European Union

The Czechs will elect a new parliament on Friday and Saturday. The Ano party, led by billionaire media mogul Andrej Babiš, is ahead in the polls. Commentators discuss the rise of the controversial politician and discuss the things that make these elections special.

European Parliament recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the EEAS on the Eastern Partnership, in the run-up to the November 2017 Summit
Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Kazakhstan, of the other part (2016/0166(NLE))
Partnership Agreement on Relations and Cooperation between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and New Zealand, of the other part (2017/2050(INI))
Partnership Agreement on Relations and Cooperation between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and New Zealand, of the other part (2016/0366(NLE))
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary session and committee meetings in Strasbourg

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Majestades, Premiados, Autoridades, Señoras y Señores

I am happy that thanks to the decision of the Princess of Asturias Foundation, I am receiving tonight the Award for Concord European Union. And at the same time I am very proud that the same award - for Literature - is being received today also by a Pole, a great poet, Adam Zagajewski.

We met forty years ago, even if he doesn't know about it. I was still a student when I read his brilliant poem about censorship, in the time of the Communist dictatorship in Poland. Together with my friends, we printed this poem in our illegal printing house in several hundred copies. With time, Zagajewski became for my generation a symbol of the freedom of speech, of the independence of thought, and of our longing for Europe - not in the geographical sense, but in political, intellectual and axiological ones.

We both participated in the mass “Solidarity” movement, together with millions of our compatriots. We were beaten, thrown to jail, forced to go on exile. But we never gave up on a few simple principles: that violence doesn't solve anything, that dialogue is always better than conflict, that law should be respected by all the actors of the public life, and that harmony is better than chaos.

For all those years we both dreamt about a united Europe, where concord and truth prevail. And today, here in Oviedo, I want to underline that to me concord is a synonym of unity. And today we are in fact receiving the award of Concord, at the same time bearing in mind that there is no genuine concord without the truth.

In many parts of our world, people feel that they are surrounded by lies, manipulation and fake news.

But I deeply believe that truth is invincible. And that this ceremony is also an expression of this invincibility.

In fact one of the most beautiful poems by Adam Zagajewski talks about the truth. Together with my friends we have translated a fragment into Spanish:

El territorio de la verdad es claramente reducido,
estrecho como un sendero al borde de un precipicio.
¿Eres capaz de no salirte de él?
Acaso ya lo has abandonado.

Thank you very much.

https://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/uploads/council-images/thumbs/uploads/council-images/remote/http_7e18a1c646f5450b9d6d-a75424f262e53e74f9539145894f4378.r8.cf3.rackcdn.com/d334c32c-c2c1-11e6-a1ab-bc764e093073_224.6_thumb_169_1508343330_1508343331_129_97shar_c1.jpg

EU heads of state or government meet on 19 October 2017 in Brussels to discuss migration, digitalisation, security and defence and foreign policy issues.

Download this video here.

Tuesday 24 October 2017
Strasbourg
09.00 Report to the European Parliament on the European Council meetings on 19-20 October and presentation of the Leaders' Agenda
Brussels
15.00 Meeting with the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Dragan Čović

Wednesday 25 October 2017
12.00 Meeting with the President of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Gjorge Ivanov

Today we discussed the Leaders' Agenda for our work in the next two years, and I am happy to have received univocal support of all the EU leaders to go ahead with this plan. This is not an easy task, as the ambition of the Leaders' Agenda is to deal with the most contentious issues, by which I mean the Eurozone reform, migration crisis, internal security, trade and the future financing of the EU. That is why I also proposed a new work method, perhaps somewhat more direct, but at the same time more informal. It will mean confronting the areas where European cooperation does not work well and being honest about the reasons why. Confrontation is healthy as long as it is respectful and helps us move forward. And this is the spirit of our work ahead. But what I am very pleased about today is that none of the leaders questioned the fact that we must work united, hand-in-hand, with all the Member States on board.

After Prime Minister May's intervention last night, and our discussion about Brexit this morning, my impression is that the reports of the deadlock between the EU and UK have been exaggerated. And while progress is not sufficient, it doesn't mean there is no progress at all. Today the Council has agreed to start internal preparatory discussions in relation to the framework for the future relationship and on transitional arrangements. It is clear that this would not be possible without the new momentum given by the Florence speech of Prime Minister May. I would like to reassure our British friends that in our internal work we will take account of proposals presented there. So the negotiations go on, and we will continue to approach them positively and constructively. And as we are all working actively on a deal, I hope we will be able to move to the second phase of our talks in December.

Finally, as a result of our discussion last night on Turkey, we tasked the Commission to reflect on whether to cut and re-orient pre-accession funds. It was a substantive discussion, we want to keep the door open to Ankara, but the current reality in Turkey is making this difficult. It was also stressed that Turkey needs to respect all Member States in its relations with the EU, including when it comes to the implementation of the existing Customs Union agreement. And furthermore, we have listened to the concerns raised by President Anastasiades regarding Turkey's actions vis-à-vis the Greek Cypriots and Maronites.

We have just concluded our discussion about migration and the need to help Italy manage the Central Mediterranean route. Leaders agreed to offer Prime Minister Gentiloni stronger support for Italy's work with the Libyan authorities. We have a real chance of closing the Central Mediterranean route. That is why we decided that Member States will provide sufficient finances for the North Africa window of the Trust Fund for Africa, while the Commission ensures that this money is channelled to stem illegal migration. We should see concrete results within the next few weeks. Additionally, leaders decided to come back to the issue of Dublin reform in December, with a view to reaching a consensus in the first half of 2018. This timeframe and method correspond to what I proposed in the Leaders' Agenda.

And a second remark on the Leaders' Agenda. The objective of this plan is to move forward in Europe on key issues, like security or migration, while keeping our unity. And I would like to state very clearly that as long as I am here, I will be the guardian of European unity. It is not only my formal role as the President of the European Council, but - above all - it is my true belief. Because unity is, in fact, our most important strength.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The Council today reinforced EU passenger ship safety by adopting three directives which revise  passenger ship safety rules and standards, digitalise the registration of ship passengers and create a clear framework for the inspection of ro-ro ferries and high-speed passenger craft. An informal agreement with the European Parliament on these proposals was reached in June this year. 

"These new rules will improve the safety of people travelling on our seas. But they will also simplify and speed up procedures for shipping companies, including through digitalisation, and this is good news for businesses and our economy as a whole," said Kadri Simson, the Estonian Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure. "I would like to thank the Maltese presidency and the European Parliament for all their work on these files." 

The 'general' directive on passenger ship safety rules and standards contains the most extensive rules on passenger ship safety in the EU, applicable to vessels travelling on domestic routes. The text sets out detailed technical requirements for ships with regard to areas such as construction, stability and fire protection. 

The directive on the registration of persons on board passenger ships requires shipping companies to digitalise the registration of ship passengers, so that the exact number of passengers and other information will be immediately available for search and rescue services in the event of an accident. 

The third directive - a revised inspection regime for ro-ro ferries and high-speed passenger craft - eliminates overlaps and closes regulatory gaps arising from the application by member states of different inspection regimes for these vessels. 

The three directives are part of a comprehensive review of passenger ship safety which aims to improve the safety of sea travel while simplifying the current rules and cutting administrative costs. 

Today's final vote by the Council concludes the procedure at first reading for all three dossiers. The European Parliament voted on 4 October 2017. The legal acts will be signed by both institutions in November and published in the EU Official Journal a few weeks later. They will enter into force 20 days after publication, and member states will then have two years to incorporate the new rules into their national law.

https://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/uploads/council-images/thumbs/uploads/council-images/remote/http_7e18a1c646f5450b9d6d-a75424f262e53e74f9539145894f4378.r8.cf3.rackcdn.com/69aa888e-96d3-11e6-817e-bc764e092fac_332.52_thumb_169_1508343791_1508343791_129_97shar_c1.jpg

EU heads of state or government meet on 20 October 2017. On Friday morning, leaders are having an informal breakfast to discuss the Leaders' Agenda. This is a concrete work programme to guide EU action until June 2019. It was prepared by President Tusk in consultation with all the EU member states. Afterwards, in an EU 27 format, they are reviewing the latest developments in the negotiations following the United Kingdom's notification of its intention to leave the EU.

Download this video here.

https://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/uploads/council-images/thumbs/uploads/council-images/remote/http_7e18a1c646f5450b9d6d-a75424f262e53e74f9539145894f4378.r8.cf3.rackcdn.com/D43231DB-9033-4935-9F03-13E7D7ED03AF_preview_thumb_169_1507907944_1507907944_129_97shar_c1.jpg

President Tusk consults all EU leaders on his proposal for a Leaders' agenda to move Europe forward. The Leaders' agenda will be discussed at the European Council on 19 and 20 October 2017.

Download this video here.

Yanukovych v Council
External relations
The Court of Justice confirms the freezing of funds of Mr Viktor Yanukovych, former President of Ukraine, and of his son Oleksandr for the period from 6 March 2015 until 6 March 2016

Istanbul Lojistik
Transport
The Hungarian tax on motor vehicles is incompatible with the EEC-Turkey Association Agreement

The Civil Liberties Committee approved proposals for a new Dublin regulation, the cornerstone of the EU asylum system, in a vote on 19 October. It suggests ways to remedy current weaknesses and deliver a robust system for the future. The European Parliament is now ready to start negotiations with member states.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The Civil Liberties Committee approved proposals for a new Dublin regulation, the cornerstone of the EU asylum system, in a vote on 19 October. It suggests ways to remedy current weaknesses and deliver a robust system for the future. The European Parliament is now ready to start negotiations with member states.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The European Council today and tomorrow is an important staging post for the Article 50 process. It marks the point at which the EU27 had decided they would review the negotiations and take stock.

More particularly, the original mandate for the Commission suggested that this was the point at which the European Council would take a view on whether ‘sufficient progress’ had been made on the Phase I topics; the immediate issues that needed settling of citizens’ rights, financial liabilities and the Irish border. Only with that sufficiency would there be a movement on to Phase II, the transition talks to set up a new relationship.

Already we know that the European Council will not give the green light to this, with the Commission, the General Affairs Council and the European Parliament all having already weighed in to say that there has been progress, but not enough to suffice. The drafts of the European Council conclusions take the same line.

So far, so unsurprising: ever since the summer break there has been a growing feeling that the negotiations had run into difficulties, not least because of the on-going inability of the British government to settle on a preferred outcome: there is a good understanding of the points to be discussed and agreed, but a lack of political direction from the UK on how to resolve them.

As such, the non-progression this week has already been largely priced into the process.

However, this comes with some significant costs. The most obvious is that it will not now be until December that any move to Phase II takes place, leaving very little time to reach a full deal by October 2018 (which is when one is needed, if ratification is to take place by March 2019).

Moreover, a blockage now will rob Article 50 of whatever momentum it might have picked up from May’s Florence speech, which sought to advance the financial side of things.

So, that’s the context. But what does it suggest everyone wants or needs to get from the European Council?

For the EU27, Brexit remains a side-show to all the other things that they are dealing with at the moment. With only a handful of states deeply involved in the process, most will be happy to know that the Commission is on the case and that there remains collective buy-in to the mandate for Phase I: no-one wants to get rolled over on the finances and citizens’ rights are a concern for many. As long as they can go back with a message that the EU is still fighting for those things, then they will be happy.

Likewise, for those member states most closely involved, upholding the mandate is also the best course of action. For Ireland, it keeps their priorities front-and-centre, while for Germany it keeps everyone on-board for a process to find a deal with the UK. However, the blockages seen suggest that they will be working with the European Council President and the Commission.

And the Commission itself is in a more tricky position. It has a very strong interest in making Article 50 work, both because it wants to keep the UK in a functioning relationship with the EU, and also because it wants to demonstrate its problem-solving abilities. At the same time, it needs to protect the core values and benefits of the EU for its members, which limits what it can give way on to help the UK.

The compromise that seems to be emerging is that while there will be insufficient progress, the Commission will push for the EU27 to start preparing a Phase II mandate, so that as-and-when approval is given, both sides can hit the ground running, rather than lose another month or so to Phase II prep. Moreover, since that prep will be in public, it will also allow the Commission to provide some additional signalling to the UK of its intentions, which might in turn help with outstanding Phase I problems.

Which leaves the UK.

If the EU side seems to be pointing towards a tough-but-accommodating position, then the British government is in more of a bind. The strength of feeling from hard-brexiteers makes it hard for any concessions, especially with the calls to simply walk away from the talks altogether. That such calls are self-evidently self-defeating just points out how limited May’s position is, with little agency in either Brussels or London.

Since May does not intend to – or, indeed, is able to – make any new offers at the European Council itself, much will rest on the presentation of matters. In that, she might obviously go for the lines taken in the Barnier-Davis press conferences in previous rounds of negotiations: the EU says ‘insufficient progress’, the UK says ‘progress’.

But the big danger is the one that has lurked ever since June, namely a further compromise to May’s position. If tempers flare and EU leaders come out with doom-laden messages, then May risks finding herself with her cornerstone policy priority looking even worse than before, and MPs might increasingly feel there’s little to be lost by changing horses mid-stream.

The EU might ask itself whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, both given where we are and what might follow.

The post Who needs what from the European Council? appeared first on Ideas on Europe.