Enlargement Commissioner intelligent transport systems Page 5 … · 2020. 4. 7. · Christina Berta, Aïda Boghossian, Betty Jackson, Michèle Morsa. Agenda, layout and website:

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EPP

Conservatives torn between Jerzy Buzek and Mario Mauro

The Pole Jerzy Buzek or the Italian Mario Mauro? The European People’s Party (EPP), holding its congress in Warsaw, on 29 and 30 April, decided to await the outcome of the European elections, on 4 to 7 June, to choose the name of the likely next president of the European Parliament.

Many of the MEPs questioned in the corridors of the Palace of Culture and Science, a symbolic setting in the heart of the Polish capital, preferred not to forecast the results, saying “7 June is not behind us yet”.

Yet, the bargaining has already begun. If the two largest groups, the EPP-ED

and the PES, decide in June to conclude another agreement for sharing the EP presidency, as they did for the 2004-2009 legislative period, the Conservatives are expected to take the first turn this time.

The Socialists took the first round during the present period, with Spain’s Josep Borrell in command from July 2004 to December 2006, followed by German Conservative Hans-Gert Pötter-ing, from January 2007 to June 2009.

Avoiding A voteFor the next assembly, there is already

talk of a ticket made up of Jerzy Buzek (EPP-ED, Poland) and Martin Schulz (PES, Germany). Buzek is from the Civic Platform,

By Célia Sampol in Warsaw

FoCuS

InForMal TranSPorT CounCIlMinisters want interoperable intelligent transport systems Page 5

HEalTH CounCIlMexican flu: EU ponders travel ban Page 10

InTErvIEW Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn Page 24

The European affairs daily Monday 4 May 2009 N° 3745 37th year

Juncker on his way out?The Eurogroup President, Luxembourg’s Jean-Claude Juncker, could give up his position after the legislative elections in June, announced a spokesman, who rejected any connection with Franco-German criticisms of Luxembourg’s banking secrecy. Juncker is currently prime minister and finance minister of Luxembourg and has headed the Euro-group since 2005. “He advised his part-ners, in September 2008 in Nice, at the informal Ecofin summit when he was re-elected to the Eurogroup presidency for a third term, that there would be leg-islative elections in June 2009 in Luxem-bourg,” his spokesman told the French news agency AFP. “The election means he cannot guarantee that he will be in a position to complete his Eurogroup term because he cannot be certain of being the finance minister in the next government,” he added.The spokesman reacted to an article published in the Handelsblatt, quot-ing diplomatic sources in Brussels to the effect that Juncker was considering stepping down from the Eurogroup pres-idency because he was fed up with the incessant conflicts with the French and German governments, especially over banking secrecy. Juncker had criticised the fact that this subject was discussed at the G20, where his country is not represented, unlike France and Germany.

(continued on page 9)

Buzek (left) and Mauro

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Contents n° �745 Top Stories

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Business & competitivenessCompetition: Report highlights usefulness of anti-trust regulation ..........4

Financial services, banks, insuranceBanking: Coreper agrees on 5% capital retention ................................4

Sectoral policiesInformal Transport Council: Ministers want interoperable intelligent transport systems ...................5Research: Positive progress report for 7th framework programme ................5Agriculture: Flu epidemic worries ailing pork sector ........................6Geographical indications: EU executive prepares ground for overhaul of legislation .............................7

InstitutionsEU ombudsman: Consultation on Commission’s early warning system .......7European elections: EPP slowly evolves towards new identity ...................8

EPP: Conservatives torn between Jerzy Buzek and Mario Mauro ...............1

Social affairsHealth Council: Mexican flu: EU ponders travel ban .........................10

Economic & monetary affairs, taxationEconomy: EU indicators rebound from March lows ....................11Unemployment: EU jobless total tops 20 million ..............................11

Defence & securityArms transfers: Report singles out absence of post-export controls .............12EUNAVFOR Atalanta: Surprise change at head of EU anti-piracy mission ............12

External relationsEU/Japan: No climate change breakthrough expected at Prague summit .................................13Energy: EU hesitant on Russia’s proposal for international treaty............14

In BriefBelgium and Denmark open labour markets ..................................................14European inventors of the year.............14L’état de l’Union ...................................15Inflation stays at low point ....................15Slovak support scheme approved .........15Priority gas pipeline project suspended .................................15Finnish support scheme for banks cleared ...................................15No EU-GCC trade agreement ............15Lamy re-elected as head of WTO.........15

People .................................................16

Eu agenda ..........................................17

Interview Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn: No contradiction between enlargement and integration ....24

InForMal TranSPorT CounCIlMinisters want interoperable intelligent transport systems Page 5

HEalTH CounCIlMexican flu: EU ponders travel ban Page 10

InTErvIEW Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn Page 24

4 Monday 4 May 2009 N° 3745 EUROPOLITIcs

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EU ambassadors (Coreper) have reached agreement on amendments to the Capital Requirements Directives, which will force banks to retain 5% of securitised products to mitigate against future crises. Securi-tised products are those that have a rate of return linked to fluctuations in an underly-ing instrument, such as shares, indices or foreign exchange. The 5% agreed figure is much less than the 10% the European Parliament’s rapporteur, EPP-ED deputy Othmar Karas, had originally wanted to include in the amendment, but Karas has

managed to secure a review clause that could see the rate altered in future. A source in Karas’s office said the MEP will be fight-ing for the agreed position when deputies vote on his report, on 6 May. The new direc-tive was proposed by the European Com-mission on 1 October last year to amend the existing Capital Requirements Directives 2006/48/EC and 2006/49/EC. The amend-ments will also cover supervision and large exposure. The Commission had suggested a college of supervisors to oversee cross-border banks, but Karas has managed to agree with Council that the college is just one step in a two-step process, and could be replaced by a

more integrated but still decentralised system of banking supervisors, building on struc-tures already put in place by the European Central Bank. On large exposure, interbank lending will be restricted so that banks are not excessively in debt to any one institution. The agreement is the result of three-way talks between Parliament, Commission and Council and if it is not accepted by MEPs in plenary next week it will roll over until the new deputies take their seats in September for second reading. The Commission will have to report back to Parliament by the end of 2009 on the functioning of the directive and if the review clauses need to be used. n

In five years, the EU’s anti-trust regula-tion has made it possible to single out more effectively the real barriers to free competi-tion: it has abolished useless bureaucracy and enabled the European Commission’s services to focus on the most serious problems. In its report, published on 30 April, on Regulation 1/2003, which entered into force on 1 May 2004, the Commission notes that this text has “modernised” application of EC Treaty rules on restrictive trading practices (Article 81) and abuse of dominant position (Article 82). It ended the previous notification system

under which companies notified agreements to the Commission for approval.

The regulation also set up the Euro-pean Network of Competition Authorities (ECN), within which the Commission and national competition authorities coordinate the application of EU rules on concerted agreements and abuse of dominant position. The Commission was informed during this period of more than 300 planned decisions.

The report points out certain aspects that require further evaluation. For example, the regulation does not formally harmonise the procedures used by the national authorities, so EU rules are applied according to diver-

gent procedures. This does not impede the functioning of the regulation as such, notes the Commission, but there may be room for improving effective enforcement. The same applies for certain aspects of the Com-mission’s investigations and procedures, such as voluntary interviews or the imposi-tion of periodic penalty payments to ensure compliance with decisions.

The report will serve as a basis for the Com-mission to assess, at a later stage, whether further initiatives should be taken. n

The report is available at www.europolitics.info > Search = 249075

By Eric van Puyvelde

By Sarah Collins

CoMPETITIon

report highlights usefulness of anti-trust regulation

BankIng

Coreper agrees on 5% capital retention



5

InForMal TranSPorT CounCIl

Ministers want interoperable intelligent transport systems

The Mexican flu virus certainly over-shadowed the agenda at the informal Transport Council, which took place in the Czech town of Litomerice on 29 April (see Europolitics 3744), but the del-egations nonetheless discussed intelligent transport systems (ITS), originally the only issue on the meeting’s agenda. A month earlier, during the Transport Council, which was held in Brussels on 30 March, the ministers adopted conclusions on ITS (3725) and, unsurprisingly, the discussions at Litomerice re-emphasised the main points of these conclusions. For example, the need to standardise the interoper-ability of existing and future systems, a point highlighted in the meeting’s open-ing by the German Minister, Wolfgang Tiefensee, who called for the implemen-tation of “compatible solutions as quickly as possible”. This is particularly true for road toll systems. To recall, the conclu-sions of 30 March ask European standards

bodies to speed up the development of specifications for interoperable systems and emphasise that the new systems must have an “adequate” level of compatibility with existing systems.

During the press conference that fol-lowed the meeting, Transport Commis-sioner Antonio Tajani said the discussions

showed that everyone agreed on the value added of a “coordinated European action” to see ITS used more widely in Europe as well as on “the need for an adapted legal tool”. This was a nudge to Council and Parliament to quickly adopt the pro-posed directive presented in December on defining a Community framework for

the deployment of ITS. “Given the fruit-ful discussions” in Litomerice and MEPs’ support for the proposal (3743), Tajani “is now looking forward” to an agreement between the two institutions. He consid-ers such an agreement to be “urgent in the current economic context” since the investment in deploying ITS “will con-tribute to the joint efforts of economic recovery”.

And ministers agree on this last point: the economic potential of ITS, particularly in this crisis period, must not be ignored. Investing in the deployment of this tech-nology can help overcome the current economic slowdown, they have said. Sev-eral delegations also underlined the need to strengthen cooperation between the private and public sectors and insisted on the potential of ITS for improving road safety and mobility.

Sweden, which will hold the Presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2009, will organise a worldwide congress on ITS in September. n

rESEarCH

Positive progress report for 7th framework programme

The modernisation of EU research funding is on the right track, announces the European Commission in a progress report it presented, on 29 April, on the 7th Research and Development Framework Programme (FP7), launched two years ago and running until 2013. It highlights in particular the programme’s contribu-tion to the fight against the economic crisis with its total budget of €54 billion.

The structure and new instruments of FP7 help the EU address its biggest challenges, states the report. It mentions priority areas, such as the environment, energy and nanotechnologies, which contribute to building a sustainable, low-carbon economy; technology platforms helping to define topics, which meet industry’s needs; the European Research Council, which supports researchers to compete globally on scientific excel-lence; and joint technology initiatives, which embody new public-private ven-

tures on an unprecedented technologi-cal and financial scale.

Some issues will need further atten-tion in the future, acknowledges the Commission, for example the low par-ticipation rate of SMEs and the suc-cessful participation of researchers from new member states. Rules should also be simplified and changed to allow the effective operation of new instru-ments. The Commission will be seek-ing the advice of an independent expert group, which will undertake an interim evaluation of FP7 by autumn 2010.

In its first two years, 25,000 proposals reached the final evaluation stage and 5,500 were selected to receive grants totalling around €10 billion. The Euro-pean Research Council received nearly 11,000 proposals for its first calls. More than 600 grants were given to excellent researchers in the EU. Five public pri-vate partnerships (PPP) were launched. The new Risk-Sharing Finance Facil-ity (RSFF), managed together with the

European Investment Bank, approved loans of €2 billion to support high-risk R&D projects.

A 44% share of the budget for collab-orative research was allocated to inter-disciplinary research, such as environ-ment, energy, agriculture, transport, nanotechnologies, ICT and support for the Union’s sustainable develop-ment strategy. Under the EU economic recovery plan, FP7 will also support the ‘greening’ of the automotive sector through three PPPs.

At international level, new countries became associated with FP7, raising their number to 12; an EU-Africa part-nership on science, information and space was signed; and international sci-entific collaboration was encouraged through the launch of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). n

The report is available at www.europolitics.info > Search = 249055

Commissioner Tajani “is now looking forward” to an agreement between

Council and Parliament

By Isabelle Smets


� Monday 4 May 2009 N° 3745 EUROPOLITIcs


The European pork sector, which has already been suffering from sluggish sales for several months, now fears the disastrous consequences of the likely disaffection of consumers regarding pork meat due to the flu epidemic - known as ‘swine flu’ at the time of its onset, on 24 April, but subsequently also described as ‘Mexican’ , ‘North American’ and ‘novel’ flu - and under pressure from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and professionals. Unlike cattle or poultry rearers, pork producers cannot, for the time being, claim special compensa-tion at Community level in the event of a severe drop in the level of consumption. Hence their concerns. The evolution of the crisis is all the less predictable as “we cannot answer all the questions about the virus,” acknowl-edged health experts, underlining in par-ticular that “there are still a number of things to be discovered” as to the origin of the virus and the role of animals in its propagation.

Export restitutions, such as possible private stockpiling, would be of very little assistance to the pork sector, in the case of a sharp and sustainable fall in consumption associated with the fear

generated among consumers by a flu pandemic. At this stage, however, they are the only tool that the European Commission has.

At the height of the mad cow and avian

flu crises, EU member states secured from Brussels the possibility of releas-ing funds in the event of “serious market disruptions due to a loss of consumer confidence resulting from the existence of risks to public or animal health”. But, hostile to this mechanism, the Commis-sion pulled out all the stops to limit its impact. If necessary, therefore, a new legislative procedure would be required to amend the legislation and extend this clause to the pork sector.

Admittedly, in 2006, the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Mariann

Fischer Boel, had highlighted the effec-tiveness of the emergency procedure, which had made it possible to quickly make the necessary adjustments to EU legislation and finally support the poul-

try sector. But today, in a context of quasi parliamentary vacation, given the European elections in June, such as step would be more complex. The opinion of the European Parliament is nec-essary, even if it is a consultative one.

Therefore, professionals can only hope that the pork market neither deteriorates too much, nor too quickly. The Commission was always banking on pursuing the tendency towards market recovery that it had, moreover, put forward on 24 April, before European

agriculture ministers, to justify its refusal to reactivate export restitutions. As of 27 April, however, a shift towards a decrease in the consumption of pork meat has been felt on Chinese stalls, despite reassuring messages from the health authorities on the absence of risks “associated with the consumption of well-cooked pork meat”. On the same day, the price of pork meat remained low in France, but at a level equivalent to that of the previous week (€1.20/kg). However, on 28 April, a price fall of 7 % was recorded in two days in the United States. n

By luc vernet

agrICulTurE

Flu epidemic worries ailing pork sector

Pork producers cannot claim special Community compensation in the event of a severe drop in consumption

© M

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In recent years, the EU ombudsman has received several complaints about the Euro-pean Commission’s Early Warning System (EWS) and questioned its impact on the organisations singled out by the system. On 30 April, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros there-fore launched a public consultation linked to his inquiry on the EWS, which began in November 2008 (see Europolitics 3683). Individuals, companies, NGOs, associations and other interested parties are invited to submit their comments, by 30 June1.

The EWS lists persons, companies or

other parties which are deemed by EU insti-tutions and bodies to pose a threat to the financial interests of the EU.

All EU institutions and bodies may block or suspend contracts or payments to entities listed in certain EWS warning categories.

The ombudsman notes that, in one case, a Spanish environmental organisation saw its application for an EU programme rejected because it was subject to preliminary court proceedings in Spain and had, consequently, been included in the EWS.

In his inquiry, the ombudsman criticised the Commission for failing to show that it had struck a fair balance between the need

to ensure the sound financial management of its grants and the organisations’ right to be treated fairly with due respect for the prin-ciple of presumption of innocence.

He also requested information on how those listed in this system can appeal against their listing.

Furthermore, he raised the question of the potential damage which inclusion in the current EWS may cause to the reputation of concerned parties. n

(1) See www.ombudsman.europa.eu/cases/correspondence.faces/en/3976/html.bookmark

The European Commission is set to adopt, on 27 May, a communication on agri-cultural product quality in which it confirms its intention to “streamline” the mechanism for the protection of geographical indica-tions and designations of origin, to develop the use of reserved terms, for example for traditional products or mountain farm-ing, and to draw up guidelines to improve management of agricultural product quality certification schemes.

“The system of geographical indications must be reviewed and simplified. Operators insist on the necessity of focusing on repu-table products. […] Registration procedures are too long. […] Monitoring of rights to use indications could be strengthened, for example to limit production (use of quotas).” These are the main points included by the Commission following the consultation on agricultural product quality, launched last October. The EU executive states that it will “prepare the ground for a possible overhaul of legislation on geographical indications” based on the following:- further reflection on a single register grouping wines, spirits, agricultural products and processed products- clarification of intellectual property rights- identification of generic terms- possible extension of certification rules to other players in the food supply chain

(importers and distributors), as is already the case for organic products.

At this stage, the Commission expects

to limit its action to issuing guidelines to clarify the use by the agro-foods indus-try of geographical indications for prod-uct advertising. Similarly, it intends to “encourage” producers’ groupings to include sustainable production criteria in their product specifications.

The creation of a European agency for geographical indications or agricultural product quality, a demand of the sector that has been relayed by MEPs, is not mentioned. Since 2006, the Commission has insisted on cuts in the length of registration procedures. It hints that they could be shortened fur-ther, particularly through faster rejection of clearly inadequate applications.

The programme for registration of tradi-tional specialities guaranteed (TSG) has “failed” since 1992, but operators remain attached to it, the Commission notes. It

is therefore considering adding the term ‘traditional product’ to the list of terms reserved under marketing standards and it remains convinced of the need to do away with TSG.

On marketing standards, the Com-mission rules out the idea of creating a label guaranteeing compliance with EU production rules: it would necessarily be open to imported products, it explains. On the other hand, it mentions the intro-duction of mandatory labelling, such as ‘Produced in the EU’, to allow consumers to see where the product they are buying was grown or raised. n

The programme for registration of traditional specialities guaranteed

(TSG) has “failed” since 1992, but operators

remain attached to it, the Commission notes

By luc vernet


gEograPHICal InDICaTIonS

Eu executive prepares ground for overhaul of legislation

Eu oMBuDSMan

Consultation on Commission’s early warning system

report on impact of abolition of milk quotasIn the face of the concerns being voiced in many milk production areas, the Commission announces that it will draft a report on the impact of the abo-lition of milk quotas on the production and marketing of cheeses covered by geographical indications. It will also review the possibility of allowing the producers’ groupings that hold pro-tected designations to control their production by setting up quotas, for example. This idea was raised in par-ticular by France during the Common Agricultural Policy ‘health check’.

� Monday 4 May 2009 N° 3745 EUROPOLITIcs


Twelve prime ministers, an equal number of deputy prime ministers, more than 2,000 heads of lists from throughout the EU and delegates from neighbouring states rep-resenting some 40 coun-tries in all: the size of the event, virtually a mini-EU summit, was as striking as the convergence of ideas expressed at the congress of the European People’s Party (EPP), held on 29 and 30 April in Warsaw to validate the European right’s election platform ahead of the elections, on 7 June.

Six months after the Liberals in Stockholm, four months after the Socialists in Madrid and one month after the Greens in Brussels, the EPP adopted by acclamation its mani-festo, drawn up in January. The forty-odd pages are summed up in five slogans: “Creating prosperity for everyone, making Europe a safer place, combating climate change, tackling the demographic chal-lenge and uniting Europe on the world stage”. They also mention the major con-cern of defending the principles of a social economy and a competitive market1.

The festive event in Warsaw marks a significant change in orientation if not a turning point for the EPP, which seems to be taking on a new identity. The global crisis has forced this political family to make a stronger commitment to defend-ing the “social market economy,” as stated by Angela Merkel, François Fillon, Silvio Berlusconi and Costas Karamanlis, as well as the Spanish opposition leader, Mariano Rajoy. Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy denounced “the crisis of a model of an unbridled search for profit, which is insufficiently corrected from the social point of view”. He expressly men-tioned a historic reference: “Our Rhine model was only millimetres away from implosion”.

This apparent return to the traditional values of the Christian Democrat move-

ment, to which Europe’s ‘founding fathers’ belonged, coincides with the EPP’s evolution. The European Parlia-ment’s group of the same name likes to point out that it represents the centre-right

in Europe. The evolution is accentuated by the decision of the British and Czech Conservatives to exit the EPP after the June elections to form a group further to the right in terms of both socio-economic issues and European integration. With the announcement of their plans to orga-nise a referendum in Britain to block the Lisbon Treaty, the British Conservatives have isolated themselves even more from the EPP, dashing any hopes of a return to the family: “Not only have they locked the door, but they have even thrown the key into the Thames to keep things from going back to what they were,” said an EPP commentator in Warsaw. Of the 72 parties that make up the EPP (50 in the EU and around 20 outside the EU), some – possibly the Nordic and Eastern European parties - may not necessarily be comfortable with this new EPP identity that recalls its Rhenish origins and its act of faith in the ‘social’ market economy. But in Warsaw, four hours of speeches that were scarcely tiresome camouflaged any divergences.

Few leaders failed to point out that this congress, held deliberately in Poland, coincided with the fifth anniversary of the Union’s “great enlargement” to the Central and Eastern European countries

(plus Malta and Cyprus), which marked the “end of the division of Europe,” “the end of oppression,” “the attainment of freedom” and “the defence of values,” for which the EPP wishes to be recog-

nised. Even the con-gress venue, the Palace of Culture and Science, the Stalinist heritage of the Soviet era, was mentioned over and over to stress, through contrast, the strength of symbols: Pope John-Paul II’s appeal in Warsaw, 30 years earlier, for a “new spirit” and the Christian Democrat family’s call, in 2009, for defence of the values of freedom and solidarity.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso once again

received the support of the European lead-ers and now seems to have every chance of winning a second term as Commission chief, provided, as one speaker pointed out and as polls predict, the EPP remains the number one formation in the European Parliament. n

(1) The manifesto is available at www.europolitics.info > Search = 249062

By Pierre lemoine and Célia Sampol in Warsaw

next important dates for the EPP-ED7 June: result of European elections9 June: election of chairman of EPP-ED groupWeek of 15 June: meeting of old and new EPP-ED membersWeek of 22 June: vote on EPP-ED’s candidate for the European Parliament presidencyWeek of 29 June: EPP-ED convention in GreeceWeek of 6 July: meeting of EPP-ED group in Brussels14 to 16 July: inaugural plenary ses-sion in Strasbourg with election of the EP president and composition of the political groups

EuroPEan ElECTIonS

EPP slowly evolves towards new identity

the congress in Warsaw was virtually a mini-eU summit

© E

PA



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the centre-right party of Prime Minister Donald Tusk that is expected to score well in June.

The Polish delegation in the EPP-ED, which has 15 members for the moment, could even double its seats. Interviewed by Europolitics, Polish MEP Jacek Sary-usz-Wolski, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Civic Platform member, explained that his party’s goal is to become the EPP’s third biggest del-egation and “we want our candidate to win”.

Buzek has competition, however. With the recent merger of the National Alliance and Forza Italia, the Italian delegation in the EPP-ED will also grow and could gain around ten seats.

Currently in third place with 24 mem-bers, it could consequently become the second or even top-ranking delegation since the 27 British Conservatives are expected to form their own Eurosceptic group and the German delegation of 49 members is projected to lose seats.

With this position, the Italians would be able to lay claim to the EP presidency.

Mario Mauro, EP vice-president and Forza Italia member, is being mentioned as an alternative to Buzek.

It remains to be seen, however, whether Martin Schulz, who currently heads the PES group, will accept an agreement with Mauro given his close ties with Silvio Berlusconi.

Schulz has bad memories of being called ‘Kapo’ by Berlusconi in front of all his colleagues, during a plenary ses-sion in 2003 when he was still just a member.

So the EPP will have to choose between Buzek and Mauro. While some MEPs say a climate of competition exists, others, like Alain Lamassoure of France, find that if the group organ-ised a democratic vote, Buzek would naturally be elected.

He is a former prime minister, is active and respected, and what is more comes from a new member state. Mauro is more unknown.

An inside source explains that the EPP

would like to avoid a vote that would reveal its divisions. The agreement could consequently be negotiated upstream, between national parties, right after the elections.

dAUl And BArroSoSeveral MEPs suggested that Joseph Daul (France), who chairs the EPP-ED group, is likely to be re-elected. Initially, Daul did not want to stand for re-election, preferring to return to Alsace. However, he was gently prodded to stay on board by head of state Nicolas Sarkozy, who wants to keep a French national in this very influential position. In contrast with January 2007, Daul has no competitors this time so he is expected to keep the chairmanship for at least half the legislative period.

Lastly, at the EPP congress, the 2,000 or so participants and heads of state recon-firmed by acclamation José Manuel Bar-roso as their candidate for the next five years as Commission president.

Barroso has no adversary since the European Socialists did not manage to name a candidate. n

EPP (continued from page 1)



An EU wide ban on travel to Mexico was not likely not be adopted by the health ministers, who were holding a meeting, on 30 April, to discuss the state of play of the measures in the member states to combat the ‘Mexican flu’. They also discussed coor-dination and crisis communication at EU level. Although the World Health Organisa-tion (WHO) increased the alarm level from Phase 4 to 5 (on a scale of six, see box), on 29 April, indicating that a pandemic is now “imminent,” most member states remain reluctant to issue an official ban on travel to Mexico.

Meanwhile, the European Commission adopted a common European case defini-tion for what it prefers to call the ‘novel flu’ virus, on 30 April. This definition was based on a technical document from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (www.ecdc.europa.eu). In the afternoon of 30 April, but there were a total of 19 confirmed cases in the EU: in Austria (1), Germany (3), Spain (10) and the UK (5). No fatalities were reported in the Union.

In Mexico, the flu has been linked to about 160 deaths, although only seven of these cases were confirmed by the local authori-ties. Around 2,500 Mexicans are believed to be infected by the virus.

FrenCh ProPoSAlThe French Minister of Health, Roselyne

Bachelot, said, on 29 April, that she would push for an EU-wide ban on all flights to Mexico. Flights returning from Mexico will not be affected since this would not be of any use because travellers can always make stop-overs and enter France via other routes. Other member states have already put in place travel measures. The UK, for instance, has cancelled all flights to Mexico. The Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands indicated before the meet-ing their opposition to the French proposal. Back on 19 April, most transport ministers said during an informal meeting that they did not agree with the French proposal. They said it was disproportionate at this stage.

ConClUSionSIn the provisional conclusions of the

emergency meeting of health ministers, the

virus outbreak is recognised as a “potential global threat”. The member states are urged to take “all necessary appropriate measures” for “public health protection in accordance with WHO recommendations,” the “ongo-ing work of the Health Security Com-mittee,” the advice of the ECDC and the WHO, along with national plans and guide-lines. The sentence in which the member states are invitited “to take all appropriate measures, in particular as regards travel” was highly controversial and was thus likely to be deleted from the final conclusions, diplo-matic sources said before the meeting of the health ministers started.

Member states are urged to “closely coop-erate, also with the pharmaceutical industry,

in facilitating the development of a pilot vaccine covering the A-H1N1 virus with the shortest possible delay”.

Health Commissioner Androulla Vassil-iou said that the case definition of the ‘novel flu’ virus will “enable the more efficient compilation of comparable information on the virus at European level by ensuring that we are all talking about the same thing”. Vassiliou met, on 30 April, with representa-tives of the pharmaceutical sector to discuss the creation of a vaccine and the current availability of anti-viral medication in the member states. n

The conclusions are available at www.europolitics.info > Search = 249034

By Marianne Slegers in luxembourg

BackgroundThe World Health Organisation has antici-pated six phases of alert in the framework of its global influenza preparedness plan. Phases 1 to 3 concern preparedness, including capacity development and response planning activities, while Phases 4–6 clearly signal the need for response and mitigation efforts. Phase 1: In nature, influenza viruses cir-culate continuously among animals, espe-cially birds. Even though such viruses might theoretically develop into pandemic viruses, in Phase 1 no viruses circulating among animals have been reported to cause infections in humans.Phase 2: An animal influenza virus circulat-ing among domesticated or wild animals is known to have caused infection in humans, and is therefore considered a potential pandemic threat.Phase 3: An animal or human-animal influ-enza reassortant virus has caused spo-radic cases or small clusters of disease in people, but has not resulted in human-to-human transmission sufficient to sustain community-level outbreaks. Limited human-to-human transmission may occur under some circumstances, for example, when there is close contact between an infected person and an unpro-tected caregiver. However, limited trans-mission under such restricted circum-stances does not indicate that the virus has gained the level of transmissibility among

humans necessary to cause a pandemic. Phase 4: This is characterised by veri-fied human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reas-sortant virus able to cause community-level outbreaks. The ability to cause sus-tained disease outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk for a pandemic. Any country that suspects or has verified such an event should urgently consult with WHO so that the situation can be jointly assessed and a decision made by the affected country if implementation of a rapid pandemic containment operation is warranted. Phase 4 indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion.Phase 5: This is characterised by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalise the organisation, communication and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.Phase 6: Also known as the pandemic phase, this is characterised by community-level outbreaks in at least one other coun-try in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way.

HEalTH CounCIl

Mexican flu: Eu ponders travel ban



11

Unemployment in the EU climbed to 8.3% in March 2009, compared with 8.1% in February and 6.7% in March 2008. In the eurozone, it was 8.9% in March 2009, compared with 8.7% in February and 7.2% in March 2008. According to estimates put out by Eurostat, on 30 April, 20.154 million men and women were jobless in March 2009 in the EU. The lowest unemployment rate in the member states was registered in the Netherlands (2.8%) and the highest in Spain (17.4%), followed by Latvia (16.1%) and Lithuania (15.5%). Compared with a year ago, three member states saw a fall in their unemployment rate, 23 an increase and the rate remained stable in the Netherlands. The falls were observed in Romania, Bulgaria and Greece. The biggest increases were in Lithu-ania, Latvia and Spain. Between March 2008 and March 2009, the unemployment rate for men rose from 6.5% to 8.6% in the euro-zone and from 6.2% to 8.3% in the EU. The unemployment rate for women rose from 8.2% to 9.2% in the eurozone and from 7.3% to 8.3% in the EU. In March 2009, the youth unemployment rate (under 25) was 18.1% in the eurozone and 18.3% in the EU. In March 2008, it was 14.5% and 14.6%, respec-tively. The lowest rate was registered in the Netherlands (5.7%) and the highest in Spain (35.4%) and Latvia (29.3% in first quarter 2009). In March 2009, unemployment was 8.5% in the US. n

Economic sentiment amongst com-pany managers, consumers and indus-try has picked up after record lows in March, according to new figures from the European Commission.

The Business Climate Indicator for the eurozone increased in April for the first time since May last year, but still remained nega-tive, at -3.33, close to a record low in March, of -3.49. It means that managers’ expectations of business picking up in April are still low, especially for export orders.

The European Central Bank has also

reported in its latest eurozone bank lend-ing survey that banks are continuing to restrict lending to businesses, with 43% of banks reporting more stringent credit lines and loan conditions in the first quar-ter of 2009. However, this did mark an improvement on the final quarter of 2008, when credit tightening was reported in 64% of banks in the eurozone.

The six-month industrial investment survey showed that real investment is set to fall 18% in the EU and 20% in the eurozone this year. The previous survey, carried out in October last year, predicted a much smaller, 5% drop.

Meanwhile, retail trade and financial ser-

vices have seen an increase in confidence according to the Economic Sentiment Indi-cator, causing the overall indicator to rise 3.5 points in the EU and 2.5 in the eurozone, to 63.9 and 67.2, respectively. It marks a positive move away from a record March low of 60.4 (EU) and 64.7 (eurozone). Construction continued to decline, though, falling by one point in the EU and two in the eurozone.

The figures come just ahead of the launch of the Commission’s spring economic out-look, on 4 May, which Economic and Mon-etary Affairs Commissioner Joaquín Almu-nia predicts will mark a severe downward revision from its January forecast. n

EConoMy

Eu indicators rebound from March lowsBy Sarah Collins

Eurostat data

unEMPloyMEnT

Eu jobless total tops 20 million

Unemployment in the EU climbed to 8.3% in March 2009, compared with 8.1% in February and 6.7% in March 2008. In the eurozone, it was 8.9% in March 2009, compared with 8.7% in February and 7.2% in March 2008. According to estimates put out by Eurostat, on 30 April, 20.154 million men and women were jobless in March 2009 in the EU. The lowest unemployment rate in the member states was registered in the Netherlands (2.8%) and the highest in Spain (17.4%), followed by Latvia (16.1%) and Lithuania (15.5%). Compared with a year ago, three member states saw a fall in their unemployment rate, 23 an increase and the rate remained stable in the Netherlands. The falls were observed in Romania, Bulgaria and Greece. The biggest increases were in Lithu-ania, Latvia and Spain. Between March 2008 and March 2009, the unemployment rate for men rose from 6.5% to 8.6% in the euro-zone and from 6.2% to 8.3% in the EU. The unemployment rate for women rose from 8.2% to 9.2% in the eurozone and from 7.3% to 8.3% in the EU. In March 2009, the youth unemployment rate (under 25) was 18.1% in the eurozone and 18.3% in the EU. In March 2008, it was 14.5% and 14.6%, respec-tively. The lowest rate was registered in the Netherlands (5.7%) and the highest in Spain (35.4%) and Latvia (29.3% in first quarter 2009). In March 2009, unemployment was 8.5% in the US.

Economic sentiment amongst com-pany managers, consumers and indus-try has picked up after record lows in March, according to new figures from the European Commission.

The Business Climate Indicator for the eurozone increased in April for the first time since May last year, but still remained nega-tive, at -3.33, close to a record low in March, of -3.49. It means that managers’ expectations of business picking up in April are still low, especially for export orders.

The European Central Bank has also

reported in its latest eurozone bank lend-ing survey that banks are continuing to restrict lending to businesses, with 43% of banks reporting more stringent credit lines and loan conditions in the first quar-ter of 2009. However, this did mark an improvement on the final quarter of 2008, when credit tightening was reported in 64% of banks in the eurozone.

The six-month industrial investment survey showed that real investment is set to fall 18% in the EU and 20% in the eurozone this year. The previous survey, carried out in October last year, predicted a much smaller, 5% drop.

Meanwhile, retail trade and financial ser-

vices have seen an increase in confidence according to the Economic Sentiment Indi-cator, causing the overall indicator to rise 3.5 points in the EU and 2.5 in the eurozone, to 63.9 and 67.2, respectively. It marks a positive move away from a record March low of 60.4 (EU) and 64.7 (eurozone). Construction continued to decline, though, falling by one point in the EU and two in the eurozone.

The figures come just ahead of the launch of the Commission’s spring economic out-look, on 4 May, which Economic and Mon-etary Affairs Commissioner Joaquín Almu-nia predicts will mark a severe downward revision from its January forecast.

ECONOMY

EU indicators rebound from March lows By Sarah Collins

Eurostat data

UNEMPLOYMENT

EU jobless total tops 20 million March 2008 Sept 2008 Oct 2008 Nov 2008 Dec 2008 Jan 2009 Feb 2009 March 2009

EA16 7.2 7.7 7.8 8.0 8.2 8.4 8.7 8.9

EU27 6.7 7.1 7.3 7.4 7.6 7.8 8.1 8.3

BE 6.8 7.2 7.1 6.9 6.9 7.1 7.2 7.3

BG 6.1 5.2 5.1 5.0 5.3 5.3 5.6 5.9

CZ 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.7 4.9 5.2 5.5

DK 3.0 3.4 3.7 3.9 4.3 4.7 5.1 5.7

DE 7.4 7.1 7.1 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.6

EE 4.0 6.7 6.9 7.4 8.4 9.1 10.0 11.1

IE 5.2 7.1 7.6 8.2 8.7 9.4 10.0 10.6

EL 7.8 7.5 7.8 7.8 7.8 : : :

ES 9.5 12.4 13.2 13.9 14.7 15.7 16.5 17.4

FR 7.6 7.9 8.0 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.6 8.8

IT 6.6 6.7 6.9 6.9 6.9 : : :

CY 3.7 3.8 3.8 4.0 4.3 4.4 4.6 4.9

LV 6.1 8.1 9.3 10.3 11.5 13.2 14.6 16.1

LT 4.3 6.6 7.2 8.4 9.7 11.6 13.6 15.5

LU 4.4 5.1 5.1 5.3 5.5 5.7 5.9 6.1

HU 7.6 7.9 7.8 8.0 8.3 8.4 8.8 9.2

MT 5.8 5.7 5.9 6.1 6.0 6.3 6.5 6.7

NL 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.8

AT 3.8 3.9 4.0 4.0 4.2 4.3 4.5 4.5

PL 7.4 6.8 6.8 6.9 7.0 7.2 7.5 7.7

PT 7.6 7.8 7.8 7.9 8.0 8.2 8.4 8.5

RO 5.8 5.7 5.8 5.8 5.8 : : :

SI 4.5 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.3 4.6 5.0

SK 9.9 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.6 10.0 10.5

FI 6.3 6.5 6.6 6.6 6.7 6.9 7.1 7.4

SE 5.8 6.4 6.7 7.0 7.0 7.3 7.6 8.0

UK 5.2 6.0 6.1 6.3 6.4 6.6 : :

NO 2.4 2.5 2.7 2.8 2.8 3.0 3.1 :

US 5.1 6.2 6.6 6.8 7.2 7.6 8.1 8.5

JP 3.8 4.0 3.8 4.0 4.3 4.2 4.4 :

Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates (%) - Total



A surprise change is happening at the command of the EU operation against piracy, EUNAVFOR Atalanta.

Although he was appointed for a year, Rear Admiral Phil Jones, who has headed the operation since the start and given it credibility, will have to leave within a few weeks, according to information obtained by Europolitics.

This apparently internal decision at the British Staff Office was not origi-nally anticipated and has surprised even those diplomats most au fait with the

issue. The British ambassador for the Political and Security Committee only informed his colleagues on 28 April of the “need” to replace Jones because of his promotion to the rank of vice-admi-ral by the British Navy’s Staff Office and as deputy to the commander in chief of the British fleet.

Jones will give up his position at the head of the operation to Rear-Admiral Peter D. Hudson, one of his deputies in the British Navy, at the start of June. Phil Jones will continue, in parallel to his EU mandate, to fulfil his duties in the Royal Navy.

Hudson, 48, commanded HMS Nor-folk and HMS Albion and is today com-mander of the UK Amphibious Task Group (COMATG), a position that he succeeded Phil Jones in.

He currently runs the Taurus 09 exer-cise, the British force’s exercise in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Working in the last of these two areas has enabled the new commander of the operation to understand the new con-figuration in the area with regard to the pirates. n

With the EU member states playing an important role in the general increase in orders for conventional weapons, the Group for Research and Information on Peace and Security (GRIP) highlights in a report entitled ‘Post-export controls on arms transfers’1 the danger of diversion related to transfers of small arms and light weapons (SALW).

riSk oF diverSionThe authors, Ilhan Berkol and Virginie

Moreau, cite as the main reason the lack of harmonisation by EU member states on evidence of delivery and control of the end use of exported arms. The report has come out shortly after the adoption by the 27 of a common position that makes the EU code of conduct on arms exports more binding (see Europolitics 3660)

A large majority of member states con-sider that their responsibility is limited to an assessment of risks connected with the licensing phase, the first stage of arms transfers. However the report demon-strates that the risk of diversion is great-est during the second and third stages, ie during physical transfer and use. The recommendations contained in the code of conduct user’s guide are only “partially implemented because they are not legally binding”.

The export of military helicopters from

India to Burma (Myanmar) is an example for unauthorised re-export. Most of the parts for these helicopters originated in the EU, although the Union applies an arms embargo to Burma. Another exam-ple of diversion of conventional weap-ons is the seizure of around 100 auto-matic rifles originating in Austria by the Americans in 2007 in Iraq. According to the GRIP report, the rifles were part of a batch of 800 Steyr HS Mannlicher rifles sold by Austria to Iran in 2006. The EU code of conduct prohibits the transfer of arms where there is a risk of diversion in the country of import or to regions where conflicts exist.

BelgiAn exCePtionApart from Belgium, none of the EU

member states uses a non-re-export clause in arms transfers. Within Belgium, how-ever, application of this clause differs between regions. The Brussels-Capital Region requires the clause for all exports and the Walloon Region often requires it. In February 2008, however, the Flem-ish Region stopped requiring the non-re-export clause. The use in Belgium of a final use certificate and an international import certificate is required by a royal decree for all exports of arms and military material to third countries that do not belong to the EU or NATO and to similar countries (final use certificate) and for exports to all European Union member states, several

NATO countries and similar countries (international import certificate).

reCoMMendAtionSTo minimise the danger of diversion, the

GRIP report proposes the strengthening and mandatory use of the code of conduct user’s guide, which should be expanded to include a section on ‘post-delivery verifica-tion’. It also recommends the introduction of effective penalties and a non-re-export clause as the rule in all export licences, similar to what already exists in Belgium. The GRIP report proposes reinforced con-trols at every stage, particularly with the creation of a final use certificate authenti-cated by the competent authorities during the first stage (pre-licence and licence). n

(1) The report is available at www.europolitics.info > Search = 248998

By Floriane Pellegrin

By nicolas gros-verheyde

arMS TranSFErS

report singles out absence of post-export controls

EunavFor aTalanTa

Surprise change at head of Eu anti-piracy mission

BackgroundThe EU’s binding legal instrument on arms exports is Common Position 2008/944/CFSP, adopted in Coun-cil, on 8 December 2008. Member states must evaluate export applica-tions case by case on the basis of eight criteria. The country of export must assess the situation in the country of import and evaluate risks of misuse of the arms ordered.



1�

The EU does not expect a breakthrough on climate change during its upcoming bilateral summit with Japan, to be held on 4 May in Prague, Europolitics has learned. Tokyo’s position remains closer to Washington’s view and the EU will use the meeting to continue to press the Japanese side to take more concrete commitments in order to reach an ambitious post-Kyoto deal ahead of the critical Copenhagen conference, scheduled for the end of the year. “It is too early. The Japanese are still closer to the US position than to ours,” a source close to European Commission President José Manuel Barroso told Europolitics. Barroso will also discuss bilateral economic and political issues as well as ways to strengthen international cooperation during the summit meeting with Jap-anese Prime Minister Taro Aso and Czech President Václav Klaus.

Japanese diplomats have signalled to their EU counterparts that they were not ready yet to improve the climate change offer put on the table by Tokyo last year. In 2008, ahead of the G8 summit held in Hokkaido, Tokyo had presented its ‘Cool Earth 50’ initiative, pledging to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050. Although the EU side officially welcomed the proposal, the plan fell short of its expectations. The EU has committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020 and would like Tokyo to make a similar contribution. The Commission wants Japan to commit to a binding ‘inter-mediary target’ way before 2050. The EU believes that Japan and the US, as developed economies, should lead the way and put bold offers on the table in order to unlock the international negotiations. However, Tokyo and Washington have indicated they will not move until large emerging economies, such as China or India, do not take their share of the burden. “The Japanese will not commit to any figure,” predicted a diplomat from a member state ahead of the summit. Although the arrival of Barack Obama in the White House has raised hopes in Europe, no breakthrough is in sight seven months ahead of the Copenhagen conference.

Bilateral economic cooperation will be another contentious issue to be discussed in Prague. Behind the smiles and the opti-mistic public statements that will come out from the meeting, the two sides disagree on

how to reinforce their economic ties. The summit in the Czech capital is unlikely to bridge the gap. Against the backdrop of the global crisis, the two economic giants stress publicly the need to enhance bilateral economic exchanges but fail to agree on a common strategy.

Tokyo has been discreetly pushing for years for an ambitious bilateral economic agree-ment with the EU. Japanese export firms are afraid of the consequence of the free trade agreement currently negotiated by Europe and South Korea and are lobbying hard the Ministry of Economy. They fear that Korean cars and electronic products will enjoy an important competitive advantage once the EU custom duties are removed. Therefore, Japan is calling for an ambitious bilateral agreement that will tackle tariffs as a priority. The Commission and most of the member states have resisted this approach, stress-ing that they first want to address non-tariff trade barriers, which are the key obstacle to the EU firms’ expansion in Japan. The EU has repeatedly denounced the closure of the Japanese market to goods and investment.

Last year, Peter Mandelson, then EU trade commissioner, described Japan as a “for-tress” and urged the government to open the doors to foreign investors, during his visit in Tokyo. According to the Commission, the

lack of access to the Japanese market causes an annual economic loss of €40 billion. By way of example, European diplomats stress that the market share of Airbus is only 4% in Japan, against 50% in the rest of the world.

Although the issue of a bilateral economic agreement will be touched upon in Prague, no progress is likely in the near future. “We are far away” from that, a Japanese source told Europolitics. EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton is reluctant to dis-cuss this issue while she is struggling to convince the European car industry to support a controversial FTA with Seoul. The commissioner, who will skip the Prague summit, fears a politi-cal backlash and does not want to send any signal that Japanese car makers could soon get improved access to the EU market.

Some member states are less defen-sive and could envisage pilot projects

in order to assess the willingness of the Japa-nese to address the key issue of non-tariff trade barriers. The EU could identify a series of sensitive sectors, such as cars, cosmetics or pharmaceuticals, where it would like to see unfriendly legislations that protect the Japanese market from foreign competition removed. Progress here would enable the EU to negotiate a bilateral economic coop-eration agreement, similar to the one it has started to discuss with Canada. However, this approach is unlikely to satisfy Tokyo’s interests.

neW ACtion PlAnThe Prague summit will launch a new

stage in bilateral relations by paving the way for an update of the joint action plan adopted in 2001. In order to make their cooperation more effective, the sides have decided to streamline the current action plan, which identifies as many as 110 priorities. Two working groups will prepare proposals to be presented at the next summit, in 2010, with the objective of implementing the new framework, in 2011. n

By Sébastien Falletti in Seoul

Eu/JaPan

no climate change breakthrough expected at Prague summit

Japanese Prime Minister taro Aso



EnErgy

Eu hesitant on russia’s proposal for international treaty

Top EU officials met, on 30 April, with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin and Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko in Moscow during the fourth episode of the EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council on Energy. Energy Commissioner Andris

Piebalgs, Czech Industry Minister Martin Říman and Swedish Energy Minister Maud Olofsson represented the EU. Discussions included on-going work in the EU-Russia Energy Dialogue, bilateral cooperation on energy in the framework of other interna-tional organisations as well as an exchange of views on future energy relations between Russia and the EU. This was also the first chance for the Russian officials to formally put forward, in person, their ideas for a new international agreement on energy to Com-missioner Piebalgs and the current and forthcoming EU Presidencies.

In a statement following the meeting, Piebalgs noted that reinforcing confidence between the EU and Russia, based on strong legal frameworks, was “crucial”. The com-missioner pointed to a number of initiatives, such as the early warning mechanism (for problems in the transit of gas) that should be enhanced. Both sides endorsed the contin-ued validity of the terms of reference for the monitoring of gas flows from Russia to the EU through Ukraine.

Speaking to journalists following the meet-ing, Piebalgs flatly refused to consider replac-ing the Energy Charter by a Russian-inspired proposal for a new international agreement recently put forward by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Helsinki. Piebalgs told reporters that the Energy Charter Treaty, with over 50 signatories including the European Union, will continue to function until sig-natories decide otherwise. Underlining the need for a new energy treaty so as to ensure stable supplies, Russian Deputy PM Sechin pointed to risks still hanging over the transit of Russian gas to Europe and that “guaranteed” stability has not yet been achieved. Sechin also dubbed the Energy Charter Treaty, that Russia signed in 1994 but has not ratified, a “failure”. Western analysts see Russia’s objec-tions as being directed against the pro-market nature of the charter that would limit the Kremlin’s room for manoeuvre over its state-dominated energy economy. The next high level meeting addressing, amongst other points, energy relations is the EU-Russia summit, on 21-22 May in Khabarovsk. n

By Dafydd ab Iago

a new legally binding instrumentRussia’s proposal calls for a new univer-sal international legally binding instru-ment encompassing all major energy-producing and exporting countries as well as countries of transit and energy consumers/importers. The agreement should include all forms of traded energy and explicitly make parties responsible for losses incurred if they do not meet transit treaty obligations. The proposal is available at www.europolitics.info > Search = 249073.

In BriefBelgium and Denmark open labour marketsThe decision by the Belgian and Danish governments to open their labour markets to workers from eight EU Central and Eastern European member states as of 1 May 2009 has been “warmly welcomed” by the European Commission. Germany and Austria have informed the Commission that they intend to continue to apply transitional measures on labour market access until 30 April 2011. The United Kingdom continues to apply its Workers Registration Scheme. Denmark will also open its labour market to workers from Bulgaria and Romania. The Commission is currently examining their notifications. This will take several weeks. (MSL)

European inventors of the yearHealth and the environment were the big winners at the European Inventor of the Year awards 2009, presented in Prague, on 28 April, to projects classified in four categories. Adolf Goetzberger (Germany) won the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the commercial use of solar energy; the Industry Award went to Jürg Zimmermann (Switzerland) and Brian Drucker (USA), who invented an effective drug to combat chronic myelogenous leukaemia; Joseph Le Mer (France) took home the award in the category SMEs-Research for his work on a heat exchanger that makes heating systems less expensive and more energy efficient; and Zhou Yiqing and his team (China) won the Non-European Countries category for

their development of an anti-malarial drug based on a traditional Chinese remedy. Jointly launched, in 2006, by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Commission, the European Inventor of the Year Awards honour inventors and inventions that have made a significant and lasting contribution towards innovation in Europe, thereby strengthening its economy. The selection related to inventions patented by the EPO before 1 January 2004 and successfully marketed. Further information is available at www.epo.org



15

In Briefno Eu-gCC trade agreement The annual meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the European Union, on 29 April in Muscat, ended in an impasse on relaunch of the two parties’ free trade project. In a joint press release, the two note their convergence on various political points, but make no mention of free trade. Negotiations on this project were suspended in December 2008 due to the EU’s insistence on the inclusion of a human rights measure in the agreement as well as the determination of some countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, to maintain customs duties on a range of products. Conclusion of a GCC-EU agreement, being negotiated since 1988, has periodically been announced as imminent for years. The GCC includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.

Priority gas pipeline project suspendedActivity on one of the priority energy projects, with €150 million of funds earmarked under the EU economic recovery plan, has been suspended. Norwegian gas transmission operator Gassco, together with its partners that include Germany’s E.ON, Netherland’s Gasunie and Denmark’s Energinet.dk, decided to suspend project activities citing “increased commercial risk” due to the global economic situation and the uncertain perspectives on future gas demand. Gassco further pointed to uncertainties related to the timing of new field developments on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The company, however, maintains that it may re-launch the project if the commercial conditions become more favourable in the future. Suspension of the project now heightens the chance that funds may be made available for renewable energy projects other than offshore wind. (DAI)

Inflation stays at low pointAccording to an estimate published by Eurostat, on 30 April, the annual rate of inflation in the eurozone was 0.6% in April 2009, the same rate as in March. This is the lowest level since the eurozone was created in 1999, and even since the start of statistics for this area in 1996 (Eurostat recalculated the data for the years before the eurozone was created).

Finnish support scheme for banks clearedThe European Commission approved, on 30 April, extending until the end of 2009 the Finnish aid mechanism designed to stabilise financial markets by providing guarantees to financial institutions that fulfil certain criteria. The Commission thinks that this measure, first approved on 13 November 2008, complied with its communication at the end of 2008 relating to state aid aimed at overcoming the financial crisis. In particular, the modified measure is limited in time and scope (the scope has been widened to guarantees on instruments with a maximum maturity of five years, compared with a maximum maturity of three years before). All the other conditions (regarding for example eligible institutions, remuneration and behavioural conditions) remain unchanged.

Slovak support scheme approvedThe European Commission approved, on 30 April, a measure adopted by Slovakia allowing aid of up to €500,000 per beneficiary to be granted, in 2009 and 2010, to companies facing financing problems because of the credit crunch. It meets the conditions set down by the Commission’s temporary framework for state aid. The aid will be granted in several forms, including subsidies and the remission of penalties for the non-payment of taxes.

lamy re-elected as head of WToPascal Lamy was returned, on 30 April, to the head of the World Trade Organisation for a second four-year term following a voice vote by its 153 members. Lamy, who has headed the institution since September 2005, was the only candidate for his own succession, a first in the history of the institution, which was created in 1995. The Frenchman, 62, promised members of the organisation that his “number one priority” would be concluding the free trade round started in Doha in 2001. Concluding the Doha negotiations is a “decisive test of our collective ability to strengthen the global trade system,” he stressed. The Commissioner for Trade, Catherine Ashton, welcomed the re-election, saying “Pascal Lamy is an untiring advocate of open and regulated trade [...] This shows the confidence that WTO members have in his leadership”.

l’état de l’unionL’état de l’Union 2009 is out: 31 colour maps, including 20 as yet unpublished; 68 original tables and graphs; analyses of internal and external challenges by around 20 specialists, with

two exclusive articles by Germany’s Home Affairs Minister Wolfgang Schäuble and European Commission Vice-President for Justice, Freedom and Security, Jacques Barrot; a preface by Jean-Dominique Giuliani, president of the French Fondation Robert-Schuman and close to the EPP group in the European Parliament. Joseph Daul, chairman of the EPP group, who oversaw its official presentation this week, calls it “the Michelin Guide to the European Union”.“L’Etat de l’Union”; 237 pages; €19; published by Fondation Robert Schuman; Available in French in bookshops and at

1� Monday 4 May 2009 N° 3745 EUROPOLITIcs


People To announce your appointments on these pages, contact: [email protected]

Poul Skytte Christoffersen/Permrep of DenmarkPoul Skytte Christoffersen, who was the head of cabinet for the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Mariann Fischer Boel, will become Denmark’s permanent representative to the European Union, on 4 May. He will replace Claus Grube. Christoffersen was already Denmark’s permanent representative to the EU between 1995 and 2003.

andris Piebalgs/Energy Efficiency visionary awardEnergy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs attended the Energy Efficiency Global Forum in Paris, on 29 April, where he accepted the Energy Efficiency Visionary Award. This award is bestowed upon three recipients from different regions of the world (the Americas, Asia-Pacific/Africa and Europe) in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the advancement of energy efficiency. The winners are selected by the Energy Efficiency Global Forum and Exposition (EE Global) International Steering Committee (ISC). The EE Global is organised by the Alliance to Save Energy, a non-profit coalition founded in 1977.

Irene Souka-Claude Chêne/Commission Greek national Irene Souka (age 55) was appointed, on 29 April, as the European Commission’s director-general for personnel and administration (DG ADMIN). She has been deputy director-general of the same DG for the past year. She will take up her new duties on 1 May. Souka replaces French national Claude Chêne (age 61), who is retiring after 43 years at the Commission. He has held the director-general’s position since 2004. The Commission paid tribute to Chêne at its meeting, on 29 April.

Daniel Jacob/CommissionOn 29 April, the European Commission appointed Daniel Jacob, a 58-year-old Belgian, as deputy director-general for personnel and administration (DG ADMIN), to replace Irene Souka (see other brief). He will be in charge of developing and implementing the Commission’s strategy for managing its human resources, from recruitment to retirement and beyond. Jacob is currently deputy director-general in charge of research programmes at DG Research. He will take up his new duties on 16 May.

www.SchumanSquare.eu

YOUR VIEWS CAN SHAPE EUROPE!

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EUROPOLITICSVISIT THE FORUM OF



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Eu agendaMonday 4 MayEuroPEan ParlIaMEnTPlEnary SESSIon Plenary agenda17:00 - 23:59, Strasbourg, Plenary Chamber

17:00 - 24:00• Resumption of session and order of business• One-minute speeches (Rule 144)• Flu epidemic - Commission statement, followed by a debate

• Equality between men and women - Joint debate- (***I) Equal treatment between men and women engaged in an activity in a self-employed capacity - Report by Astrid Lulling (EPP-ED, LU)- (***I) Improvements in the safety and health at work of pregnant workers and workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding - Report by Edite Estrela (PES, PT)End of joint debate

• Aspects of the organisation of working time - Statement by the President of the European Parliament’s delegation to the Conciliation Committee• (***I) The organisation of the working time of persons performing mobile road transport activities - Debate on report by Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou (EPP-ED, EL)• Parliament’s estimates of revenue and expenditure for the financial year 2010 and 2010 budget - Debate on report by Vladimír Manka (PES, SK)• (***I) Trade in seal products - Debate on report by Diana Wallis (ALDE, UK)• (***I) Protection of animals used for scientific purposes - Debate on report by Neil Parish (EPP-ED, UK)• (***I) Ship source pollution and penalties for infringements - Debate on report by Luis De Grandes Pascual (EPP-

ED, ES)• Consumer rights - Oral Question to the Commission• Short presentation of the following report: • Special report from the European Ombudsman to the European Parliament following his Draft Recommendation to the European Commission in Complaint 185/2005/ELB - Report by Miguel Angel Martínez Martínez (PES, ES)

KEY(***I) Co-decision procedure - first reading

ParlIaMEnTary CoMMITTEES CoMMITTEE on ForEIgn aFFaIrS 19:00 - 20:30, Strasbourg, SDM S 5• Joint meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Cooperation CommitteeReport by Marianne Mikko (PES, EE), chairperson of the ad hoc delegation to Moldova (26-29 April 2009)

CoMMITTEE on DEvEloPMEnT 19:00 - 20:30, Strasbourg, SDM S1• Discussion on Parliament’s right of scrutiny on the Development Cooperation Instrument

CoMMITTEE on BuDgETS 19:00 - 20:30, Strasbourg, LOW N1.32010 budget: Section III - Commission - Report by László Surján (EPP-ED, HU)

CounCIl oF MInISTErSInForMal MEETIng oF MInISTErS For CoMPETITIvEnESS3 to 5 May, Prague

MEETIng oF THE EurogrouPBrussels

Eu – JaPan SuMMIT (TroIka)Prague

a EuroPE oF CoMMITTED CITIzEnS ConFErEnCE4 and 5 May, Brno (Czech Republic)The European conference “Europe of Engaged Citizens – Resources and Sustainability” introduces and compares the most successful blueprints for long-term sustainability of the non-profit sector among the EU Member States.Contact: Tomás Ruzicka - [email protected]

ConFErEnCE 20/5 yEarS aFTEr PlEnary MEETIng oF THE CoTEr CoMMISSIon - THE CoMMITTEE oF THE rEgIonS4 and 5 May, Tábor (Czech Republic)Members of the Committee of the Regions for Territorial Cohesion Policy of the COTER Commission proposed an initiative that seeks to employ the ‘historical moments’ connected to the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain, the fifth anniversary of the inclusion of the Central and Eastern European countries in the EU and the Czech EU Presidency with its priority a ‘Europe without barriers’ and creates a platform for discussing these topics. Such a platform should be provided by the international conference that is organised as a part of the plenary meeting of the COTER Commission in the South Bohemian Region. Organizer: The South Bohemian Region, the Committee of the Regions, the European Commission Website: www.southbohemia.eu

HEaDS oF SIrEnE MEETIng / SIrEnE oPEraTorS MEETIng 4 to 7 May, Prague

EuroPEan CoMMISSIonTravEl anD vISITSn Mrs Margot Wallström and Mr Olli

Week from 4 to 10 May

1� Monday 4 May 2009 N° 3745 EUROPOLITIcs


Rehn speaks at the opening of the photo exhibition “1989-2009: Europe, whole and free” (Brussels)n Mr Siim Kallas delivers the keynote speech at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) conference on ethics (Paris)n Ms Danuta Hübner in Tábor, Czech Republic: meets Mr Jiri Zimola, Governor of the region of South Bohemia, and receives a presentation of the regional initiative “EU Strategy for Iron Curtain”; gives a press conference; gives a keynote speech on “Regional development strategies: unleashing the growth potential of regions”; visits a project, modernisation of the rail corridor Prague-Linz, part of TEN-T priority project n° 22, a key investment for the Development of the Region of South Bohemia Tábor; visits the City of Tábor and development projects n Mr Ján Figel’ takes part in the Round table “Religious Education in Europe” (Council of Europe, Strasbourg)n Mr László Kovács receives Prof. K.C. Chan, Secretary for Financial Services of Hong Kongn Mrs Mariann Fischer Boel in Washington (04-06): meeting with Tom Vilsack, USDA Secretary (04). Meeting with Ron Kirk, US Trade Representative; meetings with members of the Senate and commodities groups (05). Speech on “The future of European agriculture, key challenges facing the CAP” at the event organised by the German Marshall Fund (GMF); press conference (06)n Mr Vladimír Špidla attends a conference on “Pension systems in the times of global financial cisis” (Bratislava)

EConoMIC anD SoCIal CoMMITTEEBrussels, at the EESC n Public hearing “Trans-atlantic relations in the air transport sector” organised by the TEN Section

ConFErEnCES anD SEMInarS4 May, Brussels, at 6.15 pmn Presentation of the candidature of San

Sebastián for the European Capital of Culture 2016Presentation by the Mayor of San Sebastián (Spain), Odón Elorza.Organiser: Basque Country Delegation in BrusselsConfirm attendance: [email protected], +32.2.285.45.10Venue: Basque Country Delegation in Brussels (27, Rue des Deux Eglises- 1000 Brussels)

Tuesday 5 MayEuroPEan ParlIaMEnTPlEnary SESSIon 09:00 - 23:59, Strasbourg, Plenary ChamberPlenary agenda:

9:00 - 11:50 (Legislative debates)• Electronic communications - Joint debate- (***II) Electronic communications networks, personal data and the protection of privacy - Report by Malcolm Harbour (EPP-ED, UK)- (***II) Electronic communications networks and services - Report by Catherine Trautmann (PES, FR)- (***II) European Electronic Communicat-ions Market Authority - Report by Pilar Del Castillo Vera (EPP-ED, ES)- (***I) Frequency bands to be reserved for mobile communications - Report by Francisca Pleguezuelos Aguilar (PES, ES)End of joint debate

• (***I) Labelling and standard product information of the consumption of energy and other resources by energy-related products - debate on report by Anni Podimata (PES, EL)

12:00 - 13:00VotesRule 131• (*) Amendment of Regulation (EC) n° 1234/2007 establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets as regards the marketing standards for poultrymeat - Debate on report by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL, PT)• Request for defence of the immunity of

Aldo Patriciello - Report by Aloyzas Sakalas (PES, LT)• Request for the defence of the immunity of Umberto Bossi - Report by Klaus-Heiner Lehne (EPP-ED, DE)• Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund - Report by Reimer Böge (EPP-ED, DE)• (***I) Petrol vapour recovery using refuelling of passenger cars at service stations - Debate on report by Dimitrios Papadimoulis (GUE/NGL, EL)

15:00 - 17:00 (Key debate)• Preparation of the European Council (18-19 June 2009) - Council and Commission statements, followed by debates

17:00 - 19:00(or at the end of the preceding debate)• Employment Summit / Social agenda - Joint debate- Preparation of the Employment Summit - Council and Commission statements- (***I) European Globalisation Adjustment Fund - Report by Gabriele Stauner (EPP-ED, DE)• Renewed social agenda - Report by José Albino Silva Peneda (EPP-ED, PT)• Active inclusion of people excluded from the labour market - Report by Jean Lambert (Greens/EFA, UK)End of joint debate

19:00 - 20:00• Question Time to the Commission

21:00 - 24:00• Rosé wines and permitted oenological practices - Oral questions to the Commission, followed by debate• Democratic process in Turkey - Commission statement, followed by debate• (*) Protection of animals at the time of killing - Debate on report by Janusz Wojciechowski (UEN, PL)• General review of the Rules of Procedure - Debate on report by Richard Corbett (PES, UK)• The petition process (Amendment of Title VIII of the Rules of Procedure) - Debate on report by Gérard Onesta (Greens/EFA, FR)

KEY(*) Consultation in single reading(***I) Co-decision procedure - first reading(***II) Co-decision procedure - second reading



1�

THE PrESIDEnT’S DIary Strasbourg, France• 18:00 - 18:30: Event marking the 5th anniversary of the European reunification

CounCIl oF MInISTErSEConoMIC anD FInanCIal aFFaIrS CounCIl (ECoFIn)Brussels

InForMal MEETIng oF MInISTErS For CoMPETITIvEnESS3 to 5 May, Prague

PolITICal anD SECurITy CoMMITTEE (PSC)Brussels

InForMal MEETIng oF THE STraTEgIC CoMMITTEE on IMMIgraTIon, FronTIErS anD aSyluM5 and 6 May, Prague

EaSTErn ParTnErSHIP: ToWarDS CIvIl SoCIETy ForuM5 and 6 May, PragueOrganizer: Association for International Affairs Contact: Alice Savovová, [email protected]

FlooD ProTECTIon Brno 200�5 to 7 May, Brno (Czech Republic)Organizer: Czech Flood Protecition Association Contact: Jan Papez, [email protected] More information: www.povodne.cz

a EuroPE oF CoMMITTED CITIzEnS ConFErEnCE4 and 5 May, Brno (Czech Republic)More info on Monday 4 May

ConFErEnCE 20/5 yEarS aFTEr PlEnary MEETIng oF THE CoTEr CoMMISSIon - THE CoMMITTEE oF THE rEgIonS4 and 5 May, Tábor (Czech Republic)More info on Monday 4 May


EuroPEan CoMMISSIonWEEkly MEETIngStrasbourg

TravEl anD vISITSn Mr Ján Figel’ takes part in the “Games in schools final conference” (Council of Europe, Strasbourg)n Mr Ján Figel’ attends the Exhibition “Peace of Nijmegen - De vrede herleeft” (Strasbourg)n Mr Louis Michel meets Xavier Emmanuelli, Founding President of Samu Social in Paris (EP, Strasbourg)n Ms Catherine Ashton delivers a speech at the Small Medium Enterprise (SME) day (Prague)

EConoMIC anD SoCIal CoMMITTEEBrussels, at the EESC n Public presentation on “Safer Internet” organised by the Section for Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN), Brussels - Programme and registration form

CoMMITTEE oF THE rEgIonn 18th meeting of the COTER commission and conference on “20/5 Years after – EU Cohesion Policy: 20 years after the Iron Curtain, 5 years after accession”: see under the section CouncilLocation: Tabor, South Bohemia (Czech Republic)

ConFErEnCES anD SEMInarS5 May 2009, Brusselsn European Energy Policy: new challenges for distributorsSubject: GEODE’s Spring seminar this year looks in depth at new and forthcoming EU legislation including the Strategic

Energy Review and Security of Supply, the third liberalisation package and the renewables Directive. Speakers include Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs (tbc), Sweden’s energy ministry director Bo Diczfalusy, Heinz Hillbrecht (DG-TREN), Christopher Jones (DG-TREN). An informal dinner takes place on 4 May at 20:00.Contact: Groupement Européen des entreprises et Organismes de Distribution d’ Energie, Tel. (34) 93 414 22 77, e-mail: [email protected], www.geode-eu.orgVenue: Hotel Le Méridien

Wednesday � MayEuroPEan ParlIaMEnTPlEnary SESSIon 09:00 - 23:59, Strasbourg, Plenary ChamberPlenary agenda:

9:00 - 11:50• 5 billion package - Joint debate- (*) Support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) - Report by Petya Stavreva (EPP-ED, BG)- (***I) Programme to aid economic recovery by granting Community financial assistance to projects in the field of energy - Report by Eugenijus Maldeikis (UEN, LT)- Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on the multiannual financial framework (amendment) - Report by Reimer Böge (EPP-ED, DE)End of joint debate

• Finances - Joint debate- (***I) Capital Requirements Directives (2006/48/EC and 2006/49/EC) - Report by Othmar Karas (EPP-ED, AT)- (***I) Community programme to support specific activities in the field of financial services, financial reporting and auditing - Report by Karsten Friedrich Hoppenstedt (EPP-ED, DE)End of joint debate

12:00 - 12:30Votes• Decision of the European Parliament on the number and responsabilities of committees



• Decision of the European Parliament on the number and names of interparliamentary delegations

Rule 43(1):• (*) Repeal of a directive and 11 obsolete decisions in the field of the common fisheries policy - Report by Philippe Morillon (ALDE, FR)• (*) Repeal of 14 obsolete regulations in the field of the common fisheries policy - Report by Philippe Morillon (ALDE, FR)

Rule 81• Indication of the energy consumption of television sets - Motion for a resolution• Indication of the energy consumption of household refrigeration equipment - Motion for a resolution• 2009 Annual Action Programme for Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development (Part II: Targeted projects) - Motion for a resolution Rule 131• Amending budget n° 4/2009: energy projects to aid economic recovery - Report by Jutta Haug (PES, DE)• Amending budget n° 5/2009: budgeting the surplus from the implementation of the budget year 2008 - Report by Jutta Haug (PES, DE)

12:30 - 13:00• Statement by the President

13:00 - 13:30• Continuation of votes

15:00 - 19:00• Conclusions of the UN Conference on Racism (DURBAN II - Geneva) - Council and Commission statements, followed by a debate• Annual Report on Human Rights in the World 2008 and the European Union’s policy on the matter - Debate on report by Raimon Obiols I Germà (PES, ES)

• Asylum - Joint debate- (***I) European Refugee Fund for the period 2008-2013 (amendment of Decision N° 573/2007/EC) - Report by Bárbara Dührkop Dührkop (PES, ES)- (***I) Minimum standards for the reception of asylum seekers (recast version) - Report by Antonio Masip Hidalgo (PES, ES)- (***I) Application for international

protection lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national or a stateless person (recast version) - Report by Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert (ALDE, NL)- (***I) Establishment of ‘Eurodac’ for the comparison of fingerprints (recast version) - Report by Nicolae Vlad Popa (EPP-ED, RO)- (***I) Establishment of a European Asylum Support Office - Report by Jean Lambert (Greens/EFE, UK)End of joint debate

• Justice - Joint debate- (***I) Bilateral agreements between Member States and third countries concerning sectoral matters and covering applicable law in contractual and non-contractual obligations - Report by Tadeusz Zwiefka (EPP-ED, PL)- (*) Bilateral agreements between Member States and third countries on judgments and decisions in matrimonial matters, parental responsibility and maintenance obligations - Report by Gérard Deprez (ALDE, BE)- Development of an EU criminal justice area - Report by Maria Grazia Pagano (PES, IT)End of joint debate

19:00 - 20:00• Question Time to the Council

21:00 - 24:00• Treaty of Lisbon - Joint debate- Parliament’s new role and responsibilities implementing the Treaty of Lisbon - Report by Jo Leinen (PES, DE)- Impact of the Lisbon Treaty on the development of the institutional balance of the European Union - Report by Jean-Luc Dehaene (EPP-ED, BE)- Development of the relations between the European Parliament and national parliaments under the Treaty of Lisbon - Report by Elmar Brok (EPP-ED, DE)- The financial aspects of the Reform Treaty - Report by Catherine Guy-Quint (PES, FR)- Implementation of the citizens’ initiative - Report by Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann (GUE/NGL, DE)End of joint debate

KEY(*) Consultation in single reading(***I) Co-decision procedure - first reading

THE PrESIDEnT’S DIary Strasbourg, France• 8:45 - Ceremonial signing of co-decision legislation, in the hemicycle• 13:00 - Press Conference

CounCIl oF MInISTErSEu - CanaDa SuMMIT (TroIka)PragueIn accordance with the conclusions of the last Summit, the leaders of the EU and Canada are expected to launch negotiations toward a deepened economic partnership agreement. The EU and Canada are also expected to sign the Aviation Services Agreement. Both Agreements will significantly increase job opportunities, trade and revenues on both sides of the Atlantic.The Summit will also address approaches to economic and financial crisis, climate change and regional conflicts, issues in which both the EU and Canada are taking active role.

MEETIng oF THE CorEPEr IIBrussels

MEETIng oF THE CorEPEr I BruSSElSBrussels

Eu - CaPE vErDE SEnIor oFFICIalS’ MEETIng (TroIka)Cape Verde, Praia


EaSTErn ParTnErSHIP: ToWarDS CIvIl SoCIETy ForuM5 and 6 May, PragueOrganizer: Association for International Affairs Contact: [email protected]

InForMal MEETIng oF THE STraTEgIC CoMMITTEE on IMMIgraTIon, FronTIErS anD aSyluM5 and 6 May, Prague



21


EuroPEan CoMMISSIonTravEl anD vISITSn Mr Siim Kallas delivers a speech at the International Forum for Real Estate (Tour & Taxis, Brussels)n Mr Joaquín Almunia in Riga, Latvia: meetings with Mr Valdis Dombrovskis, Prime Minister, Mr Einars Repse, Minister of Finance, Mr Ivars Eglitis, Minister of Health, Mr Uldis Augulis, Minister of Social Affairs, Ms Tatjana Koke, Minister of Education, Mr Edgars ZALŘNS, Minister of Regional Development and Local Authorities and Mr IlmŘrs Rimsevics, Governor of the Central Bank of Latvia n Ms Danuta Hübner in Ulm, Germany: attends the Danube Region Conference; meets Ms Meglena Plugchieva, Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister in charge of coordination and monitoring of EU funding; delivers a speech; meets EP President, Mr Hans-Gert Pöttering and former Vice Chancellor, Mr Erhard Busek n Mr Ján Figel’ participates in the Annual Conference of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (Bratislava)n Mr Olli Rehn in Finland (06-09): delivers a speech at Swedish Club (Helsinki) (06). Delivers a speech at International Baccalaureate High School; delivers a speech at Paasikivi –society (07, Lappeenranta). Participates in an EU-policy panel, organised by newspaper Savon Sanomat (Mikkeli); delivers a keynote speech at an EU seminar organised by The Finnish Confederation of Professionals (08). Opens the Europe-day festivities at Linnanmäki amusement park (Helsinki) (09)n Mr Vladimír Špidla attends a meeting of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) - contribution to the Employment summit (Prague)n Mr Andris Piebalgs delivers a keynote speech at the Gas Infrastructure Europe Annual Conference (Groningen, The Netherlands)

EConoMIC anD SoCIal CoMMITTEEBrussels, at the EESC n Hearing in the frame of the study group ECO/OSL/249 ¬ “External Dimension of the Lisbon Strategy”

Prague, Czech Republic n EESC contribution to the EU summit on employmentSee the Council section

Brussels, at the EESC n Hearing on “Protection of Children at Risk from Sex Tourism” in the frame of the Study Group meeting of SOC/317

Thursday 7 MayEuroPEan ParlIaMEnTPlEnary SESSIon 09:00 - 17:00, Strasbourg, Plenary ChamberPlenary agenda:

9:00 - 11:50• (***I) MEDIA Mundus audiovisual cooperation programme with professionals from third countries - Debate on report by Ruth Hieronymi (EPP-ED, DE)• Draft Commission Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), as regards Annex XVII - Oral Question to the Commission• (***I) Common rules for the allocation of slots at Community airports - Debate on report by Paolo Costa (ALDE, IT)

12:00 - 13:00VotesRule 45(2)• Gender mainstreaming in EU external relations and peace-building / nation-building - Report by Libor Roucek (PES, CZ)• Other votesSituation in the Republic of Moldova - Motions for resolutions

15:00 - 16:00• Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (Rule 115)- Fiji- Madagascar- Venezuela: the case of Manuel Rosales

16:00 - 17:00(or at the end of preceding debates)Votes• Motions for resolutions concerning debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (Rule 115)

THE PrESIDEnT’S DIary Prague, Czech Republic• 10:00 - Employment Summit• 15:00 - European Council Summit on Eastern Partnership

CounCIl oF MInISTErSEaSTErn ParTnErSHIP SuMMITPragueA summit of the EU-27 at the level of Heads of State or Government and representatives of the Eastern Partnership countries.

EMPloyMEnT SuMMITPragueA social Troika, i.e. the Czech Presidency, Sweden and Spain, social partners and representatives of the business sector.

Eu - CaPE vErDE MInISTErIal MEETIng (TroIka)Cape Verde, Praia

ConFErEnCE on THE lIFElong lEarnIng PrograMME PragueThe general aim of the conference on 7 May 2009 is to identify the role and impact of creativity and innovation in the Lifelong Learning Programme and stimulate further analysis of how the LLP contributes to creativity and innovation and how it impacts on policy.Organizer of the Event: National Agency for European Educational Programmes, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports Contact: [email protected]



rESEarCH ConnECTIon 200�7 and 8 May, PragueContact : Martin Konecný, tel. +420 602 713 380, Email: [email protected] www.ec.europa.eu/research/rtd-2009

CuSToMS unIon WorkIng ParTy7 and 8 May, Prague

InForMal aTTaCHéS MEETIng oF THE WorkIng grouP on InTErnal & ExTErnal FISHErIES PolICy7 to 9 May, Prague

InForMal MEETIng oF CorEPEr II7 to 10 May, Prague, Kutná Hora, Kladruby (Czech Republic)



EuroPEan CoMMISSIonTravEl anD vISITSn Mr Jacques Barrot receives Dr Pierre Micheletti, President of Médecins du Monden Mr Jacques Barrot participates in the conference-debate of the Association des Fonctionnaires Français des Communautés Européennes (Brussels)n Mr Siim Kallas delivers opening remarks at the European Open Data Summit (IPC, Residence Palace, Brussels)n Mr Antonio Tajani participates in the 1st Mediterranean Coast Guard Services Forum (Genoa)n Ms Viviane Reding attends the Assembly of European Regions and EURISY and delivers a speech “EU broadband strategies and satellite technologies” (Brussels)n Mr Joaquín Almunia at the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (Frankfurt)n Speech by Mr Joaquín Almunia at the Conference “Towards a new supervisory architecture in Europe” (Brussels)n Ms Danuta Hübner gives a press

conference on Cohesion policy support to SMEs (EC Representation, Warsaw)n Mr Joe Borg in Malta (07-08): gives keynote speech on the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy to the Annual meeting of FIPRA (Finsbury International Policy & Regulatory Advisers) (07). Addresses conference on ‘EU Membership: 5 years on’ (08)n Mr Janez Potocnik participates in the Conference “Research Connection 2009” (Prague)n Mr Ján Figel’ takes part in the 3rd Annual Conference on Lifelong Learning Programme “Innovation and Creativity in the Lifelong Learning Programme” + press conference (Vysocany, Czech Republic)n Mrs Neelie Kroes participates in the SME meeting (Brussels)n Mrs Meglena Kuneva receives Mr Wang Yong, Minister for the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China (AQSIQ)

EConoMIC anD SoCIal CoMMITTEEBrussels, at the EESC n “European SMEs in the 21st century - A world of opportunity (Allowing European SMEs to take advantage of the global market)”, an event in the framework of SME week, organised by the European Commission (DG ENTR)The seminar will investigate how this can be changed and will look at i.a. the role of existing public export / import aids identifying best practices, market failures, and industrial gaps and possible areas in which the EU and national institutions could facilitate and coordinate these efforts.http://www.eesc.europa.eu/sections/ccmi/Hearingsandconferences/Thefuture/SME_week/index_en.asp

CoMMITTEE oF THE rEgIonn DEVE Commission’s 17th meeting (Commission for Sustainable Development)Location: Committee of the Regions’ building, 101 rue Belliard, 1040 Brussels (room JDE 52)

ConFErEnCES anD SEMInarS7 and 8 May, Stornoway (Scotland)n Territorial cohesion seen from the edge: reducing handicaps, seizing opportunitiesCPMR Islands Commission General AssemblySubject: Territories beset by permanent and severe geographic handicaps: how to deal with them?What are the expectations of the various territories with permanent constraints?The Energy/Climate change package, can it contribute to territorial cohesion?For further information: http://www.commissiondesiles.org/en/index.php?act=3,1,,37Venue: Conference Centre: Ann Laatair, Isle of Lewis

7 and 8 May, Brusselsn RENEWABLE ENERGY 2020: Challenges & Solutions for Integrating Large-scale RES in Europe’s Internal Electricity MarketSubject: Renewable energies represent an enormous business opportunity for the EU power sector, but they also bring along many challenges. This conference will discuss the opportunities, the challenges that arise and the solutions that are required. The role of various renewable electricity technologies and their ability to deliver by 2020 will be discussed, along with considerations on how to promote RES-electricity.Organiser: EURELECTRICContact: Emily O’Leary : Tel: +32 2 515 10 62 ; Fax: +32 2 515 10 69 ; [email protected]: Radisson SAS Hotel in Brusselshttp://www.eurelectric.org

Friday � MayCounCIl oF MInISTErSMEETIng oF THE CorEPEr IBrussels

PolITICal anD SECurITy CoMMITTEEBrussels



2�

SuMMIT “SouTHErn CorrIDor - nEW SIlk roaD”Prague An EU Troika, i.e. the Czech Presidency, the European Commission and the General Secretariat of the Council with representatives of the Southern Corridor countries.

rESEarCH ConnECTIon 200�7 and 8 May, PragueContact : Martin Konecný, tel. +420 602 713 380, Email: [email protected] www.ec.europa.eu/research/rtd-2009

CuSToMS unIon WorkIng ParTy7 and 8 May, Prague

InForMal aTTaCHéS MEETIng oF THE WorkIng grouP on InTErnal & ExTErnal FISHErIES PolICy7 to 9 May, Prague


EuroPEan CoMMISSIonTravEl anD vISITSn Mr José Manuel Durão Barroso participates at the international congress: Ideas of Europe/Ideas for Europe, Chemnitz (Germany)n Mrs Margot Wallström in Sweden (08-09): receives the “Monismanien Award for freedom of expression” (Uppsala University); speaks at Uppsala University House: “Democracy and the European elections”; attends “Coffee and Commissioner” with Ms Zinat Pizadeh, Swedish-Iranian comedian, actress and writer, at the Europe Direct Office (Rinkeby/Kista) (08). Speaks at seminar with Mrs Ameila Adamo, founder of the Swedish Women’s Magazine Amelia, and Mrs Anna Zethraeus, Editor-in-chief of MAMA, Swedish Women’s Magazine: “Why vote in the European elections?”; attends discussion with Mrs Annika Ström Melin, Swedish author and journalist: “10 years as Commissioner”; attends “Discussions with young people” on the occasion of Europe Day, at the Sergel Square (Stockholm) (09)

n Mr Günter Verheugen, participates in Europe Day activities (Warsaw)n Mr Antonio Tajani in Valletta, Malta: visits the President and Prime Minister of Malta and other government officials n Ms Danuta Hübner in Poland (08-09): gives a keynote speech “Technology Parks in the Landscape of the European Innovation and Regional Policies” on the occasion of the inauguration of Dolnoslaskie Technology Park in Szczawno Zdrój (Wałbrzych agglomeration); gives a speech “Regions of Europe: self-governance in the European cohesion policy” at the conference “Regions of Europe – self-governments in the realization of the European Cohesion policy”, organised by the Lower Silesian Chamber of Agriculture (Wrocław) (08, Lower Silesia). Attends 10th Schuman’s parade (09, Warsaw)n Mr Janez Potocnik in Ljubljana, Slovenia: attends the National Assembly session on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of enlargement (Slovenian National Assembly); lecture at the Institute for Middle East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES) n Mr Andris Piebalgs takes part in “The Southern Corridor – New Silk Road Summit” (Prague)n Mr Leonard Orban in Budapest: participation in the conference “Enlargement: Five Years After - The State of European Integration and New Challenges for the Discipline” and meeting with the Rector of the Central European University, Professor Yehuda Elkana, and Professor Andrea Lenschow from the University of Osnabrueck, Germany at Central European University and meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister, Mr Péter Balázsn Mrs Androulla Vassiliou visits the Pallouriotissa High School in the occasion of the “Europe Day” celebration (Cyprus)

Saturday � MayCounCIl oF MInISTErSInForMal aTTaCHéS MEETIng oF THE WorkIng grouP on InTErnal & ExTErnal FISHErIES PolICy7 to 9 May, Prague


EuroPEan CoMMISSIonTravEl anD vISITSn Mr José Manuel Durão Barroso and Mr Louis Michel participate in the “Open doors day” of the European institutions (BERL - PE)n Mr Jacques Barrot participates in the commemoration of the anniversary of Robert Schuman (Paris)n Mrs Benita Ferrero-Waldner in Austria: attends the regional day and delivers a speech at the Diplomatic Academy (Vienna)n Mrs Meglena Kuneva in Sofia, Bulgaria: delivers a speech at the conference “My Vote for My Europe”; attends a concert on the occasion of Europe Day n Mr Leonard Orban participates in the round table “The Launch of the European Institute in Romania’s (EIR) Strategy and Policy Studies-2008” at the Central University Library and participates in the opening event of the exhibition of European cartography at the Cotroceni Museum (Bucharest)

EConoMIC anD SoCIal CoMMITTEEBrussels, EESC n Open Day 2009

Sunday 10 MayCounCIl oF MInISTErSMInISTErIal ConFErEnCE on THE FInanCIal SuSTaInaBIlITy oF HEalTH SySTEMS10 to 12 May, Prague




Talking to Europolitics, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn defended the “success story” of the ‘big bang’ enlarge-ment of 2004 (see our Special Dossier in Europolitics 3744) and advocated a progressive enlargement of the EU to the Western Balkans in parallel with a deepening of integration. Rehn said that Iceland could join the Union fast if it decided to apply for membership and admitted that he would be inter-ested in joining the next Commission.

What are the most important les-sons learned from the 2004 and 2007 enlargement rounds and how do they shape the EU’s current expansion policy?The Union’s enlargement has been a success story in terms of democratic and economic transformation in Cen-tral and Eastern Europe. Overall, the bal-ance is positive. It has also brought eco-nomic benefits to the citizens of both the new member states and the ‘not so new’ member states. We also draw some lessons in the sense that we have reinforced our working methods, for instance by introduc-ing a benchmarking methodology, which means a more rigorous application of conditionality.

Was it not a mistake to accept Bulgaria and Romania with their judicial problems?These decisions were taken by the member states voting in unanimity. Bulgaria and Romania are very committed members and contribute to EU policies in the Black Sea region and in the Western Balkans. To further their judicial reform and the fight against crime and corruption, we have developed a cooperation and verification mechanism, which means we are partners in addressing the remaining shortcomings.

Would you agree that the so-called ‘enlargement fatigue’ results mainly from the bad legacy of the 2004-2007 expansions?I am often confronted with the argument that enlargement is causing an institu-

tional deadlock or economic problems. But the current economic crisis has not been caused by a Polish plumber or a Czech auto worker...

Germany and France want the EU to take a break in the enlargement process until after the Lisbon Treaty is ratified. How are you going to persuade them to change their mind?Even the slowest envisaged scenario for the ratification and entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty is still faster than the fast-est possible scenario for the accession of the next member state. There is no con-tradiction between these two objectives. We have to work in parallel on deepening European integration and widening EU membership.

What effect could a potential freeze on enlargement have on the countries of the Western Balkans?The EU perspective is indeed the glue that keeps these countries on the European track and is the engine behind the neces-sary democratic and economic reforms. It is much better to export stability than to import instability from this region in the form of crime and human trafficking or refugees.

If Slovenia lifts its veto, what are the chances for Croatia to wrap up its accession talks this year?

It is still possible to conclude the techni-cal negotiations before the end of the year on the condition that Croatia pursues reforms with determination and achieves concrete results, especially in the field of

judicial reforms, fight against organised crime and corruption and the reform of the shipbuilding sector, which is a key issue within the EU’s competition policy.

If Iceland decided to apply for EU membership, how fast could it progress?There is no shortcut for Iceland, but of course that country has already advanced very far in European inte-gration. As a member of the European Economic Area, Iceland has already adopted over two-thirds of the EU leg-islation. Iceland has indeed completed some 40 kilometres of the marathon towards EU accession [the total mara-

thon distance is 42.195 kilometres – Ed]. So the negotiations could be started quite soon.

Will the Commission recommend any retaliatory measures if Turkey fails to implement the Ankara Protocol by the end of 2009?The EU clearly expects Turkey to comply with its obligations in relation to the Ankara Protocol. For now, it is essential that every-body focuses on the efforts toward a com-prehensive settlement on the reunification of Cyprus. That’s the foremost objective for the moment. Once we see concrete prog-ress and results, I am sure that Turkey will have no problem meeting its obligations.

Would you be interested in being a member of the next Commission?I am ready to continue as a member of the Commission if there is confidence in my work both in Finland and in Europe. This is my plan – but the decision is not in my hands.

Perhaps as the commissioner for enlargement?There are 27 important portfolios in the Commission... n

By Fabrice randoux

InTErvIEW WITH EnlargEMEnT CoMMISSIonEr ollI rEHn

no contradiction between enlargement and integration

rehn: “i’m ready to continue”©

Belg

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