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On 5/6 October, the Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructure (PCEI) expert group - set up under the European Commission’s Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) - met at the European Defence Agency (EDA) to deliver the “PCEI Conceptual Paper: Focus on European Union Defence”. This step concludes the first phase of the expert group’s work. It should assist Member States to build consensus on how to enhance best the protection and resilience of defence related Critical Energy Infrastructures.

To address the risks, vulnerabilities, capability and research shortfalls of defence related Critical Energy Infrastructures (CEI), the PCEI expert group was set up in May 2016. It’s primary task was to assess how the defence sector can apply existing EU CEI legislation to enhance the protection of defence-related CEI and improve its resilience throughout Europe. For that purpose, the group developed an EU-wide defence focused ‘PCEI Conceptual Paper’.

The chairman of the group, Colonel Georgios Drosos from the Hellenic MOD, explains that “this Paper is intended to lead to a collaborative civilian-military approach which supports EU Member States in the identification of best practices and tools which will strengthen further the resilience of defence related CEI from any failures, risks or threats, including terrorism, cyber-attacks, migration flow stress, climate change, and natural hazards”.

Martin Konertz, EDA’s Capability Armaments and Technology (CAT) Director, considers that “this PCEI Conceptual Paper will provide an important building block for increased CEI resilience in the EU as it should inform a related EU policy or guidelines and assist Member States to initiate projects of common interest with the support of the EU”.
 

Deliverables

Besides the Conceptual Paper, the PCEI expert group also produced a factsheet designed to increase collaboration, awareness and visibility. Both documents will be submitted in mid-October to the European Commission’s DG Energy for final approval. Denis Roger, EDA’s European Synergies and Innovation (ESI) Director, stated: “In order to move beyond the conceptual phase and towards a broader consensus, we will need to foster a common PCEI culture within the EU defence sector and even beyond that, in wider society. In this way, we can contribute to securing a sustainable energy supply chain for both fixed infrastructures and for CSDP operations”.
 

Background

The work of the PCEI expert group is led by the Ministries of Defence of Cyprus and Greece, supported by their respective national academia and research centres (Centre for Research & Technology Hellas – CERTH, Cyprus University of Technology, European University Cyprus, KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence - University of Cyprus, National Technical University of Athens - NTUA). The Commission’s DG Energy and Joint Research Centre as well as the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence (ENSEC COE) also support the work of the PCEI expert group. At this stage, six EDA Member States (Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Ireland, Greece and Cyprus) are participating in the group. It is supported within the Agency at an inter-directorate level (CAT and ESI) by CAT Project Officer Protect, Dr Constantinos Hadjisavvas, and ESI Project Officer Energy and Environment Systems, Richard Brewin.
 

More information :

• Experts group looks into protection of critical energy infrastructures for defence (webnews, October 2016)
• Phase 1 of Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in Defence completed (webnews, September 2017)

Le Premier ministre tunisien a assuré jeudi, à l'issue d'une rencontre avec son homologue français, qu'à ce stade de l'enquête, rien ne permet de lier l'assaillant qui a tué deux femmes à Marseille à des groupes terroristes présents en Tunisie.

Europe has outsourced the dirty work of border control to Libyan militias. In doing so, it has turned African migrants into commodities to be captured, sold, and traded like slaves.

Are naval search-and-rescue operations saving migrants’ lives — or just encouraging them to take greater risks?

Migrants who fail to reach Europe face humiliation, isolation, and impoverishment at home.

Trois soldats américains et un membre d'une "nation partenaire" ont été tués au Niger lors d'une opération anti-terroriste, révélant au grand jour la présence de forces armées américaines dans la région du Sahel en proie aux attaques terroristes.

Die EU wird im Konflikt zwischen Katalonien und Spanien vermitteln und einen neuen katalanischen Staat in die Union aufnehmen, glaubt der katalanische Regierungssprecher Joan Maria Piqué.

A következő év eleje döntő, vélhetően majd az utókor részéről is számon tartott változást hoz egy afrikai ország életébe. Accra városában a legfontosabb állami épületek napenergia-ellátást kapnak, elsőként a Parlament épülete és a Flagstaff House. Ez utóbbi az elnöki rezidencia, illetve a kormány épülete is egyben. A magát az egykori dicsőséges Ashanti Birodalom utódállamának tekintő Ghána a 14. afrikai ország, amely a napenergia hasznosításáról szóló nemzetközi keretszerződést, az International Solar Alliance-t (ISA) ratifikálta.

A következő év eleje döntő, vélhetően majd az utókor részéről is számon tartott változást hoz egy afrikai ország életébe. Accra városában a legfontosabb állami épületek napenergia-ellátást kapnak, elsőként a Parlament épülete és a Flagstaff House. Ez utóbbi az elnöki rezidencia, illetve a kormány épülete is egyben. A magát az egykori dicsőséges Ashanti Birodalom utódállamának tekintő Ghána a 14. afrikai ország, amely a napenergia hasznosításáról szóló nemzetközi keretszerződést, az International Solar Alliance-t (ISA) ratifikálta.

The EU Commission said the investigation launched on October 2014 on States’ aids to multinational companies has been concluded. The results of this investigation involve the relationship between Luxembourg and Amazon. The Commission has concluded that the US company had to pay €250 millions of unsettled taxes, resulting from the 2003 agreement between the European State and the US company.

The illegal aids were achieved through a system of double company: one operating and one holding. Amazon created two different companies on the Luxembourg territory: the first one, “Amazon EU”, operates Amazon’s retail business throughout Europe – having over 500 employees and buying and selling items for all the national sites of Amazon. The second one, “Amazon Europe Holding Technologies”, acts as an intermediary between the operating company and Amazon in the US. This company holds the intellectual property rights for Europe, and the operating company pays to the holding one annual royalties for the use of the name “Amazon”.

On the press release it can be read: “The Commission’s investigation showed that the level of the royalty payments, endorsed by the tax ruling, was inflated and did not reflect economic reality. On this basis, the Commission concluded that the tax ruling granted a selective economic advantage to Amazon by allowing the group to pay less tax than other companies subject to the same national tax rules.”

In fact, the Junker’s Commission notified that the 2003 agreement between the Junker’s government of Luxembourg and Amazon was poorly applied and had generated harm to both Luxembourg and the competition in the EU Single Market. Still in the press release, the Commission clarifies that the investigation did not question Luxembourg’s general tax system as such. In the next months, the Luxembourg’s tax authorities must decide the precise amount of taxes unpaid by Amazon on the national territory. This amount must be determined on the basis of the Commission’s decision, but it should be around € 250 million, plus interest.

If Luxembourg does not fulfil its duties, it may incur an infringement procedure, exactly like what has happened yesterday to Ireland, which never required Apple to pay €13 billions of taxes, unpaid because of a similar agreement that in 2016 the Commission considered as illegal aids. And for that, “The Commission has therefore decided to refer Ireland to the Court of Justice for failure to implement the Commission decision, in accordance with Article 108(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).”

Tancredi Marini

For further information:

Commission’s release press:

Luxembourg: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-3701_en.htm

Ireland: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-3702_en.htm

Agenceurope: Bulletin Quotidien Europe 11876 – 5/10/2017

Classé dans:Fact of the day

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Russland schenkt Serbien sechs ausrangierte MiG-29 Kampfflugzeuge. Das könnte die Spannungen zwischen Belgrad und seinen Nachbarn wieder verschärfen.

Les réactions n'ont pas tardé à fuser, à gauche comme à droite, pour fustiger la petite phrase du président, mercredi en Corrèze.

Aid allocation is typically country-based, i.e. focusing first on how to distribute Official Development Assistance (ODA) across countries. Donors consider the needs of developing countries as well as their own interests before deciding which country should receive how much assistance. Subsequently, donor and partner governments choose the thematic areas or sectors of cooperation, such as health, education, the environment, or food security.
As an alternative approach, thematic allocation has gained increasing relevance. This form of allocation earmarks funds for specific issues prior to the selection of partner countries. The special initiatives of Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the United States (US) presidential initiatives for health and food security are prominent examples.
The process of aid allocation is crucial for the effective use of scarce public funds. Global changes raise the question to what extent funds should continue to be allocated in a primarily country-based manner or whether a thematic approach is more useful. Historically, development cooperation has evolved as a policy to support poor countries. However, these countries now vary greatly in their development (fragile states, graduated countries, etc.). The North-South logic underlying the term “develop¬ing country” is inconsistent with the universal 2030 Agenda. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are organised thematically. Many challenges require cross-border solutions (e.g. climate, health, migration).
Thematic allocation aligns development cooperation with international challenges. Experience thus far shows both benefits and risks. Thematic allocation can mobilise funding for key issues, bundle resources and raise the visibility of aid. It enables cross-border cooperation, offers room for innovations and is more flexible. Yet, a number of initiatives bypass local capacities and the institutions of partner countries more frequently than country-based allocation does. In other cases, uncoordinated parallel structures arise, which do not take sufficient account of ongoing activities.
Thematic allocation is likely to become more important as part of the global effort to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Donors should therefore systematically examine to what extent they want to use thematic allocation in the future. A rigorous assessment can help to better utilise benefits and minimise risks.
The key challenge is to make effective use of the more flexible cooperation framework offered by thematic allo¬cation. To this end, donors should sharpen their thematic profiles and select issues according to their comparative advantages. Donors also require adequate organisational structures to be able to coordinate all relevant actors in a given issue area, both internally (e.g. through whole-of-government approaches) and externally working together with a broad range of partners. Ultimately, donors should further strengthen the role of partner countries in thematic programmes and initiatives to ensure that a shift of perspective from countries to themes does not come at the expense of country ownership.

Aid allocation is typically country-based, i.e. focusing first on how to distribute Official Development Assistance (ODA) across countries. Donors consider the needs of developing countries as well as their own interests before deciding which country should receive how much assistance. Subsequently, donor and partner governments choose the thematic areas or sectors of cooperation, such as health, education, the environment, or food security.
As an alternative approach, thematic allocation has gained increasing relevance. This form of allocation earmarks funds for specific issues prior to the selection of partner countries. The special initiatives of Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the United States (US) presidential initiatives for health and food security are prominent examples.
The process of aid allocation is crucial for the effective use of scarce public funds. Global changes raise the question to what extent funds should continue to be allocated in a primarily country-based manner or whether a thematic approach is more useful. Historically, development cooperation has evolved as a policy to support poor countries. However, these countries now vary greatly in their development (fragile states, graduated countries, etc.). The North-South logic underlying the term “develop¬ing country” is inconsistent with the universal 2030 Agenda. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are organised thematically. Many challenges require cross-border solutions (e.g. climate, health, migration).
Thematic allocation aligns development cooperation with international challenges. Experience thus far shows both benefits and risks. Thematic allocation can mobilise funding for key issues, bundle resources and raise the visibility of aid. It enables cross-border cooperation, offers room for innovations and is more flexible. Yet, a number of initiatives bypass local capacities and the institutions of partner countries more frequently than country-based allocation does. In other cases, uncoordinated parallel structures arise, which do not take sufficient account of ongoing activities.
Thematic allocation is likely to become more important as part of the global effort to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Donors should therefore systematically examine to what extent they want to use thematic allocation in the future. A rigorous assessment can help to better utilise benefits and minimise risks.
The key challenge is to make effective use of the more flexible cooperation framework offered by thematic allo¬cation. To this end, donors should sharpen their thematic profiles and select issues according to their comparative advantages. Donors also require adequate organisational structures to be able to coordinate all relevant actors in a given issue area, both internally (e.g. through whole-of-government approaches) and externally working together with a broad range of partners. Ultimately, donors should further strengthen the role of partner countries in thematic programmes and initiatives to ensure that a shift of perspective from countries to themes does not come at the expense of country ownership.

SAB Brockskes offers heat-resistant cables for the naval industry.