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Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are expected to meet on Tuesday to discuss the road to a unified Democratic front before next month’s party convention in Philadelphia, AP reports.

Washington DC goes to the polls on Tuesday, June 14, in what is the last encounter in a primary that has already yielded Hillary Clinton as a presumptive nominee.

The Vermont senator is committed to preventing Donald Trump from becoming the next President but his endorsement of Clinton will have policy strings attached. Sanders wants from Clinton an unequivocal commitment to his policy agenda.

Speaking to NBC, the Vermont Senator says the meeting will allow him to explore her commitment to “working families and the middle class, moving aggressively in climate change, health care for all, making public colleges and universities tuition-free.”

Hillary Clinton has good reasons to heed the Vermont Senators’ agenda.

On the one hand, Sanders earned nearly 10 million votes and 22 states during the nominating process. On the other, many of the demographic groups to whom he is appealing have turned their backs on Clinton, especially young and first time voters; being seen to take on his agenda on income inequality, campaign finance reform and Wall Street excesses is key to unifying the electorate in what has been a highly polarized 13 month campaign.

Several polls, including an Ipsos/Reuters one in May, suggest that 59% of Sanders’ followers are unwilling to “convert” to Clinton. Last week Sanders met President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden who have already endorsed Clinton. Until last week the Occupy DNC Convention Facebook group was planning to contact superdelegates to convince them to switch allegiance; the platforms has 25,000 members.

Meanwhile, Sanders has begun deploying some of his crowdfunded money and national attention to boost the chances of progressive liberals campaigning to gain the nomination for a Democratic ticket to contest Senate seats. He is starting with $2,4 million.

In doing so, he remains true to his initial commitment to lead a “political revolution” in a system of nominations within the Democratic Party he has time and again called “rigged.”

Sanders’ is testing his muscle, supporting his own candidates in primaries beginning this Tuesday in Nevada, in a three way primary. Control of the Senate will be key for major reforms pushed by a Democratic President, that is, an advantage that Barack Obama did not have.

An early test of his clout will come Tuesday in Nevada, where a Sanders-backed congressional candidate, Lucy Flores, competes in a three-way primary. An e-mail by the Sanders campaign yielded $390,000 for Mrs Flores, while the Senator has already contributed to her campaign.

(AP, NBC, CNN)

The post Sanders meets Clinton to discuss the policies of unity appeared first on New Europe.

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For the first time in history, investors are willing to pay Germany for the privilege to lend it money. Germany’s benchmark 10-year Bund yields reached minus 0.005% on Tuesday; they stood at 0.6% at the start of this year.

German negative yields is a sign of market panic.

Despite negative yields, demand for German Bunds surges as the world fears Brexit and US unemployment figures signal the economy is not growing as fast as it was hoped.

Both bookmakers and polls suggest on Tuesday that a Leave vote is increasingly more likely on June 23rd, a sentiment bolstered as The Sun tabloid openly endorsed the campaign with a headline reading “BeLeave in Britain.”

The European Central Bank will by such bonds until its breaks even with its own deposit rate of -0.4%. Swiss and Japanese bonds are also in negative yield territory.

Japan is also following a quantitative easing program and despite the fact that it is expected to reach a 250% debt-to-GDP ratio, the country continues to sell its bonds at subzero yields.

Meanwhile, despite the ECB’s €80bn-a-month bond-buying programme, inflation in the 19-country eurozone is at record-low levels. Figures indicate particular deflationary pressure across Europe, including Italy, Switzerland, Britain, but also Poland.

A prolonged period of zero-interest rate environment across the developed world has hurt savers, the insurance sector, banking, and all the so-called fixed income sectors. It is feared Brexit would spur market panic and a broader banking crisis, reigniting recession in Europe and beyond.

(Reuters, Wall Street Journal, FT)

The post Fearing Brexit markets flock to German Bunds appeared first on New Europe.

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There has been a reported increase in cases of young refugee girls being forced to marry before their arrival in Germany. It’s a phenomenon that has German lawmakers thinking about tightening legislation against child marriages.

As reported by Germany’s international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle (DW), Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has expressed its concern that migrant children who entered into marriages abroad may be forced to continue living in such marriages upon arrival in Germany.

“We need a clear law,” Thomas Kutschaty, a Social Democrat (SPD) and justice minister for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia told the daily Bild newspaper.

According to the report, there are hundreds of child brides living in Germany. The recent wave of migration to Europe has seen that number of minors married to each other or to adults increase significantly. In May, a judgment by a court in the Bavarian city of Bamberg made it clear that these marriages are not valid in Germany.

In Germany, the age of majority is 18. The youngest age allowed for marriage is 16, and then only if the other partner is a legal adult, and parents or a family court has granted permission.

The post Germany considers stricter legislation against child marriage appeared first on New Europe.

This is a day of reckoning for France’s union barons. Thousands of protesters are expected to take to the Paris streets again today, seeking to shame politicians into dumping already watered-down plans to reform labour laws. But all that noise may belie a more uncomfortable reality for Philippe Martinez, the union ringleader for the strike. He may have badly overreached.

The gruff, mustachioed boss of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) said the demonstrations would be “massive”. His reputation is on the line in what Le Journal du Dimanche has dubbed the “final round” of his battle with the government. The New York Times does a smart job of looking at the stand-off. The piece highlights the complex undercurrents in the French labour movement – notably a bloody succession battle to lead the CGT as its fortunes have waned – that are driving militant action in what is ironically “one of the least unionised countries in Europe”.

And here lies the danger for Mr Martinez. The CGT-led strikes have been a costly nuisance but the disruptions don’t seem quite as bad this week. The rubbish in Paris is finally being collected again. The government seems to be standing its ground (albeit to protect far weaker reforms). Public patience is wearing thin. And most importantly, attention has turned to the football – and France won its first game. If turnout is mediocre on Tuesday, what Mr Martinez described as a protest airplane “just taking off” in late May could appear to be running low on fuel.

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Litter is on the European Parliament’s agenda for June 15. MEPs will debate the definition of litter and proposals aimed at achieving the 50% reduction target of land-based litter by 2030.

Last month, Czech MEP Miroslav Poche called for the definition of littering to be clarified as “any action or omission by the waste holder, whether wilful or negligent, that results in litter”.

The European Parliament is also proposing that EU countries restrict single-use products for the sake of litter prevention.

According to the Clean Europe Network (a Europe-wide platform where organisations share experience, expertise and best practice), the current discussions in the European Parliament are “one step in the legislative process – but a very important step”.

The post MEPs debate how to reduce litter by 2030 appeared first on New Europe.

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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