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On Thursday MEPs supported the candidacy of Carlo Alberto Manfredi Selvaggi, nominated by the Italian government, for the EU Court of Auditors (ECA).
Committee on Budgetary Control

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Marion Maréchal, tête de liste Reconquête pour les élections européennes, fait actuellement polémique en France, suite à des propos sur les produits halal et le […]

L’article Ramadan 2024 : Marion Maréchal s’oppose à la promotion des produits halal en France est apparu en premier sur .

Hier, le mercredi 13 mars 2024 Nadir Larbaoui, Premier ministre, a présidé une réunion du Gouvernement dédiée à des sujets cruciaux, selon un communiqué officiel. […]

L’article Réunion du Gouvernement : plusieurs dossiers à l’ordre du jour est apparu en premier sur .

Újpesti Polgármesteri Hivatal
Közösségi jogi elvek
A személyes adatok védelme: a tagállami felügyeleti hatóság elrendelheti a jogellenesen kezelt adatok törlését, még az érintett előzetes kérelme hiányában is

Újpesti Polgármesteri Hivatal
Principes du droit communautaire
Protection des données à caractère personnel : l’autorité de contrôle d’un État membre peut ordonner l’effacement de données traitées de manière illicite, même en l’absence d’une demande préalable de la personne concernée

Bizottság kontra Egyesült Királyság
The United Kingdom has infringed EU law as a result of a judgment of its Supreme Court

Commission / Royaume-Uni (Arrêt de la Cour suprême)
Le Royaume-Uni a violé le droit de l’Union du fait d'un arrêt de sa Cour suprême

D & A Pharma kontra Bizottság és EMA
Gyógyszerek forgalomba hozatalának engedélyezése: az Európai Gyógyszerügynökségnek (EMA) biztosítania kell, hogy azok a szakértők, akikkel konzultál, ne legyenek összeférhetetlenségi helyzetben

D & A Pharma / Commission et EMA
Autorisation de mise sur le marché de médicaments : l’Agence européenne des médicaments (EMA) doit veiller à ce que les experts qu’elle consulte ne soient pas en situation de conflit d’intérêts

LG ELECTRONICS ALGERIE s’engage à simplifier la vie des familles algériennes pendant le mois sacré du Ramadan. Alors qu’elles se réunissent autour de repas copieux […]

L’article LG Quad Wash révolutionne la vaisselle pour le Ramadan est apparu en premier sur .

On Thursday, negotiators from Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement on updating rules to trace import and export of civilian firearms more effectively.
Committee on International Trade

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

On Thursday, negotiators from Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement on updating rules to trace import and export of civilian firearms more effectively.
Committee on International Trade

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Thursday, 14 March

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Thursday, 14 March

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

A bit of tricky one, this. It partly explains the hiatus in posting of late, although that might also be down to the rubbish weather.

As we move towards a General Election, interest has naturally turned towards what a Labour government might look like and do. And EU policy is a recurring question.

On the one hand, the party played down the issue. It’s not that salient among voters; the party worries its views might dissuade swing voters; and the Conservatives will make full use of an ‘will of the people’ argument on any big changes in relations.

On the other, the relatively distant trading relationship with the EU is a deadweight cost to the economy, instinctive sympathies for close relations exist throughout the party leadership and there’s an incentive to demonstrate how to ‘make Brexit work’ is more than just about tone.

Which leaves observers in a position of some uncertainty.

I have yet to speak to anyone who thinks there is a more developed and ambitious EU policy within the party, awaiting the moment it can be unleashed, presumably after a crushing election victory.

At the same time, the piecemeal and hopeful approach of what we already know appears to be not fully fit for any constructive purpose. As Tim Shipman noted last week, it’s not enough to say that you’re not the Tories and hope everything falls into your lap. Both the EU and its member states have already secured their key objectives in the TCA/WA treaties, so the UK needs to have a more compelling sell if changes are to ensue.

All of which is a prelude to a graphic-in-progress.

Here I’ve try to gather all the public elements of Labour’s EU work in the post-Johnson period. That includes speeches substantively about the subject (although all of these drift off into broader framings to various degrees), policy statements and interactions with relevant people.

It’s a limited overview, since there are various other things going on that I’m aware of, but can’t easily substantiate. However, there’s nothing that suggests any significant divergence from the broad picture presented here: lots of getting-to-know-yous, warm words, but minimal policy development beyond that.

At a guess, the intention is to get a few (relatively) simple wins – on SPS, on security – and then to leave more involved options for the fabled second term. Of course, those more involved options are also the ones that need more time to negotiate, so whether anything significant could be wrapped up in time is a moot point right now.

But that is to miss the wider point, namely that while there is an agenda of strengthening the UK’s profile as a key partner, within which EU relations sit, the starting point is one of minimising spending of political capital, rather than a strategically-grounded reassessment.

That’s understandable from a political management perspective, but it runs the risk of leaving a Labour government underpreparing for handling any future bumps in the road, foreseen and unforeseen. Just as the Major government found that reactive European policy had its limits in the 1990s, so too might Starmer discover that leaning-in is the less politically-costly option in the long run.

PDF: https://bit.ly/UshGraphic126

 

The post Labour’s EU policy: Early markers appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

Intelligence Online previously revealed how all Chinese associations, including the United Front Work Department (UFWD), which is China's instrument of influence abroad (IO, 28/02/23 and 22/01/24), have been reorganised to be placed under greater control of Beijing's diplomats. This change

The drone detection and counter-threat technology firm Hidden Level has stepped up its Washington lobbying efforts by retaining in late February Cornerstone

San Antonio, Texas - Sierra Nevada Corp and HawkEye 360 staff criss-cross pathsThe two long-standing intelligence community service providers HawkEye

Californian company Saildrone presented its maritime intelligence and ocean mapping projects at Saudi Arabia's World Defense Show, which took place

Plamen Tonshev, head of the State Agency for National Security, DANS (IO, 23/06/21), is being swamped with reports from his