Europe
Merkel "confident" that Lisbon will be implemented as Irish seek concessions
Despite BBC reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is "confident" that Lisbon will be implemented, Irish PM Brian Cowen said in a meeting with Gordon Brown yesterday that plans for ratifying 'Lisbon II' will not be finalised until after next week's EU summit. The Irish Independent quotes Cowen as saying that the conditions in which the Irish would accept the Treaty "can only emerge at those meetings", conditions that the FT reports include opt-outs on "taxation, family law, neutrality and the right to nominate a European commissioner".
The Irish President Mary Coughlan confirmed that there was not yet any proposed legislation concerning Lisbon, after the opposition complained that other EU leaders had more information on the Lisbon "road map" than the Irish parliament, the Irish Times reports.
Meanwhile Declan Ganley, leader of anti-Lisbon group Libertas, intends to sue Irish broadcaster RTE after claiming that coverage of the group in a feature last week was "actionable", the Irish Independent reports.
Irish Independent FT Irish Times Irish Times 2 Irish Independent 2
EU remains deadlocked over climate package
The Irish Times reports that EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said yesterday he was confident European leaders would sign up to the bloc's climate change package at next week's EU summit. The EU's Environment Council, which started yesterday and ends today, is currently negotiating the package.
According to Deutsche Welle, preliminary talks in Poland on Wednesday firmed up the EU's target to obtain 20 percent of energy from renewables by 2020 and mechanisms for improving the access of renewable energy to electricity grids. Poland, which was threatening to veto any plans that would harm its coal-dependent economy, said that an agreement was "close." "I think that we are close to a version acceptable for Poland... a version that will allow us to avoid a veto," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters.
However, Reuters notes that Italy would not drop its demand to review the legislation in 2014, preventing the EU from signing off on a final agreement on renewables. Deutsche Welle reports that the European Parliament's lead negotiator Claude Turmes said that the demand for the review will undermine investment security and put thousands of new jobs in green industries at risk.
EUbusiness reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel said yesterday that the European Union's efforts to lead the way on climate change would fail without a "sensible" global deal in 2009 that involved the United States. Merkel also called for energy-intensive industries to be exempt from the auctioning of CO2 emissions quotas in the EU's emissions trading scheme, which is due to start from 2013, in order to stop firms moving jobs out of Europe. "The way things stand, we cannot spoil our export chances and stand by while jobs in the chemicals, steel and other industries move to regions of the world where climate protection is less stringent than here," she said.
Deutsche Welle European Voice Reuters EUobserver EUbusiness EUbusiness 2 Irish Times EUactiv
£43m spent on preparing Britain for euro
The Express reports that £43 million has been spent preparing Britain for entry to the Euro by the Euro Preparations Unit, a department within the Treasury. Early plans by the unit include discussion of a public campaign to increase support for the Euro, using TV shows such as Big Brother and Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
Express
Brown to host summit and pressure Germany on European stimulus package;
ECB rate cut still "half-hearted"
The Guardian reports that Gordon Brown is to host French President Nicholas Sarkozy, Commission President Barroso and European business leaders on Monday, and put pressure on Germany to make a bigger contribution to the European stimulus package. The paper writes that British ministers recognise that hostility between Sarkozy and Chancellor Merkel may be the cause of Germany's reluctance to participate.
The European Central Bank has followed the Bank of England's lead in making a large cut to interest rates in an attempt to stave off the worsening recession, reports the Guardian. However, the Times' Business Editor refers to the cut as "half-hearted" and writes that, "We should not be surprised at the ECB's timidity...The ECB has been behind the curve from the start and continues to be."
Sarkozy yesterday announced a 26 billion euro stimulus plan for France worth about 1.3% of GDP, focusing on investment measures rather than consumer spending, writes the FT. This comes following the Commission's calls last week for governments to spend 1.5% GDP on boosting economic growth, reports the IHT.
The IHT also reports that Germany is to introduce 500 euro vouchers to encourage consumer spending. The plan would provide the voucher to every adult, which would have to be spent rather than saved, once they have spent 200 euros of their own money.
Guardian Telegraph Economist European Voice Irish Times: Leader Times-Wighton IHT FT Guardian 2 FT 2 IHT 2
The Economist notes that "bigger countries of old Europe are in a bullying mood" regarding the upcoming Czech Presidency of the EU, and reports that the Czech President recently hit out at the EU leaders complaining that the bloc "is dominated by its big founding nations".
Economist: Charlemagne
European Parliament proposes uniform employment rules for MEPs' assistants
EUobserver reports that the European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee has endorsed a new plan to consolidate rules for MEPs' assistants. The new regulation, once approved by the Council, will replace 27 different national systems on contractual relationships, taxation and social security with a single scheme. Under the new system, MEPs' assistants will continue to receive their respective salaries from the Parliament's budget, but they will be automatically included in the EU social security system and its related taxation.
EUobserver
Hutton reaffirms commitment to ESDP
PA reports that British Defence Minister John Hutton yesterday reaffirmed the UK's commitment to the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), as the UK prepared to take over its first ESDP mission this month with operational command of the counter-piracy mission.
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The Telegraph reports that a New York barmaid has been sacked after she wrote about the Belgian Defence Minister's alleged antics in the bar on her internet blog.
Telegraph
Klaus Welle, the current head of the European Parliament's President's cabinet, has been announced as the new Secretary-General of the Parliament, to take over from next March.
European Voice
The Times reports that China has raised the spectre of trade sanctions with France over President Sarkozy's plan to meet with the Dalai Lama.
Times EUobserver
PA reports that letters from Environment Secretary Hilary Benn show that he is still concerned about a new EU pesticide directive, writing that it was "critical" that the Government tried to restrict "[the European] Parliament's more extreme proposals".
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UK
The retention of innocent people's DNA and fingerprint records by police is illegal, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled, but British ministers have failed to say they will observe the landmark decision.
Independent Express IHT Mail Mail: Synon blog Mail: Utley Mail: Leader Guardian Telegraph Telegraph: Waterfield blog EUactiv
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