Open Europe press summary: 31 March 2009

Europe

Europe Minister Caroline Flint admits she has not read the Lisbon Treaty
During questions yesterday in Parliament, Europe Minister Caroline Flint admitted that she had not read the Lisbon Treaty in its entirety.

Following a series of vague answers on the implications of the Treaty for European defence, Shadow Europe Minister Mark Francois asked, "Has the Minister read the elements of the Lisbon Treaty that relate to defence?". Ms. Flint replied, "I have read some of it but not all of it." She went on to say: "I have been briefed on some of it."

As well as leading calls for the Treaty to be ratified, back in December, Caroline Flint claimed that the Irish voted 'no' due to "misunderstanding" of the Treaty.

In a press release, Mark Francois responded saying, "It's wonderfully honest of the Minister for Europe to admit that she hasn't actually read the renamed EU Constitution. It's not every day that someone will admit they haven't read the most important document for their job. Her astonishing admission does leave some questions. How does she know if the Treaty's good for Britain if she hasn't read it? How could she lecture the Irish that they'd only rejected the Lisbon Treaty because they didn't understand it?"
Parliamentary Committee debate

European Commission justifies 'golden parachutes'
According to AFP, the European Commission has defended itself against Open Europe's findings on the 'golden parachute' arrangements for former Commissioners, under which they can receive up to 65 percent of their salary for three years after leaving their post.

Commission Spokeswoman Valerie Rampi said the European Commission "applies the rules which have been agreed by the EU member states", adding that the system is similar to those used in other international organisations. Open Europe's Sarah Gaskell is quoted saying: "Taxpayers around Europe, whose pensions have been swallowed up in the recession, will rightly question why they are footing such an enormous bill for a handful of remote officials who they never voted for in the first place. It is a topsy-turvy world when an unelected EU official is earning the same wage as the democratically elected president of the United States."

On the generous pension rules the European Commission's chief spokesman, Johannes Laitenberger, said the general rules existed "because it is impossible to anticipate all individual situations that might arise" for former Commissioners. The payments system helps them "to preserve their independence," he added. Asked whether the pay-out rules would be reviewed amid the current economic crisis in Europe, as is the case for private sector "golden parachutes", the Commission said the two worlds could not be compared.

The story also enjoyed coverage on France24, Les Echos, Le Vif, Euronews, EU Business, De Morgen, Dutch daily Trouw, and the Belgian Metro. Malta Today also reported the news, stating that the Maltese EU Commissioner Joe Borg, who is looking forward to a €1.4 million pension, is "Malta's highest paid pensioner."
AFP Le Vif Challenges Echos ASCA France24 EU Business Euronews SDP Noticias Malta Today De Morgen Trouw Gulf Times Open Europe press release OE blog

Government backs EU plan to track drivers
The Guardian reports that the Government is backing EU plans to install a "communication box" in new cars to track the whereabouts of drivers anywhere in Europe. Under the proposals, vehicles will emit a constant "heartbeat" revealing their location, speed and direction of travel.

Details of the Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure Systems (CVIS) project, a £36m EU initiative backed by car manufacturers and the telecoms industry, will be unveiled this year. However, unpublished documents detailing the proposed uses for the system confirm that it could have profound implications for privacy, enabling cars to be tracked to within a metre - more accurate than current satellite navigation technologies. The EUReferendum blog notes that the system will rely on the EU's Galileo satellite positioning system.
Guardian EUReferendum

Galileo overruns by more than €376m
DPA reports that the European Satellite System Galileo has become more expensive than initially planned. The development phase has already cost €376 million more than foreseen. It remains to be decided how the additional costs will be met.
DPA

EU anti-fraud agency under fire from European ombudsman
The Parliament reports that the EU anti-fraud office Olaf has been accused by the European ombudsman, Nikiforos Diamandouros, of not respecting the principle of innocence in an investigation. The criticism follows a complaint from a UK consultant who argued that letters which Olaf had sent to his former and current bosses implied he was responsible for serious irregularities.The Parliament

Sarkozy threatens to walk out of G20 summit
Amid concerns that this week's G20 summit will produce "grand declarations" but lead to little concrete action, Le Monde reports that French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said
"if it does not advance in London, it will mean an empty chair! I will get up and leave."

The Times notes that Sarkozy wants a global financial regulator, an idea fiercely opposed by the US and the UK. The article notes that Mr Sarkozy, who blames the "Anglo-Saxons" for causing the economic crisis, will not accept a G20 that produces a "false success with language that sounds good but contains no commitments."

Meanwhile Gordon Brown has said: "The most important thing is that we all act together, because if we act with other countries, it's got twice the effect than if we do it on our own," reports the Irish Times. He said: "The world didn't come together in previous recessions and they lasted much longer." But stock markets around the globe tumbled yesterday, a signal to politicians that they want "clarity and conviction".

The Irish Independent says that news of a broken deal yesterday on co-ordinated action to pump money into the world economy should bring doubt to the summit's objectives. Leaders from China, Germany and Australia warned that they were not yet ready to agree to further tax giveaways or benefits increases, a significant disagreement that "raised the temperature" just prior to the summit. The Irish Independent notes that the fact that Kevin Rudd, the Australian Prime Minister, is already speaking of the next summit is not a good sign for the prospects of Thursday's meeting.
Irish Times Irish Times 2 EUobserver FT Times Le Monde Le Figaro Irish Independent

Germany joins France in tying Lisbon Treaty to enlargement
Le Monde reports that Germany and France, in an attempt to pressure the Irish and the Czechs ratify the Lisbon Treaty, said this weekend "without ratification of Lisbon, there will be no [EU] enlargement". Yet other EU member-states, like Finland and the Baltic States, say that the EU has an obligation to live up to its expectations.

DPA reports that the Bavarian CSU has contested the idea that the Lisbon Treaty is necessary for enlargement. German MP Thomas Silberhorn said the strategy "no deepening, no widening" as long as Lisbon doesn't get passed, is "unacceptable in content and tone". He said: "The attempt to make Croatia responsible for the coming into effect of the Lisbon Treaty puts the credibility of the EU enlargement policy into question."
DPA Le Monde

EU to create a Europe-wide telecommunications regulator
The IHT reports that the European Commission, the European Parliament and all 27 national telecommunications regulators have agreed to create a stronger EU level telecommunications regulator. The agreements will bring into action in 2010 a new agency authorised to reverse decisions made by national telecommunications regulators in the EU, a mandate that includes the realms of network access and pricing.

The article also notes that under this agreement the Commission would gain new powers to harmonise rules and procedures among the member countries should variations in national laws persist for at least two years. The new agency will be staffed and funded by the Commission.
IHT Euractiv

On the Guardian's Comment is Free website, stand-up comic Dave Cohen looks at the debate surrounding long working hours in the UK and the EU's Working Time Directive, quoting Open Europe's Mats Persson saying, "We just don't think it makes sense to make one set of rules for 27 countries with 27 different kinds of working practice."
Guardian-Cohen

France bans bonuses for bailed-out bosses
The FT reports that France has emerged as the first European country to impose a law curbing bonuses and stock options for executives of companies receiving aid from the state. French businesses have agreed to "name and shame" companies that fail to review executive pay during job cut programmes.
FT Evening Standard

Peel: The importance of the EU presidency is overstated
Writing in the FT, Quentin Peel argues that officials in the European Commission and Council are not overly worried about the resignation of the Czech government, but their genuine fear is that it may thrust Czech President Vaclav Klaus into the limelight. Peel also argues that "National capitals tend to overstate the importance of the EU presidency because it provides a moment in the international limelight for prime ministers and their cabinet colleagues."
FT

The FT Brussels blog looks ahead to the Swedish presidency of the EU and reports that it is willing to engage in self-criticism, which the blog argues "is a good quality to have".
FT Brussels blog

NATO row with Turkey
The FT reports that the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is opposing Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the next Secretary-General of NATO, which means a decision may be delayed and not take place at the alliance summit in Strasbourg and Kehl this weekend. Turkey's opposition stems from the fact that Rasmussen failed to apologise for the anti-Muslim cartoons which sparked outrage from the Muslim community around the world.
FT

The FT reports that the head of Germany's powerful BDI industry federation has launched an attack on the US fiscal stimulus, saying aid to the motor industry amounted to a "car war" that could distort competition to the detriment of Europe.
FT

Libertas denies Declan Ganley is funding Polish campaign
The Irish press reports that Libertas has denied accusations that its leader Declan Ganley will be funding the party campaign in Poland before the European elections in June. At the weekend, Polish daily Dziennik reported that the Polish Libertas branch was hoping to get a loan guaranteed by Ganley himself. Such a loan would be legal but in effect would circumvent Polish legislation."It's a trick to get the money they cannot accept directly from abroad. It was obvious that Libertas Polska had no money of their own and that Ganley was going to give money, the question until now was just how he was going to do it", Dziennik opinion editor Michal Karnowksi states.
Irish Times Irish Independent

European Council on Foreign Relations: Europe is both too integrated and too divided
In a letter to the Times, 48 members of the European Council on Foreign Relations, including Giuliano Amato, Timothy Garton Ash, Lord Patten, Sir Stephen Wall and George Soros argue that "the euro project is incomplete. It has a central bank but not a central treasury, and the supervision of the banking system is left to national authorities. An absence of solidarity could become a hazard for the Eurozone... Europe is in a critical position. Its member states are too integrated to be able to develop purely national responses [to the crisis], but too divided to decide on a common way forward."
Times-letters

According to Die Presse, the EU is to spend €10 million on a climate institute in Beijing, in cooperation with the Chinese Office for Education and Trade.
Die Presse

ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet has encouraged EU member states to execute their plans to spend money to stimulate the economy, according to Financieel Dagblad. He is quoted saying: "deliver what you have promised. Do it now." He however dismissed calls to spend even more money, saying "we should not raise the level of state spending even more".
FD AFP

Germany resists EU road charging plans
DPA reports that EU plans for road charging are going ahead, despite attempts by Germany to slow them down. Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, German State secretary of the Ministry for Transport is quoted by DPA saying: "Forwarding agencies cannot absorb the new burden". However Germany's position is opposed by France, Finland, Austria, Denmark and other member states.
DPA

UK

The Mail reports that Britain has warned European defence group EADS it is "concerned" about delays to the £18.5bn A400M military transport aircraft and is considering a new order to rival Boeing's C-17.
Mail EUReferendum

Parliamentary authorities are investing a claim that details of MPs' expenses are being offered to journalists for £300,000.
BBC

In a poll of Conservative party members, 87% agreed that MEP Dan Hannan should get a "a prime speaking slot at this autumn's Conservative Party Conference".
Conservative Home



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