Open Europe : Daily Press Summary

Politics.be · 3 december 2012, 14:10

Lord Leach: The eurozone is not the “core” of Europe — it is the single market.Writing in the Times, Lord Leach, Chairman of Open Europe, sets out a new vision for the EU which would be “a neighbourly alliance, partly federal, partly by treaty between independent states, in which those who want to share a currency and economic sovereignty and those who just want co-operation would be equally welcome.” He argues that “If Britain pulls out of the EU, that will be as much due to our condescending Eurozealots… as to UKIP. Both alike tell us that radical change in the European structure is out of the question…Moderate sceptics, who want to stay in the EU but might want ‘out’ if the Government can’t negotiate a changed relationship, are the majority of the electorate, but their voice is too seldom heard…For this, the coalition is to blame for its failure to articulate a constructive vision of a Europe that would meet the aims both of the integrationist countries and of those that put self-determination first.”

He concludes that reform of the EU is still possible: “In truth, it is not the eurozone that is the ‘core’ of Europe — it is the single market. In the new, flexible model for EU integration, the UK would remain a full member of the customs union and single market and maintain its vote on making Europe’s trading rules. But it could limit Brussels’ involvement in areas such as policing and crime, fisheries, farming, employment law and regional policy.”
Times: Lord Leach Conservative Home

Giving the UK Parliament more power in EU decision making – a new report by Tobias Ellwood MP
In a new report published by Open Europe, Tobias Ellwood MP, PPS to the Europe Minister, urges Parliament to look at new ways to improve scrutiny of EU issues to promote a new understanding of what the EU does, increase transparency and accountability about the way EU policy is made, and examine how Britain can enhance its role in the process. The report argues that a new approach is needed and makes thirteen recommendations that would improve Government Ministers, the civil service and Parliament’s ability to contribute towards shaping, tempering or indeed rejecting proposed EU legislation emanating from Brussels.
Open Europe: Upgrading UK influence in the EU

Greece announces details of €10bn bond buyback, pension funds not expected to take part;
Merkel suggests that a write down of official loans is not off the table
The Greek debt management agency today confirmed that they will buy back €10bn bonds, the holders of the €62bn in eligible Greek bonds now have until 5pm on 7 December to decide whether to accept the buyback for a maximum average price of 34.1%. Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said in an interview with Ethnos yesterday that Greek pension funds will not take part in the bond buyback – Kathimerini reports that these funds hold up to €8bn in Greek government bonds.

In an interview with Bild am Sonntag German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, “If Greece one day handles its revenues again without taking on new debt, then we must take a look at the situation and assess it,” suggesting that a write down of official loans to Greece is not off the table. Eurozone finance ministers will meet again in Brussels today to continue formulating the latest plans for the Greek bailout extension.

Meanwhile, former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has denied reports that his mother has over €500m held in a Swiss bank account and is under investigation by the Greek financial police.
Open Europe Flash Analysis Kathimerini Kathimerini 2 Kathimerini 3 FAZ FAZ 2 FT Kathimerini 4 Les Echos FT 2 CityAM Kathimerini 5 EUObserver Guardian El Pa�*s Bild am Sonntag Süddeutsche BusinessWeek Kathimerini 6 IHT

Noyer: “no rationale” to having London as the eurozone’s financial centre
The FT reports that the Governor of the Banque de France Christian Noyer has launched an attack on the City of London, saying there is “no rationale” for allowing the euro’s financial centre to be “offshore” in London. There is already an on-going dispute over the ECB’s location policy, where the UK has taken the ECB to the European Court of Justice over demands that all clearing of euro transactions take place in the eurozone – similar to Noyer’s demands.
FT Euractiv

EU could save £567m by cutting down on unnecessary quangos
The Sunday Times reported on Open Europe’s research which found that the EU’s 52 quangos cost taxpayers £2.14bn per year to run, but that £567m could be saved each year if ten of the most wasteful and unnecessary quangos were scrapped entirely and the rest slimmed down. The article also cites examples of wasteful spending identified by Open Europe, including a contract worth up to £49,000 awarded by the European Economic and Social Committee for “limousine rentals”. Open Europe’s Vincenzo Scarpetta is quoted as saying that “Although some EU quangos do perform valuable work, the existence of many others is hard to justify…The EU should start saving money by scrapping some of these superfluous bodies”. Vincenzo is also quoted in today’s Express.
Open Europe research: EU Qunagos Sunday Times Express

Rajoy: It is “very complicated” for Spain to meet its deficit target this year
In an interview with La Razón, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy admitted, “It is very complicated to cut deficit by 2.6% during a recession, with so many problems of revenue and such high borrowing costs. Our objective is to do things well – we will see what happens at the end of the year.” Meanwhile, eurozone finance ministers are today expected to give the green light to the disbursement of €37bn from Spain’s bank bailout. Separately, Expansión notes that the deadline for Spanish regions to seek a bailout from the central government expires today.
La Razón: Rajoy La Razón: Rajoy 2 Welt Süddeutsche El Pa�*s: Junqueras La Vanguardia El Mundo Expansión Expansión 2

Open Europe’s ‘Trading Places’ report which looked at alternative models for the UK’s trade outside of the EU, and which concluded that continued EU membership was currently still the best option, is cited by the Swiss Basler Zeitung.
Basler Zeitung Open Europe research: Trading Places

UKIP were the third largest party in an Opinion poll for the Observer on 13%, behind Labour on 38%, the Conservatives on 29% and ahead of the Liberal Democrats on 9%.
Observer Independent on Sunday FT Weekend: Ganesh Sunday Express: Hamilton Sunday
Telegraph: Daley Irish Times: Klau

Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho has said that the Eurogroup will discuss “in due time” how the better conditions granted to Greece on its bailout loans will also apply to Portugal and Ireland under the principle of ‘equal treatment’, Jornal de Negócios reports.
Jornal de Negócios

The Dutch government has expressed its "serious concerns" over a separate eurozone budget, questioning its added value, while warning that Dutch contributions to the EU should not go up, in a letter to the Dutch Lower House, reports Nederlands Dagblad.
Nederlands Dagblad

European Parliament President Martin Schulz has said the European Parliament does not agree with the compromise proposal of the European Council on the 2012 and 2013 EU Budget.
Malta Independent

FAZ reports that EU Social Affairs Commissioner László Andor will on Wednesday present a proposal for a so-called ‘youth guarantee’ which would see EU member states committing themselves to guaranteeing all under-25s either a job or an internship placement four months after the completion of their higher education course.
FAZ Welt Süddeutsche Open Europe research: EU Social & Employment law

Jean-François Copé, who won the controversial election for the leadership of France’s centre-right UMP party, has said that a new vote could only take place after the mayoral elections in 2014. Le Monde reports that talks between Copé and his rival, François Fillon, will resume today.
Le Figaro Le Monde

Pier Luigi Bersani will be the candidate for Italian Prime Minister of Italy’s main centre-left party, the Democratic Party, after winning the final run-off of internal elections against Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi. Italian daily Corriere della Sera notes that 61-year-old Bersani’s candidacy makes it more likely that Silvio Berlusconi will eventually decide to stand in next year’s general elections.
Repubblica Corriere della Sera La Stampa Euractiv BBC

Social Democrat Borut Pahor has won the Slovenian Presidential election against the independent incumbent Danilo Turk on a low turnout of 33%.
Euractiv BBC

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3 december 2012, 14:10	#1
Politics.be Redactie Geregistreerd: 27 november 2004 Berichten: 28.704	Open Europe : Daily Press Summary Lord Leach: The eurozone is not the “core” of Europe — it is the single market.Writing in the Times, Lord Leach, Chairman of Open Europe, sets out a new vision for the EU which would be “a neighbourly alliance, partly federal, partly by treaty between independent states, in which those who want to share a currency and economic sovereignty and those who just want co-operation would be equally welcome.” He argues that “If Britain pulls out of the EU, that will be as much due to our condescending Eurozealots… as to UKIP. Both alike tell us that radical change in the European structure is out of the question…Moderate sceptics, who want to stay in the EU but might want ‘out’ if the Government can’t negotiate a changed relationship, are the majority of the electorate, but their voice is too seldom heard…For this, the coalition is to blame for its failure to articulate a constructive vision of a Europe that would meet the aims both of the integrationist countries and of those that put self-determination first.” He concludes that reform of the EU is still possible: “In truth, it is not the eurozone that is the ‘core’ of Europe — it is the single market. In the new, flexible model for EU integration, the UK would remain a full member of the customs union and single market and maintain its vote on making Europe’s trading rules. But it could limit Brussels’ involvement in areas such as policing and crime, fisheries, farming, employment law and regional policy.” Times: Lord Leach Conservative Home Giving the UK Parliament more power in EU decision making – a new report by Tobias Ellwood MP In a new report published by Open Europe, Tobias Ellwood MP, PPS to the Europe Minister, urges Parliament to look at new ways to improve scrutiny of EU issues to promote a new understanding of what the EU does, increase transparency and accountability about the way EU policy is made, and examine how Britain can enhance its role in the process. The report argues that a new approach is needed and makes thirteen recommendations that would improve Government Ministers, the civil service and Parliament’s ability to contribute towards shaping, tempering or indeed rejecting proposed EU legislation emanating from Brussels. Open Europe: Upgrading UK influence in the EU Greece announces details of €10bn bond buyback, pension funds not expected to take part; Merkel suggests that a write down of official loans is not off the table The Greek debt management agency today confirmed that they will buy back €10bn bonds, the holders of the €62bn in eligible Greek bonds now have until 5pm on 7 December to decide whether to accept the buyback for a maximum average price of 34.1%. Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said in an interview with Ethnos yesterday that Greek pension funds will not take part in the bond buyback – Kathimerini reports that these funds hold up to €8bn in Greek government bonds. In an interview with Bild am Sonntag German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, “If Greece one day handles its revenues again without taking on new debt, then we must take a look at the situation and assess it,” suggesting that a write down of official loans to Greece is not off the table. Eurozone finance ministers will meet again in Brussels today to continue formulating the latest plans for the Greek bailout extension. Meanwhile, former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has denied reports that his mother has over €500m held in a Swiss bank account and is under investigation by the Greek financial police. Open Europe Flash Analysis Kathimerini Kathimerini 2 Kathimerini 3 FAZ FAZ 2 FT Kathimerini 4 Les Echos FT 2 CityAM Kathimerini 5 EUObserver Guardian El Pa�s Bild am Sonntag Süddeutsche BusinessWeek Kathimerini 6 IHT Noyer: “no rationale” to having London as the eurozone’s financial centre The FT reports that the Governor of the Banque de France Christian Noyer has launched an attack on the City of London, saying there is “no rationale” for allowing the euro’s financial centre to be “offshore” in London. There is already an on-going dispute over the ECB’s location policy, where the UK has taken the ECB to the European Court of Justice over demands that all clearing of euro transactions take place in the eurozone – similar to Noyer’s demands. FT Euractiv EU could save £567m by cutting down on unnecessary quangos The Sunday Times reported on Open Europe’s research which found that the EU’s 52 quangos cost taxpayers £2.14bn per year to run, but that £567m could be saved each year if ten of the most wasteful and unnecessary quangos were scrapped entirely and the rest slimmed down. The article also cites examples of wasteful spending identified by Open Europe, including a contract worth up to £49,000 awarded by the European Economic and Social Committee for “limousine rentals”. Open Europe’s Vincenzo Scarpetta is quoted as saying that “Although some EU quangos do perform valuable work, the existence of many others is hard to justify…The EU should start saving money by scrapping some of these superfluous bodies”. Vincenzo is also quoted in today’s Express. Open Europe research: EU Qunagos Sunday Times Express Rajoy: It is “very complicated” for Spain to meet its deficit target this year In an interview with La Razón, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy admitted, “It is very complicated to cut deficit by 2.6% during a recession, with so many problems of revenue and such high borrowing costs. Our objective is to do things well – we will see what happens at the end of the year.” Meanwhile, eurozone finance ministers are today expected to give the green light to the disbursement of €37bn from Spain’s bank bailout. Separately, Expansión notes that the deadline for Spanish regions to seek a bailout from the central government expires today. La Razón: Rajoy La Razón: Rajoy 2 Welt Süddeutsche El Pa�s: Junqueras La Vanguardia El Mundo Expansión Expansión 2 Open Europe’s ‘Trading Places’ report which looked at alternative models for the UK’s trade outside of the EU, and which concluded that continued EU membership was currently still the best option, is cited by the Swiss Basler Zeitung. Basler Zeitung Open Europe research: Trading Places UKIP were the third largest party in an Opinion poll for the Observer on 13%, behind Labour on 38%, the Conservatives on 29% and ahead of the Liberal Democrats on 9%. Observer Independent on Sunday FT Weekend: Ganesh Sunday Express: Hamilton Sunday Telegraph: Daley Irish Times: Klau Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho has said that the Eurogroup will discuss “in due time” how the better conditions granted to Greece on its bailout loans will also apply to Portugal and Ireland under the principle of ‘equal treatment’, Jornal de Negócios reports. Jornal de Negócios The Dutch government has expressed its "serious concerns" over a separate eurozone budget, questioning its added value, while warning that Dutch contributions to the EU should not go up, in a letter to the Dutch Lower House, reports Nederlands Dagblad. Nederlands Dagblad European Parliament President Martin Schulz has said the European Parliament does not agree with the compromise proposal of the European Council on the 2012 and 2013 EU Budget. Malta Independent FAZ reports that EU Social Affairs Commissioner László Andor will on Wednesday present a proposal for a so-called ‘youth guarantee’ which would see EU member states committing themselves to guaranteeing all under-25s either a job or an internship placement four months after the completion of their higher education course. FAZ Welt Süddeutsche Open Europe research: EU Social & Employment law Jean-François Copé, who won the controversial election for the leadership of France’s centre-right UMP party, has said that a new vote could only take place after the mayoral elections in 2014. Le Monde reports that talks between Copé and his rival, François Fillon, will resume today. Le Figaro Le Monde Pier Luigi Bersani will be the candidate for Italian Prime Minister of Italy’s main centre-left party, the Democratic Party, after winning the final run-off of internal elections against Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi. Italian daily Corriere della Sera notes that 61-year-old Bersani’s candidacy makes it more likely that Silvio Berlusconi will eventually decide to stand in next year’s general elections. Repubblica Corriere della Sera La Stampa Euractiv BBC Social Democrat Borut Pahor has won the Slovenian Presidential election against the independent incumbent Danilo Turk on a low turnout of 33%. 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