European Union

Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee MEPs have voted to close loopholes which allow some of the world’s largest corporations to avoid paying tax on profits by exploiting differences in the tax systems of EU and third countries.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Celebration of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Rome Treaties

Fear cannot be our guide in this era of change. As novelist and poet Herta Müller wrote, fear is the “thief of freedom” – something that takes away, along with the future, our present.

One of the greatest sources of fear of current times is forced migration, combined with the threat of terrorism, sneaking into all areas of everyday life. To address the tangle of migration and terrorism, both of which have hit Europe hard over the past year, we need to start facts and new ideas.

Non-governmental organisations that work along the migration route from sub-Saharan countries, via the Middle East, up to our shores in Europe emphasise one fact we should already know: migrants are not extra-terrestrials that just materialise and enter our countries. Instead, all migrants have their own stories: ones that begin in faraway villages, from which they are forced to flee for one reason or another. Solutions here need to be matched with solutions there.

“One of the greatest sources of fear of current times is forced migration”

Migrants are not isolated individuals but part of communities. They are the children of countries with which Europe needs to have as good a relationship as possible. But Europe should not be naïve when it comes to the increasing demand and need for security, and should keep in a strong relationship with local institutions and representatives of civil society, a key relationship.

Côte d’Ivoire is a good example. It has an ongoing project funded by the European Union that aims to promote vocational training of artisans in various fields – an effort to shift from an ‘informal’ to a ‘formal’ economy. Many citizens work as artisans, but they can boost their businesses only if they are given help on how to act more professionally and become better equipped; to hire more staff and start long-lasting development in their community. These projects, including local authorities, governors and chambers of commerce, can help to limit migration.

Indeed, why should a young Ivorian who has the chance to work in his own country and enhance his own home and community arrive in Europe to end up in a grey zone of anonymity, sleeping on the streets and becoming a prey for terrorist recruiters?

“Europe needs to think realistically how we can enhance the time spent in Europe by people who will be deported”

The EU-funded project succeeds because it offers young people a cornerstone: work combined with education. Work without education often translates into forms of unstable and frustrating insecurity, which is why by counting on the cooperation of different partners – business, individuals, international and local institutions, civil society – it can properly address the complexity of the situation.

But together with these interventions and projects, we must take responsibility for the whole issue of repatriation, one of the pillars of the EU’s Migration Compact. A deportation order handed to a migrant who has spent the family savings to cross deserts and has endured violence to reach his dream of a European paradise does not automatically send him back to his home village. Shame and failure are powerful deterrents: better to stay in Europe, even as an outlaw.

Europe needs to think realistically how we can enhance the time spent in Europe by people who will be deported. Perhaps in this waiting period before they return home – a period that has a cost for Europeans – we can consider profitable and mutually-beneficial activities. A migrant who has learnt to start a business while waiting for repatriation has more chance of finding work and has a chance to set into motion a virtuous cycle with rewarding consequences.

We in Europe should at least try to exchange experiences in this area – and ensure that we do not give fertile ground to those who seek to sow terror.

IMAGE CREDIT: radekprocyk/Bigstock.com

The post Allowing resources for the deported can be in Europe’s interests appeared first on Europe’s World.

DRAFT OPINION on A Space Strategy for Europe
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Geoffrey Van Orden

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

General : “The dream of a united Europe has offered a way of putting the nightmare of war behind us forever,” said Parliament President Antonio Tajani on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, which paved the way for the EU. He and several other MEPs visited Rome on 24-26 March to mark the anniversary. “We should be proud of the legacy passed onto to our children: the freedom to travel, study, work, set up a business, innovate,” he said.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

General : “The dream of a united Europe has offered a way of putting the nightmare of war behind us forever,” said Parliament President Antonio Tajani on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, which paved the way for the EU. He and several other MEPs visited Rome on 24-26 March to mark the anniversary. “We should be proud of the legacy passed onto to our children: the freedom to travel, study, work, set up a business, innovate,” he said.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

German federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizière and French Minister of the Interior Matthias Fekl will debate EU measures to improve the security situation in Europe and future challenges in the field with the Civil Liberties Committee on Monday from 17.00 to 19.00.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

German federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizière and French Minister of the Interior Matthias Fekl will debate EU measures to improve the security situation in Europe and future challenges in the field with the Civil Liberties Committee on Monday from 17.00 to 19.00.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, HAVING REGARD to the Communications from the Commission on "Stronger and Smarter Information Systems for Borders and Security"[1], "Enhancing security in a world of mobility: improved information exchange in the fight against terrorism and stronger external borders "[2], and "Action plan to strengthen the European response to travel document fraud"[3],

1. RECOGNISES the crucial importance of secured travel and identity documents to tackle the phenomenon of travel document fraud;
2. UNDERLINES that breeder, identity and travel document security is a key factor for enhancing internal security, fighting against terrorism and organised crime, and improving border management; and RECALLS the need to accelerate the implementation of the exchange of certificates for the checking of fingerprints through the Single Points of Contact (SPOC) and the authenticity of the chip data using Master Lists;
3. STRESSES the importance of the work carried out by the Committee created by Article 6 of Regulation (EC) N°1683/95 on a uniform format for visas and that it is best placed to discuss standards of a technical nature;
4. UNDERLINES the importance of security standards for relevant residence, identity and travel documents; and RECOMMENDS that breeder documents should have minimum security standards to prevent falsification when used as evidence of identity;
5. WELCOMES the ongoing exchange of best practices, including through workshops and expert meetings hosted by the European Commission, Frontex or eu-LISA, on secure biometrics enrolment (fingerprints or facial images) and the security of issuing processes for breeder, identity and travel documents;
6. RECALLS the work done by international organisations such as the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in the framework of evidence of identity and rendering breeder documents more secure;
7. NOTES that FADO (False and Authentic Documents Online) currently contains about 3,000 specimens of genuine documents and anonymised examples of false documents describing the forgery techniques used, as well as about 2,000 national false document alerts;
8. RECOGNISES that FADO having been set up by the Council Joint Action of 3 December 1998[4], its management is somewhat outdated and a centralised management at Commission level would be more appropriate; NOTES the ideas put forward in this context by Frontex and eu-LISA at the informal Strategic Committee on Immigration, Frontiers and Asylum (SCIFA) in Malta on 16 February 2017 regarding the future management of FADO;
9. CONSIDERS that FADO, having a key role to play in detecting document and related identity fraud, is not entirely fit for purpose anymore; also CONSIDERS that synergies could be exploited in this regard using FADO User Group's experience, Frontex's expertise in the area of document fraud and the work this agency has already been carrying out in this field, and eu-LISA's competence in hosting security-related IT systems;
10. UNDERLINES that a major overhaul of FADO through a change of its legal basis is required in order to continue meeting the requirements of Justice and Home Affairs policies and the challenges ahead in this field, as also highlighted by the EU Counter Terrorism Coordinator[5], while ensuring the continuity of the system;
11. CONSIDERS it would be highly beneficial that Member States upload information on a mandatory basis in FADO; therefore, INVITES the European Commission to take the necessary actions, including a legislative proposal establishing FADO on a more solid basis, while ensuring its continuity and development;
12. CONSIDERS in particular that in the light of the recent challenges faced by the European Union in terms of illegal migration and security, improving the use of FADO is a priority;
13. ENCOURAGES the Commission and the European External Action Service, in collaboration with the Member States, to use the current cooperation with third countries, including in the context of the Migration Partnership Framework, the Joint Valletta Action Plan and the visa dialogues, to improve the security of breeder, identity and travel documents at international level as a matter of priority; STRESSES that such cooperation constitutes a good opportunity to improve the security of documents and further develop population registries in priority third countries; TAKES NOTE of the bilateral cooperation between the Member States and third countries in this regard;
14. CALLS UPON the Commission and the Council preparatory structures to ensure appropriate follow-up of the implementation of the Action plan to strengthen the European response to travel document fraud.

[1] COM(2016) 205 final.
[2] Doc. 12307/16.
[3] Doc. 15502/16. 
[4] Council Joint Action 98/700/JHA.
[5] Doc. 14260/16: "Implementation of the counter-terrorism agenda set by the European Council".

General : A debate on security issues with the German and French interior ministers and visits by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and London Mayor Sadiq Khan are on the agenda of this week. In addition the UK is expected to formally start the process to withdraw from the EU by triggering article 50, while committees vote on measures to stop tax evasion by multinationals as well as on a mid-term revision of the EU's long-term budget.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

General : A debate on security issues with the German and French interior ministers and visits by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and London Mayor Sadiq Khan are on the agenda of this week. In addition the UK is expected to formally start the process to withdraw from the EU by triggering article 50, while committees vote on measures to stop tax evasion by multinationals as well as on a mid-term revision of the EU's long-term budget.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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EU Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs meet on 27 and 28 March 2017 in Brussels to discuss return policy and the implementation of migration policy, and to be updated on ongoing work on legislative proposals on the supply of digital content as well as in the field of financial crime and terrorist financing. Ministers are also to come back to the topic of criminal justice in cyberspace.

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Some say it is short – little more than three pages – others that it will run longer. Whatever it says, you have to feel sorry for the poor protocol people. Should Britain’s EU envoy walk or drive the 150 yards? Should there be an envelope? A commemorative photo? Some die-hard Remainers will be wishing he just gave it to the Belgian postal system for “safekeeping”.

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EU-Turkmenistan relations are in a position to be redefined by the proposed EU-Turkmenistan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which will require the consent of the European Parliament (and of the national parliaments of the EU member states). This workshop served as a debate platform with the intention of clarifying the understanding of the current political and societal dynamics in Turkmenistan. Such an agreement should represent a basis to enforce better standards of human rights, rule of law, and democracy in Turkmenistan, as well as for more intensive economic cooperation between the EU and Turkmenistan, which currently faces an economic crisis. The two concepts are apparently complementary but deciding which one constituted the more useful approach for engagement was the central point that structured the discussion. Regardless of the angle from which they approached the issue, however, a majority of participants in the workshop debate expressed support for adoption of the treaty, while some NGO representatives took a more cautious view.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

I was born exactly 60 years ago, so I am the same age as the European Community. For this reason, please allow me for a more personal reflection today. As you know, sometimes the place of birth is even more important than the date of birth. In my case, it is the city of Gdańsk, persistently built for hundreds of years by Poles and Germans, by the Dutch, by Jews, by Scots and the French. In 1945, incidentally also in the month of March, within a few days Hitler and Stalin destroyed my hometown. It was burnt to the ground.

I was 8 years old when the Community established a single council and a single commission through the Merger Treaty; the road I then took to school every day still led through the ruins of the burnt city. For me, the Second World War is not an abstraction.

In 1980, a year after the first elections to the European Parliament, in my Gdańsk, the Solidarity movement, Solidarność, was born. I was there at the time, in the Gdańsk shipyard, among the workers, together with Lech Wałęsa, who had the courage to shout out the truth about our dreams in the face of the communist regime. They were simple dreams: about human dignity, about freedom and democracy. At that time we all looked to the West, towards a free and unifying Europe, instinctively feeling that this was the very future we were dreaming about. And although tanks and troops were sent against us, those dreams lived on.

When in 1987 the Single European Act (the beginning of the Single Market) entered into force, we in Poland were preparing ourselves for the final battle. Solidarność won, and soon after, the Berlin Wall also fell: the road to Europe opened up for us. And some 20 years later, already as Polish Prime Minister, I was opening the most modern stadium in Europe, of course in my hometown of Gdańsk. The city, that was then completely rebuilt and beautiful as never before. My country had already been in the European Union for 8 years.

I am recalling this brief course in history today only to make everybody aware that for millions of people, and today those millions will be demonstrating in the streets of our capitals, in Rome, in Warsaw, even London, the European Union is not about slogans, it is not about procedures, it is not about regulations. Our Union is a guarantee that freedom, dignity, democracy and independence are no longer only our dreams, but our everyday reality.

I lived behind the Iron Curtain for more than half of my life, where it was forbidden to even dream about those values. Yes, back then, that really was a two-speed Europe. And that is why today I have the right to loudly repeat this simple truth: that nothing in our life is granted forever - that to build a free world requires time, great effort and sacrifice. This is why it was achieved in so few places on Earth. And yet we made it. To destroy such a world is very easy. It only takes a short moment. As it happened once, with my Gdańsk.

Today in Rome we are renewing the unique alliance of free nations that was initiated 60 years ago by our great predecessors. At that time they did not discuss multiple speeds, they did not devise exits, but despite all the tragic circumstances of the recent history, they placed all their faith in the unity of Europe. They had the courage of Columbus to enter unchartered waters, to discover the New World.

And so tell me: why should we lose our trust in the purpose of unity today? Is it only because it has become our reality? Or because we have become bored or tired of it?

Europe as a political entity will either be united, or will not be at all. Only a united Europe can be a sovereign Europe in relation to the rest of the world. And only a sovereign Europe guarantees independence for its nations, guarantees freedom for its citizens. The unity of Europe is not a bureaucratic model. It is a set of common values and democratic standards. Today it is not enough to call for unity and to protest against multiple speeds. It is much more important that we all respect our common rules such as human rights and civil liberties, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, checks and balances, and the rule of law. This is the true foundation of our unity.

The Union after Rome should be, more than before, a Union of the same principles, a Union of external sovereignty, a Union of political unity. Prove today that you are the leaders of Europe, that you care for this great legacy we inherited from the heroes of European integration 60 years ago. Thank you

On 3 March 2017, the Council adopted Council Decision (CFSP) 2017/381 [1]. The Council Decision extends the existing restrictive measures until 6 March 2018. The measures in question are an assets freeze and a prohibition from making funds available regarding 15 individuals considered as responsible for the misappropriation of Ukrainian State funds before 2014. 

The Candidate Countries Montenegro* and Albania*, the EFTA countries Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this Council Decision. 

They will ensure that their national policies conform to this Council Decision. 

The European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it. 

 [1] Published on 04.03.2017 in the Official Journal of the European Union no. L58, p. 34. 
* Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

DRAFT OPINION on the impact of international trade and the EU’s trade policies on global value chains
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Pier Antonio Panzeri

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Today, President Jean-Claude Juncker will speak on behalf  of the EU Institutions.

But let me just say  a few words. First of all, I would like to thank you very warmly, you, I mean social partners, for our great cooperation. And let me also compliment you on your engagement and efficiency. In my life I have been a trade union activist, for many years illegal, pursued by the Communist Secret Services, a businessman, of course, legal, an ordinary construction worker for 8 years, a civil servant,  and a journalist.

This time has taught me that dialogue is always better than monologue, cooperation better than confrontation, and of course respect better than disrespect. This is why I attach such great importance to our meetings and common initiatives. And this is also why I really understand all parties of the Social partnership. And I hope that the years ahead will be even better than now

After a terror attack on London, the mood will be sombre in Rome tomorrow when EU leaders gather for a special summit to mark the 60th anniversary of the bloc’s founding treaty. The event has been billed as a show of unity among 27 countries that will remain in the bloc as Britain becomes the first country to leave. But last-minute wrangling over a political declaration on the EU’s future threatens to mar the ceremony.

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On 22 March, the SEDE committee welcomed preeminent experts on transatlantic relations to discuss the implications of US security and defence policy for the EU. Ian Lesser, Vice President for Foreign Policy, German Marshall Fund, Steven Blockmans, Senior Research Fellow at CEPS and Jan Joel Andersson, Senior Analyst at the European Union Institute for Security Studies provided Members with their take on the challenges and opportunities created by the Trump administration.
Further information
Draft agenda and meeting documents
Presentation by Jan Joel Andersson, Senior Analyst, European Union Institute for Security Studies
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP