European Union

The EU’s development policy needs new impetus to tackle new climate change, migration and security challenges, Development Committee MEPs say in a resolution voted on Wednesday.
Committee on Development

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The EU’s development policy needs new impetus to tackle new climate change, migration and security challenges, Development Committee MEPs say in a resolution voted on Wednesday.
Committee on Development

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Almaz-Antey Air and Space Defence v Council
External relations
The General Court upholds the freezing of funds of the Russian company Almaz-Antey

During the last four years, as president of the Eurogroup, I have spent many debates, interviews and Q&A sessions explaining what's actually going on in the Eurozone and what we are doing to fix it. During this time, I have seen the economic facts, figures and results improve. But much less so, the sentiment. A lack of trust perseveres. 

The topics changed over the course of time. Cyprus stepped into the spotlight in 2013 and has since recovered, leaving its support program already in 2016. Spain needed a much smaller banking program from the ESM than expected and left the program at the end of 2013. Ireland, badly hit by a credit-boom-bust cycle, left its program also end 2013. Portugal followed in 2014.

And all of these countries came out with improved competitiveness, with regained access to markets and with strong growth. Spain, Ireland, Cyprus are now among the fastest growing economies in the eurozone.

More and more countries have growth around 2 to 3%, the forecast for the Netherlands has been upgraded to 2,1%. The average growth is now 1.5%. Not enough, but it is improving.

Greece has more fundamental issues, economic and institutional, and here trust is still a key issue. Trust between euro member states but also trust of consumers and investors in the stability of the Greek economy. Since we hit rock bottom in the summer of 2015 we have entered into a constructive dialogue with the Greek authorities in the third programme.

Growth has returned and work is progressing, though not as fast as many would want, the Greek government included. The fiscal situation has also improved drastically since the depth of the crisis. When I came into office the average deficit in the Eurozone was below -4, now it is close to -1.5%. A deficit of -1,5% on average. And the divergence has been reversed. Austerity is no longer at the heart of our debate in the Eurogroup. The emphasis is much more on reforms and investments.

Investments are picking up, helped by the Juncker plan. And there is more space for public investments to supplement private investments. 
However, I believe more reforms in markets and institutions are needed to create more investment opportunities throughout the eurozone. 

In Europe we had to save many banks at a huge price. And we failed in the first years to recapitalize and clean up their balance sheets. But after the government leaders decided to create the Banking Union, mid 2012, we designed its structure and negotiated its authority in record period of time.

Only two years after this decision, at the end of 2014, the Banking Union was set in motion with the Asset Quality Review, a thorough check of the financial health of the balance sheets of the major banks. Many banks have since then been restructured and recapitalized, a process which is still continuing. Also, the legacy problems in Italian banks are being dealt with; finally some would say.

Solutions will have to be found within the setup of the Banking Union. A lot of attention is given, also in the media, to Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) but at the same time other banks are in the process of being restructured or recapitalized through private solutions. Unicredit, Italy's largest bank, much larger than MPS, is currently in the process of raising approximately 13 billion euro amongst private investors. In the case of MPS a solution should and will be be found in case of possible mis-selling of bank bonds to certain retail customers.

So, to sum up: 
1. All member states that needed financial help during the crisis - perhaps except one - are now standing on their own legs again.
2. The fiscal situation throughout the Eurozone has improved.
3. And the Banking Union has helped stabilizing and further strengthening the financial sector.

So it is fair to say the Eurozone has left the crisis behind. Still, the apocalyptic stories about the euro remain unchanged. I'd like to address three reasons for that.

First, as mentioned in the introductions, the political situation in this election year. Second, Brexit and its consequences. Third, inevitably the start of president Trump last week.

Elections always cause political uncertainty. And this year, with several important elections coming up, this uncertainty is even bigger, because populist parties rank high in most opinion polls. Coming from the Netherlands we have known a major extreme right populist party for 15 years now. With a constituency that fluctuates between 10 and 20% of Dutch voters. Due to our political system it is quite easy for new parties to enter parliament. At the same time, our system also results in many parties - big and small - in parliament and therefore coalition governments. And given the outspoken concerns many parties in the Netherlands have expressed, a coalition with the extreme right populists is very unlikely. So I'm convinced the next Dutch government will again be a coalition of the center or moderate parties.

In Germany the AfD will grow but remain a small group in the German parliament - also here due to the system - and will probably not be part of any thinkable coalition.

France will have the second round in its presidential election in May and it could turn out more surprising than many imagine. Fillon came up very quickly and beat Sarkozy. And former Minister of economic affairs Macron's star is rising very fast. Both Fillon and Macron are reformists with an ambitious agenda to modernize the French economy. And Macron, also a very outspoken pro-European, also pleads for economic reforms in Europe. Meanwhile in Italy, there is an interim government in place and it is for now uncertain when elections will take place.

My point is: where many may expect or fear a turn to the (far) right, the outcome of all these elections is unknown and could be, again, quite moderate. My best guess is that at the end of this year Germany, France and the Netherlands will still be governed by mainstream, sensible politicians. Then will also be a good moment to push ahead on a number of topics regarding the future of the EU and the Eurozone.

Second, let me make some remarks about Brexit. The UK decided to leave the EU and we have to accept that. Full stop. And let's be honest, the British have always been an uncomfortable member of the union for some time. Their attachment to their traditions, history and cultural heritage has always, over centuries, been very strong and the EU has been too intrusive for them.

This argument, or sentiment, is not unique but it is uniquely strong in the UK. And it was a major issue in the Brexit campaign, as was migration. Perhaps that wasn't strange, if you look at the way the UK has dealt with migration. Where the UK allowed migrant workers from central and eastern European immediately into their labour market without constraints, other countries like Germany and the Netherlands, protected their labour force for another 7 years. These were years where economic convergence took place between the east and west of Europe. Where the UK allowed migrants tax benefits other countries avoided this.

The discontent about the following migration influx fed into the persistent euro critical attitude, with the Brexit as a result. And I say that with great regret. My family history is so much intertwined with England that no one is more sorry to see them leave. To tell you one story, my father's home town in the south of the Netherlands, was liberated by British troops in 1944. He was 15, almost 16 years old at the time. Some of the British soldiers were only a few years older. And directly after the war at the age of seventeen, my dad got on his old pushbike, and cycled all across England and Wales to visit his liberators and to meet up with the English soldiers. They became lifelong friends. And that is how I will always see the British.

Notwithstanding we are lifelong friends, the current situation requires a fair settlement as soon as possible. The exit itself is already complex and costly, the future arrangement will be even more. In my mind it is inevitable that we will need a transition period to avoid a  disruptive process, equally damaging to both sides. Two topics have my special attention in the proces.

The first is the relationship between the City as the largest financial center in Europe, and the EU rules and regulations, standards and supervisors for the financial sector. It is unthinkable that the EU will allow UK based financial institutions full access to do business in the internal market without a sustainable coupling of future (dynamic) UK standards to the EU framework. At the same time I realize that, given the promise of full sovereignty, this will be a hard truth to accept for the British.

Secondly, we need to talk about taxes. We have made a lot of progress in pushing back tax avoidance in the last couple of years. 
The UK has played an active part in this. Yet, the work on this topic is far from finished.

In all of our countries - and the British are no exception - the people demand fair taxation, also for multinationals. And the only way to achieve this, is by far reaching international cooperation. The question now is, whether the UK will go the Trump-way or continue to work closely with its European partners. We have heard threats of going rogue and creating an offshore tax haven, just of the coast of Europe.
That would be a huge mistake. And it would certainly stand in the way of a fair trade deal that would suit us both.

Besides these possible pitfalls - and there are many more - I think the Brexit can also have a positive effect on continental Europe. I hope the Brexit will actually trigger a process of strengthening the EU. As chair of the Eurogroup I believe we should start a dialogue between all EU countries - including the non-euro member states - about stronger future relations and further integration, also for the monetary union.

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Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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That hasn’t stopped the centre-left Social Democrats anointing him as their candidate for chancellor in this September’s Bundestag election, in a surprise move that dramatically reorders Germany’s normally static political landscape.

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DRAFT OPINION on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Decision No 466/2014/EU granting an EU guarantee to the European Investment Bank against losses under financing operations supporting investment projects outside the Union
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Eduard Kukan

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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Negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina to improve relations started on 8-9 March 2011. The European Union is the facilitator of this dialogue.

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DRAFT OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 480/2009 establishing a Guarantee Fund for external actions
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Eduard Kukan

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The share of waste to be recycled should be raised to 70% by 2030, from 44% today, while landfilling, which has a big environmental impact, should be limited to 5%, said Environment Committee MEPs on Tuesday, as they amended the draft EU “waste package” legislation. They also advocate a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The share of waste to be recycled should be raised to 70% by 2030, from 44% today, while landfilling, which has a big environmental impact, should be limited to 5%, said Environment Committee MEPs on Tuesday, as they amended the draft EU “waste package” legislation. They also advocate a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

General : To mark the International Holocaust Remembrance Day (27 January), the European Parliament and the European Jewish Congress will hold a ceremony on Wednesday. EP President Antonio Tajani and European Jewish Congress President Dr Moshe Kantor will deliver the opening speeches.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

General : To mark the International Holocaust Remembrance Day (27 January), the European Parliament and the European Jewish Congress will hold a ceremony on Wednesday. EP President Antonio Tajani and European Jewish Congress President Dr Moshe Kantor will deliver the opening speeches.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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The EU remains fully committed to Libya and its transition to a democratic, law-based state. The EU currently provides funding of over €100 million for various vital projects and activities in Libya. In the longer term, the EU will seek to intensify the bilateral relationship politically, through financial and technical cooperation and the different instruments under the European Neighbourhood Policy.

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General : Ceta, the EU-Canada trade deal, was approved by the international trade committee on 24 January. The agreement, which would remove tariffs on most traded goods and services, will be put to a final vote by all MEPs next month. Speaking in a Facebook Live interview, Artis Pabriks, the MEP responsible for steering the deal through Parliament, said: “The prime motivation is to ensure more wealth from trade. Ceta is a really good example of how good trade deals should be made.”

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

General : Ceta, the EU-Canada trade deal, was approved by the international trade committee on 24 January. The agreement, which would remove tariffs on most traded goods and services, will be put to a final vote by all MEPs next month. Speaking in a Facebook Live interview, Artis Pabriks, the MEP responsible for steering the deal through Parliament, said: “The prime motivation is to ensure more wealth from trade. Ceta is a really good example of how good trade deals should be made.”

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The EU Commission should table a plan in 2017 to cut delays in EU-funded projects that aim to reduce disparities among EU regions by stimulating growth and job creation, say Regional Development Committee MEPs in a resolution voted on Tuesday.
Committee on Regional Development

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The EU Commission should table a plan in 2017 to cut delays in EU-funded projects that aim to reduce disparities among EU regions by stimulating growth and job creation, say Regional Development Committee MEPs in a resolution voted on Tuesday.
Committee on Regional Development

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

On 26 January, Dirk Dubois, Head of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC), Michael Swann, Chair of the ESDC Steering Committee and Antonio Missiroli, Head of the ESDC’s Academic Board will meet with the SEDE committee to discuss the contribution of the college to the EU's CSDP activities. The college's training activities prepare both policymakers and mission staff for the activities involved in the full life-cycle of CSDP missions and aim to create a European security culture.
Further information
Draft agenda and meeting documents
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP