European Union

DRAFT OPINION on a new EU-Africa Strategy - a partnership for sustainable and inclusive development
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Anna Fotyga

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In a celebratory Tweet, Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced the end of ‘free movement’.

She wrote:

‘We’re ending free movement to open Britain up to the world. It will ensure people can come to our country based on what they have to offer, not where they come from.’

Her Tweet is an insult to all EU citizens who came to Britain specifically to work and who offer so much to our country.

And that represents most of them.

Because most EU citizens in this country are in gainful employment, doing jobs that we simply don’t have enough Britons to do, and who make a massive NET contribution to our Treasury and our economy.

Your Tweet, Ms Patel, demeans and diminishes them.

Those EU citizens came here because of what they could offer, and they offer so many skills that our country needs.

And yes, it was easier for them to come here because of where they are from. Because it makes sense – economically, environmentally and geographically – to have free movement between neighbouring countries.

Does ending free movement with Europe really ‘open Britain up to the world’?

No.

You are not opening up Britain ‘to the world’. You are simply applying the same rules to EU citizens that have always applied to non-EU citizens.

You are putting up new barriers to Europe, whilst keeping the same old barriers to all other continents.

With your crass Tweet, you are saying to EU citizens:

‘We don’t like where you’re from, and we don’t appreciate what you offer.’

What a slap in the face to the hard-working EU citizens offering so much to hospitals and care homes in service to the country and our citizens, especially at this time, in the middle of a pandemic.

Without EU citizens working in all sectors, trades, professions and industries right across the UK, our country would be poorer and not nearly so enriched.

Do you really know what you are doing to Britain? Or understand the divisiveness of your words and actions?

 

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‘Visit Europe from 1 January 2021’ is the title of the UK government website which ironically tells you how much more difficult visiting ‘Europe’ will be from next year.

Yes, we’re getting our country back (really?) but instead, we’re losing our continent, or at least, easy access to it.

Among some of the key points for travel throughout the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein from 1 January 2021:

 You may be refused entry if your passport only has 6 months left

 The guarantee of free mobile phone roaming ends

 Your EHIC health card is only valid until 31 December 2020

 Use separate lanes from EU/EEA arrivals when queuing

 Visa requirements for long stays, business travel, work or study

 Your pet passport will no longer be valid

 Extra documents to drive

 Customs declarations for business goods

Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. More restrictions are likely, especially – as anticipated – we don’t get a deal this year covering our new relationship with the EU.

Brexit means ending free movement between us and our continent.

 Oh, how the people of the former Communist countries would have cherished ‘free movement’ instead of being trapped behind their Iron Curtain.  Oh, how Winston Churchill would have been amazed – shocked – that the people of Britain would volunteer to end easy access to the European mainland.

It was he who wrote to his foreign secretary, Anthony Eden, on 21 October 1942, after the first British victory of the Second World War at El Alamein:

‘Hard as it is to say now.. I look forward to a United States of Europe, in which the barriers between the nations will be greatly minimised and unrestricted travel will be possible.’

And it was he who said in his famous speech on 5 March 1946 at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri:

“The safety of the world requires a new unity in Europe, from which no nation should be permanently outcast.”

 And yet, it’s Britain that is maximising the barriers between European nations and restricting travel.  And yet, it’s Britain that is shunning unity in Europe by making ourselves a permanent outcast. What have we done?

 

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Parliamentary committees will this week deal wtih the EU’s Covid-19 strategy and support for neighbouring countries.

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MEPs want a €2 trillion package to support people and businesses as the EU battles a deep economic recession due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

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AMENDMENTS 361 - 489 - Draft report EU-African security cooperation in the Sahel region, West Africa and the Horn of Africa
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Javier Nart

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The Committee on Foreign Affairs will look into the recently published Commission Communication on the Eastern Partnership policy beyond 2020, on 19 May. The debate will take place with Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi. They will also discuss EU assistance reoriented towards fighting the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Eastern and the Southern Neighbourhood, and in Turkey.
Meeting agenda and documents
Live streaming
EU Fact Sheets: External relations policy
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AMENDMENTS 1 - 360 - Draft report EU-African security cooperation in the Sahel region, West Africa and the Horn of Africa
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Javier Nart

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The Internal Market Committee will debate the EU’s exit strategy and the impact of COVID-19 on customs-related initiatives with Commissioners Breton and Gentiloni, respectively.
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

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A no-deal Brexit now looks almost certain, with the latest round of talks between the UK and the EU ending in stalemate, and the negotiations by all accounts turning acrimonious.

It’s almost as if the British government wants a no-deal, even though the non-binding ‘political statement’ of the Withdrawal Agreement, approved by the UK Parliament, called on both sides to achieve:

“a free trade area…underpinned by a level playing field”

Both sides are far away from achieving a ‘level playing field’ – with Britain insisting on retaining some EU benefits, with the EU saying you can’t pick and choose, or enjoy EU benefits without agreeing to our rules.

 Yes, the country voted for Brexit – albeit by the slimmest of margins, and with only a minority of the electorate voting for Leave

(Just 37% of the UK electorate voted for Leave – in all other mature democracies across the world that hold referendums on key issues, that would not have been enough for Leave to have won. A super majority endorsement of at least 50% of the entire electorate, and often at least 60%, would have been required before a big change could go ahead.)

 Yes, Leave was on the ballot paper, and Leave won.

But when did Britain vote for a No-Deal Brexit?

We’ve never been given any say on what type of Brexit we’ll get – and still we don’t know what Brexit we might get.

That’s like saying to the estate agent,

‘We agree to sell the house. But we’ll leave it up to you what our next home will be.’

The current transition period runs until 31 December 2020, during which time the UK continues to follow EU rules.

After that? We don’t know.

The government responded bluntly last month to an online petition requesting a Brexit transition extension:

“The transition period ends on 31 December 2020, as enshrined in UK law. The Prime Minister has made clear he has no intention of changing this. We remain fully committed to negotiations with the EU.”

As reported by The Week magazine:

‘The EU wants the UK to agree to follow its rules on fair and open competition so British companies given tariff-free access to the EU market can’t undercut their European competition.

‘The EU has warned that the UK won’t be allowed a “high-quality” market unless it signs up to EU social and environmental standards.’

If a deal can’t be agreed with the EU, then the UK will default to World Trade Organization (WTO) terms from 1 January 2021.

Every WTO member has a list of tariffs and quotas that they apply to other countries.

As The Week outlined in stark terms:

‘That means the UK would be hit by big taxes when it tried to sell products to the EU market. The bloc’s average WTO tariffs are 11.1% for agricultural goods, 15.7% for animal products and 35.4% for dairy. ‘British car makers would be hit with a 10% tariff on exports to the bloc, which could amount to €5.7bn per year. That would increase the average price of a British car sold in the EU by €3,000. ‘Currently, trade between the UK and EU is tariff-free. But the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) predicts that no-deal would mean that 90% of the UK’s goods exports to the EU would be subjected to tariffs. ‘WTO “most favoured nation” (MFN) rules mean that the UK couldn’t lower its tariffs for any specific country or bloc, such as the EU, without agreeing a trade deal.’

The EU is the UK’s biggest export and import market by far – almost half of ALL our exports go to the EU and just over half of ALL our imports come from the EU.

Even the UK government, in it’s ‘secret’ but leaked Yellowhammer report last year, detailed how a no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for the UK, including delays at ports and food and medicine shortages.

And that’s before the government knew anything about the Covid-19 pandemic, which is sending the UK into recession, with unemployment predicted to spiral.

Back in the day, before the referendum campaign, when the Conservative government was pro-Remain, they presented the three main Brexit alternatives – all of which, said the government then, would cause damage to Britain.

① THE NORWAY OPTION – means Britain would leave the EU but still have free and frictionless access to the EU Single Market, by far Britain’s most important and lucrative export and import market. But this option would mean Britain continuing to pay the EU and obey its rules – including free movement of people – without any say in them.

② THE CANADA OPTION means Britain would have tariff free trade with the EU, but not the highly cherished and valuable frictionless trade. And there would only be limited access for our services sector, which makes up almost 80% of our economy.

③ THE WTO OPTION (often referred to as ‘no-deal’) means relying on World Trade Organisation rules. But that would mean new tariffs and complicated, costly procedures on UK trade with the EU, hurting British consumers, businesses and employment. It would also suddenly and catastrophically end all EU membership benefits, affecting all our daily lives.

None of these options were presented as choices in the referendum that voters could opt for. The only option was for Remain, or an undefined Leave.

Before the referendum, Jacob Rees-Mogg proposed a second referendum if Leave won. He said in 2011, when he was campaigning for a new referendum on Brexit:

‘We could have two referendums. As it happens, it might make more sense to have the second referendum after the renegotiation is completed.’

It makes sense now to give people a vote on the type of Brexit we want. Of course, the Tories won’t give us that.

But do remember that when, early next year, the country is likely to be in the middle of two catastrophes: Covid-19, and a no-deal Brexit.

One on top of the other will cause us deep pain.

Given a choice, wouldn’t you vote to avoid the second pain, since unlike Covid-19, it is entirely avoidable?

 

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The post Brexit crash on top of a pandemic crash. You really want that? appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

Parliament on Friday approved €3 billion in loans to help EU neighbours and partner countries deal with the fallout of COVID-19.
Committee on International Trade

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MEPs called for a €2 trillion recovery package to help overcome the damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic during the May plenary session.

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AMENDMENTS 1-151 - Draft opinion Gender Equality in EU’s foreign and security policy
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Hannah Neumann

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In a resolution on the post-2020 EU budget revision and economic recovery plans, MEPs demand a robust package, focused on citizens’ needs and building on the EU budget.
Committee on Budgets

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European Parliament granted discharge to the Commission and most other EU institutions, but called for the fight against conflict of interest to be strengthened.
Committee on Budgetary Control

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Ahead of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (17 May), leading MEPs will hold a press briefing: ‘‘What future for LGBTI people in Europe?’’
Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality

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Citizens need data protection and privacy safeguards with regard to new smartphone apps used to manage the spread of the pandemic, say MEPs.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

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The EP President will hold a press conference Friday 15 May at 13:30.

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