Merkel calls for EU Treaty Change in Bundestag; Clarification needed on whos: entitled to what social benefits under which conditions" In her government declaration to the Bundestag today, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for EU treaty change saying: We need to further strengthen the EU institutions to set up a real economic union. In a real economic union we wont get around further commitments and Im convinced for that we also need to further develop the EU treaties. Merkel also distinguished between EU free movement and access to benefits, saying: We must take advantage of the opportunities offered to us by freedom of movement in Europe. But we must not close our eyes to abuse. There needs to be clarification: Who is entitled to what social benefits under which conditions? There cannot be de facto immigration into [other EU] social systems." She added that it is not foreseeable yet, but cannot be ruled out, that there might have to be action at the national level following an upcoming ECJ ruling on access to unemployment benefits in Germany. [No link]
Writing on his Telegraph blog, Open Europes Director Mats Persson argues that EU immigration is as much of a challenge to Labour as it is to the Tories. He notes that various Labour figures have suggested several ways to temper or outright restrict free movement of workers, to make sure Brits get the jobs and wages aren't pressed down, but this is simply impossible under EU law. It was cited as a must read piece on James Kirkups Telegraph Evening Briefing newsletter.
Telegraph: Persson
EU-Russia Summit: Putin warns EU not to interfere in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin used the press conference following the EU-Russia summit in Brussels to warn EU leaders against supporting Ukrainian protesters arguing, I can only imagine what the reaction would be if in the heat of the crisis in Greece or Cyprus, our foreign minister came to an anti-European rally and began urging people to do something. This would not be good." Separately, of the summit itself, Putin stated, We have suggested that the EU leadership study the possibility of a free-trade zone between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union.
Independent Guardian EUobserver European Voice Euractiv BBC WSJ FT Welt Handelsblatt EU Observer EU Observer 2 EU Observer 3 De Morgen Tijd De Morgen 2 VRT
Commission to outline plans for overhaul of banking sector
The European Commission will today unveil its much-awaited banking sector reforms, based loosely on the conclusions of the Liikanen report. The proposal is expected to lay out limits to the amount of proprietary trading (trading with their own funds) which large banks can do, and also set out powers for the new single European financial supervisor to split up large banks if deemed necessary. The plan is expected to include a clause which will allow for other structures and separation processes, such as the UKs Vickers report. Little progress is expected on the proposals this year.
FT Welt Handelsblatt Le Figaro Les Echos Expansión FAZ
Leading institutions warn that EU data privacy rules are threatening medical research
In a letter to the Times, the heads of Europes leading medical research institutions, which include the Wellcome Trust, the Institut Pasteur and the German National Academy of Sciences, warn that medical research into the causes of Alzheimers disease and cancer would be severely threatened by a European Parliament amendment to the Data Protection Framework.
Times Times: Leader Times: Letters Fresh Start report
In a letter to the Guardian, a group of academics from British universities responded to German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeiers op-ed that appeared in the paper yesterday. They argue, The criticism of Europe that Steinmeier attributes to nationalist rhetoric should not be so casually dismissed. The institutions of the EU remain opaque and unaccountable. Rather than turning their ire on those who complain about the lack of democracy in the EU, European leaders should accept the need for reform as an immediate priority.
Guardian: Letters
In the Mail, Conservative MP Dominic Raab sets out his proposed amendment to the Governments Immigration Bill. The amendment, which has attracted over 100 signatures from Conservative and Labour MPs, would remove the ability of criminals to appeal against deportation on the basis of Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights the right to family life. The Bill will be debated tomorrow.
Mail Mail: Raab FT: ODonnell Telegraph
German Finance Minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, said in Brussels yesterday Germany made the transition to green energy too well, and now we have to correct it, beca use otherwise, increasing energy costs will harm jobs in Germany in a serious way in the medium term.
FT
In an interview with La Tribune, Greek Europe Minister Dimitris Kourkoulas says of the German idea of competitiveness contracts&rsquo ; for eurozone countries, Im not sure that changing the treaties would be the right method to put in place these contracts, which wont be finalised during this Presidency. I think these contracts should also be given a social dimension.
La Tribune: Kourkoulas
Dutch Social Affairs Minister Lodewijk Asscher has welcomed a report by Dutch government think tank WRR which warns of significant challenges in integrating Bulgarian and Romanian immigrants into Dutch society. The report calls on the Dutch government to invest further in this area. Separately, Belgian VRT TV reports that the Belgian cities Ghent and Antwerp have seen a 30% to 50% increase in Bulgarians and Romanians registering in January 2014 compared to a year earlier, although this could just be down to people shifting from being self-employed to employed.
Nu.nl Elsevier VRT
Kathimerini reports that, according to senior finance ministry sources, the Greek governments primary surplus for 2013 will exceed 1bn compared to the forecast of around 800m. Separately, a report by the Greek Parliamentary Budget Office released yesterday argues that taxpayers ability to pay higher taxes in Greece has been exhausted.
Kathimerini
El País notes that, although Spain looks on course to meet the overall deficit target of 6.5% of GDP agreed with the European Commission for 2013, six Spanish regions including Catalonia had already overshot their deficit target for the whole year at the end of November 2013.
El País El Mundo
EU finance ministers yesterday agreed to place Croatia under Excessive Deficit Procedure, and asked the Croatian government to present a plan to reduce the countrys public deficit to 3% of GDP by 2016.
WSJ
In its first estimates for 2013, released yesterday, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) noted that, while foreign investment in the EU as a whole increased from 2012, inflows to France fell by 77% to $5.7bn.
WSJ
Members of the ECB Money Market Contact Group, an advisory body to the central bank, raised concerns in December that the short term interest rates in the eurozone are rising too quickly due to repayment of loans to the ECB as a result of concerns over the upcoming stress tests.
Reuters
The German cabinet today approved the Grand Coalitions proposed pension reforms, allowing employees who have contributed to the social-security system for 45 years to retire on a full pension at the age of 63. Former German Chancellor and initiator of substantial labour market reforms, Gerhard Schröder, called it a completely wrong signal in particular with the view to our European partners.
Spiegel Bild Handelsblatt Welt Reuters Deutschland
The Times reports that the UK, with over 1,082 wind turbines, has more than the rest of the EU put together according to a report by the European Wind Energy Association. Separately the Times reports that Treasury officials are working on plans to hold the rate of the UKs carbon tax.
Times Times 2
Bron: politics.be
Writing on his Telegraph blog, Open Europes Director Mats Persson argues that EU immigration is as much of a challenge to Labour as it is to the Tories. He notes that various Labour figures have suggested several ways to temper or outright restrict free movement of workers, to make sure Brits get the jobs and wages aren't pressed down, but this is simply impossible under EU law. It was cited as a must read piece on James Kirkups Telegraph Evening Briefing newsletter.
Telegraph: Persson
EU-Russia Summit: Putin warns EU not to interfere in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin used the press conference following the EU-Russia summit in Brussels to warn EU leaders against supporting Ukrainian protesters arguing, I can only imagine what the reaction would be if in the heat of the crisis in Greece or Cyprus, our foreign minister came to an anti-European rally and began urging people to do something. This would not be good." Separately, of the summit itself, Putin stated, We have suggested that the EU leadership study the possibility of a free-trade zone between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union.
Independent Guardian EUobserver European Voice Euractiv BBC WSJ FT Welt Handelsblatt EU Observer EU Observer 2 EU Observer 3 De Morgen Tijd De Morgen 2 VRT
Commission to outline plans for overhaul of banking sector
The European Commission will today unveil its much-awaited banking sector reforms, based loosely on the conclusions of the Liikanen report. The proposal is expected to lay out limits to the amount of proprietary trading (trading with their own funds) which large banks can do, and also set out powers for the new single European financial supervisor to split up large banks if deemed necessary. The plan is expected to include a clause which will allow for other structures and separation processes, such as the UKs Vickers report. Little progress is expected on the proposals this year.
FT Welt Handelsblatt Le Figaro Les Echos Expansión FAZ
Leading institutions warn that EU data privacy rules are threatening medical research
In a letter to the Times, the heads of Europes leading medical research institutions, which include the Wellcome Trust, the Institut Pasteur and the German National Academy of Sciences, warn that medical research into the causes of Alzheimers disease and cancer would be severely threatened by a European Parliament amendment to the Data Protection Framework.
Times Times: Leader Times: Letters Fresh Start report
In a letter to the Guardian, a group of academics from British universities responded to German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeiers op-ed that appeared in the paper yesterday. They argue, The criticism of Europe that Steinmeier attributes to nationalist rhetoric should not be so casually dismissed. The institutions of the EU remain opaque and unaccountable. Rather than turning their ire on those who complain about the lack of democracy in the EU, European leaders should accept the need for reform as an immediate priority.
Guardian: Letters
In the Mail, Conservative MP Dominic Raab sets out his proposed amendment to the Governments Immigration Bill. The amendment, which has attracted over 100 signatures from Conservative and Labour MPs, would remove the ability of criminals to appeal against deportation on the basis of Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights the right to family life. The Bill will be debated tomorrow.
Mail Mail: Raab FT: ODonnell Telegraph
German Finance Minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, said in Brussels yesterday Germany made the transition to green energy too well, and now we have to correct it, beca use otherwise, increasing energy costs will harm jobs in Germany in a serious way in the medium term.
FT
In an interview with La Tribune, Greek Europe Minister Dimitris Kourkoulas says of the German idea of competitiveness contracts&rsquo ; for eurozone countries, Im not sure that changing the treaties would be the right method to put in place these contracts, which wont be finalised during this Presidency. I think these contracts should also be given a social dimension.
La Tribune: Kourkoulas
Dutch Social Affairs Minister Lodewijk Asscher has welcomed a report by Dutch government think tank WRR which warns of significant challenges in integrating Bulgarian and Romanian immigrants into Dutch society. The report calls on the Dutch government to invest further in this area. Separately, Belgian VRT TV reports that the Belgian cities Ghent and Antwerp have seen a 30% to 50% increase in Bulgarians and Romanians registering in January 2014 compared to a year earlier, although this could just be down to people shifting from being self-employed to employed.
Nu.nl Elsevier VRT
Kathimerini reports that, according to senior finance ministry sources, the Greek governments primary surplus for 2013 will exceed 1bn compared to the forecast of around 800m. Separately, a report by the Greek Parliamentary Budget Office released yesterday argues that taxpayers ability to pay higher taxes in Greece has been exhausted.
Kathimerini
El País notes that, although Spain looks on course to meet the overall deficit target of 6.5% of GDP agreed with the European Commission for 2013, six Spanish regions including Catalonia had already overshot their deficit target for the whole year at the end of November 2013.
El País El Mundo
EU finance ministers yesterday agreed to place Croatia under Excessive Deficit Procedure, and asked the Croatian government to present a plan to reduce the countrys public deficit to 3% of GDP by 2016.
WSJ
In its first estimates for 2013, released yesterday, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) noted that, while foreign investment in the EU as a whole increased from 2012, inflows to France fell by 77% to $5.7bn.
WSJ
Members of the ECB Money Market Contact Group, an advisory body to the central bank, raised concerns in December that the short term interest rates in the eurozone are rising too quickly due to repayment of loans to the ECB as a result of concerns over the upcoming stress tests.
Reuters
The German cabinet today approved the Grand Coalitions proposed pension reforms, allowing employees who have contributed to the social-security system for 45 years to retire on a full pension at the age of 63. Former German Chancellor and initiator of substantial labour market reforms, Gerhard Schröder, called it a completely wrong signal in particular with the view to our European partners.
Spiegel Bild Handelsblatt Welt Reuters Deutschland
The Times reports that the UK, with over 1,082 wind turbines, has more than the rest of the EU put together according to a report by the European Wind Energy Association. Separately the Times reports that Treasury officials are working on plans to hold the rate of the UKs carbon tax.
Times Times 2
Bron: politics.be