Agreement on Northern Ireland Protocol close + Fertilizer strategy + EU citizens’ panels

Dear reader,

An agreement on the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol is taking shape in the United Kingdom. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to London today to hold talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The latter announced over the weekend that he wanted to bring the negotiations to a conclusion and summoned the Tory MPs to Parliament for Monday – where the agreement with the EU on Northern Ireland’s trade relations after Brexit could be announced today. Read more in our News section.

My colleague Timo Landenberger looks in his analysis at the ongoing debate about the availability of fertilizers in the EU. Food prices remain at a troublesome level; one of the main drivers is fertilizer. The agricultural industry and farmers’ associations expect yields to fall significantly this year if no appropriate countermeasures are taken. The EU Parliament now called on the Commission to implement far-reaching measures.

At the other end of the food production chain is consumption – and waste. 57 million tons of food are thrown away in the EU every year. The Commission wants to tackle this and revise the EU Waste Framework Directive. In the legislative process, it is relying for the first time ever on a novel form of citizen participation: It is incorporating the results of a citizens’ panel in which 150 EU citizens have over the past few months jointly drawn up recommendations. You can find out more about this in my analysis.

Your
Leonie Düngefeld

Fertilizer strategy: Between environmental protection and food security

By

Timo Landenberger

The debate about the availability of fertilizers in the EU continues. Even though the inflation rate in the eurozone declined at the start of the year, food prices remain alarmingly high. Among the key drivers are the high input costs of food production, first and foremost: fertilizers. Without appropriate countermeasures, agribusiness and farmers’ associations expect yields to decline significantly this year. This could cause costs to skyrocket even further.

In a recen tly ap proved resolution, the European Parliament calls on the EU Commission to take far-reaching measures to secure fertilizer supplies, strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy and reduce prices. The demands in detail:

A long-term EU fertilizer strategy until June 2023
End dependence on Russian mineral fertilizers and raw materials (particularly gas), without replacing them with new dependencies
Use parts of the 2023 agricultural budget to provide financial support to farmers
Extend the temporary suspension of anti-dumping duties on mineral fertilizers
Examine a possible joint fertilizer purchase at the EU level

Fertilizers prices skyrocketed

The cost of chemical fertilizers has skyrocketed after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine a year ago. Russia and Belarus belong to the main export countries on the world market. Apart from that, natural gas is by far the most important production factor. At the end of last year, fertilizer prices in the EU were three times higher than in the previous year in some cases.

The EU Commission already drafted a communication on the availability of fertilizers in response and, among other things, made national subsidies for fertilizer producers and for farmers possible. But this is not nearly enough, criticizes Norbert Lins (EPP), rapporteur of the EP resolution.

According to Lins, it is not only about supporting European farmers and food security in the EU, but also about the growing number of people suffering from hunger in the world. He said that Europe was in a “favorable position” for food production. The EU should live up to this responsibility. “We must act and no longer just react,” said Lins, who is also chairman of the Agriculture Committee.

High climate damage in agriculture

However, lifting tariffs and subsidizing fertilizer production is the wrong way, counters Thomas Waitz (Greens/EFA). “We use synthetic fertilizers to an extent that is far too high and leads to overfertilization of many areas in the EU“. He believes that continuing to rely on the fossil strategy now would jeopardize environmental goals. After all, the climate damage from agriculture is already “greater than that from aviation and shipping in Europe.” Added to this is the high pollution of groundwater.

The Farm To Fork strategy indeed envisages cutting fertilizer surpluses by 50 percent and overall use by 20 percent by 2030. In parallel, the share of organic farming, where most chemical fertilizers are banned, is to increase from currently just under 10 percent to 25 percent. How does that fit in with the current crisis?

“One way is to reduce the demand for fertilizer, for example in bread cereals,” says Christine Tölle-Nolting, head of the land use department at the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU). The quality of the grain is defined by the highest possible protein content, which can only be achieved by late fertilization, she adds. “However, the plants can only absorb a small amount of this fertilizer,” Tölle-Nolting continued. This fertilization can be omitted without any problems because even a lower protein content has no negative effects on baking properties.

Transformation of agriculture crucial

Ultimately, the decisive factor is presumably a transformation of the agricultural system toward regenerative agriculture. Certain farming methods, such as the cultivation of legumes, can naturally bind and use nitrogen.

Another possible solution is to gradually replace mineral fertilizers with organic fertilizers from livestock farming. However, due to the planned extension of the Industrial Emissions Directive, farmers’ associations fear that livestock farming could be restricted and the available farm manure reduced as a result.

In addition, regions with high livestock production often struggle with overfertilized soil. Organic fertilizers are usually applied in liquid form and frequently end up in the groundwater, from which, for example, Germany obtains around 70 percent of its drinking water. Several regions in Germany have been violating the EU Nitrate Directive for years, which is why several violation proceedings have already been initiated.

Germany: No acute need for action

This is another reason why the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture wants to improve distribution. “This would allow a reduction in regions with high livestock numbers on the one hand and a substitute for mineral fertilizers in regions with low livestock on the other,” says a spokesman.

The agriculture ministry also welcomes the EU’s efforts to secure the supply of fertilizers with regard to the global situation. However, the German government does not see any acute need for action in Germany. Both fertilizer prices and demand have already fallen significantly in the country. The supply for farmers is said to not be at risk. The German Farmers’ Association is less relaxed. Market volatility remains high and continues to cause great uncertainty in the agricultural sector, they say. An end to the debate is not in sight for the time being.

Food waste: Test run for citizen participation in legislation

By

Leonie Düngefeld

By 2025, member states are to ensure that 55 percent of their residential waste is recycled or reused. The Commission already warned last year that more than half of the EU-27 are running the risk of falling short of the targets set out in the EU’s Waste Framework Directive. It has already been working for a year on the impact assessment for a revision of the directive; according to the current agenda, it intends to present its proposal on June 7. The focus here is on the food and textiles sectors.

In addition to the regular public consultation, the EU Commission is also using a new form of citizen participation for the first time: It is incorporating the results of a citizens’ panel in which 150 EU citizens have over the past few months jointly developed recommendations for combating food waste.

Recommendations to be included in proposal

After three weekends of deliberation, the final meeting of the first citizens’ panel of its kind was recently held in Brussels. The panel drew up 23 recommendations, including:

Support of small producers trading with retailers and supermarkets
Public and private support for regional agriculture
Structural support from governments to food banks and redistribution agencies.
Introduction of a centralized managed platform that connects retailers with food banks to link various already existing apps
Centralized data collection and monitoring of how, where, who, why, and when food waste is generated along the food supply chain
More effective education of consumers regarding the value of seasonal foods.
Harmonization of legislation on the redistribution of surplus and soon-to-expire foods
Further investment into scientific research on innovative and alternative sustainable packaging

The Commission will now incorporate the Panel’s final report into the public consultation and impact assessment of the legislative proposal to revise the Waste Framework Directive.

Goal: Cutting waste generation by half

The current Waste Framework Directive sets out a waste hierarchy of waste prevention, reuse, recycling, other recovery options and disposal. Member States must implement measures to prevent waste generation and collect certain types of waste separately. It also includes review clauses for prevention measures, food waste and waste oil. As specific targets, it specifies that at least 65 percent of residential waste is to be recycled or reused by 2035. Interim targets include 50 percent for 2020, 55 percent for 2025 and 60 percent for 2030.

In the Green Deal and its action plan for the circular economy, the EU has committed itself to simplifying waste management and significantly reducing its generation. Its goal, which is also in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, is to halve the amount of non-recycled residential waste by 2030. The Commission sees the reason for the poor results achieved so far primarily in inefficient collection systems, which vary widely in the individual member states.

Commission wants to hold manufacturers accountable

For the revision, the Commission is focusing, among other things, on the food waste sector, which accounts for a large share of all residential waste. More than 57 million tons of food end up in the trash each year, according to Commission figures. It causes between 6 and 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and costs the EU at least 130 billion euros a year.

The Parliament had already called on the Commission in 2017 in an own-initia tive report to consider setting mandatory food waste reduction targets and to establish a common methodology for measuring them.

Among other things, according to its Call for Evidence for the impact assessment, the Commission is now considering:

The introduction of general and/or product-specific prevention measures, including waste reduction targets
The expansion of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in achieving waste prevention goals
The improvement of the separate waste collection by clarifying and/or limiting exemptions
The introduction of minimum requirements for sorting at source and separate waste collection
Strengthening the polluter pays principle by extending EPR regulations to other product categories (such as textiles and oils)
Targets for the collection and processing of waste oil

After Future Conference: Further panels planned

The participatory concept is a result of the Future of Europe Conference, which took place from 2021 to 2022. The Commission now plans to regularly involve panels in consultation before major legislative projects. Each panel will consist of around 150 randomly selected citizens, ensuring a balanced representation of different origins (member states, urban/rural, gender, socioeconomic background and level of education). In addition, one-third of the participants must be younger than 26.

The Commission called the first panel a success. “We are now including citizens’ forums in our toolkit to ensure that citizens’ ideas are taken into account in major policy initiatives that affect their daily lives,” said Dubravka Šuica, Vice President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography.

The first panel on food waste is to be followed by others: A citizens’ panel on virtual worlds will already be held in the coming weeks to develop recommendations for the planned Commission initiative. A panel on learning mobility is also scheduled for the spring.

Northern Ireland Protocol: von der Leyen heads to London for talks

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will hold talks in London today to reach a new deal for Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trade relations, both sides announced on Sunday. An agreement on changes to the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol is reportedly close and could be presented to the British Parliament today.

Von der Leyen and Sunak “agreed to continue their work in person towards shared, practical solutions for the range of complex challenges around the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland,” according to a joint statement. London and Brussels have been in talks for months to defuse disputes over Brexit rules for Northern Ireland.

Sunak plans on getting his party and his electorate on track for a deal with the EU. “There’s unfinished business on Brexit and I want to get the job done,” Sunak said in an interview with The Sunday Times. “I’m here all weekend trying to get it done. We’re giving it everything we’ve got.” According to the British news agency PA, MPs from the ruling Conservative party were instructed to attend parliament on Monday. This was interpreted as a sign that Sunak might announce a deal with the EU.

Sunak prepares his party for deal with the EU

The Northern Ireland Protocol is part of the Brexit agreement. It provides for the customs border between the UK and the EU to run in the Irish Sea. The intention was to avoid having to introduce border controls between the UK’s Northern Ireland and the EU member Republic of Ireland. Otherwise, conflict over unification of the two parts of Ireland was expected to flare up again. But the controls also create difficulties for intra-British trade, and Protestant supporters of the Union in Northern Ireland feel isolated from the United Kingdom.

Therefore, the success of an agreement depends on whether Sunak manages to get the largest Protestant Unionist party in Northern Ireland, the DUP, behind him. The DUP has been blocking the formation of a government in the British part of the country for months in protest against the protocol. Sunak also indicated the expected breakthrough in various guest posts over the weekend. “We have to make Brexit work for the whole of the United Kingdom,” he wrote in the conservative Telegraph. According to the paper, opposition is already stirring in his own cabinet and Northern Ireland Secretary Steve Baker is already considering his resignation. In the tabloid “Sun,” Sunak assured readers that he remains a “Brexiteer” despite his presumed compromise with the EU. rtr/dpa

EU passes tenth sanctions package against Russia

The European Union has passed new sanctions against Russia, with export restrictions worth more than 11 billion euros. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of the “most far-reaching sanctions of all time, which are decimating Russia’s war arsenal and deeply interfering with its economy”.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the new sanctions as powerful, but demanded further sanctions against, for example, Russia’s nuclear industry in general. However, EU states such as Hungary are opposing this. Rosatom is building two new reactor units for Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant.

The permanent representatives of the EU states agreed on the new sanctions package on Friday, the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is now the tenth since February last year. It became effective with its publication in the EU Official Journal on Saturday evening.

Specifically, further export bans are now planned for goods that Russian industry cannot obtain via third countries such as China. These include machine parts, antennas, special vehicles and spare parts for trucks and engines. There will also be export restrictions on electronic components that could be used for Russian weapons systems as well as drones, missiles and helicopters. According to the Commission, the EU has now restricted exports worth a total of almost 44 billion euros. That represents almost half of all exports to Russia in the year before the war.

Zelenskiy demands sanctions against Russia’s nuclear industry

Added to this are new import restrictions worth almost 1.3 billion euros on synthetic rubber and bitumen, for example. According to the EU Commission, imports worth more than 90 billion euros are now affected by the import restrictions – around 58 percent of 2021’s imports.

Further action is also to be taken against Russia’s supply of civilian goods that can be used for military purposes, such as drones. According to the EU Commission, sanctions will be imposed on Iranian companies allegedly involved in supplying Russia with drones of the type Shahed and using parts from the EU.

As with previous packages, more individuals and entities accused of undermining or threatening Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence will be sanctioned. They will be barred from entering the EU and any assets they may have in the EU will have to be frozen. Affected are an additional 87 individuals and 34 organizations.

Newly blacklisted are, for example, Alfa Bank, which is considered Russia’s largest privately owned financial institution. In addition, the punitive measures are expected to hit institutions like the Tinkoff Bank and Rosbank. Also included on the sanctions list are deputy ministers, Russian government officials, those responsible for the deportation and forced adoption of Ukrainian children, propagandists and new members of the Russian Federation Council.

Sanctions against further parts of the Wagner Group

In addition, Iranians allegedly involved in the production of drones as well as parts to support the Russian military are sanctioned. Under other sanctions regimes, the EU has now also imposed punitive measures on eleven other members and seven entities linked to Russia’s mercenary force Wagner Group. In an attempt to curb Russian propaganda, RT Arabic and Sputnik Arabic have been banned.

Concerning the potential use for the rebuilding of Ukraine, all frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank as well as other frozen Russian assets in the EU will also have to be reported in the future. Russians will also no longer be allowed to serve on executive bodies of companies in the EU responsible for critical infrastructure such as energy supply. dpa

Scholz and Modi want to expand strategic partnership

During his two-day India visit, his first as head of the German government, Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expand the strategic partnership between India and Germany and to work on a roadmap for innovation and technology. The two countries thus aim to use scientific and technological knowledge for the economic development of both countries and to address global challenges.

The main elements of Indo-German cooperation in the areas of innovation, technology and business and the roadmap are:

Energy partnership and clean technologies: These projects deal with matters related to the just energy transition, energy security, making the energy system more flexible, the massive expansion of renewables, green grids and storage, energy efficiency and low-emission energy systems. They also include large-scale projects such as the green energy corridors and a renewable energy partnership, as well as cooperation between Indian and German companies in the production of electrolyzers and trading in green hydrogen and derivatives.
German-Indian green hydrogen task force: Established in May 2022, the task force aims to make green hydrogen commercially viable. Its purpose is to strengthen cooperation in the production, use, storage and distribution of green hydrogen by creating frameworks for projects, regulations and standards, trade and joint R&D projects.
Cooperation between the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology (DST) and the German Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in the field of green hydrogen in hydrogen energy clusters established by the DST, integration of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft technologies with Indian technologies, and long-term technology development in the fields of renewable energy.

Scholz promises progress on trade agreement

Scholz stressed the importance of economic cooperation between the two countries. The 1800 German companies operating in India have created “tens of thousands of jobs and are among the biggest foreign investors.” This should continue by expanding these investments and massively increasing the number of employees. The two leaders agreed to strengthen the framework and ecosystem for Indo-German business ties to thrive.

The two countries also agreed to intensify cooperation under the Indo-German Quality Infrastructure Working Group and explore the economic potential for startups in India and Germany. Discussions with business leaders from both countries – a business delegation of thirty companies accompanied the Chancellor – focused on digital transformation, FinTech, IT, telecommunications and supply chain diversification.

Scholz pledged to personally advocate a free trade agreement between the EU and India. “We want to strengthen trade relations between the European Union and India,” he said. “That’s why we’re both committed to ensuring that the free trade agreement between our countries finally works out – a very important topic. I will also personally do my best to ensure that this matter does not take as long as it has in the past and that faster progress is made possible.”

India and Germany also agreed to strengthen cooperation within the framework of triangular cooperation for the development of third countries. Urmi Goswami

Boeselager: Council draft on Data Act hinders data exchange

The Greens in the European Parliament expressed fears that the Data Act could prevent rather than promote the shared use of data. This risk exists if the law follows the approach in Chapter II of the current Council draft, says MEP Damian Boeselager (Greens/EFA). Given the “extensive carte blanche from data sharing obligations” granted to data holders by the Council compromise and the very extensive liability regime, the Data Act will fail to achieve its original political goal, he said.

The next meeting of the working group in the Telecommunications Council is scheduled for Tuesday. There, the delegates plan to discuss the fifth compromise on the Data Act, presented by Sweden last week. The fifth compromise could be the last before the Council reaches a general approach. The lead ITRE committee in the EU Parliament has already voted on its proposal.

“In the form discussed in the Council, the Data Act would de jure introduce far-reaching and undirected data suppression rights for data owners,” Boeselager criticizes. From the perspective of users or owners and recipients of data, this would represent a downgrade of the existing legal framework for non-personal data, he said. “We supported the justified and legally clear protection of trade secrets, intellectual property and also certain security concerns in Parliament,” says the MEP. The Council text, however, would open up large areas of legal uncertainty, he added.

As a result, the Data Act would become a “Data Suppression Act,” according to Boeselager, at least for stakeholders without significant legal and financial resources. “The Act will protect very large companies with data law expertise, large legal departments and financial resources that can afford to go to court or engage in private arbitration,” he predicts. Startups, SMEs and companies that have neither the resources nor the legal expertise, on the other hand, would shy away from sharing data. vis

Study: Inconsistent standards and lack of transparency in metal supply chains

Inconsistent standards, lack of transparency and power asymmetries in supply chains weaken the sustainability governance of metal supply chains in the EU. At the same time, current geopolitical challenges and the goal of security of supply also threaten to undermine sustainable supply chain efforts. That is the conclusion of a study published Friday by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), based on analyses of copper supply chains from the Andes and platinum from Southern Africa.

The four authors of the study explore what governance approaches European players can adopt to improve the sustainability of metal supply chains and how they can influence other players and the upstream stages of supply chains. The authors recommend that the EU should take steps to increase transparency, diversify more strategically, and adopt uniform environmental and human rights standards.

According to the study, European companies are heavily dependent on imported metals, as Europe only has very few reserves of its own and recycling has so far not been able to meet demand. Moreover, demand for metals is set to increase significantly in the coming years. The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have highlighted the structural risks of supply chains and the growing geopolitical rivalry for access to metals, the study said.

Security of supply must not take precedence over sustainability

“A succession of recent studies demonstrate that sustainability standards are in fact integral to security of supply, because they prompt corporate and state actors to think more strategically and act to preempt supply chains risks,” the authors write, warning that prioritizing the security of supply over human rights and sustainability would be shortsighted. This is because the technical and geopolitical characteristics of metal supply chains would limit the ability of European stakeholders to influence their sustainability. As customers, they would have no direct influence on the first stages of production such as mining and refining.

The greatest challenges for sustainability governance are said to be, on the one hand, the many and varied standards and their inconsistent and unclear implementation and enforcement. On the other hand, there is an imbalance in the options for exerting influence between individual companies and states on the one hand and civil society and trade unions on the other.

To advance the goal of sustainable and effective supply chains, the authors recommend the EU and member states to:

Implement measures to strengthen diversification, with the goal of reducing overdependence on individual countries such as China.
Reliable partnerships with resource-rich countries that strive for high sustainability standards. Considering the needs of partner countries and providing appropriate support.
Improve transparency and reduce power asymmetries through measures such as promoting multi-stakeholder processes to achieve a “smart mix” of voluntary and mandatory governance instruments. leo

What’s cooking in Brussels? Iranian hour in the European Parliament

As the European Union is looking to Ukraine, Iran is also pushing its way onto the political stage. Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last Shah, is visiting Brussels after 6,000 people from the Iranian diaspora and their allies marched through the city on 20 February calling for democratic rights and more freedom for women in Iran, and for Europe to recognize the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

The protest was supported by MEPs like Abir Al-Sahlani (Renew) and Charlie Weimers (EPP), as well as national parliamentarians like Darya Safai from Belgium, Theo Francken and Alireza Akhondi from Sweden. It was supposed to put pressure on the member states whose foreign ministers were meeting that day in the EU capital.

The European Parliament also called for the IRGC to be listed as a terrorist organization on 18 January: MEPs supported a proposed amendment to the annual foreign policy report calling on the EU and its member states to put the IRGC on the EU’s terror list due to its terrorist activities, repression of protesters and drone deliveries to Russia.

‘Pahlavi does not represent the Iranian diaspora’

So Parliament officially supports some of the demands made by the Iranian diaspora. And what do the representatives of the Iranian diaspora who are living in exile in Brussels say? It is the warmongering IRGC and its paramilitary Basij that have shot, arrested, tortured, raped and brutalized regime opponents at home and abroad for the past four decades, explains Ali Bagheri, a researcher at Thomas More University in Belgium. He left Iran in 2015 after participating in protests in 2009 and has not returned to his home country since. “The two organizations have no popular support,” he says, pointing out that the IRGC is already blacklisted in the US as a foreign terrorist organization.

The European Parliament’s decision sends an important signal, he says. “It is about an institution that represents 450 million people,” Bagheri stresses. But the EU would not do enough, and the presence of Reza Pahlavi in Brussels is the wrong signal.

“Reza Pahlavi does not represent the Iranian diaspora,” says Sourosh Aboutalebi, a political science student in Brussels and an Iranian opposition activist. He left Iran with his family when he was seven and has lived in Belgium ever since. The thousands of Iranians who have marched in North America and Europe, some 80,000 in Berlin in October 2022, and 10,000 in Paris in early February, have made it abundantly clear that they are not looking to the past, but to the future – and to a democratically elected republic, he says.

Criticism of alleged support for the Revolutionary Guard

Aboutalebi says the protestors repeatedly shouted “Down with the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Supreme Leader (Khamenei)” and “No to the Shah! No to the mullahs!”. “This shows that people really don’t see a way back,” he continues. “They want a secular democracy.” Pahlavi’s alleged support for the IRGC has provoked hostility in Iran, he said. “During a talk show on Iran International TV in 2018, he said he was in bilateral contacts with the (regime’s) military, the IRGC, and the Basij. And that they communicate with each other,” said Aboutalebi.

Both Bagheri and Aboutalebi also expressed surprise and disappointment over Reza Pahlavi’s invitation to the recent Munich Security Conference as the purported representative of the Iranian opposition. Especially after 165 congressmen from the two major parties in the US House of Representatives passed a resolution earlier this month supporting the Iranian people’s wish for a democratic, secular, and nuclear-free Republic of Iran.

They say Pahlavi gathered a small group of protesters before the conference. Among the posters the monarchists held was a large photo of the notorious Parviz Sabeti, who is said to have been responsible for the torture of many opposition activists. The Farsi slogan on the poster proclaimed, “Nightmare of the future terrorists.”

‘Europe has not yet decided where it wants to look‘

“It seems that they take the prison keys out of the right pocket to put them in the left pocket,” Bagheri says.

And the people of Iran are not okay with it this time around, it seems. Although nationwide demonstrations have occurred in Iran before – in 2009, in 2017 through early 2018, and another in November 2019 – the current protests are unique in that they involve people from all society, and women taking a leading role under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom,” Aboutalebi explains. He adds that Iran’s education rate is very high and more than 50 percent of women have a university degree.

“I believe that the people of Iran can really build a democratic country in the Middle East and that this will lead to better cooperation between countries in the region and with European countries,” Bagheri says. “And it will be a cooperation based on human rights.” Aboutalebi stresses how hopeful the people of Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria are about the movement that began in Iran. “But Europe has not yet decided where it wants to look,” he says.

EUROPE.TABLE EDITORS

Till
Hoppe

Charlotte
Wirth

Falk
Steiner

Timo
Landenberger

Corinna
Visser

Lukas
Knigge

Eric
Bonse

Sarah
Schaefer

Manuel
Berkel

Lisa-Martina
Klein

Markus
Grabitz

Stephan
Israel

Claire
Stam

Dear reader,

An agreement on the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol is taking shape in the United Kingdom. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to London today to hold talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The latter announced over the weekend that he wanted to bring the negotiations to a conclusion and summoned the Tory MPs to Parliament for Monday – where the agreement with the EU on Northern Ireland’s trade relations after Brexit could be announced today. Read more in our News section.

My colleague Timo Landenberger looks in his analysis at the ongoing debate about the availability of fertilizers in the EU. Food prices remain at a troublesome level; one of the main drivers is fertilizer. The agricultural industry and farmers’ associations expect yields to fall significantly this year if no appropriate countermeasures are taken. The EU Parliament now called on the Commission to implement far-reaching measures.

At the other end of the food production chain is consumption – and waste. 57 million tons of food are thrown away in the EU every year. The Commission wants to tackle this and revise the EU Waste Framework Directive. In the legislative process, it is relying for the first time ever on a novel form of citizen participation: It is incorporating the results of a citizens’ panel in which 150 EU citizens have over the past few months jointly drawn up recommendations. You can find out more about this in my analysis.

Your
Leonie Düngefeld

Fertilizer strategy: Between environmental protection and food security

By

Timo Landenberger

The debate about the availability of fertilizers in the EU continues. Even though the inflation rate in the eurozone declined at the start of the year, food prices remain alarmingly high. Among the key drivers are the high input costs of food production, first and foremost: fertilizers. Without appropriate countermeasures, agribusiness and farmers’ associations expect yields to decline significantly this year. This could cause costs to skyrocket even further.

In a recen tly ap proved resolution, the European Parliament calls on the EU Commission to take far-reaching measures to secure fertilizer supplies, strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy and reduce prices. The demands in detail:

A long-term EU fertilizer strategy until June 2023
End dependence on Russian mineral fertilizers and raw materials (particularly gas), without replacing them with new dependencies
Use parts of the 2023 agricultural budget to provide financial support to farmers
Extend the temporary suspension of anti-dumping duties on mineral fertilizers
Examine a possible joint fertilizer purchase at the EU level

Fertilizers prices skyrocketed

The cost of chemical fertilizers has skyrocketed after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine a year ago. Russia and Belarus belong to the main export countries on the world market. Apart from that, natural gas is by far the most important production factor. At the end of last year, fertilizer prices in the EU were three times higher than in the previous year in some cases.

The EU Commission already drafted a communication on the availability of fertilizers in response and, among other things, made national subsidies for fertilizer producers and for farmers possible. But this is not nearly enough, criticizes Norbert Lins (EPP), rapporteur of the EP resolution.

According to Lins, it is not only about supporting European farmers and food security in the EU, but also about the growing number of people suffering from hunger in the world. He said that Europe was in a “favorable position” for food production. The EU should live up to this responsibility. “We must act and no longer just react,” said Lins, who is also chairman of the Agriculture Committee.

High climate damage in agriculture

However, lifting tariffs and subsidizing fertilizer production is the wrong way, counters Thomas Waitz (Greens/EFA). “We use synthetic fertilizers to an extent that is far too high and leads to overfertilization of many areas in the EU“. He believes that continuing to rely on the fossil strategy now would jeopardize environmental goals. After all, the climate damage from agriculture is already “greater than that from aviation and shipping in Europe.” Added to this is the high pollution of groundwater.

The Farm To Fork strategy indeed envisages cutting fertilizer surpluses by 50 percent and overall use by 20 percent by 2030. In parallel, the share of organic farming, where most chemical fertilizers are banned, is to increase from currently just under 10 percent to 25 percent. How does that fit in with the current crisis?

“One way is to reduce the demand for fertilizer, for example in bread cereals,” says Christine Tölle-Nolting, head of the land use department at the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU). The quality of the grain is defined by the highest possible protein content, which can only be achieved by late fertilization, she adds. “However, the plants can only absorb a small amount of this fertilizer,” Tölle-Nolting continued. This fertilization can be omitted without any problems because even a lower protein content has no negative effects on baking properties.

Transformation of agriculture crucial

Ultimately, the decisive factor is presumably a transformation of the agricultural system toward regenerative agriculture. Certain farming methods, such as the cultivation of legumes, can naturally bind and use nitrogen.

Another possible solution is to gradually replace mineral fertilizers with organic fertilizers from livestock farming. However, due to the planned extension of the Industrial Emissions Directive, farmers’ associations fear that livestock farming could be restricted and the available farm manure reduced as a result.

In addition, regions with high livestock production often struggle with overfertilized soil. Organic fertilizers are usually applied in liquid form and frequently end up in the groundwater, from which, for example, Germany obtains around 70 percent of its drinking water. Several regions in Germany have been violating the EU Nitrate Directive for years, which is why several violation proceedings have already been initiated.

Germany: No acute need for action

This is another reason why the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture wants to improve distribution. “This would allow a reduction in regions with high livestock numbers on the one hand and a substitute for mineral fertilizers in regions with low livestock on the other,” says a spokesman.

The agriculture ministry also welcomes the EU’s efforts to secure the supply of fertilizers with regard to the global situation. However, the German government does not see any acute need for action in Germany. Both fertilizer prices and demand have already fallen significantly in the country. The supply for farmers is said to not be at risk. The German Farmers’ Association is less relaxed. Market volatility remains high and continues to cause great uncertainty in the agricultural sector, they say. An end to the debate is not in sight for the time being.

Food waste: Test run for citizen participation in legislation

By

Leonie Düngefeld

By 2025, member states are to ensure that 55 percent of their residential waste is recycled or reused. The Commission already warned last year that more than half of the EU-27 are running the risk of falling short of the targets set out in the EU’s Waste Framework Directive. It has already been working for a year on the impact assessment for a revision of the directive; according to the current agenda, it intends to present its proposal on June 7. The focus here is on the food and textiles sectors.

In addition to the regular public consultation, the EU Commission is also using a new form of citizen participation for the first time: It is incorporating the results of a citizens’ panel in which 150 EU citizens have over the past few months jointly developed recommendations for combating food waste.

Recommendations to be included in proposal

After three weekends of deliberation, the final meeting of the first citizens’ panel of its kind was recently held in Brussels. The panel drew up 23 recommendations, including:

Support of small producers trading with retailers and supermarkets
Public and private support for regional agriculture
Structural support from governments to food banks and redistribution agencies.
Introduction of a centralized managed platform that connects retailers with food banks to link various already existing apps
Centralized data collection and monitoring of how, where, who, why, and when food waste is generated along the food supply chain
More effective education of consumers regarding the value of seasonal foods.
Harmonization of legislation on the redistribution of surplus and soon-to-expire foods
Further investment into scientific research on innovative and alternative sustainable packaging

The Commission will now incorporate the Panel’s final report into the public consultation and impact assessment of the legislative proposal to revise the Waste Framework Directive.

Goal: Cutting waste generation by half

The current Waste Framework Directive sets out a waste hierarchy of waste prevention, reuse, recycling, other recovery options and disposal. Member States must implement measures to prevent waste generation and collect certain types of waste separately. It also includes review clauses for prevention measures, food waste and waste oil. As specific targets, it specifies that at least 65 percent of residential waste is to be recycled or reused by 2035. Interim targets include 50 percent for 2020, 55 percent for 2025 and 60 percent for 2030.

In the Green Deal and its action plan for the circular economy, the EU has committed itself to simplifying waste management and significantly reducing its generation. Its goal, which is also in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, is to halve the amount of non-recycled residential waste by 2030. The Commission sees the reason for the poor results achieved so far primarily in inefficient collection systems, which vary widely in the individual member states.

Commission wants to hold manufacturers accountable

For the revision, the Commission is focusing, among other things, on the food waste sector, which accounts for a large share of all residential waste. More than 57 million tons of food end up in the trash each year, according to Commission figures. It causes between 6 and 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and costs the EU at least 130 billion euros a year.

The Parliament had already called on the Commission in 2017 in an own-initia tive report to consider setting mandatory food waste reduction targets and to establish a common methodology for measuring them.

Among other things, according to its Call for Evidence for the impact assessment, the Commission is now considering:

The introduction of general and/or product-specific prevention measures, including waste reduction targets
The expansion of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in achieving waste prevention goals
The improvement of the separate waste collection by clarifying and/or limiting exemptions
The introduction of minimum requirements for sorting at source and separate waste collection
Strengthening the polluter pays principle by extending EPR regulations to other product categories (such as textiles and oils)
Targets for the collection and processing of waste oil

After Future Conference: Further panels planned

The participatory concept is a result of the Future of Europe Conference, which took place from 2021 to 2022. The Commission now plans to regularly involve panels in consultation before major legislative projects. Each panel will consist of around 150 randomly selected citizens, ensuring a balanced representation of different origins (member states, urban/rural, gender, socioeconomic background and level of education). In addition, one-third of the participants must be younger than 26.

The Commission called the first panel a success. “We are now including citizens’ forums in our toolkit to ensure that citizens’ ideas are taken into account in major policy initiatives that affect their daily lives,” said Dubravka Šuica, Vice President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography.

The first panel on food waste is to be followed by others: A citizens’ panel on virtual worlds will already be held in the coming weeks to develop recommendations for the planned Commission initiative. A panel on learning mobility is also scheduled for the spring.

Northern Ireland Protocol: von der Leyen heads to London for talks

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will hold talks in London today to reach a new deal for Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trade relations, both sides announced on Sunday. An agreement on changes to the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol is reportedly close and could be presented to the British Parliament today.

Von der Leyen and Sunak “agreed to continue their work in person towards shared, practical solutions for the range of complex challenges around the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland,” according to a joint statement. London and Brussels have been in talks for months to defuse disputes over Brexit rules for Northern Ireland.

Sunak plans on getting his party and his electorate on track for a deal with the EU. “There’s unfinished business on Brexit and I want to get the job done,” Sunak said in an interview with The Sunday Times. “I’m here all weekend trying to get it done. We’re giving it everything we’ve got.” According to the British news agency PA, MPs from the ruling Conservative party were instructed to attend parliament on Monday. This was interpreted as a sign that Sunak might announce a deal with the EU.

Sunak prepares his party for deal with the EU

The Northern Ireland Protocol is part of the Brexit agreement. It provides for the customs border between the UK and the EU to run in the Irish Sea. The intention was to avoid having to introduce border controls between the UK’s Northern Ireland and the EU member Republic of Ireland. Otherwise, conflict over unification of the two parts of Ireland was expected to flare up again. But the controls also create difficulties for intra-British trade, and Protestant supporters of the Union in Northern Ireland feel isolated from the United Kingdom.

Therefore, the success of an agreement depends on whether Sunak manages to get the largest Protestant Unionist party in Northern Ireland, the DUP, behind him. The DUP has been blocking the formation of a government in the British part of the country for months in protest against the protocol. Sunak also indicated the expected breakthrough in various guest posts over the weekend. “We have to make Brexit work for the whole of the United Kingdom,” he wrote in the conservative Telegraph. According to the paper, opposition is already stirring in his own cabinet and Northern Ireland Secretary Steve Baker is already considering his resignation. In the tabloid “Sun,” Sunak assured readers that he remains a “Brexiteer” despite his presumed compromise with the EU. rtr/dpa

EU passes tenth sanctions package against Russia

The European Union has passed new sanctions against Russia, with export restrictions worth more than 11 billion euros. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of the “most far-reaching sanctions of all time, which are decimating Russia’s war arsenal and deeply interfering with its economy”.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the new sanctions as powerful, but demanded further sanctions against, for example, Russia’s nuclear industry in general. However, EU states such as Hungary are opposing this. Rosatom is building two new reactor units for Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant.

The permanent representatives of the EU states agreed on the new sanctions package on Friday, the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is now the tenth since February last year. It became effective with its publication in the EU Official Journal on Saturday evening.

Specifically, further export bans are now planned for goods that Russian industry cannot obtain via third countries such as China. These include machine parts, antennas, special vehicles and spare parts for trucks and engines. There will also be export restrictions on electronic components that could be used for Russian weapons systems as well as drones, missiles and helicopters. According to the Commission, the EU has now restricted exports worth a total of almost 44 billion euros. That represents almost half of all exports to Russia in the year before the war.

Zelenskiy demands sanctions against Russia’s nuclear industry

Added to this are new import restrictions worth almost 1.3 billion euros on synthetic rubber and bitumen, for example. According to the EU Commission, imports worth more than 90 billion euros are now affected by the import restrictions – around 58 percent of 2021’s imports.

Further action is also to be taken against Russia’s supply of civilian goods that can be used for military purposes, such as drones. According to the EU Commission, sanctions will be imposed on Iranian companies allegedly involved in supplying Russia with drones of the type Shahed and using parts from the EU.

As with previous packages, more individuals and entities accused of undermining or threatening Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence will be sanctioned. They will be barred from entering the EU and any assets they may have in the EU will have to be frozen. Affected are an additional 87 individuals and 34 organizations.

Newly blacklisted are, for example, Alfa Bank, which is considered Russia’s largest privately owned financial institution. In addition, the punitive measures are expected to hit institutions like the Tinkoff Bank and Rosbank. Also included on the sanctions list are deputy ministers, Russian government officials, those responsible for the deportation and forced adoption of Ukrainian children, propagandists and new members of the Russian Federation Council.

Sanctions against further parts of the Wagner Group

In addition, Iranians allegedly involved in the production of drones as well as parts to support the Russian military are sanctioned. Under other sanctions regimes, the EU has now also imposed punitive measures on eleven other members and seven entities linked to Russia’s mercenary force Wagner Group. In an attempt to curb Russian propaganda, RT Arabic and Sputnik Arabic have been banned.

Concerning the potential use for the rebuilding of Ukraine, all frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank as well as other frozen Russian assets in the EU will also have to be reported in the future. Russians will also no longer be allowed to serve on executive bodies of companies in the EU responsible for critical infrastructure such as energy supply. dpa

Scholz and Modi want to expand strategic partnership

During his two-day India visit, his first as head of the German government, Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expand the strategic partnership between India and Germany and to work on a roadmap for innovation and technology. The two countries thus aim to use scientific and technological knowledge for the economic development of both countries and to address global challenges.

The main elements of Indo-German cooperation in the areas of innovation, technology and business and the roadmap are:

Energy partnership and clean technologies: These projects deal with matters related to the just energy transition, energy security, making the energy system more flexible, the massive expansion of renewables, green grids and storage, energy efficiency and low-emission energy systems. They also include large-scale projects such as the green energy corridors and a renewable energy partnership, as well as cooperation between Indian and German companies in the production of electrolyzers and trading in green hydrogen and derivatives.
German-Indian green hydrogen task force: Established in May 2022, the task force aims to make green hydrogen commercially viable. Its purpose is to strengthen cooperation in the production, use, storage and distribution of green hydrogen by creating frameworks for projects, regulations and standards, trade and joint R&D projects.
Cooperation between the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology (DST) and the German Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in the field of green hydrogen in hydrogen energy clusters established by the DST, integration of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft technologies with Indian technologies, and long-term technology development in the fields of renewable energy.

Scholz promises progress on trade agreement

Scholz stressed the importance of economic cooperation between the two countries. The 1800 German companies operating in India have created “tens of thousands of jobs and are among the biggest foreign investors.” This should continue by expanding these investments and massively increasing the number of employees. The two leaders agreed to strengthen the framework and ecosystem for Indo-German business ties to thrive.

The two countries also agreed to intensify cooperation under the Indo-German Quality Infrastructure Working Group and explore the economic potential for startups in India and Germany. Discussions with business leaders from both countries – a business delegation of thirty companies accompanied the Chancellor – focused on digital transformation, FinTech, IT, telecommunications and supply chain diversification.

Scholz pledged to personally advocate a free trade agreement between the EU and India. “We want to strengthen trade relations between the European Union and India,” he said. “That’s why we’re both committed to ensuring that the free trade agreement between our countries finally works out – a very important topic. I will also personally do my best to ensure that this matter does not take as long as it has in the past and that faster progress is made possible.”

India and Germany also agreed to strengthen cooperation within the framework of triangular cooperation for the development of third countries. Urmi Goswami

Boeselager: Council draft on Data Act hinders data exchange

The Greens in the European Parliament expressed fears that the Data Act could prevent rather than promote the shared use of data. This risk exists if the law follows the approach in Chapter II of the current Council draft, says MEP Damian Boeselager (Greens/EFA). Given the “extensive carte blanche from data sharing obligations” granted to data holders by the Council compromise and the very extensive liability regime, the Data Act will fail to achieve its original political goal, he said.

The next meeting of the working group in the Telecommunications Council is scheduled for Tuesday. There, the delegates plan to discuss the fifth compromise on the Data Act, presented by Sweden last week. The fifth compromise could be the last before the Council reaches a general approach. The lead ITRE committee in the EU Parliament has already voted on its proposal.

“In the form discussed in the Council, the Data Act would de jure introduce far-reaching and undirected data suppression rights for data owners,” Boeselager criticizes. From the perspective of users or owners and recipients of data, this would represent a downgrade of the existing legal framework for non-personal data, he said. “We supported the justified and legally clear protection of trade secrets, intellectual property and also certain security concerns in Parliament,” says the MEP. The Council text, however, would open up large areas of legal uncertainty, he added.

As a result, the Data Act would become a “Data Suppression Act,” according to Boeselager, at least for stakeholders without significant legal and financial resources. “The Act will protect very large companies with data law expertise, large legal departments and financial resources that can afford to go to court or engage in private arbitration,” he predicts. Startups, SMEs and companies that have neither the resources nor the legal expertise, on the other hand, would shy away from sharing data. vis

Study: Inconsistent standards and lack of transparency in metal supply chains

Inconsistent standards, lack of transparency and power asymmetries in supply chains weaken the sustainability governance of metal supply chains in the EU. At the same time, current geopolitical challenges and the goal of security of supply also threaten to undermine sustainable supply chain efforts. That is the conclusion of a study published Friday by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), based on analyses of copper supply chains from the Andes and platinum from Southern Africa.

The four authors of the study explore what governance approaches European players can adopt to improve the sustainability of metal supply chains and how they can influence other players and the upstream stages of supply chains. The authors recommend that the EU should take steps to increase transparency, diversify more strategically, and adopt uniform environmental and human rights standards.

According to the study, European companies are heavily dependent on imported metals, as Europe only has very few reserves of its own and recycling has so far not been able to meet demand. Moreover, demand for metals is set to increase significantly in the coming years. The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have highlighted the structural risks of supply chains and the growing geopolitical rivalry for access to metals, the study said.

Security of supply must not take precedence over sustainability

“A succession of recent studies demonstrate that sustainability standards are in fact integral to security of supply, because they prompt corporate and state actors to think more strategically and act to preempt supply chains risks,” the authors write, warning that prioritizing the security of supply over human rights and sustainability would be shortsighted. This is because the technical and geopolitical characteristics of metal supply chains would limit the ability of European stakeholders to influence their sustainability. As customers, they would have no direct influence on the first stages of production such as mining and refining.

The greatest challenges for sustainability governance are said to be, on the one hand, the many and varied standards and their inconsistent and unclear implementation and enforcement. On the other hand, there is an imbalance in the options for exerting influence between individual companies and states on the one hand and civil society and trade unions on the other.

To advance the goal of sustainable and effective supply chains, the authors recommend the EU and member states to:

Implement measures to strengthen diversification, with the goal of reducing overdependence on individual countries such as China.
Reliable partnerships with resource-rich countries that strive for high sustainability standards. Considering the needs of partner countries and providing appropriate support.
Improve transparency and reduce power asymmetries through measures such as promoting multi-stakeholder processes to achieve a “smart mix” of voluntary and mandatory governance instruments. leo

What’s cooking in Brussels? Iranian hour in the European Parliament

As the European Union is looking to Ukraine, Iran is also pushing its way onto the political stage. Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last Shah, is visiting Brussels after 6,000 people from the Iranian diaspora and their allies marched through the city on 20 February calling for democratic rights and more freedom for women in Iran, and for Europe to recognize the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

The protest was supported by MEPs like Abir Al-Sahlani (Renew) and Charlie Weimers (EPP), as well as national parliamentarians like Darya Safai from Belgium, Theo Francken and Alireza Akhondi from Sweden. It was supposed to put pressure on the member states whose foreign ministers were meeting that day in the EU capital.

The European Parliament also called for the IRGC to be listed as a terrorist organization on 18 January: MEPs supported a proposed amendment to the annual foreign policy report calling on the EU and its member states to put the IRGC on the EU’s terror list due to its terrorist activities, repression of protesters and drone deliveries to Russia.

‘Pahlavi does not represent the Iranian diaspora’

So Parliament officially supports some of the demands made by the Iranian diaspora. And what do the representatives of the Iranian diaspora who are living in exile in Brussels say? It is the warmongering IRGC and its paramilitary Basij that have shot, arrested, tortured, raped and brutalized regime opponents at home and abroad for the past four decades, explains Ali Bagheri, a researcher at Thomas More University in Belgium. He left Iran in 2015 after participating in protests in 2009 and has not returned to his home country since. “The two organizations have no popular support,” he says, pointing out that the IRGC is already blacklisted in the US as a foreign terrorist organization.

The European Parliament’s decision sends an important signal, he says. “It is about an institution that represents 450 million people,” Bagheri stresses. But the EU would not do enough, and the presence of Reza Pahlavi in Brussels is the wrong signal.

“Reza Pahlavi does not represent the Iranian diaspora,” says Sourosh Aboutalebi, a political science student in Brussels and an Iranian opposition activist. He left Iran with his family when he was seven and has lived in Belgium ever since. The thousands of Iranians who have marched in North America and Europe, some 80,000 in Berlin in October 2022, and 10,000 in Paris in early February, have made it abundantly clear that they are not looking to the past, but to the future – and to a democratically elected republic, he says.

Criticism of alleged support for the Revolutionary Guard

Aboutalebi says the protestors repeatedly shouted “Down with the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Supreme Leader (Khamenei)” and “No to the Shah! No to the mullahs!”. “This shows that people really don’t see a way back,” he continues. “They want a secular democracy.” Pahlavi’s alleged support for the IRGC has provoked hostility in Iran, he said. “During a talk show on Iran International TV in 2018, he said he was in bilateral contacts with the (regime’s) military, the IRGC, and the Basij. And that they communicate with each other,” said Aboutalebi.

Both Bagheri and Aboutalebi also expressed surprise and disappointment over Reza Pahlavi’s invitation to the recent Munich Security Conference as the purported representative of the Iranian opposition. Especially after 165 congressmen from the two major parties in the US House of Representatives passed a resolution earlier this month supporting the Iranian people’s wish for a democratic, secular, and nuclear-free Republic of Iran.

They say Pahlavi gathered a small group of protesters before the conference. Among the posters the monarchists held was a large photo of the notorious Parviz Sabeti, who is said to have been responsible for the torture of many opposition activists. The Farsi slogan on the poster proclaimed, “Nightmare of the future terrorists.”

‘Europe has not yet decided where it wants to look‘

“It seems that they take the prison keys out of the right pocket to put them in the left pocket,” Bagheri says.

And the people of Iran are not okay with it this time around, it seems. Although nationwide demonstrations have occurred in Iran before – in 2009, in 2017 through early 2018, and another in November 2019 – the current protests are unique in that they involve people from all society, and women taking a leading role under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom,” Aboutalebi explains. He adds that Iran’s education rate is very high and more than 50 percent of women have a university degree.

“I believe that the people of Iran can really build a democratic country in the Middle East and that this will lead to better cooperation between countries in the region and with European countries,” Bagheri says. “And it will be a cooperation based on human rights.” Aboutalebi stresses how hopeful the people of Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria are about the movement that began in Iran. “But Europe has not yet decided where it wants to look,” he says.