Open Europe press summary: 26 November 2008

Europe

UEFA backs UK in opposition to French plans for European sports regulator
Le Figaro reports that France will today push for national quotas and spending controls on sport, to be discussed at a meeting of EU sports ministers in Biarritz tomorrow. The FA and the UK Government are strongly opposed to the idea. Premier League club chairmen face financial restraints on how they run their clubs, such as a cap on debt, if the proposals are accepted at next month's EU summit in Brussels. The BBC notes that the plans would ban British football clubs from transferring players aged under 18.

The Times reports that the UK is backed by UEFA President Michel Platini, who was long suspected as the driving force behind moves to create a European version of La Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion, the French national regulator for football.

Gerry Sutcliffe, Sports Minister, said while the UK backed many of the French proposals, giving European bodies greater powers over the finances of football and other sports was "a step too far". He said "Many of the solutions have to be sorted out by sports themselves and by subsidiarity... There are common problems, but no one-size-fits-all ... [The French licensing proposal] would be against the spirit of what we are trying to achieve." The Minister heard objections to the French proposals from leading figures in football, cricket, rugby union, rugby league and tennis.

Christopher Heaton-Harris MEP, who chairs the European Parliament Sports Group, said an "EU sports super-regulator would devastate British sport" and "If you give the European Union any kind of power over sport it will be very difficult to get it back." Speaking to EUobserver, Michele-Ann Okolotowicz, the French EU Presidency culture counsellor, denied that France was proposing a super-regulator, saying, "You know how these British conservatives are - they always exaggerate."
FT BBC EUobserver Times

Commission accused of bullying developing countries on tuna deal
The WWF has accused the EU of bullying developing states over a new international agreement on bluefin tuna fishing by threatening those nations who supported lower tuna quotas with trade retaliation measures, according to European Voice. All countries that fish the tuna have agreed to reduce their hauls, but only to a level 50% higher than scientists believe is needed to prevent stocks collapsing.
European Voice Diariodelweb

Fine Gael leader: rushed second Lisbon vote would end in defeat
A draft report produced by the Oireachtas Subcommittee on Ireland's Future in the European Union has highlighted the possibility of a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, reports the Irish Times. The report recommends that a second vote should be accompanied by clarifying declarations on controversial issues, such as Ireland's neutrality, according to EUobserver.

The main Opposition party Fine Gael has outlined a number of proposals that should be met before any decision on the Lisbon Treaty is reached. These include the creation of a new constitutional watchdog to monitor the government's role in EU decision-making, reports the Irish Independent.

Meanwhile Fine Gael's leader, Enda Kenny, has warned the government that a rushed second vote on the Lisbon Treaty would end in defeat and could have "catastrophic and, possibly, irreversible implications" for Ireland's future relations with the European Union, according to the Irish Times.

Meanwhile, the Czech Constitutional Court has ruled today that the Lisbon Treaty does not conflict with the country's constitution, reports European Voice. If the Senate now ratifies the Treaty, as looks likely, President Klaus would have to sign it into law, which he revealed yesterday he would be prepared to do as long as Ireland approved the Treaty, reports the Irish Times.
European Voice Coulisses de Bruxelles Irish Times EUobserver Irish Times 2 Irish Independent Irish Times 3 Irish Times 4 Irish Times 5

French Agriculture Minister: Further liberalisation won't ensure food security
The BBC has a feature on the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). It notes that an as yet unpublished report commissioned by the UK Government's chief scientist, John Beddington, into the agricultural and economic elements of food security suggests we could double, even treble, our agricultural production in years to come with better farming techniques. Government advisers say this agricultural revolution will not happen unless there is price stability in food markets.

However, speaking on the BBC's Today Programme, President of the National Farmers Union, Peter Kendall, said that he did not want a system of farm subsidies but that he wanted the CAP to be unravelled in an "even-handed way" across the member states. He also called for more money to be invested in agricultural research and development because it is the best way of ensuring that farmers increase their future production.

The French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier writes in the Guardian that, "The reliability and size of the European Union's farm output means that it can and should play the role of regulator in global markets. If Europe cut back on its agricultural production, the increase in its own food imports would contribute significantly to a worldwide increase in food prices."

Barnier notes that French President Nicolas Sarkozy has proposed a "global partnership for food", which would include an international group to draft a worldwide strategy for food security and an international scientific platform to be charged with evaluating the world's agricultural situation.

Barnier adds that, "Further liberalisation of farm trade will not ensure food security. Faced with the erratic nature of agricultural markets, regulation is needed to soften the impact on poorer countries of volatile food prices. This does not mean that protectionism is the way forward, only that taking account of specific issues that affect international farm trade - weather, price volatility, or health risks - may be necessary from time to time."
Guardian Barnier BBC Today BBC

Sarkozy and Merkel: "There is no single model for recovery" for EU states
Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel have a joint piece in Le Figaro. They argue that "There is no single model for recovery that can be applied to the 27 member states with very different budgetary and economic situations... But we believe that co-ordinated budgetary stimulus can restore the confidence of consumers and investors and prevent opportunistic actions between states which share much more than institutions."
Le Monde BBC Le Figaro Sarkozy & Merkel FT Reuters El Pais Irish Times Telegraph EUobserver DW DW2

Bulgaria loses 220m euros of EU funding after failing to combat corruption
The Times reports that Bulgaria has been punished by the EU for a "persistent failure to tackle corruption and organised crime". The loss of 220m euros of EU funding comes at a time when the European Commission is considering whether to hand over the 11bn euros of aid that the country has been promised over the next six years.

The paper notes that alarm bells rang in Brussels after the arrest of the head of the Bulgarian roads agency for handing a 50m euro contract to build a new highway to his brother. The paper also cites a case included in Open Europe's briefing, "100 Examples of EU Fraud and Waste", where an agency allegedly claimed for the cost of brand new tractors for a modernisation programme but actually bought scrap vehicles from the former East Germany, pocketing the difference.

The IHT notes that the Commission is determined to ensure that future funding is not lost through corruption. "In terms of the future money," a Commission official said, "we are undertaking more extensive auditing. We are looking to make sure that the structures are in place so that the authorities are able to cope with the significant amount of money that they will receive during the 2007-13 financial period."
Irish Times IHT European Voice EUobserver NY Times Times Open Europe: 100 Examples of EU Fraud and Waste

Climate expert warns EU not to go "flaky" on climate change;
Lords are "sceptical" on EU target
In an interview with the IHT, climate expert Nicholas Stern has urged the EU to agree a strong package of measures to tackle greenhouse gas emissions even if that means making special concessions to satisfy reluctant countries like Poland. Stern said, "It's absolutely crucial that they hold together on this... Now is not the time for Europe to go flaky."

Meanwhile the Lords Economic Affairs Committee has said that the planned expansion of wind energy would be "costly" and "risky". The Lords were "sceptical" that the UK could meet the EU target of generating 15% of energy from renewables sources by 2050, reports the FT.
IHT FT

Miliband prepared to break EU pollution laws to expand Heathrow
The Evening Standard reports that Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband yesterday signalled he was prepared to break EU pollution laws to give the go-ahead for a third runway at Heathrow. Experts believe that nitrogen dioxide levels will be exceeded for years to come around Heathrow if it is allowed to grow, and would breach new EU limits due to come into force by 2015 at the latest. But Mr Miliband, when asked to give a guarantee that the Government would not ignore minor breaches of air quality laws to allow another runway, stopped short of giving such a pledge.

EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas has warned that the Government must respect new EU limits on pollution, and backbench Labour MPs opposed to the expansion plans said the new EU laws were "non-negotiable." John Grogan MP, who has led a Commons rebellion with Cabinet support over a third runway, said: "If ministers are not careful, they will find themselves in court." Former Cabinet minister Lord Smith, now Chairman of the Environment Agency, warned that a third runway at Heathrow would make it "impossible" for the Government to meet legally binding targets on air pollution.
Evening Standard

EU fails to reach agreement on car emissions regime
The EU has failed to reach agreement on new rules to cut car emissions after talks foundered over the issue of penalties to be levied on non-complying automakers. EUbusiness reports that France and Germany are determined to help their car industries weather the financial crisis. President Sarkozy said, "We will not let down our automobile industry, this is a permanent fixture for Europe".

It has emerged that General Motors in Europe has approached governments in Britain, Spain, Sweden, Belgium and Poland to try to secure financial help, according to the Times.
EUbusiness Times

EU Telecommunications Ministers are set to endorse price limits on mobile data roaming tomorrow.
IHT

Martine Aubry, the architect of France's 35-hour working week, has won the battle with Ségolène Royal for leadership of France's main opposition Socialist Party.
Times WSJ