treaty, including the crucial vote on a referendum. In the Commons you ordered your MPs to abstain on the vote. You even ordered those frontbenchers who insisted on keeping their manifesto promises to resign... Yet in the House of Lords, when an amendment was tabled to provide for the very In-Out referendum that you had presented as the key Liberal Democrat objective, your peers abstained. Had those 76 peers voted for the amendment you would have won the vote. Why were they told to abstain?
"Now the Lords will soon vote on a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. The Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the Lords has indicated that Lib Dem peers will be whipped to oppose it. Do you support this? If not, have you lost control over your party in the Lords or will you publicly tell Lib Dem peers to vote the same way as Lib Dem MPs were told to? If you do, does that not expose your real position as being determined to force this Treaty through without the British people having the say they were promised in any way at all?"
Comment: There are a number of significant EU events next week: Monday 9 sees the adoption of the controversial agency workers directive; On the 9th and 10th the courts hear Stuart Wheeler's judicial review of the Government's broken promise of a referendum; Wednesday 11th is the crucial vote on the referendum in the Lords, and Thursday 12th is the Irish referendum, with results out on Friday 13th.
France unveils details of its proposed EU immigration pact
- Single set of rules for asylum applicants
- Common legal migration policy
Le Monde reports that according to a document circulating in Brussels, the EU immigration pact being proposed by Paris will invite EU member states to make "five commitments". They must cooperate to "better protect Europe" by controlling their external borders; organise legal immigration according to each member state's absorption capacity; ensure the effective removal of illegal immigrants; build a "Europe of asylum" and promote co-development and development aid.
The text notes that "No European leader supports the unrealistic and dangerous idea of zero immigration. Europe needs migrants for demographic and economic reasons. However, it is clear that Europe does not have the means to welcome with dignity all those who see it as an eldorado. The migratory flow must urgently become adapted to Europe's capacities for absorption, in terms of the labour market, housing, health, educational and social services."
To achieve these objectives, France proposes the following measures. In terms of controlling external borders, EU member states should commit to issuing only biometric visas from 2011 and to strengthening the powers of the Frontex agency, which is in charge of coordinating police action at borders. In terms of legal immigration, the member states will have to give up mass regularisation, and an "integration contract" will be imposed on new arrivals, making it obligatory to learn "the national language, national identities and European values" such as equality between men and women.
In terms of the removal of illegal immigrants, the member states will have to respect the rule that "a migrant in an illegal situation must either leave voluntarily or be taken back to their country", which may involve "joint return flights" between several member states. The fight against employers and people giving housing to illegal immigrants will be intensified. On the proposal for a "Europe of asylum", France wants harmonisation efforts to be intensified and member states must put in place by 2011 "common guarantees of terms of asylum and a uniform refugee status." Within five years, they must agree on "common criteria for the examination of asylum applications."
French diplomatic initiative to win EU support for immigration plans underway
According to Le Monde, France agreed to open up its borders to Polish workers from 1 July in the hope of receiving in exchange Polish support for French plans for an EU immigration pact.
Holland will now support French plans for the immigration pact, reports El Pais.
FAO, UN and UK call for review of EU biofuel targets as food prices soar
The Times reports that Gordon Brown indicated yesterday that he would support a review of a compulsory EU target for all members of a 10 per cent minimum of biofuels by 2020. "We need to look at whether we have made the right decisions over time about the production of biofuels at the expense of food." Britain is now reviewing its own target, which is to ensure that 5 per cent of transport fuel is made up of biofuels by 2010.
Recent estimates suggest that increased demand for biofuels accounts for 30 per cent of recent food price rises. Food prices in the European Union climbed at almost twice the rate of inflation over the past year, according to official EU figures released on Monday.
In a new report, Oxfam called for "the urgent review of compulsory biofuels targets in rich countries to stop their inflationary impact".
Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the FAO, told heads of state and government gathered in Rome for a UN summit that "the problem of food insecurity is a political one. Nobody understands how $11bn-$12bn a year on subsidies and protective tariff policies had the effect of diverting 100m tonnes of cereals from human consumption, mostly to satisfy a thirst to fuel for vehicles."
The UN task-force on food also said that the world needed to "reassess" subsidies and tariffs on biofuels. A leader in the Independent calls for a moratorium on biofuel targets. On the BBC Today programme, Paul Collier, Professor of Economics at Oxford University said that biofuel targets should be stopped, whilst the EU should drop its resistance to GM crops, arguing that this is merely a protectionist ploy by European farmers.
The front page of the Times reports that the European Food Safety Authority has suggested lifting the EU ban on feeding animal remains to chickens and pigs, questioning whether it is "morally or ethically correct" to continue feeding grain to animals rather than humans.
Times Times FT BBC Today FT-Rachman EUobserver AFP Independent
Quatremer: EPP and Socialists plan to force out minority parties to strengthen themselves
The Coulisses de Bruxelles blog of Liberation journalist Jean Quatremer looks at the plans to abolish minority parties in the European Parliament and notes, "The aim is to force the maximum number of MEPs to join the Socialists and the EPP-ED in order to establish a bi-partisan system within the Parliament."
EU Ombudsman warns EU freedom of information rules will mean less freedom of information
The EU Ombudsman, Ian Harden, has warned that Commission proposals to revamp freedom-of-information rules could make it harder for the public to get hold of official documents. He said: "The Commission's proposals would mean access to fewer, not more, documents. I have been unable to identify any of the Commission's proposals that would result in more documents being accessible than at present. This raises fundamental issues of principle about the EU's commitment to openness and transparency." He particularly criticised the Commission's definition of a document, saying that it would mean that members of the public could only apply for copies of a document if it appeared in an official register of documents. "The overall effect of the proposed revisions would be that the Commission could share documents informally with a limited number of favoured external recipients of its choice without having to give public access to them," he said.
The largest Swedish Trade Union Confederation, LO, has demanded that the Riskdag await the conclusion of a study of the implications of the Laval Case before ratifying the Lisbon Treaty, putting pressure on the Swedish Government and the Social Democrats.
EUobserver picks up on reports over the weekend, revealing that the head of the UK Conservative group in the European Parliament, Giles Chichester, has transferred some 565,000 euros in parliamentary allowances to his family firm.
In the Independent, Sean O'Grady argues that "The euro has confounded its doubters, magnificently. But in the final analysis, the case for UK entry remains weak."
What if Ireland votes no?
An article in Le Monde on the upcoming Irish referendum reports that three possible scenarios are being discussed in Brussels should there be a no vote. One is the abandonment of the Treaty, another is Ireland's isolation as the other countries continue with the new rules under Lisbon and a third is making them vote a second time, after securing some derogations, as happened with the Nice Treaty.
The French government has launched its website for the EU Presidency, which it assumes on 1 July.
The cost of building work has increased by about a fifth due to large numbers of eastern and central European tradesmen heading home.
Violence during Macedonia's parliamentary elections has raised fears for the country's EU accession process.
Willem Buiter of the LSE argues in the FT that the UK should join the euro:"The future of Europe is federal. The euro is a symbolic step towards deeper political integration."
World
Maddox: radical Islamists in Pakistan emboldened by growing instability
Bronwen Maddox argues in the Times that yesterday's bombing of the Danish embassy in Pakistan shows that the Islamist Right have been emboldened by the instability in the country's government, and at a political level are trying to "appropriate Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League for their own causes."
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