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Press release - EP TODAY

European Parliament (News) - Thu, 13/07/2023 - 09:41
Thursday, 13 July

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP
Categories: European Union

Press release - EP TODAY

European Parliament - Thu, 13/07/2023 - 09:41
Thursday, 13 July

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP
Categories: European Union

120/2023 : 13 July 2023 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-376/20

European Court of Justice (News) - Thu, 13/07/2023 - 09:37
Commission v CK Telecoms UK Investments
Competition
The General Court must rule once more on the lawfulness of the Commission’s prohibition of the acquisition of Telefónica Europe (‘O2’) by Hutchison 3G UK (‘Three’)

Categories: European Union

“Leaving the ECHR” and other confusions

Ideas on Europe Blog - Thu, 13/07/2023 - 08:47

A mild detour for me before the summer holidays kick in: the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Part of the wider logic of ‘taking back control’ was the need to unshackle the UK from other constraints on its freedom to do as it will, in order to address situations it faces. Just as leaving the EU was framed as becoming a more nimble and flexible international partner, so too has the status of the ECHR long been a sore point when it comes to managing migration, asylum and deportations.

The long saga of the Rwanda policy (Note to self: must make a graphic to try an unpick the logic) has only reinvigorated this latter point. Tory backbenchers talk about ‘leaving the ECHR’ now, just as they have done for some time, to allow the government to implement its democratically-agreed policy.

The graphic below takes such comments at face value. It explains how a state ‘leaves the ECHR’ (basically, you write a letter and wait six months), but also the various consequences.

The aim here is to highlight the interconnected nature of laws and of treaties: obligations towards the ECHR aren’t only found in the ECHR treaty itself.

None of what’s here is particularly new: Steve Peers wrote extensively about this within weeks of the TCA’s sign-off in early 2021, for example.

“That’s not what they meant”

When I posted this yesterday, the response was interesting, in that various people came back to argue that none of this was really about ‘leaving the ECHR’ (despite that being literally what was being said), but about ‘leaving the Court’.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is created by the ECHR Convention to adjudicate on cases relating to provisions (Article 19, fact fans). A simple explanation would be that the ECtHR is the ECHR equivalent of the European Court of Justice in the EU, i.e. the final arbiter of the relevant provisions. That means those resident within ECHR signatories can ultimately take their cases up to Strasbourg for a ruling, which national courts then have to abide by.

In the UK case, there was a long period when that was pretty much the only way people could rely on ECHR provisions, because successive British governments hadn’t wanted to incorporate the Convention into domestic law. You still had the protection of the various provisions, but you had to make a lot of effort to enforce them.

This changed with the Human Rights Act 1998, which essentially gave people access to ECHR remedies from domestic courts. But doesn’t change the basic nature of British membership of the ECHR.

Which brings us back to the critique mentioned.

Maybe backbenchers want to bin the Human Rights Act. That they can certainly do, but it wouldn’t stop those pesky activists securing remedies and rulings from the ECtHR, so it’s not really a solution to their basic problem.

Maybe, as one person argued, it’s literally about the UK not being part of the ECtHR, while still being in the ECHR.

Without wanting to go all Donald Tusk, this is cherry-picking in its purest form.

The ECHR Convention only provides for complete denunciation (Article 58): you leave a bit, you leave completely. If the UK wanted to try for not having the ECtHR provisions apply to it, then it would have to secure a formal renegotiation of the Convention and the approval of the other members.

[Spoiler: those members aren’t going to agree to this]

In short, none of these paths are viable: being in the ECHR is like being pregnant – you either are or you aren’t.

Rule Britannia

The underlying tone in all of this debate is very much akin to that found in the Brexit debates: why can’t we just do what we want to?

The notion of the UK as a great nation, not to be told what to do, is a strong and pervasive one. But it also leads us to think that just because we want to do things in a particular way, others must let us.

One of the big takeaways I have from the past decade has been that international politics is about the clash of what everybody wants and that no one gets to decide things by themselves.

You want to make international arrangements? You need to get your international partners to agree.

You want to make a choice about something with an international dimension? You need to accept that others will react to that.

Which isn’t to say that ECHR membership is good or bad; just that it requires us to understand what that means and how it works.

PDF: bit.ly/UshGraphic122

 

The post “Leaving the ECHR” and other confusions appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

Categories: European Union

[Investigation] Revealed: The EU lobbying of the so-called 'Consumer Choice Center'

Euobserver.com - Thu, 13/07/2023 - 07:00
The "anti-science" Consumer Choice Center, which is linked to the Koch fossil-fuel network, has suggested that Europe should "shelve all their climate ambitions [and] refine more oil".
Categories: European Union

In-Depth Analysis - Peace and security in 2023:The EU's relations with Iraq – State of play - PE 747.444 - Committee on International Trade - Committee on Foreign Affairs - Subcommittee on Security and Defence - Committee on Development

This paper presents a regional evaluation in parallel to the EPRS 2023 Peace and Security Outlook. It has been drafted as a contribution to the Normandy World Peace Forum taking place in September 2023. The paper provides the background to EU relations with Iraq. After providing a brief overview of the country's current political, economic and social situation, the analysis provides an inventory of the tools and mechanisms and funding put in place by the EU, looks at recent developments and corresponding EU external policy. It also provides an overview of European Parliament resolutions, and Council conclusions since the 2012 EU-Iraq Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, as well as a selection of the opinions found in recent research on EU-Iraq relations.
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

In-Depth Analysis - Peace and security in 2023:The EU's relations with Iraq – State of play - PE 747.444 - Committee on International Trade - Committee on Foreign Affairs - Subcommittee on Security and Defence - Committee on Development

This paper presents a regional evaluation in parallel to the EPRS 2023 Peace and Security Outlook. It has been drafted as a contribution to the Normandy World Peace Forum taking place in September 2023. The paper provides the background to EU relations with Iraq. After providing a brief overview of the country's current political, economic and social situation, the analysis provides an inventory of the tools and mechanisms and funding put in place by the EU, looks at recent developments and corresponding EU external policy. It also provides an overview of European Parliament resolutions, and Council conclusions since the 2012 EU-Iraq Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, as well as a selection of the opinions found in recent research on EU-Iraq relations.
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP
Categories: European Union

EU states need to step up rescues, says EU commissioner

Euobserver.com - Wed, 12/07/2023 - 19:37
The European Commission says EU states need to step up on search and rescues, following the 14 June sinking of a fishing trawler off Greece that likely drowned over 500 people.
Categories: European Union

UN meeting urges Russia to respect EU probes on Nord Stream blast

Euobserver.com - Wed, 12/07/2023 - 19:30
Russia's latest attack on EU national-level probes into last year's Nord Stream 2 blast fell on largely deaf ears at the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
Categories: European Union

Wanted: 1m signatures for EU tax on super-rich

Euobserver.com - Wed, 12/07/2023 - 18:00
A group of activists, economists, politicians, and even some billionaires, have registered an initiative calling on the EU to introduce an tax on the very rich to fund social and environmental transitions — is it feasible?
Categories: European Union

Nature restoration law survives, but critics slam bittersweet win

Euobserver.com - Wed, 12/07/2023 - 16:19
MEPs adopted the Nature Restoration Law — in a major blow for the European People's Party (EPP) and far-right groups which were seeking the full rejection of the text. However, scientists call it a bittersweet victory.
Categories: European Union

Press release - EU ethics body: Commission’s proposal “unsatisfactory”, MEPs say

European Parliament (News) - Wed, 12/07/2023 - 16:12
Parliament has taken stock of the Commission’s draft agreement for an independent ethics body for the EU institutions, criticising its lack of ambition.
Committee on Constitutional Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP
Categories: European Union

Press release - EU ethics body: Commission’s proposal “unsatisfactory”, MEPs say

European Parliament - Wed, 12/07/2023 - 16:12
Parliament has taken stock of the Commission’s draft agreement for an independent ethics body for the EU institutions, criticising its lack of ambition.
Committee on Constitutional Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP
Categories: European Union

Press release - Nature restoration law: MEPs adopt position for negotiations with Council

European Parliament (News) - Wed, 12/07/2023 - 16:03
The EU must have restoration measures in place by 2030 covering at least 20% of its land and sea areas, say MEPs.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP
Categories: European Union

Press release - Nature restoration law: MEPs adopt position for negotiations with Council

European Parliament - Wed, 12/07/2023 - 16:03
The EU must have restoration measures in place by 2030 covering at least 20% of its land and sea areas, say MEPs.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP
Categories: European Union

Press release - COVID-19: Parliament adopts roadmap to better prepare for future health crises

European Parliament (News) - Wed, 12/07/2023 - 15:55
MEPs want to reinforce the European Health Union and the resilience of national health systems in view of future challenges.
Special Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned and recommendations for the future

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP
Categories: European Union

Press release - COVID-19: Parliament adopts roadmap to better prepare for future health crises

European Parliament - Wed, 12/07/2023 - 15:55
MEPs want to reinforce the European Health Union and the resilience of national health systems in view of future challenges.
Special Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned and recommendations for the future

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP
Categories: European Union

Press release - Bulgaria and Romania should be in Schengen by end of 2023, says Parliament

European Parliament (News) - Wed, 12/07/2023 - 13:28
MEPs call on the Council to approve Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen free-travel area by the end of 2023.
Committee on Petitions

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP
Categories: European Union

Press release - Bulgaria and Romania should be in Schengen by end of 2023, says Parliament

European Parliament - Wed, 12/07/2023 - 13:28
MEPs call on the Council to approve Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen free-travel area by the end of 2023.
Committee on Petitions

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP
Categories: European Union

[Opinion] The human cost of AI in EU-Africa's migration surveillance

Euobserver.com - Wed, 12/07/2023 - 12:42
Border management has become a full-fledged business sponsored by the EU taxpayer. But surveillance technologies deployed in north Africa for fighting human trafficking, smuggling or anti-terrorism are often used by authoritarian governments to curtail civic space.
Categories: European Union

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