European Commission plans to open talks with Albania and Macedonia about joining the EU

"The European Commission has said it wants to open talks with Albania and Macedonia to allow the two countries to join the European Union.

EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said the two countries had made significant progress in implementing the reforms demanded by Brussels and that they could join their neighbours Montenegro and Serbia, which are already in negotiations.

The move comes ahead of a major EU summit in Sofia next month to discuss the Western Balkan countries’ relationship with the union, and the week a pro-EU president was elected in Montenegro.

Ms Mogherini suggested that Bosnia and Kosovo, two other countries in the region that want to join, had more work to do before talks could start with them – but did not rule out their future accession, stating that “the Western Balkans are Europe, and will be part of the European Union’s future”.

“Over the past year and beyond partners from the region have delivered very important reforms across the board and have modernised their economies. Out of six Western Balkan partners, two, Montenegro and Serbia, have progressed well in the negotiations,” she said.

“Today the Commission recommends that the Council decides to open accession negotiations with Albania and with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia."

“We are also working towards an opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s application, and with the Kosovo authorities, we are working towards further progress on the basis of the stabilisation and association agreement we have.”

She added: “I have to say that over the last three years we have seen results that were clearly considered impossible to be achieved when we started our mandate.”

Ms Mogherini said she would be travelling to the region on Tuesday evening to meet with national leaders there. The European Commission has produced seven individual reports on the Western Balkan countries and Turkey, and their prospects for accession to the EU. All have said they want to join. The High Representative for Foreign Affairs said membership would be conditional on the continuation of reforms.

The European Council, which is made up to the 28 EU leaders and next meets in June, would have to sign off the European Commission’s recommendation for it to become official. Other than the Balkan states, Turkey has also been a candidate country since 1999 – but talks have stalled and effectively stopped, with several EU leaders saying they would not permit Turkey to join."

Independent

Közel egymillióan szereztek uniós állampolgárságot 2016-ban.

"Amíg 2014-ben 889 ezer, 2015-ben 841 ezer, addig 2016-ban 995 ezer fő kapott uniós állampolgárságot. Itt nem feltétlenül mindig távoli országok lakóira kell gondolni, a két évvel ezelőtti adatoknak a 12 százaléka ugyanis olyan főt takar, aki korábban is uniós állampolgár volt - csak épp egy másik tagállamban.

Ennek megfelelően a legnagyobb arányban a kontinensen belülről (32,5 százalék) jöttek az új állampolgárok, ezt Afrika (29,6 százalék), Ázsia (20,9 százalék), Amerika (15,2 százalék) és végül jelentősen lemaradva Óceánia követi, amely mindössze az összes letelepedő 0,5 százalékának adott otthont korábban. Ennél valamivel többen, egészen pontosan 1,3 százaléknyian voltak azok, akik korábban semmilyen vagy ismeretlen állampolgársággal rendelkeztek."

Tovább...

Hungary's strongman Viktor Orban wins third term in power

Prime Minister Viktor Orban won a third straight term in power in Sunday elections after his anti-immigration campaign message secured a strong majority for his party in parliament, granting him two-thirds of seats based on preliminary results.

The rightwing nationalist prime minister projected himself as a savior of Hungary’s Christian culture against Muslim migration into Europe, an image which resonated with millions of voters, especially in rural areas.“We have won, Hungary has won a great victory,” a jubilant Orban told a large crowd of cheering supporters near the Danube river in Budapest. “There is a big battle behind us, we have won a crucial victory, giving ourself a chance to defend Hungary.”

According to preliminary results with 93 percent of votes counted, National Election Office data projected Fidesz to win 133 seats, a tight two-thirds majority in the 199-seat parliament. Nationalist Jobbik was projected to win 26 seats, while the Socialists were projected as third with 20 lawmakers.

Two smaller leftist parties, DK and LMP, won nine and eight seats respectively.

That means Orban could have a two-thirds majority for a third time, and powers to change constitutional laws. The EU has struggled to respond as Orban’s government has, in the view of its critics, used its two landslide victories in 2010 and 2014 to erode democratic checks and balances. 

Reuters

EU carbon market emissions rise for first time in 7 years in 2017

"Emissions regulated under Europe’s carbon market rose for the first time in seven years in 2017 due to stronger industrial output, data published on Tuesday by the European Commission and examined by carbon analysts at Thomson Reuters showed.

Around 45 percent of the European Union’s output of greenhouse gases is regulated by the Emissions Trading System (ETS), the bloc’s flagship policy to tackle global warming by charging for the right to emit carbon dioxide (CO2).The ETS is expected to contribute around two thirds of the reductions needed to meet the EU’s target of slashing emissions by 20 percent from 1990 levels.

According to the analysts’ interpretation of the data, emissions totalled 1.756 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) last year for companies under the ETS excluding airlines, up 0.3 percent on the previous year.

Capped emissions from power and heating generation fell by 1 percent, but the overall figure was lifted by a 1.8 percent rise in emissions from industry.“The European economy grew 2.5 percent last year. Solid growth in the European economy resulted in increased activity leading to higher emissions,” Ingvild Sorhus, lead carbon analyst at Thomson Reuters, said. 

(...) "

Reuters

Italian election

Italian election results: http://elezioni.interno.gov.it/camera/scrutini/20180304/scrutiniCI

1) M5S - 32%
2) PD - 19%
3) Lega - 17%
4) Forza Italia - 14%
5) Fratelli d'Italia - 4%
6) Liberi e Uguali - 3%
7) +Europa - 2%

EU leaders' summit on top jobs and future budget

"EU leaders have agreed to spend more on common defence and security policy in their next long-term budget, European Council President Donald Tusk says.

Leaders of 27 states were meeting in Brussels to shape the 2021-27 budget.

Members have been in disagreement on how to compensate for funding loss after Britain's planned 2019 departure.

Germany and France have warned any funding cuts to EU programmes could damage efforts to tackle illegal immigration and terrorism.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Tusk said leaders had agreed to spend more on security, as well as fighting illegal migration in their next long-term budget.

He said many of the EU leaders were ready to contribute more to the pot, but acknowledged others were less forthcoming." BBC

"European Union leaders rejected on Friday a push to have the head of the EU’s executive European Commission determined by voting in elections to the European Parliament, or to merge that job with that of the chairman of EU summits. 

Both initiatives are part of a power-struggle in Brussels between EU institutions like the Commission and Parliament which want to gain more control and European governments, known as the European Council, which does not want to cede it.

Donald Tusk, the chairman of EU summits, told a news conference that in nominating the next head of the Commission in 2019, leaders would to take into account the results of parliamentary elections as required by the EU treaty.

But they would not agree to be limited to a short-list of lead candidates prepared by the European Parliament. 

(...)

At Friday’s summit, leaders agreed with Parliament’s proposals for reducing its size and reallocating some seats after Britain leaves the Union in March 2019.

Leaders also backed an initiative by French President Emmanuel Macron to allocate some British seats to new, pan-European constituencies would not be considered for next year but should be studied for the 2024 elections. Many states are sceptical of the notion of “transnational lists”.

Macron’s proposal to launch “citizens’ consultations” on the future of the EU ahead of the 2019 election was accepted by all leaders except Hungary. Macron will launch that project on April 17 in Strasbourg."

Reuters

European Parliament votes against transnational lists

MEPs rejected the idea of a transnational list for the 2019 European elections on Wednesday (7 February), though they agreed to change the composition of the Parliament in light of Brexit. 

The much-debated project of transnational lists did not win over MEPs. During a plenary session in Strasbourg, European representatives made their choice by voting against the creation of a transnational list for the 2019 elections.

Clearly divided on the issue, the outcome was still uncertain until the end of the vote. The initial proposal, put forward by MEPs Danuta Hübner and Pedro Silva Pereira, mentioned keeping 46 of the 79 seats vacated by the UK for a pan-European list. The additional seats would have been redistributed to under-represented member states in the Parliament.

(...)

Following the end of the vote, the European Parliament finally decided to reduce the number of MEPs from 751 to 705 for the next elections and to remove the MEP reserve initially made for the constitution of a transitional list.

The remaining 27 seats, however, were granted by a large majority to the rebalancing of the Parliament’s composition. According to the text adopted with 552 votes for, 109 against and 17 abstentions, countries that experienced an increase in population will get additional seats for the next elections. France notably gains the most by winning 5 more seats and going from 74 to 79 MEPs.

This new distribution now has to be approved by the heads of governments and states, who will meet for an informal summit in Brussels on 23 February.

(...)"

Euractiv

MEPs vote to bolster Spitzenkandidat process

"The European Parliament gave its strong backing Wednesday for the Spitzenkandidat process for selecting the next president of the European Commission. It voted by 457 votes to 200 to adopt a resolution saying the assembly would reject any candidate for the Commission presidency that not been appointed as a Spitzenkandidat — or someone who has the formal backing of a party grouping — in the run-up to European election.

The Spitzenkandidat (or “leading candidate”) process awards the presidency to the party winning the most seats in Parliament. 

(...)

The specific process does not have any official status in the EU treaties, but it was first used in 2014 to democratize a system that had hitherto allowed national leaders of the largest countries to dole out top EU jobs via backroom deals. A majority of European countries including France and from Eastern Europe have voiced opposition to the process though, arguing that it would force them to accept the winner of a process driven by party insiders. Critics also note that the Spitzenkandidat effectively eliminates from consideration any sitting head of state or government because it is unrealistic to expect someone to resign from national leadership to campaign for the Commission post."

Politico

EU opens door to Balkans with 2025 target for membership

"The European Union acted on Tuesday to reinvigorate the membership ambitions of six Balkan states and reclaim the region as its own amid growing Russian and Chinese influence, setting 2025 as a goal for Serbia and Montenegro to join. 

Seeking to breathe fresh life into the EU with Britain set to leave, the European Commission laid out a strategy to bring Western Balkan nations into the fold if they achieve required reforms, marking a change after years of fading interest.

“The door is open ... There is a clear path for the Western Balkans to finally join the European Union,” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said of Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia as she presented the plan at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

“The future of the Union is not bound to be at 27,” she said, referring to the current membership level of the bloc, discounting Britain, which is due to leave in 2019.

Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said it was a call to “work every day from now ... to become part of the European family of nations”.

Johannes Hahn, the EU’s enlargement commissioner, earlier urged the bloc not to repeat past mistakes, alluding to what many believe was the rushed accession of Romania and Bulgaria in 2007 and the poorly managed migration of eastern European workers to Britain that turned many Britons against the EU. 

Brussels has been growing worried about Russia’s assertiveness on its borders since Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014 - concerns exacerbated in the Balkans after Montenegro accused Russia of supporting a failed coup in 2016.

Meanwhile, Chinese investment in the region, though welcomed by governments, is seen as undermining EU standards because it does not come with the same stringent requirements as EU aid.

EU “LIP SERVICE”?

Underlining the renewed enthusiasm for the Balkans, top EU officials said there was no alternative but for the countries to join the European Union. Support for EU membership ranges from roughly 75 percent in Kosovo to 52 percent in Serbia.

The EU’s Balkan strategy aims to show that membership is certain if the region’s states meet EU demands including establishing independent courts, a free press and breaking up crime rings that have badly weakened governments.

Jasmin Mujanovic, a U.S.-based political analyst, warned that the EU strategy would run into the same problems if there was not a new plan to help reform the Western Balkans.

“There’s a lot of lip service to addressing what are the structural problems in the region, which is corruption, clientilism and entrenched illiberal elites. But it’s unclear to me as to what exactly they propose to do about this.”

Integration means increasing access to EU funds and is designed to foster reforms to lure investors, boost growth and encourage stability in a region still grappling with the legacy of Yugoslavia’s socialist planned economy.

Albania and Montenegro are already members of the U.S-led NATO alliance while Macedonia is likely to be offered NATO membership, often seen as a springboard to EU membership, if it can overcome a dispute over its name with Greece.

EU leaders will embrace the 2025 timeline at a special Western Balkans summit in May in Sofia, the Commission said.

Serbia and Montenegro are the most advanced in the accession process but Hahn said that could easily change if Serbia did not recognize the independence of Kosovo, its former province.

Belgrade’s ally Russia and five EU states have also refused to recognize Kosovo, including Spain, which is trying to contain its own separatists in Catalonia.

Kosovo’s Integration Minister, Dhurata Hoxha, said it was important that the European Commission stressed Kosovo’s status as an independent country.

“The fact that the EU treats Kosovo’s accession to EU as separate from Serbia for me is the recognition of our independence despite that some of the EU members states do not recognize us,” Hoxha said."

 Reuters

EU must end 'hypocrisy' of allowing Turkey to become a full member, says Emmanuel Macron

The prospect of Turkey joining the European Union as a fully-fledged member is "hypocrisy", according to President Emmanuel Macron of France, who added that progress on the application was not possible given human rights concerns.

Mr Macron's remarks came during a tense press conference with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as the French leader warned against flouting the rule of law and freedom of expression while his counterpart accused some writers and journalists of acting as "the gardeners" of terrorism.

During the exchange, the authoritarian Turkish leader, who ordered the arrest of up 55,000 security force members, judges, academics, journalists and activists in the wake of the 2016 failed coup, said his country was "exhausted" after 54 years in the "antichambre" of the EU.

"When it comes to saying why, the EU is not really capable of giving reasons," he claimed, adding that Turkey is currently blocked on 35 "chapters", or policy areas, of the negotiations.

"This is seriously exhausting us and seriously exhausting our nation. Maybe this will force us to take a decision," he said, without specifying what that might be. Mr Erdogan said in October that Turkey no longer needs to join the European Union but added that "we will not be the side which gives up" on accession talks.

But Mr Macron said that political developments in Turkey were effectively blocking its EU accession bid.

"For relations with the European Union, it is clear that recent developments and choices allow no progress in the process," Mr Macron said.
"We must get out of a hypocrisy that consists in thinking that a natural progression towards opening new chapters is possible. It's not true."
Ankara was hoping to warm frosty relations with Europe during Mr Erdogan's trip, but the talks were overshadowed by concerns over Turkey's huge post-coup crackdown and the arrest of journalists.

Over 140,000 people have been sacked or suspended, accused of links to the movement run by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused by Ankara of orchestrating the attempted coup.
Neither leader hid his pessimism over the state of Turkey's long-running bid to join the EU.
Mr Macron suggested that the pair should work towards a "partnership" rather than full membership to ensure that "Turkey remains anchored in Europe".
"I hope we can take up a peaceful dialogue that would allow us to build a relationship which is essential in my eyes, both for ourselves and for the region," he added.
After signing multi-billion euro trade agreements and lauding exemplary cooperation in tackling terror, the French president said he had discussed a number of specific cases of journalists and academics currently under arrest.
"Democracies must fully respect the rule of law," said Mr Macron, who has come under domestic fire for receiving his Turkish counterpart in the wake of his post-coup crackdown.

Mr Erdogan hit back that some journalists helped nurture terrorists through their writing.
"Terror doesn’t form by itself. Terror and terrorists have gardeners," said the Turkish leader. "These gardeners are those people viewed as thinkers. They water ... from their columns on newspapers and one day, you find, these people show up as a terrorist in front of you."
The talks came as Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called for a fresh start in his country's rocky relationship with Germany, holding out the prospect of closer economic cooperation if ties improved.
But his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel, who will host Mr Cavusoglu for talks on Saturday, made clear Turkey must first release a German-Turkish journalist detained for more than a year without charge.
Only then could arms exports resume, he said."
Telegraph