Europe
Church leaders defeat Government over Equality Bill
The Government suffered an embarrassing defeat in the Lords yesterday over amendments to its controversial Equality Bill, the Telegraph and Mail report. The amendments, if adopted, would have meant religious groups could not discriminate on the grounds of sexuality or gender in employment. The amendments would have brought the UK into line with existing EU legislation, but were thrown out by peers in a vote by 216 to 178. The Equality Bill attempts to consolidate existing UK anti-discrimination legislation but, controversially, proposes changes to the rights of religious groups, who have been exempt from such regulations.
The Telegraph quotes Baroness O'Cathain, who led opposition to the amendments, saying: "This is the state trying to tell people who they can and can't employ". John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, added to the argument, "Where are the court rulings that have shown that the law is defective? If it ain't broke, why fix it?"
The defeat now leaves the UK at odds with the EU Equal Treatment Directive and, according to Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director of the National Secular Society, "It is now quite likely the Government will be prosecuted in the European Court of Justice."
Telegraph Conservative Home Mail
Commission describes press reports of leaked document on eurozone as "sensationalist";
Barroso will call for additional Commission powers under '2020' growth plan
The Times reports that there was huge demand yesterday for the Greek government's first bond sale of the year. The Irish Independent notes that economists said the strength of demand at €25bn was equivalent to almost half of Greece's 2010 borrowing schedule, easing short-term fears over a Greek debt crisis.
The Guardian reports that the European Commission yesterday denied a story in German magazine Der Spiegel, which reported that an internal report from the Commission warned that differences among eurozone countries "jeopardize confidence in the euro and threatens the cohesiveness of the euro area". The magazine also argued that EU analysts from DG ECFIN, who prepared the report, "propose rapidly balanced budgets and economic reforms. In addition, the report says that salaries will have to reflect reduced productivity and a loss of competitiveness."
The Guardian quotes Commission spokeswoman Amelia Torres responding: "The article seems to be quite sensationalist and does not reflect the Commission's analysis of the situation".
The Economist's Charlemagne blog argues, "depending on how much weight you place on the question of competitive imbalances, the EU risks being even more unpopular than the IMF. At least the IMF only nags and arm-twists in countries on the brink of economic calamity. If the EU wants to tackle imbalances, it could find itself urging countries like Greece to grind their way towards an internal devaluation by accepting lower salaries and higher unemployment, while nagging countries like Germany to forget moral hazard and extend some form of bailout to Greece".
The FT's Brussels blog argues that the EU does have the legal power to bail-out Greece if it needs to, quoting one senior EU policy maker saying, "The EU has all the instruments to deal with the situation in Greece. We can do it, if the political will is there to do it."
Meanwhile, the Irish Times reports that Commission President José Manuel Barroso will ask EU leaders to invoke powers for the EU's 2020 economic strategy plan, to allow the Commission to issue public warnings and policy recommendations to states should their performance fall short of targets set out in the plan.
Such powers are already used under the Stability and Growth Pact, which monitors economic performance on a day-by-day basis. While Germany has resisted suggestions from the Spanish EU Presidency of sanctions for member states that fail to meet standards, Mr Barroso will not propose the introduction of sanctions.
Times Telegraph Irish Independent WSJ EUobserver Coulisses de Bruxelles FT Bloomberg Spiegel Guardian Economist: Charlemagne notebook EUbusiness Guardian: Stiglitz Irish Times FT: Brussels blog Bloomberg FT Handelszeitung boersenzeitung OE blog
Mats Persson: The last thing Europe needs is one-size-fits-all labour market rules
Writing in The Parliament magazine, Open Europe Director Mats Persson looks at the Spanish EU Presidency and argues, "[Spanish PM] Zapatero has vowed to revive the EU's 'social agenda' by turning the bloc into a 'factor of rights'. This is worrying. Decent and fair working conditions are essential but the last thing Europe needs right now is byzantine, one-size-fits-all labour market rules that fail to recognise the EU's diverse social models and country-specific circumstances."
The Parliament OE research: Spanish EU Presidency
Lithuanian news website 15min reports on Open Europe's research on the top 100 mostly costly EU regulations introduced since 1998, which will cost the UK economy £184 billion between 2010 and 2020.
15min OE press release
Belgian EU Presidency to focus on security and Stockholm programme;
Hungary wants a "political EU Presidency"
Euractiv reports that Belgium and Hungary have outlined their agendas for their upcoming EU Presidencies. Belgium will take over in July 2010, while Hungary will take the Presidency in the first half of 2011, as part of the first 'trio' of Presidencies under the Lisbon Treaty. Belgium has said it will focus on internal and external security issues, including the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), energy security and implementation of the Stockholm Programme on justice and home affairs. The Hungarian Ambassador to France, László Nikicser, said it wants a "political presidency, as Europe is above all a political project", and will try to accelerate EU accession talks with Croatia and the Western Balkans.
EurActiv Open Europe research
Nicolas Sarkozy still pushing for a carbon tax at EU borders
AFP reports that French President Nicolas Sarkozy is still pushing for a carbon tax at the EU's borders. President Sarkozy said that he will have the carbon tax applied in France starting in July.
AFP
Europolitics reports that the European Parliament has established a permanent office in Washington DC in a bid to raise its international profile, while the US Congress is considering setting up an equivalent office in Brussels, depending on budget considerations.
Europolitics
The Herald reports that UKIP is threatening to field a spoiler candidate against the Conservative Parliamentary candidate in the constituency seat of former Europe Minister Jim Murphy, unless the Conservative candidate supports calls for a referendum to overturn the Lisbon Treaty.
Herald
EU decides to send a gendarmerie force to Haiti
EU foreign ministers have opted to send up to 350 military police to support the aid effort in Haiti, on top of a the 20,000 deployed by the USA. Spanish EU officials said police from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands would join the force. They will come under UN command. Le Figaro quotes French Europe Minister Pierre Lellouche saying: "We're going to try to do better in terms of the union's visibility".
Meanwhile, the EU has agreed to send a team to help train up to 2,000 Somali troops, and to set up a Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) operation to contribute to the training of the Transitional Federal Government's (TFG) National Security Forces in Uganda.
European Council FT BBC EUobserver BBC NouvelObs
Tobin tax on banks has support, claims Brown
Proposals for a global transaction tax on banks are "gaining traction", Gordon Brown claimed yesterday, as Britain sought to push its reform agenda with other G7 economies ahead of rival American plans for regulatory overhaul.
Independent
On the eve of an international conference on Afghanistan, the Commanders of the EU's police mission in the country have asked MEPs to press their governments to send more police trainers, with EUPOL still needing over 100 staff from member states. "It is crucial for our credibility," Kees Klompenhouwer, the EU's Brussels-based civilian operations commander said yesterday.
EUobserver
Bloomberg reports that French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said that France's 2010 economic growth may exceed the government's forecasts of 1.4%.
Bloomberg
The European Commission is to start a formal probe into an iron ore venture between Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, over fears the deal could constitute a dominant position in the iron ore market.
WSJ BBC European Voice EurActiv
The Telegraph reports that the European Commission has approved the final bank bail-out, by approving the state rescue of Bradford & Bingley and Dunfermline Building Society.
Telegraph European Voice
The Parliament reports on the establishment of the new Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (Arlem), which met for its first session in Barcelona last week. The assembly will work on cooperation between the EU and the Mediterranean, on matters such as infrastructure development, cultural cooperation, and issues such as immigration or climate change.
The Parliament
Following Conservative MEPs' departure from the European Peoples' Party last year, Conservative councillors had struck a deal to remain inside it, but it now appears the councillors are in talks to form a branch of the new ECR group in the Committee of the Regions, where the councillors sit.
LGC Guardian
EU Foreign Ministers emerged from yesterday's Council meeting without a clear approach to the Iranian nuclear question, although France and Germany appear to back sanctions.
EUobserver LeMonde
German economic recovery is likely to stall warns the FT, with Germany's statistics office confirming this month that GDP contracted 5% in 2009.
FT
UK
UK climate financing pledges to be recycled from existing aid budgets
The Guardian reports that the £1.5bn in 'fast-track' financing pledged by the UK Government at the Copenhagen climate change conference to help developing countries will drain money from existing overseas aid funds, despite pledges to the contrary. In December, the Government said that 90% of climate financing should be additional to existing aid money, and said they would lobby EU governments to follow the same lines, but now emails from a DFiD official indicate that at least half of the £1.5bn had already been announced by ministers, as long ago as 2007.
Guardian
The UK economy has exited recession today, after figures showed the economy had grown by 0.1% in the last quarter of 2009.
Times Telegraph Telegraph: Reece Guardian Irish Times BBC
The latest ICM poll for the Guardian puts the Conservatives unchanged on 40 percent, Labour down two points on 29 percent and the Lib Dems up three points on 21 percent.
Guardian
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.
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