Hungarian - US Relations: Orban and Trump, a toxic nationalistic liason and a major danger to the stability of the European Union

In May this year Donald Trump bestowed the greatest possible compliment on Viktor Orbán — comparing the Hungarian leader to himself.

Orbán is “probably like me," Trump said in a joint appearance at the White House with the visiting Hungarian prime minister.

"A little bit controversial, but that’s OK ... you’ve done a good job, and you’ve kept your country safe," he said, while declaring that Orbán — one of the EU's most controversial leaders — "has done a tremendous job" and is “respected all over Europe.”

No Hungarian prime minister has visited the White House since 2005, and Orbán has not set foot in the Oval Office for over two decades. The Hungarian leader was the only EU head of government to endorse Trump’s campaign during the 2016 election, but for more than two years he failed to get an invitation to the White House, leading to a Hungarian government lobbying effort to try to secure a coveted meeting.

Wearing an orange tie — the color of his ruling Fidesz party — Orbán joked about his long absence from the White House, saying that being in the building made him feel young.

The Hungarian prime minister said he wanted to use the meeting with Trump to "strengthen our strategical alliance" and said he was proud to stand with the U.S. on fighting illegal immigration and terrorism, as well as helping Christian communities.

U.S. officials have long worried about Orbán's moves to undermine independent institutions at home, while the Hungarian leader's increasingly friendly relations with Moscow and Beijing have raised concerns across the American political spectrum. The role of Chinese and Russian state-owned companies in Hungary was set to be among the topics discussed duringWhite House talks.

But sitting next to Orbán ahead of their private meeting, Trump called Hungary “a very good member of NATO."

Asked about concerns of democratic backsliding in Hungary, Trump told reporters that Orbán is a “tough man but he is a respected man” who has “done the right thing according to many people on immigration. And you look at some of the problems that they have in Europe that are tremendous because they have done it a different way than the prime minister.”

All by all this friendship between Orban and and Trump is very toxic to the well-being of the EU.

Let us also not forget that the Central European University in Hungary, founded and funded by Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros after the collapse of the Soviet Union to spread principles of democracy and free society, was forced from its campus in Budapest by the far-right government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The move came after a two-year struggle with the Orban government, which has blocked political and intellectual dissent and increased control over much of Hungarian life.

The university, which has 1,435 students from 118 countries, teaches in English and has a reputation as one of the top schools in the region. It will move its U.S.-accredited degree programs to Vienna where it started enrolling students last fall fall.

In an incredulous-sounding statement, CEU president Michael Ignatieff said, “This is unprecedented. A U.S. institution has been driven out of a country that is a NATO ally. A European institution has been ousted from a member state of the EU.”

The statement went on to say, “Arbitrary eviction of a reputable university is a flagrant violation of academic freedom. It is a dark day for Europe and a dark day for Hungary.” Indeed, it appears to be the first time a major university has been forced to leave an EU country.

Bottom-line, the EU Commission must stop sitting on its hands and start dealing in a far more serious way with Mr. Orban. There is absolutely no need to encourage Nationalist Populists like Mr Orban to further endanger the integrity and democratic principles the EU is based on.

EU-Digest

USA - Chemical Industry: Monsanto's Glyphosate "Roundup weed-killer" goes on trial in US with billions at stake - by Aimee Picchi

After it was introduced in the 1970s, Roundup was promoted as an "herbicide that gets to the root of the problem."

Now, four decades later, manufacturer Monsanto will face a lawsuit that seeks to get to the root of another problem: whether the active ingredient in the weed-killer is to blame for a California man's terminal cancer. If Monsanto fails to persuade the court that its product isn't to blame, the agricultural company's flagship product could take a hefty hit.

Billions in revenue could be at stake for Monsanto and its new corporate parent, German chemical giant Bayer, which closed its $60 billion acquisition earlier this month. While Monsanto doesn't break out sales of glyphosate -- the active ingredient in Roundup -- the product delivered $4.8 billion in revenue in 2015. In its latest fiscal year, Monsanto cited higher global sales of glyphosate for helping lift total revenue by 8 percent.

Monsanto declined to comment on the potential sales impact, citing the trial proceedings. In a statement earlier this month, it told CBS News it denied the allegations.

"We have empathy for anyone suffering from cancer, but the scientific evidence clearly shows that glyphosate was not the cause. We look forward to presenting this evidence to the court," it said.

Note EU-Digest: Unfortunately the EU recently cleared the use of this weed killer for the next five years, after a heated debate over whether it causes cancer or not. 

Regardless of this decision, given the legal battle Monsanto is now facing in the US, the EU Parliament, despite the obvious intense lobby by the chemical industry, should immediately halt the use of  the weed-killer glyphosate in Europe, and take another close look at the dangers this weed killer poses for European consumers. Better late than sorry.

Read more: Monsanto's Roundup weed-killer goes on trial with billions at stake - CBS News

Turkey -Turkish Presidential Elections: Mega Rally in Istanbul of opposition's democratic and charismatic Muharrem Ince attracts 5 million supporters - EU-Digest Editorial

Muharrem Ince fresh approach attracting many Turkish voters

Mr Muharrem Ince drew a massive crowd to an Istanbul rally on Saturday, June 23, one day before the election. 

Even Istanbul Police estimated that over 5 million attended this rally, despite undemocratic obstructional measures taken by the Erdogan Government, including, halting ferry boats, which were bringing Ince supporters to the rally, censoring publications which wanted to report the event. 

People who clicked on web pages which reported on Ince speeches and events found the following appearing on their screen. 

THE PAGE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR

COULD NOT BE FOUND

The page you are looking for has been moved or does not exist. 

Turkish voters are calling for end to corrupt Erdogan regime

Mr Ince, a former teacher and the presidential candidate of the main opposition the secularist Republican People's Party (CHP), has proved highly effective on the campaign trail, drawing huge crowds, especially in the big cities.

Mr Muharrem Ince repeated an accusation made by other opposition politicians of political bias by Turkey's state media, which has given Mr Erdogan and the AK Party heavy coverage, while often completely neglecting to broadcast opposition rallies.

Massive turnout for Ince in Istanbul on Saturday, June 23

"There are 5 million people in Maltepe right now but none of the TV channels can show it," Ince said in Istanbul this Saturday, June 23.

It is also remarkable and strange, that very few US and EU media outlets have provided hardly any coverage to the rallies of Muharrem Ince. 

Instead, the international Press provides a lot of coverage to "President" Erdogan, who has locked up more journalists than the Peoples Republic of China.

Extra security forces and more than half a million ballot monitors and volunteers will be deployed across Turkey during Sunday's election. 

Unfortunately, large numbers of these security forces, monitors, and volunteers have been placed there by the Erdogan government, which, just like during the last referendum vote, makes fraud a major threat again during this Presidential election.

The winner of Sunday's June 24 presidential contest will acquire sweeping new executive powers under a constitutional overhaul backed by Mr Erdogan and endorsed last year by a narrow majority of Turks in a referendum.

EU-Digest-

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EU-US Relations: Macron, Merkel Set to Visit Trump With Iran Deal Hanging in the Balance - by Felicia Schwartz and Laurence Norman

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit the White House next week, hoping to persuade President Donald Trump against pulling the U.S. out of the Iranian nuclear agreement at his self-imposed May 12 deadline.

The French and German leaders support the Iran Nuclear Agreement and want to persuade President Trump that the US remains a part of it,

Read more: Macron, Merkel Set to Visit Trump With Iran Deal Hanging in the Balance - WSJ

Germany: German far-right MP under fire over Münster attack tweets

Islamophobic tweets by controversial German politician Beatrix von Storch following Saturday’s van rampage in Münster have prompted calls for her to step down. The deputy leader of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) took to Twitter in the immediate aftermath of the attack blaming it on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s immigration policy.

As doubts were cast about any Islamist motive, von Storch refused to retract her statement, describing the driver as an “emulator of Islamist terror”.

Read more: German far-right MP under fire over Münster attack tweets | Euronews

EU releases "nebulous" tax haven blacklist; Netherlands not on it - by Janene Pieters

The European Union published its black list of tax havens. It consists of 17 countries the EU believes help multinationals and rich people avoid the tax authorities. The Netherlands does not appear on the list - no EU countries do. But Aruba and Curacao, which form part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, were placed on a "gray list" - they have two years to implement promised improvements, or they'll be blacklisted, the Volkskrant reports.

This blacklist was compiled following journalistic revelations about large scale tax evasion by multinationals, entrepreneurs, politicians and others from documents like the Panama papers, the Paradise papers, Lux leaks and the like. After over a year of negotiations, the EU member states agreed to put 17 countries on the blacklist, including Panama, the United Arab Emirates, the Marshall Islands and Grenada. The countries on this EU blacklist can be penalized with trade barriers, stricter controls, loss of EU subsidies and additional tax levies, according to the newspaper.

In addition to the blacklist, the Member States also agreed to put 47 countries on a gray list. These countries promised enough improvements not to be blacklisted immediately. They have a maximum of 2 years to implement these improvements, or they will be moved to the blacklist. In addition to Aruba and Curacao, these countries also include Hon Kong, Taiwan, Turkey, the Cayman Islands, the Seychelles, Guernsey and Andorra.

European Commissioner Pierre Moscovici of Economic and Financial Affairs emphasized that these lists were compiled by the Member States and not by the European Commission. It is up to the Member States themselves how they handle their taxes, and the Member States can decide whether to impose sanctions against the countries on the black list. The Commission tried to impose an obligation to do so, but it failed.

The Socialists and Greens in the European Parliament called the list weak, according to the newspaper. The Greens believe that Member States like the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Great Britain and Cyprus should also be on the blacklist. "It is sad that the member states have shown so little courage and responsibility", PvdA European Parliamentarian Paul Tang said to the Volkskrant. He added that the cry of indignation about tax evasion was smothered in the back rooms of Brussels.

Last week development company Oxfam Novib also said that if the criteria for non-EU countries were also applied to EU member states, the Netherlands, Ireland, Luxembourg and Malta would all be blacklisted. The company referred specifically to the Netherlands' sweetheart tax deal with American coffee giant Starbucks.

Last year the Netherlands was reprimanded by the European Commission for allowing Starbucks to avoid almost 26 million euros in taxes through the Netherlands. Despite the Dutch government's objections, the Netherlands had to reclaim that money from the American coffee giant. 

Read more: EU releases tax haven blacklist; Netherlands not on it | NL Times

The Netherlands: Dutch government under fire over tax cuts favoring big business - by Bart H. Meijer &Toby Sterling

Mark Rutte copies Trump's Tax Proposals favoring corporations

The new Dutch government came under fire in parliament on Thursday, November 8, for scrapping a 15 percent dividend withholding tax, after a national broadcaster NOS said Shell, Unilever, Akzo Nobel and Philips had lobbied for the change.

Shell confirmed to Reuters it had sought the change, while Philips denied it.

Akzo Nobel declined to comment.

Unilever would not say whether it asked for the change but it “welcomes measures that improve the business climate in countries where we operate.” 

Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said the policy will help the country retain its appeal to foreign investors as it cuts other tax perks in response to concerns that Dutch tax policies have helped multinationals avoid paying fair taxes.

Note EU-Digest: Dutch PM Rutte (Conservative) seems to have copied the new US Tax proposals from the Trump Administration, favoring Corporations above the average taxpayers. To make matters worse Dutch tax payers will now pay 9% instead of 6% Vat Tax, on products they buy in the store and super markets. And like Trump, he has also increased the military budget. One should question if PM Rutte is aware that he lives in the Netherlands (EU) and not in the US.?

Rutte's government is also cutting its corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 25 percent.

Read more: Dutch government under fire over tax cut favoured by big business

EU-US Relations: Trump undercuts White House messaging in critical remarks about Germany’s trade surplus

 Days after President Donald Trump returned from his first overseas trip as the president, he warned that the U.S.-German trade relationship is “very bad” and suggested “this will change,” following a reportedly closed-door meeting last week when he criticized Germany’s trade surplus.

“We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military,” Trump tweeted on Tuesday. “Very bad for U.S. This will change”

The president’s latest tweet comes two days after German Chancellor Angela Merkel hinted that her country couldn’t “fully rely” on countries like the United States in part because of “what I experienced in the last few days.” The German chancellor reiterated Tuesday that the German-U.S. relationship is of “outstanding importance,” but suggested that Europe would “take our fate into our own hands” moving forward.

Last week, Trump and Merkel both attended meetings at a NATO summit meeting in Brussels and a Group of 7 (G7) meeting in Taormina, Italy. The most contentious issues were on climate and trade, with Trump planning to pull the United States out of the Paris climate deal. His critical remarks on Germany’s trade policy raised eyebrows with German politicians, including Thomas Oppermann, the parliamentary caucus leader of the Social Democrats.

“Donald Trump is making clear with his tweet that he considers Germany a political opponent,” Oppermann said. “This is a new situation — we lived for decades in the certainty that we could rely on each other as partners in an alliance, and this certainty no longer exists today.”

Trump’s tweet on Tuesday also raises eyebrows in the United States for another reason. It undercuts the White House’s messaging from last Friday, which sought to downplay the seriousness of his critical remarks on trade and his suggestion that the country was selling too many cars to the United States.

Note EU-Digest: Trumps ignorance of the auto industry is terrifying. Before making critical remarks about trade with Germany, is he aware that Germany manufactures cars in the US and employs large numbers of US workers? Here are the facts:

Roughly 850,000 German vehicles are made in the US as reported by Reuters and some 33,000 people are employed by German car companies in the US.

VW recently built an entire plant in Tennessee, employing 2,000 workers directly

And these are just some facts about the German companies = if we add Toyota, Hyundai, Honda  to this equation the numbers of people these companies in their totality employ are staggering.  

Read more: Trump undercuts White House messaging in critical remarks about Germany’s trade surplus

Canada: What does Canada get out of restoring diplomatic ties with Iran? (and opposing Trump policies)

Justin Trudeau and Hassan Roubani
believe in open and frank dialogue

It's been almost two years since Iran began to emerge from its international isolation after signing a deal with world powers to ensure its nuclear program is "peaceful." It's been almost as long since Justin Trudeau was elected prime minister on a platform that included restoring diplomatic ties with the country.

Last week, we learned Canadian officials are in Tehran for the first time since the previous Conservative government broke off relations with Iran nearly five years ago.

Since coming to power, the Liberals have been careful to remain critical of Iran's human rights violations, and have  reiterated Canada's opposition to its support for listed terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah.

But Canada has also suggested engaging with Iran may change its behaviour, including on human rights and Iran's habit of jailing and abusing Canadian citizens and residents.

"We believe that open and frank dialogue, especially when we disagree, is the best way to effectively address security issues, hold Iran to account on human rights and advance consular cases," Alex Lawrence, a spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland told CBC.

Western nations, including Canada, have been engaging or trying to engage with Iran since 2015.

Note EU-Digest: It is interesting to note that Canada, as is also the case for most EU Countries, is not in-line at all with the thinking of the Trump Administration.  In particular as it relates to their views on foreign policy (specifically Iran), global warming and the handling of Middle East "crises management".  

EU-Digest

EU Refugee Relocation Policies: European Parliament denounces Member States' failure to relocate refugees | Greens/EFA

The European Parliament has today supported with a very strong majority a resolution on the relocation of refugees in the EU. It calls for Member States to implement their decision of September 2015 to relocate 160,000 refugees in the EU. Ska Keller, co-president of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament and initiator of the parliamentary resolution, comments:

"It is a strong signal that a large majority of the European Parliament has denounced the failure of the Member States to relocate refugees. Member States must finally implement the relocation of 160,000 refugees from Greece and Italy. Those Member States that continue to boycott relocation cannot be allowed to get away with their refusal to show solidarity. The Commission must initiate infringement procedures against them. It is outrageous that so far only 11% of the 160,000 refugees have been relocated.

"Sealing-off European borders against refugees and migrants is not a solution. If we want to avoid terribly overcrowded refugee camps and unsustainable conditions for those seeking protection in the EU's southern frontiers, we need solidarity between Member States. Greece and Italy cannot be expected to take care of asylum seekers on their own."

EU-Digest

Ireland: ESA and DCU partnership to fuel Irish innovation in satellite communications for the Internet of Things (IoT)

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Dublin City University have joined forces to establish a Satcom IoT ‘Maker Space’, which will support the development of innovative Machine-to -Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies for satellite communications.

Based at DCU Alpha, the University’s Innovation Campus, and supported by Enterprise Ireland and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the initiative will provide opportunities for rapid prototyping and validation of challenging innovative technologies proposed by ESA and DCU, which are targeted at industry, space tech entrepreneurs, academics and the wider Maker movement.

 Potential applications will address challenges faced in everyday life. For example;

    Developing satellite enabled sensors which could aid in search and rescue operations;
    Developing satellite enabled sensors to monitor critical infrastructure;
    Adapting existing radio protocols and standards to integrate terrestrial communications with satellite communications

ESA has awarded a contract to the Maker Space through its ARTES (Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems) Core Competitiveness programme. Published projects will provide opportunities for target stakeholders to address individual design and development challenges. Over an 18 month period, projects will be awarded and implemented by target stakeholders via a competitive process. Maker Space activities will be 100% funded, with typical values of between €5,000 and €20,000 per activity.

Read more: ESA and DCU partnership to fuel Irish innovation in satellite communications for the Internet of Things (IoT) | DCU