Commission launches 1.8m euro publicity campaign to target Lisbon No voters
04 February 2009
The Irish Times reports that the European Commission is spending 1.8 million euros on a communications strategy to target Irish women, young people and low-income families with information about the EU. The article notes that blogging, cinema advertising, and advertising in women’s and youth magazines are key parts of a 12 month EU-Ireland information plan, which specifically targets segments of the public that voted in large numbers against the Lisbon Treaty.
The Commission yesterday rejected any suggestion that its Irish communications strategy was part of a campaign to get the Lisbon Treaty passed in a second referendum. “There will be no advocacy or publicity campaign ahead of the second referendum,” said Joe Hennon, Spokesman for EU Communications Commissioner Margot Wallstrom. He said any extra resources would be for several years and would aim to address the problem of a lack of knowledge about the EU.
The closing date for the Commission’s call for the tender is 24 February and the communications strategy is expected to be rolled out as soon as the contract is signed.
Meanwhile, The Parliament reports that the European Parliament is to review its decision to grant financial assistance to Libertas, the anti-Lisbon Treaty group. The Parliament had backed Libertas’ application on Monday, granting it 200,000 euros of funding, but will now reconsider the decision “in the next few weeks.” The move comes after Estonian MP Igor Grazin denied putting his name to an application by Libertas to apply for official status as a pan-European party.
Under EU rules, an organisation seeking to become a pan-European party entitling it to EU funds must obtain the signatures of elected representatives from at least seven EU member states. If Grazin withdraws his support Libertas will have signatures from only six nations.
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Strikes on use of foreign labour continue;
Wildcat industrial strikes are continuing over the use of foreign labour at the Lindsey oil refinery in
The BBC reports that an initial deal to resolve the dispute has been rejected. Derek Simpson, the joint General Secretary of the UNITE union has said that “Even if this dispute is settled [there is] still a major problem about how these foreign companies, who win contracts and come complete with a workforce, are going to create other difficulties.”
The Telegraph reports that
A separate article in the FT argues that at the “heart” of the strikes is “whether employers of foreign workers should be allowed to undercut the pay of indigenous employees”. EU free movement laws allow foreign contractors to bring their own staff from overseas and grant them the same legal rights as British employees. However, unions argue that this undermines industry pay agreements reached separately in the
Writing in the Guardian’s Comment is Free section, author Philippe Legrain argues that if British workers are being discriminated against, it is unacceptable, but otherwise the free movement of labour is at the very heart of the EU and without it, the EU would “unravel”.
Conservative MP Bill Cash will today present a Bill in Parliament to provide for “workers or members of a trade union who are
The CBI’s Deputy-Director John Cridland told the Home Affairs Committee yesterday that the use of migrant labour in
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The Malta Independent features Open
Malta Independent Out of control? Measuring a decade of EU regulation
Obama seeks to avoid potential trade war between US and EU
US President Barack Obama has stated that he wants to avoid protectionist measures that would lead to a potential trade war between the EU and the
According to the Guardian, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the World Economic Forum, in Davos last week: “We must not allow market forces to be completely distorted. I'm wary of seeing subsidies injected into the
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S&P on Spanish record unemployment: euro membership part of the problem;
Barroso: “no consensus for new eurozone summit”
The Telegraph reports that Spain lost almost 200,000 jobs in January in the worst one-month rise since records began, lifting the unemployment rate to 14.4pc and according to Le Figaro, leading to 3.3 million people unemployed, its highest point for 12 years. Finance Minister Pedro Solbes is quoted in the Telegraph saying, “There is almost nothing Madrid can do to halt the downward spiral”, with the newspaper commenting that while he has avoided blaming Spain's euro membership for the country's plight, there is no question that Spain's failure to adapt to the rigours of EMU is at the root of its structural crisis. Standard & Poor’s reportedly said euro membership had become part of the problem since it prevented the country resorting to aggressive monetary stimulus to counter the housing crash, or from devaluing to restore competitiveness.
Meanwhile, HLN reports that a spokesman for Commission President Jose Barroso said there is “no consensus to organise a new summit of heads of state and government of the eurozone currently exists”, responding to earlier calls for a summit from French President Nicolas Sarkozy. A spokesman for German Chancellor Merkel is quoted saying that the finance ministers of the Eurozone gather every month, adding that “experience has taught us that some eurogroup matters are better not discussed in public”.
Wolfgang Munchau comments in the FTD that it is hard to predict whether the eurozone will break up. However, he argues that
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EU struggles with national plans to rescue car manufacturers
MEPs, the European Council and the EU Commission are to hold a debate this afternoon to discuss the impact of the economic crisis on the car industry which is likely to be dominated by accusations of protectionism and state intervention.
Vote on extending freedom of movement to
Euractiv reports that
The European Parliament has backed ambitious climate goals for 2050, namely a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80%, improve energy efficiency by 35%, and increase the share of renewables in the EU's energy mix to 60%. MEPs also called for the Czech Presidency and the Commission to present plans for the EU to diversify its energy supplies.
In response to US plans for a missile defence shield in
Tony Barber: EU still enthusiastic for enlargement
In an article in the FT Tony Barber looks at EU enlargement, assessing the membership prospects of the applicant countries. He notes that despite a degree of ‘enlargement fatigue’ in some of the older member states, “2009 may turn out to be a year of surprises. By December, the EU could see one country (Croatia) completing its accession talks, another (Turkey) making progress, a third (the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia) preparing to start membership negotiations, and five others (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iceland, Montenegro and Serbia) having submitted formal applications to join.”
Quatremer: “
Jean Quatremer argues on his blog that the closure of Guantanamo Prison has embarrassed the Czech government which had supported US President Bush’s line of using the prison. “The Czechs’ silence on its closure and refusal to call a meeting of European leaders to discuss the future of the prison’s detainees” is, according to Quatremer, “a clear sign of its discomfort.” He believes this is why the EU has been so hesitant in adopting a common line towards accepting detainees. However, Quatremer notes that the Czech government is now showing itself willing to take the initiative by deciding to address the issue during the next council of EU Foreign Ministers on 24-25 February.
In an interview with Trade Negotiations Insight, EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton has assured that access to development funds for African, Pacific and
PriceWaterhouseCoopers has warned that the economic crisis in Germany will be longer due to EU bureaucracy, with the head of their German division quoted as saying, “EU bureaucracy hinders Germany investing billions through its stimulus program”.
Any plans to set up “bad banks” in the EU must not leave taxpayers overexposed to more losses, according to Internal Market Commissioner, Charlie McCreevy. McCreevy also called for tougher regulation on the trading of certain financial instruments, such as credit derivatives.
European companies fear that new Commission proposals to tackle VAT fraud will put a disproportionate responsibility on companies, who risk being severely punished for making the smallest of errors.
Clarke: “We have to address” excessive regulation
In a speech printed in the Independent, Shadow Business Secretary Ken Clarke argues that it was the quality, not quantity, of regulation in the banking sector that contributed to the economic crisis, and writes that “But that does not mean that other sectors of industry should be excessively regulated”. He also goes on to say that “the excessive regulation of the rest of the UK economy should not be off the agenda”, because “It still matters that it takes twice as long to set up a company in this country as it does in France... and we have to address that”.
Immigration Minister Phil Woolas wants to tighten the points-based system for immigration from outside the EU so that non-EU nationals do not take jobs that might otherwise go to British graduates.
The Guardian reports that the Government is almost certain to fail on its key environmental manifesto pledge to cut emissions of carbon dioxide from 1990 levels by 20% by 2010.
World
Iran yesterday launched the country's first domestically produced satellite into orbit, intensifying western fears over its ballistic missile capabilities.
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