EU recovery deal offers hope for stability

Significance The recovery fund will consist of loans worth EUR360bn and grants worth EUR390bn that will be financed by European Commission borrowing. The main objective is to provide additional stimulus on top of national recovery programmes. Italy and Spain will be the largest beneficiaries of the fund. Impacts The implementation of the fund looks set to be slower in Italy and Spain, given their poor track records for the deployment of EU resources. A successful agreement would strengthen unity and trust among the member states, upon which cooperation in other areas could be easier. A wider pan-European bond market could attract more international attention to the euro as a reserve currency.

Subject Proposed reform of the EU comitology procedure. Significance The little-known ‘comitology’ procedure plays a key role in EU regulation. In recent years, this process has been breaking down as member-state expert representatives in comitology committees often abstain from voting, forcing the European Commission to take controversial decisions on its own (and accept any blame for them). In response, the Commission has proposed reforms that would pressure member states to take a position on (and hence political ownership of) controversial regulatory decisions. Impacts Government representatives, interest-group representatives and corporate lobbyists will be most affected by comitology reform. Despite adding transparency and avoiding blame-shifting to Brussels, the reforms would probably not help the EU’s image with citizens. The European Parliament might demand -- as part of any final reform package -- an increase in its involvement in the comitology process.


Significance The celebration came just days before the United Kingdom is set to begin the withdrawal process. Precisely what path the EU will take over the next decade remains uncertain and the European Commission has kicked off a process of dialogue on various scenarios for its future. Impacts Debates about the future of the EU will occur simultaneously with Brexit negotiations and be coloured by them. EU leaders will be keen to continue to demonstrate their commitment to press forward with European integration despite Brexit. Brexit will not lead to an unravelling of the EU and thus far has served to enhance support for the Union in other member states. Yet Brexit will not lead to any sudden deepening of integration.


Subject Polish/EU frictions. Significance The European Commission has taken the unprecedented step of warning of a "clear risk" of a serious breach of the rule of law in Poland. Many in Brussels and Poland hoped that the appointment of a young prime minister and a major cabinet reshuffle signalled a rapprochement. On early evidence, at least, they may be sorely disappointed. Impacts Poland’s position in the EU will become more constrained as the rule-of-law conflict is exploited in negotiations on unrelated issues. In openly censuring Poland, the EU sees an opportunity to prove its credentials as a bulwark against populism and extremism. If Poland is pushed too far, the EU’s actions may undesirably strengthen anti-EU sentiments in one of its largest member states.


Significance The debate is timely, as in the next two months the European Commission will review the fiscal programmes of member states amid calls for further stimulus to boost economic recovery. Impacts The safest and surest way to cut sovereign debt in the most highly-indebted EU states will be by implementing growth-oriented investments. Further calls to cancel government debt will further fuel uncertainty at a time when consensus between euro-area states is most needed. Debt cancellation is highly unlikely because of opposition from euro-area countries with the lowest government-debt-to-GDP ratios.


Subject London euro-clearing post-Brexit. Significance The European Commission released draft legislation on June 13 proposing the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) supervise non-EU-based clearing houses that are deemed systemically important, in effect giving the EU the power to insist euro-clearing remains in the bloc after Brexit. On June 23, the ECB proposed a “significantly enhanced” role for the ECB in euro-clearing. Forcing euro-clearing into the euro-area shows the bloc puts protecting its own interests before globalisation, also suggesting that the post-Brexit EU may increasingly prioritise political imperatives over economic ones, and become less open to international business. Impacts The draft law will affect New York and Tokyo, which will gain from London if European finance becomes more fragmented. If passed, the law will give the ESMA strong powers to determine the geography of EU finance. Such political direction could cause tensions as not all EU member states are likely to welcome it.


Subject The new European Commission's goal of achieving 'technological sovereignty'. Significance The incoming European Commission, which takes office in November, will next week appear for hearings before the European Parliament. President-elect Ursula von der Leyen’s priorities for the next five years, notably on recovering Europe’s 'technological sovereignty', will be closely scrutinised. Impacts Some of the Commission's proposals on digital tech will be diluted by member states averse to transferring more funds to the EU. Member states will prioritise their national digital strategies, even though this weakens the Commission’s envisaged collective approach. The risk of technological supply chain disruption is now a major consideration for all major economies, including the EU.


Author(s):  
J S LIPTRAP

Abstract This article explores the European Parliament's July 2018 non-legislative resolution proposing to the European Commission a directive for facilitating social enterprise companies’ cross-border activities. The proposal is first situated within the context of the social economy and how the sector has grown in importance to European integration. The proposal and the European Commission's response are then examined. Although the European Commission was not convinced that Member States would be amenable to the proposal, a consensus may already exist that is sufficient to garner their support. Even if this prediction is wrong, however, it is argued that there are reasons to surmise that the proposal will likely be reassessed and ultimately successful at some future point. Finally, the proposal is viewed with a reflexive harmonisation lens. Through the analysis, regulatory issues are identified, and a solution is then suggested.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-187
Author(s):  
Pauline Melin

In a 2012 Communication, the European Commission described the current approach to social security coordination with third countries as ‘patchy’. The European Commission proposed to address that patchiness by developing a common EU approach to social security coordination with third countries whereby the Member States would cooperate more with each other when concluding bilateral agreements with third countries. This article aims to explore the policy agenda of the European Commission in that field by conducting a comparative legal analysis of the Member States’ bilateral agreements with India. The idea behind the comparative legal analysis is to determine whether (1) there are common grounds between the Member States’ approaches, and (2) based on these common grounds, it is possible to suggest a common EU approach. India is taken as a third-country case study due to its labour migration and investment potential for the European Union. In addition, there are currently 12 Member State bilateral agreements with India and no instrument at the EU level on social security coordination with India. Therefore, there is a potential need for a common EU approach to social security coordination with India. Based on the comparative legal analysis of the Member States’ bilateral agreements with India, this article ends by outlining the content of a potential future common EU approach.


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