Mediaboss Marketing

Berlin: Germany today accused Washington of hurting European power companies through its new sanctions against Russia that target the planned Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Europe.

The new measures, approved by the US Senate on Thursday,include a threat to penalise companies that provide "goods,services, technology, information or support" for the construction of Russian energy export pipelines.

Berlin noted that this would directly impact European companies involved in the construction of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline which would pump Russian gas under the Baltic Sea directly to Germany.

"It is strange that in the sanctioning of Russia's behaviour, with regards to the US elections for instance, the European economy should become a target of American sanctions," said Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert.

"That must not happen."

He added that Merkel shared the concerns raised by German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern, who charged in a joint statement Thursday that the measure brings a "completely new and entirely negative quality to European-US relations".

They also accused Washington of using the sanctions to squeeze Russian gas supplies out of Europe in favour of USenergy exports.

Separately, France's foreign ministry called on Washington to respect the need for coordination with itsEuropean allies before deciding new sanctions.

"For several years, we have stressed the difficultiesthat extra-territorial legislations could generate," said aspokesman at the French foreign ministry, referring tomeasures that could have a spillover effect to countriesbesides the one directly sanctioned.

"On issues linked to security and European industrialpolicies, we hope that the United States respect necessarycoordination, including within the framework of the G7."

Russian energy giant Gazprom is building Nord Stream 2 incooperation with Anglo-Dutch Shell, Germany's Uniper andWintershall, Austria's OMV and France's Engie.

The project bypassing conflict-torn Ukraine and alsoPoland would double the flow of the Nord Stream pipelinecurrently linking Germany and Russia.

But it has sparked criticism within the EU, with members including Italy and Poland accusing Germany of selfishly seeking a reliable energy supply route from President VladimirPutin's Russia while pressuring other countries to backsanctions against Moscow over the crisis in Ukraine.

Former US vice president Joe Biden has also called theplanned pipeline a "fundamentally bad deal for Europe" as itlocks in greater reliance on Russia.

But Germany's Gabriel and Austria's Kern saidWashington's intention was purely economic.

"The aim is to secure jobs in gas and oil industries inthe US," said Gabriel and Kern.

"Political sanctions should not be mixed up with economicinterests," they warned, stressing that "Europe's energysupply is Europe's business and not that of the UnitedStates".

"We decide who delivers energy to us and how, according to rules of openness and economic competitiveness," said Gabriel and Kern.

"We cannot accept the threat of extra-territorialsanctions against European companies that participate in the expansion of European energy supplies", they said, adding that this would "violate international law".

Gazprom's vice president Alexander Medvedev also charged that the US had a vested interest in hurting the project.

"With regards to the introduction of sanctions, they don't hide the fact that it's an anti-competition tool tofavour US gas deliveries in Europe," he said according to Russian news agencies.

The US bill as originally introduced was exclusively about slapping new sanctions on Iran. But lawmakers attached a bipartisan amendment on Russia to it early this week.

Read more from the original source:
Germany claims US harming European Union firms with Russia sanctions - ETEnergyworld.com

Saturday, 17 June 2017, 1:53 pm Press Release: UNHCHR

UN rights expert to assess impact of unilateral sanctions imposed by the European Union

GENEVA (16 June 2017) United Nations Special Rapporteur Idriss Jaizairy will carry out his first official visit to the European Union from 19 to 22 June, travelling to Brussels to gather first-hand information on the negative impact on human rights of unilateral coercive measures imposed by EU members on other States.

I want to examine, in the spirit of co-operation and dialogue, whether and to what extent the adoption, maintenance or implementation of sanctions hinders the full realization of the human rights of individuals, said the expert, who will meet representatives of the European Commission, European Parliament and European External Action Service.

I will focus in particular on any negative impact that EU sanctions may have on the enjoyment of all human rights, including the right to life and development as identified in my reports to the Human Rights Council, stressed Mr. Jazairy, who will also make recommendations on how any negative effects can be mitigated or eliminated.

The UN Human Rights Council established the Special Rapporteurs mandate in September 2014, following concern by the UN human rights system and the international community about the negative impact of unilateral sanctions on the human rights of the civilian population.

Mr. Jazairy will submit a report on his visit to the EU to the Human Rights Council in September 2017.

ENDS

Scoop Media

See the original post here:
Impact of unilateral sanctions imposed by the European Union - Scoop.co.nz (press release)

European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier | Olivier Hoslet/EPA

The top EU and UK negotiators will begin as scheduled in Brussels, despite British political turmoil.

By Florian Eder

6/15/17, 3:37 PM CET

Updated 6/16/17, 3:04 PM CET

U.K. Brexit SecretaryDavid Davis and the EUs chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier agreed on Thursday that talks on Britains departure from the European Union will begin on schedule on Monday June 19, two EU sources familiar with the mattertoldPOLITICO.

TheU.K. government and the European Commission confirmed the start date, with the Brits saying the talks would be led by Davis.

The agenda for Mondays talks is yet to be finalized, according to an EU source familiar with the preparations. The meeting is scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Brussels time, of course, the source said.

Barnier will speak English but wants the option ofswitching toFrench, so translation will be provided, the source said.

The timetable for the talksgetting started had been thrown into doubt by last weeks election setback for U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May. Her Conservative Party lost its parliamentary majority in a snap election that she had called to seek a stronger mandate for the Brexit negotiations.

However, British officials have insisted since the vote that they would stick to the timetable, which would enable May to attend asummit of EU leaders next Thursday and Friday with the negotiations already under way. Brexit is on the agenda of the summit, as well as the agenda of ministerial meetings earlier in the week to prepare for leaders talks.

Confirmation that the negotiations will start on time came as the EUs deputy Brexit negotiator Sabine Weyand held talks with U.K. officials in Brussels on Thursday a meeting described by a European Commission official as talks about talks.

Mays EU adviserOliver Robbins was in Brussels on Monday for a working lunch with theEUs chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier.

However, further details about the talks were thin on the ground.

At a high-level panel discussion on Brexit at the 2017 Prague European Summit,Stefaan De Rynck, an official in the European Commissions Brexit negotiation team, noted that in Barnier the EU has a stable, mandated, accountable chief negotiator. It was unclear if the use of the word stable was a dig at Theresa May, whose campaign mantrawas strong and stable.

De Rynck, in response to a question, said he did not yet see any need to lower the political temperature around the talks. On the EU side, he said, Were going to be rational about this, cool-headed, trying to find the common interests and see where the differences lie.

Martin Povejil, the Czech Republics ambassador to the EU, who also sat on the panel, said the EU was ready to talk. And while Brexit posed many challenging issues, Povejil said he expected the EU27 to remain unified on the most fundamental positions. Indivisibility of the four freedoms, Povejil said. If we stick to that, we are on the same side.

European Commission First President Frans Timmermans told the Prague eventthat the EU would be happy to see the U.K. change its mind and stay in the bloc. Asked if he supportedstatements by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schuble that the EUs door remained open, Timmermans said: By all means; we didnt ask the U.K. to leave.

David Herszenhorn, Quentin Aris and Tom McTague contributed to this article.

See the rest here:
Brexit talks to start Monday - POLITICO.eu

June 15, 2017

But many back empowering national governments on migration and trade, and they want their own vote on EU membership

By Bruce Stokes, Richard Wike and Dorothy Manevich

(Michal Fludra/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Recent years have seen turbulent shifts in public attitudes toward the European Union. Down just a year ago, before the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom, public sentiment about the European project has rebounded. Even British voters, who narrowly elected to withdraw from the EU, have markedly improved their views of the Brussels-based institution.

But while few citizens on the European continent are eager to see their own country depart the EU, many want the chance to have their voice heard through their own referendum on EU membership. Moreover, frustrations with Brussels remain when it comes to economic management and dealing with the refugee issue. Asked whether they would like their national government to make decisions about the movement of people into their country and trade with other nations, roughly half or more across the countries surveyed answer, Yes.

These are some of the key findings from a new Pew Research Center survey, conducted among 9,935 respondents in France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom from March 2 to April 17, 2017. Together, these 10 European Union member states account for roughly 80% of the EU population and 84% of the EU economy.

When asked about the ramifications of the UKs impending exit from the EU, publics in other member states generally agree that the British departure will be bad for the EU. They are less certain what Brexit will mean for the UK.

A median of just 18% in the nine continental EU nations surveyed want their own country to leave the EU. Greece and Italy are home to the largest support for exit, but even in these countries more than half want to remain a part of the European project.

That does not necessarily mean these publics are satisfied with the current state of affairs in Europe. Perhaps reflecting frustrations with whether their voices and concerns count in Brussels, a median of 53% across the nine European countries, excluding the UK, support having their own national referendums on continued EU membership. (For more on Europeans views on their voices being heard, see the Centers 2014 survey A Fragile Rebound for EU Image on Eve of European Parliament Elections.)

In addition, many want national governments, rather than Brussels, to control future migration both from outside the EU (a median of 74% across the nine continental European nations polled) and within the EU (a median of 66%). Moreover, a median of 51% prefer that their own governments, not Brussels, negotiate future trade agreements with the rest of the world.

With Brexit looming, Germanys influence in the EU is likely to grow. While Europeans have an overwhelmingly favorable view of Germany, a plurality (a median of 49%) believes Berlin has too much influence when it comes to decision-making in the EU.

Even as many Europeans want key powers to be transferred from Brussels to national capitals, local politics are far from stable. The past year has seen close, contentious elections in a number of EU member states, as well as newer political movements and parties outperforming established organizations. Overall, few political parties enjoy broad popular support. The survey asked about a total of 42 parties across the nations polled, and only five of those parties received a positive rating: two in Germany (the Social Democrats and Christian Democrats), two in the Netherlands (the Peoples Party and the Socialists) and the Swedish Social Democratic Party. Ratings are especially grim in Greece, where no party is seen favorably by even a quarter of the public. Parties on the far right such as Frances National Front and the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) generally get relatively low ratings.

Go here to see the original:
Post-Brexit, Europeans More Favorable Toward EU - Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project

It's true what they say: Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

That's one key takeaway from a new Pew Research Center poll on Europeans' attitudes toward the European Union. Since Brexit, the attitude toward the institution has improved in many countries, including the U.K. In Poland, for example, nearly three-quarters of the population say that they have a favorable opinion of the European Union. It's about as high in Germany and Spain. About half of all Britons say they support the E.U., up from 40 percent a year ago.

A couple other key findings: The European project is most popular among Europe's youngest residents. A whopping 73 percent of those surveyed between the ages of 18 and 29 support the organization. Just 58 percent of Europeans 50 and older feel the same way. People on the left are more likely to like the E.U. than those who call themselves conservative. Also of note:A majority of those surveyed say Brexit will be bad for the U.K. And a majority of Britons say their leaving will be bad for the European project. They're more divided on what that means for the U.K.

Unsurprisingly, Greeks (who've suffered under austerity measures) have the worst opinion of the governing body. Just a third of the country views the E.U. favorably.

Support for the E.U. coincides with renewed economic confidence across the continent. The euro zone economy grew significantly in 2016, a trend that's continued. Unemployment has dropped to the single digits, and job creation accelerated to a nine-year record at the beginning of this year.

It's not all good news for Brussels, though. As the report's authors explain, while few citizens on the European continent are eager to see their own country depart the E.U., many want the chance to have their voice heard through their own referendum on E.U. membership. That's due, largely, to frustrations about the refugee issue and the E.U.'s economic management. More than half of all Europeans also want their countries to be able to make their own trade deals with other countries. And nearly three-fourths want their countries to control future migration from outside the E.U.

Immigration is a particularly thorny issue for the European Union. Millions of people have come from Syria and North Africa to Europe during the past two years, many making their way by boat or over dangerous land crossings. In 2015, at least a million migrants made their way to Europe, a huge jump from 2014. That's led to increased concern about crime, terrorism and displacement.

Now, many Europeans want their home countries to have more of a say about who can come and who can stay. More than 80 percent of all Hungarians say their government should make their own decisions about who can and can't immigrate to their country. About 77 percent of Poles; 75 percent of the French and three quarters of all Germans agree. The numbers are nearly as high in Italy, Spain and Greece.

Majorities inthecountries surveyed also want their governments to have more control over one of the founding freedoms of the E.U. the free movement of people.In 2015, about 1.4 million people migrated from one E.U. state to another. In the Pew survey, most people said they wanted their governments to be able to set their own limits.

But giving countries more autonomy on immigrationand trade would run counter to the European Union's core mission.If they back away from the principle itself, that's a very severe blow to the bedrock assumptions of what the E.U. is for, said Joshua Cole, a professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It means the European project as it was originally conceived is really being rethought.

Negotiating trade deals separately would also, he said, run counter to the project's central raison d'tre.The European Union is about Europe acting as a union. That's what it means. You can't really suggest that it would be better moving forward for countries to negotiate their own deals, he said. If that's the case, the European Union is redundant.

The Pew survey also found widespread antipathy toward political parties in the respondents' own countries. As the report's authors write:

Few political parties in Europe enjoy widespread appeal. The few that buck this trend tend to be more established parties in Western European nations that have not suffered as much economically in the years since the euro crisis. Sympathy for the frequently Euroskeptic parties to the right of the political spectrum is limited: In no country surveyed does more than about a quarter of the adult population hold a favorable view of parties such as Frances National Front, the Netherlands Party for Freedom (PVV) or Britains UK Independence Party (UKIP).

A note on methodology: Over about six weeks in March and April, 9,935 people were surveyed in France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

More here:
The European Union is popular again. But there are reasons for Brussels to worry. - Washington Post