European Union

Parliament has raised concerns about the recent election reform in Poland and criticised heavily the “State Commission for the examination of Russian interference”.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

Parliament has raised concerns about the recent election reform in Poland and criticised heavily the “State Commission for the examination of Russian interference”.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

Plans to secure the EU’s supply of chips by boosting production and innovation, and establishing emergency measures against shortages, were adopted by Parliament on Tuesday.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

MEPs approved new rules on more alternative fuel stations for cars and trucks, simple and easy recharging, and on cleaner maritime fuels.
Committee on Transport and Tourism

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

A conversation with Luca Augé: For our podcast by UACES, the University Association for European Studies, we welcome Luca Augé, Ph.D. Candidate at the Centre for Research on the English-Speaking World at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, in Paris.

 

UACES Podcasts · Luca Augé on Boris Johnson, Brexit and the Conservative Party: end of a love story?

 

Transcript of the interview is as follows:

 

 

On 15 June 2023, the House of Commons Privileges Committee found that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson “deliberately misled the House” in regards to the so-called partygate scandals. What happened exactly and why does this matter?

 

The events of the last few days are actually part of a longer and older unfolding political drama. Since 2021, British media have uncovered around 15 parties that were attended by members of the Conservative government including then Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the different Covid-19 lockdowns in the UK. This was in breach with the public health regulations at the time and several individuals like Johnson himself were fined for being present at these parties.

As the public outcry at the time was widespread, a parliamentary inquiry was set up in order to look at the claims made by Johnson before MPs that he believed these parties to be lawful. After months of investigation, the final report was of the inquiry was published on 15 June 2023 and found that indeed Johnson had misled Parliament by making inaccurate claims. This matters as a former Prime Minister and elected Member of Parliament of the governing Conservative Party is found by a cross-party Committee to have lied to Parliament. It has clearly wide-ranging political and democratic consequences.

 

 

How did Johnson, the Conservative Party and the current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak react?

 

This is where things get complicated. Johnson could have accepted the findings of the report and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could have suspended Johnson or asked his party to endorse the findings of the report, but none of this happened.

Even before the report was published, Johnson announced his resignation as Member of Parliament and called in a statement the inquiry a “kangaroo court”. He even initially pushed his remaining allies to vote against the report before calling it off.

The conclusions of the report also impacted directly the Conservative Party. Two Johnson allies resigned as MPs triggering potentially dangerous by-elections for the party. Several others reacted in support of Johnson accusing instead the Committee itself. When Parliament voted on the report on 20 June, only 7 Conservative MPs officially voted against the report, but 224 Conservative MPs so around a two thirds of the party didn’t participate.

This stance is interestingly reflected by the Conservative Party leader and current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Sunak also didn’t participate in the vote and didn’t publicly express any opinion on the matter. Such a move might be surprising for someone who promised “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level” on the very day he became Prime Minister and who could have used the report to assert this as one of his priorities. Instead, his stance can be understood as an attempt to calm things down within the Conservative Party by not frontally discrediting Johnson.

 

 

Sunak was Johnson’s Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022 and has tried to depart from Johnson’s legacy in government since becoming Prime Minister. Where does this leave the government and the UK in terms of policy-making?

 

You’re right. Sunak immediately tried to open a new era of government away from the more turbulent Johnson Premiership and the much shorter Truss Premiership. Already in terms of character, Sunak is more pragmatic and cautious than Johnson. In terms of governance, Sunak also worked upon closing some of the ongoing issues than started under Johnson. He signed the Windsor Agreement that stabilised the previously rather tense relationship with the European Union and has trusted Hunt as Chancellor to support the struggling British economy.

Under Sunak, the UK government is more subtle than under his predecessors. However, the Conservative Party on which he relies to govern continues to unfold in intra-party divisions and tensions. This will be problematic in the wake of the upcoming General Election scheduled for within the next 18 months and is already increasing the probability of the Conservative Party being pushed into the opposition.

 

 

You haven’t mentioned Brexit which was completed more than 2 years ago. With Johnson’s resignation and Sunak’s more pragmatic style does Brexit still play a role in British politics?

 

As shown since the 2016 referendum, Brexit still plays role in British politics and especially within the Conservative Party. In his resignation statement, Johnson said that there was supposedly “a witch hunt under way, to take revenge for Brexit and ultimately to reverse the 2016 referendum result” and called upon Sunak to “show how we are making the most of Brexit”. For Johnson and his allies, Brexit continues to be a rallying issue that structures their approach of political and institutional dynamics. Sunak, even if he signed the Windsor Agreement and went back on his decision to massively revoke retained EU law,  has no plans to question the Brexit mantra that dominates the Conservative Party since 2016.

Johnson’s resignation and the debate around the inquiry report showed again how divided the Conservative Party is. It also interestingly showed how even if Johnson is personally sidelined, his influence continues to a certain extent over parts of the party and his realisation of Brexit remains a unchangeable status quo for the Conservative Party even under more pragmatic Prime Ministers like Sunak. The question, of course, is how much of this will hold while the party is losing ground and might join the opposition benches.

 

Let’s see indeed how things unfold in British politics until the next General Election in 2024. Many thanks, Luca, for this update on British politics and the Conservative Party. I recall you are a PhD candidate at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris. And I trust we keep in touch. Thank you.

 

 

The post Boris Johnson, Brexit and the Conservative Party: End of a Love Story? appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

Parliament wants to reinforce protection of journalists and activists in the EU against unfounded and abusive lawsuits aimed to silence them.
Committee on Legal Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

The European Parliament will vote on its position on the EU nature restoration law on Wednesday 12 July around 12.00.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

With both sides at an impasse and a likely boycott of elections by opposition, the stage is set for yet another military intervention in the region. The military seems to be chomping at the bit with anticipation.

There is widespread human exposure to so-called 'forever chemicals' — technically known as PFAS — in Europe, with growing hotspots identified in Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, and Denmark, experts warned in a new piece of research.

Rising costs remain the most pressing issue for EU citizens, while the energy supply issue is no longer as acute and immigration and climate change have come to the fore.

The EU is set to deliver two brand new patrol boats to the Libyan coast guard despite repeated shooting incidents caught on camera during search-and-rescue operations.

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

Viktor Orbán and other Hungarian politicians frequently appear on Russian TV screens and are featured prominently in state media, where they are heralded as the embodiment of the 'real Europe' with a 'sovereign' stance on the war in Ukraine.

From recent letters seen by Corporate Europe Observatory, it seems the European Parliament president Roberta Metsola prevented her own institution doing its work — by denying MEPs on the Covid-19 committee access to crucial information.

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

Nato leaders will gather in Vilnius this week to discuss Ukraine's membership bid. Meanwhile, MEPs in Strasbourg will decide on the future of the nature restoration law, which is facing strong opposition from conservative lawmakers.

Azerbaijan's EU ambassador is standing by his death-threat tweet against MEPs, even though Brussels says he crossed the line.

As the EU Commission announces its proposal to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty, EUobserver dives deeper into the core questions surrounding what critics dub the 'ecocide treaty' — and the reasons behind the withdrawal.

AMENDMENTS 1 - 200 - Draft report 2022 Commission Report on Türkiye
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Nacho Sánchez Amor

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

The European Commission says there is a clear indication that the Libyan coast guard, which it subsidises, is infiltrated by criminal groups.