Government must decide on controversial EU investigation order by 28 July
16 July 2010
The Telegraph reports that the Home Office has until 28 July to decide whether to opt in to plans for a European Investigation Order, which would allow police officers from an EU country to demand information from
Telegraph Conservative Home Open Europe research
Justice ministers resist Commission plans for burden sharing on asylum
The Irish Times reports that EU justice ministers are resisting proposals from the European Commission to deepen the reach of the EU’s asylum system. Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström’s proposal would relax a measure known as the Dublin Regulation, which compels member states to take responsibility for asylum seekers who first apply for asylum on their territory and to take back those applicants who subsequently move to another member state. But Malmström believes exceptions should be made in cases where member states face “particular migratory pressure”. There are fears among member states that the proposal could lead to ‘asylum shopping’ and that more relaxed rules could create greater migratory pressures.
Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter quotes Malmström saying she is unsure about whether agreement can be reached by 2012: “It’s going to be very difficult. There are big differences between the positions taken by the Member States.” Deutsche Welle reports that
Irish Times Dagens Nyheter Tagesschau Allgaeu Rundschau DW
Commission report shows that irregularities are on the rise in EU agriculture and regional spending
In its annual report on the protection of the EU's financial interests, the European Commission has noted that the number of reported irregularities with EU spending has considerably increased in areas including agriculture, cohesion policy and pre-accession funds, Belga reports.
Wprost TVN24 Belga Commission Report
15 MEPs check out of EP early and head to
The Parliament reports that 15 MEPs are currently on a trip to the Seychelles for a two-day ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly meeting, just a few weeks after the EP’s so-called “external parliamentary activities” session, the week when MEPs are given the opportunity to attend such meetings, and in the last week before the EP breaks for a six-week recess. The article quotes one unnamed MEP saying: “You have to ask why it is necessary for so many members to be taking part in this event. At a time of sweeping cuts in many member states it does not look great, does it.” Open Europe’s
Business leaders hit out at calls for tougher EU emissions targets;
Member states agree to single EU carbon auctioning system
The FT reports that business leaders have reacted angrily to yesterday’s call from the environment ministers of
A leader in the paper argues, “In their wish to tighten the emission corset unilaterally, the ministers leave open the possibility of carbon leakage…Reductions must come from areas such as transport and energy efficiency. Different tools will be required, including a carbon tax (which would ease the pressure on stressed government budgets).” Climate expert Bjørn Lomborg argues in an opinion piece in Die Welt that “the EU’s climate policies are expensive and absurd”.
Meanwhile, EUobserver reports that EU member states have unanimously backed Commission proposals that will see carbon-emitting industries buy roughly half of their emission allowances under the third phase of the emissions trading scheme (ETS) from 2013. Under the plan, the Commission is also pushing for a single European auctioning system to sell pollution permits, which member states have agreed to in theory but also insisted on the right to opt out of and hold their own auctions later on if they desire.
The aviation sector will be brought into the ETS from 2012, with 15 percent of allowances to be auctioned. The draft regulation will now go to the European Parliament for a three-month scrutiny period.
A new report from environmental NGO Sandbag says that European industries are subsidising direct competitors in
EUobserver EurActiv European Voice EurActiv 2 EurActiv 3 FT: Leader FT: Letters FT Die Welt: Lomborg
The WSJ reports that yesterday the Slovakian government announced its backing to the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) – the €440 billion emergency rescue fund for struggling eurozone countries. However, Slovakian Finance Minister Ivan Miklos made clear that his country “will give its approval to the actual launch of the mechanism only if the EU remarkably strengthens the Stability and Growth Pact”. In addition, Prime Minister Iveta Radicova said that
The Times reports that Foreign Secretary William Hague has rejected warnings from Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso over the state of EU-US relations, and insisted that whatever the difference between “European structures” and the
Ashton to name top officials in EEAS in October
EUobserver reports that EU Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton will soon unveil the names of 31 senior diplomats who will be appointed as heads and deputy heads of new EU delegations. The names of the officials – including the three Secretaries-General – who will be given the top 10 jobs in the European External Action Service (EEAS) will be disclosed in October.
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Following the news that UK MEPs have the worst attendance record in the European Parliament, Open Europe is quoted by The Parliament arguing that, “Helping to fight the general election campaign is all very well but MEPs’ first duty is to make sure that EU laws coming out of the European parliament are good for the
EU Fundamental Rights Commissioner Viviane Reding’s threat to legislate on gender quotas in boardrooms receives further coverage in the
Guardian Telegraph Svenska Dagbladet
In the WSJ, Stephen Fidler outlines the various EU plans on financial regulation and supervision.
WSJ: Fidler Open Europe events
On his Telegraph blog,
In the WSJ, Terence Roth writes, “With warning lights still flickering red, doubts put the market's full focus on next Friday's stress test results of euro-zone banks,” while a leader in the Economist argues that “regulators must redouble their efforts to make the tests work.”
WSJ: Roth WSJ Economist: Leader Irish Independent EUobserver City AM
The Economist’s Charlemagne column considers the social welfare system in
De Standaard reports that MEPs have urged the Belgian Presidency to make reducing
EU Commissioner for taxation and fraud, Algirdas Semeta, stated yesterday at a joint press conference with British American Tobacco, that tobacco companies will pay a total of €134 million over the next 20 years to the Commission to fight against smuggling and counterfeiting of branded cigarettes.
The Dutch city of