JULY 2015
The Ukrainian state-run company Naftogaz has suspended gas purchases from Russia starting 1 July due to the inability to arrive to an agreement over fuel prices. The Russian Energy Minister, Alexandr Nóvak, stated that the decision is purely political. Ukraine has announced that the pipeline going through the country will not affect the gas supply to Europe. The decision is the result of various failed conversations which took place in Vienna among Ukraine, Russia and the European Commission in order to discuss gas supplies to Ukraine.
Dialogue between Iran and the P5+1 countries to arrive to a definitive agreement over the country’s nuclear programme has been extended until the 7 of July (1 July). The main objective of the United States, along with Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom and Germany, is to prevent Iran from creating an atomic bomb. Barack Obama added that if there are no guarantees that paths to obtaining nuclear weapons remain closed to Iran and a regimen of limitations and inspections is not imposed on the Iranian nuclear programme, there will be no agreement. Iranian spokesperson, Abas Araqchi, commented that there are important and complex differences that persist that need to be overcome, but at the same time highlighted a “positive environment” created by both parties to foster progress.
JUNE 2015
Greece has requested a third bailout on the same day that the its deadline expires to pay €1.6 billion to the IMF (30 June). Last-ditch efforts by the European Commission to convince Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to accept the bailout deal he had already rejected last week have failed. The tension is palpable as the fate of Greece, and the European Union as a whole, hangs in the balance.
During an emergency press conference in Brussels, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker appealed to the Greek electorate (29 June) to vote “yes” on 5 July when the country will go to the polls for a referendum in order to decide whether or not the country will accept the proposals set forth by the Institutions. “The whole planet would consider a Greek ‘no’ to the question posed… as meaning that Greece wants to distance itself from the euro zone and from Europe,” he remarked. President Juncker claimed the negotiations had fallen through due to Prime Minister Tsipras’ announcement of his plans of taking up the issue directly with the Greek people. This allegation has been refuted by the Tsipras government, reminding the Commission President that “sincerity” is of utmost importance to ensure “good faith and reliability in negotiations.”
The Greek Parliament approved Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ call for a referendum to be held 5 July to decide whether or not to accept the measures proposed by the Institutions (European Commission, European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund). Tsipras made clear his government’s preference for a “No” vote. In parallel, the Eurogroup met in the afternoon of 27 June in Brussels, as mandated by the European Council. The Greek Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis, was also present. Heading to the meeting, the Eurogroup President, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, expressed his sadness that the Greek side had practically closed the door to further negotiations by opting for a referendum. The statement issued at the conclusion of the Eurogroup meeting, with the support of all Eurogroup members except Greece, took note of the Greek government’s referendum decision and stated that “The current financial assistance arrangement with Greece will expire on 30 June 2015, as well as all agreements related to the current Greek programme including the transfer by euro area Member States of SMP and ANFA equivalent profits. ” Throughout Greece people lined up in front of ATMs trying to withdraw as much money as possible to make do during the coming turbulent days.
A terrorist attack has been carried out by men bearing the Islamist State flag at a factory in the French town of Saint-Quenton-Fallavier, located near Lyon (26 June). One person was decapitated, his body left at the entrance of the factory with the flag nearby, and several others were wounded by explosions set off in the gas plant. The suspect has reportedly been arrested at the scene and taken into custody.
Still no agreement reached between Greece and the Institutions by the evening of 24 June. Negotiations were continuing and the Eurogroup was scheduled to reconvene on this in the afternoon of 25 June to prepare for the European Council of 25-26 June.
In a case brought to justice by sustainability foundation Urgenda, together with 900 citizens, a Dutch court decided on 24 June that the government of the Netherlands should cut greenhouse gas emissions at least by 25% compared to 1990 levels, instead of 17% expected to be achieved on the basis of current policies. This unprecedented judgement opens the way to further climate litigation and establishes a liability precedent for governments found not to be doing their share to address the global climate change challenge. It is not yet clear whether the Dutch government will appeal to a higher court against the ruling.
President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, announced further Eurogroup negotiations are needed on the Greek proposals in hopes of finding an agreement by Thursday, which is when the next European Council meeting is scheduled. They made the announcement after the conclusion of the extraordinary Euro Summit on Greece, which took place on 22 June. Tusk described the Greek proposal as a “positive step,” while Juncker was “convinced that we’ll come to a final agreement this week.”
The European Union has extended economic sanctions against Russia for six more months, until 31 January, 2016 (22 June). The Council of the EU announced today that it will maintain pressure on Moscow for longer than had previously been outlined (the measures were scheduled to expire in July), in hopes that it would foment complete implementation of the Minsk agreement and stifle the rising tension in Ukraine. The sanctions, which were introduced in response to Russia’s aggressivity and “destabilising role in eastern Ukraine,” include limiting access to financial markets and the prohibiting certain technologies and exchanges between the EU and Russia in the energy and defense sectors.
An Austrian man killed three, including a four-year-old boy, and injured dozens in the Austrian city of Graz (20 June) as he deliberately drove his car into a crowded street in the country’s second largest city. Austrian officials, who say the car was moving at a speed exceeding 100 km per hour, have ruled out terrorism as a motive for the attack, with the Austria Press Agency citing a police source that claims the man demonstrated obvious symptoms of psychosis. He was quickly apprehended and remains in custody.
With no agreement reached at the latest Eurogroup meeting on Greece (18 June), European Council President Donald Tusk decided to convene “a Euro Summit on Monday 22 June at 19h00… to urgently discuss the situation of Greece at the highest political level”.
Marine Le Pen heads the latest, eighth political group in the European Parliament, together with Marcel De Graaff of Geert Wilders Dutch right-wing PVV party (16 June). This new eurosceptic group brings together a total of 37 MEPs, from Le Pen’s Front National, PVV, as well as the Austrian Freedom Party, the Belgian Vlaams Belang, the Italian Lega Nord, the Polish Congress of the New Right, and a former UKIP member. It is the second eurosceptic political group in the European Parliament, after Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD), which has 46 MEPs and is led by UKIP (UK) and Movimento Cinque Stelle (Italy).
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that the unlimited bond-buying program created by the European Central Bank is in accordance with the Treatis after the German Constitutional Court referred the case to Europe’s top tribunal (16 June). The program, called Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT), was created after Mario Draghi pledged to do “whatever it takes” in 2012 to safeguard the euro. The ECJ gave the green light to two major points with which the German court took issue and ruled that the ECB has not overstepped its mandate with regard to monetary policy and it is not in conflict with the explicit prohibition of monetary financing of Member States.
The United States is preparing to store battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other heavy weaponry in various Baltic and Eastern European countries, American officials say (13 June). The decision, which is awaiting approval by US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and the White House, is expected to come before a meeting of NATO defense ministers later this month in Brussels. The plan would equipt up to 5,000 soldiers in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and possibly Hungary, and would mark the first time Americans have positioned heavy weaponry in states belonging to the former Soviet bloc.
At least three ministers in the Polish government and a spokesperson for the Sejm (the Polish Parliament) have offered their resignations over a scandal concerning secretly taped conversations held last year (10 June). Months before Poland holds its general elections this coming autumn, Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz of the Civic Platform (PO) urged various members of her Cabinet to step down after information of the ongoing investigation surfaced concerning the alleged discussions. The recordings were made in various restaurants in Warsaw. A host of Polish and international public figures were criticised in the tapes, refering to them in a contemptuous and vulgar tone, while discussion of private deals and political promotions were also held.
European Parliament postpones crucial vote on TTIP (9 June) due to the large number of
amendments and requests for split or separate votes presented. The EP was called to vote on
recommendations to the negotiators of the Transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP). In a very unusual move, EP President Martin Schulz, decided to send the report back to the EP´s International Trade Committee for further discussion. This reflects the prevalence of opposing views with regard to the TTIP within the EP.
This year’s G7 summit was held in Germany (7-8 June), with Greece, Ukraine and climate change in the centre of attention. Obama and Merkel reminded Greece of its obligation to implement reforms and return to a sustainable long-term development. The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, expressed his discontent with Prime Minister Tsipras for the delay in the country’s response to the reform proposals requested by its creditors. European Council President, Donald Tusk, launched severe criticism of Russia for its intervention in Ukraine, and proposed a tightening of sanctions against the Kremlin. In terms of climate change, leaders agreed that emissions reduction is a priority and, to this end, they committed utilising all possible means towards eliminating the use of fossil fuels by the end of the century.
Two bombs exploded at an election rally for the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) near the Turkish town of Diyarbakir (5 June). The bombs, believed to be gas canisters filled with marbles, came two days before the country’s presidential elections. Two people have been killed and more than 100 injured, according to Turkish officials. HDP leader Selahattin Demirtaş has called for Turks to “show we have an iron heart and an iron will,” with current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calling the assault a “provocation” meant to undermine peace. Increased support for Demirtaş and his party has exacerbated ethnic tensions in the country which has a long history of conflict between its Turkish and Kurdish communities.
A fresh wave of violence has erupted near the rebel stronghold of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, with reports suggesting at least 26 dead after 12 hours of fighting (3 June). The renewed hostilities come after the recent Russian buildup of weaponry close to the Ukrainian border and has led many to fear an impending offensive by pro-Russian separatists. Fresh clashes are in clear violation of the Minsk ceasefire accord, with Minsk II agreed upon in February, and threaten the complete collapse of the agreement altogether. The “colossal threat of the presumption of large-scale fighting,” as Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said, has prompted an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council (5 June). Pro-Russian separatists have denied accusations that they instigated the offensive.
European stock markets took a hard hit (29 June) after Greece announced it would close its banks, implement capital controls and hold a referendum scheduled for Sunday, 5 July. Uncertainty and fear have made a dent in the stock markets causing losses of over 4%. The Spanish and Italian stock exchanges are those which have suffered the most, experiencing a loss of 5.16% and 5.17%, respectively. Despite the bleak scenario Europe is facing, the Commission and the member states have made it clear that they will not succumb to the pressure.
Greece announces plans to close banks and the stock market on Monday and place capital controls on withdrawals and transfers in an effort to avoid a financial collapse, said Prime Minister Tsipras (28 June). The decision comes after negotiations broke down between Greece and its creditors over the weekend once Tsipras announced the proposal of a referendum for the Greek people to decide whether or not it would accept the creditors’ offer. The Insititutions, however, chose not to extend the Greek bailout programme for one week in order to give its voters time to decide. “It is clearer than ever that this decision has no other goal apart from blackmailing the Greek people and obstructing the smooth democratic procedure of the referendum,” he claimed. The referendum is due to be held Sunday, 5 July.
At least 37 people killed in yet another attack carried out today (26 June), this time in Tunisia. The attack took place in Sousse on a beach located in front of a resort belonging to the Spanish hotel chain RIU Hotels. The resort is a popular tourist destination and frequented by Westerners. No group has claimed responsibility yet. This tragedy comes only months after 21 people were killed outside the Bardo National Museum in March in a terrorist attack claimed by the Islamic State.
The first day of the European Council (25 June) ended with broad agreement on migration issues, including the relocation of a total of 60,000 persons in need of protection from frontline states like Greece and Italy. The relocation details were left to Interior Ministers to finalise by the end of July. There was discussion but no decision on the Greek bailout issues, in view of the lack of agreement between Greece and the Institutions, and thus the absence of prior agreement in the Eurogroup. The Council expected the Eurogroup to conclude the process at its meeting on 27 June.
The Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine met in Paris on 24 June 2015 amidst increasing ceasefire violations in Eastern Ukraine. The Ministers stressed the need to implement on the ground the ceasefire and heavy arms withdrawal agreement reached in Minsk. They repeated the commitment of their countries to work together to resolve the crisis.
French president François Hollande has summoned an emergency meeting of his defense council (24 June) in response to allegations that the United States National Security Agency (NSA) had been recording his phone conversations, as well as those of former presidents Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy and other French government officials. According to the WikiLeaks documents published late Tuesday night labeled “Espionnage Elysée,” Sarkozy was reportedly discussing sensitive information concerning the recommencement of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks while President Hollande expressed concern over a Greek exit from the eurozone dated back to 2012. Other topics dicussed include French-German relations, the global financial crisis, European Union affairs and French influence in the United Nations. Although an NSA spokesperson claims no more spying is taking place, this revelation further adds to the distrust between the US and its European allies.
The Danish People’s Party made huge gains in the country’s parliamentary elections (18 June), coming in second overall and securing 90 seats for the centre-right coalition, whose parties combined won 52.3% of the total vote. The victorious opposition alliance ousted Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt from office, whose ruling centre-left bloc captured 85 seats, with 47.7% of the vote. The opposition coalition is led by ex-Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen (2009-2011), now poised to reclaim his former title. Although polls reflected a tight race in the lead-up to the election, conservatives performed beyond expectations in a time when economic uncertainty, Euroscepticism and anti-immigration sentiments are on the rise.
Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann was due to travel to Athens in a last-ditch attempt to mediate between Greece and its Eurozone partners (17 June), in light of escalating mutual recriminations and with a view to ensuring a positive outcome of the upcoming Eurozone Finance Ministers’ meeting (18-19 June).
An Egyptian Court has upheld the death sentence handed down in May to ex-President Mohamed Morsi (16 June). The ousted leader, who was the first democratically-elected president of Egypt, was convicted of colluding with foreign militants in the orchestration of mass prison breaks that took place in the lead-up to the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Egypt’s highest religious figure, the Grand Mufti, confirmed the death sentence for Morsi and five other senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including the organisation’s Supreme Guide, Mohamed Badie.
Police have forcibly removed dozens of immigrants sleeping at the border of France and Italy (16 June). France has prohibited them from re-entering and defends its position that those who cross into Italian territory are Italy’s responsibility.
Last-ditch negotiations between Greece and its creditors fell apart in less than an hour (14 June), allegedly because Athens had nothing new to offer, leaving tough decisions to the Eurozone finance ministers due to meet on 18 June.
Collaboration between Spanish left-wing parties Podemos and Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) in various municipalities across the country has ushered in a new era in Spanish politics. Manuela Carmena has been sworn in as Madrid’s new mayor, bringing an end to 24 years of consecutive rule by the centre-right Partido Popular (PP), while former housing activist and prominent voice of protest against the Spanish political and economic elite, Ada Colau, has officially assumed her position as mayor of Barcelona. Left-wing coalitions that include Podemos are also set to govern in Zaragoza, A Coruña and Cádiz. After a debilitating economic crisis and various corruption scandals plaguing the political scene, voters have shown a willingness to deviate from the traditional two-party system. Carmena and Colau rose to power on anti-austerity, anti-establishment platforms and have already chosen to reduce their salaries to less than half of those received by their centre-right predecessors, from more than €100,000 to €45,000 per year.
Russian President Vladmir Putin met with the Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, and Pope Francis on his trip to Italy (10 June). During his stay, Putin alluded to the economic sanctions imposed by the EU on Russia in response to the conflict in Ukraine. He stressed the fact that they undermine the Italian economy and claimed they translate to a loss of billions of euros for Italy. Renzi stated that the complexity of the current international situation goes beyond bilateral questions separating Italy and Russia. During the meeting at the Vatican, two days after the G7 summit discussed the continuation of the sanctions against Moscow, Pope Francis insisted that Putin make a “sincere effort” to achieve peace in Ukraine.
More than 53 million Turks have turned up at the ballot box to vote in the country’s parliamentary elections (7 June). After a final tally, the results show that the Justice and Development Party (AKP), currently in government, has secured 40.7% of the vote, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) captured 25.1%, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) 16.5% and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) surpassed the parliamentary threshold with almost 13%. As a result, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling party have lost their majority in Parliament and, along with it, hopes of amending the country’s constitution and transforming its political system.
The European Court of Justice upheld (4 June) a 2013 ruling in favour of the EU Executive exercising its right to restrict trade documents from public viewing. Classified EU free trade negotiations with India, and the ECJ’s allowing of such practices, have sparked many to protest the seemingly outright sanctioning of secretive collaboration by corporate elites. The ruling comes at a time when many Europeans are questioning the future of EU trade policy, with the emergence of strong opposition to TTIP negotiations (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) with the United States.
Following a last-minute agreement with the International Monetary Fund (4 June), Greece postponed the first of four debt payments due to the IMF this month. Instead of making the 300-million-euro payment on the deadline of 5 June, Greece is now expected to make all four payments together on 30 June, to a total amount of €1.6 billion. The hope is that an overall agreement will have been reached between Greece and its creditors by the end of June, which will relieve the cash-strapped country from a significant bailout installment.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker held a late-night meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Brussels (3 June). The private meeting was held in the hope of arriving at an agreement between Greece and its creditors in order to avoid a critical situation in which a Greek default triggers a financial collapse. The dinner was also attended by the Eurogroup President, Jeroen Dijsselbloem. “It has gone well, it has been a constructive meeting. Progress has been based on the understanding of each one of the components with respect to the different proposals. We have agreed that we will reconvene again because the intense work continues,” reads the statement published by the Commission after the meeting. The results can be summarized in three points: the parties are close to reaching an agreement with respect to the fiscal objectives; the debate over pension reform remains stalled; and divergent points persist concerning taxes and the VAT.
Greece proposed a new plan for reforms to its international creditors (2 June). Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called the proposal a “complete and realistic plan so that Greece gets out of the crisis,” and requested that the lenders accept it for the sake of agreement. EU Commissioner for Economics and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici confirmed in an interview with France Inter radio that “we are beginning to work very hard in the area of pensions. The Greek government has launched some proposals and we are weighing the advantages and disadvantages.”
MAY 2015
David Cameron concluded his four-country European tour advocating reforms to the EU treaties (31 May). The British Prime Minister met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande, Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Cameron underscored the interests that unite each country with Great Britain and the areas where they walk hand in hand. Germany and Holland, like the United Kingdom, are more open to competitiveness, a single market and less bureaucracy. Prime Minister Kopacz warned Cameron that Poland will be a tough opponent to slashing benefits for immigrants.
Within 24 hours, 4,243 migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Libya have been rescued, according to the Italian Coastguard. Distress calls were received from 17 different boats on Friday (29 May) near the Sicilian coast, with 17 bodies reportedly recovered from aboard three separate vessels.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande have agreed on a pact to strengthen the relationship between their two countries (26 May), with plans to present it at a summit in Brussels next month. The Franco-German plan aims to forge closer political ties while working within the bounds of those same existing EU treaties that UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron is hoping to renegotiate as a precondition for Britain staying in the EU. The consensus reached by Merkel and Hollande should send a clear signal to Cameron that the integrity of the EU treaties should, and can, be maintained when searching for accord among member states on EU issues. Cameron has announced plans to meet with both Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande within the coming weeks concerning the fate of Britain within the EU.
The newly-elected president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, renounced his membership from the Law and Justice Party (26 May). No explanation has yet been given by the President-elect for making the decision. According to party members’ statements made to the Polish Press Agency, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the party’s president, thanked Duda for his work and highlighted his great talent. Last Sunday, Duda won 51.55% of the vote against his opponent, Bronislaw Komorowski of Civic Platform, who attained 48.45% in the country’s presidential runoff elections.
New political forces Podemos and Ciudadanos make important gains nationwide (24 May), in local elections in Spain, especially in the capital city of Madrid and Barcelona. The country’s conservative ruling party, Partido Popular (PP), suffered major blows, in spite of having secured the most votes overall, which could signal a major shift in Spanish politics, with general elections due at the end of 2015. The country’s other major political party, Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE), remains the second political force by number of votes nationwide. Governmental coalitions are to become the norm in most municipalities and regional governments.
Greece’s Minister of the Interior, Nikos Voutsis, has announced that the country will not be able to make its $1.6 billion debt repayment to the IMF due in June (24 May). “This money will not be paid, because it doesn’t exist,” declared Voutsis. The progress in negotiations between the Greek government and its creditors (IMF, European Central Bank and European Commission) concerning the rescue has been scant. The issues that generate the most friction between both parties are the salary and pension agreements, complete liberalisation of the labour market and reform of the VAT tax.
60th Eurovision Song Contest won by Sweden (23 May), represented by Måns Zelmerlöw and the song “Heroes!”.
The Secretary-General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, urged Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine. At a meeting held by the Council of Europe on 19 May in Brussels, Stoltenberg insisted that the Minsk Protocol, which instituted a ceasefire in Ukraine, be fully respected. With the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov present at the meeting, Stoltenberg demanded greater transparency from Russia in its military activities that, according to the alliance, heighten unpredictability at the border and emphasised the importance of maintaining open communication to avoid misunderstandings.
The EU has openly denounced the death sentence handed down to former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi (17 May). The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU, Federica Mogherini, affirmed that the death penalty for Morsi, and the more than one hundred individuals alongside him, “is not aligned with the obligations of the country in terms of international law.” Mogherini emphasised that “the EU is opposed to capital punishment under every circumstance” by virtue of being cruel and inhumane, representing an unacceptable rejection of human dignity and integrity. Morsi, together with hundreds of other leaders, members and sympathisers of the Muslim Brotherhood, were accused of espionage and conspiracy with foreign militias.
The European Commission unveiled their European Agenda on Migration (13 May) with some member states, namely the UK, already voicing their dissension. The resettlement plan, with a price tag of €50 million, includes implementing a system of binding quotas to take in up to 20,000 refugees across the entire EU; specific country quotas will based on various factors like economic strength and unemployment rates. Additionally, the Commission proposed to bolster joint operations Triton and Poseidon under the Frontex agency by expanding its budget to €89 million and re-emphasised the Blue Card program for highly-skilled migrants. With many parties rallying support due to anti-immigration platforms- most recently in the UK just last week- some member states are already in opposition to the plan. The quota system, which would be implemented by invoking the emergency procedure found in the EU treaty, gives some countries, including the UK, Ireland and Denmark, the option to “opt-out” of this type of legislation.
Estonia mobilized 13,000 soldiers (13 May), engaging in mock military operations against a fictitious enemy, dubbed Aslavia. The effort to revitalize the former Soviet republic’s military, with NATO support, comes in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and ongoing interference in Ukraine. Talks of heightened militarization across the Baltic region, including resurrecting compulsory military service, as is the case in Latvia, have dominated the political discourse as of late. Undoubtedly, EU and NATO membership help significantly to curb the threat of a menacing state, real or otherwise.
Polls have closed in Poland’s presidential election (10 May) with the conservative Law and Justice Party candidate Andrzej Duda receiving an estimated 34% of the vote and independent incumbent Bronislaw Komorowski, allied with the centre-right Civic Platform, 32%. Rock star Pawel Kukiz has taken third place, winning nearly 20% of the ballots cast. Since no candidate has received 50% of the vote, a run-off election will be held on 24 May between the two top candidates.
22 people killed in Kumanovo, FYROM (9/10 May), and many more injured in a gun battle between police and armed individuals. The Government in Skopje claims gunmen belong to ethnic Albanian armed groups linked to Kosovo.
The European Commission unveiled detailed Digital Single Market Strategy (6 May) meant to tear down regulatory barriers, open up digital opportunities for people and businesses throughout the EU, create hundreds of thousands of jobs and potentially contribute as much as €415 billion per year to the EU economy. The strategy includes 16 initiatives for implementation by the end of 2016, including rules to make cross-border e-commerce easier, introduce a modern, more European copyright law, overhaul EU telecoms rules, advance cybersecurity, propose a “European free flow of data initiative”. The Commission’s proposals will be discussed by the European Council at its 25-26 June meeting.
Austria chimes in on the German-US espionage scandal by filing a legal complaint on Tuesday (5 May) over speculation of conspiracy between the US National Security Agency (NSA) and the BND, Germany’s intelligence agency. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has resisted rumours that the BND provided assistance to the NSA by conducting surveillance on European officials and companies. Revelations surfaced in 2013 that Chancellor Merkel’s phone had been tapped by US intelligence, straining relations between the two nations and prompting Ms. Merkel to proclaim that “friendly nations should not spy on each other.”
Startling video emerged on Tuesday (5 May) from The Associated Press capturing desperate migrants being rescued off the Sicilian coast. A reported 40 individuals drowned after the rubber dinghy transporting them deflated in the Mediterranean Sea, with nearly 140 making it to safety aboard an Italian cargo ship on Sunday (3 May). Over the course of the weekend, 34 vessels were reportedly intercepted carrying between 6,000-7,000 individuals. UNHCR has estimated 1,800 lives have been lost making the perilous journey from Libya to Europe since the beginning of 2015.
Italian regional election results show gains for the right-wing Northern League and anti-establishment Five Star Movement in the northern regions of Liguria and Veneto (31 May). Although Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s Democratic Party (PD) won 5 of the 7 regions with a reported 23.7% of the total vote, the electoral progress made by Italy’s conservative parties threatens to throw Renzi’s education, labour and constitutional reforms off course. The Five Star Movement claimed 18.4% of the vote, Northern League captured 12.5% and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia finished the day with 10.7%, reports show.
Russia has released a list of 89 EU officials, politicians and military leaders banned from entry into the country (31 May). The list is said to include current Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union Uwe Corsepius and former Deputy Prime Minister of Britain Nick Clegg. An official in the Russian Foreign Ministry commented that the ban is a response to EU sanctions against Russia imposed after the annexation of Crimea. European officials have called the travel blacklist “totally arbitrary and unjustified.”
“Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union?” will be the question posed to the British people in a referendum to be held before the end of 2017 (28 May). Although the Conservative Party, currently governing Britain, did not achieve a majority in the House of Lords, it is almost certain that the bill introduced today in the UK Parliament will receive the support of the other political parties. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, hailing from the most euroskeptic wing of the party, made statements on the BBC Radio warning that “the United Kingdom will leave the EU if we do not achieve substantive reforms.” Labour, for its part, hopes to hold the referendum as soon as possible in order to avoid incertitude in negotiations, in spite of being opposed to the idea of a referendum on the campaign trail.
British Prime Minister David Cameron sat down on Monday (25 May) with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to discuss possible renegotiations of the UK’s membership within the European Union. Prime Minister Cameron, whose Conservative Party was overwhelmingly re-elected just weeks ago, admitted to President Juncker that the “British people are not happy with the status quo” in Europe. Both men agreed that further discussion, with the inclusion of other EU leaders, would be essential for moving forward. Brits will go to the polls by the end of 2017 to vote on a referendum deciding whether the UK will leave the EU, coined a “Brexit”, or continue as a member of the Union.
Andrzej Duda wins Polish presidential election with 51,55% of the vote (24 May) while incumbent President Bronislaw Komorowski garnered 48,45%. Duda, from the conservative Law and Justice Party, enjoyed an impressive display of support in the first round of voting, narrowly beating out the more moderate Civic Platform incumbent President Komorowski, who favours strengthening Polish ties to the EU. Today’s runoff comes after both candidates failed to secure 50% of the vote in the 10 May general election.
The Cannes Film Festival ended (24 May) with the Palm d’or going to Dheepan by Jacques Audiard, a story of refugees from the war in Sri Lanka, and the Grand Prix to Son of Saul by László Nemes, a Holocaust-related movie.
Irish voters say yes to same-sex marriage by 62.1% (22 May), making Catholic Ireland the first country in the world to have introduced same-sex marriage by popular vote.
European leaders adopt joint declaration with leaders of Eastern Partnership countries (Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Belarus) at a summit in Riga, the capital city of Latvia, on Friday (22 May). In the spirit of mutually-reinforcing “security, stability and prosperity,” the Eastern Partnership was agreed upon through a joint declaration signed in Prague in 2009, and is an initiative launched within a larger framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy. The third Eastern Partnership summit, held in 2013 in Vilnius, Lithuania, proved to be a fateful event in the narrative unfolding between Europe and its neighbours. The last-minute decision by former President Viktor Yanukovych to rescind Ukrainian support for a trade pact and political agreement with the EU sparked protests in Kiev, led to Yanukovych’s downfall but also paved the way for the subsequent Russian annexation of Crimea and the ongoing crisis in Eastern Ukraine.
The EU will launch a naval operation designed to disrupt smugglers’ networks transporting thousands of migrants from the coasts of Libya to European shores. EU Foreign Relations and Defense Ministers approved the operation on Monday (17 May), dubbed EUNAVFOR Med, which will be headquartered in Rome and under the leadership of Italian rear admiral Enrico Credendino. The initial mandate of the operation is one year. The first phase, to be launched immediately, will be mostly reconnaissance. The second and third phases, to commence at the end of June, consist of operations to “search, seize and disrupt assets of smugglers.” The risk of provoking a hostile response in Libya, potentially misidentifying boats in Libyan ports and causing high levels of collateral damage are all issues that have caused Libyan authorities to express profound concern over this latest development.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls voiced his opposition to the European Commission’s quota system (16 May) designed to resettle up to 20,000 migrants across all EU member states. “Asylum is a right, attributed according to international criteria, applied by all EU member states,” Valls remarked. “This is why quotas cannot be imposed on recipients. Either you are an asylum seeker or you are not. And if you are not, you are escorted back to the border.” The Prime Minister’s objection creates a stark dissension within the French government, as Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve had voiced France’s support for the proposed resettlement plan shortly after it was unveiled. The UK and Hungary have already come out in defiance of the Commission’s plan.
GDP rose by 0.4% in both the Eurozone and the EU as a whole for the first quarter of 2015, compared with the previous quarter, according to seasonally adjusted estimates issued by Eurostat (13 May). On an annual basis, GDP grew by 1% in the Eurozone and by 1.4% in the EU as a whole, compared to the first quarter of 2014. The corresponding figures for the US were 0.1% GDP increase in the first quarter and 3% on an annual basis. Among the EU countries, Spain showed the biggest GDP increase, with the figures at 0.9% and 2.6% respectively.
High Representative Federica Mogherini addressed the UN Security Council today (11 May) in hopes to elicit legal backing of the EU’s draft resolution for the use of force in the ongoing migrant crisis in the Mediterranean. Military operations, as one of the responses agreed upon in a special meeting of the European Council last month (23 April), would target and destroy smugglers’ boats, and would assist in rectifying what Mogherini called “not only a humanitarian emergency but also a security crisis.” Ms. Mogherini stressed the importance of acting in solidarity and in a comprehensive manner, stating that “saving lives” is the EU’s top priority.
Russia celebrates 70th anniversary over Nazi Germany with unprecedented military parade (9 May). Chinese President, Xi Jinping, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon attended the event. Most Western leaders did not participate. President Putin thanked the peoples of Great Britain, France and the United States “for their contribution to victory” but added that currently “a military-bloc mentality is gaining momentum.”
EU Foreign Affairs Council discusses TTIP (7 May) and, in particular, provisions on investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). ISDS has prompted controversy as it is feared it would limit state sovereignty and domestic jurisdiction in favour of private sector mechanisms.The Foreign Affairs Council has discussed on the basis of four areas, as proposed by the Commission: 1) protection of the right to regulate; 2) the establishment and functioning of arbitral tribunals; 3) the review of ISDS decisions for legal correctness via an appellate mechanism, with permanent members established directly under the TTIP, while exploring in parallel options for setting up a multilateral appeal mechanism; 4) defining the relationship between domestic judicial systems and ISDS.
Historic leader of France’s Front National has been expelled from the party (4 May). Jean-Marie Le Pen has been suspended of FN’s membership by its executive committee, which includes his daughter Marine Le Pen. His recent statement qualifying Nazi concentration camps as a “detail” of World War II appears to have been the last straw in the progressive distancing of the historic leader and the current leadership of the party.
The Night Wolves, a Russian nationalist biker gang, rode onto German territory (4 May) after being denied entry into Poland en route to Berlin and having various members’ visas revoked by Germany. In order to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, the bikers planned to follow the same route trekked by Soviet Forces years ago in their triumph over Hitler’s Germany. The bikers entered Austria and left bouquets of flowers at a Russian monument to pay tribute to Soviet troops that liberated the country from Nazi control.
APRIL 2015
The leading European human rights organization comprised of 47 countries (including all 28 EU members), the Council of Europe, has issued a report identifying serious obstacles to democracy in its member states (29 Apr). Secretary-General Thorbjørn Jagland expressed deep concern for the integrity and independence of many countries’ judiciaries. In addition, World Press Freedom Day on 3 May has brought mounting threats to media freedom in over a third of the Council’s members to the fore. Electoral integrity, rules governing anti-discrimination procedures, and treatment of NGOs have also given cause for concern regarding the quality of democracies across the region.
First EU-Ukraine Summit in the framework of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement (17th EU-Ukraine Summit overall) took place in Kyiv (27 Apr). European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker met Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. In their joint statement the leaders, among other things, “acknowledged the European aspirations of Ukraine and welcomed its European choice, as stated in the Association Agreement”; welcomed Ukraine’s initial reform steps in areas such as constitutional reform, decentralization, justice sector reform, the fight against corruption and restructuring the energy sector, and called for further steps; welcomed the 11 billion euros financial support pledged by EU institutions for Ukraine; condemned the annexation of Crimea and called on all parties to “swiftly and fully” implement the Minsk Agreements on Eastern Ukraine.
Left-leaning moderate Mustafa Akinci has won the Turkish Cypriot presidential election in the second round (26 Apr). He prevailed with 60.5% of the vote over his conservative opponent and current President Dervis Eroglu. Akinci’s pledge to recommence stalled peace talks with Greek Cypriots has reinvigorated hope that reunification of the island may be within reach.
The European Council held a special meeting in Brussels on the migration tragedies in the Mediterranean (23 Apr). Declaring that their “immediate priority is to prevent more people from dying at sea” EU leaders committed to, among other things, tripling the financial resources available to EU operations Triton and Poseidon, disrupting trafficking networks, preventing illegal migration flows and reinforcing internal solidarity.
The European Commission sends Statement of Objections to Russian natural gas giant Gazprom (22 Apr) alleging abuse of its dominant market position in Central and Eastern European gas markets in breach of EU antitrust rules. Gazprom has 12 weeks to respond in its defense, after which the Commission will take a final decision.
A joint investigation by The Intercept and Der Spiegel reveals that the US military base of Ramstein in Germany is at the heart of US drone attacks in Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan and elsewhere (17 Apr). The site of a satellite relay station Ramstein enables operators based in the US to communicate with the actual unmanned planes that carry out the targeted killings. If proven true, this would be in violation of German law and of the conditions under which Ramstein is operated by the US.
Google called by the European Commission to respond to allegations of abusing its dominant position for internet searches and favouring its own commercial interests. The Commission also launched a separate antitrust investigation into Google’s conduct regarding the Android mobile operating system (15 Apr).
Eurozone recovers but more reforms needed to strengthen growth according to IMF report (14 Apr). The IMF insists on the need for labour market flexibility and structural reforms to address shortcomings that became evident during the recent crisis. It foresees an average rowth of 1.5% for the Eurozone. Spain and Germany are expected to grow the fastest this year within the Eurozone, the former by 2.5% in 2015 and the latter by 1.6%
German author and Nobel Prize winner Günter Grass dies at age 87 (13 Apr). The left-wing author of “The Tin Drum” (1959), who often acted as a moral authority in post-World War II Germany, was no stranger to controversy, including his later revealed service in a Nazi special forces unit and criticism of Israel’s position towards Iran.
Greek PM meets Putin in Moscow (8 Apr) amid negotiations with the EU and the IMF to obtain a new bailout package. Media reported that Russia is considering lifting the agricultural embargo on Greece.
Yanis Varoufakis reassures Christine Lagarde of Greece’s intention to make payment due to the IMF on 9 April, in informal discussion the two had in Washington, D.C. (5 Apr)
President Erdogan interrupts visit to Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania (1 Apr) due to hostage situation in Istanbul resulting in the killing of a prosecutor.
An investigation is underway in France after allegations surface of child sexual abuse by French troops in the Central African Republic (29 Apr). A classified document was leaked to French authorities by a UN aid worker referring to incidents of abuse in the period December 2013 to June 2014. The United Nations confirmed that a confidential investigation has been ongoing since last year, but has come under serious fire for failing to disclose the investigation and for moving to punish the whistleblower.
The EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated and all emergency response means have been mobilized (27 Apr) in response to the 25 April, 7.8-magnitude devastating earthquake in Nepal. The European Commission is making available 3 million euros, in addition to assistance provided by individual EU member states and the deployment of humanitarian aid and civil protection experts to Nepal.
The EU’s Joint Foreign and Home Affairs Council unveiled a ten point action plan on migration (20 Apr), in response to the recent migrant disasters in the Mediterranean. High Representative Mogherini stressed “a truly European sense of urgency and solidarity”, as rescue efforts continued for three more boats carrying a reported 400 migrants off the coasts of Greece and Libya, with three reported dead. European Council President Tusk called for an emergency EU summit on migration on 23 April.
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