EU reform on the agenda as Cameron meets French and Polish leadersDavid Cameron will meet today with French President Francois Hollande in an Anglo-French summit aimed at deepening defence and energy cooperation. Certainly the prime minister will be making the points he has around the importance of a more flexible, more competitive European Union, a British government official said. After the pub lunch, Mr Cameron will head for a second bilateral meeting with the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who is in Britain to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. The two leaders are also expected to discuss Mr Cameron's push for tougher curbs on the right of nationals of other EU member states to claim benefits in the UK.Reuters FT: Editorial BBC Bloomberg
Conservative ministers abstain on Immigration Bill amendment;
Persson: The Tory Party risks becoming its own worst enemy in Europe
In total, 85 Conservative MPs voted to amend the Governments Immigration Bill to curb the rights of foreign criminals. While Conservative ministers abstained, the amendment was defeated by Labour and the Lib Dems. In the Telegraph, Spectator Editor Fraser Nelson argues that David Cameron deserves at least part of the blame. He has made little attempt to pretend that he values the opinions of his MPs and has left them feeling abandoned. Handelsblatts London Correspondent Matthias Thibaut writes that, The fact that the Tory rebels are playing right into the hands of the anti-Europe UKIP party, doesnt seem to bother them.
Meanwhile, Open Europes Director Mats Persson argues on his Telegraph blog that there clearly comes a point when the Tory Party can become its own worst enemy in Europe. It's one thing for the Tories to split when that referendum comes, another to rob itself of the very opportunity to test the limits of EU reform ahead of the vote.
Telegraph blogs: Persson Mail Times Times: Clark Times: Collins FAZ Telegraph: Nelson Telegraph Express Conservative Home Independent Guardian
Former German Constitutional Court Judge expects red lines from Court on OMT
Speaking on Wednesday, former German Constitutional Court judge Udo Di Fabio warned that the EU treaties don't foresee a common bank supervisor and even less for the ECB to be it. He added that he did not expect the German Constitutional Court to rule against the OMT, the ECBs bond buying programme, as such a move would cause a firestorm in Europe. However, he did expect the Court to lay down further rules on the activation of the OMT, including a greater role for the Bundestag.
EUobserver
Open Europes Director Mats Persson is quoted by the AFP discussing the current status and the future of Franco-German relations. He argues, I'm not sure how much rapprochement there actually is between France and Germany One senior German told me recently that they are far more worried about France than about Italy. Mats concludes that the Franco-German relationship is still relevant and important for Europe.
AFP
In an interview with FAZ, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, the German FDPs top candidate for the European elections, says that it should be possible to return powers, such as social policy, to the national level, if they dont make sense at the EU level. He adds that, Unlike the populists, we dont see as a Trojan horse to take the EU backwards.
No link
Die Welt reports that, according to a new study by Deutsche Bank Research, eurosceptic parties could together secure 27% of seats in the European Parliament at the upcoming elections in May.
No link
Euronews reports that Belgian authorities have sent expulsion letters to 2,712 EU migrants for being an unreasonable burden on the welfare system. The majority asked to leave come from Romania and Bulgaria, followed by Spain and Italy.
EUobserver Euronews
The Times reports that figures from Tjobs, a Romanian website that hosts more than 200 recruitment agencies, showed that 10,367 British vacancies were advertised on the website this month. In January 2013, when restrictions on the types of positions available were still in place, British employers advertised 6,108 jobs.
Times
Süddeutsche reports that the SPD is allying itself with the European Parliament against German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäubles plans for the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM). Carsten Schneider, Vice-Chair of the SPD Faction in Parliament, writes in a letter that the suggested ten-year period to build up resolution funds is far too long, adding that the target figure of the funds currently at 55bn seems to us to be an underestimation.
No link
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras yesterday once again ruled out snap elections and insisted his coalition would see out its term up to 2016. He also stressed he would never consider a coalition with the opposition Syriza party.
Kathimerini Kathimerini 2 Economist: Charlemagne
Denmarks ruling coalition suffered a blow yesterday, after the Socialist Peoples Party (SF) walked out of government in protest at the sale of part of state energy firm Dong to Goldman Sachs. However, the SF said it would continue to support the government from the opposition benches.
FT City AM FAZ Süddeutsche Irish Times European Voice
MEPs are set to block a proposal that all final European Parliament Committee votes on legislation be recorded and published following a joint request by the centre-right European Peoples Party (EPP) and centre-left Social Democrats (S&D) blocks reports European Voice. As a result, the vote on the proposal has been postponed.
European Voice European Voice 2 European Voice leader
According to a study conducted by the Spanish Economy Ministry, the shadow economy in Spain was equivalent to 24.6% of GDP in 2012 up from 17.8% when the economic crisis started in 2008.
Expansión
The leaders of political groups in the European Parliament have appointed former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti as the chairman of a new high-level group on own resources, tasked with exploring how the EU should be financed in the future.
European Voice
City AM reports on research by Europe Economics that concludes Scotland would lose £1.1bn a year and 17,000 jobs as the price of renegotiating terms with the European Union.
City AM
Ahead of meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel today, Polands Prime Minister Donald Tusk has called for concerted EU action on Ukraine.
FT Telegraph Irish Times BBC Euractiv
El Mundo reports that, according to an internal poll commissioned by Spains ruling Partido Popular, only 35% of Catalans would vote for independence if an independent Catalonia would then also have to leave the EU.
El Mundo
Bron: politics.be
Conservative ministers abstain on Immigration Bill amendment;
Persson: The Tory Party risks becoming its own worst enemy in Europe
In total, 85 Conservative MPs voted to amend the Governments Immigration Bill to curb the rights of foreign criminals. While Conservative ministers abstained, the amendment was defeated by Labour and the Lib Dems. In the Telegraph, Spectator Editor Fraser Nelson argues that David Cameron deserves at least part of the blame. He has made little attempt to pretend that he values the opinions of his MPs and has left them feeling abandoned. Handelsblatts London Correspondent Matthias Thibaut writes that, The fact that the Tory rebels are playing right into the hands of the anti-Europe UKIP party, doesnt seem to bother them.
Meanwhile, Open Europes Director Mats Persson argues on his Telegraph blog that there clearly comes a point when the Tory Party can become its own worst enemy in Europe. It's one thing for the Tories to split when that referendum comes, another to rob itself of the very opportunity to test the limits of EU reform ahead of the vote.
Telegraph blogs: Persson Mail Times Times: Clark Times: Collins FAZ Telegraph: Nelson Telegraph Express Conservative Home Independent Guardian
Former German Constitutional Court Judge expects red lines from Court on OMT
Speaking on Wednesday, former German Constitutional Court judge Udo Di Fabio warned that the EU treaties don't foresee a common bank supervisor and even less for the ECB to be it. He added that he did not expect the German Constitutional Court to rule against the OMT, the ECBs bond buying programme, as such a move would cause a firestorm in Europe. However, he did expect the Court to lay down further rules on the activation of the OMT, including a greater role for the Bundestag.
EUobserver
Open Europes Director Mats Persson is quoted by the AFP discussing the current status and the future of Franco-German relations. He argues, I'm not sure how much rapprochement there actually is between France and Germany One senior German told me recently that they are far more worried about France than about Italy. Mats concludes that the Franco-German relationship is still relevant and important for Europe.
AFP
In an interview with FAZ, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, the German FDPs top candidate for the European elections, says that it should be possible to return powers, such as social policy, to the national level, if they dont make sense at the EU level. He adds that, Unlike the populists, we dont see as a Trojan horse to take the EU backwards.
No link
Die Welt reports that, according to a new study by Deutsche Bank Research, eurosceptic parties could together secure 27% of seats in the European Parliament at the upcoming elections in May.
No link
Euronews reports that Belgian authorities have sent expulsion letters to 2,712 EU migrants for being an unreasonable burden on the welfare system. The majority asked to leave come from Romania and Bulgaria, followed by Spain and Italy.
EUobserver Euronews
The Times reports that figures from Tjobs, a Romanian website that hosts more than 200 recruitment agencies, showed that 10,367 British vacancies were advertised on the website this month. In January 2013, when restrictions on the types of positions available were still in place, British employers advertised 6,108 jobs.
Times
Süddeutsche reports that the SPD is allying itself with the European Parliament against German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäubles plans for the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM). Carsten Schneider, Vice-Chair of the SPD Faction in Parliament, writes in a letter that the suggested ten-year period to build up resolution funds is far too long, adding that the target figure of the funds currently at 55bn seems to us to be an underestimation.
No link
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras yesterday once again ruled out snap elections and insisted his coalition would see out its term up to 2016. He also stressed he would never consider a coalition with the opposition Syriza party.
Kathimerini Kathimerini 2 Economist: Charlemagne
Denmarks ruling coalition suffered a blow yesterday, after the Socialist Peoples Party (SF) walked out of government in protest at the sale of part of state energy firm Dong to Goldman Sachs. However, the SF said it would continue to support the government from the opposition benches.
FT City AM FAZ Süddeutsche Irish Times European Voice
MEPs are set to block a proposal that all final European Parliament Committee votes on legislation be recorded and published following a joint request by the centre-right European Peoples Party (EPP) and centre-left Social Democrats (S&D) blocks reports European Voice. As a result, the vote on the proposal has been postponed.
European Voice European Voice 2 European Voice leader
According to a study conducted by the Spanish Economy Ministry, the shadow economy in Spain was equivalent to 24.6% of GDP in 2012 up from 17.8% when the economic crisis started in 2008.
Expansión
The leaders of political groups in the European Parliament have appointed former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti as the chairman of a new high-level group on own resources, tasked with exploring how the EU should be financed in the future.
European Voice
City AM reports on research by Europe Economics that concludes Scotland would lose £1.1bn a year and 17,000 jobs as the price of renegotiating terms with the European Union.
City AM
Ahead of meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel today, Polands Prime Minister Donald Tusk has called for concerted EU action on Ukraine.
FT Telegraph Irish Times BBC Euractiv
El Mundo reports that, according to an internal poll commissioned by Spains ruling Partido Popular, only 35% of Catalans would vote for independence if an independent Catalonia would then also have to leave the EU.
El Mundo
Bron: politics.be