European Union

A trial against Geert Wilders, the leader of the xenophobic Dutch Freedom Party (PVV), began on Monday in Amsterdam. He is accused of inciting hatred because of a speech in which he made derogative remarks about Moroccans. The Dutch press comments on the trial and asks how the Netherlands should deal with Wilders.

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Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Not even the clocks in Turkey can ignore the whims of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This weekend Turkey’s imperious president decided to make it summertime all year. The decision to abandon daylight saving time moves Ankara an hour further from Europe, and into a timezone with Khartoum, Moscow and Riyadh. If only that were the end of it.

Mr Erdogan issued decrees to oust 10,158 public officials; expelled 1,267 academics from their posts; took charge of appointing university rectors; permitted prosecutors to record client-lawyer conversations; allowed judges to deny access to lawyers for up to three months; and shut down 15 (mainly Kurdish) media outlets. And that was just this weekend.

Don’t forget the more than 100,000 accused, sacked or detained in relation to the botched coup in July, or the internet blackout across swathes of majority Kurdish areas in the southeast, or the detention and arrest of the elected mayors of Diyarbakir.

Then there is matter of the death penalty. Since the attempted coup – a watershed moment for modern Turkey that FAZ calls the beginning of its second republic – Mr Erdogan’s rhetoric has swung from hot to lukewarm on whether to reinstate capital punishment, which was dropped in 2004 as part of Turkey’s EU membership bid. This weekend it turned red hot. Sporting a pair of black aviator sunglasses, Mr Erdogan bellowed these words on Saturday to a crowd chanting: “Execution! Execution!”

“Our government will take this proposal [on capital punishment] to parliament. I am sure parliament will approve it, and when it comes back to me, I will ratify it…Soon, soon, don’t worry. It’s happening soon, God willing. The West says this, the West says that. Excuse me, but what counts is not what the West says. What counts is what my people say.”

What should Europe do?

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The Swedish minister for climate Isabella Lövin wants to ban fossil fuel cars from 2030. According to several newspapers, the ban should be EU wide and the idea is supported by Norway and the Netherlands. Indeed the Danish newspaper Information[i] reports that the German Bundestag recently adopted a resolution to stop sales of fossil fuel cars by 2030.

An EU wide ban on fossil fuel road vehicles (.i.e. cars, lorries, scooters and motorcycles) will put the EU back on track as a climate leader. Transport has been overlooked by the climate and energy agenda. Importantly, it remains one of the main sources of emissions. Moreover, last year’s Volkswagen scandal demonstrates the length to which car manufacturers have gone to avoid technological innovation to produce low emission cars. However, there are several challenges to banning the sales and use of fossil fuel road vehicles.

The ban on fossil-fuel road vehicles will increase demand for renewable transport fuel, which will put pressure on current energy supply, thereby influencing EU’s 2030 climate and energy targets. According to Eurostat, transport account for 33 per cent of overall energy consumption, and road transport account for 82 per cent of overall transport energy consumption. Furthermore, 94 per cent of all road vehicle rely on fossil fuel and 90 per cent of this is imported. Converting this high volume of fossil fuel into alternative energies by 2030 will be a challenge, especially as electrical and biofuel cars do not have the same reach. In other words, renewable energy cars cannot drive as far as fossil fuel cars and refuelling stations for renewable transport fuels are not readily available over longer distances. According to Eurostat, renewable energy passenger cars represent about 5 per cent of all passenger cars driving on the European roads[ii]. Thus, investment in energy supply and renewable transport fuel is necessary if the EU is to ban fossil fuel road vehicles in 13 years.

The EU transport policy white paper from 2011 aims to curb emissions by 60 per cent (1990 level) by 2050 for the EU to achieve its overall 2050 target of 80-95 per cent reduction for the whole economy, thereby achieving a low carbon economy without curbing mobility [iii]. Transport growth without emissions growth can only be achieved through an increase in the number of renewable fuel vehicles and stronger legislation to reduce emissions from traditional fossil fuel vehicles, something the car manufacturer and certain member states have resisted[iv].

Currently, transport account for around 25-30 per cent of emissions (CO2, GHG and NOx) in the EU and about 70 per cent of this comes from road transport[v]. The Commission’s mid-term report on the implementation of its 2011 Transport white paper recognises the lack of progress towards a decarbonised transport sector. The Commission argues substituting oil is more costly in transport compared to other sectors and “overall GHG emissions from the transport sector in 2013 were higher by 20% compared to 1990”[vi]. Continued transport growth clearly puts pressure on the EU to reform the transport sector as a whole and especially road transport, which represent 72 per cent of all transport in the EU[vii].

Achieving a decarbonised transport sector requires real commitment by member states, who needs to invest in renewable energy supply to ensure the EU achieves its 2030 climate and energy targets. Technological innovation to make renewable fuels better and cars have a longer reach, thereby enabling people to drive further in their electrical cars. Moreover, refuelling stations have to be interoperable so electrical cars can drive out of the city and visit other cities in other EU member states. This requires manufactures to work together to create standardized technologies, which enable vehicles to re-fuel/charge in any EU member state.

Member states need to make renewable fuel road vehicles more attractive to buy and use for example through tax incentives. However, taxes from fossil fuel used by road vehicles are a revenue for national budgets, and to create a decarbonised transport sector, national governments must find alternative sources of revenue. In short, banning the sale and use of fossil fuel road vehicles is complex.

Finally, the introduction of a ban on fossil fuel cars by 2030 requires the support from road vehicle manufacturers and energy producers, who need to deliver in order for the EU to achieve its goals of decarbonising the transport sector. Such an ambitious goal requires cooperation between countries to put pressure on the transport sector as a whole. Thus, neither Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands nor Norway will be able to achieve a decarbonised transport sector by 2030 without the support from the other EU member states. This leaves a central question; will the Swedish climate minister be able to convince her colleagues in the Council, the Commission and the Members of the European Parliament? and how will the industry interest groups respond to the proposal?

 

 

 

[i] https://www.information.dk/telegram/2016/10/svensk-klimaminister-forbyde-benzinbiler-2030?utm_source=emailet%20artikel&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=send%20til%20ven

[ii] http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/proportion-of-vehicle-fleet-meeting-4/assessment

[iii] https://ec.europa.eu/transport/sites/transport/files/themes/strategies/doc/2011_white_paper/swd(2016)226.pdf

[iv] http://www.euractiv.com/section/transport/news/eu-parliament-backs-tougher-car-emissions-limits/

[v] https://ec.europa.eu/transport/facts-fundings/statistics/pocketbook-2016_en

[vi] Page 18 https://ec.europa.eu/transport/sites/transport/files/themes/strategies/doc/2011_white_paper/swd(2016)226.pdf

[vii] https://ec.europa.eu/transport/facts-fundings/statistics/pocketbook-2016_en

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Prime Minister Trudeau, dear Justin. Let me first of all say what a great pleasure it is for me to welcome you in Brussels. This is arguably the most highly anticipated summit in recent memory, and you are a most precious guest. We had to overcome various obstacles, including a technical one with your plane, to make this summit happen.

But finally we can celebrate our strong friendship and Strategic Partnership. To me, Canada is the most European country outside of Europe, our strong ally, important partner and good friend.

That is why I am proud we have just signed two landmark agreements, the EU-Canada Strategic Partnership Agreement and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as CETA. We would not have made it without the dedication and commitment of all parties, including yours, Justin and that of your trade minister, the fully devoted Chrystia Freeland. But also my colleagues in the EU, Belgian Prime Minister Michel, President Jean-Claude Juncker, Commissioner Malmström and President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz. It was not easy to get here, but as a Canadian proverb says, 'patience is a tree whose root is bitter, but its fruit is very sweet'.

These agreements reach far beyond the trade context. Today's decisions demonstrate that the disintegration of the Western community does not need to become a lasting trend. That we still possess enough strength and determination at least some of us - to counter the fatalism of the decay of our political world. In this particular moment in the EU's history, this positive sign means a great deal. And for this I would also like to thank our guests very much indeed.

The battle for CETA also showed how important impressions and emotions are in the modern world. It showed that facts and figures won't stand up for themselves alone. That post-factual reality and post-truth politics pose a great challenge on both sides of the Atlantic. Free trade and globalisation have protected hundreds of millions of people from poverty and hunger. The problem is that few people believe this. Free trade and globalisation protect humanity from total conflict, the problem is that few people understand this. The controversy around CETA has demonstrated that our first priority is to give people honest and convincing information about the real effects of free trade. That the alternative to free trade is isolationism and protectionism, a return to national egoisms, and as a result - the threat of violent conflict. We should be able to convince our citizens that free trade is in their interest, and not just big companies and corporations.

Today we also signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement. It provides a robust framework for expanding our cooperation in a wide range of areas including foreign policy, crisis management, security and defence, energy and climate, enhanced mobility and people-to-people exchanges. I welcome the decision by Canada to lift visa requirements for all Bulgarian and Romanian citizens in late 2017.

Last but not least, migration is a key topic where our cooperation with Canada is extremely important. Canada's responsible approach to sharing the burden sets an excellent example for others. Prime Minister, the EU warmly welcomes your government's efforts to resettle more than 33 000 Syrian refugees since you took office, as well as your financial support and participation in NATO's engagement in the Aegean.

To conclude, let me say that together we are strengthening our global cooperation, including in the G7 context. The challenges ahead are huge, and so we need to be united and tough. Thank you.

On 30 October 2016, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council,  Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, and  Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada met in Brussels for the 16th EU-Canada summit. They signed the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) and issued a joint declaration on the EU-Canada partnership.

In Parliament last week, our new and unelected Prime Minister, Mrs Theresa May, said she wanted “the best possible arrangement for trade” with the European Union.

Which is exactly what we have now.

In America they have a saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. So why does Mrs May want to fix something that isn’t broken?

Mrs May says it’s because that’s what the British people want. Well, that’s a moot point.

Yes, 17 million people voted for Britain to leave the EU – but that’s 17 million out of a population in Britain of 64 million.

And two of the four countries that comprise our Union of the United Kingdom – Scotland and Northern Ireland – don’t want Britain to leave the European Union at all.

What’s strange is that Mrs May also didn’t want Britain to leave the EU. In a keynote speech during the Referendum campaign, she said:

“I believe it is clearly in our national interest to remain a member of the European Union.”

And as revealed in an exclusive report by The Guardian, during a private and secretly recorded meeting with Goldman Sachs a month before the Referendum, Mrs May warned that companies would leave the UK if the country voted for Brexit.

What’s more strange is that, including herself, 70% of Mrs May’s Cabinet – 16 out of 23 members – voted to Remain in the EU. All of them said during the Referendum that leaving the EU would be bad for Britain.

So now they’re going to take Britain on a path that they all claimed just a few weeks ago would be against the interests of the country.

During Prime Minister’s questions last week, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn compared the Prime Minister’s plan to those of Baldrick, from the comedy series Blackadder, who said that his “cunning plan” was to have no plan.

Continued Mr Corbyn:

“Brexit was apparently about taking back control, but the devolved Governments do not know the plan, businesses do not know the plan and Parliament does not know the plan. When will the Prime Minister abandon this shambolic Tory Brexit and develop a plan that delivers for the whole country?”

Mrs May replied:

“We are going to deliver on the vote of the British people. We are going to deliver the best possible deal for trade in goods and services, both with and operationally in the European Union. And we are going to deliver an end to free movement. That is what the British people want and that is what this Government are going to deliver for them.”

Well, that’s the other thing. The British people didn’t vote for “an end to free movement”. That wasn’t on the referendum ballot paper. The only choice was to ‘Remain’ a member of the European Union, or to ‘Leave’.

Mrs May is assuming that all the people who voted for ‘Leave’ did so for the same reasons. But to guess answers to questions that were never asked, is effectively to undermine the entire function of democracy.

Many who voted for ‘Leave’ didn’t necessarily want an end to ‘free movement’, either for themselves, or for our European neighbours.

And most definitely many who voted for ‘Leave’ did not want to end Britain’s full and privileged access to the EU Single Market, where just under half of Britain’s exports go to, and just over half of Britain’s imports come from.

We know it’s possible to leave the European Union and still be part of the EU Single Market – the world’s biggest, richest marketplace, and the source of considerable wealth for Britain and Britons.

After all, Norway and Switzerland are not members of the EU, but are still part of the EU Single Market. Voluntarily. Because much of the wealth of those countries is also intrinsically linked to the Single Market.

However, it’s not possible to enjoy being part of the EU Single Market without also accepting free movement of people.

Mrs May is being arrogantly presumptuous in claiming that Britain voted against ‘free movement of people’ (even though we never had a vote on that).

But by ending ‘free movement’, as she has now promised to do, it will be impossible for Mrs May to deliver on her other promise of delivering “the best possible deal for trade” with the EU.

She cannot have one, without the other.

Britain currently has the “best possible deal for trade” with the EU Single Market. We cannot possibly get any better, either in or out of the EU. We have the best now.

Instead of getting the best deal, Mrs May is going to end the best deal.

• Nobody in Britain voted for Mrs May’s new administration, which UKIP’s Roger Helmer, MEP, claimed this month has adopted “about 90% of UKIP’s programme”.
• Nobody in Britain voted to end ‘free movement of people’.
• Nobody in Britain voted to end Britain’s privileged access to the EU Single Market.

But that’s what Mrs May says that the British people want, so that’s what Britain is getting.

Democracy. RIP.

___________________________________________________

Other stories by Jon Danzig:

• Is Britain sure about Brexit?
• Mrs May takes control, without a ballot or a bullet
• It’s not undemocratic to challenge Brexit
• List of the latest articles by Jon Danzig

To follow my stories please like my Facebook page: Jon Danzig Writes

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The post The best EU trade deal? We already have it. appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

More than 12,000 people have already signed a petition asking the Geneva-based giant Trafigura to sell only gasoline and diesel that comply with European standards around the world.
The Swiss trader business model of producing and selling highly polluting high sulfur fuels in Africa has also been politically critical. In Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, the responsible authorities and members of the government have had to answer many questions and criticisms about the health consequences of poor sulfur standards and poor quality fuels.

Swiss commodity trading companies take advantage of weak fuel standards in Africa to produce, deliver and sell diesel and gasoline, which is damaging to people’s health. Their business model relies on an illegitimate strategy of deliberately lowering the quality of fuels in order to increase their profits. Using a common industry practice called blending, trading companies mix cheap but toxic intermediate petroleum products to make what the industry calls “African Quality” fuels. These intermediate products contain high levels of sulphur as well as other toxic substances such as benzene and aromatics.

By selling such fuels at the pump in Africa, the traders increase outdoor air pollution, causing respiratory disease and premature death. This affects West Africa, in particular, because this is the region where the authorised levels of sulphur in fuels remain very high. West Africa does not have the re ning capacity to produce enough gasoline and diesel for its own consumption, and so it must import the majority of its fuels from Europe and the US, where fuel standards are strict, Public Eye`s investigation September 2016 analyse writes.

To draw attention to this swiss illegal traffic, thanks to Public Eye's "Return to sender" action, the container Irene Rainbow, with on board a container marked "Return to sender" ", Filled with polluted air from the Ghanaian capital traveled 7,000 kilometers separating Accra from the port of Anvers and was then transported to Geneva, where it was handed to Trafigura.

Tag: dirty dieselSwitzerland

On behalf of the European Council, I wish to convey my warm congratulations on your investiture for another term as Prime Minister of Spain. I trust that over the next years and under your leadership, Spain will benefit from the political stability and social cohesion that are necessary to respond to the challenges at hand. In order to do so effectively, we need to consolidate Europe's economic recovery, to implement a comprehensive and lasting solution to the migration crisis, and to provide appropriate responses to geopolitical challenges. 

The decisions that we take in the months to come, collectively and individually, will have an impact not only on the shape of our Union in the future, but also on our neighbours and partners abroad. 

I look forward to continuing to work closely with you at the European Council.

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Whilst practical cooperation between the EU and Iran already exists, the scope is currently well below potential. The limits of our cooperation reflect ongoing concerns in the EU and international community, chiefly connected to Iran’s nuclear programme. The EU is also following the situation of human rights closely.

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The EU-Canada Summit takes place on 30 October 2016 in Brussels.

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Donald TUSK, President of the European Council, at the European Parliament.

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Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Young people who make a difference deserve recognition. That is why the European Parliament and the International Charlemagne Prize Foundation award the Charlemagne Youth Prize every year. Today we open applications for the 10th edition. If you are between 16 and 30 years old and run a project with a European dimension, do not hesitate to apply for our competition. The winning projects will benefit from recognition and media coverage as well as prize money to further develop the initiative.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Young people who make a difference deserve recognition. That is why the European Parliament and the International Charlemagne Prize Foundation award the Charlemagne Youth Prize every year. Today we open applications for the 10th edition. If you are between 16 and 30 years old and run a project with a European dimension, do not hesitate to apply for our competition. The winning projects will benefit from recognition and media coverage as well as prize money to further develop the initiative.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 28 October 2016, the Council adopted by written procedure a package of decisions on the comprehensive economic and trade agreement with Canada (CETA), including:

• a decision on signature of the agreement
• a decision on the provisional application of the agreement
• a decision to request the consent of the European Parliament for theconclusion of the agreement

The representatives of the member states also adopted a joint interpretative instrument. This instrument, which is a joint  text with Canada, will provide a binding interpretation of CETA´s terms on specific issues. 

"I am delighted to confirm that the EU is ready to sign the comprehensive economic and trade agreement with Canada. It represents a milestone in the EU's trade policy and our commitment to it" said Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia, currently holding the EU Council presidency. "The CETA represents a modern and progressive deal, opening the door to new opportunities, while protecting important interests. Moreover, it has the potential to set the way forward for future trade deals." 

CETA will remove more than 99% of tariffs that are currently imposed on trade between the EU and Canada. It sets high standards for consumer, environmental and labour protection.

The agreement includes provisions on market access for goods, services, investment and government procurement, as well as on intellectual property rights, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, sustainable development, regulatory cooperation, mutual recognition, trade facilitation, cooperation on raw materials, dispute settlement and technical barriers to trade.

The negotiations with Canada were conducted on the basis of a mandate agreed by the Council in 2009. Following a Council decision in September 2011, talks on investment protection were also started within the CETA framework.

On 5 July 2016, the Commission proposed that the deal be signed and concluded as a "mixed" agreement. This means that on the EU side, it must be signed by both the EU and the member states, and ratified by all relevant national and regional parliaments.

The agreement will be applied on a provisional basis once the European Parliament has consented to its conclusion, pending ratification by all of the member states. Provisional application will concern essentially the provisions of EU exclusive competence.

Strategic partnership agreement

The Council  has also adopted a decision on the signing and provisional application of a strategic partnership agreement between the EU and Canada. This agreement seeks to deepen political dialogue and cooperation between the EU and Canada and will strengthen relations in fields such as human rights, international peace and security, economic and sustainable development, justice, freedom and security.