European Union

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Bernie Sanders has in effect accepted his campaign will not secure the Democratic nomination but has vowed to remain in the primaries to affect the policy agenda of the party.

The Vermont Senator and his advisers have made clear their objective now is to set terms for the party’s platform. Key demands are a federal minimum tax of $15 an hour, a single payer healthcare system (i.e. employer only), and a comprehensive plan against climate change. Sanders has brought into the campaign a number of issues that Hillary Clinton will oppose, including his opposition to the Keystone Pipeline and the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, that is, a legacy issue for Barack Obama.

But, Sanders will also want to see that Democratic Party primaries become more accessible to non-party insiders. He will want the elimination of superdelegates as well as an open voting register for “independents,” that is citizens that are not party members.

Clinton will not want to appear as giving in on all policy demands put forward by the Vermont Senator, recalling that in 2008 she backed Senator Barack Obama without preconditions.

Sanders has resolved to be disruptive, Fortune magazine reports. The main precedent for such a convention is the Jimmy Carter versus Ted Kennedy 1980 convention. The nominee Carter at the time was forced to make a number of concessions and seeks reconciliation.

His work will focus on party committees. With 20% of delegates in each policy committee – a threshold that Sanders will easily reach – he can propose amendments that will make it to the floor of the open convention. He could thus pick public fights on policy issues that can hurt the Clinton campaign if they are opposed, such as the $15 minimum wage demand. However, opposition on electoral rules is not likely to be as harmful and this is a fight in which Clinton will have the support of the Democratic Party establishment.

The post Sanders sets policy terms to back Clinton appeared first on New Europe.

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North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un has reportedly refused to accept the resignation of one of his senior officials who requested to resign because he was “overcome with stress”.

The resignation is reportedly not the only one, suggesting Kim Jong Un doesn’t have adequate levels of support from top cadres of the Korean Workers’ Party.

United Press International (UPI) quoted Ko Young-hwan, a former North Korean diplomat and defector, as saying that many senior North Korean officials are fearful of the “unpredictable” Kim and they “never know what could happen next”.

“Many high-level cadres are turning their backs on Kim and exiting the regime,” he added, noting that ordinary North Koreans have also “given up hope” in the future of the Kim regime.

According to Seoul’s unification ministry, official idolisation of Kim, who inherited power from his father, has increased, and has accelerated further since North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January.

The post North Korea’s Kim Jong Un growing unpopular appeared first on New Europe.

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Slovakia’s Finance Minister Peter Kažimír was reportedly surprised when the European Union’s statistical service Eurostat revealed the country’s public finance deficit for 2015 was actually well above target and much higher than figures presented by the government.

As reported by The Slovak Spectator, the public finance deficit last year was at 2.97% of GDP, Eurostat reported in its regular spring notification on April 21. In doing so, it refused to acknowledge some of the payments that the government had booked as revenue. Kažimír said he was surprised, adding that in the past such operations were never questioned by Eurostat.

“Such surprises from the side of Eurostat at the very last moment are not fair and we will insist on more discussions about this topic,” he said. Slovakia entered notification proceedings with a deficit of 2.56%.

Despite consultation, Eurostat did not acknowledge as revenue repayments of more than €117m in financial aid from rail firm ZSSK Cargo, or payments from the State Fund for Development of Housing (ŠFRB) of almost €200m.

Analysts see Slovakia’s fiscal deficit of 2.97% of GDP as a failure to meet the 2.49% targeted in the state budget.

Compared with 2014, Slovakia’s fiscal deficit increased and if Greece, which continues to struggle with its major financial problems, is omitted, Slovakia is the only member of the EU whose deficit increased year on year.

Slovakia entered the notification negotiations with a deficit of 2.56%, including corrections of 0.3% of GDP related to drawing of EU funds on which the finance ministry did not have any influence, Finance Ministry spokeswoman Alexandra Gogová told The Slovak Spectator.

Meanwhile, the Fico government is targeting a balanced budget by 2020, a postponement of this goal by two years from the original date of 2018.

“I perceive the postponement… as a de facto confession [of the government] that this goal will be not met,” Martin Reguli, analyst from the F. A. Hayek Foundation, told The Slovak Spectator. “I do not expect keeping of this obligation as realistic as priorities will probably emerge, especially in public investments and social programmes.”

Peter Goliaš, from the Institute for Economic and Social Reforms (INEKO) think tank, points to irresponsible governance since 2014.

“The government has preferred bigger spending to revitalisation of public finances,” Goliaš told The Slovak Spectator. “I expect the same development also this year when instead of the planned 1.9% deficit we get near 3%.”

The post EU statistics show Slovakia’s deficit on the rise appeared first on New Europe.

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The European Union will first divorce Britain and then negotiate a new relationship in the event of Brexit, Reuters reported on Thursday.

If Britain votes out in June 23, 2016 the final exit would come on July 1st, 2018. Negotiations for an EU partnership agreement would begin then. In the meanwhile, trade ties would be disrupted.

The EU is Britain’s biggest trade partner and no doubt a singnificant market for a number of EU member states. But, it is understood that neither Brussels not London would want a prolonged negotiation period before the divorce comes into effect. .

The Treaty of Lisbon envisages a two year transition period for states that leave. The two year period would be used to settle pending budget balances from and to London, the issue of pensions for British EU civil servants, and the relocation of EU agencies from the U.K. However, this would not mean the Britain’s relations with the EU would continue on a “business as usual” mode. The two year period would be disruptive.

EU officials remain confident that Britain will ultimately vote “Remain” on the June 23 referendum on EU membership. However, there are already contingency plans being drawn, beginning with a brief two-day summit planned for Sunday, June 26 in case the vote is to leave. The summit would take place without British participation and could set a roadmap for subsequent action.

The “Out” and “Leave” campaigns believe that London will be able to negotiate a “special status” effective immediately, pointing out that Britain is the fifth largest economy in the world and that the free trade market “from Turkey to Iceland” will continue to be accessible to British products.

However, this will be politically difficult to achieve a minimally disruptive exit. Both Germany and France go to the polls in 2017 and it will be politically impossible to grand Britain special rights during the transition period. Moreover, it is clear that both Brussels and EU member states will try to make the case that leaving the EU does not pay.

Leave campaigners suggest that this is only scaremongering.

In the event of a Remain vote, the Commission has in place a seven member UK Task Force that will help implement the agreement secured by David Cameron in February. The agreement is automatically annulled if Britain votes to Leave.

The post EU sources: Brexit means divorce first, negotiations later appeared first on New Europe.

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Foreign non-profit organisations in China will be supervised by the police, according to a controversial law passed by Chinese legislators on April 28. This is reportedly part of President Xi Jinping’s ongoing efforts to eliminate what the government sees as unwanted influences from overseas.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, earlier versions of the law drew an outpouring of opposition from foreign governments, rights groups and academics for being overly broad and treating foreign nonprofits as a security threat. The final version passed by legislators is narrower in scope and addresses some of these criticisms.

For instance, the new law exempts professional exchanges and cooperation involving foreign hospitals, schools and science and engineering groups and effectively grandfathers in groups already legally registered. But left unchanged in the law is the controversial provision putting the public security ministry in charge of the registration process for the overseas groups.

The law also requires that, once registered, groups publish online annual reports including financial information for all activities. The law authorises the police to search nonprofits’ offices and summon their representatives at will.

“China has a positive, open and welcoming attitude toward overseas nongovernmental organizations that come here to engage in friendly exchanges, interactions and cooperation,” Zhang Yong, vice director of the legal committee of the National People’s Congress, told a press conference in Beijing on April 28.

“But – and I don’t think there’s any need to mince words – there is certainly a very small minority of foreign NGOs which intend to or have already damaged social stability and national security,” he said, adding that nearly 10,000 foreign non-profits operate in China and the vast majority had no way to register legally.

According to The Wall Street Journal’s report, the tenor and aim of the new law fits with a wide-ranging campaign under President Xi to galvanize Chinese society against foreign ideologies and influence and to bolster support for Communist Party rule.

The law warns that any activities that threaten national security or ethnic harmony will be punished.

The post China passes controversial law on foreign NGOs appeared first on New Europe.

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Overcoming years of poor health and crisis, the eurozone economy grew at its fastest pace in five years in the first quarter, driven by unlikely stars such as France and Spain.

The eurozone’s economy has thus finally recouped all the ground lost in the recessions of the past eight years after official figures Friday showed that the 19-country single currency bloc expanded by a quarterly rate of 0.6 % in the first three months of the year.

Blowing past both the U.S. and British economies, the latter weighed down by uncertainty over possibly leaving the Europe Union, euro zone growth doubled from the previous quarter, beating even the most optimistic expectations on healthy household consumption and a rebound in investments.

The scale of the increase reported by Eurostat in a preliminary estimate was totally unexpected — the consensus in the markets was for a more modest rise to 0.4 % from the previous quarter’s 0.3 %.

Eurostat said the increase means that the eurozone economy is now 0.4 % bigger than it was in the first quarter of 2008, before the deep recession stoked by the global financial crisis. Since then, the eurozone has had a torrid time, falling in and out of recession as the global financial crisis morphed into a debt crisis that at various times has threatened the future of the euro currency itself.

The eurozone’s recovery of the ground lost over the past few years has lagged other major economies, including the U.S., by years.

Still, it’s a signal that the eurozone’s finally gaining some economic momentum. The first-quarter rise came in spite of concerns stoked by the huge volatility in financial markets in the first couple of months of the year that centered on worries over the Chinese economic outlook and the sharp fall in the price of oil.

In a further positive development, Eurostat reported that the unemployment rate across the region fell to 10.2 % in March from the previous month’s 10.4 %, bringing it to its lowest since August 2011.

Though these figures are encouraging, the eurozone remains afflicted by low inflation. Eurostat said in a separate report that consumer prices in the year to April fell by 0.2 %. That’s down from the previous month’s annual rate of zero and below market expectations for a more modest decline to minus 0.1 %. The core rate, which strips out the volatile items of food, alcohol, tobacco and energy, also declined to 0.8 % from 1 percent. (with AP, Reuters)

The post Eurozone growth rate unexpectedly doubles, past US, Britain appeared first on New Europe.

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Belgium is updating its precautions for dealing with nuclear accidents.

Health Minister Maggie De Block has reviewed current rules on the distribution of iodine pills from 20km from the epicenter of an accident to 100km. That is in effect the Belgian population as a whole, the Minister explained.

But, there is no reason to worry. In joining Germany and the Netherlands in extraordinary measures to deal with a nuclear accident, Belgium is simply updating its readiness plans.

According to Minister De Bock, this is a reaction to the lessons learned in March 2011 in Fukushima rather than a reaction to concerns raised by Germany and the Netherlands regarding the safety of Belgian nuclear reactors.

Belgium is reflecting on the lessons learned by a nuclear accident triggered by a quake and a subsequent tsunami, which leads policy makers to the conclusion that Iodine tablets must be distributed in a bigger radius from the highly implausible accident, the energy regulator assures the public.

Residents of the region around Fukushima were indeed handed iodine pills after the accident, which provides some protection against radioactive iodine and, therefore, thyroid cancer. Other radioactive elements of course will remain active.

On April 20th, the German government asked Belgium to shut down two nuclear reactors citing security concerns. The German Environment Minister, Jochen Flasbarth, said that this was indeed an unprecedented request, but it reflects serious concerns. German authorities are not satisfied the two reactors are safe. Belgian authorities are completely satisfied that the two reactors are safe.

Concerns by Germans and Dutch focus on Tihange-2 and Doel-3 atomic plants. They were put back in operation in November 2015, after being closed for 20 months pending a safety probe. Belgium’s regulator AFCN stands by the view that the two reactors are safe, but they would work with German counterparts to address concerns Bloomberg reports. It is unclear whether such fears have been addressed.

What is clear is that the Netherlands reviewed its policy on iodine tablets in March, so that pregnant women and minors are given the pills within 100km of the Borssele and Doel reactors.

The German city of Aachen, on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands, keeps in store 300,000 iodine tablets to ward off thyroid cancer. The city is pursuing litigation action against the reactors.

And Belgium is now taking its own precautionary measures.

Belgium has planned to gradually phase out its nuclear sector by 2025. Until that time, Electrabel, plans to make the most out of its assets. Nuclear power provides 50% of Belgium’s domestically produced electricity.  The two reactors in question are operated by Engie, Elactrabel’s Belgian subsidiary. The two reactors currently produce 14% of Belgium’s electricity.

(BBC, Bloomberg, DW)

The post Belgium prepares for a nuclear accident, but there’s nothing to worry about appeared first on New Europe.

DRAFT REPORT on EU strategic communication to counteract propaganda against it by third parties
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Anna Elżbieta Fotyga

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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In an interview published by the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter on Friday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warns that Russia will be scaling up “military-technical” measures against Sweden if Stockholm moves closer to NATO.

“It is every country’s right to decide the arrangements for their safety, but one must understand that if the military infrastructure closer to Russia’s borders , then we will of course take the necessary military-technical measures. Nothing personal in it, it is just pure business,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov was clear that if Sweden moved from neutrality to NATO relations would change, not because Sweden would be seen as an aggressor but because its military infrastructure would be integrated with NATO’s supreme command.

The nature of measures to be taken were not specified.

Responding to criticism of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Lavrov argued that that was a direct response to an “armed coup d’etat in Kiev.”

He went on to accuse Foreign minister Margot Wallström to have opened a window to ”Russofobia,” not least by joining economic sanctions against Russia. Defiantly, he said that Russia did not need the rest of the world.

“I just want to say that now we can only rely on ourselves , we have all that is needed . Thankfully left God and our ancestors us a country can be self-sufficient,” Lavrov said.

This is not the first time Moscow has issued stark warning against Stockholm’s closer relations with NATO. In September, Russia’s ambassador to Sweden, Viktor Tatarintsev, was invited to explain a Russian Foreign Ministry warning that if Sweden were to join NATO there would be “consequences” and “countermeasures.”

At the time, the Swedish Foreign Minister, Margot Wallstrom, stated that “we don’t think anyone should be threatening us.” The ruling Social Democratic Party in Sweden has traditionally favored a distance from the Alliance or non-membership. But, Swedish support for NATO membership has been surging. The Swedish opposition too has been rethinking its defense policy, including the Centre Party that moved from its traditional position of neutrality in favor of joining the alliance in August 2015.

Funding of the armed services has increased as have violations of Swedish airspace by Russian jet fighters. At the heart of the argument is Article V and commitment to collective mobilization, that is, a deterrent that Stockholm is considering increasingly useful.

The post Lavrov warns Sweden to stay clear of NATO appeared first on New Europe.

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A wide variety of backgrounds, such as diplomats, developers, designers, NGOs, meet on 29 and 30 April, in Brussels, to  build applications that give citizens more insight and usable information about European decision-making. A Diplohack is a hackathon focused on creating synergies between the skill sets of people from these areas.

Download this video here.

Political group meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Welcome to Friday’s edition of our daily Brussels Briefing. To receive it every morning in your email in-box, sign up here.

Labour's Ken Livingstone is swarmed by reporters after a BBC appearance on Thursday.

Even by the savage standards of British political combat, the scenes that played out in central London yesterday were extraordinary. John Mann, a longstanding Labour MP, tracked down former London mayor and left-wing Labour stalwart Ken Livingstone to accuse him of being a “disgusting racist” and “Nazi apologist”, a confrontation captured by cameras from, among others, Channel 4 news and the BBC’s political correspondent Vicki Young. Just an hour later, Mr Livingstone was suspended from Labour, a party which he joined nearly 50 years ago.

The scrap was just the latest in a bitter internecine war over senior party members making remarks which many consider overtly anti-Semitic. The Mann-Livingstone feud was sparked by the previous day’s suspension of yet another Labour MP, Naz Shah,after two-year-old social media posts surfaced where Ms Shah endorsed a “Solution for the Israel-Palestine Conflict” that would “relocate” Jews from Israel to the US, touting a minimal “transportation cost”. Mr Livingstone went on BBC radio yesterday morning to defend Ms Shah, arguing she was the victim of the “Israeli lobby” and that her comments were “over the top” but not anti-Semitic. “Let’s remember when Hitler won his election in 1932 his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel,” Mr Livingstone continued. “He was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews.” Mr Mann angrily shouted that those remarks amounted to “rewriting history”.

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“The future belongs to those who wake up early,” say the French. The discussion during our roundtable on the Circular Economy Action Plan, which was unveiled last December, proves exactly that.

On 27 April, we had the pleasure to host Mrs. Pietikäinen, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on the 2015 Circular Economy own-initiative report, Mr. Radziejewski from European Commission Vice-President Katainen’s cabinet, as well as industry and NGO representatives for a roundtable discussion on the practical implementation of the Action Plan.

The roundtable clearly showed that no action will move forward without input from civil society and industry. Institutions – including the Council whose role was emphasised – will be looking at concrete case studies as well as proposals, in order to ensure that “Europe closes the loop”. Policy makers underlined they need to know how policy and regulation can support competitive and resource efficient business models.

Speakers and all participants who expressed their views showed genuine commitment to the Circular Economy agenda. Some of them however insisted on the extraordinary challenges that such transition present for both industry and society. These challenges will need to be addressed in the coming months.

“The future will be for those who get it & want to act” will be the institutions’ motto in the coming months, as they consult and work on turning the Action Plan into reality. The roundtable demonstrated  a clear interest and commitment to enhance dialogue between stakeholders.  At FleishmanHillard we are therefore planning further roundtables, focusing on specific actions, issues and sectors in order to mirror the institutional agendas.

Should you want to engage on this dossier or have a recommendation as far as next roundtables are concerned, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us – with Robert Anger to be precise at  Robert.anger@fleishmaneurope.com.

The FleishmanHillard Circular Economy team

General : From tomorrow, surcharges for phone calls and data usage when you’re in another EU country are capped even further, while from 15 June 2017 using your mobile phone abroad should cost the same as doing so at home. As of tomorrow non-discriminatory net neutrality rules also enter into force. Read on for more details.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : From tomorrow, surcharges for phone calls and data usage when you’re in another EU country are capped even further, while from 15 June 2017 using your mobile phone abroad should cost the same as doing so at home. As of tomorrow non-discriminatory net neutrality rules also enter into force. Read on for more details.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

AMENDMENTS 1 - 186 - Draft report containing a motion for a non-legislative resolution on the draft Council and Commission decision on the conclusion by the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a Partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Turkmenistan, of the other part
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The EU police agency Europol will soon be able to step up efforts to fight terrorism, cybercrime and other criminal offences and respond faster, thanks to new governance rules endorsed by Civil Liberties Committee MEPs on Thursday. The new powers come with strong data protection safeguards and democratic oversight.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The EU police agency Europol will soon be able to step up efforts to fight terrorism, cybercrime and other criminal offences and respond faster, thanks to new governance rules endorsed by Civil Liberties Committee MEPs on Thursday. The new powers come with strong data protection safeguards and democratic oversight.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP