Dear reader,
The Green Group in the European Parliament is drawing the first conclusions from the Malte Gallée case. At its meeting in Strasbourg this evening, a roadmap for dealing with the case was agreed. In addition, the internal rules on reports of harassment and sexual harassment are to be reviewed. Immediate measures were also agreed. These include the Group providing additional support to those affected who report a case: They are to be assisted professionally, psychologically and medically. The group will also provide external legal advice.
The parliamentary group also decided on preventative measures. At the beginning of their mandate, MEPs are to be obliged to sign a code of conduct for their work in parliament.
The 30-year-old MEP Gallée, who only entered the European Parliament as a successor in 2022, recently resigned his seat. He had previously been confronted by the Magazine “Stern” with accusations that he had overstepped boundaries with employees. Gallée himself says that he is not aware of any guilt.
The parliamentary group leadership is under pressure because it was also accused in the article by an anonymous source of not having followed up on information from those affected. Group leader Terry Reintke is particularly affected by these accusations. She denounced abuse during the MeToo debate in the European Parliament in 2017 and called for victims to be better protected and acts to be punished more consistently.
Have a great day!
Feature
German abstention in decision on forced labor: ‘The FDP governs to block in the EU’
It is difficult to pass a resolution in the EU Council without Germany, such is the voting weight of the most populous member state. However, Berlin has now been booted out for the second time this week: 24 out of 27 governments voted in favor of the ban on products from forced labor on Wednesday – only Germany, Hungary and Latvia abstained or voted against.
On Monday, Berlin had already found itself in the minority in the vote on the Platform Work Directive, together with Paris. It is possible that further cases will follow on Friday: The Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper1) is then expected to vote on the Packaging Regulation and again on the Supply Chain Directive. According to diplomats, it remains to be seen whether a qualified majority for the CSDDD will be achieved at the third attempt despite German abstention. The ministries involved in Berlin were still struggling to find a common line on the Packaging Ordinance yesterday.
‘FDP governs to block the EU’
In each case, it was FDP federal ministers who forced the German government to abstain. The voting defeats are fueling the debate as to whether the uncompromising course of Christian Lindner or Marco Buschmann serves German interests in Brussels. “It is intolerable for me that the FDP is proceeding according to the motto: govern in order to block in the EU”, says Bernd Lange (SPD), Chairman of the Trade Committee in the European Parliament. “This undermines Germany’s negotiating position.”
Lindner argues that the ban on products from forced labor causes excessive bureaucracy for companies. He is therefore in line with industry associations such as BusinessEurope: the adopted rules are complex and cause higher costs for companies and the responsible authorities, warned Director General Markus Beyrer.
SPD politician Lange disagrees: the legislation is “lean and without bureaucratic overload”. The regulation negotiated last week in the trialogue between the Council and the European Parliament stipulates that goods produced using forced labor may no longer be sold on the EU Internal Market and exported from there.
The commission is to collect information on forced labor risks in a database and also take into account reports, for example from the International Labour Organization (ILO). The focus is on state-initiated forced labor, as is suspected to exist in the Chinese province of Xinjiang. According to the ILO, around 27.6 million people were forced to work in 2021.
‘Cannot solve the coalition’s internal problems’
When it came to the Platform Work Directive, the coalition of the two parties had already realized several months ago that they could not agree on a position – and were therefore left out of the negotiations. “If you can’t compromise, you can’t help shape things“, regretted Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil (SPD) during the vote on Monday.
The other member states are now less willing to address Germany’s concerns: Abstention does have a major impact with regard to the qualified majority, according to the Belgian Council Presidency. “But Germany is not the only member state and we cannot solve the internal problems of the coalition.”
Significant increase in German abstentions
The fact that the Berlin federal government abstains from voting in Brussels due to disagreement between the coalition partners is nothing new in itself – the term “German Vote” has long since become established. However, the number of cases has recently increased significantly compared to previous years. Nicolai von Ondarza, research group leader at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, speaks of a “new quality”.
The SWP researchers keep a database of published votes in the Council. According to this, the Federal Government was only outvoted once in the first two years of the traffic light coalition. In the entire period covered from 2010 to September 2023, Berlin found itself in the minority 28 times, i.e. just under twice a year on average. Over the course of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s term in office, the number of abstentions also fell continuously. It has now risen sharply in recent months.
The long-standing European politician Elmar Brok (CDU) speaks of “arrogance” and a “lack of understanding of European processes”. The coalition partners say that the FDP is obviously trying to show its own core clientele that it has not agreed to unwelcome EU laws. With poll ratings of around five percent, the Liberals are fighting for their core voters, and are obviously doing so where it is particularly visible. Especially as they now have a rival in the form of the CDU/CSU, which is putting forward very similar positions with even more verve.
The FDP, on the other hand, insists that it cannot support the wrong plans – and also points out that it has always been constructive in the reform of European fiscal rules, for example. Lindner was actively involved at an early stage in order to reach a compromise with his French colleague Bruno Le Maire. With Stefan Braun
How Spain’s amnesty law is to be pushed through with reference to Europe
In the dispute over the controversial amnesty law, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has bowed to the demands of Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont. The Socialists (PSOE) and the separatist parties Junts and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) agreed on four important amendments to the law last week. They are to be passed in Congress this Thursday.
These changes are aimed at protecting Puigdemont, who is under investigation for terrorism in the “Tsunami” case and for his links to Russia in the “Voloh” case. The government explained that the new version of the text contains the recommendations of the Venice Commission. The Venice Commission advises the Council of Europe on constitutional issues. In a preliminary report, the body had signaled its willingness to approve the amnesty law.
The new amendments to the amnesty law became necessary from the government’s point of view after Junts voted against an earlier version on Jan. 30. The reason given was that the law did not provide complete protection against terrorism charges and no amnesty in the case of treason. With regard to legal feasibility, reference is now made to the Venice Commission’s preliminary report on amnesty and to European and international law. Among other things, terrorism is defined more narrowly there than in the Spanish legal code.
Expedited proceedings despite criticism from the Venice Commission
Spain’s Justice Minister Félix Bolaños and other PSOE ministers leaked the Venice Commission’s draft in the first week of March. They declared that the amnesty was “fully approved” by the EU body.
However, the Venice Commission’s draft opinion points out several points that conflict with the law and its approval procedure. The EU body warns against rushing the law through without reports from advisory bodies. It also warned that a greater consensus and debate were needed, as the amnesty law had caused a “deep and virulent division” in Spanish society.
This warning contrasts with the support that the amnesty law is likely to receive in Congress on Thursday: 178 of the 350 MPs are expected to support it, two more than the absolute majority. This narrow majority is only possible thanks to the seven separatist Junts MPs.
Reference to European definition of terrorism
The Venice Commission (whose real name is the European Commission for Democracy through Law) emphasizes that it carried out its assessments on the basis of the version of the draft law dated Nov. 13, 2023 and that it therefore does not include the most recent amendments since that date. The Commission traveled to Spain at the beginning of February at the invitation of the Senate to report on the amnesty law. It intends to adopt its final report on the law on March 15.
The amendments to the amnesty law were made on the basis of European and international legislation. In the case of terrorism and treason, the references to the Spanish Criminal Code have been removed. With regard to terrorist offenses the amendment states that acts that “by virtue of their purpose may be classified as terrorism within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2017/541 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017” are excluded from the scope of the amnesty.
As far as the criminal offense of embezzlement is concerned, this “only” falls under the amnesty if it is aimed at financing, covering or facilitating the “procés” and on condition that there is no personal intention to enrich oneself. In total, more than €10 million were embezzled. In addition, there are changes to the temporal scope of the grace period, which is now set from Nov. 1, 2011 to Nov. 13, 2023.
Instrument of reconciliation?
The Venice Commission also pointed out that amnesties are not personalized measures that apply to specific groups of people, so that “the criteria should not be tailored to specific individuals”. The claim of reconciliation is also questioned in the EU institutions’ document: “Amnesties are generally motivated by reasons of social and political reconciliation” and should be achieved through “coherent methods and procedures”.
The Sánchez government repeatedly emphasizes that the aim of the amnesty is reconciliation with Catalonia. However, politicians from the Junts and the ERC have repeatedly disputed this position and stated that the next step after the amnesty would be the declaration of independence.
News
Unforeseen resistance to new ethics authority
The ethics authority for the EU institutions, which has been planned for years, has come dangerously close to reaching its goal. The European Council, the Council and the Group of the European People’s Party, which is important for reaching an agreement in the European Parliament, signaled that they could not support the finalized interinstitutional agreement.
Initially, an agreement was expected in Parliament on Tuesday. It was then said that there were still problems in the Council, so the Permanent Representatives Committee would have to wait on Wednesday. A decision is now expected on Thursday when the heads of the political groups in the European Parliament meet. Coreper could also take up the issue again.
The new ethics committee was originally intended to include representatives from all nine major EU institutions and draw up common ethical standards. When presenting a proposal last year, the responsible EU Commissioner Věra Jourová explained that they wanted to discuss the acceptance of gifts, payment for trips abroad and meetings with lobbyists.
CDU politician sees separation of powers disregarded
However, the agreement reached after eight months of negotiations has met with surprising resistance. The agreement is “a frontal attack on Parliament and poorly crafted”, explained Sven Simon (CDU), constitutional policy spokesman for the EPP parliamentary group. The planned location of the authority at the EU Commission turns the constitutional principle of the separation of powers on its head.
The Council spoke of a “lack of unity”. The planned agreement would not allow the EU states to effectively participate in the development of minimum ethical standards. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, also withdrew from the talks on similar grounds. It is unclear whether there is still a possibility of resuming the talks. Without the Council and the European Council, the new “Ethics Body” makes little sense – after all, they are the most powerful EU bodies alongside the Commission and Parliament. ebo
- Europäischer Rat
- Europäisches Parlament
AI Act: Parliament approves
Clear vote: In the vote on the AI Act in the European Parliament on Wednesday, 523 MEPs voted in favor of the compromise text. Only 46 MEPs voted against the AI Act, with 49 abstentions. “Thanks to the Parliament, unacceptable AI practices will be banned in Europe and the rights of workers and citizens will be protected”, said Brando Benifei (S&D), one of the two rapporteurs.
However, parliamentarians were unable to push through the complete ban on remote biometric identification in public spaces. However, MEPs ensured that generative artificial intelligence was also included in the regulation. There was much controversy over the question of whether European regulation is slowing down innovation and deterring AI companies.
Wissing wants to use scope for innovation
“Instead of protecting us from a high-tech surveillance state, the AI Act meticulously regulates how to introduce it”, criticized MEP Patrick Breyer (Pirate Party). As important as it is to regulate AI technology, it is also important to defend democracy against the establishment of a surveillance state.
FDP MEP Svenja Hahn also regretted that the MEPs were unable to achieve a ban on real-time biometric surveillance against the member states. It is now necessary to work to ensure “that national governments do not misuse artificial intelligence for surveillance and that innovation has a home in Europe”. Member states can introduce stricter rules than those provided for in the AI Act. Minister Volker Wissing announced that “maximum leeway for innovation will be used” in national implementation.
It is particularly important to the digital association Bitkom that no patchwork of individual national regulations is created in Europe. “The German government must not repeat the mistakes of the General Data Protection Regulation and tighten the national regulatory corset so tightly that companies lack the freedom to innovate”, said Bitkom President Ralf Wintergerst.
Job advertisements for AI Office are already online
According to Commissioner Thierry Breton, he is already in the process of setting up the AI Office within his departments. The first job advertisements for technical experts have already been published. The AI Office will begin its work shortly after the AI Act comes into force.
The law still needs to be translated into all EU languages. Breton assumes that the Council will be able to give its formal approval in April. The law will then be published in the Official Journal in May. It will then come into force in stages: bans after six months (i.e. before the end of 2024), regulations for AI models for general purposes after twelve months (i.e. by 2025) and most other regulations after two years (i.e. by 2026). vis
Media freedom law adopted in European Parliament
The plenary of the European Parliament has adopted the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) by a large majority. Among other things, this means that new transparency obligations for media ownership, media-specific rules for moderating content on social media platforms and additional minimum standards for the rule of law when monitoring journalists will come into force in six months.
With the Media Freedom Act, the EU also wants to achieve closer cooperation between media regulators in the member states. The first articles will apply in three months.
During the negotiations, the European Parliament struggled with the compromise text for a long time. In particular, the many concessions made to the member states caused many MEPs to frown and protest loudly. For very different reasons, the EU member states and the German federal states had partly rejected the restriction of surveillance powers and partly the regulations on state funding of the media. In addition, there was criticism of the regulations on direct and indirect ownership of media and criticism of possible interference in public broadcasting. Some of the demands were conceded in the compromise text.
Journalist organizations welcomed the new regulations, but called on the member states to go beyond the rules of the regulation to better protect the media and their freedom. Before the EMFA comes into force, the member states still have to give their approval. Significant parts of the EMFA, which was formally adopted as a regulation, must then be implemented in national law, which is why critics also refer to it as a “regulective”. fst
EU states agree on financing weapons for Ukraine
After months of negotiations, the EU states have agreed to continue the joint financing of military equipment for Ukraine. According to the agreement reached in Brussels on Wednesday, the move will guarantee the delivery of weapons, ammunition and other goods worth at least €5 billion, according to the current Belgian EU Council Presidency and diplomats.
Specifically, there are plans to provide the European Peace Facility (EFF) with additional funds. This financial instrument can be used to reimburse EU member states for expenses incurred for military support for Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia, and to pay for joint orders.
Difficult negotiations
The negotiations were particularly difficult due to demands from Germany and France. The German government only gave the necessary approval after it was agreed that bilateral support for Ukraine would be taken into account in the future when making the necessary payments to the peace facility. Berlin had previously argued that bilateral aid could often be provided more quickly and efficiently. The German government also pointed out that Hungary has been blocking planned disbursements from remaining Peace Facility funds for months and could theoretically continue to do so in the future, as it requires the approval of all member states for all disbursement decisions. The new rules should now make it possible for about half of bilateral aid to be offset against the EU financial contribution.
The German EU Ambassador Michael Clauß described the agreement on Wednesday evening as “good news for Ukraine”. He said it would enable the particularly fast and unbureaucratic bilateral delivery of military equipment as part of the EU’s support for Ukraine. dpa
EU Parliament puts brakes on extended free trade with Ukraine
The plenary of the EU Parliament voted in favor of another year of free trade with Ukraine on Wednesday evening. However, MEPs voted in favor of several amendments that extend protective measures for agricultural imports . This delays the process because negotiations with the member states will be necessary.
The current regulation on duty-free and quota-free trade with Ukraine expires at the beginning of June. If the new law is not negotiated and adopted in time, quotas and customs duties would automatically come back into force. The responsible trade committee and the national ambassadors had therefore voted in favor of the Commission proposal without amendments in order to save time.
Emergency brake also for grain
The emergency brake proposed by the Commission emergency brake for imports of chicken meat, eggs and sugar proposed by the Commission is to be extended to cereals and honey. Farmers’ associations and the Committee on Agriculture had called for this, but Ukraine rejects such a step.
MEPs also want to apply the emergency brake from a lower import volume than proposed. The value should be based on the average import volume for the years 2021 to 2023, instead of just 2022 and 2023. This would allow the safeguard measures to take effect more quickly, but the threshold would be lowered less than the Agriculture Committee had called for.
EU Commission only in favor of non-binding concessions
It was eagerly awaited whether the Commission would accompany the proposal with concessions in order to convince critics. However, Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who appeared before the plenary before the vote, limited himself to non-binding assurances.
The Commission would monitor the grain markets “particularly closely” and intervene in future if necessary, he assured MEPs. This was apparently not enough for MEPs to refrain from extending the safeguard measures to cereals. jd
European Parliament adopts Euro 7 emissions standard
The European Parliament has approved the political compromise on the Euro 7 emissions standard. Euro 7 is to apply to cars, vans, buses and heavy commercial vehicles. For the first time, there are also limit values for brake and tire wear, meaning that battery electric vehicles will also be regulated by the standard.
There are also minimum requirements for the durability of batteries. For cars and vans, the Euro 6 test conditions have been continued so that no new burdens are placed on manufacturers. The limit values for buses and heavy commercial vehicles have been tightened. This applies in particular to nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. The Council still has to approve the political compromise. mgr
- EU Parliament
- Europäisches Parlament
Brussels debates potential import ban on Chinese recycling plastic
In Brussels, a clause in the proposed EU packaging regulations is being hotly debated: The requirement stipulates that manufacturers in China and elsewhere around the world would be obligated to adhere to the standards for recycled plastic packaging applicable in Europe. If recycled plastic from China does not meet the same standards demanded by manufacturers in the EU, access to the EU market would be denied.
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce to the EU urged on Wednesday “the need to keep an eye on potential trade disruptions and cost increases due to excessively strict packaging requirements”. The Chamber emphasized that the “principles of fairness and non-discrimination” must be upheld and “no market barriers” should be erected.
The EU Parliament and EU Council agreed on the packaging regulation last week. France is said to have insisted on the “equivalence criteria”, also known as the “mirror clause”, which pertains to recycled plastic from EU countries abroad.
The European Commission is also reportedly not entirely supportive of the proposal with the clause from the Parliament and Council. According to a South China Morning Post report, an EU official described it as a “de facto ban”. Consequently, the EU Commission seeks to persuade the other two EU institutions to drop the “mirror clause” in order to avoid accusations of protectionism from the Global South. ari
- China
- Climate & Environment
- EU
- Packaging
- Trade
EU Parliament wants rapid customs reform
On Wednesday, Parliament voted in favor of Irish EPP MEP Deirdre Clune’s report on European customs reform. Parliament’s negotiating mandate was approved with 486 votes in favor, 19 against and 97 abstentions.
The EU Commission presented its proposal for the customs reform in May 2023. Its aim is to gradually replace the current 189 national IT systems of the customs authorities with a central European IT system, the so-called EU Customs Data Hub, by 2038. The Commission also wants to create a new EU customs authority. It will manage the Customs Data Hub and ensure coordination between the national customs authorities.
The proposal is intended to simplify the system for importers, for example by allowing certain traders to obtain the status of “Trusted Trader”, which should make it much easier to deal with customs. The EU Commission also wants to use this reform to combat fraud. According to Commission estimates, the value of two-thirds (65%) of all imports into the EU is under-declared. This is also in the Commission’s own interest, as 75% of European customs revenue flows into the EU budget as EU own resources.
Parliament wants faster implementation
In its position, the Parliament has deviated from the Commission’s proposal, particularly with regard to the timeline. Instead of 2038, the EU Customs Data Hub should be fully implemented by 2033. And companies should be able to use the Data Hub voluntarily from 2030, not from 2033 as proposed by the Commission.
The member states are in less of a hurry. A Council official said that the member states were still busy examining the Commission proposal. Under the Belgian Council Presidency, an agreement on a general approach of the Council is not yet to be expected. jaa
New European Bauhaus: €400 million for research by 2027
The New European Bauhaus (NEB) will receive the sum of 40 million euros from the Horizon Europe research budget in 2024. According to information from Table.Briefings, this is what the Commission plans for the NEB. The New European Bauhaus is an initiative of the Commission to apply the Green Deal to construction or textile production, for example, and thus link it to people’s lives.
In the years 2025 to 2027, €120 million are to be made available from Horizon Europe for research activities. In addition, similar annual sums are to be mobilized for non-research NEB activities in the EU budget. The so-called NEB Facility is the basic framework for the financial support of the NEB in the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
In terms of content, the aim is to develop a catalog of NEB criteria for construction projects. The initiative is based on the motto: “Beautiful, sustainable, together”. If there are measurable criteria for construction projects, criteria for the NEB production of textiles should then be developed.
Green Deal and construction and textile production
The NEB is based on an idea by climate researcher Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber, which Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took up in her 2020 State of the Union address: “I want to launch a wave of clean-ups and make our Union a leader in the circular economy.” This is not just an environmental and economic project. “It must become a cultural product of Europe.”
So far, the EU has spent around €250 million on the NEB. The NEB is not assigned to a specialist Directorate-General, but is part of the horizontal Joint Research Center (JRC), which is the Commission’s think tank. In July, the Commission announced that it would finance the NEB via an “EU mission in Horizon Europe”. A sixth mission was to be established for the NEB. However, the proposal met with resistance from the member states. The Commission has now reached an agreement with the member states on financing via the Facility. mgr
Europe.Table editorial team
EUROPE.TABLE EDITORIAL OFFICE
Dear reader,
The Green Group in the European Parliament is drawing the first conclusions from the Malte Gallée case. At its meeting in Strasbourg this evening, a roadmap for dealing with the case was agreed. In addition, the internal rules on reports of harassment and sexual harassment are to be reviewed. Immediate measures were also agreed. These include the Group providing additional support to those affected who report a case: They are to be assisted professionally, psychologically and medically. The group will also provide external legal advice.
The parliamentary group also decided on preventative measures. At the beginning of their mandate, MEPs are to be obliged to sign a code of conduct for their work in parliament.
The 30-year-old MEP Gallée, who only entered the European Parliament as a successor in 2022, recently resigned his seat. He had previously been confronted by the Magazine “Stern” with accusations that he had overstepped boundaries with employees. Gallée himself says that he is not aware of any guilt.
The parliamentary group leadership is under pressure because it was also accused in the article by an anonymous source of not having followed up on information from those affected. Group leader Terry Reintke is particularly affected by these accusations. She denounced abuse during the MeToo debate in the European Parliament in 2017 and called for victims to be better protected and acts to be punished more consistently.
Have a great day!
Feature
German abstention in decision on forced labor: ‘The FDP governs to block in the EU’
It is difficult to pass a resolution in the EU Council without Germany, such is the voting weight of the most populous member state. However, Berlin has now been booted out for the second time this week: 24 out of 27 governments voted in favor of the ban on products from forced labor on Wednesday – only Germany, Hungary and Latvia abstained or voted against.
On Monday, Berlin had already found itself in the minority in the vote on the Platform Work Directive, together with Paris. It is possible that further cases will follow on Friday: The Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper1) is then expected to vote on the Packaging Regulation and again on the Supply Chain Directive. According to diplomats, it remains to be seen whether a qualified majority for the CSDDD will be achieved at the third attempt despite German abstention. The ministries involved in Berlin were still struggling to find a common line on the Packaging Ordinance yesterday.
‘FDP governs to block the EU’
In each case, it was FDP federal ministers who forced the German government to abstain. The voting defeats are fueling the debate as to whether the uncompromising course of Christian Lindner or Marco Buschmann serves German interests in Brussels. “It is intolerable for me that the FDP is proceeding according to the motto: govern in order to block in the EU”, says Bernd Lange (SPD), Chairman of the Trade Committee in the European Parliament. “This undermines Germany’s negotiating position.”
Lindner argues that the ban on products from forced labor causes excessive bureaucracy for companies. He is therefore in line with industry associations such as BusinessEurope: the adopted rules are complex and cause higher costs for companies and the responsible authorities, warned Director General Markus Beyrer.
SPD politician Lange disagrees: the legislation is “lean and without bureaucratic overload”. The regulation negotiated last week in the trialogue between the Council and the European Parliament stipulates that goods produced using forced labor may no longer be sold on the EU Internal Market and exported from there.
The commission is to collect information on forced labor risks in a database and also take into account reports, for example from the International Labour Organization (ILO). The focus is on state-initiated forced labor, as is suspected to exist in the Chinese province of Xinjiang. According to the ILO, around 27.6 million people were forced to work in 2021.
‘Cannot solve the coalition’s internal problems’
When it came to the Platform Work Directive, the coalition of the two parties had already realized several months ago that they could not agree on a position – and were therefore left out of the negotiations. “If you can’t compromise, you can’t help shape things“, regretted Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil (SPD) during the vote on Monday.
The other member states are now less willing to address Germany’s concerns: Abstention does have a major impact with regard to the qualified majority, according to the Belgian Council Presidency. “But Germany is not the only member state and we cannot solve the internal problems of the coalition.”
Significant increase in German abstentions
The fact that the Berlin federal government abstains from voting in Brussels due to disagreement between the coalition partners is nothing new in itself – the term “German Vote” has long since become established. However, the number of cases has recently increased significantly compared to previous years. Nicolai von Ondarza, research group leader at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, speaks of a “new quality”.
The SWP researchers keep a database of published votes in the Council. According to this, the Federal Government was only outvoted once in the first two years of the traffic light coalition. In the entire period covered from 2010 to September 2023, Berlin found itself in the minority 28 times, i.e. just under twice a year on average. Over the course of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s term in office, the number of abstentions also fell continuously. It has now risen sharply in recent months.
The long-standing European politician Elmar Brok (CDU) speaks of “arrogance” and a “lack of understanding of European processes”. The coalition partners say that the FDP is obviously trying to show its own core clientele that it has not agreed to unwelcome EU laws. With poll ratings of around five percent, the Liberals are fighting for their core voters, and are obviously doing so where it is particularly visible. Especially as they now have a rival in the form of the CDU/CSU, which is putting forward very similar positions with even more verve.
The FDP, on the other hand, insists that it cannot support the wrong plans – and also points out that it has always been constructive in the reform of European fiscal rules, for example. Lindner was actively involved at an early stage in order to reach a compromise with his French colleague Bruno Le Maire. With Stefan Braun
How Spain’s amnesty law is to be pushed through with reference to Europe
In the dispute over the controversial amnesty law, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has bowed to the demands of Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont. The Socialists (PSOE) and the separatist parties Junts and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) agreed on four important amendments to the law last week. They are to be passed in Congress this Thursday.
These changes are aimed at protecting Puigdemont, who is under investigation for terrorism in the “Tsunami” case and for his links to Russia in the “Voloh” case. The government explained that the new version of the text contains the recommendations of the Venice Commission. The Venice Commission advises the Council of Europe on constitutional issues. In a preliminary report, the body had signaled its willingness to approve the amnesty law.
The new amendments to the amnesty law became necessary from the government’s point of view after Junts voted against an earlier version on Jan. 30. The reason given was that the law did not provide complete protection against terrorism charges and no amnesty in the case of treason. With regard to legal feasibility, reference is now made to the Venice Commission’s preliminary report on amnesty and to European and international law. Among other things, terrorism is defined more narrowly there than in the Spanish legal code.
Expedited proceedings despite criticism from the Venice Commission
Spain’s Justice Minister Félix Bolaños and other PSOE ministers leaked the Venice Commission’s draft in the first week of March. They declared that the amnesty was “fully approved” by the EU body.
However, the Venice Commission’s draft opinion points out several points that conflict with the law and its approval procedure. The EU body warns against rushing the law through without reports from advisory bodies. It also warned that a greater consensus and debate were needed, as the amnesty law had caused a “deep and virulent division” in Spanish society.
This warning contrasts with the support that the amnesty law is likely to receive in Congress on Thursday: 178 of the 350 MPs are expected to support it, two more than the absolute majority. This narrow majority is only possible thanks to the seven separatist Junts MPs.
Reference to European definition of terrorism
The Venice Commission (whose real name is the European Commission for Democracy through Law) emphasizes that it carried out its assessments on the basis of the version of the draft law dated Nov. 13, 2023 and that it therefore does not include the most recent amendments since that date. The Commission traveled to Spain at the beginning of February at the invitation of the Senate to report on the amnesty law. It intends to adopt its final report on the law on March 15.
The amendments to the amnesty law were made on the basis of European and international legislation. In the case of terrorism and treason, the references to the Spanish Criminal Code have been removed. With regard to terrorist offenses the amendment states that acts that “by virtue of their purpose may be classified as terrorism within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2017/541 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017” are excluded from the scope of the amnesty.
As far as the criminal offense of embezzlement is concerned, this “only” falls under the amnesty if it is aimed at financing, covering or facilitating the “procés” and on condition that there is no personal intention to enrich oneself. In total, more than €10 million were embezzled. In addition, there are changes to the temporal scope of the grace period, which is now set from Nov. 1, 2011 to Nov. 13, 2023.
Instrument of reconciliation?
The Venice Commission also pointed out that amnesties are not personalized measures that apply to specific groups of people, so that “the criteria should not be tailored to specific individuals”. The claim of reconciliation is also questioned in the EU institutions’ document: “Amnesties are generally motivated by reasons of social and political reconciliation” and should be achieved through “coherent methods and procedures”.
The Sánchez government repeatedly emphasizes that the aim of the amnesty is reconciliation with Catalonia. However, politicians from the Junts and the ERC have repeatedly disputed this position and stated that the next step after the amnesty would be the declaration of independence.
News
Unforeseen resistance to new ethics authority
The ethics authority for the EU institutions, which has been planned for years, has come dangerously close to reaching its goal. The European Council, the Council and the Group of the European People’s Party, which is important for reaching an agreement in the European Parliament, signaled that they could not support the finalized interinstitutional agreement.
Initially, an agreement was expected in Parliament on Tuesday. It was then said that there were still problems in the Council, so the Permanent Representatives Committee would have to wait on Wednesday. A decision is now expected on Thursday when the heads of the political groups in the European Parliament meet. Coreper could also take up the issue again.
The new ethics committee was originally intended to include representatives from all nine major EU institutions and draw up common ethical standards. When presenting a proposal last year, the responsible EU Commissioner Věra Jourová explained that they wanted to discuss the acceptance of gifts, payment for trips abroad and meetings with lobbyists.
CDU politician sees separation of powers disregarded
However, the agreement reached after eight months of negotiations has met with surprising resistance. The agreement is “a frontal attack on Parliament and poorly crafted”, explained Sven Simon (CDU), constitutional policy spokesman for the EPP parliamentary group. The planned location of the authority at the EU Commission turns the constitutional principle of the separation of powers on its head.
The Council spoke of a “lack of unity”. The planned agreement would not allow the EU states to effectively participate in the development of minimum ethical standards. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, also withdrew from the talks on similar grounds. It is unclear whether there is still a possibility of resuming the talks. Without the Council and the European Council, the new “Ethics Body” makes little sense – after all, they are the most powerful EU bodies alongside the Commission and Parliament. ebo
- Europäischer Rat
- Europäisches Parlament
AI Act: Parliament approves
Clear vote: In the vote on the AI Act in the European Parliament on Wednesday, 523 MEPs voted in favor of the compromise text. Only 46 MEPs voted against the AI Act, with 49 abstentions. “Thanks to the Parliament, unacceptable AI practices will be banned in Europe and the rights of workers and citizens will be protected”, said Brando Benifei (S&D), one of the two rapporteurs.
However, parliamentarians were unable to push through the complete ban on remote biometric identification in public spaces. However, MEPs ensured that generative artificial intelligence was also included in the regulation. There was much controversy over the question of whether European regulation is slowing down innovation and deterring AI companies.
Wissing wants to use scope for innovation
“Instead of protecting us from a high-tech surveillance state, the AI Act meticulously regulates how to introduce it”, criticized MEP Patrick Breyer (Pirate Party). As important as it is to regulate AI technology, it is also important to defend democracy against the establishment of a surveillance state.
FDP MEP Svenja Hahn also regretted that the MEPs were unable to achieve a ban on real-time biometric surveillance against the member states. It is now necessary to work to ensure “that national governments do not misuse artificial intelligence for surveillance and that innovation has a home in Europe”. Member states can introduce stricter rules than those provided for in the AI Act. Minister Volker Wissing announced that “maximum leeway for innovation will be used” in national implementation.
It is particularly important to the digital association Bitkom that no patchwork of individual national regulations is created in Europe. “The German government must not repeat the mistakes of the General Data Protection Regulation and tighten the national regulatory corset so tightly that companies lack the freedom to innovate”, said Bitkom President Ralf Wintergerst.
Job advertisements for AI Office are already online
According to Commissioner Thierry Breton, he is already in the process of setting up the AI Office within his departments. The first job advertisements for technical experts have already been published. The AI Office will begin its work shortly after the AI Act comes into force.
The law still needs to be translated into all EU languages. Breton assumes that the Council will be able to give its formal approval in April. The law will then be published in the Official Journal in May. It will then come into force in stages: bans after six months (i.e. before the end of 2024), regulations for AI models for general purposes after twelve months (i.e. by 2025) and most other regulations after two years (i.e. by 2026). vis
Media freedom law adopted in European Parliament
The plenary of the European Parliament has adopted the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) by a large majority. Among other things, this means that new transparency obligations for media ownership, media-specific rules for moderating content on social media platforms and additional minimum standards for the rule of law when monitoring journalists will come into force in six months.
With the Media Freedom Act, the EU also wants to achieve closer cooperation between media regulators in the member states. The first articles will apply in three months.
During the negotiations, the European Parliament struggled with the compromise text for a long time. In particular, the many concessions made to the member states caused many MEPs to frown and protest loudly. For very different reasons, the EU member states and the German federal states had partly rejected the restriction of surveillance powers and partly the regulations on state funding of the media. In addition, there was criticism of the regulations on direct and indirect ownership of media and criticism of possible interference in public broadcasting. Some of the demands were conceded in the compromise text.
Journalist organizations welcomed the new regulations, but called on the member states to go beyond the rules of the regulation to better protect the media and their freedom. Before the EMFA comes into force, the member states still have to give their approval. Significant parts of the EMFA, which was formally adopted as a regulation, must then be implemented in national law, which is why critics also refer to it as a “regulective”. fst
EU states agree on financing weapons for Ukraine
After months of negotiations, the EU states have agreed to continue the joint financing of military equipment for Ukraine. According to the agreement reached in Brussels on Wednesday, the move will guarantee the delivery of weapons, ammunition and other goods worth at least €5 billion, according to the current Belgian EU Council Presidency and diplomats.
Specifically, there are plans to provide the European Peace Facility (EFF) with additional funds. This financial instrument can be used to reimburse EU member states for expenses incurred for military support for Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia, and to pay for joint orders.
Difficult negotiations
The negotiations were particularly difficult due to demands from Germany and France. The German government only gave the necessary approval after it was agreed that bilateral support for Ukraine would be taken into account in the future when making the necessary payments to the peace facility. Berlin had previously argued that bilateral aid could often be provided more quickly and efficiently. The German government also pointed out that Hungary has been blocking planned disbursements from remaining Peace Facility funds for months and could theoretically continue to do so in the future, as it requires the approval of all member states for all disbursement decisions. The new rules should now make it possible for about half of bilateral aid to be offset against the EU financial contribution.
The German EU Ambassador Michael Clauß described the agreement on Wednesday evening as “good news for Ukraine”. He said it would enable the particularly fast and unbureaucratic bilateral delivery of military equipment as part of the EU’s support for Ukraine. dpa
EU Parliament puts brakes on extended free trade with Ukraine
The plenary of the EU Parliament voted in favor of another year of free trade with Ukraine on Wednesday evening. However, MEPs voted in favor of several amendments that extend protective measures for agricultural imports . This delays the process because negotiations with the member states will be necessary.
The current regulation on duty-free and quota-free trade with Ukraine expires at the beginning of June. If the new law is not negotiated and adopted in time, quotas and customs duties would automatically come back into force. The responsible trade committee and the national ambassadors had therefore voted in favor of the Commission proposal without amendments in order to save time.
Emergency brake also for grain
The emergency brake proposed by the Commission emergency brake for imports of chicken meat, eggs and sugar proposed by the Commission is to be extended to cereals and honey. Farmers’ associations and the Committee on Agriculture had called for this, but Ukraine rejects such a step.
MEPs also want to apply the emergency brake from a lower import volume than proposed. The value should be based on the average import volume for the years 2021 to 2023, instead of just 2022 and 2023. This would allow the safeguard measures to take effect more quickly, but the threshold would be lowered less than the Agriculture Committee had called for.
EU Commission only in favor of non-binding concessions
It was eagerly awaited whether the Commission would accompany the proposal with concessions in order to convince critics. However, Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who appeared before the plenary before the vote, limited himself to non-binding assurances.
The Commission would monitor the grain markets “particularly closely” and intervene in future if necessary, he assured MEPs. This was apparently not enough for MEPs to refrain from extending the safeguard measures to cereals. jd
European Parliament adopts Euro 7 emissions standard
The European Parliament has approved the political compromise on the Euro 7 emissions standard. Euro 7 is to apply to cars, vans, buses and heavy commercial vehicles. For the first time, there are also limit values for brake and tire wear, meaning that battery electric vehicles will also be regulated by the standard.
There are also minimum requirements for the durability of batteries. For cars and vans, the Euro 6 test conditions have been continued so that no new burdens are placed on manufacturers. The limit values for buses and heavy commercial vehicles have been tightened. This applies in particular to nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. The Council still has to approve the political compromise. mgr
- EU Parliament
- Europäisches Parlament
Brussels debates potential import ban on Chinese recycling plastic
In Brussels, a clause in the proposed EU packaging regulations is being hotly debated: The requirement stipulates that manufacturers in China and elsewhere around the world would be obligated to adhere to the standards for recycled plastic packaging applicable in Europe. If recycled plastic from China does not meet the same standards demanded by manufacturers in the EU, access to the EU market would be denied.
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce to the EU urged on Wednesday “the need to keep an eye on potential trade disruptions and cost increases due to excessively strict packaging requirements”. The Chamber emphasized that the “principles of fairness and non-discrimination” must be upheld and “no market barriers” should be erected.
The EU Parliament and EU Council agreed on the packaging regulation last week. France is said to have insisted on the “equivalence criteria”, also known as the “mirror clause”, which pertains to recycled plastic from EU countries abroad.
The European Commission is also reportedly not entirely supportive of the proposal with the clause from the Parliament and Council. According to a South China Morning Post report, an EU official described it as a “de facto ban”. Consequently, the EU Commission seeks to persuade the other two EU institutions to drop the “mirror clause” in order to avoid accusations of protectionism from the Global South. ari
- China
- Climate & Environment
- EU
- Packaging
- Trade
EU Parliament wants rapid customs reform
On Wednesday, Parliament voted in favor of Irish EPP MEP Deirdre Clune’s report on European customs reform. Parliament’s negotiating mandate was approved with 486 votes in favor, 19 against and 97 abstentions.
The EU Commission presented its proposal for the customs reform in May 2023. Its aim is to gradually replace the current 189 national IT systems of the customs authorities with a central European IT system, the so-called EU Customs Data Hub, by 2038. The Commission also wants to create a new EU customs authority. It will manage the Customs Data Hub and ensure coordination between the national customs authorities.
The proposal is intended to simplify the system for importers, for example by allowing certain traders to obtain the status of “Trusted Trader”, which should make it much easier to deal with customs. The EU Commission also wants to use this reform to combat fraud. According to Commission estimates, the value of two-thirds (65%) of all imports into the EU is under-declared. This is also in the Commission’s own interest, as 75% of European customs revenue flows into the EU budget as EU own resources.
Parliament wants faster implementation
In its position, the Parliament has deviated from the Commission’s proposal, particularly with regard to the timeline. Instead of 2038, the EU Customs Data Hub should be fully implemented by 2033. And companies should be able to use the Data Hub voluntarily from 2030, not from 2033 as proposed by the Commission.
The member states are in less of a hurry. A Council official said that the member states were still busy examining the Commission proposal. Under the Belgian Council Presidency, an agreement on a general approach of the Council is not yet to be expected. jaa
New European Bauhaus: €400 million for research by 2027
The New European Bauhaus (NEB) will receive the sum of 40 million euros from the Horizon Europe research budget in 2024. According to information from Table.Briefings, this is what the Commission plans for the NEB. The New European Bauhaus is an initiative of the Commission to apply the Green Deal to construction or textile production, for example, and thus link it to people’s lives.
In the years 2025 to 2027, €120 million are to be made available from Horizon Europe for research activities. In addition, similar annual sums are to be mobilized for non-research NEB activities in the EU budget. The so-called NEB Facility is the basic framework for the financial support of the NEB in the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
In terms of content, the aim is to develop a catalog of NEB criteria for construction projects. The initiative is based on the motto: “Beautiful, sustainable, together”. If there are measurable criteria for construction projects, criteria for the NEB production of textiles should then be developed.
Green Deal and construction and textile production
The NEB is based on an idea by climate researcher Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber, which Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took up in her 2020 State of the Union address: “I want to launch a wave of clean-ups and make our Union a leader in the circular economy.” This is not just an environmental and economic project. “It must become a cultural product of Europe.”
So far, the EU has spent around €250 million on the NEB. The NEB is not assigned to a specialist Directorate-General, but is part of the horizontal Joint Research Center (JRC), which is the Commission’s think tank. In July, the Commission announced that it would finance the NEB via an “EU mission in Horizon Europe”. A sixth mission was to be established for the NEB. However, the proposal met with resistance from the member states. The Commission has now reached an agreement with the member states on financing via the Facility. mgr
Europe.Table editorial team
EUROPE.TABLE EDITORIAL OFFICE
