Monday, February 28, 2011

Open Europe press summary: February 28 2011

Europe

New Open Europe briefing: ECJ ruling could cost young women drivers an extra £4,300The European Court of Justice could tomorrow rule to scrap the insurance industry’s opt-out from the EU’s 2004 Gender Directive, which will mean insurers can no longer offer different products and prices to men and women based on their sex. The ECJ’s Advocate General has argued in a preliminary opinion in favour of removing the opt-out, since it constitutes gender-based discrimination. The Court’s verdict follows the Advocate General’s opinion in 80% of cases.
Open Europe has published a new briefing showing that, should the ECJ decide to ban the insurance industry from charging different prices, it could, on average, cost a 17 year old female driver an extra £4,300 by the age of 26. In a worst case scenario, this cost could rise to £9,000. The ruling could also see the insurance industry needing to raise an extra £936m in capital due to increased uncertainty in the market.
Open Europe’s findings were featured on the front page of the Metro and the Express, and were cited in the Telegraph, the Sun, the Mirror, the Mail, the Press and Journal, and several regional papers. Open Europe Research Director Stephen Booth is quoted saying: “That these judges would magically rule that young women should pay more in the name of equality is simply perverse. Instead of making prices fairer between men and women, this ruling would increase costs for consumers taken as a whole.”
Meanwhile, the Guardian and the Telegraph also note that the ECJ ruling could cost male pensioners £340 per year due to a decrease in annuity rates.
Open Europe briefing Open Europe press release Mirror Sun Sun: Leader Mail Sun Metro Express Guardian Telegraph PAPress and Journal MSN Money Shropshire Star Express and Star
EU to impose sanctions on Libya “as a matter of urgency”EU Foreign Minister Baroness Catherine Ashton announced yesterday that the EU will impose sanctions on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family "as a matter of urgency", following a unanimous resolution by the UN Security Council. EU leaders have agreed to an embargo on arms sales, travel bans and asset freezes. Plans to enforce a no-fly zone have been shelved. The UN resolution also called for an immediate investigation to be launched by the International Criminal Court.
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said that the Libyan crisis has reached “a point of no return”, adding that it is “inevitable” that Gaddafi quits. Frattini also confirmed that Italy has suspended its 2008 friendship treaty with Libya, which included a non-aggression clause. The Economist’s Charlemagne blog notes: “The rumour in Brussels is that Italy is making its support for EU sanctions against Libya conditional on guarantees of EU ‘solidarity’ on migrants.”
Writing in Saturday’s IHT, Baroness Ashton argued: “Some ask whether we should have acted sooner, opposing authoritarian regimes instead of cooperating with them. It is a fair question. There is no easy solution to the dilemma of when and how to engage with such regimes…Were the European Union to isolate every government that fails to live up to the principles of liberal democracy, we would face accusations of political imperialism. It is better to proclaim the principles of democracy, but deal with the world as it is.”
Handelsblatt: Prodi EUobserver El Mundo El Pais: Maria Ridao Saturday’s Telegraph FT Weekend Economist: Charlemagne blog Independent BBC Il Messaggero La Repubblica BBC: Today EUobserver BBC: Hewitt Saturday's Guardian FT Weekend: Leader Saturday’s IHT: Ashton FT Weekend
2,500 EU officials on £185,000 or more claim extra days off to compensate for “overtime”The Sunday Times reported that 2,558 officials in the European Commission’s top pay band – with an annual salary of £185,000 or more – are claiming an average of seven and half days off every year as a compensation for working overtime. This is on top of their basic holiday entitlement of 54 days. Under the Commission’s own staff regulations, officials on monthly salaries above €10,000 (£8,500) are not allowed to claim overtime payments when they work more than their basic 37.5 hours a week, but this is happening anyway.
A Commission spokesman said, “It’s perfectly natural that if people work more hours in one week or month, they should be able to work slightly less the next.” Open Europe Director Mats Persson is quoted saying, “Taxpayers will understandably ask by what right EU bureaucrats on six figures ask for extra days off to compensate for what are considered normal working hours in most places. It’s amazing these kinds of perks remain in place.” Mats also appeared on LBC, discussing the benefits and costs of the EU.
Sunday Times
Fine Gael-Labour coalition most likely to emerge as Irish voters punish outgoing governmentThe BBC reports that Irish centre-right party Fine Gael is most likely to form a coalition with the Labour party, who finished second in the poll. The Independent notes that former Prime Minister Brian Cowen’s party Fianna Fail had a historically poor result, as it dropped from more than 70 seats to around 20 and was almost wiped out in Dublin. The Green party – Fianna Fail’s junior partner in the outgoing government – lost all its seats.
The new Irish government is now widely expected to seek a renegotiation of the terms of the €85bn EU/IMF bail-out. Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny is quoted in the Telegraph saying: "I see room for manoeuvre in terms of interest rates and in terms of the cost of the banking structure."
A leader in the Observer argued that the EU/IMF deal for Ireland “is punitive, unjust and unsustainable…It is hard to avoid the conclusion that Irish interests are being sacrificed to the larger cause of saving the euro.” It concludes that “if democracy and European solidarity are to mean anything”, Ireland should be allowed to re-negotiate the terms of its bail-out.
Independent Le Figaro BBC EUobserver FT WSJ EurActiv Telegraph Independent: LeaderGuardian Guardian 2 Guardian editorial El Pais: editorial Times: leader IHT Observer: Leader Sunday Times Sunday Telegraph Observer Irish Times Irish Times 2 Irish Independent Irish Times 3 Irish Independent 2 Irish Independent: Keenan Irish Times: Leader
The Sunday Times reported that a delegation from Ireland’s National Treasury Management Agency negotiated with Libya over a possible bail-out of Irish banks, with loans coming from the Libyan Investment Authority. Brian Lenihan, then Irish Finance Minister, is believed to have been aware of the negotiations, which took place in December last year.  Sunday Times
Environment Minister’s family has earned £2m in EU farm paymentsThe Mail on Sunday reported that the family of a Government Minister, Richard Benyon, has earned £2m in EU farm subsidies between 1999 and 2009. Mr Benyon, a Conservative MP, is the Environment and Fisheries Minister within DEFRA, which recently blocked public access to all information about how much farmers had earned from subsidies in order to comply with an ECJ ruling on data privacy.
Mail on Sunday
Greek EU Commissioner: EU-imposed austerity measures could lead to “social degradation” in Greece;
German Economy Minister: German taxpayers liable for €174bn in eurozone loans
EUobserver reports that the Greek EU Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, has criticised the EU austerity plan in Greece, claiming it could lead to “social degradation”. In a speech on Wednesday, Damanaki called for a “better balance between austerity and growth”. She also accused the EU of “short-termism” and embraced the idea of a “fully fledged economic union.”
José Manuel Barroso, the European Commission President, and Herman Van Rompuy, the European Council President, have drawn up a successor to the Franco-German “pact for competitiveness” and will release it to eurozone officials today. The plan will reportedly include some form of constitutional cap on government borrowing but is not expected to tackle the linking of wages to inflation or corporate tax rates specifically.
FAZ reports that German Economy Minister Rainer Brüderle has said that the various eurozone bail-out agreements could make Germany liable for around €174bn in potential loans. This includes “€22.4bn in aid to Greece, €119bn for the EFSF and around €11.4bn for the EFSM. The implicit share of ECB purchases amounts to €21bn.” The WSJ reports the Italian Central Bank Governor Mario Draghi has indicated that interest rates in the eurozone will probably be increased soon but has argued that this will not hurt weaker eurozone economies.
Meanwhile, La Dernière Heure reports that the Belgian law approving the eurozone's temporary bail-out fund – the European Financial Stability Facility – is being challenged by citizens at the Belgian Constitutional Court. They are also demanding a referendum in Belgium on the necessary treaty change to set up a permanent eurozone rescue mechanism.
EUobserver FT EurActiv WSJ  FT Munchau FT Editorial FT fm WSJ 2 FAZ FAZ 2 DH Onzezeg.be
Writing in theTelegraph, Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, argues that having a referendum on a new voting system is the wrong one to be having. He wrote: “By all means let us have a referendum – the one we were promised, on the Lisbon EU Treaty. Have you noticed the EU policy on North Africa? Have you heard much from Baroness Ashton? Shouldn't we have a vote on all that?”Telegraph
German Industrial Energy Association: EU green targets could lead to de-industrialisation of EuropeDie Zeit reports that the President of the German Industrial Energy Association Annette Loske has warned that EU environmental targets are pushing a “policy of de-industrialisation”. The article alleges that that EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger is also lobbying against measures proposed for the EU’s low-carbon “Roadmap 2050”.
Meanwhile, in the Mail Christopher Booker argues that although wind turbines are expensive, inefficient and unsightly, Britain is committed to building thousands more in order to meet EU renewables targets. He claims Britain ought to take notice of other EU countries turning against EU policy, following Holland’s announcement that it would slash its annual subsidy by billions of euros.
Zeit Mail: Booker
The Times reports that employers have warned that the EU Agency Workers Directive, due to come into force in October, will cost them £1.5 billion a year. The Directive will affect around 1.3m workers in the UK.Times
The Mail on Sunday reported that UK consumers have to pay nearly four times more for new eco-friendly light bulbs following the EU’s ban on incandescent bulbs.
Express Mail on Sunday Mail on Sunday: Leader
The Sunday Times reported that, following TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s campaign against the EU Common Fisheries Policy, EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki, will this Tuesday unveil a proposal to ban the controversial practice of “discards”, whereby fishermen have to throw back the fish for which they have no quota. However, Spain and other southern European countries are expected to oppose the plan.Sunday Times Express
News of the World reported that the Conservative-run Northants County Council has opened a £2m office in Brussels, at the same time as it has cut 900 jobs and passed saving measures worth £73m.No link
In an interview with Al-Jazeera, David Cameron has rejected calls for an in/out referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU, arguing that leaving the EU would “not be in [Britain’s] interest.” On his Telegraph blog, Dan Hannan has argued that rather than guessing at the outcome, and then working backwards, people ought to consider instead whether it is right in principle to consult the country.Al-Jazeera: Cameron Telegraph: Hannan
Saturday’s Express reported that under the European Parliament’s “mobility plan”, parliamentary staff using public transport are entitled to a taxpayer-funded travel subsidy of £203, about half the annual cost of a season ticket.Saturday’s Express Saturday’s Express: Editorial
EUobserver reports that, ahead of a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the German society of “xenophobia” and the German government of “discrimination” against Turkish migrants. This follows an awkward meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday, during which Sarkozy told the press that Turkey’s accession would “destabilise” the EU.EUobserver
Le Figaro reports that French Foreign Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie resigned yesterday over links with the ousted Tunisian regime. She will be replaced by Alain Juppé, who has been serving as Defence Minister.Independent Le Figaro

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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, follow us on twitter @OpenEurope or call us on +44 (0) 207 1972333 (London) and +32 (0) 2 5408625 (Brussels).

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Return to Zion?

Shalom Ilan, haveri! Thank you for thinking of me. We've had an ice and snow snow that came in last night and expect another tonight. My car door won't open. Frozen shut.
I would love to visit my beloved Land but probably can't for many reasons: I'm a poor white boy (I'm a poor fellow getting ready to sell my home and move with Mom and her boyfriend Doug to a nice home with my own bedroom in the country). And my AIDS doctors said I'll probably be dead and are in shock I'm not already and haven't gotten sick with infectious diseases. Blessed be God! What will be will be. I won't give up without a struggle.

Love ya Ilan,

David

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Open Europe

Europe

France calls for sanctions against LibyaFrench President Nicolas Sarkozy today called on the EU to adopt “swift and concrete” sanctions against Libya. He said that such “measures [should] concern notably the possibility of bringing them to face justice, barring them from the Union's territory and surveillance of financial movements.” "I would also like to be examined the suspension until further notice of economic, commercial and financial relations with Libya," he added.
During his tour of Middle East countries, David Cameron has called for “radical reform” of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), a set of aid and development programmes targeted at the EU’s neighbouring countries. The Telegraph notes that countries in the Middle East and North Africa receive around £1.4bn a year from the ENP, and that the UK’s annual contribution to the scheme is estimated at around £180m. The Guardian quotes a British official saying: “We have to recognise the policy has failed. It has been successful in helping eastern European countries prepare for EU membership. But it has completely failed in this region. The EU has to be brave enough to turn the taps off if it does not see results.”
Meanwhile, as the demonstrations in Libya continue, the EU is struggling to agree on what actions need to be taken against Moammar Gaddafi’s regime. Foreign Secretary William Hague told reporters yesterday that “the Libyan Government is trying to stop the world seeing what is happening in Libya, but we will do everything we can to make sure they are held accountable for their actions.” German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said: "If Libya continues to use force against its own people, sanctions will become inevitable."
However, the Times of Malta notes that the EU is still divided over whether to impose sanctions. Asked, during an interview with Radio Zet, whether Gaddafi will end up like former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who was executed following the Romanian revolution, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski sarcastically said: “It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.” EUobserver notes that the EU’s latest report on arm exports shows that in 2009 EU countries granted €343.7m worth of licenses to Libya, although the figures for actual shipments are incomplete.
La Repubblica reports that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has called Gaddafi and has asked him to stop the violence in order to avoid civil war in Libya. The Italian government fears an exodus of up to 300,000 migrants from Libya to its shores. Italy was also forced to shut down the Greenstream pipeline from Libya – which provides for 13% of its daily gas imports – due to safety concerns for Italian energy firm ENI’s workers based in Libya.  
EUbusiness Guardian EUobserver EUobserver 2 EUobserver 3 Economist: Bagehot BBC: Today La Repubblica La Repubblica 2 Radio Zet: Sikorski ANSA Straneuropa blog BBC BBC: Hewitt El Mundo El Mundo 2 Telegraph Economist: Bagehot blog
De Standaard: “Ashton can’t do it”An article in De Standaard criticises EU Foreign Minister Baroness Catherine Ashton in the light of recent events in the Middle East and argues: “Ashton can’t do it…[she is] hardly dynamic… Maybe that’s what a Baroness should be, but is it what the EU needs?” On his La Stampa blog, Marco Zatterin argues: “Lady Ashton can now do two things: either raise her head up and stop being a puppet in the hands of [European] capitals…or resign…and send a message to EU governments, so that they stop pretending that they have a common foreign policy.”
De Standaard Straneuropa blog
Merkel considers extending Greek bail-outFollowing a meeting yesterday with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that “there certainly is a discussion about whether to consider extending the running time of the Greek [bailout] program”. However, she added that any decision on the issue is unlikely before the EU summit at the end of March. Kathimerini reports that Greek diplomats said they are confident that the repayment period will be extended to 10 or 11 years, but are not sure if the interest rate will be decreased.
The ECB yesterday criticised eurozone leaders for moving too timidly against countries whose excessive spending and borrowing had endangered the euro. In the Irish Independent, columnist David McWilliams argues that “If we the Irish people hold a referendum on the bank debts now, we can go to the EU with a mandate from the people which says NO. This will allow our politicians to play hard-ball.”
On his Telegraph blog, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard comments that outgoing Bundesbank president Axel Weber’s criticism of eurozone economic policy in yesterdays’ FT makes it clear he prefers the option of “letting EMU die”, as the alternative would be a full European fiscal union, spelling “the end of Germany as a self-governing sovereign nation”.
Expansion 2 Expansion 3 Jornal de Negocios 2 Expansion FT EUobserver Le Figaro Irish Times Kathimerini Die Welt Times IHT Irish Independent: McWilliams Vanity Fair: Lewis Times: Kaletsky Dan O’Brien: Irish Times Irish Independent FT Comment: Wolf FT Editorial Editorial Comment: Irish Times Handelsblatt WSJ Telegraph: Evans-Pritchard
Euractiv France notes that, in a report sent to the European Commission, France has insisted on the “priority of reducing the share of the EU budget devoted to the cohesion policy,” arguing that this would be the natural consequence of the greater economic convergence achieved by EU regions and member states over recent years.Euractiv France
A leader in the Times argues that “bold deregulation” is needed to bolster growth in the UK, particularly regarding employment regulations. The article notes that the Transfer of Undertakings Regulations (TUPE), a gold plated version of the EU’s Acquired Rights Directive (ARD), is a significant deterrent to competition.No link
In the Times, former Home Secretary Michael Howard argues that human rights law should be decided by “elected, accountable politicians” rather than “unaccountable, unelected judges.”Times: Howard
Dutch central-bank Chief Nout Wellink has signalled his interest in the presidency of the European Central Bank, saying in an interview that his decades of international experience and record for fighting inflation qualify him for the job.WSJ WSJ 2
A WSJ editorial notes that “Iceland's voters will once again get to have their say over whether they should bear the cost of the 2008 bailouts of British and Dutch depositors in Icelandic banks…But it's unclear why Iceland should bear the costs of bailing out the Dutch and British at all.”WSJ: Editorial
The Telegraph reports that member states yesterday voted to allow imports into Europe that consist of 0.1% genetically modified seed.No link
An FSA director, Verena Ross, has been chosen as chief executive of the new EU financial services watchdog, the European Securities and Markets Authority. Despite being a German national it is likely that the appointment will ease fears over Britain not having any high ranking officials in the ESMA despite London being the EU’s financial capital.FT City AM FT: Westminster blog
According to the official EU statute, European Commission officials are not allowed time off in order to make up for working overtime. Despite this, the Commission has introduced a new arrangement called ‘flexitime’ which allows officials to accrue hours and in return gives them time off.Bild
A European Parliament spokesman has responded to criticism on how the EP is hiring extra staff, claiming: "most of the proposed new posts are related to the accession of Croatia”Parliament
Writing in the name of the European Liberal Party (ELDR), Sweden’s Europe Minister Birgitta Ohlsson, has called for reforms of the EU budget, writing: "Rather than preserving past priorities, the EU should redirect expenditure”, which should be financed through “reduced expenditure on agriculture. (…) Structural funds should focus on the parts of the Union most in need. "
ELDR 1 ELDR 2
The EU granted the Cornish pasty protected status yesterday, meaning only those produced in Cornwall, to a specific recipe, can be described as ‘Cornish’.
Independent Times Guardian

Friday, February 18, 2011

The Vatican versus the Fourth Commandment

By Wyatt Ciesielka | Saturday, February 12, 2011
On January 25, Pope Benedict XVI again proclaimed his desire "to ignite a fervent missionary movement in the Catholic Church," stating he wants to advance "the entire Catholic Church into a new missionary age" in 2011 (catholic.org, January 28, 2011). While this movement will ultimately contribute to fulfilling prophecies such as Isaiah 47:8-9 and Revelation 17:2-5, an aspect of this rejuvenated "fervent missionary movement" already affects billions. This is the growing emphasis on Sunday observance. Read more Read More

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Open Europe

Reminder: Fundación para el Análisis y los Estudios Sociales (FAES) and Open Europe are hosting a seminar in Madrid tomorrow on the eurozone. For more information, please contact Siân Herbert by email:
sian@openeurope.org.uk

Europe

Lords criticise failure of EU’s €55m-a-year police training mission in AfghanistanEUobserver notes that in a report published yesterday the House of Lords EU Committee concluded that the EU’s police training mission in Afghanistan has achieved “very little” in the past four years due to understaffing. The mission, which will cost €54.6m for the year 2010-11, is described as “woefully inadequate” and “has the wider effect of bringing EU Common Security and Defence Policy missions as a whole into disrepute.” The report notes that after four years of work, around 70% of Afghan police cannot read or write and process basic paperwork.
The report also highlights “the slowness of EU bureaucracy” to get the project off the ground and the lack of cooperation with NATO forces. The Committee's Chairman, Lord Teverson, is quoted by the BBC saying, “there is no formal agreement between the EU and NATO in Afghanistan, which we find utterly unacceptable.”
EUobserver BBC House of Lords report Open Europe blog
Conservatives may pledge to leave European Court of Human Rights at next electionTheTimes reports that David Cameron is preparing to fight the 2015 general election with a pledge on pulling out of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). A Conservative policy review will examine whether the party can back withdrawing from the Court, but party figures admitted that they would not be able to pursue such a move while in coalition with the Liberal Democrats. The FT reports that the President of the ECHR, Jean-Paul Costa, has warned it would be a “disaster” for Britain if it failed to let prisoners vote or left the jurisdiction of the Court.
Meanwhile, The Parliament reports that MEPs yesterday demanded increased protection for prisoners’ rights, including "minimum common standards" for all prisoners across member states, overseen and enforced by the Fundamental Rights Agency.
Times Telegraph: Leader FT Express: Leader Open Europe press release Open Europe research TheParliament.com
Merkel’s sister party: the introduction of “a European State through the back door” must be avoidedFAZ reports that the leadership of the Bavarian CSU party, has attacked German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble "in an unusually critical way" over the level of the permanent European bailout fund, which would see Germany bear a considerably higher burden. CSU General Secretary Alexander Dobrint said: “the introduction of a centralised European state through the back door” must be avoided. He added that it appears “that all European states want German money” and he argued “this cannot be the path we chose”.
In an interview with Die Zeit Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank, argues that eurozone members should make greater use of fiscal policy to atone for any economic differences. He said: “individual member states need to take monetary policy as given and adjust their national policies accordingly”. He added: “If a country is experiencing a boom, it has to make its own national policies – such as the fiscal, wage and structural policies and financial regulation – more restrictive, so that the economy does not become overheated or speculation gets out of control”.
Yesterday Portugal bought back €215m of €9.5bn bonds expiring in April and June. The purchase, which was expected to be higher, was described by traders as “insignificant”. Portugal also held an auction of €1bn of 12 month bills, which saw borrowing costs increase to 3.987% and demand fall. Separately, the ECB may have bought nearly €18 billion of Portuguese bonds since May according to Societe Generale. This would amount to15% of Portugal’s total debt outstanding.
The Irish Times reports that Irish banks are issuing bonds to themselves under a government guarantee to use as collateral in order to borrow cheaply from the ECB. Four banks issued bonds worth €17bn to themselves last month. “What you have here is micro-quantitative easing, or money printing,” said Cathal O’Leary, head of fixed-income sales at NCB Stockbrokers. “The banks are issuing unsecured loans to themselves”.
FT Bloomberg Irish Times Irish Times 2 Zeit Dow Jones FAZ
The FT reports that EU regional funds worth £155m destined for England were suspended between mid-October and mid-December 2010 while the Commission investigated “significant shortcomings” in the way the funds are spent by regional authorities. The funds have now been disbursed, but with a warning that greater supervision is required.FT
Residents asked to use up to nine bins to meet EU recycling targetsThe Telegraph reports that local councils are asking residents to separate rubbish into up to nine different bins in order to meet EU recycling targets. Gary Porter, Chairman of the Local Government Association Environment Board said: “Taxpayers face huge European Union financial penalties if targets to reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill are not met”.
Telegraph Express Mail
Zita.be reports that President of the Belgian Constitutional Court, Marc Bossuyt, has warned of the danger of a "government of judges" as the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights attribute more and more powers to themselves and overrule decisions made by elected politicians.Zita.be
The BBC reports that the EU has eased sanctions on Zimbabwe by removing 35 individuals from a list of people affected by visa bans and asset freezes. But sanctions on other people close to President Robert Mugabe were extended for another year.BBC
An article in the FT notes that youth unemployment in the eurozone currently stands at 20.4% up from 14.6% in February 2008, before the start of the financial crisis.FT
An article in the IHT notes that the difficulties currently faced by German publicly owned regional bank WestLB “are symptomatic of a larger problem in the German economy. Many of its biggest banks are still on government life support after making bad lending bets during the bubble years. And with their access to cheap capital long gone, their prospects of becoming profitable again are dubious.”IHT FAZ
The FT reports that the ECJ has ruled that EU member states can ban the exclusive airing of World Cup and European football championship games on pay TV, as both these events can be considered of “major social importance” and must therefore be guaranteed wider public viewing on free TV channels.FT AFP
Timothy Garton Ash says if EU does not come up with “a generous, imaginative and strategic response [to events in North Africa], then that failure will one day come back to haunt us on all the Arab streets of Europe”.
Guardian: Garton Ash
Hungary's government has agreed to amend a new media law after criticism from the EU that the legislation imposes unacceptable restrictions on freedom of expression.WSJ EurActiv European Voice
The Irish Government faces a fine of at least €3.27 million over its failure to adopt a farming environmental directive.Irish Times
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has approved a plan to establish a statutory register of practitioners supplying unlicensed herbal medicines in order to protect consumers from an EU ban on such products due to come into effect on the 1st May. The College of Medicine’s Kaye McIntosh said: “Without statutory regulation […] thousands of patients would be unable to make the choice to use herbal treatments”.
Mail
MEPs have agreed to enact new legislation on the labelling of medicines, in order to counteract a surge in fake drugs sold in the EU.EUobserver
Gazeta Wyborcza reports that the European Commission is considering a change to the Working Time Directive, which could see employees losing some of their holiday allowance in the event of long term sick-leave. Poland’s Employment and Social Affairs minister Jolanta Fedak told tabloid newspaper Fakt that she will oppose the measures.
Wyborcza Fakt
EUobserver reports that Belgium today marks 249 days of political deadlock, thereby hitting the world record for lack of government. No deal appears likely to emerge anytime soon in the country which hosts the EU’s institutions.EUobserver WSJ Tijd: De Grauwe

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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, follow us on twitter @OpenEurope or call us on +44 (0) 207 1972333 (London) and +32 (0) 2 5408625 (Brussels).

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Open Europe

Europe

Head of European Banking Authority: European banks will face more “top-down” regulation
In an interview with the FT, Andrea Enria – chair of the European Banking Authority – said the EBA will use its new powers to impose more uniform oversight on European banks through the adoption of a single set of rules. He argued: “I think now it has to be a little bit more top-down […] The senior people here should engage in real policy discussions, take decisions and make things happen. The ‘single rulebook’ is the true power. If we start having regulatory competition again, it will be havoc.” A top London-based executive at a global bank is quoted by the paper saying: “In five years, we’ll be talking to the EBA and Brussels. The FSA will be an afterthought.”
Open Europe research FT FT 2 Telegraph
Eurozone finance ministers agree on €500bn permanent bailout fund but crucial details remain unclearIt is widely reported that eurozone finance ministers yesterday agreed that the permanent bailout mechanism would be able to lend €500bn. The details of the funding, in terms of contributions and capital buffers, are not yet clear; however, Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg’s Prime Minister, confirmed it will be designed to lend the full amount unlike the current bailout fund. No agreement was reached on other details of the mechanism, such as whether it will be allowed to buy government bonds, a proposition which both Germany and the Netherlands oppose. Elsevier quotes a spokesman of the Dutch Finance Ministery saying: “there is no agreement at all. We’ll only have that when we have an agreement on everything.” Euractiv quotes Luxembourg Finance Minister Luc Frieden saying "We are probably too slow to take the relevant decisions”. The meeting also failed to yield an agreement on expanding the current bailout fund or the ‘pact for competitiveness’.
During a meeting with Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, yesterday Enda Kenny, Fine Gael leader, stated that a Fine Gael-lead government would “not contemplate, in any circumstances, moving” on the tax question. Despite this, German officials refused to rule out an agreement on taxes: “Everything depends on everything else and we’re not interested in one individual issue being factored out,” said a close political adviser to Merkel.
Meanwhile, GDP figures released yesterday show sluggish growth in Q4 2010 across the eurozone. A contraction in the Portuguese economy increased fears that it will need a bailout and pushed bong yields higher. Zach Witton, an economist at Moody’s, the rating agency, forecast on Monday that “Portugal will seek assistance from the EU’s bail-out fund by the second quarter of this year at the latest”.
In an interview with FAZ Mario Draghi, head of Italy’s Central Bank, suggested that “everyone should follow the German example” of prioritising stability politics and that he supports the Fraco-German notion of a competiveness pact. He also states that he opposes Eurobonds and does not regard the eurozone as a fiscal union. Handelsblatt reports that the French government would support a German for head of the ECB but does not see Draghi as a suitable candidate. In an interview with Les Echos, ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet has said that he would not extend his mandate if eurozone governments failed to agree on the name of his successor.
ECB executive board member Lorenzo Bini-Smaghi said in a speech: “It would be risky for the euro area to move to greater fiscal and budgetary integration in order to avoid the instability associated with the current system … the new regime could import new problems which might be politically even more difficult to tackle.”
IHT FT European Voice Euractiv Lepoint BBC EUobserver Le Monde BBC: Today Les Echos La Tribune Le Figaro Le Monde ECB: Bini-Smaghi El Pais El Pais 2 El Pais 3 Irish Times Irish Independent  Irish Independent 2 Guardian Handelsblatt Elsevier Euractiv 2 Lepoint Frankfurter Allgemeine  FT 2 FT 3  Jornal de Negocios Focus Frankfurter Rundschau FT 4 Irish Times 2 Irish Times 3 Irish Times 4 IHT: Politicus Les Echos: Trichet
A leader in the WSJ argues, “Governments in Athens, Dublin or Madrid may be cheering that they won't have to deal with Mr. Weber at the helm of the ECB. But his isolation at the governing council and his premature departure suggest a worrisome philosophical shift at the European Central Bank”. “A eurozone that Mr. Weber doesn't feel comfortable leading is one that should make anyone with a stake in the success of the single currency nervous”, the article concludes.
WSJ: leader
Intereconomia HLN WSJ
Judges at the European Court of Human Rights will not have the final say on whether prisoners should be given the vote, Attorney General Dominic Grieve said last night.Mail
The Council of Ministers yesterday agreed on an EU wide patent, but due to opposition from Spain and Italy the decision was made under ‘enhanced cooperation’, meaning that not all 27 member states will take part.El Pais
Catherine Ashton proposes mobilising €2bn from the European Investment Bank to support democratic reforms in Tunisia and EgyptWriting in the FT, the EU’s Foreign Minister Baroness Catherine Ashton proposes reviewing the EU’s neighbourhood policy, mobilising up to €1bn this year, a potential further €1bn from the European Investment Bank and providing a possible €1bn of financing through the existing resources of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to support democratic reforms in Tunisia and Egypt.
FT: Ashton Irish Times: Beesley Spiked: Prengel
Il Corriere della Sera reports that Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni has accused the EU of “not doing anything” to help Italy cope with the thousands of Tunisian refugees arriving on its shores.
Corriere della Sera Repubblica EUobserver EUobserver 2 BBC Irish Times Welt Tagesschau
Trouw reports that this week a motion will be presented to the Dutch Parliament, calling for the Dutch PM to take a tougher stance on EU affairs. FD Selections reports that there is a large majority in the Dutch Parliament who fear that the Netherlands is being dragged into a political union. Elsevier quotes Dutch Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager saying that the Franco-German ‘pact for competitiveness’ "shouldn't be a diktat".Spiegel Trouw FD Selections Elsevier
The Mail reports David Cameron is “furious” that Business Secretary Vince Cable has failed to find a way of halting EU legislation giving temporary staff the same salaries, holidays and overtime pay as their full-time counterparts after 12 weeks in employment. The measures, agreed by the previous government, are due to come into force in October, and a report by the British Chambers of Commerce has estimated they will cost businesses around £1.5billion a year.
Mail
The FT reports that Prime Minister David Cameron has been warned by his coalition partners that adopting an “empty chair” policy, while eurozone countries led by France and Germany take key economic decisions, could lead to Britain being “sidelined in a two-speed Europe”.FT
The FT’s chief political commentator Philip Stevens challenges the widespread conviction among most politicians that not adopting the euro has better enabled Britain to cope with the consequences of the global economic recession, saying that economic indicators point to an “uncomfortable reality […] that eurozone countries against which Britain more naturally measures its performance have suffered less as a consequence of the crash”.FT
The EU’s Commissioner for Telecommunications Neelie Kroes has said that she would probably seek new regulations to end the high charges Europeans face when using data services on smartphones outside their home countries.IHT
FT Deutschland reports that rating agency Moody’s is about to conduct a thorough review of the credit rating assigned to banks and financial institutions. This could have serious consequences for many state assisted institutions, as the review will only take into account the institutions’ own financial strength, which could lead to downgrades for many banks around Europe.FT Deutschland
EUobserver reports that EU finance ministers will today discuss a coordinated freeze of assets belonging to members of ousted Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak’s regime.EUobserver
La Repubblica reports that the Milan court has announced that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s trial will start on 6 April. Berlusconi is charged with abuse of power and aiding and abetting underage prostitution.Repubblica



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