European Union

Plenary sessions : Parliament’s political group leaders will react to the executive order signed last Friday by US President Donald Trump to ban the nationals of seven countries from entering the US, with immediate effect. They will first hear a statement by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on the consequences of these travel restrictions.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

General : Euroscola - 09/02/2017 (AM)

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

General : Euroscola - 09/02/2017 (AM)

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The new President of the United States, Donald Trump, is upending liberal democracy, spreading ‘alternative facts’ and smashing civilised values.

The loss of US leadership in championing democracy and human rights is worrying. But America’s retreat from the global stage is also an opportunity for others to craft a different vision for living together in the 21st century.

As Trump puts ‘America first’ and disengages from the world, other nations must take the lead in fashioning more inclusive societies, rethinking global governance, reforming and galvanising multilateral institutions and creating new networks and coalitions.

Europe can and should be at the forefront. It can do so by rebuilding its fractured unity but also by revamping and reinforcing its still-fragile global profile. Given the rapidity with which Trump is enacting his campaign promises there is little time to lose.

The European Union’s response should be in three steps.

First, EU leaders should use their forthcoming summit in Valetta to take a hard look at just how Europe is going to conduct itself in the Trump era.

Second, the EU must rethink its stance on refugees and immigration, its trade and aid policies, and its relations with key emerging powers – including Russia and China, which have markedly divergent views on Trump.

And third, ahead of the Treaty of Rome anniversary on 25 March and elections in the Netherlands, France, Germany and possibly Italy, Europe’s mainstream democratic parties must work harder to forge a new and inspirational narrative to counter populist rhetoric and reconnect with citizens.

“America’s retreat from the global stage is an opportunity for others to craft a different vision for living together in the 21st century”

The EU must act quickly. The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has already told Trump that the war on terrorism is not an adequate reason to renege on the 1951 Geneva Convention, which requires signatories to help people fleeing from conflict.

The Valetta summit should go further. It should send an even stronger message to the new American administration on the ‘Muslim ban’ and other controversial edicts of the last few weeks.

If it is to be taken seriously, however, the EU must practice what it preaches and stop EU leaders who are also spreading anti-Muslim and anti-migrant hate and fear.

Individual EU governments and leaders who think they can forge bilateral bonds with Washington should learn from the British Prime Minister, Theresa May. Even holding the President’s hand and showering him with compliments is no guarantee he will spare you major embarrassment just hours later.

EU policymakers are also well advised to bury the illusion that Trump’s appointments will be more Euro-friendly than their boss.

For further proof, European leaders should listen carefully to Trump’s likely pick for ambassador to the EU, Ted Malloch. He told the BBC that he was looking forward to being in Brussels because he had previously “helped bring down the Soviet Union. So maybe there’s another union that needs a little taming.”

Time must not be lost in rethinking Europe’s refugee, migration, trade, aid and foreign and security policies.

Certainly, all European nations should meet the NATO commitment to spend two percent of gross domestic product on defence. But the EU’s global security strategy, adopted last summer, needs to be revised to take account of new geopolitical realities triggered by Trump’s isolationism.

“EU leaders should now grab the opportunity to grow up, and morph Europe into a global actor in its own right”

The EU is certainly on the right track. The last few years have seen Europe stepping up its engagement in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, even though discord remains on key issues, such as relations with Russia.

Significantly, as President Trump moves to make the his country more insular, transactional, and narrowly interest-driven – saying the US will buy American and hire American – China has set up stall as the defender of economic globalisation and free world trade. As Chinese President Xi Jinping warned at the Davos World Economic Forum last month, “No one will emerge as a winner in a trade war”.

And as Trump pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made clear he was ready to press on with the TPP with China, rather than US, at the centre.

Others are also stepping into the space being vacated by America. When Trump signed an executive order known as the ‘global gag rule’, withholding US government funding from aid groups that perform or promote abortions, the Dutch and Belgian governments said they would help set up an international abortion fund.

The EU has so far been more than happy to play second fiddle to the US, shadowing Washington on most international issues, and waiting for the US to make up its mind before taking a stance.

But all has changed. EU leaders should now grab the opportunity to grow up, and morph Europe into a global actor in its own right.

Related content:

• Friends of Europe: Trump will be a gift to Europe’s lost unity, by Giles Merritt
• Europe’s World: Europe must take control of its own destiny in 2017, by Robert Cox
• Debating Europe: How should Europe respond to Trump’s travel ban?

IMAGE CREDIT: CC/Flickr – © European Union 2015 – European Parliament

The post As Trump disengages from the world, Europe and others can take the lead appeared first on Europe’s World.

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This morning, for the second week running, satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné is hitting breakfast tables around France with revelations regarding Mr Fillon’s family finances.

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Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The European Union sees its relationship with Russia as a ‘key strategic challenge’. Its members are alarmed by Russia’s violations of international commitments and increased military activity in Europe. Russian recently updated basic strategic documents are full of indications about Moscow’s world vision and security concerns. They indirectly point to a tension between Russia’s internal (economic, demographic, societal) weaknesses and its claim to be recognized as one of the ‘centers of influence’ in the emerging multipolar world order. The West, including the EU, is clearly perceived as the major challenger to both Russia’s great power ambition and security. At the same time, various indicators suggest that Moscow is probably not fully confident that it will obtain a gratifying role in the emerging new international landscape. All this has led Russia to rely massively on its restored military capabilities, while pursuing a very active diplomacy, in which the relative importance of the EU has declined in recent years. The EU nonetheless has an important role to play in promoting the second engine of the ‘double-track Russia strategy’ that the West (the EU, NATO, the United States) has been pursuing –– strengthening defenses on the one hand, pursuing dialogue and cooperative engagement on the other hand.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

As the geopolitical importance of the Arctic region is growing, with climate change effects and competition for natural resources bringing new environmental and security risks for the region and for the world, the EU should speak with one voice and push to keep the Arctic an area of cooperation, says a resolution adopted by the Foreign Affairs and Environment committees on Tuesday.
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

As the geopolitical importance of the Arctic region is growing, with climate change effects and competition for natural resources bringing new environmental and security risks for the region and for the world, the EU should speak with one voice and push to keep the Arctic an area of cooperation, says a resolution adopted by the Foreign Affairs and Environment committees on Tuesday.
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

As the geopolitical importance of the Arctic region is growing, with climate change effects and competition for natural resources bringing new environmental and security risks for the region and for the world, the EU should speak with one voice and push to keep the Arctic an area of cooperation, says a resolution adopted by the Foreign Affairs and Environment committees on Tuesday.
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The US administration’s ban on citizens from seven Muslim-majority states entering the country could "seriously undermine current global efforts towards a fair international sharing of responsibilities for refugees", said Development and Foreign Affairs MEPs in a joint resolution voted on Tuesday.
Committee on Development
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on Human Rights

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The US administration’s ban on citizens from seven Muslim-majority states entering the country could "seriously undermine current global efforts towards a fair international sharing of responsibilities for refugees", said Development and Foreign Affairs MEPs in a joint resolution voted on Tuesday.
Committee on Development
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on Human Rights

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The US administration’s ban on citizens from seven Muslim-majority states entering the country could "seriously undermine current global efforts towards a fair international sharing of responsibilities for refugees", said Development and Foreign Affairs MEPs in a joint resolution voted on Tuesday.
Committee on Development
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on Human Rights

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Albania needs to implement EU-related reforms credibly, and ensure that its June parliamentary elections are free and fair, if it is to start EU accession negotiations, said Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs on Tuesday. In a separate resolution, they also urged Bosnia and Herzegovina to overcome its ethnic and political divisions and remain united throughout the EU membership application evaluation process, to prove that it is a functioning state.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Albania needs to implement EU-related reforms credibly, and ensure that its June parliamentary elections are free and fair, if it is to start EU accession negotiations, said Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs on Tuesday. In a separate resolution, they also urged Bosnia and Herzegovina to overcome its ethnic and political divisions and remain united throughout the EU membership application evaluation process, to prove that it is a functioning state.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Albania needs to implement EU-related reforms credibly, and ensure that its June parliamentary elections are free and fair, if it is to start EU accession negotiations, said Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs on Tuesday. In a separate resolution, they also urged Bosnia and Herzegovina to overcome its ethnic and political divisions and remain united throughout the EU membership application evaluation process, to prove that it is a functioning state.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The abolition of mobile roaming fees for consumers by the summer will be secured by a steep drop in maximum wholesale roaming prices. On 31 January 2017 the Council presidency reached a provisional agreement with the European Parliament on new wholesale caps, which will be around 90% lower than current ones. Wholesale roaming reform is the last piece of legislation required before retail roaming fees can be abolished on 15 June 2017. This informal agreement still has to be confirmed by EU member states and the full Parliament. 

The reform determines how much operators may charge each other for using their networks to provide roaming services. The new caps must be low enough to make it possible for operators to offer surcharge-free roaming to their customers without increasing domestic prices. At the same time, they need to be high enough so that operators in visited countries are able to recover their costs without increasing their domestic retail prices. In addition, the caps should allow for continuing maintenance and upgrading of networks, so that people can enjoy smooth connectivity everywhere - from the most crowded holiday spots to the most remote regions in Europe. 

As the use of data has been increasing exponentially in recent years and is expected to continue to do so, the most crucial part of the reform is the new cap for data. With the end of roaming fees, data usage abroad is also expected to soar since consumers will not need to search for wifi hotspots to make surfing affordable. 

Dr Emmanuel Mallia, the Maltese Minister for Competitiveness and Digital, Maritime and Services Economy, said: "Reaching a quick agreement on wholesale roaming prices was a top priority for the Maltese presidency. Today's decision is the final step in a process that started ten years ago. From next summer, wherever they are travelling in Europe, our citizens will be able to make calls, send texts, surf and stay connected. Roam like at home is now a reality." 

Caps for wholesale roaming services 

Under the agreement, on 15 June 2017 the maximum wholesale charge for data will drop from the current cap of €50/GB to €7.7/GB and then continue to decrease in stages: from 1 January 2018 the maximum charge will be €6.0/GB, from 1 January 2019 €4.5/GB, from 1 January 2020 €3.5/GB, from 1 January 2021 €3.0/GB and, finally, from 1 January 2022 €2.5/GB. 

This progressive decrease in data caps reflects the expectation that increasing use of mobile data services, combined with greater economies of scale, new technologies and effective competition, will reduce the cost of providing wholesale roaming services over the coming years. This agreed approach makes the caps significantly lower than the fixed cap of €8.5/GB originally proposed by the Commission, while still allowing businesses to invest in the upcoming fifth generation of mobile networks (5G). 

On 15 June 2017 the maximum wholesale surcharge for voice calls will be cut from €0.05/min to €0.032/min. The cap for text messages will decrease from €0.02 to €0.01 per message. 

Together with the retail fair use policy, these new cap levels will help ensure that the end of roaming charges is sustainable across the EU. 

Rules to be reviewed every two years 

The Commission will have to report every two years on how the rules are working and propose new caps if appropriate. The first report is due by 15 December 2019. 

What next? 

The presidency will submit the outcome of the talks for approval by member states in the coming weeks. The new rules must be in place by 15 June 2017 so that roaming fees can be abolished as laid down in the roaming regulation adopted in 2015.