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On the occasion of World Refugee Day, Frans Timmermans, First Vice President, Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs, and Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, made the following statement:

"As we mark 60 years of European unity, let us not forget that only a few generations ago many of us in Europe were refugees too. With that same human desire to escape conflict and violence, but also to rebuild our lives, and seek a safer future in freedom.

Today around the world more than 65 million people are forced to leave their homes due to conflicts and violence, natural disasters or the very real consequences of climate change. These are 65 million lives, 65 million different stories. And we support them, within and beyond our borders.

As the leading global aid donor, the EU is providing humanitarian assistance and long-term support to refugees and internally displaced people all over the world. We work closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and international partners, and we are contributing to the development of the UN Global compact on Refugees.

Our support reaches those displaced by conflicts in countries from Colombia to Afghanistan, from Iraq to Yemen, from Somalia to South Sudan and Libya. The European Union has mobilised almost 10 billion to support people who have fled the war in Syria. EU assistance provides them with access to education, health care and basic needs. Through this support, the EU gives a lifeline to millions of Syrians inside the country and across the region, while we have also put in place longer-term projects focussed on social inclusion and gender equality.

Along the migratory routes, we are working with urgency to save people's lives. We are fighting the smuggling networks, and are conducting search and rescue operations at sea, with the support of the European Border and Coast Guard and EUNAVFOR Med Operation Sophia. These efforts help to save thousands of lives every month.

When we think of refugees, we should never forget where they come from: many have fled conflict and terror; others were born in displacement and know only the life of being a refugee. The most vulnerable of all are children and the European Union provides millions of them with education, healthcare and protection.

In 2016, EU Member States have granted protection to more than 700,000 asylum seekers. In the European Union we are committed to providing a safe haven for those in need of protection, abiding by the Geneva Convention. This is why we need to reach, without delay, an agreement on the reform of the Common European Asylum System based on the principles of responsibility and solidarity.

While improving the living conditions of refugees in Europe, we are working together with our Member States on establishing more legal and safe pathways in order to replace dangerous and irregular smuggling routes. More than 16,400 people in need of international protection have already been resettled to the European Union since July 2015 and the EU is on track to reach its commitment of 22,504 by September 2017. Beyond that, the European Commission has proposed an EU Resettlement Framework for the future, and is hoping that Member States will move forward on this in an ambitious way.

This is a challenge that neither a single Member State nor the European Union can face alone: global action by the international community is needed. Only by sharing this responsibility can we uphold the safety, dignity and human rights of refugees, and give not only a shelter but most of all, a chance for a future to those who need it most. It is a moral duty, and it is also the best investment we can make in our own security and stability."

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Joint Statement on World Refugee Day 2017 - EU News

Europeans like to stay home, thank you very much.

According to a recently released study (pdf), less than half of European Union citizens travel to other EU countries more than once every five years, and 37% have never visited another EU country at all. Nearly 28,000 respondents, ages 16 and over, were surveyed for the European Commission-funded study.

The survey shows a wide variance across the Unions 28 member countries in terms of their citizens propensity for crossing EU borders. Nearly all of the citizens in wealthy northern European countries like Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands have traveled within the EU, and more than 65% of their citizens go to another EU country at least once a year.

By contrast, fewer than 10% of Greeks travel to another EU country once a year, and more than 60% have never been to another EU country at all. Portugal and Bulgaria, two other large but relatively low-income EU countries, have similarly untraveled populations.

The UKs exit from the EU will probably only have a small negative impact on travel within the Union: 40% of UK citizens travel to the EU once a year, and 27% have never been to another EU country. That makes the UK similar to the EU as a whole in terms of its citizens traveling behavior.

More here:
Most European Union citizens rarely visit another EU country Quartz - Quartz

BRUSSELS Britain and the European Union began talks Monday to sever their 43-year partnership, kicking off unprecedented divorce negotiations that will shape future relations between them.

Discussions began with an immediate concession from the British over how the talks will be structured, a display of the weakness of the British position in the face of an unusual degree of unity among the E.U.s 27 remaining members.

British politics were thrown into turmoil after voters narrowly decided just short of a year ago to leave the E.U., long a source of love-hate angst in British politics. The move toppled one leader and may be close to toppling a second, British Prime Minister Theresa May, after a crippling election earlier this month in which her Conservatives lost their majority.

[In historic break, Britain gives formal notice it is leaving the European Union]

Despite sharp splits in London over what to seek in the divorce, the lead British negotiator vowed that his nation would plunge onward with a full declaration of independence, dampening expectations after the election that Britain would move to preserve some ties with Brussels.

Today marks the start of a journey for the United Kingdom and for the European Union, the British minister charged with negotiating the deal, David Davis, said Monday after a day of meetings with his E.U. negotiating counterpart, Michel Barnier. Theres no doubt that the road ahead will at times be challenging.

The Brexit victory shocked even backers of the measure and added momentum to a wave of nationalism and populism in Europe and the United States that was seen as helping elevate Donald Trump to the White House.

But British society has remained deeply divided about the meaning of the Brexit vote and the extent to which leaders should pull out of wide-ranging relationships that have delivered prosperity and frustration to generations of British citizens.

Speaking alongside Davis, Barnier offered a grave outlook about what lies ahead.

The United Kingdom has asked to leave the European Union. Its not the other way around, said Barnier, speaking in French, a decision that itself is a measure of Britains waning influence in Europe.

The consequences are substantial, he said. But he said that the E.U. approach to Britain will not be about punishment its not about revenge.

[As Britain softens Brexit demands, E.U. leaders say door is still open]

European leaders have repeatedly said that Britain need not go through with its plans for divorce although they have been tough about what a split will mean if it happens.

Barnier, a veteran French politician, has been vested by the E.U. to enforce its no-compromise red lines that any deal for Britain must not be more favorable than the one it has as a full member.

His first victory came Monday, when he forced Britain to accept the E.U. timetable for the talks: first a negotiation over the split, and only then a discussion about the future relationship between the two sides. Britain had sought for the talks to proceed in parallel, a structure that would have given London more bargaining power.

[Whats at stake for the European Union?]

The issues at stake are daunting.

Unresolved is everything from the status of E.U. citizens living in Britain, to intelligence sharing, to the future of tens of thousands of British jobs that could be wiped out if businesses move to Europe to avoid new trade barriers.

So far, European leaders have remained united that Britain cannot have full access to European markets unless it also allows full access to its own. European demands for British restitution have also increased, from $67billion a few months ago to $112billion now, a measure of the degree of E.U. toughening against May.

The prime minister is a deeply weakened leader who was badly damaged after parliamentary elections this month swept away her majority. That against-all-odds result means that the British leader is far from assured of staying in her seat, even as the Brexit talks get underway.

But further turmoil and a new prime minister could risk any progress that is made in the first weeks of talks if the new leader decides to take a different direction.

May plans to present E.U. leaders with a proposal Thursday that would detail British plans for E.U. citizens living in Britain.

Any deal will depend on the willingness of both sides to bargain as the clock ticks toward March 2019, when, under treaty rules, Britain will leave the E.U. whether it has reached a deal about how the new relationship will function or not.

But as Europe grows more confident in its future after the election in France of the pro-E.U. Emmanuel Macron as president and the growing assurance from German Chancellor Angela Merkel that she will be reelected in September, analysts say there may be fewer reasons for Europe to compromise.

[As Brexit begins, the British face a Europe with far more at stake]

They can be more relaxed about Britain crashing out without a deal that could destabilize the E.U. economy and destabilize the euro zone, said Charles Grant, director of the Center for European Reform, a London-based think tank.

Though the basic outlines of a deal could be struck within the allotted time, he said, uncertain British politics could add a challenge.

The more that Britain is unstable politically, the more difficult it is to complete the talks on time, Grant said.

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Negotiations begin over British split from European Union - Washington Post

BEIJING Money really can buy love, and in Chinas case, it appears to be helping to keep the European Union divided and ineffective.

Greece, a significant recipient of Chinese investment, blocked an E.U. statement at the United Nations last week criticizing Chinas human rights record despite rising concerns among many member states about an ever-intensifying crackdown on civil society, including lawyers and activists.

A coalition of human rights groups said it was the first time in a decade that the European Union has not made its collective voice heard during the U.N. Human Rights Council meeting.

But it was only the latest in missed opportunities this year.

In March, Hungary another big destination for Chinese investment prevented the European Union from adding its name to a joint letter expressing concern about reports of lawyers in China being tortured in detention, diplomats said.

At a summit in Brussels on June 1-2, E.U. Council and Commission presidents did not forcefully condemn Chinas deteriorating human rights situation in public, nor call for the release of political prisoners, including E.U. citizens, according to rights groups.

The European Union also did not mark the 28th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4.

On three occasions over three weeks the EU demonstrated no intention, compassion, or strategic vision to stem the tide of human rights abuses in China, Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said in a joint statement with six other groups.

The European Union has given no official explanation for its apparent retreat on human rights.

Reuters reported that a Greek foreign ministry official had described the proposed statement as unconstructive criticism of China and said separate E.U. talks with China outside the United Nations were a better avenue for discussions.

Greeces position is that unproductive, and in many cases selective, criticism against specific countries does not facilitate the promotion of human rights in these states, nor the development of their relation with the E.U., a Greek spokesman told Reuters on Sunday.

Chinas COSCO Shipping, owner of the worlds fourth-largest container fleet, took a 51 percent stake in Greeces largest port last year. China is also a major investor in Hungary, with Budapest styling itself as Chinasgateway to Europe, and Prime Minister Viktor Orban warning European leaders not to lecture China about human rights.

On Monday, China welcomed the Greek move, saying it opposed the politicalization of human rights issues, and the interference of human rights issues in the internal affairs and judicial sovereignty of other countries.

As for the internal discussions among the E.U. countries, I do not know the details, spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular news conference. Here I can only say that we appreciate the correct position taken by the relevant E.U. country.

The European Unions failure to speak out comes amid concerns the United States under President Trump will turn a blind eye to human rights abuses in China.

[Eleven countries signed a letter slamming China for torturing lawyers. The United States did not.]

On Sunday, Natalie Nougayrede, a columnist for the Guardian newspaper, argued that Europe had a key role in defending liberal democratic values around the world as the United States retreated and Britain became less relevant.

Yet Europes defense of those values appears less than solid, especially when it comes to China, a major investor and the groups second-largest trading partner, experts say. The European Union has also courted China as a potential partner in the battle against climate change and to defend free trade globally, as the United States moves in the opposite direction under Trump.

[Trumps tangle with Europe leads the continent to find partners elsewhere]

The joint statement by seven human rights groups called on the European Union to suspend its annual human rights dialogue with China the forum to which the Greek spokesman was referring, and the next round of which is set to take place in Brussels on June 22-23.

That forum has deteriorated into a meaningless low-level exercise, lacking clear benchmarks for progress, the human rights group said, arguing that the European Union lacks both strategy and credibility to bring change.

The E.U.'s failure to speak out on Beijings rights violations is a body blow to independent activists across China and a betrayal of the E.U.s proclaimed human rights commitments, said Iverna McGowan, head of European Institutions Office at Amnesty International. Instead of a forum for promoting rights, the E.U.-China human rights dialogue has become a cheap alibi for E.U. leaders to avoid thorny rights issues in other high level discussions.

One E.U. diplomat was reported to have expressed frustration that Greeces decision to block the statement came at the same time the International Monetary Fund and E.U. governments agreed to release funding under Greeces emergency financial bailout last week in Luxembourg.

It was dishonorable, to say the least, the diplomat told Reuters.

But China's Global Times newspaper welcomed the Greek stance, quoting Chinese experts as arguing that the country focuses more on improving living standards, which requires a stable social order that comes with some restrictions, while the European Union focuses more on political rights and freedom.

Read more:

On Tiananmen Square anniversary, detentions in China and candlelight vigil in Hong Kong

A broken lawyer and a hawkish judge cast deep pall over Chinas legal system

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Europe divided, China gratified as Greece blocks EU statement over human rights - Washington Post

On June 8, 2017, twenty EU Member States reached an agreement on the implementation of the European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO), a new European institution that aims to facilitate the prosecution and investigation of crimes against the EU budget.[1] The proposal of establishing the European Public Prosecutors Office was introduced on July 17, 2013 by the European Commission pursuant to Article 86 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) that explicitly provides for the adoption of this institution.[2]

The EPPO will operate as a single and independent prosecution office, bringing into justice crimes such as fraud concerning EU funds of over 10,000 as well as complex cross-border VAT fraud cases, involving damages above 10 million. In order to streamline this procedure, the European Public Prosecutors Office will combine European and national law enforcement efforts. The European Union has already introduced institutions that address financial offenses such as OLAF (EU Anti-Fraud Office) and Eurojust. However, these bodies lack the ability to conduct criminal investigations or prosecute fraud cases.[3] Therefore, the EPPO will have a complementary role filling in this institutional gap.

The Office will be divided in a central and decentralized (national) division. The central division will consist of the European Chief Prosecutor, 20 European Prosecutors, two of whom will be Deputies of the European Chief Prosecutor, as well as technical and investigative staff. The decentralized division will consist of European Delegated Prosecutors located in each participating Member State who will carry out the investigations and prosecution. The work of the European Delegated Prosecutors will be supervised by the European Chief Prosecutor in order to ensure coherence and efficiency. Wearing a double hat, the European Delegated Prosecutors will maintain their competence as national prosecutors but during their work under the instructions of EPPO, they will act independently from the national prosecution authorities.

As the European Commission explained, the EPPO will draw attention on the Member States capacities and will pool expertise in areas such as crime analysis, tax, accounting or IT, ensuring smooth communication channels without any language barriers. The investigations will be conducted in a coordinated manner, rapidly exchanging information and joining efforts to ensure coordinated actions such as fast freezing or seizure of assets. When deemed necessary, the EPPO may request the arrest of the suspected criminals. These requests will be authorized by the competent national judicial authorities according to national law. Procedural rights of the suspects will be safeguarded according to European and national legislation. Each suspect will be able to exercise its rights in line with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union as well as with the defence rights the national law prescribes.

The Member States that have so far agreed to implement the EPPO are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Slovenia. The non-participating Member States can join at any time after the adoption of the Regulation. Following the decision made on June 8, 2017, the European Parliament has to give its consent. It is envisaged that the set-up phase of the institution will take two to three years. Consequently, the European Public Prosecutors Office could start its activity between 2020 and 2021.

The lack of unanimous adoption hints to the controversy surrounding the implementation of the EPPO, since the interaction between European and national law might be problematic-especially in the sensitive area of criminal law. Bearing that in mind, the efficiency of the new institution will be evaluated in practice as soon as it starts operating.

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European Union introduces European Public Prosecutor's Office to fight crimes against the EU - Lexology (registration)