European Union

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The Eastern Partnership aims to strengthen and deepen the EU's relations with its six partner countries to the east, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine in areas such as political association, free trade, migration, energy etc.

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THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION: 

RECALLING the new global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations General Assembly at its 70th session on 25 September 2015 and STRESSING the key objectives of the General European Union Environment Action Programme to 2020 'Living well, within the limits of our planet' (the seventh Environment Action Programme - 7th EAP) [1]; 

RECALLING its conclusions of 16 December 2015 on the Mid-Term Review of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 [2]; 

RECALLING its conclusions on the European Court of Auditors' Special Report No. 01/2017 entitled 'More efforts needed to implement the Natura 2000 network to its full potential' [3]; 

NOTING that, while hosting some of the most densely populated areas in the world, Europe also has a very rich and diverse natural heritage, which is an inherent and vital component of Europe's natural, social, cultural and economic capital, and must therefore be protected, cared for and conserved for the benefit of nature, people and the economy; 

UNDERLINING that the Nature Directives [4] are essential components of European nature protection and that they have so far played a vital role in the attainment of this objective; and RECONFIRMING their important role in achieving the targets of the CBD Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including the Aichi Biodiversity targets, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change; 

RECOGNISING that the conservation status of a number of species and habitats protected under the Nature Directives, despite many efforts, continues to be under serious pressure from unsustainable practices in economic sectors such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries and infrastructure as well as the impact of climate change and of alien invasive species; 

STRESSING that the comprehensive evaluation of the Nature Directives known as the 'Fitness Check' undertaken by the Commission under its commitment to Better Regulation, in consultation with the Member States and a diverse range of stakeholders, including citizens, has found that, as a cornerstone of broader EU biodiversity policy, the Nature Directives are fit for purpose but that achieving their objectives and realising their full potential can only be accomplished by substantially improving their implementation[5]; 

OBSERVING that the Fitness Check has identified important gaps in the effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of the Nature Directives and has identified the need for further action, including working in partnership with different stakeholder communities in the Member States and across the EU to deliver practical results on the ground, enhancing the integration of nature objectives into other policy areas, improving knowledge and access to data, strengthening enforcement and allocating additional resources; 

RECOGNISING that the Fitness Check has shown that where targeted action takes place on a sufficient scale, the status of species and habitats improves, sometimes leading to remarkable recoveries; 

UNDERLINING that Europe's natural heritage is inextricably linked to the quality of life of its citizens and to various sectors of Europe's economy and that investing in nature conservation and its sustainable use offers opportunities and value for nature, people and the economy; 

WELCOMING the establishment of a 'European Natura 2000 Day' to be celebrated on 21 May each year through awareness-raising events and networking activities to be organised all over the EU; 

1.         WELCOMES the Commission's Communication on an Action Plan[6] to help improve and boost the implementation of the Nature Directives and the delivery of their objectives, as well as to strengthen their coherence with socio-economic objectives and to mobilise engagement with national, regional and local authorities, stakeholders and citizens; 

2.         HIGHLIGHTS the importance of further stakeholder engagement at national, regional and local level, given the strong territorial dimension of the Nature Directives; 

3.         WELCOMES the role that the EU institutions can play in supporting the delivery of the Action Plan, and in particular the Committee of the Regions as regards outreach and building ownership at regional and local level; 

4.         While taking into account economic, social, cultural and regional requirements, in line with the Habitats Directive, ACKNOWLEDGES the potential of the Action Plan to contribute to improving the practical implementation of the Nature Directives and moving closer towards the EU 2020 goal of halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services[7], thus benefitting Europe's nature, people and economy; 

5.         RECOGNISES that the four priority areas of the Action Plan respond to the findings of the Fitness Check, and thereby: 

Under Priority A: Improving guidance and knowledge and ensuring better coherence with broader socioeconomic objectives

6.         Without jeopardising the conservation objectives and requirements set within the Nature Directives, RECOGNISES that the flexibility of implementation approaches that take into account specific national circumstances contributes to the reduction and progressive elimination of unnecessary conflicts and problems between nature protection and socioeconomic activities, as well as to addressing the practical challenges resulting from the application of the annexes to the Directives; 

7.         In this context, WELCOMES the fact that the Commission, in close cooperation with the Member States, will update, develop and actively promote clear guidance and knowledge in all official languages of the EU to support the implementation of the Nature Directives, including updating by 2018 the guidance document on species protection rules and species action plans, whilst ensuring greater coherence between Europe's broader socioeconomic objectives and nature policy and engaging with stakeholders, land and marine users to explore smarter participative approaches; 

8.         WELCOMES the Commission's initiative to develop guidance on the integration of ecosystem services into decision-making, allowing for potential positive impacts on human wellbeing as well as sustainable economic growth and social development; 

9.         WELCOMES the support mechanism that the Commission will establish to help Member State authorities address key challenges in applying the Nature Directives' requirements related to permitting procedures, without jeopardising the application of the principle of subsidiarity, and ENCOURAGES national, regional and local authorities to make full use of these opportunities; 

10.      AGREES that traditional, practical and scientific knowledge and access to data and information is key for the effectiveness and efficiency of conservation measures and, ultimately, the Nature Directives, and that continued efforts at all levels are needed to deliver improvements in these areas, including through effective and efficient monitoring and appropriate reporting by the competent authorities, and through public online access to knowledge and information necessary for the implementation of the Nature Directives; 

Under Priority B: Building political ownership and strengthening compliance

11.      While taking into account the dynamic nature of ecosystems, RECOGNISES that the completion and effective management of the Natura 2000 network and the establishment and implementation of the necessary conservation measures for all sites are key actions towards achieving the Directives' objectives, and are primarily a responsibility of Member States, therefore CALLS UPON national, regional and local authorities to increase efforts in these areas; 

12.      ACKNOWLEDGES the Commission's commitment to increase support to Member States in achieving this objective and the crucial role of stakeholder awareness and cooperation; in this regard, RECOGNISES the beneficial role of stakeholder platforms in promoting good practices and practical solutions under the Nature Directives; 

13.      UNDERSCORES the need to build and maintain political ownership for the implementation of the Nature Directives and to strengthen compliance, and WELCOMES the Commission's support to improve synergies between relevant EU Directives, Regulations, programmes and other policies; 

14.      WELCOMES the voluntary, dedicated bilateral dialogues between the Commission and Member States within the framework of the new Environmental Implementation Review process, aimed at addressing structural problems,  responding to the needs of Member States and reflecting data submitted by them; CONSIDERS that the Environmental Implementation Review process complements and is without prejudice to compliance; 

15.      UNDERLINES the importance of focussed discussions at the biogeographical level to share experience, expertise and solutions regarding structural and cross-border challenges, as well as thematic discussions across those biogeographical regions and the importance of investing in capacity-building with a view to enhancing implementation and gaining experience on transboundary management of species; and WELCOMES the development of roadmaps as a possible tool for cooperative action in the context of the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process; 

16.      UNDERLINES that improving the conservation status of protected species and habitats requires concerted action by Member States, especially in certain cases such as when considering migratory species, and RECOGNISES that Species and Habitats Action Plans may, among other tools, be appropriate to reach this goal and SUPPORTS their further development and implementation in collaboration with relevant international Conventions and Agreements; 

Under Priority C: Strengthening investment in Natura 2000 and improving synergies with EU funding instruments

17.      RECOGNISES that funding shortages are a key obstacle preventing the Natura 2000 network from delivering its benefits in full and are a major factor undermining the effective implementation of the Nature Directives, and, therefore, UNDERLINES the need to ensure predictable, adequate, regular and targeted EU financing; in this regard, ENCOURAGES the Commission to reflect on ways to better integrate nature protection into EU funding; 

18.      RECOGNISES the need to further improve multiannual financial planning for investment in nature, and, having regard to Article 8 of the Habitats Directive, AGREES that there is a need to update and improve the Prioritised Action Frameworks (PAFs), notably through a simplified template, in view of the next programming period, taking into account the experience of the current PAFs; 

19.      CALLS on the Commission and the Member States to more effectively integrate Natura 2000 and wider biodiversity with the common agricultural policy, cohesion policy, common fisheries policy, integrated maritime policy and research and innovation policy, and RECOGNISES the potential of these policies to positively contribute to the attainment of the objectives of the Nature Directives; 

20.      RECOGNISES the strategically important role of the LIFE programme and WELCOMES the Commission proposal for an increase in dedicated funding for nature and biodiversity within the current LIFE envelope, increasing opportunities for investment in Natura 2000 and other green infrastructure; 

21.      HIGHLIGHTS the particularly important role of the European Agricultural Rural Development Fund under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and WELCOMES Commission plans to evaluate the impact of the CAP on biodiversity until 2019 that take into account proportionate control and verification requirements and also ensure compliance with the delivery of environmental outcomes, in order to further develop schemes that are adapted to the needs of Natura 2000 as well as of other high-value nature areas, including through results- and value-based payment approaches and training for farmers through Farming Advisory Services; 

22.      HIGHLIGHTS the importance of an updated needs assessment for the implementation of the Nature Directives, and of assessing the actual use of financial allocations for biodiversity protection, including Natura 2000, with a view to ensure their effective use during the current multiannual financial framework, and REITERATES its call for the Commission to analyse the effectiveness of the integrated approach for biodiversity financing [8]; 

23.      RECALLS its conclusions on the European Court of Auditors' Special Report, acknowledging the need for funding schemes to be tailored more effectively to the specific objectives of Natura 2000 and agreeing with the recommendation that the Commission establishes cross-cutting Natura 2000 indicators for all relevant EU funds for the next programming period and HIGHLIGHTS the need for Member States to include indicators and targets for the relevant funds specific to Natura 2000 and to allow for more precise and accurate tracking of the results generated by Natura 2000 funding; 

24.      UNDERLINES the importance of stimulating private sector investment in nature, and NOTES the support for biodiversity-related projects under the Natural Capital Financing Facility (NCFF), as well as the development of pilot projects to promote private land stewardship and better involvement of the finance sector; 

25.      WELCOMES the development of guidance to support strategic deployment of green infrastructure that contributes to the goals of the Nature Directives, particularly through better connectivity of Natura 2000 in a cross-border context; and in this regard REITERATES its call on the Commission to put forward a proposal for a trans-European network for green infrastructure (TEN-G) [9]; 

26.     Under Priority D: Better communication and outreach, engaging citizens, stakeholders and communities

27.      UNDERSTANDS that the success of the Action Plan ultimately depends on the awareness and engagement of Europe's citizens and all other stakeholders, including land-owners, and on the strengthening of links between natural and cultural heritage, and hence SUPPORTS the Action Plan's objective of strengthening and promoting such engagement at all levels, particularly at the local level and through the involvement of young people with the European Solidarity Corps; 

28.      NOTES that Member States are responsible for the implementation of the Nature Directives and ENCOURAGES the Commission, alongside national, regional and local authorities, to promote and implement the Action Plan in order to help them attain the objectives of the Nature Directives; 

29.      RECOGNISES that the timeframe for delivery of the Action Plan is short and therefore URGES the Commission to monitor its delivery across the 15 actions identified therein, in close collaboration with the Member States and the EU institutions, in particular the Committee of the Regions, the European Environment Agency, and all other relevant stakeholders.

[1]       Decision No 1386/2013/EU of 20 November 2013. 
[2]       15389/15. 
[3]      9645/17.
[4]      Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive) - OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7 and Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds (Birds Directive) - OJ L 20, 26.1.2010, p. 7. 
[5]      15671/16 - SWD(2016) 472 final (Commission Staff Working Document: Fitness Check of the EU Nature Legislation (Birds and Habitats Directives).
[6]       8643/17 - COM(2017) 198 final + ADD 1 - SWD (2017) 139 final. 
[7]       9658/11 - COM(2011) 244 final. 
[8]       15389/15 - Council conclusions on the Mid-Term Review of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, paragraph 13.
[9]      15389/15 - Council conclusions on the Mid-Term Review of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, paragraph 30.

The Council adopted conclusions on the EU action plan for nature, people and the economy. The plan will improve the implementation of the nature directives so that they deliver their full potential. Ministers expressed support for the EU action plan, which aims to address several identified implementation gaps identified through four priority areas and 15 concrete actions. These conclusions signal the EU's strong commitment to protecting species and natural habitats and to making progress towards the EU 2020 goal of halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The conclusions also call for EU actors at all levels to step up joint cooperation for real progress. 

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EU Ministers of Foreign and European Affairs meet in Luxembourg on 20 June 2017 to prepare the June European Council, approve the Council's programme for the next 18 months and discuss which legislative projects should be boosted in 2018. In the afternoon, ministers discuss the state of play of Brexit negotiations and, in the margins of the Council meeting, the relocation of the EU agencies currently located in the UK.

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EU Foreign Affairs ministers meet on 19 June 2017 in Luxembourg to discuss the implementation of the EU Global Strategy, the external aspects of counter-terrorism, EU-NATO cooperation, Iraq and the external aspects of migration. After the Council, the Eastern Partnership ministerial meeting is taking place.

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EU Ministers for Environment meet in Luxembourg on 19 June 2017 and are expected to restate the commitment of the EU and its member states to the Paris Agreement and its full implementation. Ministers are looking at the progress made and holding a policy debate on the two legislative proposals to cut greenhouse gas emissions in sectors not covered by the ETS: the effort-sharing regulation and the regulation on land-use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF). Also, the Council is adopting conclusions on the EU Plan for nature, people and the economy.

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On 21 June 2017 from 14:30 to 19:30, the European Parliament will organise a high-level conference on migration management in the European Parliament in Brussels. The conference will bring together political leaders, policymakers and practitioners to contribute to a reflection on a strategy to manage migration flows, and ensure a stable and prosperous environment at our borders. It will be organised in cooperation with the relevant parliamentary committees. Speakers will notably include:

Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament

Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission

Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission

Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank

Markku Markkula, President of the Committee of the Regions

Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship

Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Development

Julian King, Commissioner for Security Union

Louise Arbour, United Nations Special Representative for International Migration

William Lacy Swing, Director General of the International Organisation for Migration

Claude Moraes, Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee

Linda McAvan, Chair of the Committee on Development

Further information
Registration
Programme
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

There are nearly 21.3 million refugees worldwide, around half of whom are under the age of 18, according to the latest figures from the UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency. But what is the future for this generation of young people?  And since it is vital that they continue their studies, what can universities do?

Before the current conflict, young people in Syria had good access to higher education. The Syrian education ministry allocated around five percent of the country’s gross domestic product to education. In the 2012-13 academic year there were an estimated 650,000 students in higher education.

Figures from the Institute of International Education show that there are at least 100,000 university-qualified students and 2,000 university professionals from Syria alone among those displaced. Many have come to the UK. So how can British higher education institutions help to ensure that this generation of students does not miss out?

An online petition by the campaign group Refugees Welcome in 2015 urged university heads to open their doors to refugees, and higher education institutions such as SOAS University of London, the London School of Economics (LSE), and the universities of Warwick, Sussex and Edinburgh did so. Today, around 40 universities offer some form of support to refugees.

In developing a suitable scheme at SOAS we encountered challenges, particularly given that our aim was to reach the most vulnerable. The first challenge was eligibility and determining who was a ‘refugee’. The second was the scope of the awards on offer. The third was determining whether targeting assistance was needed – such as providing support for English language skills to help them further their education.

“Student refugees have made considerable contributions to the British economy, academia, science, culture and the arts”

Our decision to target the most vulnerable students meant developing criteria that was specifically for people who did not qualify for financial support. Our five-year scheme provides fee waivers for six undergraduate students and one postgraduate student and will typically be open to those who are in the process of seeking asylum, have discretionary leave to remain, require humanitarian protection, or have limited leave to remain.

But while this is a step in the right direction, it is not enough. In 2016 Dr Georgina Brewis at University College London’s Institute of Education published a paper on ‘Student solidarity across borders’. She argued that a sector-wide approach is needed rather than a “patchwork” response.

University students, she wrote, form a highly-skilled and motivated group of refugees that has historically given back to receiving societies much more than they have received in aid. She added that student refugees have made considerable contributions to the British economy, academia, science, culture and the arts as well as to society more generally. So we cannot afford to let this exceptional pool of students slip away. We know that it is taking longer and longer to resolve conflicts, but at some point in the future we hope that countries will return to peace and stability. When they do, the serious task of rebuilding begins. Countries will need all their talent to support that rebuilding process. We must do all that we can to support the next generation. And there are some initiatives that can help.

Digital access to higher education could offer a solution. MOOCs4inclusion aims to assess the use of massive open online courses and free digital learning among refugees and migrants. The platform provides a catalogue offering refugees access to higher education resources, support to learn a language or to develop a skill for employment, and help to integrate in countries in the European Union.

The European University Association has brought together the activities of universities aiming to help refugees through a Refugees Welcome Map. It features around 250 European participants from more than 30 countries who are working to support refugee students, researchers and academic staff.

“We must ensure that we don’t lose a generation of young people through a lack of education and opportunity”

SOAS is an institutional supporter of the Council for Assistance to Refugee Academics (CARA). Since 2008 the SOAS Centre for Gender Studies has offered fellowships and mentoring programmes to female academic refugees from across the world.

While maintaining access to higher education for refugees presents challenges, there is also the issue of how best to support refugees as they seek to integrate into a new society. Very often their skills and qualifications are not recognised.

At SOAS we are piloting a new extracurricular language learning programme, called Chatterbox. This is an initiative that employs refugees to help deliver language education to university students. The scheme offers SOAS language students one-hour sessions with native language speakers to help them practice and improve their speaking and listening skills.

Student initiatives also play an important part in supporting refugees. Last year SOAS students launched Camden Cares, a project in London to help settle incoming refugee families from Syria. Through sport sessions, cultural events and translation services, the students worked with twenty Syrian refugee families who had recently been housed by the London Borough of Camden.

These are small but important steps in the face of a backlash against refugees seen in the United States and so many countries in Europe. But we must continue to do all we can to raise awareness of the plight of refugees and the reasons for their displacement. And we must continue to ensure that we don’t lose a generation of young people through a lack of education and opportunity.

IMAGE CREDIT: bibiphoto/Bigstock

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On 21 June 2017 from 14:30 to 19:30, the European Parliament will organise a high-level conference on migration management in the European Parliament in Brussels. The conference will bring together political leaders, policymakers and practitioners to contribute to a reflection on a strategy to manage migration flows, and ensure a stable and prosperous environment at our borders. It will be organised in cooperation with the relevant parliamentary committees. Speakers will notably include:

Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament

Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission

Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission

Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank

Markku Markkula, President of the Committee of the Regions

Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship

Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Development

Julian King, Commissioner for Security Union

Louise Arbour, United Nations Special Representative for International Migration

William Lacy Swing, Director General of the International Organisation for Migration

Claude Moraes, Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee

Linda McAvan, Chair of the Committee on Development

Further information
Registration
Programme
Poster
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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EU Finance ministers meet on 16 June 2017 in Luxembourg and are called on to agree on two banking union proposals and conclusions on non-performing loans, as well as two proposals on VAT. Ministers are due to approve country-specific recommendations on economic and fiscal policies and to close two excessive deficit procedures. They are also discussing terrorist financing and progress on the EU's capital markets union.

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Further information
Programme
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Committee meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The next AFET meetings are scheduled to take place in Brussels:

- Monday, 19 June 2017, 15:00-18:30, room JAN 2Q2
- Tuesday, 20 June, 09:00-12:30, room JAN2Q2, and 15:00-18:30, room A1G3

Further information
Information for visitors
AFET Committee Work in progress
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

On 21 June, SEDE will hold an exchange of views with the Commissioner for the Security Union, Sir Julian King. Members will take stock of the state of play of the implementation of the European Agenda on Security and the progress made towards an operational and effective Security Union. The debate will also focus on the increasing interdependence between internal and external security, and the legislative initiatives to be taken in upcoming months to tackle terrorism and organized crime.
Further information
Draft agenda and meeting documents
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Air show with an A350 XWB, an A400M, an Eurofighter Typhoon and an H160 helicopter.

Tag: Airbus

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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The Annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) takes place on 15 June 2017, in Luxembourg.

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On 12 April, the SEDE committee will organise a workshop on the implementation of the EU's arms export control system, in the context of its work on the annual report on arms exports. The workshop will focus on the issues of strengthening compliance with the Council common position governing control of exports of military technology and equipment, compliance with reporting obligations, increasing transparency and public scrutiny, and the development of the EU's institutional framework.
Location : Altiero Spinelli building 3G-3
Further information
Programme
Report
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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I know that I should be writing about the fall-out of the General Election and the impact on Article 50 talks, but until we get a bit further down the line on this – specifically to a Conservative-DUP agreement – it doesn’t seem to be worth the effort. It’s like last year, and the year before, where every day throws up a new surprise and twist, rendering previous comment/analysis wrong. Let’s take this as me agreeing with Jonathan Dean’s fine piece.

If you really want some thoughts, then check out my Twitter feed (here, here and here) or the new Diet of Brussels episodes (here and here). And consider if agreeing with Jonathan is the same as changing my behaviour.

Instead, I’m going to focus on one of those hardy perennials of Brussels, mobile phone roaming.

Today marks the end of charges on roaming across the EEA: your data/minutes allowance is good in your home country and all the other countries involved, with no additional cost for their use (although you still pay extra for international calls).

It’s the classic good-news story and one that the EU has been able to wheel out for many, many years. Doing useful things for people and standing up to big business.

But it also exposes the limitations of the EU, both politically and organisationally, and offers an insight into how things work in practice.

There is a long and convoluted background to today’s change: for the bare bones you can read the Wikipedia page, or for a bit more juice you can look at Ryan Heath’s insider look in Politico. In essence, this has been over a decade of the Commission – or rather, bits of the Commission – pushing to trim back roaming charges in the face of stiff opposition from mobile phone companies, some member states and even the public (most memorably with the farcical press release (and U-turn) last summer on limits).

As with so many areas of policy, the Commission is limited in how fast it can move legislative elements through the system: primarily this is because of the need to work with member states and the European Parliament, but it also comes from the internal divisions within the organisation, all the while floating in a sea of lobbyists. In this case, the approach was to start on the most egregious cases of over-charging, before slowly tightening the noose on roaming charges.

This is the same kind of pattern seen with eurozone governance reform, or CAP payments, or environmental standards: gradual policy moves, over long periods, often not achieving much more than a vague approximation of single and unified rules.

You can see this in many ways, but thinking of our current situation there are three perspectives that stand out.

The first sees this as a bad thing, because it slows us down. Barriers between member states, differences in regulation, additional costs to citizens: all these are detrimental to ‘making Europe work’, freeing it up to achieve its full potential, economically and socially and politically. If only the EU could push things through more quickly – compress the delay in getting to where we are obviously heading – then we’d be the better for it, as we spend less time transitioning and more time in the new situation.

The second sees this as a bad thing, because it’s inexorable. Yes, the EU takes ages to do things, but it does them in the end, rolling over the hard-fought opposition of other interests. The Commission can afford to be patient, because it knows member state governments come and go and market situations change, but ultimately it will have its way, right or wrong. Maybe its intentions are sincerely-held, but that almost doesn’t matter, as it acts more like a dog with a bone, rather than a knight on a white charger.

The third sees this as a good thing, because it marks a democraticisation of the EU. The checks and balances between institutions and member states, the input of civil society and economic interests, the gradualism: all these mark a maturing democratic system, where no one part of the system has unlimited power.

No one of these three views is intrinsically right, but when we look at the EU, we might do well to consider that all three have popular currency in different parts of the Union. If you’re only hearing one of these, then maybe you need to move outside of your bubble. And today’s as good as any to check this.

 

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