Erkan in the Army now...: Eurosphere agenda: Juncker hit by EP…”Commission to reject French budget…

Juncker bitten by the hand that fed him as the European Parliament undermines his Commission  Open Europe blog Juncker and Schulz in happier times… The letter from European Parliament (EP) President Martin Schulz to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has now been published in full and contains an extensive list of questions for the UK’s Lord Hill, the Czech Republic’s Vera Jourová and Hungary’s Tibor Navracsics who have all been invited back for some form of second hearing early next week (whether or not these will be ‘full public hearings’ again remains to be seen). Sweden to recognise Palestinian state  BBC News | Europe | Sweden is to “recognise the state of Palestine”, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven says, the first long-term EU member country to do so. Commission to reject French budget  EurActiv.com The European Commission is likely to reject France’s 2015 budget draft at the end of October, and ask for a new one that would better reflect Paris’s deficit reduction obligations under European Union rules, several eurozone officials said. Well-performing health systems make Europe ‘politically stable’ EurActiv.com SPECIAL REPORT: Improving health system performance has been on the political agenda in all member states over the past couple of years. This is crucial, because health systems are at the heart of the EU’s social model, the Commission says. MAIN FOCUS: Paris and Rome facing yellow card from Brussels | 07/10/2014  euro|topics According to media reports the European Commission is threatening to reject France’s and Italy’s budget plans on the grounds that they violate the EU’s Stability Pact. After imposing stringent austerity on other member states the Commission can’t be lax with these two now, commentators point out. They warn Paris and Rome of the consequences of violating international obligations     Looking through a distorted window: English reflections on a Scottish referendum open Democracy News Analysis – by Beth Kahn Seeing the Scottish referendum from outside Scotland, it was too easy to entirely misunderstand it. The once and future EU recovery open Democracy News Analysis – by John Weeks The instigators of these anti-social and anti-democratic policies, rules and treaties defend them as the mechanisms to bring recovery, end fiscal deficits and reduce public indebtedness. Were they successful, their authoritarian nature should make them unacceptable. EU commissioner: Nude celebs ‘dumb’ BBC News | Europe | Celebrities who had intimate pictures of themselves leaked onto the internet were “dumb” for taking them, the EU’s new digital commissioner says.   Ancient cities and new politics in southern Italy  open Democracy News Analysis – by Pier Giovanni Guzzo and Andrea Capussela Italy’s corrupt and inefficient public services mean that some of the country’s most important archaeological sites are being forgotten or damaged. The Sybaris Project is trying to change that.   Long fight for Denmark mosque rages on AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (IN DEPTH) Despite 14-year struggle for a new mosque in the second-largest city, new roadblocks are erected at every turn.   Amazon faces EU tax avoidance probe  BBC News | Europe | World Edition Online retailer Amazon is to face a formal investigation into its European corporate tax practices, the European Commission announces. Whatever happened to (Euro) Maidan  open Democracy News Analysis – by Janek Lasocki For almost a year, Ukraine has refused to leave the international headlines. But little attention has been paid to what has been happening in Kyiv. EU centralisation-without-representation: a reply to Frances Coppola, Simon Wren-Lewis and Niall Ferguson  open Democracy News Analysis – by Yanis Varoufakis Europeans are against ‘more Europe’, because they are against the particular type of authoritarian, anti-democratic political union on offer. It would not after all, be the first time in history that a political ruling class place their preference for more unchecked power ahead of their concern for shared prosperity Scientists predict Ebola will hit Europe in coming weeks  EurActiv.com Scientists have used Ebola disease spread patterns and airline traffic data to predict a 75% chance the virus could be imported to France by October 24, and a 50% chance it could hit Britain by that date. The Poverty of European migration policy open Democracy News Analysis – by Moritz Baumgärtel European migration ‘policy’ does not only cost thousands of lives every year, but it is also contradictory and self-defeating. High time for Europe to offer temporary protection to refugees from Syria? open Democracy News Analysis – by Dawn Chatty and Cynthia Orchard The 2001 Temporary Protection Directive – created in the wake of the Yugoslav Wars – has never been activated, but it could be part of a reasonable, compassionate response to the Syrian refugee crisis. The SWISH Report (25)  open Democracy News Analysis – by Paul Rogers What should United Kingdom’s defence policy be? A government department has commissioned advice from the noted SWISH management consultancy. This is an exclusive copy of its just completed report. UK defence spending after the 2014 election: a report from the South Waziristan Institute for Strategic Hermeneutics to the Post-Election Financial Planning Unit, HM Treasury, London, UK Solving Europe’s Credibility Problem  Project Syndicate by Jean Pisani-Ferry As the eurozone debates how to escape the stagnation trap in which it finds itself, one question has become increasingly important: Can governments credibly commit to trim public spending in the future while avoiding immediate cuts? Fortunately, the answer is yes: Fiscal accommodation now does not rule out consolidation later. MAIN FOCUS: British airstrikes against IS in Iraq | 01/10/2014 euro|topics Following the airstrikes by US fighter jets in the fight against the Islamic State, Britain’s Royal Air Force carried out its first attacks against IS targets in Iraq on Tuesday. Some commentators describe this as justified military intervention against a cruel troop of killers. Others doubt the US-led alliance can win this war.   Norway best country for older people  BBC News | Europe | Norway is the best place to be old, according to an index of the quality of later life in published on the UN’s International Day of Older Persons. Q&A: Brussels vs Apple over Irish tax  FT.com – World, Europe The European Commission’s case against the tech group Croatia and the EU – what’s changed?  BBC News | Europe | One year after joining the EU the economy is still moribund Europe’s Ukrainian Soul  Project Syndicate by Joschka Fischer For Europe, Ukraine’s fate is a vital strategic question, because its independence has been the cornerstone of the post-Cold War European order and its framework for peace. Ukraine’s subjugation to Russia by military force The plight of Europe’s unwanted migrants  AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (IN DEPTH) MAIN FOCUS: Catalans want referendum in November | 29/09/2014 euro|topics The Catalans are to vote on the independence of their region from Spain on November 9. The President of Catalonia, Artur Mas, signed a corresponding decree on Saturday. Madrid views the planned referendum as a violation of the constitution. Blocking the vote would be a mistake, some correspondents believe. Others complain that the central government is powerless against the separatists.   The hidden costs of renting in modern Britain open Democracy News Analysis – by Samir Jeraj For those who have owned a home for years or decades, they may be unaware of the costs, penalities and fees imposed on today’s renters. It is a web of unregulated profiteering and expense. Battle Royal in Brussels – backroom ‘trade’ deals under fire open Democracy News Analysis – by Jurgen Maier Europeans are in uproar at chaotic attempts by the EU presidency to rush through ‘secret courts’ for investors to sue governments who try to protect their citizens and public services. The EU-Canada Summit on 26 September in Ottawa aimed to seal the deal on a controversial EU-Canada free trade agreement – in the dying days of the current EU Presidency. David Cameron and his Ministers continue to tread fine line on EU migration reform Open Europe blog The Times and the Mail  today both feature stories on the increasing pressure on David Cameron to take a stronger stance on migration from the EU.The Times suggests that senior figures within his party are calling on him to use his renegotiation to explore the introduction of quotas on migrants from existing EU member states. It quotes London Mayor Boris Johnson saying that Related posts: Eurosphere agenda: “EU delays sanctions against Russia…Scottish referendum …”EU rejects Google’s antitrust deal again Eurosphere agenda: ” Juncker and Schulz both after presidency… Eurosphere agenda: ” Mini-summit in row over Juncker …. Europshere roundup: Murder sparks anti-Muslim backlash… Eurosphere agenda: “Audit report shows errors in ‘all main spending areas’ of EU budget