Open Europe : Daily Press Summary

[Politics.be]

EU to support farmers hit by Russian import bans; Moscow says it’s preparing further sanctions against the West The European Commission yesterday announced it would release €125m in emergency-funding from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to European farmers of 20 types of perishable fruits and vegetables that are being hit by Russian bans on EU agricultural exports. The compensation is immediately available lasting until the end of November. Spiegel reports, however, that EU produce is still entering Russia via Kazakhstan and Belarus. Speaking in Moscow this morning, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said that Russia is preparing further sanctions, if the West continues its “unconstructive and even destructive practices.” Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday reiterated NATO’s military support for the Baltic States, but said it will stop short of building permanent military bases in the region. Open Europe’s Nina Schick appeared on BBC World News Business Edition discussing the EU’s emergency aid. Times Bild BBC Welt European Voice Euractiv BBC Telegraph Euractiv EUobserver Spiegel Spiegel 2 Spiegel 3 Reuters Deutschland EUobserver FAZ FAZ: Triebe Süddeutsche FAZ Süddeutsche 2 FAZ WSJ WSJ 2 El Mundo Kathimerini

Row erupts within main centre-right group in the European Parliament over membership of Mussolini's granddaughter
European Voice reports that a number of German, Danish and Flemish MEPs from the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) group have protested against Italian MEP Alessandra Mussolini – the granddaughter of dictator Benito Mussolini – becoming a member of the EPP, having been elected to the European Parliament with Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party. Mussolini was previously a member of the far-right group Identity, Tradition and Sovereignty (ITS) in the European Parliament. The group was dissolved in 2007 following a row between Mussolini and the Greater Romanian Party about her anti-Romanian comments.
European Voice

Open Europe’s Freedom of Information request which exclusively revealed that the Treasury does not consider the claims – cited by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg among others - that over three million jobs are connected to UK-EU trade to be “an estimate of the impact of EU membership on employment”, is cited by Tim Worstall in Forbes and by Mark Wallace on Conservative Home.
Open Europe blog Open Europe FOI request Forbes: Worstall Conservative Home: Wallace

Belgian news website Express.be cites Open Europe Director Mats Persson’s op-ed for the Sunday Telegraph in which he argued that “Berlin seems to be doing its utmost to lose its competitive edge: the current coalition has introduced a high minimum wage, lowered the retirement age and is sticking to a commitment to eliminate nuclear power in favour of renewables, raising costs for everyone.”
Express.be Sunday Telegraph: Persson

NATO secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen is quoted by the Times as saying that an independent Scotland would not be guaranteed entry into the alliance in its own right. “Scotland would have to apply for membership of NATO as a new independent state. A decision on accession would have to be taken by unanimity”, he said.
Times

It has been confirmed that German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on 24-25 August, ahead of next week’s summit of EU leaders where the new European Council President and EU foreign policy chief are expected to be appointed.
Expansión

EU Justice Commissioner Martine Reicherts has accused Google of undermining data-protection reforms. Speaking in Lyon yesterday, Reicherts said “Google and other affected companies who complain loudly” about the recent 'right to be forgotten' ruling are “detractors … attempting to throw a new spanner in the works".
EUobserver

Haaretz reports that the EU is planning to extend its ban on imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank to cover all animal products, including eggs, poultry, and dairy – on top of an existing ban on organic produce - from 1 September, the day on which the EU is officially suspending its recognition of the Israeli Agriculture Ministry’s veterinary supervision beyond the Green Line.
Haaretz

Bron: politics.be