The European Union is facing an existential threat, and yet the EU’s leadership is responding with a compromise that appears to reflect a belief that the threat can simply be wished away. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s kleptocratic regime in Hungary and, to a lesser extent, the illiberal Law and Justice (PiS) government in Poland, are brazenly challenging the values on which the European Union has been built. Treating their challenge as a legitimate political stance deserving of recognition and a compromise solution will only add – massively – to the risks that the EU now faces.
Orbán has stolen and misappropriated vast sums during his decade in power, including EU funds that should have gone to benefit the Hungarian people. He cannot afford to have a practical limit imposed on his personal and political corruption, because these illicit proceeds are the grease that keeps the wheels of his regime turning smoothly and his cronies in line.
Threatening to torpedo the EU’s finances by vetoing its budget was a desperate gamble on Orbán’s part. But it was a bluff that should have been called. Unfortunately, Merkel has, it appears, caved in to Hungarian and Polish extortion.
Read more at:
The Costs of Merkel’s Surrender to Hungarian and Polish Extortion by George Soros - Project Syndicate
Showing posts with label Compromise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Compromise. Show all posts
12/13/20
12/10/20
EU breaks deadlock (by caving in to Hungary and Poland ?) on budget, coronavirus recovery fund
European Union leaders on Thursday reached agreement on a long-term budget and coronavirus recovery package, after weeks of resistance from Poland and Hungary, according to EU Council President Charles Michel.
"Now we can start with the implementation and build back our economies. Our landmark recovery package will drive forward our green and digital transitions,'' Michel said in a tweet.
No details of the agreement were immediately available, however ahead of the summit, EU diplomats and officials said there would likely be a declaration that the rule of law mechanism would only be used after a ruling from the European Court of Justice — a process that could take a year.
Read more at: EU breaks deadlock on budget, coronavirus recovery fund | News | DW | 10.12.2020
"Now we can start with the implementation and build back our economies. Our landmark recovery package will drive forward our green and digital transitions,'' Michel said in a tweet.
No details of the agreement were immediately available, however ahead of the summit, EU diplomats and officials said there would likely be a declaration that the rule of law mechanism would only be used after a ruling from the European Court of Justice — a process that could take a year.
Read more at: EU breaks deadlock on budget, coronavirus recovery fund | News | DW | 10.12.2020
12/4/20
USA: The Biden victory and the future of the centre-left – by EJ Dionne Jr
Joe Biden’s defeat of Donald Trump in the presidential election has brought relief and a measure of hope to progressives across the globe. The celebration was especially enthusiastic in Europe, where the rise of right-wing nationalism was abetted by Trump’s presidency. If Biden could stem the tide, others had reason to believe they might join him.
Read more at: The Biden victory and the future of the centre-left – EJ Dionne Jr
Read more at: The Biden victory and the future of the centre-left – EJ Dionne Jr
10/17/20
EU - Britain - Negotiations: Brexit : ′Little chance′ of broad Brexit trade deal: says EU parliament deputy chief
European Parliament politician Katarina Barley says Brexit talks are
becoming "increasingly difficult" and only a bare-bones trade deal is
likely. The UK claims talks are over, accusing the EU of not being
serious.
EU leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte have said the bloc was still willing to seek compromise. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said the EU still wanted a deal, though "not at any price.''
On Friday evening, an EU spokesman tweeted that chief negotiator Michel Barnier held video talks with his British counterpart David Frost and that negotiators from both sides will be in touch on Monday for further discussions on the "structure" of talks.
Read more at:
′Little chance′ of broad Brexit trade deal: EU parliament deputy chief | News | DW | 17.10.2020
EU leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte have said the bloc was still willing to seek compromise. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said the EU still wanted a deal, though "not at any price.''
On Friday evening, an EU spokesman tweeted that chief negotiator Michel Barnier held video talks with his British counterpart David Frost and that negotiators from both sides will be in touch on Monday for further discussions on the "structure" of talks.
Read more at:
′Little chance′ of broad Brexit trade deal: EU parliament deputy chief | News | DW | 17.10.2020
8/27/19
12/1/18
G20: Compromise agreement on final statement
G20 agreement backs 'rules-based' order but bows to Trump on trade reforms
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/01/g20-leaders-donald-trump-rules-based-order-wto-reform?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Blogger
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/01/g20-leaders-donald-trump-rules-based-order-wto-reform?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Blogger
12/15/16
The Netherlands - Ukraine: E.U. Reaches Compromise With the Netherlands on Closer Ukraine Ties
 |
| Referendum:PM Rutte reaches nebulous EU compromise |
Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands said on Thursday that he now had the necessary guarantees to start pushing the agreement through his country’s Parliament and to overcome the objections of Dutch voters, who voted against the agreement in a referendum in April.
The Netherlands has been the lone holdout in ratifying the agreement within the European bloc’s 28 member nations.
“I am going to fight to get a majority” in Parliament, Mr. Rutte said. “We will have to see. It won’t be easy. We’ll have to work hard for it.”
If it is approved, the deal would allow the European Union to show a unified front against Russia, and to boost trade and cooperation with Ukraine, which has found it difficult to remain out of Moscow’s sphere of influence.
“The E.U. can now keep a united front against the destabilizing policies of Russia,” Mr. Rutte said.
The agreement between Ukraine and the European Union had looked like a done deal until earlier this year, when the Dutch government was forced into a nonbinding, or advisory, referendum. The rejection by voters had left the bloc in a conundrum because the agreement needed unanimous approval from member countries.
Under the compromise, Mr. Rutte obtained assurances the agreement was not a step toward European Union membership for Ukraine, and that it could not be used as one in the future. The deal does not provide a collective-security guarantee or extra money for Ukraine, and it also requires the Ukrainian government to do more to counter corruption.
The Dutch prime minister said enacting the deal was essential for national and geopolitical reasons, and pointed to Russia’s involvement in the Ukrainian conflict and its annexation of Crimea.
The Netherlands will hold national elections on March 15, and the move to sidestep the advisory referendum results with an updated agreement might not play well with an electorate that has been increasingly prone to snubbing the political elite.
In a post on Twitter, Geert Wilders, a lawmaker known for his opposition to Islam, immigration and the European Union, posted a photo of Mr. Rutte with the Dutch words for “Resign and go.”
Mr. Rutte also realized the challenge ahead.
“This is not an election-winning point,” he said. “It is not a vote winner. But my job is ultimately to make decisions in the interest of the Netherlands and our security.”
Note EU-Digest: Details of the compromise were not announced and the statement by PM Rutte of the Netherlands on this so-called compromise are still nebulous .
Read more: E.U. Reaches Compromise With the Netherlands on Closer Ukraine Ties - The New York Times
7/6/15
Greece: With Greek ‘No’ Vote, Tsipras Wins a Victory That Could Carry a Steep Price - by Liz Alderman
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras may have won a victory at home on Sunday as the Greek people dealt a resounding “no” to European austerity policies.
But Greece
risks paying a high price for that decision. While the vote sharply
consolidated Mr. Tsipras’s popularity, that could fade quickly if he
leads the country deeper into bankruptcy and financial chaos, creating a
new round of instability with consequences for Greece and the broader
European project.
If
anything, Mr. Tsipras is likely to find it harder, rather than easier,
to strike a new financing deal quickly with European creditors,
heightening the risk that Greece will careen out of the eurozone unless
Europe decides to give Mr. Tsipras and his defiant nation another
chance.
“What
we need now is more wisdom from both sides,” said Loukas Tsoukalis, the
president of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy,
an Athens-based think tank. “Greece can’t go on because we’re on the
edge of cliff,” he said. “After all this, the question is whether our
partners would be so unwise as to push Greece over the edge, because
that would be damaging for everyone.”
Some
European officials acknowledged Sunday that greater flexibility might
now be needed from their camp. Just as the referendum vote divided
Greece, so, too, did it reveal fault lines between those European
countries that appear willing to bend to keep Greece in the eurozone,
and others, including Germany and the Netherlands, whose policy makers
have all but suggested that the eurozone would be better off without
Greece.
6/3/15
Greece: Seeking compromise deal, Greece warns it might skip IMF payment - by Karolina Tagaris and Deepa Babington
Greece's
international creditors signaled on Wednesday they were ready to
compromise to avert a debt default even as Athens warned it might skip
an IMF loan repayment due this week.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visits Brussels later on Wednesday to see senior European officials, where he is expected to hear the terms of the plan drawn up this week at a meeting of top leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
With time running out, and looking to draw a line under months of acrimonious negotiations, the creditors have effectively come up with a take-it-or-leave-it offer.
However, Tsipras has produced a plan of his own and said he intended to discuss this document in Brussels, calling on euro zone partners to show some "realism" and urging a deal that would let Greece escape from "economic asphyxiation".
Read more: Seeking compromise deal, Greece warns it might skip IMF payment | Reuters
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visits Brussels later on Wednesday to see senior European officials, where he is expected to hear the terms of the plan drawn up this week at a meeting of top leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
With time running out, and looking to draw a line under months of acrimonious negotiations, the creditors have effectively come up with a take-it-or-leave-it offer.
However, Tsipras has produced a plan of his own and said he intended to discuss this document in Brussels, calling on euro zone partners to show some "realism" and urging a deal that would let Greece escape from "economic asphyxiation".
Read more: Seeking compromise deal, Greece warns it might skip IMF payment | Reuters
7/16/14
Is the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between EU and US Dead in the Water? - by Judy Dempsey
No, TTIP is not dead in the water. It’s still steaming ahead, albeit at a reduced speed. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership was never expected to be closed quickly or smoothly, so there is no need to panic about emerging roadblocks.
TTIP is about dollars and euros and how to make more of both. This is the same idea around which French statesman Robert Schuman and French economist Jean Monnet built the precursors of the EU in the 1950s. Others then extended the concept to include free movement of capital and labor and increasingly standardized rules and regulations for business. This lifted all boats and made Europeans richer.
If the chief business of the American people is business, as the adage goes, then TTIP speaks the language everybody in the United States understands. The sticking points, such as agricultural subsidies, European rules of origin, and the precautionary principle, will be on the table. Compromises will be struck in the name of the larger prize, which is more efficiency, lower prices, and higher wages.
Europeans have built the common market for acutely pragmatic reasons. Given the size of the transatlantic economy and the gravitas of the United States for technology transfer, innovation, and military ties, TTIP is an indispensable deal that offers gains for everyone. It will be hard to negotiate, will take a long time to clinch, and may include painful compromises—but it should be done.
The newly elected chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee is Bernd Lange, a veteran Social Democratic member of parliament with a German trade-union background. In his considered May 2014 policy paper on TTIP, he sees advantages for German car exports (no surprise for a member of parliament from export-driven Lower Saxony), but he also sets out a long list of demands: that U.S. states adopt International Labor Organization norms; that exports of certain scientifically engineered U.S. agricultural products be banned; and that EU data privacy be respected—with a sideswipe at the NSA revelations that have done such damage in Germany.
Read complete report: Judy Asks: Is TTIP Dead in the Water? - Carnegie Europe
TTIP is about dollars and euros and how to make more of both. This is the same idea around which French statesman Robert Schuman and French economist Jean Monnet built the precursors of the EU in the 1950s. Others then extended the concept to include free movement of capital and labor and increasingly standardized rules and regulations for business. This lifted all boats and made Europeans richer.
If the chief business of the American people is business, as the adage goes, then TTIP speaks the language everybody in the United States understands. The sticking points, such as agricultural subsidies, European rules of origin, and the precautionary principle, will be on the table. Compromises will be struck in the name of the larger prize, which is more efficiency, lower prices, and higher wages.
Europeans have built the common market for acutely pragmatic reasons. Given the size of the transatlantic economy and the gravitas of the United States for technology transfer, innovation, and military ties, TTIP is an indispensable deal that offers gains for everyone. It will be hard to negotiate, will take a long time to clinch, and may include painful compromises—but it should be done.
The newly elected chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee is Bernd Lange, a veteran Social Democratic member of parliament with a German trade-union background. In his considered May 2014 policy paper on TTIP, he sees advantages for German car exports (no surprise for a member of parliament from export-driven Lower Saxony), but he also sets out a long list of demands: that U.S. states adopt International Labor Organization norms; that exports of certain scientifically engineered U.S. agricultural products be banned; and that EU data privacy be respected—with a sideswipe at the NSA revelations that have done such damage in Germany.
Read complete report: Judy Asks: Is TTIP Dead in the Water? - Carnegie Europe
5/28/14
EU Unity or Diversity - Cameron, Hollande argue over Europe's future
France and Great Britain work well together. In military matters, the
cooperation between Paris and London runs smoothly. The two nuclear
powers are in the same boat. After the EU election this also applies -
at least theoretically - to another issue: in both countries right-wing
populists gained the best results Europe-wide, putting both governments
in dire straits.
The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) with its charismatic leader Nigel Farage will send 24 representatives to the new EU Parliament. Prime Minister Cameron's ruling conservatives won only 19 seats.
In France, the situation is even more dramatic: the right-wing National Front of Marine Le Pen took 24 seats - eleven more than the ruling Socialists. London and Paris are now searching for political answers to these landslide victories, but the solutions couldn't be more different.
“We need change in Europe,“ said Cameron. For the conservatives change means: “Europe should concentrate on what matters, on growth and jobs. We need an approach that recognizes that Brussels has got too big, too bossy, too interfering.” Cameron's demand: Europe only where necessary. And that means, the prime minster indicates, much less EU than before.
Cameron needs allies and advocates implementing his program, preferably in the EU Commission. Even if Cameron is not saying it openly on this particular evening, he wants to prevent Jean-Claude Juncker, who now advocates even closer cooperation in Europe, from becoming president of the EU Commission.
“We need people in the leadership who will be working for a Europe which is open, competitive and flexible - and not about the past.”
Read more: Cameron, Hollande argue over Europe's future | Europe | DW.DE | 28.05.2014
The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) with its charismatic leader Nigel Farage will send 24 representatives to the new EU Parliament. Prime Minister Cameron's ruling conservatives won only 19 seats.
In France, the situation is even more dramatic: the right-wing National Front of Marine Le Pen took 24 seats - eleven more than the ruling Socialists. London and Paris are now searching for political answers to these landslide victories, but the solutions couldn't be more different.
“We need change in Europe,“ said Cameron. For the conservatives change means: “Europe should concentrate on what matters, on growth and jobs. We need an approach that recognizes that Brussels has got too big, too bossy, too interfering.” Cameron's demand: Europe only where necessary. And that means, the prime minster indicates, much less EU than before.
Cameron needs allies and advocates implementing his program, preferably in the EU Commission. Even if Cameron is not saying it openly on this particular evening, he wants to prevent Jean-Claude Juncker, who now advocates even closer cooperation in Europe, from becoming president of the EU Commission.
“We need people in the leadership who will be working for a Europe which is open, competitive and flexible - and not about the past.”
Read more: Cameron, Hollande argue over Europe's future | Europe | DW.DE | 28.05.2014
12/21/13
Deal on Banking Union Will Test Goal of United Europe - by Andrew Higgens and David Jolly
Battling to defend its credibility after a series of troubled bank
failures across the Continent, the European Union hoisted a long banner
on the outside wall of its Brussels headquarters last year to trumpet
Europe’s march “toward a genuine economic and monetary union.”
It was hardly a rousing battle cry. But it did at least acknowledge that despite the adoption of a common currency, the euro, Europe still had much to do to achieve real economic and monetary integration, a central pillar of the so-called European project since the early 1990s.
Shortly before midnight on Wednesday, after months of meetings in Brussels that often dragged into the wee hours, European finance officials finally reached a deal on how to plug a gaping hole in Europe’s economic defenses, agreeing to a centralized system to shut down sickly banks in the 17 member nations that use the euro.
It was hardly a rousing battle cry. But it did at least acknowledge that despite the adoption of a common currency, the euro, Europe still had much to do to achieve real economic and monetary integration, a central pillar of the so-called European project since the early 1990s.
Shortly before midnight on Wednesday, after months of meetings in Brussels that often dragged into the wee hours, European finance officials finally reached a deal on how to plug a gaping hole in Europe’s economic defenses, agreeing to a centralized system to shut down sickly banks in the 17 member nations that use the euro.
But as with many of Europe’s grand ambitions, the construction of what was conceived as a solid banking union has been crimped by the often contradictory interests of different countries. The exercise has yielded more of a muddle than a unifying mission. A banking union has often been described as Europe’s most ambitious project since its decision in 1992 to establish a common currency. But the effort to create one has highlighted how difficult it is to act ambitiously for a bloc that has grown from six to 28 member states.
It has no clear shared view on whether it is the nucleus of a future European state, a free-trade zone, or merely an intergovernmental organization that irons out disagreements between countries. Add to this the fact that the bloc’s leaders have starkly different views of what caused Europe’s financial crisis and the long economic malaise that followed, and “it is no wonder the E.U. finds it so hard to take decisions,” said Charles Grant, director of the Center for European Reform, a policy research group.
“You have a sick patient on the bed and doctors gathered around who cannot decide on the nature of the illness or the medicine required to cure the patient.
Read more: Deal on Banking Union Will Test Goal of United Europe - NYTimes.com
7/28/13
US Politics: Compromise a dirty word in polarized U.S. House - by Rebekah L. Sanders
U.S. Reps. David Schweikert and Ann Kirkpatrick, among other members of Arizona’s congressional delegation, last month opposed a multibillion-dollar federal lifeline to farmers at risk of crop failure and to families in need of help putting food on the table.
Without the support of those members and many others, the farm bill, normally renewed every five years with little fanfare, was defeated. Though leaders of both parties wanted to reach a deal, Republicans like Schweikert and Democrats like Kirkpatrick voted “no” to hold out for concessions.
The opposition to what was considered for years a non-controversial bill demonstrated just how little middle ground remains in the U.S. House of Representatives.
House members are less willing to compromise, experts say, as districts across the country have become more polarized and partisan primaries more important for most members’ re-elections.
Read more: Compromise a dirty word in polarized U.S. House
Without the support of those members and many others, the farm bill, normally renewed every five years with little fanfare, was defeated. Though leaders of both parties wanted to reach a deal, Republicans like Schweikert and Democrats like Kirkpatrick voted “no” to hold out for concessions.
The opposition to what was considered for years a non-controversial bill demonstrated just how little middle ground remains in the U.S. House of Representatives.
House members are less willing to compromise, experts say, as districts across the country have become more polarized and partisan primaries more important for most members’ re-elections.
Read more: Compromise a dirty word in polarized U.S. House
4/26/12
The Netherlands: In a remarkable political achievement Dutch progressive politicians agree on austerity budget deal
The Dutch caretaker government and three opposition parties announced today Thursday that they managed to strike a provisional 2013 austerity budget deal.
Prospects for a successful deal to reduce the deficit by an April 30 deadline seemed unlikely given the timing of Wilders' walkout and the fact that few political parties appeared willing to take responsibility for a round of politically unpopular cuts ahead of a general election in September.
However, all five parties involved in the talks managed to agree on a package today. Measures include pay freezes and housing market reforms, but most details have not yet been released.
Rutte and his free-market VVD party remain partners in the caretaker government with De Jager's Christian Democrats. The other three parties who negotiated the deal had opposed Rutte's administration, mainly because of the anti-immigration and anti-Islam policies of Wilders' party. Alexander Pechtold, the leader of the small centrist D-66 party, said the swift agreement was evidence Rutte had been wrong to co-operate with Wilders in the first place.
The agreement will now be vetted by government economists and the parliament, but it is still seen as a remarkable political achievement.
EU-Digest
Prospects for a successful deal to reduce the deficit by an April 30 deadline seemed unlikely given the timing of Wilders' walkout and the fact that few political parties appeared willing to take responsibility for a round of politically unpopular cuts ahead of a general election in September.
However, all five parties involved in the talks managed to agree on a package today. Measures include pay freezes and housing market reforms, but most details have not yet been released.
Rutte and his free-market VVD party remain partners in the caretaker government with De Jager's Christian Democrats. The other three parties who negotiated the deal had opposed Rutte's administration, mainly because of the anti-immigration and anti-Islam policies of Wilders' party. Alexander Pechtold, the leader of the small centrist D-66 party, said the swift agreement was evidence Rutte had been wrong to co-operate with Wilders in the first place.
The agreement will now be vetted by government economists and the parliament, but it is still seen as a remarkable political achievement.
EU-Digest
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