Open Europe press summary: 27 July 2009

Europe

Senior doctors fear effect of European Working Time Directive amid swine flu epidemic
In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, John Black, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, said that the European Working Time Directive (EWTD), which will cut junior doctors' maximum working hours from 56 to 48 hours a week from 1 August, would be "bad for patient care and bad for training", and said he was "very concerned" about what could happen. He added that it would actually make "lives of junior doctors harder", and because of the 48 hour limit, "junior doctors' hours are being used to a very high degree to cope with service work at night and they're just not learning the job by day."

He emphasised that if swine flu became a serious pandemic, "everybody will have to work whatever hours are necessary to keep the patients alive in a crisis". He argued that if that happened, "I would hope that the UK government will not fudge it and will actually say that the EWTD leaves no slack at all in the system and if there is a major crisis it should be suspended".

The Sunday Telegraph reported that Mr. Black warned that the NHS was facing a "triple whammy" of swine flu, the EWTD as well as the annual rotation of doctors. He accused ministers of "having their heads in the sand"and said that, "The courageous thing to do would be to step in and suspend the 48-hour limit for the whole of the NHS, once we come under pressure, but that would require political leadership. I don't expect it to happen."
Sunday Telegraph Today programme Telegraph: Johnston Open Europe research

US begins lobbying EU over proposed hedge fund directive
The WSJ reports that the US is quietly lobbying the EU to change its proposed directive on hedge funds and private equity firms, which would place strict new rules on US firms doing business in the region, according to a senior Treasury official. The directive would effectively apply to all funds and financial firms, including those based in the US, if they want to raise cash or provide services in Europe. US Treasury officials have been talking with both their counterparts in European governments and European Commission officials in Brussels, and the US is pushing its agenda on regulation in international forums such as G7 meetings.

The article also reports that while the directive has been controversial in continental Europe as well as the UK, few countries support a "large-scale overhaul" to the directive. The paper quotes Ilkka Harju, a senior Finance Ministry official in Finland, saying "The U.K. will need to do a lot of foot work to get the majority supporting their criticisms".

The FT reports that David Wright, Deputy Director-General of the Internal Market Directorate in the European Commission, has said that the question now is not whether to bring hedge funds into the regulatory system but rather to determine the right level of regulation, adding "We are working on this and listening to all views." He also described views across the EU as "very divided" over the question of how to regulate dealings with "third countries", such as the Cayman Islands, adding "This is where the main scope of disagreements is located".

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday Simon Walker, Chief Executive of the British Venture Capital Association, said he was worried that the proposed directive contained "potentially discriminatory measures" against private equity firms from outside Europe and said he was concerned it could "invite a trade war".

Meanwhile, in an interview with EurActiv, French Socialist MEP, and former Chairwoman of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee in the European Parliament, Pervenche Berès questions the decision to appoint UK Lib Dem MEP Sharon Bowles as the new head of the Committee. She says, "It's not her personality, but many people believe that this crisis has demonstrated the limits of the liberal economic theories so fervently defended by the UK", adding that she thinks it is a "double paradox" to have an Economic Committee chair who is both British and an economic liberal, given that the committee deals extensively with the eurozone and the European Central Bank.

The FT reports that Sharon Bowles has warned that the proposed directive may enforce liability on main depositary banks in Europe for failures of sub-depositaries, even if the main depositary banks carried out due diligence, which is not currently the case. She added that this could increase costs and reduce returns for fund investors.
WSJ Euractiv FT FT 2

Briton unaware that she was convicted in French court in her absence
The Times reports that a British woman, Deborah Dark, has become a fugitive from the French judicial system, wanted for a conviction that she never knew she had. A European Arrest Warrant has been issued, and authorities in every member state, are required to detain her if she sets foot in their country.

A French court acquitted her of the original charges but the prosecution subsequently made a successful appeal and in 1990 Mrs Dark was sentenced in her absence to six years in prison. Neither she nor her lawyer were made aware of this, either at the time or during the next two decades. Returning from a holiday in Spain with her daughter and two grandchildren, she was stopped and imprisoned. She was made aware of the warrant but a Spanish court refused to execute it, on the grounds that too much time had passed since the alleged offence. Fair Trials International said that her case "demonstrates a serious problem with Europe's fast-track extradition system".

On his Telegraph blog, Danniel Hannan, looks at the case of Andrew Symeou, who was extradited last week under the European Arrest Warrant. He writes, "Where are our civil liberties campaigners?...Could it be that their disdain for anything that smacks of Euro scepticism blinds them to the threat which Brussels poses to our freedoms?"
Times Telegraph: Hannan blog Open Europe research

Czech President plans to refer Lisbon Treaty to Czech Constitutional Court;
German political disagreements could delay timetable for ratification
The Telegraph reports that Czech President Vaclav Klaus has said he plans to refer the Lisbon Treaty to the Czech Constitutional Court at the start of August. In seeking a ruling on whether the Treaty complies with the Czech constitution, Mr Klaus would be able to delay signing the Treaty into Czech law until the court had given its verdict. The paper notes that this would hamper the Swedish EU Presidency's plans to have the Treaty implemented by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Sueddeutsche reports that disagreement in Germany between the CSU and CDU parties could possibly delay the timetable for passing a new law to clarify the German parliament's role in EU decision-making, as required by the German Constitutional Court. Within three meetings (3, 10, 17 August) the different political factions will have to agree internally on the required law.

Additionally, the timetable for the new law is also being threatened by several lawsuit complaints against the Lisbon Treaty. The German Constitutional Court will have to decide in the autumn whether their complaints have been adequately addressed.
Sueddeutsche Handesblatt Telegraph EU Referendum blog

New report shows EU spends billions on "propaganda"
Swedish think-tank Timbro has an op-ed in today's Dagens Nyheter, in which it details a new report on how the EU's institutions spend "billions in taxpayers' money on communication measures designed to give the citizens an exclusively positive picture of the European project" while promoting the idea of an "ever closer union" -this, the article argues, despite there being very little support for such a vision among citizens in the EU. The article notes that the EU spends tax money on media networks, TV-channels, radio stations and EU financed training for journalists, in addition to funding "a range of think-tanks and research institutes around Europe." The authors urge Swedish PM Frederik Reinfeldt to "draw a clear line between information and propaganda" during the Swedish Presidency of the EU.

Meanwhile, El Mundo reports on the amount the European Parliament has spent on social networking. The article notes between €2 and €2.5 million was contracted to a German PR company for the online campaign for the 2009 European elections, €324,000 of this went on social networking for the campaign, €93,000 on planning the initiative, €184,000 for 3 widgets which attract users to the webpage, €35,000 for adapting 2 more widgets to Facebook and €12,000 for "decorating EUTube".

The Director of American blogging company InMotion Interactive said "It's incredible that they have charged so much for so little work" and argued that the European Parliament should invest more time in finding a company which doesn't charge them so much.
DN Timbro's report Open Europe research El Mundo

In an article on its website, Webtelevision Souverainiste cites Open Europe's press summary covering a speech by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in Poland last week.
Webtelevision Open Europe press summary

New Lisbon Treaty 'Yes' group launches
Irish paper the Sunday Business Post cited Open Europe's press summary covering Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin's comments last week when he described democracies as "complex", sarcastically adding, "Would a dictatorship not be delightfully simple?" The article also reported that a new 'Yes' campaign for the Lisbon Treaty will launch today, describing it as "one of the 575 Yes groups" called 'We Belong', and fronted by former Fianna Fáil Press Director, Olivia Buckley. The paper quated her saying it is likely to be an upbeat, lively campaign, adding "And you don't have to have read the treaty to join."
Sunday Business Post Open Europe press summary

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: Iceland on way to economic recovery without EU
In the Telegraph, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard argues that the flexibility of being outside the euro will allow Iceland's economy to recover more quickly. He notes that "The OECD expects Iceland's economy to shrink 7 percent this year. This is much better than Ireland at minus 9.8 percent, and recovery will come sooner. So next time you hear the Sacra Congregatio of the euro faith incant yet again that EMU saved Ireland from a terrible fate, know that they deceive only themselves."

He notes that "The jobless rate has risen to 9.1 percent. This is below the eurozone average of 9.5 percent, and is stabilising much earlier," adding, "Those who point to Iceland as a scarecrow exhibit of what happens to a small country caught in a financial storm without the shield of euro membership have the matter backwards, as will become ever clearer over the next two years."

He concludes, "In their angst, Icelanders look wistfully at the apparent safe port of EU membership. The Althingi [Icelandic parliament] has voted to start entry talks. But the storm will have blown over well before an EU referendum is held in two or three years."

EUobserver reports that the EU is to accept Iceland's membership application at a meeting of foreign ministers today, signalling a speedy pace for accession. "There is no fast-track for Iceland but rather a shorter track because they are already a part of the single market and the Schengen area [the EU's passport-free travel zone]," Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said. The latest poll on EU accession by Capacent Gallup on 5 July showed an even split, with 39 percent of Icelanders supporting the move and 39 percent against.
Telegraph: Evans-Pritchard Le Figaro ABC Forbes El Mundo La Razon EurActiv EUobserver El Pais

Polish leader of Conservatives' group in the European Parliament forced to defend record on Jews
The Observer reported on allegations that Michal Kaminski, the Polish MEP chosen this month to chair the new European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament, of which the 25 Conservative MEPs are members, was active in efforts to block an apology by his countrymen in 2001 for the massacre of hundreds of Jews in Jedwabne in July 1941. The Telegraph quotes Kaminski saying, "I have never done anything improper or that I should be ashamed about. Indeed, I have spent a lifetime supporting the Jewish community in my country. All I said at the time is that we should punish those responsible and not make the whole Polish nation responsible for the acts of a small group of criminals."

Meanwhile, on his Coulisses de Bruxelles blog, Jean Quatremer argues that "Few things unite the members [of the ECR] apart from euroscepticism".
Observer Observer: Cohen Telegraph Telegraph: Brogan blog Coulisses de Bruxelles

Mayor of Florence to lead civil disobedience campaign against EU law on alcohol
The Guardian reports that the mayor of Florence will launch a campaign of civil disobedience this week in protest at an EU derived law against selling alcohol from street stalls. The article notes that "For as long as anyone can recall, Florentines have broken off from shopping in the city's exuberant street markets to enjoy a tripe roll, washed down with a shot of red wine known as a gottino."

Almost 200 trippai (tripe-sellers) and other street vendors risk fines of up to €12,000 (about £10,400) if they are caught selling wine. The fines soar to as much as €30,000 for illegal sales after midnight.
Guardian

Swedish Foreign Minister: EU will lose credibility if it allows the Balkans to become unstable
The FT reports that Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has warned EU member states that they risk losing credibility and contributing to political instability in the Balkans unless the EU draws the region's states closer to their goal of EU membership. Bildt told the paper, "Our credibility in the wider world depends on how successful we are in our own part of the world."

Meanwhile, in Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter, Henrik Brors argues that Bildt is in a good position to become the EU's new High Representative for Common Foreign and Security policy after the current representative Javier Solana retires. Brors notes that other possible candidates are the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
DN FT

EU to put pressure on developing countries to reduce emissions ahead of Copenhagen summit
El Mundo reports that Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren has announced that the EU will put pressure on developing countries to reduce CO2 emissions. EU Environment Commissioner Stravros Dimas emphasised that EU members agree on contributing to environmental initiatives in developing countries. Carlgren said that he doesn't "believe any figures will be announced in October", but Dimas emphasised that it "will be decided before" Copenhagen summit in December.
El Mundo AFP

The Sunday Express reported that it has been revealed that the Government's controversial Home Information Packs have made a £320m dent in the housing market. A Department of Communities and Local Government spokesman said the only new cost was due to an EU requirement for an energy performance certificate.
No link

A leader in the Observer arguing for voting reform writes that "David Cameron is so afraid of losing votes to UKIP that, on matters of EU policy, he might as well be in coalition with a fringe party."
Observer: Leader

An article in El Pais argues that "there are no significant advances" towards "a common European defence" policy and that European military efforts remain deeply fragmented.
El Pais

The WSJ reports that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has warned that Eastern European economies face a rise in nonperforming loans and corporate defaults severe enough to destabilise their banking systems.
WSJ

Le Monde reports that Matthias Machnig, German Environment Secretary, has spoken out against imposing carbon taxes or duties on products entering the EU, saying that this would be a "poor signal".
No link

South Yorkshire daily The Star reports that the South Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce has warned that the EU's Agency Workers' Directive could have an "extremely significant impact" on employers, and said it would be the third most expensive EU directive, after the Working Time Directive and Asbestos Regulations.
The Star Open Europe research

Lillemor Smedenvall, President of the Financial Sector Union of Sweden, has demanded a harmonisation of bank savings guarantees throughout the EU.
SvD

A report from the European Commission has criticised member states for missing the opportunity to improve the environment and boost their economies at the same time, according to an assessment of their economic stimulus plans.
European Voice

UK

The Observer reported that Downing Street is considering holding a referendum on changes to the voting system on the day of the next general election in a bid to portray David Cameron and the Conservatives as a roadblock to constitutional reform.
Observer Observer: Leader


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