European Union

Plenary sessions : Parliament rejected Malta’s nominee for the European Court of Auditors, Mr Leo Brincat, in a plenary vote on Tuesday. Mr Brincat had been approved by the Budgetary Control Committee in a close vote on 5 September. But Parliament did back Portugal’s nominee, Mr João Figueiredo, and the renewal of the mandate of Cypriot member, Mr Lazaros S. Lazarou, based on the committee’s recommendations. The final decision on the appointments to the Luxembourg body will be taken by the EU Council of Ministers.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 14 September 2016, the Council gave its final approval to the European Border and Coast Guard. The adoption of the regulation, which the Council approved by written procedure, paves the way for the Border and Coast Guard to begin its activities in mid-October. 

Robert Kaliňák, Minister for the Interior of Slovakia and President of the Council, said "I welcome the speed and the efficiency with which the Council and the Parliament have acted on this important issue. The way we manage our external borders directly affects the entire Schengen area, including its internal borders. The European Border and Coast Guard will help us better face today's challenges together. Only with effective management of our external borders can we return to normality within Schengen. There is no other way." 

The main role of the European Border and Coast Guard is to help provide integrated border management at the external borders. It will ensure the effective management of migration flows and provide a high level of security for the EU. At the same time it will help safeguard free movement within the EU and respect fully fundamental rights. 

It will consist of a European Border and Coast guard agency (the current Frontex agency with expanded tasks) and those national authorities responsible for border management. The main focus of its activities will be the establishment of an operational strategy for border management and the coordination of assistance from all member states.  

The tasks required to carry this out include: 

• drafting of vulnerability assessment of member states' border control capacity;
• organising joint operations and rapid border interventions to strengthen the capacity of the member states control the external borders, and to tackle challenges at the external border resulting from illegal immigration or cross-border crime
• assisting the Commission in the coordination of support teams when a member state faces disproportionate migratory pressures at specific points on their external border;
• ensuring a practical response in cases requiring urgent action at the external borders;
• providing technical and operational assistance in support of search and rescue operations for persons in distress at sea during border surveillance operations;
• helping establish a rapid reserve pool of at least 1500 border guards;
• appointing liaison officers of the agency in member states;
• organising, coordinating and conducting return operations and interventions;
• promoting operational cooperation between member states and third countries on border management.

 As part of an overall improvement in coast guard functions, there will be better cooperation between competent agencies. For this reason, the mandates of the European Fisheries Control Agency and the European Maritime Safety Agency have been aligned to that of the new European Border Guard.

The European Border and Coast Guard will start its activities once the regulation enters into force on 6 October 2016 (20 days after its publication in the Official Journal). The provisions related to the setting up of the reserve and technical equipment pools will enter into force two months after the rest of the regulation and those related to the return pools, three months after the rest of the regulation.

Plenary sessions : Parliament’s car emissions inquiry urgently needs more information from the EU Commission, it says in a resolution voted on Tuesday. Half-way through its mandate, the Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector (EMIS), has yet to receive some Commission documents on emission measurements and details of expert group work on vehicle type approval procedures, notes the text. The inquiry’s final report is due in spring 2017.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Parliament’s car emissions inquiry urgently needs more information from the EU Commission, it says in a resolution voted on Tuesday. Half-way through its mandate, the Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector (EMIS), has yet to receive some Commission documents on emission measurements and details of expert group work on vehicle type approval procedures, notes the text. The inquiry’s final report is due in spring 2017.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The latest developments in Turkey further to the failed coup attempt in July 2016 will be debated by MEPs with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Tuesday at around 15.30. It will be followed by another debate on the situation in Gabon after the disputed re-election of President Ali Bongo.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The latest developments in Turkey further to the failed coup attempt in July 2016 will be debated by MEPs with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Tuesday at around 15.30. It will be followed by another debate on the situation in Gabon after the disputed re-election of President Ali Bongo.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Parliament's inquiry committee investigating the car emissions testing scandal is now halfway through its mandate, but already it has a clearer view of how car manufacturers were able to claim that their cars polluted many times less than they actually did. MEPs vote on their interim report in plenary on Tuesday 13 September. Watch the video for an interview with report authors Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy and Pablo Zalba Bidegain.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Globo Comunicação e Participações v EUIPO (marque sonore)
Intellectual and industrial property
According to the General Court of the European Union, the standard ringing of an alarm or a telephone may not be registered as an EU trade mark on account of its banality

Rendón Marín
Citizenship of the Union
EU law does not permit a national of a non-EU country who has the sole care of an EU citizen who is a minor to be automatically refused a residence permit or to be expelled from the territory of the European Union on the sole ground that he has a criminal record

https://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/uploads/council-images/thumbs/uploads/council-images/remote/http_7e18a1c646f5450b9d6d-a75424f262e53e74f9539145894f4378.r8.cf3.rackcdn.com/8cf735a0-7985-11e6-956a-bc764e093073_72.29_thumb_169_1473752641_1473752641_129_97shar_c1.jpg

During the informal AGRIFISH on 13 September, EU ministers discuss all aspects that have an impact on the farmers' position in the food supply chain. The discussion panel will consist of three parts – the organisation of agriculture producers and vertical cooperation in the food supply chain, market transparency and sufficient distribution of margins in the food supply chain and unfair trade practices.

Download this video here.

Council v Front Polisario
Agriculture and fisheries
According to Advocate General Wathelet, neither the EU-Morocco Association Agreement nor the EU-Morocco Agreement on the liberalisation of trade in agricultural and fishery products apply to Western Sahara

Length of video : 95'
You may manually download this video in WMV (1Gb) format

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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For candidate European commissioners, a few guiding principles can help them survive confirmation hearings at the European Parliament: know something about your policy area, don’t have a dodgy past, and say lots of nice things about MEPs.

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Selon ancien Secrétaire général exécutif du SEAE (Service européen pour l'action extérieure), Pierre Vimont, "construire des murs face aux flux de migrants va se révéler inefficace". En tout cas il ne propose aucune alternative...

Tag: Pierre VimontSEAEmigration

Plenary sessions : President Schulz opened the session by calling a minute’s silence for the victims of the severe earthquake in central Italy on 24 August, which killed almost 300 people, left over 3,000 homeless, damaged more than 70 villages, and in some cases destroyed whole communities.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Civil Liberties Committee MEPs will quiz UK candidate Commissioner for the Security Union Sir Julian King in Strasbourg on Monday evening to assess his candidature. Based on the committee’s recommendation, Parliament’s Conference of Presidents (EP President and political group leaders) will then decide whether to close the hearing procedure after which the full House can take a vote on Thursday.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Two friends have recently re-assured me that Britain will, in due course, end up remaining a full member of the European Union. Wishful thinking or prophecy?

After all, the referendum was not legally binding. Britain’s Parliament could ‘take back control’ and vote to Remain (a major plank of the Brexiteers’ argument was the restoration of parliamentary sovereignty). There could be a second referendum.

None of these proposals is politically feasible. And yet in politics – as in conflict resolution – ‘winner takes all’ is a bad approach. More than 48% of the electorate will effectively be disenfranchised.

This may explain why newly-appointed British Prime Minister Theresa May, keen to steer a middle course, summed up a 1 September meeting of the government with a sibylline statement that the UK would seek “controls on the numbers of people who come to Britain from Europe” but also “a positive outcome for those who wish to trade goods and services”.

These careful words may provoke confusion among the substantial number of British people who believe that their country has actually already left the European Union. They may also prompt anger among hardliners who want out now – even questioning the need for further negotiations with the ‘Europeans’.

“The French and German electoral timetables will not promote generosity towards Britain”

But disentanglement needs talks. The leaders of the ‘27’ will meet in Bratislava on Friday, and will start to sketch out their position in the absence of the UK. Institutional negotiating teams are in place. Europe is almost ready to hit the stage.

Britain, meanwhile, is still in the dressing room. May’s words – along with her enigmatic phrase ‘Brexit means Brexit’ – underscore the absence of any real idea about whether Britain adopts a Norwegian, Swiss or other model for relations with the EU.

Little clarity came in the first major speech by the ‘Brexit Secretary’, David Davis, on 5 September. He abused Parliament’s patience with a statement that was devoid of substance. Brexit, said Davis, “is about seizing the huge and exiting opportunities that will flow from a new place for Britain in the world. There will be new freedoms, new opportunities, new horizons for this great country”. But rhetoric is a poor substitute for policy.

Others are less vague. A group of analysts at economics think-tank Bruegel have come up with a paper entitled Europe after Brexit: a proposal for a new Continental Partnership. They seek to define what a two-speed or ‘concentric circles’ Europe could look like. The paper outlines the hypothesis of a “deeply integrated market” – in other words, you can’t have the benefits of the single market without its obligations and rules. The hard core of the EU will determine those rules, and the others will have to fall in line.

The paper suggests a likely policy for the 27. British policy – if there is one – appears to be to clarify, through informal talks, the negotiation issues before formally launching the Article 50 process. But this will not work, for several reasons.

“For those countries that may become part of an EU ‘hard-core’, the road towards a two-speed Europe will become increasingly attractive”

First, the French and German electoral timetables (and the political risks in Italy, Spain and the Netherlands) will not promote generosity towards Britain. The two major “continental” players face gruelling electoral contests over the coming year, leaving little spare time or energy to devote to Brexit. Only now does the inward-looking British establishment seem to be waking up to this rather obvious reality.

Second, continental leaders will be forgiven for doubting, on present performance, whether the present regime in London has much staying power.

Third, for those countries that may become part of an EU ‘hard-core’, the road towards a two-speed Europe will become increasingly attractive, despite the difficulties of implementation (especially when it comes to the eurozone). What time and energy France and Germany have for European affairs is likely to be devoted to the broader issue of where the EU goes next – a debate that will begin in Bratislava. Britain’s narrow Brexit bid will find itself cast to the margins of a wider European debate and receive appropriate attention.

Fourth, if the British wish to remain in the single market they will still face its obligations – the free movement of people; competition and state aid policy, regarded elsewhere as essential for the proper functioning of the single market; contributions to the EU budget. And they will not be allowed simply to walk away from obligations in foreign policy, security and even defence.

Divorce is always a messy business with unforeseen consequences. This one could be very messy – making some still wonder whether it will happen at all.

IMAGE CREDIT: melis/Bigstock.com

The post Britain leaves the stage – and it can no longer expect the limelight appeared first on Europe’s World.

On 12 September 2016, the Council adopted its position on the draft EU budget for 2017. The Council's main objective is to ensure that the limited  financial resources available are directed towards the EU's top priorities. These are measures to address the migration crisis and its root causes, and actions to boost Europe's economy and create jobs. Overall the Council's aim is to secure a sustainable and effective budget at a time of continuing budgetary constraint.

"I believe that the Council's position reflects a balanced approach that makes the most effective use of the EU budget under the current circumstances and constraints. It targets the available financial resources on our current priorities, provides  enough financial leeway to react to unforeseen needs and avoids unnecessary burdens on member states' national budgets by striving to match the budget  to actual needs. I am confident that together with the European Parliament we can work towards securing a sustainable budget", said Vazil Hudák, chief negotiator for the EU budget of the Slovak Presidency of the Council.

Top priorities

The Council accepted all the figures put forward by the Commission for tackling the migration crisis. Heading 3 (security and citizenship) therefore benefits from an increase of 4.9% in commitments and 24.4% in payments compared to 2016. The Council also approved the figures proposed by the Commission within heading 4 (global Europe) for migration-related measures, such as the fight against the root causes of migration. The Council also agreed to the figures for humanitarian aid.

To help boost economic growth  and create new jobs the Council approved an increase in the  resources available under sub-heading 1a (competitiveness for growth and jobs) by almost 9% in both commitments and payments compared to 2016. This covers  instruments such as the European fund for strategic investments, the EU programme for the competitiveness of enterprises and Erasmus +.

Cautious reductions

Aside from these top priorities the Council identified a number of areas where it reduced the increases proposed by the Commission. This is particularly the case for budget lines where, on the basis of a technical analysis, the Council concluded that the Commission has over-estimated the actual needs. However those programmes which are performing well or starting to deliver are generally protected.

The Council also  scrutinized very carefully all administrative expenditure. It called on the other EU institutions to make every effort to reduce their staff by 5% by 2017 as  agreed in 2013.

A summary of the Council's position is set out in the table below:

 Description122/1Budget 2016
(AB No 1 to 2/2016 incl.)Council position on DB 2017Difference
(%)c/ap/ac/ap/ac/ap/a1Smart and inclusive growth69.866.374.356.1+6,36%-15,31%1.aCompetitiveness for growth and jobs19.017.420.719.0+8,95%+8,89%1.bEconomic, social and territorial cohesion50.848.853.637.1+5,39%-23,94%2Sustainable growth: natural resources62.555.158.755.0-6,02%-0,15%3Security and citizenship4.13.04.23.8+4,84%+24,42%4Global Europe9.210.29.39.2+1,74%-9,22%5Administration8.98.99.39.3+3,67%+3,70%MFF headings154.5143.5155.8133.4+0,88%-7,04%Emergency aid reserve0.30.30.30.3+1,94%+1,94%European globalisation adjustment fund0.20.030.20.03+2,00%-16,67%European Union solidarity fund0.050.050.050.05+0,00%+0,00%Special instruments0.50.40.50.4+1,78%+0,26%Total appropriations155.0143.9156.4133.8+0,89%-7,02%

in billion €; c/a: commitments, p/a: payments, AB: amending budget, DB: draft budget

Next steps

If the European Parliament adopts amendments to the Council's position by 27 October, a three-week conciliation period will start on 28 October 2016. The aim of this conciliation process is to reach a joint position of both institutions on the budget. This should happen by 17 November 2016 at the latest.

OPINION on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2017
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Neena Gill

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP