David Lidington: We are willing to do a deal on EU budget but not at any priceAt a meeting of Europe ministers in Brussels yesterday ahead of the resumption of talks over the EUs long term budget, UK Europe Minister David Lidington said he saw a willingness to look for a deal but not
at any price. The Irish Times reports that he specifically criticised a lack of ambition on agricultural reform and added that the EUs structural and cohesion funds ought to be cut in a way that focuses help on the poor countries, not the poorer region of rich countries. The UK and other net contributing countries are still pushing for a 30bn reduction to European Council President Herman Van Rompuys second compromise proposal of 973bn over seven years.
In a letter to the FT, the heads of 24 leading UK universities the so-called Russel Group warn against cuts to EU funds for research and innovation in favour of preserving structural funds and agricultural subsidies, with Sir Leszek Borysiewiecz, vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge quoted as saying that Its one bit of the EU budget that produces a huge net gain for the UK.
Meanwhile, Austrias Europe Minister Reinhold Lopatka has called on Chancellor Werner Faymann to use his veto at the talks in order to ensure Austria does not lose its rebate from the EU budget reports Die Presse.
FT FT2 FT Letters: Russell Group Irish Times Sun Mail Euractiv Die Presse
Rajoy fails to dismiss doubts over slush fund allegations
During his joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin yesterday, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said of the slush fund allegations involving him and other senior members of Spains ruling Partido Popular (PP), Everything that refers to me and to some of my fellow party members is not true, except for something that the media have published. Open Europes Vincenzo Scarpettas Twitter coverage of the press conference featured on the Guardians live blog.
Meanwhile, El País reports that a growing number of PP members have recognised payments made to them and registered in the secret accounting books allegedly held by PPs former treasurer Luis Bárcenas. Bárcenas has said he is willing to face any kind of handwriting analysis to prove that the secret books are false, El Mundo reports. Separately, the bad bank established by the Spanish government has started marketing the first lot of properties seized from troubled Spanish banks.
El País El País 2 El País 3 El País 4 El Mundo El Mundo 2 El Mundo 3 El Mundo 4 Expansión BBC FT Süddeutsche FAZ Welt Irish Times
Stubb: UK EU referendum can clear the air on where Britain stands;
Verheugen: David Cameron is right: the EU has to become more transparent and efficient
Reuters reports that Alex Stubb, Finlands Europe Minister, will say in a speech today that A referendum on Europe has its risk, but on the whole it seems unavoidable and can actually clear the air on where Britain stands, but will add that the UK is being drawn to the margins of Europe. In the future, what we will have on our hands is not a Europe divided into north and south, but a union divided into euro-ins and euro-outs, he will say, adding that, we must be very careful in managing the relationship between the ins and the outs.
Writing in Süddeutsche Zeitung, former EU Commissioner Günter Verheugen says David Cameron is right: the EU has to become more transparent and efficient. Otherwise the trust of the citizens will be soon completely gone. He says that Europe should use the time before a possible referendum in the UK to reform the EU. Meanwhile, the SPD Chancellor Candidate Peer Steinbrück said during a speech at the London School of Economics that the UK is highly welcome and should stay in the EU.
Süddeutsche Reuters Euractiv Irish Times
Imerisia: Greek government considering creating a bad bank
Greek daily Imerisia reports that the Greek government is considering submitting legislation to create a bad bank to take non-performing loans off the books of Greek banks. The move would not only aid banks but give more time to those struggling to repay loans, according to the article. The paper also notes that the recapitalisation need of Greek banks has reached 33bn, up from 27.5bn. Kathimerini reports that the Greek government has announced that it met its fiscal targets for 2012, with a primary surplus of 435m.
Imerisia Kathimerini Kathimerini 2 FAZ Welt Le Figaro: Avramopoulos
Berlusconis ally unhappy with tax amnesty pledge
Silvio Berlusconi yesterday pledged to launch a full tax amnesty if he wins the upcoming general elections. However, the leader of his ally Lega Nord, Roberto Maroni, said this morning, I dont like tax amnesties And they are not in the programme, by the way. Meanwhile, a new Tecnè/SkyTG24 poll shows that the gap between the centre-left coalition led by Pier Luigi Bersani and Berlusconis centre-right coalition has narrowed to only 4%. However, a separate EMG/La7 poll puts Bersanis coalition 8% ahead of Berlusconis on 35.9% and 27.9% respectively.
Il Sole 24 Ore Repubblica La Stampa Sky TG24 Corriere della Sera Guardian
Financial market jitters returned to the eurozone yesterday as the FTSE MIB fell by 4.5%, while Spanish and Italian borrowing costs increased and the euro weakened. Reports blamed uncertainty triggered by the Italian election and banking scandal as well as from the slush fund scandal in Spain for the renewed concerns.
WSJ CityAM Telegraph
Bloomberg reports that, according to unnamed officials, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland want to speed up European Union plans to force losses on senior bondholders of failing banks, bring them forward to 2015 from 2018.
Bloomberg
Most of the EU Council of Minister staff went on strike this morning over proposals to cut EU spending on administration, with fellow officials in the European Commission and European Parliament due to stage demonstrations later in the day. Meanwhile, the Commission has denied a story which appeared in Welt am Sonntag that many EU officials have higher monthly salaries than German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
EUobserver Süddeutsche Spiegel IHT
The FT reports that the ECB will need to double its manpower, hiring a further 2000 staff to fulfil its role as the eurozones single financial supervisor, according to a report by financial consultancy Promontory Financial Group.
FT
Standard & Poors has said in a new report that Ireland is likely to recover quicker than expected.
Irish Times Irish Times: OBrien Irish Independent Irish Times 2 Irish Independent 2
The WSJ reports that the European Commission will propose for new cyber-security rules requiring search engines, energy providers, banks and other companies to report disruptions to government authorities.
WSJ
In the House of Commons yesterday, MPs raised concerns about an increase in the number of European Commissioners. Shadow Europe Minister Emma Reynolds said: We think that there is a case for looking at the possibility of introducing some degree of seniority in the college of commissioners.
Hansard
EurActiv reports that the EU is sending a positive signal towards free trade talks with the US by dropping its ban on some US meat imports which will take effect on 25 February.
EurActiv
The BBC reports that UN, European and African officials are due to meet in Brussels today to discuss how to hold democratic elections in Mali this summer.
BBC
In the Telegraph, Philip Johnston argues that there needs to be a change in UK law to prevent child benefit being paid to the children of EU workers if the children do not live in the UK.
Telegraph: Johnson
Europol, the EUs law enforcement agency, yesterday announced that it had uncovered an organised crime syndicate based in Asia involved in large scale football match-fixing involving 380 matches and around 425 match officials, club officials, players and criminals under suspicion.
Guardian Welt Bild
Bron: politics.be
In a letter to the FT, the heads of 24 leading UK universities the so-called Russel Group warn against cuts to EU funds for research and innovation in favour of preserving structural funds and agricultural subsidies, with Sir Leszek Borysiewiecz, vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge quoted as saying that Its one bit of the EU budget that produces a huge net gain for the UK.
Meanwhile, Austrias Europe Minister Reinhold Lopatka has called on Chancellor Werner Faymann to use his veto at the talks in order to ensure Austria does not lose its rebate from the EU budget reports Die Presse.
FT FT2 FT Letters: Russell Group Irish Times Sun Mail Euractiv Die Presse
Rajoy fails to dismiss doubts over slush fund allegations
During his joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin yesterday, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said of the slush fund allegations involving him and other senior members of Spains ruling Partido Popular (PP), Everything that refers to me and to some of my fellow party members is not true, except for something that the media have published. Open Europes Vincenzo Scarpettas Twitter coverage of the press conference featured on the Guardians live blog.
Meanwhile, El País reports that a growing number of PP members have recognised payments made to them and registered in the secret accounting books allegedly held by PPs former treasurer Luis Bárcenas. Bárcenas has said he is willing to face any kind of handwriting analysis to prove that the secret books are false, El Mundo reports. Separately, the bad bank established by the Spanish government has started marketing the first lot of properties seized from troubled Spanish banks.
El País El País 2 El País 3 El País 4 El Mundo El Mundo 2 El Mundo 3 El Mundo 4 Expansión BBC FT Süddeutsche FAZ Welt Irish Times
Stubb: UK EU referendum can clear the air on where Britain stands;
Verheugen: David Cameron is right: the EU has to become more transparent and efficient
Reuters reports that Alex Stubb, Finlands Europe Minister, will say in a speech today that A referendum on Europe has its risk, but on the whole it seems unavoidable and can actually clear the air on where Britain stands, but will add that the UK is being drawn to the margins of Europe. In the future, what we will have on our hands is not a Europe divided into north and south, but a union divided into euro-ins and euro-outs, he will say, adding that, we must be very careful in managing the relationship between the ins and the outs.
Writing in Süddeutsche Zeitung, former EU Commissioner Günter Verheugen says David Cameron is right: the EU has to become more transparent and efficient. Otherwise the trust of the citizens will be soon completely gone. He says that Europe should use the time before a possible referendum in the UK to reform the EU. Meanwhile, the SPD Chancellor Candidate Peer Steinbrück said during a speech at the London School of Economics that the UK is highly welcome and should stay in the EU.
Süddeutsche Reuters Euractiv Irish Times
Imerisia: Greek government considering creating a bad bank
Greek daily Imerisia reports that the Greek government is considering submitting legislation to create a bad bank to take non-performing loans off the books of Greek banks. The move would not only aid banks but give more time to those struggling to repay loans, according to the article. The paper also notes that the recapitalisation need of Greek banks has reached 33bn, up from 27.5bn. Kathimerini reports that the Greek government has announced that it met its fiscal targets for 2012, with a primary surplus of 435m.
Imerisia Kathimerini Kathimerini 2 FAZ Welt Le Figaro: Avramopoulos
Berlusconis ally unhappy with tax amnesty pledge
Silvio Berlusconi yesterday pledged to launch a full tax amnesty if he wins the upcoming general elections. However, the leader of his ally Lega Nord, Roberto Maroni, said this morning, I dont like tax amnesties And they are not in the programme, by the way. Meanwhile, a new Tecnè/SkyTG24 poll shows that the gap between the centre-left coalition led by Pier Luigi Bersani and Berlusconis centre-right coalition has narrowed to only 4%. However, a separate EMG/La7 poll puts Bersanis coalition 8% ahead of Berlusconis on 35.9% and 27.9% respectively.
Il Sole 24 Ore Repubblica La Stampa Sky TG24 Corriere della Sera Guardian
Financial market jitters returned to the eurozone yesterday as the FTSE MIB fell by 4.5%, while Spanish and Italian borrowing costs increased and the euro weakened. Reports blamed uncertainty triggered by the Italian election and banking scandal as well as from the slush fund scandal in Spain for the renewed concerns.
WSJ CityAM Telegraph
Bloomberg reports that, according to unnamed officials, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland want to speed up European Union plans to force losses on senior bondholders of failing banks, bring them forward to 2015 from 2018.
Bloomberg
Most of the EU Council of Minister staff went on strike this morning over proposals to cut EU spending on administration, with fellow officials in the European Commission and European Parliament due to stage demonstrations later in the day. Meanwhile, the Commission has denied a story which appeared in Welt am Sonntag that many EU officials have higher monthly salaries than German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
EUobserver Süddeutsche Spiegel IHT
The FT reports that the ECB will need to double its manpower, hiring a further 2000 staff to fulfil its role as the eurozones single financial supervisor, according to a report by financial consultancy Promontory Financial Group.
FT
Standard & Poors has said in a new report that Ireland is likely to recover quicker than expected.
Irish Times Irish Times: OBrien Irish Independent Irish Times 2 Irish Independent 2
The WSJ reports that the European Commission will propose for new cyber-security rules requiring search engines, energy providers, banks and other companies to report disruptions to government authorities.
WSJ
In the House of Commons yesterday, MPs raised concerns about an increase in the number of European Commissioners. Shadow Europe Minister Emma Reynolds said: We think that there is a case for looking at the possibility of introducing some degree of seniority in the college of commissioners.
Hansard
EurActiv reports that the EU is sending a positive signal towards free trade talks with the US by dropping its ban on some US meat imports which will take effect on 25 February.
EurActiv
The BBC reports that UN, European and African officials are due to meet in Brussels today to discuss how to hold democratic elections in Mali this summer.
BBC
In the Telegraph, Philip Johnston argues that there needs to be a change in UK law to prevent child benefit being paid to the children of EU workers if the children do not live in the UK.
Telegraph: Johnson
Europol, the EUs law enforcement agency, yesterday announced that it had uncovered an organised crime syndicate based in Asia involved in large scale football match-fixing involving 380 matches and around 425 match officials, club officials, players and criminals under suspicion.
Guardian Welt Bild
Bron: politics.be