Open Europe : Daily Press Summary

[Politics.be]

German government set to implement crackdown on EU citizens’ access to German welfare system;Number of EU citizens from South and Central and Eastern Europe claiming German unemployment benefits up by 21.6% compared to last yearFAZ reports that the German government is preparing to implement a raft of measures aimed at tightening EU migrants’ access to the German welfare system following the conclusion of a review into the issue. The measures include limiting the period in which EU citizens can be registered as jobseekers to six months, after which they are obliged to leave the country if they are still unemployed, banning any EU citizens found guilty of “abusing or defrauding” the German welfare system from re-entering Germany for a period of five years, and making it harder to export child benefit abroad by demanding additional documentation and changing domestic taxation rules. In addition, German municipalities are to get additional financial assistance from the government to cope with the effects of an influx of migrants.Meanwhile, Bild reports that, according to new figures from the German Federal Employment Agency, the number of EU citizens from Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy and the ten Central and Eastern European member states claiming unemployment benefits in Germany has for the first time exceeded 300,000 after going up by 53,216 (21.6%) in April compared with April 2013.FAZ Welt

European Court of Human Rights rules that prisoner vote ban in 2009 European Parliament elections breached rights;
Theresa May advising Government to pull out of European Convention on Human Rights
The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has today ruled that denying the vote in the 2009 European Parliament elections to a group of ten prisoners in Scotland was a breach of human rights, although no compensation or costs should be paid.

Meanwhile, the Mail reports that, according to Government sources, Home Secretary Theresa May is advising David Cameron to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights altogether in order to free Britain from the ECtHR’s rulings. Alternatives, reportedly favoured by other senior Conservatives, include a temporary suspension of Britain’s membership, or attempts to establish pre-eminence for the UK Parliament and Supreme Court, allowing them to override Strasbourg rulings. Separately, the Times reports that Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, president of the UK Supreme Court, admitted that judges in Britain had sometimes been too ready to follow decisions from the ECtHR.
Times Telegraph Telegraph: Johnson Mail

Russia unilaterally enters Ukraine to deliver humanitarian aid after confusion around international mission;
French Foreign Minister: This could be a cover for the Russians to install themselves in Ukraine
Russia has unilaterally sent a convoy of 280 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Eastern Ukraine. Newswire reports this morning suggest that the convoy will be accompanied by OSCE representatives. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius warned in an interview with France Info, “We must be extremely careful because this could be a cover for the Russians to install themselves near Lugansk and Donetsk.” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said yesterday that there is a “high probability” of direct military intervention from Russia in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the FT reports that the EU is to hold talks with Latin American countries to try to dissuade them from replacing banned European agricultural exports sent to Russia. Separately, Latvia has said it could lose up to €70m due to Russian sanctions, with GDP falling by 0.7%. Writing on Zerohedge, Open Europe’s Pieter Cleppe discusses the effectiveness of economic sanctions on Russia, suggesting that the evidence is mixed at best.
FT FT 2 WSJ Reuters Bloomberg Independent Times Süddeutsche Welt FT 3 WSJ 2 FT 4 WSJ 3 Kathimerini ZeroHedge: Cleppe Handelsblatt Handelsblatt 2 EUobserver Reuters Deutschland Spiegel EUobserver 2 Handelsblatt: Neuerer Wyborcza

Norwegian daily Aftenposten reports that the Norwegian government has decided to follow the EU and impose the same sanctions on Russia.
Aftenposten

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Bavarian sister-party, the CSU, has called for an end to Turkey’s EU accession talks, following the election of Recep Tayyip Erdogan as Turkish President.
Bild

As of today, the shares of troubled lender Banco Esp�*rito Santo have been removed from Portugal’s benchmark PSI 20 index.
BFM TV El Pa�*s

FAZ reports that the Pkw-Maut toll-tax on foreign drivers, to be introduced in Germany in 2016, is proving very unpopular in the country’s border regions as locals complain that it will negatively impact their businesses by hindering the movement of customers, employees and goods.
FAZ

Kathimerini reports that, according to new data published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) yesterday, Greece’s economic recovery is continuing and even gaining strength.
Kathimerini Kathimerini 2

France and Italy have requested an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss the situation in Iraq, reports EUobserver.
EUobserver

The FT reports that Bulgaria’s President Rosen Plevneliev has criticised the country’s politicians and oligarchs for relying too heavily on public funds and pledged to clean up public procurement decisions. The European Commission is investigating whether Bulgaria breached EU rules in awarding contracts to local and Russian construction companies in relation to the new South Stream gas pipeline.
FT

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