European Union

On 17 November, the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) agreed, on behalf of the Council, a negotiating position on visa liberalisation for Ukraine. It confirmed the Commission proposal to provide for visa-free travel for EU citizens when travelling to the territory of Ukraine and for citizens of this country when travelling to the EU, for a period of stay of 90 days in any 180-day period.

The Council takes the view that the entry into force of visa liberalisation for Ukraine should be at the same time as the entry into force of the new suspension mechanism.

On the basis of this mandate, the presidency will start negotiations with the European Parliament.

"By giving its green light today, the Council has demonstrated its commitment to visa-free travel for citizens of Ukraine, taking into account that all requirements have been met. Credible reform is the right path and should be encouraged. I am also delighted that our decision is able to send a positive message in the run up to the EU-Ukraine Summit on 24 November."

Peter Javorčík, Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the EU, and President of the Permanent Representatives Committee
Background

In December 2015 the Commission concluded that Ukraine had met all the benchmarks for the exemption of the visa requirement. On 20 April 2016 the Commission published the proposal for visa liberalisation.

Once the new visa regime for Ukraine is agreed with the Parliament and formally adopted, it will  move the country from Annex I of Regulation 539/2001 (countries whose nationals need a visa to enter the Schengen area) to Annex II of the same regulation (visa free countries), thus providing for visa-free travel for EU citizens when travelling to the territory of Ukraine and for citizens of this country when travelling to the EU, for a period of stay of 90 days in any 180-day period.

In the context of the current migratory situation in the European Union and taking into account the Commission's proposals for visa liberalisation of Georgia, Ukraine, Turkey and Kosovo and the discussions with member states, the Commission decided on 4 May 2016 to present a proposal to amend Regulation 539/2001 to revise the current suspension mechanism.

The main objective of the revised regulation is to strengthen the suspension mechanism. It does this by making it easier for member states to notify circumstances which might lead to a suspension, by enabling the Commission to trigger the mechanism on its own initiative, and by tasking the Commission to send an annual report to the European Parliament and Council on the extent to which visa-exempt third countries continue to meet the necessary criteria.

The possible grounds for suspension have been extended and the use of the mechanism will also be facilitated by shortening reference periods and deadlines in order to allow for a faster procedure.

The discussions between the Parliament and the Council on the visa suspension mechanism are still ongoing.

Ireland and the United Kingdom will not be subject to the application of these measures, in accordance with the protocols annexed to the EU treaties. The visa regime of these member states remains subject to their national legislation.

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The surprise victory of Donald Trump in the presidential election of the United States makes headlines around the world. One area it could make big change is the Middle East and particularly Iran.

During the eight years of President Barack Obama in the White house, Iran’s leaders effectively managed to impose their hegemony on the whole region. They started with Iraq where their protégé, the sectarian Shiite Prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki, made sure that US troops would leave as soon as possible only to start an ethnic cleansing of the Sunni population and expel them from jobs and public offices, torturing and killing many dissidents under bogus claims of fighting terrorism.

In Syria, Iran helped the Alawite sectarian President Bashar Al Assad to oppress the Sunnis and wage a brutal war against the entire population who had called for democracy and regime change.

The US indecision towards the crisis in Syria – especially after Obama chose inaction in response to the violation of his declared “Red Line” on the use of chemical weapons by Assad -, emboldened the Iranian regime to push further its sectarian agenda which ultimately led to the increased radicalisation of young Sunnis and the emergence of the ISIS.

When the mullahs started bearing the consequences of the war and were receiving serious setbacks in key areas in Syria, the notorious Iranian General Ghassem Souleimani went to Moscow and asked Mr Putin to enter the game.

Had the US foreign policy shown some more strength under President Obama, the Russians would never have even thought of setting foot in the region. Learning from the Iranian experience of using force to impose foreign agendas, Mr Putin couldn’t be more relieved when he successfully annexed Ukraine’s Crimea to the Russian Federation in 2014 and later sent his warplanes to take control of Syrian skies in 2015.

More than half a million innocent civilians have been killed in Syria in the nearly 6-year war which could have been easily avoided had Mr Obama acted more sensibly and responsibly.

President Trump has now a big task to resolve in his first year in office. The US led coalition might finally succeed in expelling ISIS from Iraq and Syria; but to end the war and the threat of terrorism and to give a prospect of peace to millions of displaced Syrians, the most important element is to remove Bashar Assad from power and let a national conciliation government take over. This could start by US declaring a no-fly zone in Syria and ask the Russians to withdraw their troops so that the democratic opposition can make progress and replace Assad.

But the idea of removing Assad from power will not happen as long as Iran is allowed to have the upper hand in Syria. The US should therefore impose new means of strong pressure on the Iranian regime and against its proxy militia groups such as the Hezbollah and force them to give up the idea of having the whole region under their domination.

The best way to weaken the theocratic regime in Tehran and to force it to release its claws from other countries in the region is to boost and support the Iranian people and the democratic opposition movement who has proven itself ready and eager to change the regime. In 2009, following the fraudulent presidential election in Iran when millions poured into the streets of the Iranian capital and other major cities against the regime, one of the protesters’ main slogans was “Obama, Obama, ya ba ona ya ba-ma” which means: Obama, Obama, either with them or with us! Had president Obama responded positively to those cries for freedom, the Middle East region and the whole word could be in a different state right now.

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EU Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs meet in Brussels on 18 November 2016 to discuss security issues.

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From Thursday and until further notice, LinkedIn is down in Russia.

Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor is enforcing a block of the LinkedIn site after the social media platform failed to transfer Russian users’ data to servers in the country.

Russia does not want information about its citizens stored on servers overseas. And regulators are enforcing. A Moscow District Court decision in August 2016 was upheld by an appeal court on November 10. LinkedIn confirms the block.

Since 2014, Russian law stipulates that the data of Russian citizens must be stored in Russia. Two years down the line, Russia is enforcing.

The move signals that Russia could soon become off limits to other major corporations that have not moved data-storage in Russia, including Twitter and Facebook.

Apple and Google comply with Russian regulators’ demands.

In China, LinkedIn has complied with government demand, building the site with data hosted in the country. The difficulty in Russia is unbundling the users from the integrated global network. The platform has 467 million users worldwide, of which five million are Russian.

LinkedIn is being taken over by Microsoft, in the most expensive deal of its kind with a price tag of €24.5 bn. The company claims to be seeking a meeting with the Russian regulator to discuss localization.

 

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Russia has been accused of trying to manipulate German media to spread concern over issues like the migrant crisis ahead of next year’s national election.

As reported by the Reuters news agency, Germany’s intelligence officials have pointed to Russian support for eurosceptic, anti-immigrant parties in Germany and across the EU. Last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she could not rule out Russia interfering in Germany’s 2017 election through Internet attacks and misinformation campaigns.

Hans-Georg Maassen, head of the domestic BfV intelligence agency, cited the high-profile case last year of a German-Russian girl who Russian media said was kidnapped and raped by migrants in Berlin, a claim later refuted by German authorities.

“This could happen again next year and we are alarmed,” Maassen told Reuters in an interview on November 15. “We have the impression that this is part of a hybrid threat that seeks to influence public opinion and decision-making processes.”

He said it was important to publicly expose such campaigns. “When people realize that the information that they are getting is not true… then the toxic lies lose their effectiveness.”

Reuters noted that there was no immediate response from the Kremlin to a written request for comment on Maassen’s remarks.

Meanwhile, France’s intelligence service has also warned of possible Russian intervention in its spring 2017 election campaign.

Russian officials have denied all accusations of manipulation and interference intended to weaken the EU.

In the run up to the November 8th US presidential elections, intelligence officials in Washington warned of efforts to undermine the credibility of the vote that they believed were backed by the Russian government. Kremlin officials denied any such effort.

In a separate report, The Financial Times noted that European government officials fear that Europe could be more vulnerable to interference than the US because of its wider political and economic connections to Russia; significant Russian minorities in some countries including Germany; and support from President Vladimir Putin for some rightwing populist parties in Europe.

As for Germany, its politicians see a range of dangers, including the hacking of emails and websites, media manipulation, backing for anti-government demonstrations and political support for Russia-friendly populist parties.

German officials are also concerned about possible Russian efforts to influence opinion among Germany’s five million Russian-speakers, mostly immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

The biggest of these immigrant groups — the 2.5 million so-called Russian-Germans, whose ancestors were originally German settlers in Russia — have often backed the AfD, the growing rightwing populist party, in disproportionate numbers in regional elections, reported The Financial Times.

In a separate report, Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany’s international broadcaster, noted that Maassen’s interview on November 16 echoed comments made by Merkel last week, in which she warned of Russian cyber attacks and a disinformation campaign in the run-up to next year’s election.

“Even now, we’re already having to deal with information out of Russia or with internet attacks that are of Russian origin or with news which sows false information,” Merkel said.

Russia has already carried out an information campaign, highlighting Germany’s problems with integrating refugees – a hot-button political issue that has raised support for the anti-immigrant and eurosceptic Alternative for Germany (AfD).

According to DW, Berlin also suspects Moscow to be behind a number of cyberattacks on German institutions, including a massive attack last year on the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament, as well as separate attacks on the headquarters of Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

The post Germany’s spy chief warns Russia could interfere in election appeared first on New Europe.

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A planned visit to Turkey by two top members of the European Parliament has been postponed. Elmar Brok, the Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Kati Piri, the EP standing rapporteur for Turkey, disagreed with Turkish authorities on the format of the scheduled meetings.

“Mr Brok and Ms Piri represent the European Parliament and we cannot allow to have a pick-and-choose approach on who speaks to whom,” said European Parliament President Martin Schulz.

According to a European Parliament press release, this follows the latest round of arrests of Turkish journalists and opposition politicians in Turkey. Schulz was in contact with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım to discuss how to re-establish the faltering political dialogue between the EU and the Turkish government.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s EU Affairs Minister Ömer Çelik’s visit to the European Parliament on November 15 was part of the agreement to keep open political dialogue.

“Yesterday, I stated clearly to Minister Çelik the admiration for the democratic vigilance of the Turkish people to safeguard democracy during the attempted coup,” said Schulz. “The objections levied by the EU authorities regard the proportionality of the response of the Turkish government in the wake of the coup. The European Union remains committed to dialogue.  Dialogue however requires the two sides to be willing to talk to each other. I continue to hope that the EP will be able to visit Turkey soon.”

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Speaking in Athens on Wednesday, US President Obama said inequality feeds a rising "tribalism" and "nationalism" that breeds suspicion of institutions. Democracy needs equality, Obama argued. If that is true, Greece is the least democratic country in Europe; Sweden is the most democratic.
Operationalizing inequality
The annual Social Justice in the EU of the German Bertelsmann Foundation suggests that Greece is the least fair society among the EU 28. Sweden has the highest Social Justice score...

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The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament has met with small business organisations and the European Commission to discuss ways of creating a standardised system to boost SMEs across the EU when drafting new legislation. A so-called ‘SME test’ for Small and Medium sized Enterprises was proposed in order to put the needs and interests of small businesses at the heart of every decision that is made.

While the tests would not be imposed or centralised, the EU would act to distribute the basic principles of what works best and actively encourage member states to “think small first” when preparing and passing new laws and rules.

“The SME test too often is not properly implemented or, in some cases, not at all,” said Patrick Gibbels, Secretary General of the European Small Business Alliance (ESBA). “Rather than executing a fully-fledged SME test, many Impact Assessments contain a few lines, stating that ‘this proposal is unlikely to adversely affect SMEs’ without any real arguments, supporting evidence or justification. This needs to change.”

According to the ECR chairman of the Better Regulation policy group, MEP Anthea McIntyre, the easiest way to help SMEs grow is to tailor rules and regulations so that their impact on smaller businesses is always considered.

“Large multinationals have lobbying and compliance departments and armies of lawyers to influence and decipher legislation, but their potential rivals and start-ups have to spend a disproportionate amount of their time filling in forms and complying with rules, and less time growing the business,” McIntyre said. “We need to make sure that someone is thinking of them at all times, and this process is about trying to get lawmakers at the EU and national level to ‘think small first’.”

The post Why ECR wants EU to ‘think small first’ appeared first on New Europe.

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Hundreds of major companies, including Mars, Nike, Levi Strauss, Unilever and Starbucks, called on U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and world leaders on Wednesday to continue to support agreed curbs on global warming and to speed up efforts to move to a low-carbon economy.

In a statement addressed to Trump, U.S. President Barack Obama, members of the U.S. Congress and global leaders, the group, called 360+, reaffirmed its commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The Paris Agreement, aiming to phase out net greenhouse gas emissions this century, came into force on Nov. 4 and now has backing from 110 nations including the United States.

The Nov. 7-18 meeting in Marrakesh is where U.N. officials and government representatives are trying to work out the details of the pact. However, Trump’s victory in the U.S. election last week has overshadowed the event.

Trump has threatened to tear up the U.S. commitment to the accord.

The 360+ group called on U.S. leaders to continue to participate in the Paris Agreement, support the continuation of U.S. commitments on climate change and continue to invest in low-carbon solutions at home and abroad.

“Failure to build a low-carbon economy puts American prosperity at risk. But the right action now will create jobs and boost U.S. competitiveness,” the group said, in the statement presented at U.N. climate talks being held this week in Marrakesh, Morocco.

“Implementing the Paris Climate Agreement will enable and encourage businesses and investors to turn the billions of dollars in existing low-carbon investments into the trillions of dollars the world needs to bring clean energy prosperity to all,” the group added.

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Plenary sessions : Wildlife trafficking is the world's fourth largest criminal activity with rhino horn now being worth more than gold. On Monday 21 November MEPs debate a report calling for common sanction at EU levels to help fight wildlife tracking and vote on it the following day. We talked to report author Catherine Bearder, a UK member of the ALDE group, about wildlife trafficking and what is fuelling demand for it.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Wildlife trafficking is the world's fourth largest criminal activity with rhino horn now being worth more than gold. On Monday 21 November MEPs debate a report calling for common sanction at EU levels to help fight wildlife tracking and vote on it the following day. We talked to report author Catherine Bearder, a UK member of the ALDE group, about wildlife trafficking and what is fuelling demand for it.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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The ancient Assyrian capital of Kalhu was captured by the Iraqi army was found leveled. Today it is known as the village of Nimrud and is 32km south of Mosul.

Captured by the Islamic State jihadists in 2014, the 3,300-year-old city and its monuments have been wiped out because of hostility to so-called un-Islamic idols. IS published footage with the process of destruction, treating the destruction of the site as an accomplishment with religious significance.

The militants destroyed statues, murals, carvings, palaces, and the famous ziggurat. The site is still mined and booby-trapped, and archeologists cannot assess the full extent of the destruction.

UNESCO condemns Nimrud’s destruction as a “war crime.” IS has destroyed numerous ancient cities, including the 2000-year old Hatra in south Iraq and Palmyra in Syria.

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The European Union in partnership with the Government of the Central African Republic organise the Brussels Conference on the Central African Republic, which takes place in Brussels, on 17 November 2016.

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Sweden’s central bank (Riksbank) announced it is examining the issue of an e-Krona on Wednesday.

Sweden is leaving cash behind. Card payments are taking over most transactions with coins and notes. But, an electronic currency is being considered for payment by those “who do not want to or have any access to commercial banks payment solutions, such as cards.”

Central Bank surveys suggest that less than 15% of Swedes make most payments in cash. And the cash only economy represents 2% of Sweden’s GDP, compared to 10% in 1990. There are now businesses in Sweden that do not accept cash payments; even Swedish homeless people sell their magazines with card terminals.

By 2014, four in five payments were made electronically; that compares with one in four transactions in Italy. Southern Europe tends to be more oriented towards cash payments.

It has been suggested that Sweden may become cashless by 2030, although two out of three Swedes see cash as a “human right.” For instance, what happens to people who are unbanked?

However, there are many arguments for the elimination of cash. Fewer bank robberies, lower transaction costs, and the elimination of tax evasion.

The e-Krona would, like a Bitcoin restore to the transaction some of its anonymity, rendering transactions more discreet and impersonal. That would both reduce and increase resistance to eliminating money in their physical form.

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Poland’s conservative government was celebrating a year in office on Tuesday. Prime Minister Beata Sydlo claimed the government achieved more in one year than the previous administration in eight.

State intervention and moral conservatism

The government boasts the introduction of a child allowance payment, the reduction of the retirement age on Wednesday, and the lifting of a burden for households that had issued Swiss-franc denominated mortgages. Meanwhile, a pace of 3-to-4% GDP growth is considered sustainable for 2017.

That was all achieved despite te first Polish sovereign debt downgrade in a generation, which in many respects was a statement of distrust in expansionary welfare spending and the introduction of measures that hurt the banking sector.

At the same time, the government had tested the limits of the Polish constitution. The government is heavy handed in its appointment of judges and has fired journalists from public media. Meanwhile, the PiS administration is advancing an ultra-conservative moral agenda, which includes the most strict abortion ban in Europe along with Ireland.

Portrait of protestor as he holds sign read in Czech ‘Black Friday’ during protest in support of free Polish media in central Prague, Czech Republic 09 January 2016.  EPA/FILIP SINGER

The victory of Trump in the US is seen as a vindication against liberalism. Beata Sydlo is the daughter of a miner and the PiS administration went to Paris to negotiate a deal for the coal industry, which is and will remain a “national resource.” That is short of calling climate change a lie, but it is clearly not a priority.

Defense and sovereignty

Hosting NATO’s Warsaw Summit in July, the Polish government has also spearheaded the bolstering of NATO’s eastern flank.

But, in defense too, Warsaw has followed controversial policies. Top-brass generals have been cleansed, paramilitary organizations have been integrated into NATO’s Anaconda exercise, and Warsaw speaks of rejuvenating the interwar intermarium security framework. Recently, Poland aggravated the Franco-German axis by opting for US made-in-Poland helicopters rather than Airbus.

Poland can identify with the “America first” slogan, although a “New Yalta” would be a nightmare.

Isolationism is feared by an administration that seeks to counterbalance the Franco-German axis rather than work for European defense identity. PiS has been the main ally to the British Conservatives in the European Parliament and have been the second pillar of opposition to a European Defense Community.

The hope is that a Trump administration will push for burden sharing – as the US picks up 70% of NATO expenditure – rather than reduce its commitment to the region. On that score, Poland has little to fear: it is among the six NATO member states spending more than 2% of its GDP on defense. And it prefers buying American if it’s “made in Poland.”

Final preparations for the upcoming NATO summit at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland, 07 July 2016. EPA/PAWEL SUPERNAK POLAND OUT

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The Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2015 and the European Union’s policy on the matter
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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Dutch Srebrenica veterans keep joining a legal battle against their state.

The legal team making the case for soldiers said on Wednesday that another 80 troops of the Dutchbat III battalion have signed up; that brings the total to 180 plaintiffs.

Soldiers claim that the 1995 UN-mandated mission to protect the Muslim enclave of the city of Srebrenica was “impossible.” In June, Defence minister Jeanine Hennis admitted that Dutch soldiers sent to Srebrenica were indeed The battalion was unprepared, ill-informed, and ill-equipped.

Therefore, the veterans’ legal team has made the case that the massacre of 8,400 Muslim men and boys by the Serbian troops of General Ratko Mladic could not be stopped. Lawyers Michael Ruperti and Klaas Arjen Krikke argue that these young soldiers were held responsible for 20 years for a humanitarian disaster for which they had little responsibility. And they have suffered socially, emotionally, and financially.

Therefore, they demand compensation. Moreover, they make the point that a court should decide on the compensation rather than a government that is morally responsible for the massacre.

The post Dutch officers sue their government for blaming them for Srebrenica appeared first on New Europe.

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Emmanuel Macron will stand for the French Presidency, he announced on Wednesday.

No one was surprised and polls show he is popular. But, the question is whether he can win the forthcoming French Presidential elections, which are poised to become a third “battle of identity” following the British referendum and the US Presidential elections.

The man with a movement, not a party

The press was not surprised. Polls suggest that he is drawing from pools of voters on both the left and the right of the political spectrum. He was part of the Socialist government for years, but has insisted on not becoming a member of the party.

Macron, 38, presents himself as a renegade, although he does not look it. He began his career as an aid to François Hollande and was later promoted to a minister of the economy. He then founded his own political movement called “En Marche” (Forward).

A movement is not, of course, a party. But, there are advantages and disadvantages to not being part of a party.

The advantage of a movement is that Macron can dip both left and right, as he is not committed. He told journalists on Wednesday that the political system in France is “outdated” and that in transcending that he can unleash the country’s potential. What he is offering is a clearly pro-European platform and a liberal economic agenda.

French President Francois Hollande (L) escorts the former French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron as he leaves the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 31 July 2015. EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT

The battle of identity

There are also several disadvantages.

Traditionally, parties have funding, institutional support, and media attention. Macron believes he can compensate for that through managerial excellence.

Campaign funding will not be a problem, especially as he presents a traditional market-friendly agenda of deregulation and tax breaks. Some of his emblematic battles were taking on the totemic 35-hour week, calling for an end to job-for-life careers in the civil service, and the elimination of wealth tax. That is his brand.

Macron lacks a nationwide infrastructure “to get out the vote.” But, it is uncertain the Socialist Party still has that capacity, with the shedding of votes right and left of the political spectrum. And Macron says his movement boasts 90,000 members. To the extent he has this core of motivated support, a party could be superfluous. After all, parties are structures tend to question their leaders; movements simply rally behind them.

One thing Macron lacks is roots. The electoral discourse is polarized, with the far-right rising to unprecedented levels. Therefore, Macron needs to show with whom he stands and for what. That is what parties do.

In this respect, Mr. Macron’s greatest ally is Le Pen.

In making these elections about identity, the young liberal banker will have no problem rallying for the multicultural, young, dynamic, hopeful, and European France.

Marine Le Pen, leader of French extreme right Front National (FN) party,  09 September 2015. EPA/PATRICK SEEGER

One more bid for second place

The French Presidential elections of May 2017 will be a contest for second place in the first round. For over a year, the Front National candidate Marine Le Pen has come in first in the polls, although not with a margin big enough to secure a victory in the second round.

The assumption is that whoever is second will benefit from the mobilization of the centrist, liberal, socially-minded and pro-European vote.

That is what the polls say, if one can believe pollsters after their resounding failure in the Brexit and Trump campaigns.

Macron has a chance to dominate the center.

But, Alain Juppé appears to be more popular, even if he is limited by the appeal of his party. Juppé leads the race for second place and could even beat Le Pen in the first round. For the moment, these two are the most serious contenders for the center of the political spectrum and, theoretically, the presidency.

A right that can’t “ contain.”

Nicolas Sarkozy’s reputation is tarnished by numerous scandals. Days before the primaries, he is dealing with a case of illegal party financing from none other than Gaddafi. If allegations against him are true, then he received money from a dictator in 2007 to bomb him in the name of democracy in 2011.

Currently, Sarkozy appears to be competing with the Front National on anti-immigration and sovereigntist rhetoric. He is also competing with Marine Le Pen for who is more like Trump. With a “Le Pen light” image, Sarkozy has galvanized a strong backlash. He is facing “open primaries” in which left-wing voters will participate to ensure that Le Républicains opt for a palatable Juppé.

Sarkozy is too extreme to be a mainstream choice. But, at the end of this contest, Juppé will find a wall to his right. The center-right can no longer contain the nastier sovereigntist right of France. The votes for Sarkozy will not be easily transferable to the center and could end up with Le Pen.

Left without prospects

The ruling Socialist Party will hold its own primaries in January.

That is expected to be a ceremonial process. Prime Minister Manuel Valls will be virtually unchallenged. Polls suggest President Hollande does have a chance for either reelection or nomination.

Valls is popular – indeed more popular than Macron – with Socialist Party members. However, he has little appeal beyond. Macron will not be running against him for the nomination.

Alain Juppe will continue to accuse Mr Macron of a stab in the back of President Hollande. But, in keeping outside the Socialist Party, Macron can fend off this narrative. At the same time, while Socialists are going towards their worst electoral result in a generation, Mr. Macron will be an alibi. Many Socialist voters do not feel represented and have turned to the far-right.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls following a meeting at the Matignon Palace in Paris, France, 18 April 2016. EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT

Can he win?

Coming from the left and with a liberal agenda, Mr. Macron will be better prepared to deal with an identify battle. He will reach further to the left than Juppé to the right.

None of the “second candidates” will have a strong narrative appealing to blue collar and white French men and women who feel left behind. That is the battle of France.

The post Macron throws his hat in the French identity battle appeared first on New Europe.

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Not so for Gunther Oettinger, the EU’s digital policy chief and soon-to-be budget boss.

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MEPs have fought for and obtained better support for unemployed youngsters and additional funds to boost key initiatives supporting SMEs, transport infrastructure projects, research and Erasmus+ student mobility. The provisional deal on the EU Budget 2017 with the Council was reached in the early hours of Thursday. After Budget MEPs and Council have formally endorsed the agreement, the new EU budget will be voted in plenary in December.
Committee on Budgets

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP