Democracy Impacts

EU Official Calls Summit on Enforcing Pollution Laws

January 24, 2018

European Commissioner for the Environment Karmenu Vella has summoned officials from nine EU member states to an "air quality ministerial summit" at the end of January pressuring them on reducing air pollution in line with EU law and has announced the creation of a Compliance Assurance Action Plan to guide governments through the process of combating pollution.
UK Business Group Pushes to Remain in EU Customs Union

January 22, 2018

Bloomberg reports that Director General of the Confederation of British Industry Carolyn Fairbairn has called for the UK government to negotiate a Brexit deal that would keep Britain within the EU customs union, meaning the UK could not negotiate separate free trade deals with countries outside the bloc.
EU Parliament Seeks Stricter Standards on Energy

January 19, 2018

Nature reports that the European Parliament has passed legislation pushing EU countries to obtain 35 percent of their energy from renewable sources by the year 2030 and raising a legally binding target for energy efficiency in buildings and in consumer goods after 2021.
EU Task Force Explores Subsidiarity, Proportionality

January 19, 2018

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has appointed members to an EU Task Force on "Subsidiarity, Proportionality and 'Doing Less More Efficiently'" to identify what projects "could be devolved or definitely returned to Member States" and in which areas EU officials could cooperate more effectively with national or local officials.
Austrian Leader Sets out "Pro-European" Reform Agenda

January 18, 2018

Politico reports that Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has called on the EU, in its bid for a renewal of purpose after Brexit, to focus on "big issues" and leave smaller issues to communities and national governments, while calling for "deeper cooperation on security, foreign policy and defense as well as economic and monetary policy" in EU institutions.
EPP Chair: EU Must Do More to Advance "Political Project"

January 18, 2018

Manfred Weber, the Chairman of the European People's Party (EPP) grouping in the European Parliament, writes that the urgent task of EU politicians is "to convince European citizens to continue to support an ambitious European political project" encompassing migration policy, social rights, and financial regulation prior to the European Parliament's election campaign in 2019.
EU Members Seek Status Quo Brexit Transition

January 17, 2018

The Independent reports that, according to draft negotiating directives from EU member states to the European Commission's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, the EU governments are calling for a post-Brexit transition arrangement with the UK that maintains free movement between the EU and UK and requires EU approval of any British free trade deals.
Leaders in Hungary, Ireland Oppose EU Tax Harmonization

January 17, 2018

New Europe reports that, at a recent news conference, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar opposed calls from other EU leaders to centralize the administration of corporate tax rules within the bloc.
Polish President Blames EU for "Disillusionment"

January 16, 2018

AP reports that, in recent remarks, Polish President Andrzej Duda placed partial blame for "social disillusionment" with European integration on EU institutions' failure to respond to the interests of all EU members and warned that these institutions should not "stigmatize, divide and antagonize European nations."
EU Official Plans Direct Taxes to Plug Brexit Holes

January 11, 2018

The Independent reports that European Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger‏ has called for an expansion of the EU's authority to raise direct taxes, bypassing EU member governments, by introducing a Europe-wide tax on plastics and by making Brussels, as opposed to national governments, the beneficiary of revenue from the EU's emissions trading scheme.