European Union

 

There’s not much that’s clear so far in the referendum, but one thing that looks pretty certain is that the campaign has yet to catch the public’s interest fully. Indeed, it might not be pushing things too far to say that most people don’t really care.

The reasons for this are many and various. Firstly, the EU has not been an issue of significant public interest for over a decade: as much as it’s motivated Tory MPs and Eurosceptic activists, the same hasn’t been true of the wider population. Secondly, and related to this, levels of knowledge about the EU remain low, which acts as a disincentive to engage with substantive points of debate. Finally, this is a very long campaign, having been set in train properly by Cameron’s general election success last May, with a couple of years before that of it being a possibility.

In short, people don’t care, don’t understand and don’t feel a sense of urgency.

Clearly, some of this is contingent: as we close in on 23 June, so more people will become interested and engaged. However, the question will be whether this is a big or a small effect.

Why does this matter?

There are two main arguments on this. The main one is the democratic need for participation in a mechanism that is precisely designed to let people have a voice. Whatever the outcome, if it results from a low turnout, then it robs that decision of much of its legitimacy. That holds notwithstanding the British political convention that non-participation is a valid political act: since politicians have decided that they cannot make the decision themselves, it falls to the citizenry to take that role.

The second argument is more self-serving for the Remain camp. Turnout looks more and more to be the crucial factor in this referendum: the polling strongly suggests that the higher that turnout, the more likely a Remain vote will be. This matters all the more, given the lack of obvious movement in polls in recent weeks, despite the European Council deal, Boris’ coming-out or any other event. Of course, the flip side of this is that if turnout can be raised, and Leave still win, then Leave’s mandate will be all the stronger.

How do you get lift-off?

Motivations to one side, the question then is one of how you get significant public engagement. As I’ve argued on these pages many times before, engagement would not only be good for democracy, but also for the consolidation of a clearer British policy towards the EU, which has long floundered on a lack of obvious objectives.

If we assume that there will not be a spontaneous engagement by most people, then something needs to happen to make engagement look attractive. Here it’s helpful to think about this in terms of positive and negative drivers.

On the positive side, we might have the arrival of a strong voice into the debate, who fuels a lot of public interest. However, even writing that sentence highlights the difficulty: we’ve shot our bolts on Boris, Blair, Obama, Clarkson and even the Queen, so it’s not going to be anyone you’ve heard of.

Likewise, the structural inability of the Leave campaign to settle on a single plan for post-membership and the indifference of Remain to strategise how they will continue to promote British interests within the EU mean that the scope of a positive agenda also looks slim.

Negative drivers look more likely. The reaction to external voices – essentially, “butt out of our debate” – illustrates this well, where debate is not valued per se, but only within a heavily gate-kept framework. The things that are more likely to cut through that are also more likely to be negative articulations of fears or risks.

Partly, that comes from the wider environment. An EU facing another summer of the migrant crisis, weak Eurozone economic performance, aggressive Russian posturing, awkward Turkish and TTIP negotiations and assorted populist challenges within member states looks a lot like a recipe for multiple negative headlines. Worse still, those potential points of weakness or failure would go straight to challenging what limited legitimacy the EU has, based on its outputs.

Making that even more difficult, both sides in the campaign might be tempted to push negative claims about each other. While Leave might have an embarrassment of riches in extrapolating from the EU’s failures, so too can Remain make hay from the contradictions that arise from the multiple alternative futures offered outside the EU. Whatever one thinks of “Project Fear” type agendas, shock stories do have some media value. It’s not hard to imagine pieces about either outcome will destroy the NHS, cripple the economy, mean the end of the British countryside as we know it, and the rest.

To some extent, all of these things are already out there: indeed, that rather proves the point that publics aren’t that engaged. Drivers can only got so far if they lack receptive audiences. The danger is that the only things that matter are those that occur in the final couple of weeks: given the extent of the ramifications of the decision, that looks rather careless, both on the part of politicians and on the part of citizens.

The post Achieving lift-off in the referendum appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

Good evening. We have just had a useful Tripartite Social Summit. I am glad that we have changed the format so we meet at a sensible distance from the European Council. This way we can take the views of the social partners more fully on board. I think everyone appreciated the freer atmosphere in which we had a really substantial exchange of views.

Today, we discussed job creation and inclusive growth. The situation in the European Union is far from terrible with average unemployment now down to less than 9 per cent. At the same time, serious issues remain. We need to keep the recovery going. In this respect, implementing reforms to boost the growth potential of our economies is key. We have to demonstrate that prosperity is really returning. This is a race against time and against the populists.

The migration crisis affects all of us, but the social partners are truly on the front-lines. This is why we discussed today how we can protect our own people from the negative impact of the current crisis, while also doing our duty to those seeking international protection. I am happy to say that the partners came to the table today not just with their concerns, but also with constructive ideas. We examined the possibilities and challenges of integrating those seeking asylum into our labour markets.

Let me end with a few remarks on the European Council on migration tomorrow and Friday. Firstly, the objective of the summit is clear: To conclude an agreement to further strengthen our cooperation with Turkey in order to stem the flow of migrants from Turkey to Europe. But as my talks in the last ten days have proven as well as my trip to Nicosia and Ankara yesterday, there is still a lot to be done before we can reach an agreement acceptable to each and everyone of our 28 Member States and Turkey.

Secondly, there is still a number of issues to be resolved and on which we are working. The most important one, where we cannot and will not compromise, is the absolute need to respect both our EU law and international law. This is indispensable. Without that Europe will no longer be Europe.

Lastly, while we all focus on how we can further strengthen our cooperation with Turkey on migration and beyond, we should not forget the larger picture. No matter how good and game-changing such an agreement is, it will not in itself end the migration crisis. But it can and should help. That is why we cannot afford to rely on this agreement alone. And that is why we have to remain serious on our common European comprehensive strategy that goes beyond Turkey. Thank you.

The Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) of the Council took note of a provisional agreement reached by the Netherlands presidency on 15 March 2016 with European Parliament representatives, aimed at establishing a multiannual plan on fisheries of cod, herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea. The terms of the agreement are subject to confirmation by Coreper in the coming weeks.

Commenting on the agreement, the Dutch minister for Agriculture, Martijn van Dam, said that "this multi-annual fisheries plan is the first of its kind after the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in 2013. The plan is consistent and fully in line with the principles of this major reform. The agreement on this new plan paves the way to prepare similar multi-annual plans for fisheries in other geographical areas according to the same model, starting with the renewal of the multi-annual fisheries plan for the North Sea". He also hailed the work made by previous presidencies and the excellent cooperation of the European Parliament and the Commission in achieving the agreement. 

The new plan will replace the existing management plan for the Baltic Sea cod stocks, in place since 2007, with a multispecies approach, including the stocks of herring and sprat which were not yet subject to a management plan. 

It seeks to ensure the sustainable exploitation of these stocks and provide stability of fishing opportunities, while ensuring that management is based on the most up to date scientific information. The new plan will benefit from the involvement of those who know the region best as they will be able to adapt the measures at regional level to the specificities of the fisheries concerned. 

It is also an useful example for a new generation of multiannual fisheries management plans, which are one of the main operational tools of the new CFP.   

Next steps 

After endorsement  by the Coreper of the draft regulation, the Council and the European Parliament will have to formally adopt the final text of the regulation before its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.   

Background

In October 2014, the Commission presented a proposal for a draft regulation on the multi-species plan in the Baltic Sea. The Council adopted a general approach on 20 April 2015 and the European Parliament voted on amendments on 28 April 2015.

AMENDMENTS 1 - 29 - Draft opinion Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with special regard to the Concluding Observations of the UN CRPD Committee
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : The terrorist attacks in Paris last November have led to the European Commission proposing updated rules to prevent guns ending up in the wrong hands. However, could these new rules have unintended consequences? The internal market committee debated the proposals and their possible impact with experts during a hearing on Tuesday 15 March.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : The terrorist attacks in Paris last November have led to the European Commission proposing updated rules to prevent guns ending up in the wrong hands. However, could these new rules have unintended consequences? The internal market committee debated the proposals and their possible impact with experts during a hearing on Tuesday 15 March.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 16 March 2016 the Council agreed to the use of funds from the EU budget to finance emergency support for Greece and other member states overwhelmed by the refugee crisis. 

By backing draft amending budget no 1 as proposed by the Commission on 9 March 2016, Council agreed to make available of €100 million in commitments and €80.2 million in payments from the 2016 EU budget.

“This decision enables the EU to cover immediate and urgent needs resulting from the massive inflow of refugees. We want to alleviate the poor humanitarian situation for migrants within the EU as soon as possible. That's what this EU emergency support mechanism is all about”, said Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Minister for Finance of the Netherlands and President of the Council.

The resources approved by the Council are financed through redeployments within heading 3 (Security and citizenship) of the EU's multiannual financial framework. Depending on the evolving needs the Commission may make further proposals to secure the necessary funding of the emergency support for countries faced with major humanitarian crises, such as large numbers of arriving refugees. 

The Commission estimates that €300 million will be needed to provide emergency support relating to refugees in 2016, and a further €200 million in each of the years 2017 and 2018. 

By accepting draft amending budget 1/2016 the Council also approved the reinforcement of staffing levels of the European counter-terrorism centre in Europol. This is to enable the agency to play a central role in the fight against terrorism in the EU following the terrorist attacks in Paris of 13 November 2015. 

Next steps 

Draft amending budget 1/2016 still needs the approval of the European Parliament. If the Parliament accepts the Council's position the amending budget will be adopted. If the Parliament adopts amendments a three-week conciliation period would start. 

Background

The approval of draft amending budget 1/2016 follows the creation of an EU emergency support mechanism on 15 March 2016. On the same day the Council activated this new instrument for helping Greece and other member states to deal with the current influx of refugees.

Dear colleagues,

Our European Council Thursday and Friday, including our meeting with Turkey's Prime Minister, will just like 10 days ago be dominated by the migration crisis.

When we met on the 7th of March, we received the new proposal from Turkey on how to further strengthen our cooperation too late to allow for a common decision. Instead you mandated me to prepare an agreement on the basis of a number of principles outlined in our statement. The objective is clear: an agreement acceptable to all 28 Member States as well as to our Turkish partners. Work is progressing but there is still a lot to do.

I have asked my staff to present a first full draft for a joint EU-Turkey Statement to your ambassadors today to move forward in our discussions on how we can address the concerns raised in our meeting last week. The catalogue of issues to be resolved before we can conclude an agreement is long. An absolute priority is to ensure that our decisions respect both EU and international law. We also have to look into how to prevent new sea or land routes for irregular migration opening from Turkey to the EU. And we have to be ready to assist Greece with the practical implementation of the new return mechanism, via the European Asylum Support Office and if necessary via direct assistance from Member States.

Another priority is to see how we can speed up the disbursement of the initial € 3 billions to Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey as well as to discuss modalities for voluntary resettlement.

To prepare our meeting, I held intensive talks in Nicosia and Ankara yesterday. When it comes to the accession process, my conviction is that we need to find a way of using the process of reenergising EU-Turkey relations, which goes far beyond migration, so that this process also becomes an opportunity to support the settlement talks in Cyprus. Only if this is possible, can we move forward here.

Let me conclude with a few remarks on the running order. On Thursday, we will start at 16h00 with the traditional exchange of views with the President of the European Parliament followed by the family photo. Our afternoon working session will, as usual in the Spring, begin with a discussion of the economic situation,  the implementation of structural reforms undertaken by Member States  and the  setting of priorities for the European Semester. The President of the European Central Bank will join us for that discussion. We will adopt the conclusions on this part of our agenda at the end of the discussion. I would also like to use this working session to agree our conclusions on climate change and energy security.

Over our working dinner, we will hold a comprehensive debate on migration and EU-Turkey relations. Beyond agreeing a common position on an EU-Turkey agreement, we also need to take stock of the situation along the Western Balkans route after our common decision to end the irregular flows last week as well as our effort to massively step up humanitarian support, not least to Greece. On Friday morning, EU Heads of State or Government will reconvene at 10h00 for a breakfast meeting with Prime Minister Davutoğlu with a view to adopting the EU-Turkey Statement. That meeting should conclude our proceedings. I look forward to seeing you in Brussels tomorrow.

To dissuade refugees from putting their lives at risk by entrusting them to people smugglers, EU consulates and embassies should be allowed to issue humanitarian visas to persons seeking international protection, said Civil Liberties Committee MEPs voting on an update of the EU Visa Code on Wednesday. These visas would enable holders to enter the country issuing the visa in order to apply for asylum.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

To dissuade refugees from putting their lives at risk by entrusting them to people smugglers, EU consulates and embassies should be allowed to issue humanitarian visas to persons seeking international protection, said Civil Liberties Committee MEPs voting on an update of the EU Visa Code on Wednesday. These visas would enable holders to enter the country issuing the visa in order to apply for asylum.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 17 March 2016 the Netherlands presidency reached an informal deal with the European Parliament on the revision of the directive concerning technical requirements for inland waterway vessels. 

The revised draft directive sets out how the EU will apply the technical standards developed by the European Committee for drawing up standards in the field of inland navigation (CESNI), which was set up under the auspices of the Central Commission for Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) on 3 June 2015. 

Inland waterway vessels that want to obtain a Union certificate and navigate on Europe's inland waterways will have to comply with these technical standards. 

The technical standards from CESNI will not only be incorporated into EU legislation, but will also become applicable on the river Rhine, thereby harmonising technical requirements for inland waterway vessels within Europe. 

In the current situation, both the EU and the CCNR apply their own technical requirements, which are almost but not quite identical. This results in legal uncertainty and administrative burdens for the inland navigation sector. 

CESNI adopted a first standard of technical requirements on 26 November 2015. Its detailed specifications range from the provisions regarding shipbuilding and equipment to provisions applicable to craft operating on liquefied natural gas (LNG). The requirements relating to LNG, which did not exist before, will facilitate the use of this alternative fuel in inland navigation. 

The draft directive is part of a number of measures aimed at making better use of Europe's inland waterways (NAIADES II package). 

The presidency will present the agreed text for approval by member states' ambassadors at a meeting of the Permanent Representatives Committee on 23 March. To conclude the procedure, formal adoption by both the Council and the Parliament is required. 

Today the Members of the European Council met with their Turkish counterpart. This was the third meeting since November 2015 dedicated to deepening Turkey-EU relations as well as addressing the migration crisis.

The Members of the European Council expressed their deepest condolences to the people of Turkey following the bomb attack in Ankara on Sunday. They strongly condemned this heinous act and reiterated their continued support to fight terrorism in all its forms.

Turkey and the European Union reconfirmed their commitment to the implementation of their joint action plan activated on 29 November 2015. Much progress has been achieved already, including Turkey's opening of its labour market to Syrians under temporary protection, the introduction of new visa requirements for Syrians and other nationalities, stepped up security efforts by the Turkish coast guard and police and enhanced information sharing. Moreover, the European Union has begun disbursing the 3 billion euro of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey for concrete projects and work has advanced on visa liberalisation and in the accession talks, including the opening of Chapter 17 last December. On 7 March 2016, Turkey furthermore agreed to accept the rapid return of all migrants not in need of international protection crossing from Turkey into Greece and to take back all irregular migrants intercepted in Turkish waters. Turkey and the EU also agreed to continue stepping up measures against migrant smugglers and welcomed the establishment of the NATO activity on the Aegean Sea. At the same time Turkey and the EU recognise that further, swift and determined efforts are needed.

In order to break the business model of the smugglers and to offer migrants an alternative to putting their lives at risk, the EU and Turkey today decided to end the irregular migration from Turkey to the EU. In order to achieve this goal, they agreed on the following additional action points:

1) All new irregular migrants crossing from Turkey into Greek islands as from 20 March 2016 will be returned to Turkey. This will take place in full accordance with EU and international law, thus excluding any kind of collective expulsion. All migrants will be protected in accordance with the relevant international standards and in respect of the principle of non-refoulement. It will be a temporary and extraordinary measure which is necessary to end the human suffering and restore public order. Migrants arriving in the Greek islands will be duly registered and any application for asylum will be processed individually by the Greek authorities in accordance with the Asylum Procedures Directive, in cooperation with UNHCR. Migrants not applying for asylum or whose application has been found unfounded or inadmissible in accordance with the said directive will be returned to Turkey. Turkey and Greece, assisted by EU institutions and agencies, will take the necessary steps and agree any necessary bilateral arrangements, including the presence of Turkish officials on Greek islands and Greek officials in Turkey as from 20 March 2016, to ensure liaison and thereby facilitate the smooth functioning of these arrangements. The costs of the return operations of irregular migrants will be covered by the EU.

2) For every Syrian being returned to Turkey from Greek islands, another Syrian will be resettled from Turkey to the EU taking into account the UN Vulnerability Criteria. A mechanism will be established, with the assistance of the Commission, EU agencies and other Member States, as well as the UNHCR, to ensure that this principle will be implemented as from the same day the returns start. Priority will be given to migrants who have not previously entered or tried to enter the EU irregularly. On the EU side, resettlement under this mechanism will take place, in the first instance, by honouring the commitments taken by Member States in the conclusions of Representatives of the Governments of Member States meeting within the Council on 20 July 2015, of which 18.000 places for resettlement remain. Any further need for resettlement will be carried out through a similar voluntary arrangement up to a limit of an additional 54.000 persons. The Members of the European Council welcome the Commission's intention to propose an amendment to the relocation decision of 22 September 2015 to allow for any resettlement commitment undertaken in the framework of this arrangement to be offset from non-allocated places under the decision. Should these arrangements not meet the objective of ending the irregular migration and the number of returns come close to the numbers provided for above, this mechanism will be reviewed. Should the number of returns exceed the numbers provided for above, this mechanism will be discontinued.

3) Turkey will take any necessary measures to prevent new sea or land routes for illegal migration opening from Turkey to the EU, and will cooperate with neighbouring states as well as the EU to this effect.

4) Once irregular crossings between Turkey and the EU are ending or at least have been substantially and sustainably reduced, a Voluntary Humanitarian Admission Scheme will be activated. EU Member States will contribute on a voluntary basis to this scheme.

5) The fulfilment of the visa liberalisation roadmap will be accelerated vis-à-vis all participating Member States with a view to lifting the visa requirements for Turkish citizens at the latest by the end of June 2016, provided that all benchmarks have been met. To this end Turkey will take the necessary steps to fulfil the remaining requirements to allow the Commission to make, following the required assessment of compliance with the benchmarks, an appropriate proposal by the end of April on the basis of which the European Parliament and the Council can make a final decision.

6) The EU, in close cooperation with Turkey, will further speed up the disbursement of the initially allocated 3 billion euros under the Facility for Refugees in Turkey and ensure funding of further projects for persons under temporary protection identified with swift input from Turkey before the end of March. A first list of concrete projects for refugees, notably in the field of health, education, infrastructure, food and other living costs, that can be swiftly financed from the Facility, will be jointly identified within a week. Once these resources are about to be used to the full, and provided the above commitments are met, the EU will mobilise additional funding for the Facility of an additional 3 billion euro up to the end of 2018.

7) The EU and Turkey welcomed the ongoing  work on the upgrading of the Customs Union.

8) The EU and Turkey reconfirmed their commitment to re-energise the accession process as set out in their joint statement of 29 November 2015. They welcomed the opening of Chapter 17 on 14 December 2015 and decided, as a next step, to open Chapter 33 during the Netherlands presidency. They welcomed that the Commission will put forward a proposal to this effect in April. Preparatory work for the opening of other Chapters will continue at an accelerated pace without prejudice to Member States' positions in accordance with the existing rules.

9) The EU and its Member States will work with Turkey in any joint endeavour to improve humanitarian conditions inside Syria, in particular in certain areas near the Turkish border which would allow for the local population and refugees to live in areas which will be more safe.

All these elements will be taken forward in parallel and monitored jointly on a monthly basis.

The EU and Turkey decided to meet again as necessary in accordance with the joint statement of 29 November 2015.

I. MIGRATION

1.  The European Council confirms its comprehensive strategy to tackle the migration crisis. Several elements of our common European response are in place today and are yielding results. Work on other elements is being taken forward diligently, so that they can be implemented as soon as possible. Priority will continue to be given to regaining control of our external borders.

2. Following the decisions of the Heads of State or Government of 7 March, and in the context of the Joint Action Plan with Turkey and its expansion, the European Council calls for:

• more work to be done on hotspots; much progress has been achieved in making all hotspots fully operational and increasing reception capacities; this effort should be continued, with the full assistance of the EU, including support for Greek asylum structures;
• the use of all means to support the capacity of Greece for the return of irregular migrants to Turkey in the context of the Greek-Turkish readmission Protocol and the EU-Turkey readmission agreement as of 1 June 2016. Member States declare their willingness to provide Greece at short notice with the necessary means, including border guards, asylum experts and interpreters. The European Council asks the Commission to coordinate all necessary support for Greece, for the full implementation of the EU-Turkey statement, and to develop an operational plan. The Commission will coordinate and organise together with Member States and agencies the necessary support structures to implement it effectively. The Commission will regularly report to the Council on its implementation;
• emergency support to be provided to help Greece cope with the humanitarian situation. The rapid adoption of the Regulation on emergency support is an important step in that respect. The draft amending budget presented by the Commission should be adopted without delay. Member States are invited to make immediate additional contributions under the Civil Protection Mechanism as well as to provide bilateral humanitarian assistance;
• accelerated relocation from Greece, which includes conducting the necessary security checks; the number of applications now being larger than the number of offers, as shown in the Commission report of 16 March, Member States should swiftly offer more places, in line with the existing commitments.

3. The European Council takes note of the Commission Communication "Next operational steps in EU-Turkey cooperation in the field of migration", in particular as to how an asylum application from a migrant crossing from Turkey into Greece can be declared inadmissible, based on the concept of "first country of asylum" or "safe third country", in accordance with European and international law.

4. The European Council reiterates that the EU-Turkey Statement does not establish any new commitments on Member States as far as relocation and resettlement are concerned.

5. The EU reiterates that it expects Turkey to respect the highest standards when it comes to democracy, rule of law, respect of fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression.

6. The European Council reaffirms its support to Jordan and Lebanon. It calls for pledges to be disbursed promptly and EU Compacts to be finalised to enhance support to refugees and host communities in both countries.

7. The European Council calls for strengthening of cooperation with the Western Balkans countries in tackling the migration crisis and contributing to the objectives of the European Council.

8. Further to its February 2016 conclusions, the European Council invites the European Investment Bank to present to its June meeting a specific initiative aimed at rapidly mobilising additional financing in support of sustainable growth, vital infrastructure and social cohesion in Southern neighbourhood and Western Balkans countries.

9. The European Council is extremely vigilant as regards possible new routes for irregular migrants and calls for taking any measures that may become necessary in that respect. In this context, the fight against smugglers everywhere and by all appropriate means remains key. The EU stands ready to support the Government of National Accord, as the sole legitimate government of Libya, including, at its request, to restore stability, fight terrorism and manage migration in the central Mediterranean.

10. The European Council reaffirms its previous conclusions on the various elements of the comprehensive strategy and is pleased with progress on the European Border and Coast Guard proposal, which should be adopted as soon as possible. Work will also be taken forward on the future architecture of the EU's migration policy, including the Dublin Regulation.

II. JOBS, GROWTH AND COMPETITIVENESS

11. To steer the Council's discussions on the 2016 European Semester, the European Council endorsed the policy priority areas of the Annual Growth Survey: re-launching investment, pursuing structural reforms to modernise our economies, and conducting responsible fiscal policies. Member States will reflect these priorities in their forthcoming National Reform Programmes and Stability or Convergence Programmes. Such policies will contribute to placing the current recovery on a more sustainable basis and to fostering growth and employment. The European Council notes the Commission consultation on social issues and stresses the importance of well-functioning labour markets and welfare systems.

12. At its June meeting, the European Council will discuss the progress achieved in the work towards completing the Economic and Monetary Union. It will also adopt an Agenda for the implementation of all aspects of the Single Market, including delivery of the Commission's Single Market, Digital Single Market and Capital Markets Union strategies, with a view to exploiting in full its untapped growth and productivity potential.

13. In the light of the difficult situation of the European steel sector, in a context of overcapacity at global level, the European Council calls on the Council to rapidly examine the Commission's communication with a view to taking strong action in response to this challenge.

14. The European Council notes the situation of farmers, notably in the dairy and pig sectors, who are seriously affected by the drop in prices. It invites the Commission to quickly act upon the outcome of the Council (Agriculture) meeting of 14 March. It will closely follow the evolution of this sector of such importance for Europe.

15. The European Council notes that the Commission intends to publish shortly a communication on an action plan on VAT. It welcomes the intention of the Commission to include proposals for increased flexibility for Member States with respect to reduced rates of VAT, which would provide the option to Member States of VAT zero rating‎ for sanitary products.

III. CLIMATE AND ENERGY

16. The European Council welcomes the submission by the Commission of the package on energy security as well as of the Communication "Road from Paris". It encourages the legislators to proceed with work on the proposals to reinforce the EU energy security as a matter of priority on the basis of its previous conclusions and the relevant strategies endorsed by the European Council. It also recalled the importance of a fully-functioning and interconnected energy market. Based on the Climate Communication, it underlines the EU's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions domestically and to increase the share of renewable energies and improve energy efficiency as agreed by the European Council in October 2014. Adapting the legislation in order to implement this framework remains a priority. The European Council invites the Commission to rapidly present all the remaining relevant proposals to this end so as to swiftly engage the legislative process. The European Council looks forward to the signature of the Paris Agreement in New York on 22 April and underlines the need for the European Union and its Member States to be able to ratify the Paris Agreement as soon as possible and on time so as to be Parties as of its entry into force.

I. JOBS, GROWTH AND COMPETITIVENESS

1. To steer the Council's discussions on the 2016 European Semester, the European Council endorsed the policy priority areas of the Annual Growth Survey: re-launching investment, pursuing structural reforms to modernise our economies, and conducting responsible fiscal policies. Member States will reflect these priorities in their forthcoming National Reform Programmes and Stability or Convergence Programmes. Such policies will contribute to placing the current recovery on a more sustainable basis and to fostering growth and employment. The European Council notes the Commission consultation on social issues and stresses the importance of well-functioning labour markets and welfare systems.

2. At its June meeting, the European Council will discuss the progress achieved in the work towards completing the Economic and Monetary Union. It will also adopt an Agenda for the implementation of all aspects of the Single Market, including delivery of the Commission's Single Market, Digital Single Market and Capital Markets Union strategies, with a view to exploiting in full its untapped growth and productivity potential.

3. In the light of the difficult situation of the European steel sector, in a context of overcapacity at global level, the European Council calls on the Council to rapidly examine the Commission's communication with a view to taking strong action in response to this challenge

4. The European Council notes the situation of farmers, notably in the dairy and pig sectors, who are seriously affected by the drop in prices. It invites the Commission to quickly act upon the outcome of the Council (Agriculture) meeting of 15 March. It will closely follow the evolution of this sector of such importance for Europe.

5. The European Council notes that the Commission intends to publish shortly a communication on an action plan on VAT. It welcomes the intention of the Commission to include proposals for increased flexibility for Member States with respect to reduced rates of VAT, which would provide the option to Member States of VAT zero rating‎ for sanitary products.

II. CLIMATE AND ENERGY

6. The European Council welcomes the submission by the Commission of the package on energy security as well as of the Communication "Road from Paris". It encourages the legislators to proceed with work on the proposals to reinforce the EU energy security as a matter of priority on the basis of its previous conclusions and the relevant strategies endorsed by the European Council. It also recalled the importance of a fully-functioning and interconnected energy market. Based on the Climate Communication, it underlines the EU's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions domestically and to increase the share of renewable energies and improve energy efficiency as agreed by the European Council in October 2014. Adapting the legislation in order to implement this framework remains a priority. The European Council invites the Commission to rapidly present all the remaining relevant proposals to this end so as to swiftly engage the legislative process. The European Council looks forward to the signature of the Paris Agreement in New York on 22 April and underlines the need for the European Union and its Member States to be able to ratify the Paris Agreement as soon as possible and on time so as to be Parties as of its entry into force.

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Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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A Russian government photo of Syria-based military aircraft returning home yesterday

Once again, Russia’s Vladimir Putin has caught nearly everyone with their guard down. Yesterday, as promised, he began withdrawing Russian forces from Syria, complete with cinematic videos of Sukhoi fighter jets departing Hmeymim airbase for home, posted to the defence ministry’s webpage. The Tass news agency quoted senior Kremlin officials saying anti-aircraft systems would remain, however, raising questions everywhere fromWashington to Brussels to Damascus about whether this amounted to a full stand-down or, as frequently happened in Ukraine, a temporary move that could be reversed.

At home, Mr Putin’s move is being hailed as a great strategic victory. State TV declared the deployment had completed its mission of “exterminating the terrorists” and stabilising the region. But western analysts were less convinced, noting that while Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president and close Kremlin ally, has been shored up, the country’s second city of Aleppo remains out of firm regime control and the fighting has ground into an uncertain quagmire rather than a clear victory.

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Google, Apple, Inter-IKEA Group and McDonald's would welcome more clarity and certainty about their tax liabilities in the EU, but they are concerned about the administrative compliance costs and reluctant to see tax data being made public. So said their representatives at a public hearing, held by Parliament's Special Committee on Tax Rulings II on Tuesday, to elicit their views on recent and upcoming proposed legislation on corporate tax.
Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect (TAXE 2)

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Google, Apple, Inter-IKEA Group and McDonald's would welcome more clarity and certainty about their tax liabilities in the EU, but they are concerned about the administrative compliance costs and reluctant to see tax data being made public. So said their representatives at a public hearing, held by Parliament's Special Committee on Tax Rulings II on Tuesday, to elicit their views on recent and upcoming proposed legislation on corporate tax.
Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect (TAXE 2)

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The failure to date of the EU asylum system to cope with ever-rising numbers of migrant arrivals calls for a radical overhaul of the so-called Dublin rules, said Civil Liberties Committee MEPs on Wednesday. They propose establishing a central system for collecting and allocating asylum applications. The scheme, which could include a quota for each EU member state, would work on the basis of “hotspots” from which refugees would be distributed.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP