Open Europe press summary: 29 June 2009

Europe

New poll shows 77% of German voters want a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty
Judges at the German Constitutional Court are tomorrow due to rule on the compatibility of the Lisbon Treaty with the German Constitution. Ahead of the decision, Open Europe, in collaboration with the Institute for Free Enterprise in Berlin, has published a new poll which shows that 77% of Germans want to be given a say on the Lisbon Treaty in a national referendum. Voters were asked: "Do you think that German voters should be given the opportunity to have their say on the new EU Treaty in a national referendum?" 77.3% said yes, 20.7% said no, and 1.9% said they don't know.
Euractiv quotes Open Europe Director Lorraine Mullally saying, "This poll clearly shows that it is not only the Irish who want to be consulted on the Lisbon Treaty. This treaty transfers significant powers from the national to the EU level, and German voters want to be given a say".

"Politicians claim they want to see more debate about the EU at national level, and yet they have conspired to deny voters a say on the Lisbon Treaty. Research shows that referendums on European issues significantly improve the public's interest in and knowledge of the EU - so referendums should be encouraged, not avoided at all costs."

"If politicians want people to connect with the EU, they should give them a say on the big issues like treaty change. The public are crying out to be consulted - it is time to stop pretending that politicians know best, and inject some democracy into EU politics".

German daily Die Welt looks to the German Constitutional Court's decision and notes that for matters which will be decided in the Council with Qualified Majority Voting, the German parliament's assent will be needed. FAZ cites several experts criticising the scope of the Lisbon Treaty, with Law Professor Markus Kerber saying: "Brussels is acting like a nameless regime of selfish elites. The Commission has become the 'many headed serpent' of Europe, robbing ever more democratic power from the citizens."

Dietrich Murswiek of Freiburg University is quoted saying, "the Lisbon Treaty brings powers to Brussels in many essential areas. It is a gigantic camouflage", while Die Linke Co-Chairman Oskar Lafontaine believes the Treaty is a "programme for military armament and a step towards a 'Europe of corporations'". Euractiv Open Europe press release Press release in German Open Europe blog Welt FAZ DPA EU Observer

McCreevy: 95% of countries would probably have voted No in Lisbon Treaty referendums
Saturday's Irish Times reported on EU Internal Markets Commissioner Charlie McCreevy's comments last week, in which he said, "When Irish people rejected the Lisbon Treaty a year ago, the initial reaction ranged from shock to horror to temper to vexation. That would be the view of a lot of the people who live in the Brussels beltway. On the other hand, all of the [political leaders] know quite well that if the similar question was put to their electorate by a referendum the answer in 95 per cent of the countries would probably have been No as well."

Saturday's Irish Independent also reported that he said that Irish people should not be ashamed about how they voted, and quoted him saying "I've never been ashamed to stand up for the way we do our business here. We do it by referendum. That's democracy."

EurActiv quotes Open Europe Director Lorraine Mullally saying that the Irish Commissioner's "honesty" had "touched a nerve" and that his statement "probably reflects what most other EU leaders think themselves".
Open Europe blog Open Europe briefing Irish Times Irish Independent EurActiv Economist: Charlemagne blog Telegraph Sunday Telegraph Irish Times 2

Bruce Arnold: Ireland's "legal guarantees are worthless"
Under the headline, "Government has abandoned democracy to get a 'Yes' vote", Bruce Arnold argued in Saturday's Irish Independent that Irish PM Brian Cowen was "abandoning democracy the day after the vote. He was then servile in courting European countries, telling them how sorry he was that the Irish people had insulted Europe and assuring them of changed times ahead. He then isolated a few marginal issues, none sufficient for the size of the huge vote, invented a survey of the "real" Irish view on Lisbon and claimed that amending doubts about neutrality, abortion and taxation would do the trick. No need, he said, to look further into the more serious and fundamental EU drawbacks."

He continued, "The legal guarantees are worthless and do not change the treaty. However, they had the desired effect. A number of foolish and misguided public figures, respected for talk shows on television, selling groceries, writing poetry, went public and said they would vote 'Yes'."

In the Irish Independent, columnist Maurice Hayes writes "The clarifications [protocols] in this case are less an explanation of what is in the treaty, than an affirmation of what is not. More nuanced it may be, but the question remains the same -- as does the treaty."
Irish Independent: Arnold Irish Independent

Private equity says proposed EU directive is protectionist and discriminatory
The European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EVCA) has strongly criticised the EU's proposed directive on alternative investment fund managers, saying the proposal would restrict free movement of capital and discriminate against private equity owners of companies, which would be subject to stricter requirements than other unlisted companies.

Jonathan Russell, EVCA chairman, was quoted in the Weekend FT saying, "The directive would be incredibly complicated - it could really be quite dangerous. You are in danger of clogging up the system [and] you are opening up the door to all sorts of responsive legislation [worldwide], not only in the US, but also Asia." However, Russell added that he was confident the proposal could be changed. "We can make quite a lot of difference. People in the European parliament and Commission don't want poor-quality legislation. Member states understand that and want ... a workable solution." he said.

Meanwhile, London-based hedge fund managers, who also oppose the proposal, have set up a 'fighting fund' to lobby against the draft directive across the EU and the UK, reports the Telegraph. Andrew Baker, head of industry organisation Aima, is quoted saying, "The industry needs to accept that the directive will not go away, but it needs to be substantially re-written. This means we have to effect change in the EU parliamentary process and within the EU Council."
Telegraph Weekend FT City AM

Mandelson opposed to more regulatory powers for the Bank of England
In a speech to the British Bankers' Association, Lord Mandelson will state his opposition to giving the Bank of England more regulatory powers. He will also say that the FSA and European Union "are both going to get a new rulebook" that will create new capital and liquidity requirements, better accounting for risk, and "reshape the landscape for derivatives".
Telegraph

European Ombudsman rues that Commission should interfere in Austrian national policy
PA reports that the European Ombudsman, P Nikiforos Diamandouros, has said that the European Commission must either take legal action against Austria, concerning a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses, or give the European Circus Association a valid reason for not doing so. The Circus Association had complained that the ban, introduced four years ago, was a violation of the free movement of services and discriminatory because wild animals are still allowed on film sets in Austria.

The Commission started infringement proceedings against Austria but then decided to drop the case on the grounds that the protection of wild animals was best left to national authorities. The Circus Association then turned to the Ombudsman, who investigates complaints about maladministration by EU bodies. The Ombudsman's ruling said the Commission, as the guardian of the EU Treaty, was obliged to supervise the correct application of EU law in the member states.
Ombudsman press release

Baroness Vadera likely to be next UK Commissioner
The Times reports that Gordon Brown is considering the nomination of his former aide, Lady Vadera, for a five-year position in the European Commission. Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, is reportedly petitioning for a female Commissioner.
Times

City law firms criticise EU employment regulations
The Sunday Times reported that some of the City's top law firms have criticised new EU employment regulations which prevent them from employing candidates from outside the EU. The EU regulations state that immigrants wishing to obtain a highly-skilled migrant visa must have a masters qualification, which many lawyers do not have. According to the article, various law firms have written a letter to the Law Society warning that the rules are restricting talent flow into the UK and will ultimately make the City's legal sector less competitive.
Sunday Times

Turkish PM restates EU accession goal
The Weekend FT reported that Recep Erdogan, Turkey's Prime Minister, lashed out at western European politicians for seeking votes in this month's European parliamentary elections by ruling out Turkish entry to the European Union. "Some narrow-minded politicians have used Turkey as election material, and we believe this to be very wrong and very populist," Mr Erdogan told reporters in Brussels.

Meanwhile, the BBC notes that both opposition inside the EU and insufficient democratic reforms in Turkey are hampering its accession bid. Turkey's EU accession talks risk suspension if Ankara fails to open its ports and airports to Cyprus this year. Euractiv quotes Erdogan as saying "Our goal is full membership".
Le Monde Weekend FT BBC EurActiv

EU warns Iran after British workers arrested
EU foreign ministers have promised a "strong and collective response" to Iranian intimidation, after nine British embassy workers were arrested in Tehran following protests over claims of vote rigging. The ministers met in Corfu, Greece, to review their strategy towards Iran, and urged to country to release the Iranian employees of the British embassy, as well as a Greek journalist; all detained on suspicion of instigating the unrest.
Guardian FT IHT Independent Irish Times

EPP group could have majority for Barroso with support from liberals and Conservatives' groupDe Standaard reports that some political groups in the European Parliament want to postpone the election of the next Commission President until autumn, but the incoming Swedish Presidency has objected. The newspaper notes that the EPP group in the European Parliament (264 MEPs) would be able to obtain a majority for Jose Manuel Barroso with support of the liberals (82 MEPs) and the group of the British Conservatives (55 members), who would still be willing to cooperate with the EPP, despite having left the group.
On his Coulisses de Bruxelles blog, Jean Quatremer writes that the European Socialists will have only themselves to blame if Jose Manuel Barroso is re-elected as President of the Commission - due to their inability to produce a viable alternative candidate.
Coulisses De Bruxelles Standaard

The News of the World noted that the Commission will tomorrow table a proposal which would ban smoking in certain outdoor areas, such as beer gardens and concert venues.
No link

EU officials confident about Nabucco pipeline deal
European Voice reports that EU officials are quietly confident that the Nabucco pipeline, which will pipe gas from the Caspian to Europe through Turkey, will be possible. The pipeline will provide Europe with an alternative to Russian gas, and would also give Turkey a pivotal strategic role. Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that he "hoped" that an agreement on Turkey's participation in the 3,300-kilometre pipeline project might be reached in July.
European Voice

A Euractiv article looks ahead to the Swedish Presidency of the EU, starting on 1 July, noting that Sweden's top three priorities will be responding to the recession, agreeing a global climate change deal, and developing EU cooperation in justice and home affairs.
EurActiv EurActiv 2 European Voice

The Independent on Sunday reported that the UK is failing to meet its sustainable living targets. Last Wednesday, the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) warned that Britain remains the EU's second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases and that it is unlikely to meet its 2010 target of reducing CO2 emissions by 20%. Britain also trails behind most European countries with regard to supplying renewable energy.
Sunday Independent

The twenty-year old EU legislation regulating the shape and size of cucumbers is to be abandoned this week, Die Presse reports.
Die Presse Mail

According to NorvegeFR, 40% of Norwegians are in favour of joining the EU - up from 33% in March.
NorvegeFr

In the FT, Wolfgang Munchau argues that if France and Germany are to pursue opposing fiscal policies it would create a fundamental imbalance within the eurozone, adding that, "you surely do not want to get into a position where a large member state has a rational economic reason to quit."
FT: Munchau

In the WSJ, Marcus Walker argues that "Germany, in the grip of a massive export slump, firmly believes it has no alternative to export-led growth. But there is an alternative - the country just doesn't have the stomach for the changes it would require."
WSJ: Walker

OECD monitors have said that Albania's elections appeared to have proceeded calmly, with fewer electoral irregularities than in the past, in an election described by the IHT as a "crucial test of Albania's democratic credentials and readiness to join the European Union."
IHT

The Guardian reports that low cost airlines such as Easyjet are ignoring the new EU ruling on travel insurance which was established in November. Easyjet is still making passengers opt out of travel insurance when booking flights.
Guardian

In an interview with Le Magazine, Pavel Fisher, the Czech Ambassador to France says that criticism of the Czech Presidency of the EU was "unfair and offensive". He adds that the Czech Presidency has not suffered as a result of the difference of opinions on Europe between President Klaus and former Prime Minister Topolanek.
Le Magazine

Open Europe is an independent think tank campaigning for radical reform of the EU. For information on our research, events and other activities, please visit our website: openeurope.org.uk or call us on 0207 197 2333.