European Union

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Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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Norway is closely associated with the European Union through its membership in the European Economic Area (EEA).

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The leaders of four political parties in Spain debate on Monday ahead of June’s 26 elections. The televised debate was hardly surprising in terms of content, but was the first of its kind.

This is the first time Spaniards get a four-leaders debate since the end of the Francoist regime in the 1970s. Traditionally, only two parties debate, the center right and the center left. However, since the last electoral encounter on December 20, 2015, Spain no longer follows tradition.

The traditional pendulum between the Popular Party (PP) and the Socialists (PSOE) has come to an abrupt end, with Podemos and Ciudadanos joining the political landscape. The previous election yielded a hung parliament with parties unable to conclude a five-month long negotiation to form a government.

Other than a pledge not to leaved Spain ungoverned, there is nothing that suggests Spain will be any closer to a government come June 27. The most recent Metroscopia poll published by El País on Sunday give PP 28,9%, that is, a 3,5% lead over the second Unidos-Podemos platform with 25,4%. The difference since December is that the Socialists are now in the third place with 20,8% and the liberal Ciudadanos fourth with 15,9%.

The two-hour long event was marked by all candidates turning their criticism against the incumbent Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, and his party’s record on corruption. Rajoy mostly responded “to govern is difficult; to preach is easy.”

Podemos focused its criticism on his party’s handling of Spain’s double digit unemployment crisis.

The Socialist leader, Pedro Sanchez, focused his criticism on the anti-systemic opposition of Pablo Iglesias, the leader of Podemos, a party born from the indignados, which is the Spanish vein of the anti-austerity occupy movement that has recently allied itself with the communist United Left.

Mr Iglesias likens himself as the next Prime Minister of Spain, urging PSOE to chose between  who will need the support of the Socialists to become prime minister, urged Mr Sánchez to throw in his party’s lot with Unidos Podemos. “There are only two options: the PP or a progressive government,” he said. Sanchez has ruled out an alliance with PP.

Albert Rivera of Ciudadanos accused Podemos of planning to take Spain out of the EU, but also criticized PP for failing to reinvigorate the Spanish economy. Rivera, unlike Sanchez, has never ruled out a coalition government with PP.

The post Spain: four leaders debate for two possible governments appeared first on New Europe.

Should energy and sugary drinks be allowed to claim on their labels that the caffeine in them boosts alertness and concentration? Parliament's public health and food safety committee fears this could affect children and teenagers, who are the main consumers of energy drinks. On Wednesday 15 June, committee members discuss whether to vote against a European Commission proposal allowing this. We talked to Christel Schaldemose, in charge of steering the plans through Parliament, why she opposes it.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Should energy and sugary drinks be allowed to claim on their labels that the caffeine in them boosts alertness and concentration? Parliament's public health and food safety committee fears this could affect children and teenagers, who are the main consumers of energy drinks. On Wednesday 15 June, committee members discuss whether to vote against a European Commission proposal allowing this. We talked to Christel Schaldemose, in charge of steering the plans through Parliament, why she opposes it.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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Russian hooliganism in Paris has costed €150,000 to the Russian national football team, that has also been handed a suspended disqualification from Euro 2016 cup.

This decision was taken by UEFA on Tuesday, after Russian fans took part in violent clashes in Marseille. “Charges relating to crowd disturbances, use of fireworks and racist behavior had been brought against the RFU (Russian Football Union),” the governing body UEFA said on Tuesday in a statement.

The ethics committee had decided to impose a fine of €150,000 euros and a suspended disqualification of the Russian national team, valid until the end of 2016. “Such suspension will be lifted if incidents of a similar nature (crowd disturbances) happen inside the stadium at any of the remaining matches of the Russian team during the tournament,” the statement continues.

French authorities consider banning alcohol at the football premises, due to the violent clashes between the Russian and UK fans.

The post UEFA hands suspended disqualification to Russian team, fines €150,000 appeared first on New Europe.

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The European Commission Spokesperson for Foreign and Security Policy Maja Kocijancic, has confirmed today the resignation of Hansjoerg Haber, permanent representative of the EU to Turkey.

“I can confirm that the ambassador Haber resigned and he will be leaving his post as of 1 August this year. At present, all necessary steps are taken in order to swiftly appoint a new Head of the EU delegation in Ankara,” Kocijancic said.

The top EU diplomat stepped down one month after he was summoned by the Foreign Ministry of Turkey over his bitterly critical comments of Turkey’s handling of the EU-Turkey migration deal.

“We have a saying ‘Start like a Turk and end like a German. But here it is the other way round’”, Haber said, according to Turkish media reports.

However, Kocijancic rejected to comment on possible link between the former envoy’s comments and his resignation saying that the successor will be appointed swiftly and the EU continues to cooperate with Turkey.

“Turkey is a key partner and it is a candidate country. We reenergized our relationship contacts and they are going on all levels,” Kocijancic underlined.

 

The post Head of EU delegation to Turkey, Hansjoerg Haber, resigns appeared first on New Europe.

Dutch finance minister and ECOFIN Chair Jeroen Dijsselbloem worries that the way in which the EU Commission applies Stability and Growth Pact rules may not be entirely objective, he told Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee MEPs on Tuesday. At a meeting reviewing the Dutch Presidency of the Council of Economy and Finance Ministers, he said he hoped that on Friday 17 June they would agree a road map for completing the Banking Union with a European Deposit Guarantee Scheme (EDIS).
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Dutch finance minister and ECOFIN Chair Jeroen Dijsselbloem worries that the way in which the EU Commission applies Stability and Growth Pact rules may not be entirely objective, he told Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee MEPs on Tuesday. At a meeting reviewing the Dutch Presidency of the Council of Economy and Finance Ministers, he said he hoped that on Friday 17 June they would agree a road map for completing the Banking Union with a European Deposit Guarantee Scheme (EDIS).
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 14 June 2016, the Council extended the mandate of the EU rule of law mission (EULEX) in Kosovo until 14 June 2018. The Council also approved a combined budget for the mission of EUR 63.6 million providing for the period 15 June 2016 - 14 December 2016 for its operations in Kosovo and until 14 June 2017 for the specialist chambers and the specialist prosecutor office. 

The budget approved will cover the expenditure of EULEX KOSOVO for the implementation of its mandate in Kosovo at a level of EUR 34.5 million. EUR 29.1 million will support the specialist chambers and the specialist prosecutor office. 

The central aim of the civilian mission EULEX Kosovo is to assist and support the Kosovo authorities in the rule of law area, specifically in the police, judiciary and customs areas. 

EULEX Kosovo was launched in 2008. The headquarters of the mission are located in Prishtinë/Priština, Kosovo.

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The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Group in the European Parliament has condemned the massacre perpetrated against the LGBTI community in Orlando, Florida, on June 12.

Guy Verhofstadt, ALDE Group president, said: “Violence against LGBTI people is unfortunately not a relic from the past. The LGBTI community is still being a victim of discrimination, violence and threats every day across the world. We must stand together against homophobia, violence and hate speech. Terror and hatred should have no place in our societies.”

ALDE also called on the European Commission to present a legislative proposal to prevent and penalise homophobic hate crime.

The post ALDE shows solidarity with Orlando massacre victims appeared first on New Europe.

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Members of the European Parliament’s Internal Market committee have debated amendments to the EU’s Firearms Directive on Tuesday. There has been a common European firearms law for over 25 years but far-reaching reforms were proposed by the Commission following the Charlie Hebdo and Paris attacks last year.

The first draft of the proposals was widely considered to be very poorly drafted and would have had many unintended consequences. Members of the European Parliament have tabled a further 800 amendments to the Commission’s proposal, which will be discussed on Tuesday.

British Conservative MEP Vicky Ford (ECR) said: ‘It is absolutely right that we close the specific loophole that was exploited by terrorists involved in the Charlie Hebdo attacks. These firearms that were supposedly only able to fire blanks, and hence could be bought and sold by individuals who did not have any firearms certificate, license or permit. These guns had not been irreversibly converted and were easily turned back into live firearms. Many similar firearms were found in a marina in Kent and it is absolutely vital that we work with our neighbours across Europe to close this loophole to make us all secure.”

MEPs proposed robust measures to make sure that permits or licenses are not given to individuals who are likely to pose a risk to public safety. Countries will be expected to have in place a monitoring system and new measures will be introduced to ensure that if a person is refused a permit in one country, then the police in another country will be made aware. MEPs will vote on whether or not medical checks should be required.

Vicky Ford also said: “You should not be able to buy any firearm in Europe without a permit or license. You should not be able to get a permit or license if you are considered by authorities to be likely to pose a risk to public order. If in any doubt, the authorities should say “no”.

“This is a sensitive issue, and we must get it right. We need to have effective crossborder laws but this also needs to be done in a way that it does not have unintended consequences for legitimate owners, sportsmen, national defence or museums.”

The post MEPs debate pan-European firearms law  appeared first on New Europe.

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Estonian MEP Kaja Kallas has announced that she will not sign another written declaration – up to 200 words, it’s a mechanisms for European Parliament delegates to raise awareness about issues that might otherwise get overlooked.

In her recent blog post, Kallas, who belongs to the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, explains why she has stopped signing WDs.

“A few months ago a colleague of mine sent out a ‘Written Declaration to end all Written Declarations’ which made me wonder whether there is any sense in signing these declarations at all.

“According to the rules, a WD is only adopted if it is signed by half of all MEPs within 3 months of its publication; otherwise it lapses. Due to this, authors of a written declaration often have to resort to a disproportionate amount of lobbying to ensure that their declaration gains enough support in the allocated time.”

According to Kallas, a WD is often the result of the work of lobbyists who want to show their clients that they’ve achieved something or it represents narrow problems brought up by an MEP’s constituency, who expect the WD to have an impact on EU policies.

“In reality, they are largely incapable of bringing about change,” concludes Kallas. “This, in turn, feeds the sense of disempowerment recently on the rise in Europe, and risks frustrating the already sceptical public (“politicians only talk, but bring no change”).

“Not wanting to deny that some issues raised in WDs do merit wider recognition, I have to conclude that the WD in general has become a mechanism for promoting niche interests at great administrative cost. Either the subjects they deal with are so local and specific that they should not be discussed at EU level.”

Some of the examples that Kallas cites include a WD on the control and possible eradication of the Asian hornet and others are just ridiculous like a WD on European necktie day.

The post Kaja Kallas. Why one MEP won’t sign written declarations appeared first on New Europe.

A clear A to G scale for labelling the energy efficiency of household appliances should replace the proliferating pluses in today's top class (A+, A++, A+++) within 5 years, said Industry, Research and Energy Committee MEPs on Tuesday. The proposal for a new EU regulation aims to ensure that consumers are not misled into thinking that a A class appliance is one of the most efficient on the market, whereas under current rules it may in fact be one of the least efficient.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

A clear A to G scale for labelling the energy efficiency of household appliances should replace the proliferating pluses in today's top class (A+, A++, A+++) within 5 years, said Industry, Research and Energy Committee MEPs on Tuesday. The proposal for a new EU regulation aims to ensure that consumers are not misled into thinking that a A class appliance is one of the most efficient on the market, whereas under current rules it may in fact be one of the least efficient.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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Two police officers were murdered  by a single lone wolf terrorist in Magnanville, 55 km northwest of Paris, on Monday evening.

The French President, Francois Hollande, described the incident as “unquestionably a terrorist act” on Tuesday morning.

The first victim was a 42-year old police commander Jean-Batiste Salvaing. The terrorist stalked the victim and attacked him with a knife outside his home shouting “Allahu akbar,” according to witnesses. The victim quickly succumbed to wounds in his stomach, Reuters reports.

The murderer then went into the house of the victim and barricaded himself, taking the commander’s partner and their three year old son as hostages. The commander’s partner was the 36-year old Jessica S., also a police officer. Following a raid later in the evening, the woman was found dead, also by knife wounds, but the boy survived.

The police cut off electricity and gas, sealed off the road, and tried to negotiate with the terrorist before launching a raid; witnesses report hearing explosions as the unit moved in.

The terrorist was identified as the 25 year old Larossi Abballa, born in France. Aballa was convicted to 3-years in prison in 2013 for “criminal association with the aim of preparing terrorist acts”; he had worked as a recruiter of Jihadi fighters that were sent to Pakistan, France 24 reports.

Aballa was described by the IS-linked media platform as “a fighter”; the terrorist posted the murder and pictures of his victims on his Facebook page, Haaretz reports.

The police is now examining social media messages and contacts of the terrorist.

France is in a state of emergency since the attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015.

French President Francois Hollande gestures as he delivers a speech during the opening of the International Anti-Corruption Practitioner Conference at The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France, 14 June 2016. Hollande started his speech by mentioning the French police officer and his partner murdered by an assailant allegedly claimed as a ISIS fighter in Magnanville, near Paris, late 13 June 2016. EPA/FRANCOIS GUILLOT / POOL MAXPPP OUT

(AFP, France 24, Mirror, Reuters, Haaretz)

The post Lone wolf terrorist attack in France, two officers killed appeared first on New Europe.

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Microsoft is buying LinkedIn for €23bn in cash, or $196 a share, Bloomberg reports.

The deal still needs to be approved by regulators in the US, EU, Canada, and Brazil. Microsoft hopes to use the professional networking platform to bundle and sell e-mail and other business services, while adding value on its emerging “cloud” service identity (Office 365, Dynamics). To do so, it is paying LinkedIn shareholders a 50% premium.

As always in major mergers, Microsoft’s CEO Jeff Weiner promised to LinkedIn employees the company will retain its “distinct brand, culture and independence.” This is Microsoft’s biggest acquisition since Skype, which it acquired in 2011 for $8,5bn.

Most of the buyout will be paid by issuing debt, although Microsoft has the reserves to buy. In a very low interest rate environment, mergers and acquisitions have thrived.

One privacy expert, Vivek Krishnamurthy, who teaches at Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic says LinkedIn users should have personal data concerns. “While LinkedIn is known for controlling information that’s in a semi-public sphere, in particular its professional profiles, it also houses private messages and job applications made on the website. Its information could include the fact that you’re seeking a job while you’re presumably employed or were employed somewhere else,” Financial Post reports.

The post Microsoft buys LinkedIn for €23 bn appeared first on New Europe.

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A Doha court convicted a 22-year old Dutch woman that reported her rape for adultery on Monday. She is to pay a €710 fine and was convicted to one year prison.

The woman was apparently raped in February and reported the crime. Qatari authorities placed Laura on trial for her “extramarital sex” {rape} without seeking to secure evidence against her alleged rapist. Dutch media reported she was later pressed to marry her alleged rapist.

The sentence will be suspended and Laura will be deported, AFP reports.

The woman denied the charge of having “sex” outside marriage.

The alleged rapist is Omar Abdullah al-Hasan; he was sentenced to 100 lashes for “illicit sex” – not rape – and 40 lashes for drinking alcohol. He will undergo a medical examination to see whether he can withstand the punishment. But, he will serve no time in prison and could get away with rape. Being of Syrian descent, he will be deported; he insists he paid the woman for sex and that it was consensual.

The Dutch embassy will help the 22-years old woman to leave Qatar.

Qatar will host the football World Cup in 2022. Western tourists visiting Qatar for the event could be in grave danger if unfamiliar with the “rule of law” in the emirate. In 2013, a Norwegian woman in the United Arab Emirates received a 16-month sentence for extramarital rape and drinking alcohol. She was later pardoned and allowed to return to Norway. An Australian suffered the same fate in 2008.

At least 45 people have been convicted of sex outside marriage since 2009 according to international media reports.

The Dutch woman had been to Doha for vacations with a friend and went clubbing in a hotel where alcohol is allowed. Her lawyer, Brian Lokollo, says the victim suspects her drink was spiked. She woke up in a strange apartment realizing she had been raped.

(AP, AFP, BBC, DW, DutchNews.nl)

The post Qatar convicts Dutch alledged rape victim for extramarital sex appeared first on New Europe.

Commission v United Kingdom
Social security for migrant workers
The UK can require recipients of child benefit and child tax credit to have a right to reside in the UK

Commission v United Kingdom
Social security for migrant workers
The UK can require recipients of child benefit and child tax credit to have a right to reside in the UK