For a long time now, the creation of the euro, a dangerous experiment that placed political fantasy over economic reality, has been the most damaging example of just how far, and just how incompetently, those running the EU would go in the name of “ever-closer union.” That dismal precedent may now have been eclipsed by Brussels’s involvement in securing supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine for those who live within the EU’s borders, a lethal experiment that placed political dogma over medical need.
Supported by Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, the EU Commission (its administrative arm) took over the negotiations with vaccine manufacturers on behalf of all EU member-states last June. This was designed both as a declaration of EU “solidarity” and because of the belief that bargaining on behalf of the whole bloc could secure the vaccine at a cheaper price, a calculation that appeared to take little account of the economic costs of any delays, and delay was what — for a variety of reasons — Brussels delivered.
The U.K. came to its deal with AstraZeneca (the manufacturer of the Oxford vaccine) three months earlier than the EU, and its contract came with sharper teeth. The EU also took four months longer than the U.K. and U.S. to sign up with Pfizer.
Readmore at:
European Union & Vaccine Rollout: Disaster Unfolding | National Review
Showing posts with label coordination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coordination. Show all posts
7/6/20
EU: Europe must take on its own defense responsibilities - by Ian Bond
Only a handful of European NATO members have met the alliance’s target of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense over the past 20 years, while the U.S. has consistently exceeded it, spending 3.1-4.9 percent. But Europe’s problem is not just the amount it spends on defense, but the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of its spending: Europeans get far too many systems and far too little military capability for their money.
The European Commission’s 2017 fact sheet on European defense reported that European Union member states operated 178 different major weapons systems; the U.S. had only 30. EU member states have 17 different types of main battle tank; the U.S. has one.
The European Commission’s 2017 fact sheet on European defense reported that European Union member states operated 178 different major weapons systems; the U.S. had only 30. EU member states have 17 different types of main battle tank; the U.S. has one.
This proliferation of weapons systems leads to high unit costs for short production runs, and a lack of interoperability. And European spending is not directed to ensuring that troops can fight when needed. The European members of NATO have almost 1.9 million active-duty troops, while the U.S. has 1.3 million and Russia about 900,000. But very few of the European forces can be deployed in a crisis.
Politically and economically, this is a bad time to try to get European politicians to think seriously about increasing and rationalizing defense spending. The EU’s economic forecast for spring 2020 foresees a contraction in real GDP of 7.4 percent this year, albeit followed by an increase of 6.1 percent in 2021.
Some of Europe’s biggest investors in defense are in NATO but not in the EU. The U.K. accounted for 16 percent of defense spending in Europe in 2019, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. But despite some early promise, Britain seems to have lost interest in any institutionalized cooperation with the EU on foreign and security policy. Relations between the EU and NATO member Turkey, which accounted for another 7 percent of European defense spending last year, have rarely been worse.
Politically and economically, this is a bad time to try to get European politicians to think seriously about increasing and rationalizing defense spending. The EU’s economic forecast for spring 2020 foresees a contraction in real GDP of 7.4 percent this year, albeit followed by an increase of 6.1 percent in 2021.
Some of Europe’s biggest investors in defense are in NATO but not in the EU. The U.K. accounted for 16 percent of defense spending in Europe in 2019, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. But despite some early promise, Britain seems to have lost interest in any institutionalized cooperation with the EU on foreign and security policy. Relations between the EU and NATO member Turkey, which accounted for another 7 percent of European defense spending last year, have rarely been worse.
Despite such difficulties, the fact that NATO and the EU are currently both reassessing the security environment presents an opportunity for a more joint approach.
NATO is engaged in the #NATO2030 process, which Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg hopes will strengthen political consultation in the alliance. Meanwhile, by the end of 2020 the EU aims to complete a process to assess the threats it faces, which the bloc calls its Europe’s ability to counter threats will depend on making its money go further by spending it efficiently, both nationally and multilaterally. The commission should do more to ensure that more defense procurement involves competitive tendering, rather than member states awarding contracts to national champions. But it should not try to shut defense firms from non-EU NATO countries out of the European market.
The commission stands more chance of influencing the research and procurement decisions of member states if it has a substantial budget to dangle in front of them. It should keep proposed earlier in the year to the defense elements of the EU’s next seven-year budget. And the commission needs to be more open to the participation of “friendly” countries in EU-funded programs.
Joe Biden, a former U.S. vice president and a contender in the current presidential race, would be an easier president for Europeans to work with than Trump has been. But Biden’s victory in November is not guaranteed. Moreover, the forces in U.S. society that propelled Trump to power in 2016 will still exist, and may return in 2024.
Even if they would rather pretend that nothing is changing, the EU and as many non-EU, Europe-based NATO members as are willing to do so need to pay attention to Trump’s message. And they need to start thinking about how to defend Europe and deter potential adversaries with reduced U.S. help.
Read more at:
3/23/20
Europe Is Unprepared for the COVID-19 Recession by Yanis Varoufakis - by Yanis Varoufakis
The Eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers is struggling to agree on a
macroeconomically significant coordinated fiscal response to the
enormous recessionary effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The result, I
fear, will be heroic announcements heralding impressive numbers that
disguise the irrelevance and timidity of the agreed policies.
The first indication of this comes from the recent announcement of the German government’s financial aid package to the private sector. While the international media referred to it as a €550 billion ($600 billion) bazooka, close inspection suggests it is no more than a water pistol.Comprising tax deferments and large credit lines, the German package reveals a serious misunderstanding of the nature of the crisis.
And it is the same misunderstanding that turbocharged the euro crisis a decade ago. Now, as then, companies and households are facing insolvency, not illiquidity. To arrest the crisis, governments must go “all in” with stupendous fiscal expansion. But that is exactly what the German package was meant to avoid.
Finance ministers from countries in deeper economic trouble than Germany (for example, Italy and Greece) will undoubtedly try to push for the necessary fiscal expansion. But they will hit the brick wall of opposition from the German finance minister and his loyal supporters within the Eurogroup.
Soon the “southerners” will fold their tent, their acquiescence sealing yet another fiscally insignificant Eurogroup package that the oncoming recession will steamroll.How can I be so sure?
Because I’ve been there. I represented Greece at the Eurogroup meetings in 2015, where the defeat of our government’s desperate struggle to avoid more loans at the expense of deeper recession was decided. The methodical manner in which those Eurogroup meetings closed down any avenue to a rational debate on the appropriate fiscal policies holds the key to understanding why the Eurogroup will also fail to mount an effective fiscal defense against the pandemic-induced shock.
One insight from those crucial Eurogroup meetings five years ago stands out: any finance minister from a struggling country who dares oppose the Berlin line, or to propose solutions that benefit the majority of Europeans rather than the financial sector, is in for a hard ride.
Read more at: Europe Is Unprepared for the COVID-19 Recession by Yanis Varoufakis - Project Syndicate
The first indication of this comes from the recent announcement of the German government’s financial aid package to the private sector. While the international media referred to it as a €550 billion ($600 billion) bazooka, close inspection suggests it is no more than a water pistol.Comprising tax deferments and large credit lines, the German package reveals a serious misunderstanding of the nature of the crisis.
And it is the same misunderstanding that turbocharged the euro crisis a decade ago. Now, as then, companies and households are facing insolvency, not illiquidity. To arrest the crisis, governments must go “all in” with stupendous fiscal expansion. But that is exactly what the German package was meant to avoid.
Finance ministers from countries in deeper economic trouble than Germany (for example, Italy and Greece) will undoubtedly try to push for the necessary fiscal expansion. But they will hit the brick wall of opposition from the German finance minister and his loyal supporters within the Eurogroup.
Soon the “southerners” will fold their tent, their acquiescence sealing yet another fiscally insignificant Eurogroup package that the oncoming recession will steamroll.How can I be so sure?
Because I’ve been there. I represented Greece at the Eurogroup meetings in 2015, where the defeat of our government’s desperate struggle to avoid more loans at the expense of deeper recession was decided. The methodical manner in which those Eurogroup meetings closed down any avenue to a rational debate on the appropriate fiscal policies holds the key to understanding why the Eurogroup will also fail to mount an effective fiscal defense against the pandemic-induced shock.
One insight from those crucial Eurogroup meetings five years ago stands out: any finance minister from a struggling country who dares oppose the Berlin line, or to propose solutions that benefit the majority of Europeans rather than the financial sector, is in for a hard ride.
Read more at: Europe Is Unprepared for the COVID-19 Recession by Yanis Varoufakis - Project Syndicate
3/28/18
EU plan to improve army logistics across Europe- by Eric Maurice
The European Commission launched on Wednesday (28 March) a plan to improve military mobility between member states, as part of a wider effort to step up its defence capacities.
The debate over Europe's ability to project troops on and across its territory was launched by the US and Nato in 2014 after Russia's invasion of Crimea.
"We must be able to quickly deploy troops," EU transport commissioner Violeta Bulc said at a press conference, adding that the plan was "one of very practical steps towards a fully-fledged defence union by 2025."
"I really hope this will never happen," she said about the need to move troops across Europe in response to a threat.
"But I don't want to be surprised," she added. "We try to ensure that in case things need to be activated, we can do it."
Under the plan, the commission, the member states and the European Defence Agency will define the military requirements, including the definition of infrastructure needed, and identify how they fit with current regulations.
The aim is to be able, by the end of next year, to draw up a list of "dual-use" projects to improve infrastructure that could used both for civilian and military transport.
A pilot analysis conducted last year showed that standards for road bridges or railroads were different between member states. Some bridges, for example, could not support oversized or over-weighted military vehicles, and some rails had an insufficient loading capacity.
The effort to update infrastructures for military will be part of an ongoing plan to create nine east-west and north-south 'core network corridors' to be completed by 2030.
Bulc noted that while €500bn was needed to complete the corridors, additional costs to adapt them to the military requirements will depend on the needs still to be identified.
Read more: EU plan to improve army logistics across Europe
The debate over Europe's ability to project troops on and across its territory was launched by the US and Nato in 2014 after Russia's invasion of Crimea.
"We must be able to quickly deploy troops," EU transport commissioner Violeta Bulc said at a press conference, adding that the plan was "one of very practical steps towards a fully-fledged defence union by 2025."
"I really hope this will never happen," she said about the need to move troops across Europe in response to a threat.
"But I don't want to be surprised," she added. "We try to ensure that in case things need to be activated, we can do it."
Under the plan, the commission, the member states and the European Defence Agency will define the military requirements, including the definition of infrastructure needed, and identify how they fit with current regulations.
The aim is to be able, by the end of next year, to draw up a list of "dual-use" projects to improve infrastructure that could used both for civilian and military transport.
A pilot analysis conducted last year showed that standards for road bridges or railroads were different between member states. Some bridges, for example, could not support oversized or over-weighted military vehicles, and some rails had an insufficient loading capacity.
The effort to update infrastructures for military will be part of an ongoing plan to create nine east-west and north-south 'core network corridors' to be completed by 2030.
Bulc noted that while €500bn was needed to complete the corridors, additional costs to adapt them to the military requirements will depend on the needs still to be identified.
Read more: EU plan to improve army logistics across Europe
12/26/17
EU Security Services: Border Security 2018
Following the success of the previous sell-out events, SMi
Group’s Border Security Conference returns in 2018 with its biggest and
best agenda to date.
In addition, with free-movement a critical and divisive focus of Brexit negotiations, as well as a new administration in the White House, this year's event is more topical and relevant than ever.
With rapid globalisation impacting every continent, added pressures to borders around the world need addressing. Border Security 2018 will provide amplatform for leading representatives of industry and government to discuss the political and technological solutions being utilised to secure national borders.
Read more: Border Security 2018 — EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics
In addition, with free-movement a critical and divisive focus of Brexit negotiations, as well as a new administration in the White House, this year's event is more topical and relevant than ever.
With rapid globalisation impacting every continent, added pressures to borders around the world need addressing. Border Security 2018 will provide amplatform for leading representatives of industry and government to discuss the political and technological solutions being utilised to secure national borders.
Read more: Border Security 2018 — EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics
2/24/16
EU Refugee Crises: EU-NATO coordination set to deepen, say Mogherini and Stoltenberg
EU and NATO coordination has started to tackle the refugee
crisis and will be further deepened, EU foreign policy chief Federica
Mogherini and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told MEPs and
national MPs in the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, February 23.
"European and national parliaments can play a crucial role in these times and should remain connected", said Ms Mogherini, welcoming the participation of members of national parliaments in the debate with MEPs on Tuesday morning.
After outlining recent EU foreign affairs "success stories" (Colombia peace process, nuclear deal with Iran, etc.), Ms Mogherini turned to more worrying issues, such as the conflict in Syria, but remained optimistic: "After 5 years of war things are moving in the right direction", she said, welcoming the Monday’s US-Russia deal to enforce a ceasefire in Syria. Asked about the EU's role in this conflict, Ms Mogherini replied that "the major EU role is the humanitarian one, which does not mean being a charity but working on a humanitarian access on the ground."
"We see failures in management of refugee flows but we do not underline enough the success we achieve in saving lives", she continued, pointing out that “Decisions on relocation, resettlements, hotspots, returns have been made. All must be implemented now and it requires a mix of efforts on national and European levels.” The EU partnership with NATO will be “deepened to tackle this crisis”, she promised.
EU-Digest
"European and national parliaments can play a crucial role in these times and should remain connected", said Ms Mogherini, welcoming the participation of members of national parliaments in the debate with MEPs on Tuesday morning.
After outlining recent EU foreign affairs "success stories" (Colombia peace process, nuclear deal with Iran, etc.), Ms Mogherini turned to more worrying issues, such as the conflict in Syria, but remained optimistic: "After 5 years of war things are moving in the right direction", she said, welcoming the Monday’s US-Russia deal to enforce a ceasefire in Syria. Asked about the EU's role in this conflict, Ms Mogherini replied that "the major EU role is the humanitarian one, which does not mean being a charity but working on a humanitarian access on the ground."
"We see failures in management of refugee flows but we do not underline enough the success we achieve in saving lives", she continued, pointing out that “Decisions on relocation, resettlements, hotspots, returns have been made. All must be implemented now and it requires a mix of efforts on national and European levels.” The EU partnership with NATO will be “deepened to tackle this crisis”, she promised.
EU-Digest
10/5/15
Refugee Crises: EU, Turkey agree on refugee action plan
Brussels and Ankara have set up an action plan on regulating the flow of
refugees to Europe, according to media reports. New camps and
coordinated border controls are the cornerstones of the plan
Read more: EU, Turkey agree on refugee action plan: reports | News | DW.COM | 04.10.2015
Read more: EU, Turkey agree on refugee action plan: reports | News | DW.COM | 04.10.2015
1/9/13
Telecom/Internet: Europe's biggest operators get together for pan-EU network sharing plan
A pan-European network sharing deal could be in the offing between some of Europe's biggest telcos.
According to reports on Wednesday, operators including om Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, TelecItalia and Spain's Telefonica – which owns the O2 network in the UK – have had meetings with the European competition commissioner JoaquÃn Almunia on the subject of pooling network infrastructure.
Since the meeting, the companies have explored the possibility of creating a new company to take on responsibility for the combined infrastructure and related debt. The company could then wholesale network access back to the operators, the Financial Times reported.
The move is viewed as one way to allow the companies to better compete with international rivals and make more headway in "Europe's disjointed market", the paper reports.
Read more: Europe's biggest operators get together for pan-EU network sharing plan | ZDNet
According to reports on Wednesday, operators including om Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, TelecItalia and Spain's Telefonica – which owns the O2 network in the UK – have had meetings with the European competition commissioner JoaquÃn Almunia on the subject of pooling network infrastructure.
Since the meeting, the companies have explored the possibility of creating a new company to take on responsibility for the combined infrastructure and related debt. The company could then wholesale network access back to the operators, the Financial Times reported.
The move is viewed as one way to allow the companies to better compete with international rivals and make more headway in "Europe's disjointed market", the paper reports.
Read more: Europe's biggest operators get together for pan-EU network sharing plan | ZDNet
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