European Union

The French shipbuilder was the victim of a massive leak of confidential technical information about the Scorpene submarines. Countries customers affected by this scandal, are Malaysia and Chile, each with two submarines, India and Brazil who chose technology transfer for six and four submarines.

Newspaper The Australian has published on its website excerpts of 22400 pages of various documents collected. The three documents would be sensitive but unclassified and would cover the period 2010-2011. The texts include strategic information such as technical manuals and models of underwater antennae. They describe the probes of the vessels, communication systems, navigation. In addition, 500 pages are devoted exclusively to torpedo system.
Informations were revealed about :
- data on sonar capabilities
- noise generated by submarines
- magnetic, electromagnetic and infra-red datas
- details of the combat system

The data seen by The Australian includes 4457 pages on the submarine’s underwater sensors, 4209 pages on its above-water sensors, 4301 pages on its combat management system, 493 pages on its torpedo launch system and specifications, 6841 pages on the sub’s communications system and 2138 on its navigation systems.

The data could have been blown away outside France in 2011 by a former French naval officer who at the time was a DCNS subcontractor. The documents could have been sold to Southeast Asian companies before being sent to Australia. The fact that leaks occur in Australia is not a coincidence. In fact it can affect the contract 34.3 billion awarded in April by Canberra to the French manufacturer, for the next generation of submarines, while negotiations are underway to distribute manufacturing sites between the two countries. Australia has chosen another model derived from the French oceanic submarine Barracuda, two times bigger than the Scorpene.

The competition was fierce to win the largest defense program in the history opposing the French DCNS to German TKMS and the consortium formed by Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation. The French therefore provide twelve Shortfin Barracuda buildings conventionally powered and non-nuclear. Sign of the strategic importance of this program, the procedure was punctuated by multiple cyberattacks. According to Australian media, Russians and Chinese would have tried to get hold of the plans of the future submarine.

However you must know that the submarine that Australians are building with the French is called Barracuda, and it is totally different from the Scorpene designed for the Indian navy. The submarine is French, but the combat system is provided by the Americans. Recently, in the Indian Ocean, French Navy became the most important naval ally of Washington, before the British Navy.

Document 1
Document 2
Document 3

(Source : Le Monde, 25/08/2016)

Tag: BarracudaScorpèneIndian NavyAustralian Navy

Tuesday 30 August 2016
Phone calls with Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa and Cyprus President Níkos Anastasiádis
13.00 Meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (Berlaymont)

Wednesday 31 August 2016
Phone calls with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković
10.00 Meeting with Prime Minister of Belgium Charles Michel (Val Duchesse)
Paris
18.30 Meeting with President François Hollande

Thursday 1 September 2016
Phone call with Slovenian Prime Minister Miror Cerar
Luxembourg
12.15 Meeting with Prime Minister Xavier Bettel followed by press statements

Friday 2 September 2016
Phone calls with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern
11.30 Meeting with Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico (photo opportunity)

Sunday 4 September 2016
G20 summit -Hangzhou, China
(local time)
12.00 Press briefing by President Donald Tusk and President Jean-Claude Juncker
15.00 Official welcome by President Xi Jinping
15.15 Family photo
15.30 Opening ceremony
15.40 Working session I
18:30 Official greeting by President Xi and his spouse
18:50 Family photo - leaders and spouses

Monday 5 September 2016
G20 summit - Hangzhou, China
(local time)
10.00 Working sessions
15.35 Intervention at session V
17.05 Closing ceremony

I would like to offer my deepest condolences to Italy for the loss of life and destruction caused by the devastating earthquake in central Italy. As the situation continues to unfold, my thoughts are with those affected, the families of those who have lost their lives, those desperately waiting for news and those injured. My heartfelt thanks for those who are involved in the rescue operations.  

I stand ready to do everything in my power to help the Italian authorities and the Italian people at this time of grief and suffering.

BUDGET AMENDMENTS - 2017 Budget
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Neena Gill

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : MEPs act as the voice of more than 500 million Europeans at the EU level, but how do they work and how do they organise themselves in the European Parliament? Check out our updated infographic for some basic facts about the Parliament.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : MEPs act as the voice of more than 500 million Europeans at the EU level, but how do they work and how do they organise themselves in the European Parliament? Check out our updated infographic for some basic facts about the Parliament.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

In the last 7 years, the EU has gone through one of its most challenging periods. Measures introduced during the Eurozone crisis (e.g. financial assistance programs), to counter the immigration crisis, etc., have been widely considered as challenging to the democratic principles and foundations of the EU.

This blog focuses on analyzing and investigating all issues relevant to the democratic principles of the EU from a variety of perspectives and academic disciplines.

Contributions, to a maximum of 1.000 words, are invited on any issue relevant to the EU and democratic principles or processes, from any discipline within the social sciences or law.

Contributions can be either in Greek or English.

All proposals or full blog submissions should be emailed for review at euanddemocracy@gmail.com.

We look forward to your ideas and contributions!

The post CALL FOR BLOG CONTRIBUTIONS appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and French President François Hollande called for deeper European integration, economic growth and heightened security at their meeting on Monday. According to some commentators the goal was to clarify their positions ahead of the EU summit in Bratislava. Others criticise that the leaders are far too caught up in their respective national agendas.