European Union

Varoufakis, right, with his successor Euclid Tsakalotos in parliament last week

The London-based Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum, headed by an ex-Financial Times scribe – managing director David Marsh – on Monday released a 24-minute audiotape of a teleconference they held nearly two weeks ago with Yanis Varoufakis, the former Greek finance minister.

Details of the call were first revealed by the Greek daily Kathimerini, and much of most sensational revelations Varoufakis made were about a surreptitious project he and a small team of aides worked on to set up a parallel payments system that could be activated if the European Central Bank forced the shutdown of the Greek financial system.

But Varoufakis also made some other interesting allegations, including claims the International Monetary Fund believes the Greek bailout is doomed and that Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister, offered him another ministry shortly after he was relieved as finance minister.

We’ve had a listen to the entire call, and transcribed most of it – excluding some inconsequential asides to the teleconference’s hosts, Messrs Marsh and Norman Lamont, the former UK finance minister.

The recording starts with an apparent interruption of the speakers; the teleconference operator announces that the call is now being recorded. Then Varoufakis begins:

The thing is, I have to admit we did not have a mandate for bringing Greece out of the euro. What we had a mandate to do was to negotiate for a kind of arrangement with the eurogroup, with the European Central Bank that would render Greece sustainable within the eurozone.

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General : Countries such as Italy and Greece dealing with an influx of asylum seekers should receive more support from other member states, MEPs said on a delegation visit to the Italian island of Sicily from 22 to 24 July. “Italy spends over €1 billion every year just to take care of those who make it across the Mediterranean. Italy’s borders are the EU's borders and a better management of the migratory flows is our common responsibility,” said French ALDE member Jean Arthuis, co-chair of the delegation.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : Articles on our photography contest, Ukraine, social media, gender equality and the European integration of the Western Balkans have proved to be most popular on our website in the first half of 2015. Read our article to find out more and click on the links to discover them yourself.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Despite the efforts of the international community, and in particular the recent initiative of President Museveni with a view to facilitating an inter-Burundian dialogue, it seems clear that insufficient progress has been made in implementing the decisions adopted by the African Union on 13 June and by the East African Community on 6 July. Only by implementing those decisions in full would it have been possible to hold credible and inclusive elections in Burundi yielding representative results. In going ahead with the elections, the government has decided otherwise.

In the absence of a meaningful national dialogue which could lead to a political consensus, Burundi will be unable to return to the path of stability, democracy and development which started with the adoption of the Arusha Agreement. The EU will therefore launch the preparatory work for specific consultations as provided for in Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement in order to ensure that the Burundian government makes the commitments necessary to remedy the crisis. Respect for human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law is an essential element of the cooperative relationship between the EU and Burundi, which is governed by the Cotonou Agreement.

The EU urges the government and the opposition parties to resume the dialogue in order to achieve a consensual outcome which will lead to the re-establishment of an inclusive and democratic political system. The EU fully supports the efforts being made to that end by the East African Community, the African Union and the United Nations.

The European Union is deeply concerned about the humanitarian, socioeconomic and security-related impact of the crisis in the country and in the region as a whole. In that context, we welcome the dispatch by the African Union of human rights observers and military experts to oversee the disarmament of the groups affiliated to the political parties. The European Union commends the generosity of neighbouring countries in sheltering refugees from Burundi and reaffirms its solidarity with the Burundian people and with the host communities, including through the mobilisation of humanitarian aid for the thousands of refugees.

The EU notes that violence cannot be used for political ends and once again calls on all stakeholders and political leaders to both condemn and discourage it. In particular, this refers to the activities of the armed groups, such as the recent attacks in the province of Kayanza. In line with the Council conclusions of June 2015, the European Union is preparing to adopt, where necessary, restrictive measures targeted at those whose actions might have led or might lead to acts of violence and repression and to serious human rights violations, and/or which might hamper the quest for a political solution.

The Candidate Countries Montenegro*, Serbia* and Albania*, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia and Georgia align themselves with this Declaration. 

* Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process. 

The three films competing for the 2015 LUX Prize were announced on 24 July in Rome by EP vice-president Antonio Tajani and culture committee chair Silvia Costa, at the Venice Days press conference. The films are: Mediterranea by Jonas Carpignano (Italy, United States, Germany, France, Qatar), Mustang, by Deniz Gamze Ergüven (France, Germany, Turkey, Qatar) and Urok (The Lesson) by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov (Bulgaria, Greece).
Committee on Culture and Education

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The three films competing for the 2015 LUX Prize were announced on 24 July in Rome by EP vice-president Antonio Tajani and culture committee chair Silvia Costa, at the Venice Days press conference. The films are: Mediterranea by Jonas Carpignano (Italy, United States, Germany, France, Qatar), Mustang, by Deniz Gamze Ergüven (France, Germany, Turkey, Qatar) and Urok (The Lesson) by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov (Bulgaria, Greece).
Committee on Culture and Education

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The Informal meeting of Ministers and State Secretaries for European Affairs takes place on 24 July in Luxembourg.

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DRAFT OPINION on Towards a European Energy Union
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Francisco Assis

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The Informal meeting of Ministers for the Environment takes place on 22 and 23 July in Luxembourg.

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Summer recess

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Summer recess

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Summer recess

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

1. The EU firmly condemns the brutal attack which killed 38 tourists and wounded many others, on 26 June near Sousse, three months after the deadly attack at the Bardo. It reiterates its solidarity with the Tunisian people and with the families of the victims. 

2. While Tunisia embodies the success of a genuine democratic revolution and has made a transition to being the kind of society that protects fundamental freedoms and human rights, it is also a target for terrorism. These attacks strengthen the EU's determination, expressed by the European Council of 20 March, to support the Tunisian transition so that it can maintain its ambitious aim of democratic consolidation, and to deepen the privileged partnership between the EU and Tunisia which manifests, in many fields, the shared ambition to bring Europeans and Tunisians closer together.

3. The EU reasserts its support for the efforts of the Tunisian authorities to implement the Constitution fully, to ensure that all on Tunisian territory are safe and to undertake the reforms that are needed in order to meet the social and economic challenges that confront the young above all. It reiterates its commitment to further intensify its cooperation with Tunisia, through substantial technical and financial support, within an integrated approach designed to respond to the numerous challenges facing the country.