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Decision made to thwart interference, says Palace

MANILA, Philippines (Update 3, 1:38 p.m.) The Philippine government has decided to end its funding agreement with the European Union (EU), the EU delegation to the Philippines confirmed Thursday.

EU Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen said in previous reports that the government has informed them that the country will no longer accept new EU grants.

The EU delegation to the Philippines is yet to release an official statement announcing the end of the agreement.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said that Philippines rejected aid from the EU so as to "prevent them from interfering with the our internal affairs."

This move comes days after China promised to pour in billions of dollars for projects under its One Belt, One Road initiative which could purportedly help the Philippines.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said that the country is already benefiting from Beijing's aid and assistance worth $24 billion.

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President Rodrigo Duterte earlier had challenged the EU to stop its assistance after the bloc warned that the Philippines risks losing tariff-free exports to Europe because of the thousands killed in the war on drugs launched by Duterte and Manila's moves to revive the death penalty.

"The President has approved the recommendation of the Department of Finance not to accept grants from the EU that may allow it to interfere with internal policies of the Philippines," presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said Thursday.

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Cutting aid from the EU, however, would mean the loss of about 250 million or $278.73 million worth of grants, according to Jessen.

"The amount possibly concerned by the new decision is 250 million euro plus. For this year the amount affected could be 100 million euro," the ambassador said.

Development projects currently using EU assistance include a 35 million euro ($39 million) grant to support the peace process with rebels in Mindanao.

The EU has been a strong critic of Duterte's anti-drug campaign.

In a joint resolution adopted in March, the European Parliament called for an investigation into "unlawful killings and other violations" in the Philippines linked to the so-called war on drugs.

Latest data from the Philippines Statistics Authority showed that the EU is the biggest and fastest growing export market for Philippine goods with $901 million of total exports.

The growth was triggered by factors supported by the economic bloc's Generalized System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) trade benefits, which fully removes tariffs on two-thirds of all product categories.

with reports from the Associated Press; Video report by Efigenio Toledo IV

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Philippines ends 13.8-B funding deal with European Union - Philippine Star

It is not Russian military power that is threatening us, it is Russian political power, George Kennan once said in a speech to the Army War College in 1947. Similarly, Russian leaders today undoubtedly fear the further expansion of NATO eastward. But they also consider the European Union (EU) to be their primary strategic competitor.

This fact is often overlooked by policymakers on this side of the Atlantic as Washington focuses its attention on Russias actions in Syria and Ukraine or its interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. But Washington should do more in concert with Europe to protect the EU from Russian meddling, influence and subversion.

The EUs political institutions make it more difficult for Russia to use its advantages in size, population and natural resources to exert influence over the domestic political affairs of European states as it has done in the past. Specifically, the EUs roleas a unitary political actorcontributes to its status as a rival to Russia.

In simpler terms, Russia would prefer to pick off individual European states during diplomatic negotiations as supposed to dealing with the EU as a whole. As a result, Europe has developed and coordinatedeconomic sanctionsagainst Russia for its aggressive action in Ukraine within the European Union.

Despite Russias numerous ongoing efforts to influence individual member states to challenge the EUs Russia policy, the sanctions have remained in place and have sent Russia a powerful and unified message. Without the EU, it is difficult to imagine coordinating and implementing a response to Russian aggression given the complex nature of European politics.

Despite the Eurozone economic crisis, the EU Single Market remains one of theworlds largest economies. It has facilitated economic growth across Europe by removing economic barriers between countries and institutionalizing the rule of law. More importantly, the EU has expanded this model of economic prosperity to Russias borders. Across the EUs eastern borders, Russian citizens are poorer, have worse economic prospects and must deal with endemic corruption.

Russias declining standard of living is a trend that will only continue over time and, eventually, the stark contrast between a prosperous EU and aRussia in economic decline could spur internal instability. The closer the EU comes to its borders, the more the Kremlin worries about a potential pro-western color revolution in Russia.

Due to this gradual shift of power away from Russia, Moscow has invested considerable political and military resources to weaken the EU. As such, Russia supports anti-EU politicians and funds information campaigns that undermine EU political cohesion. Moreover, Russia has also intervened in Ukraine in part to challenge further EU expansion.

If Moscow had not developed this zero-sum approach to foreign policy, it is likely that the crisis in Ukraine would not have occurred. Indeed, the Kremlin sees Ukrainian domestic politics as a critical battleground with the EU over the political future of Eastern Europe.

If the EU did not exist, western Ukrainians would have no place to turn to balance Russian influence. It was protests by these western Ukrainians in support of the EU association agreement with Ukraine that led to the collapse of the government of the pro-Russian president Yanukovych.

Faced with the loss of Russian political influence, the success of another quasi-color revolution and further European integration, Russia annexed Crimea and provided military support to separatists forces in eastern Ukraine. The decision to use military force by the Kremlin was calibrated to prevent the further spread of European institutions to Russias border.

The move fits into a broader understanding of EU-Russia relations. Going forward, Moscow will continue to perceive European integration in Ukraine to be a Russian national security issue.

How do we defend European institutions and punish Russian meddling in the EU? There are a series of issues policymakers should focus on to augment the EUs strengths vis--vis Russia. First, they should focus on maintaining long-term economic and diplomatic pressure on Moscow. Second, in the near-term, U.S. policymakers should acknowledge that safeguarding democratic EU processes is a vital interest.

Finally, EU policymakers should make it clear to Moscow that the crisis in Ukraine did not stall European integration eastward. Kennan said in the previously mentioned speech that he doubted Russia can effectively be met entirely by military means.

William McHenry is a researcher in the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a Washington, D.C.-based national security think tank.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.

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Russia's main target is not the US or NATO but the EU - The Hill (blog)

Facebook received a $122 million fine on Thursday from the European Unions antitrust regulators, who say the social media giant provided misleading information during its 2014 acquisition of the messenger app WhatsApp. According to regulators, Facebook claimed at the time to be unable to automatically link the accounts of both Facebook and WhatsApp users. By August 2016, however, WhatsApp announced that it would start sharing its data, including users phone numbers, with Facebook.

The European Commission, which manages the EUs day-to-day operations, claims that Facebook staffers knew the company was capable of automatically matching users identities back in 2014. Facebook issued a statement on Thursday, insisting that the errors were unintentional and did not affect the outcome of the acquisition. Weve acted in good faith since our very first interactions with the Commission and weve sought to provide accurate information at every turn, the company said, adding that todays announcement brings this matter to a close.

While the fine has no impact on the merger between Facebook and WhatsApp, it establishes a firm precedent for future acquisitions. Todays decision sends a clear signal to companies that they must comply with all aspects of EU merger rules, including the obligation to provide correct information, said Margrethe Vestager, the EUs antitrust chief, in a statement on Wednesday. The commission must be able to take decisions about mergers effects on competition in full knowledge of accurate facts.

Although the EU is known for its strict data protection rules, their penalty for Facebook, as Reuters points out, could have been more severe. $122 million is a relatively small sum compared to the billions of dollars Facebook brings in every quarter. Its also a small fraction of the $19 billion Facebook paid to acquire WhatsApp in 2014. According to Reuters, the European Commission had the authority to fine Facebook up to one percent of its turnoveraround $276 millionbut opted for a smaller fine due to the companys cooperation and admission of error. Even so, $122 million is one of the largest regulatory penalties Facebook has ever had to pay to a government.

Just two days before the EUs announcement, Facebook incurred a much smaller fine of around $164,000 from a French regulator. In this case, the company was accused of violating Frances data protection rules by compiling personal user data for targeted advertising, as well as collecting data on users browsing activity without their knowledge. On the same day, Dutch regulators also claimed that Facebook had broken their privacy rules, but did not levy a fine.

Despite enduring scrutiny from multiple European countries over the last week, Facebook is not a singular target. Other large companies in the U.S., including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, have been subject to antitrust investigations from European regulators. Last Friday, an Italian antitrust agency also announced they were fining WhatsApp for $3.3 million for requiring users to share their personal information with Facebook.

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Facebook Receives $122 Million Fine From European Union For ... - The Atlantic

New York Times

EU Fines Facebook $122 Million Over Disclosures in WhatsApp Deal New York Times On Thursday, the European Union's powerful antitrust chief fined the social network 110 million euros, or about $122 million, for giving misleading statements during the company's $19 billion acquisition of the internet messaging service WhatsApp in 2014. European Union Calls Foul on FacebookNewCo Shift Sadly, The European Union's $122 Million Facebook Fine Seems JustifiedForbes European Union fines Facebook over misleading WhatsApp dataThe News Minute CNBC -Reuters -EU News -Facebook Newsroom all 177 news articles »

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EU Fines Facebook $122 Million Over Disclosures in WhatsApp Deal - New York Times

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The new Armed Forces Minister Sylvie Goulard announced her intention to get CLOSER to Germany over new President Emmanuel Macron's fears countries will start to look after their own interests, and not those of the bloc.

Goulard, a European expert, took the control of the renamed defence ministry last week.

Mr Macron is set on pushing for greater defence integration.

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I am attached to making European defence projects move forward

Sylvie Goulard

Ms Goulard said in her first message to military and civilian personnel: "I am attached to making European defence projects move forward.

"Some elements already exist, but others still need to be conceived and developed to better ensure our security in these times of interdependence.

To achieve this effort, work with Germany will be decisive."

A European lawmaker who speaks four languages, Goulard is respected in Brussels as a straight talker, having acted as adviser to former European Commission president Romano Prodi.

AFP/Getty Images

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Polish troops land with parachutes at the military compound near Torun, central Poland as part of the NATO Anaconda-16 military exercise

A close ally of Macron, she ranks fourth in the government hierarchy, and becomes only the second woman to head the ministry, which reverts to its pre-1974 name of Ministry of the Armed Forces.

Goulard also said she wanted to ensure that Franco-British security and defence cooperation did not suffer from the decision to leave the European Union.

An advocate of closer EU integration, Macron backs a "multi-speed" Europe, an idea that has earned growing support in Germany and other EU countries since Britain voted to leave the bloc.

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In the past, France has tended to be seen by allies as an intransigent, go-it-alone power because of its military interventions in arenas like Libya, the Middle East and the Sahel.

Nineteen countries including France, Germany, Italy and Spain be in talks from next month on the so-called Cooperative Financial Mechanism, or CFM.

The joint fund, financed national governments, would be the third part of a payment plan involving a proposed research facility led by the European Commission, the EU executive, and money from the EU's common budget for defence.

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France to push for European Army NOW as it pushes Germany for more EU integration - Express.co.uk