Open Europe : Daily Press Summary

[Politics.be]

Greek snap election looms as government falls short of votes to elect new PresidentThe Greek parliament yesterday failed to support the election of the Greek government’s presidential candidate Stavros Dimas – who gained 160 votes, well short of the 200 needed and slightly below the government’s expectations. A second ballot will be held on 23 December, with a final third round potentially on 29 December. Separately, Kathimerini reports that, according to a document submitted to the German Bundestag yesterday as part of its approval process of the extension of the Greek bailout, a €10.9bn precautionary credit line could be forthcoming after the bailout ends. The document also says that the European Commission puts Greece’s funding needs for next year at between €6bn and €12bn.Kathimerini Kathimerini 2 Kathimerini 3 WSJ City AM FT

Het Financieele Dagblad reports that the Dutch governing coalition is at risk of collapsing, after senators from the centre-left PvdA party refused to back healthcare reforms tabled by a minister of the centre-right VVD. Coalition talks are under way, and it is unclear whether Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will be able to attend the European Council summit in Brussels today.
Telegraaf FD

The European Court of Justice has ruled that a British-Irish citizen should be allowed to bring his Colombian wife to the UK from their home in Spain without her having to apply for a travel visa, potentially weakening UK immigration control of non-EU nationals.
No link

Ukraine struggles to find EU support for the further $15bn in aid it requires
The FT reports that, according to unnamed EU officials, there is little appetite amongst EU leaders to provide the further $15bn in aid Ukraine is seeking. This is despite the Ukrainian government warning it could default without such assistance. EU leaders will discuss the bailout at the EU summit this evening, but no final decision is expected. The UK government said it “recognised the importance of supporting the Ukrainian government in the huge economic challenges it faces.” Separately, the German government has confirmed that the looming economic crisis in Russia will not change the EU’s stance on its economic sanctions.
FT WSJ

The Telegraph reports that French President François Hollande will make it clear to David Cameron at today’s EU summit that he is not willing to agree EU treaty changes. The paper speculates that France fears that re-opening the EU treaty would strengthen Germany’s push for new Eurozone powers to supervise national budgets.
Telegraph

Swedish news agency TT reports that a new Novus poll has put the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats on 16%, higher than the 12.9% the party won in September’s general election. Sweden will be holding snap elections on 22 March 2015.
TT

In a letter to the FT, business groups from around Europe, including the CBI, Germany’s BDI, France’s Medef and Italy’s Confindustria, urge “national governments across the EU to promote and deliver an ambitious” free trade deal between the EU and US, highlighting that consumers will be the “ultimate winners”.
FT letters: CBI et al

The EU is expected to unveil tougher rules on the way broker research is paid for by banks and asset managers. The Financial Conduct Authority, the UK’s financial regulator, has been pushing for an outright ban on investors being charged for research out of broker-dealer commissions – a move opposed by large parts of the asset management industry.
FT

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta said yesterday that his country is “ready” to join the EU’s free travel Schengen area, and reiterated the intention to join the euro by 2019.
Le Figaro

Catalan President Artur Mas said yesterday that he is prepared to call early regional elections next spring, provided that all the pro-independence parties agree to run as a single list – effectively turning the vote into a proxy for a referendum on Catalonia’s independence.
El Pa�*s

The European Commission will ask all EU member states to provide a full list of tax rulings granted to companies between 2010 and 2013, following the decision to widen an investigation into alleged sweetheart tax deals struck between businesses and national governments.
FT WSJ Irish Times

A new ICM/Guardian poll shows support for the Conservatives falling after the Autumn Statement, putting the party on 28% and Labour on 33%. The Lib Dems and UKIP are both on 14%, and the Greens are on 5%.
Guardian

New figures from the UK’s Electoral Commission show that UKIP spent almost as much as the Conservatives for this year’s European Parliament election campaign, while the Lib Dems outspent Labour.
BBC Times

ECB Executive Board Member Benoît Coeuré told the WSJ, “I see a broad consensus around the table in the Governing Council that we need to do more…It’s not that much of a question on whether we should do something, but more a discussion on the best way to do it.” He added that, given the size of the market, purchases of government bonds are the “baseline option”, but other assets could also be included.
WSJ WSJ 2

The WSJ reports that Uber, the app-based taxi company, has asked the European Commission for a procedural ruling on whether a new French law which limits the use of taxi apps was implemented correctly, given that the French government did not notify the EU as it is meant to with any new legislation on information society.
WSJ

EU member states and the European Parliament have struck a deal on the new money laundering regulations, which will require company owners to be listed on national registers that will be accessible by journalists or anyone else with a “legitimate interest.”
WSJ

EU member states and the European Parliament last night reached an agreement on draft terms to introduce caps on the fees for debit and credit card transactions in Europe. The maximum charges will be 0.2% and 0.3% respectively.
FT

EU leaders stand firm on sanctions after Putin shows little sign of changing tack
In his annual public address yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin showed little willingness to change his foreign policy course. He warned that Russia’s current economic woes could last up to two years, although he expressed confidence that Russia could ride out the problems and diversify its economy. Open Europe’s Raoul Ruparel appeared on Channel 4 News last night arguing that the combination of huge capital outflows and dwindling revenue due to a falling oil price create a toxic mix for the Russian economy, which could lead to steep economic contraction. Meanwhile, EU leaders agreed to toughen sanctions on Crimean-based businesses at their EU summit yesterday, although there was no agreement on whether or not to provide further financial aid to Ukraine.
WSJ FT Times Welt

Greek opposition rejects prospect of compromise
MPs from within the Greek governing coalition have called for the government to put forward a compromise Presidential candidate and for any elections to be delayed until autumn 2015 in an attempt to avoid snap elections in January. However, this was rejected by opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras. In an interview with Reuters, Tsipras sought to ease market concerns over his potential election victory, saying he did not want to move “unilaterally” and would seek a clear consensus with European partners on reducing Greek debt after any elections.
Kathimerini Reuters: Tsipras FAZ

British Chambers of Commerce poll: Renegotiation backed by 57% of members
A poll of 3,500 British Chambers of Commerce members on the UK’s EU membership has found that the most favoured action would be to negotiate to remain a member of the EU but with more powers brought back to the UK, an option which was backed by 57% of BCC members. Open Europe Director Mats Persson appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme arguing that it has been a rocky year for the UK in Europe, but that the prospects for EU reform remain strong.
BCC press release BCC poll

Agreement reached to save Dutch coalition government
An agreement was reached overnight to save the Dutch coalition government, after healthcare reform plans put forward by Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s VVD party were tweaked to win support from the centre-left junior coalition partner PvdA. Rutte was unable to attend yesterday’s European Council summit in Brussels due to the on-going coalition talks, and asked his Luxembourgish counterpart Xavier Bettel to represent him.
Elsevier

The European Central Bank yesterday released the details of the “regular accounts” of its monetary policy meetings which it will begin to publish next year. The accounts will be published four weeks after each meeting and will contain an unattributed summary of the policy discussion.
ECB FT

In the conclusions of yesterday’s European Council summit, EU leaders have called for an agreement on the €315bn European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) to be reached by June, “so that the new investments can be activated by mid-2015.”
European Council conclusions EUobserver Irish Times El Pa�*s La Repubblica

Writing in the Independent, Poland’s Europe Minister Rafal Trzaskowski reiterates that the proposals set out by Prime Minister David Cameron to restrict EU migrants’ access to benefits are “a red line we cannot allow ourselves to cross.”
Open Europe research: Saving EU free movement Independent: Trzaskowski Telegraph

Edmund Stoiber, former Minister President of Bavaria, was yesterday appointed as special advisor to the European Commission to help cut red tape for small and medium sized businesses. Having chaired a volunteer task force to cut EU regulation, Stoiber’s group has already identified potential savings of €33bn reports Die Welt.
Open Europe blog Welt Spiegel Online

Scientists welcome U-turn on stem cell patents
The European Court of Justice has paved the way for certain stem cell patents in the EU by ruling that an organism incapable of developing into a human being is not a human embryo and may be patented, the Irish Independent reports. Three years ago, the ECJ ruled that research involving human embryos could not be patented, a decision many scientists labelled a “devastating” blow for medical research in Europe.
Irish Independent

The European Court of Justice yesterday ruled that the draft agreement on the EU’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights is not compatible with the EU’s own laws. The Court raised concerns about which court – the union’s ECJ or the convention’s European Court of Human Rights – would be in charge of enforcing rights.
WSJ

A Spanish entrepreneur, reportedly in serious economic difficulties, drove his car into the headquarters of Spain’s ruling Partido Popular in Madrid this morning. The car contained two butane gas cylinders. The man has been arrested.
El Mundo El Pa�*s

Obesity can constitute a disability that requires protection at work from discrimination under equal treatment laws, the European Court of Justice ruled yesterday.
Guardian Telegraph Sun

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said yesterday that his resignation is “imminent”. The decision to quit early is due to his old age and was widely expected. Napolitano is currently serving an unprecedented second term.
La Repubblica La Stampa Corriere della Sera

Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettle yesterday announced that he would comply with European Commission demands to give EU anti-trust regulators the details of its tax schemes with multinational companies.
EUobserver

Bron: politics.be