Open Europe press summary: 4 December 2008

Europe

McCreevy: "There should be no Lisbon Treaty re-run"
The Irish edition of the Sun reports that Charlie McCreevy, the EU's Internal Market Commissioner and Ireland's ex-Finance Minister, has told the Irish government that "There should be no Lisbon Treaty re-run."

McCreevy said, "The Irish people said No - and that decision has to be respected, by our European partners as well. Over 53 per cent of the Irish electorate turned out, and a considerable segment of them were actually people who hadn't voted in the 2007 Irish General Election. So therefore, people did take the issue very seriously. That has to be respected."

The Irish Independent notes that McCreevy also defended Declan Ganley, head of anti-Lisbon group Libertas, saying, "We live in a democracy. Mr Ganley decided that he was going to front a campaign to get the Irish people to vote 'No'. He was singularly successful in that against the might of all the political parties in Ireland."

Meanwhile, the Irish Times reports that Irish PM Brian Cowen has said he is "hopeful" that a compromise solution can be found to salvage the Lisbon Treaty. He is currently mid-way through a tour of Germany, Luxemburg, Britain and France in order to seek assurances over Irish opt-outs on the Treaty.

The paper reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Cowen in Berlin last night that she was keeping an "open mind" on how best to resolve the Lisbon impasse. "I believe that we will manage to put into effect the Lisbon Treaty," she said. "Ireland is working intensively on ratifying the treaty and we support their efforts." Cowen will meet with Gordon Brown today to further discuss the issue.

Mark Mardell writes on his BBC blog that "My prediction is that next week the Irish government will announce that it will ask the Irish people to vote again on the Lisbon Treaty in a new referendum next autumn."
Sun BBC-Mardell blog Irish Independent AFP Irish Times Irish Independent 2 Irish Times-Smith Irish Times 2 Mail Synon

Commission defends spending 100,000 euro on 20 coffee machines for top officials: "we do not want to have Commissioners wasting time in queues"
The IHT reports that the European Commission has defended its decision to spend 100,000 euro on 20 coffee machines for top officials that are now "unplugged and off-limits". An official quoted in the paper said that "The commission has to get the best value for money and that doesn't always necessarily mean we buy the cheapest products available". A Commission spokesman was also quoted in the Times saying, "It is a sensible use of public money because we do not want to have Commissioners wasting time in queues".
IHT Mail EUobserver Times

EU climate package in "crisis" as environment ministers meet today
Environment ministers meet today to discuss the EU's controversial climate package. The BBC Today programme described the current situation as a "political crisis", with the prospects for agreement "very shaky". It notes that Italy, Poland and other East European nations may veto the climate package because, they say, it would cost too much. Meanwhile, the French want to secure concessions for heavy industries affected by the package, such as cars, steel and cement.

Reuters reports that the EU is nearing agreement on the part of the package that deals with renewable energy. However, final agreement is stalled due to Italian insistence on maintaining a clause committing member states to a review of the targets in 2014. The controversial targets for 10% biofuel use in transport have been watered down with an agreement that up to almost a third of the EU's 10 percent goal would be met through electric cars and trains. "The 10 percent agri-fuels target has been seriously undermined," said the European Parliament's lead negotiator Claude Turmes

According to a separate Reuters article, Poland may be seeking exemption from the proposed 20% renewable energy target, citing its low levels of renewable resources.
BBC Today Reuters Reuters 2

Mandelson confirms joining the euro is a long term objective
At the fifth annual Hugo Young Memorial Lecture, Lord Mandelson maintained that joining the euro was in Britain's interests and that it was a long term objective of the Government, but said there was no desire to "fast-track" it now. He denied any links to Commission President Barroso's claim that Britain was close to joining the Euro and declined to comment on a question about whether or not he believed the five economic tests for joining the Euro had been met.

Lord Mandelson also stated that he agreed with the "sentiment" behind President Sarkozy's calls for a European economic government and argued that "close and habitual co-operation" with Europe was essential.

Writing in the Independent, Jeremy Warner argues that the economic downturn can make the case both for joining the euro and maintaining independence from it, but that "pro-euro thinking is...politically dangerous" in Britain.
Independent Independent: Warner Mail Express: Leader EUbusiness

Battle over EU state aid rules as interventionism comes back into fashion
Le Monde reports that EU policy on state aid is being radically redrawn in response to the economic crisis. It notes that, "The fight against recession and the financial crisis has set up a battle of greater and greater ferocity between member states and the European Commission in key areas, such as competition policy and budgetary discipline." It says that member states are tempted to "renew an intervention that has for a long time been out of fashion".

It goes on to say "At the insistence of Nicolas Sarkozy, numerous European leaders have asked the Commission to abandon certain 'dogmas' in order to face up to events. Paris, as well as Berlin, consider that 'member states should not be held back by community procedures."

The Times law section notes "While banks are being written massive cheques by the Government it is no surprise that in the past week we have had the motor manufacturers and the engineering employers starting to say, 'Me too!', Channel 4 and, no doubt, a host of others are also in the queue (or about to join it). It certainly puts a whole new spin on the idea of state aid in the European Union."
It concludes that "handouts to keep mainstream businesses alive are not likely to win commission approval", but notes however that this stance "may lead to enormous tensions with the trade unions, especially if the new Obama regime decides to back America's manufacturing industry."
Le Monde Times IHT Les Echos

Speculation on who will be in new Commission
EUobserver looks at speculation around who may take up the various positions in the Commission, when new Commissioners are selected in six months time. It is noted that several of the current Commissioners want a second term, including President Jose Manuel Barroso. Others who have shown interest in remaining within the EU executive includes French Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot, UK Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton, Italy's Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani and Dutch Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes.

The leader of the Party of European Socialists, MEP and former Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, is being mooted as a potential left-wing successor to the conservative Barroso, if the centre-left political faction wins the European Parliament elections in June 2009.

French Agriculture Minister and ex-Commissioner Michel Barnier, could replace Jacques Barrot, as Barrot (72 years old) may be considered too old. Germany's Industry Commissioner Gunther Verheugen is likely to leave the Commission. Who will be successor will much depend on the outcome of September's elections in Germany. If the socialist SPD faction wins, MEP Martin Schulz is tipped as a favourite. In the event of a "grand coalition" or a conservative victory, Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble, former Bavaria President Edmund Stoiber, Hesse President Roland Koch, Interior Ministry official Peter Altmaier and Economy Ministry official Peter Hintze have all been mooted as candidates.
EUobserver European Voice