European Union

In a secret ballot the members of the United Nations have elected Saudi Arabia to the UN Commission on the Status of Women. There the Gulf monarchy - with its reputation for misogyny - is to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women until 2022. Reports that the government in Stockholm voted for the move have triggered outrage in Swedish media.

Plenary sessions : MEPs secured €8 million for cultural projects aiming to protect and promote Europe’s shared cultural heritage, as part of the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs secured €8 million for cultural projects aiming to protect and promote Europe’s shared cultural heritage, as part of the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Loopholes used by some of the world’s multinationals to avoid paying tax were closed by Parliament in a vote on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Loopholes used by some of the world’s multinationals to avoid paying tax were closed by Parliament in a vote on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Information warfare is as old as warfare itself and an integral part of today’s modern hybrid warfare. It intends to undermine the very notion of objective information or ethical journalism and its tools are deployed to destabilise the political, economic and social situation of a country under attack. In the SEDE meeting of 4 May, Members will discuss, with the help of experts from Moldova and the EEAS, the case of Moldova in the information warfare against Eastern Partnership countries.
Further information
Draft agenda and meeting documents
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The Informal meeting of Defence ministers takes place on 27 April 2017 in Valletta.

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An EU country facing an emergency gas shortage will be able to alert another member state of the impending supply crisis and trigger cross-border assistance to remedy it, under new cooperation rules informally agreed by Parliament and Council negotiators Wednesday night.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

An EU country facing an emergency gas shortage will be able to alert another member state of the impending supply crisis and trigger cross-border assistance to remedy it, under new cooperation rules informally agreed by Parliament and Council negotiators Wednesday night.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

On 3 May, SEDE will welcome Rini Goos, Deputy Chief Excutive of the European Defence Agency and Rear Admiral Waldemar Gluszko, Deputy Director General of the EU Military Staff to discuss the on-going review of the EU's Capability Development Plan. The discussion will provide an opportunity for Members of the committee to evaluate the EU's capability priorities and requirements and the progress made since the last review.
Further information
Draft agenda and meeting documents
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

During the 2016 United States presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to put ‘America first’ by bringing in several measures. One of them was building a “beautiful wall” along the country’s southern border in a bid to halt migration. Another was to end “unfair” trade agreements which had “left the US at a disadvantage”, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), signed in 1994 by Mexico, Canada and the US.

During his first week of government, President Trump promptly signed an executive order directing agencies to secure the Mexican frontier “through the immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border, monitored and supported by adequate personnel so as to prevent illegal immigration, drug and human trafficking, and acts of terrorism”.

Throughout the campaign, Mexico was one of Trump’s main targets. As President, this trend is likely to continue unless common sense is brought to the discussion, and Mr Trump and his team are made to understand that Mexico is one of America’s best allies, rather than an unwanted neighbour.

“Mexico is America’s second-largest export market after Canada, and its third-largest trading partner”

So what chance of a future prosperous relationship? Following a rocky history between Mexico and the United States – war, territorial ‘sales’ and occupations included – the 1990s saw a major shift and improvement in ties. NAFTA was signed, giving the Mexican and American economies a significant boost and accelerating their integration. Cooperation has continued, albeit with some complications. While the US, in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks, focused on combatting terrorism, Mexico entered a new period of destabilisation created by the emergence of powerful drug cartels and organised crime. Economic integration flourished, but with dark undertones: the incorrect perception that labour migration harbours terrorists, and the brutal efforts of organised crime groups to supply the American appetite for illicit drugs.

Since NAFTA has been in place, the US has become Mexico’s most important trade and economic partner, accounting for about 80% of its international trade. Mexico is America’s second-largest export market after Canada, and its third-largest trading partner, after Canada and China.

However, it is not just simple trade. As the Wilson Center notes, US-Mexico trade is unique, since there is ‘production sharing’, with 40% of the content of American imports from Mexico produced in the US. The think-tank says: “40 cents of every dollar spent on imports from Mexico comes back to the United States, a quantity ten times greater that the four cents returning for each dollar paid on Chinese imports.”

According to the United States Chamber of Commerce 14 million American jobs depend on trade with Mexico. Two border states have the most jobs: California, where NAFTA’s economic contribution amounts to US$71.9bn, and Texas, with 37% of the Lone Star State’s total exports and 80% of its chicken, eggs, dairy and honey going to Mexico. All of Idaho’s malt export goes to Mexico. 65% of Utah’s minerals exports go south; 99% of Kansas’ corn; 72% of Minnesota’s car parts. The city of Detroit exports $10.9bn in cars and car parts.

“Trump needs to understand that market-driven, legal circular migration is an asset to his country”

Studies by the George W. Bush Institute suggest that North America out-competes large trading groups, even beating the European Union. And although the NAFTA is not as strong as the US alone, largely because of Mexico’s struggles to maintain the rule of law, America’s high score in the Bush Institute index is partly the result of its close trade and investment relationships with Canada and Mexico, especially in the car, technology and aerospace industries. There is also room for further cooperation and competitive advantage, such as on energy, where North America can emerge as global leaders.

Disrupting this trade partnership and overall relationship would have severe consequences for both parties. But President Trump keeps turning his eyes to Mexico, and not in a friendly way. His Twitter rhetoric continues to be vicious, not leaving much room for the Mexican government to manoeuvre constructively. Trump needs to understand that the US is not being exploited by NAFTA, and that market-driven, legal circular migration is an asset to his country, given the need for highly productive Mexican labour.

A commitment to an improved US-Mexico partnership is crucial not only in terms of economic prosperity for both countries (and Canada, for this matter), but also because it will have an important impact on US national security – which, along with ‘making America great again’, seems to be the main concern of this administration. And, although there is a real need for border security, there is no place for a “great wall”, as beautiful (and dysfunctional) as it may be.

Being great is about generating jobs through competition in trade and coproduction; it’s about a widely-shared culture that bonds the two countries together. It’s about cooperation in the mutual interest. If Trump’s administration does not understand that, it is very likely that the relationship will deteriorate. Neither side needs a bad relationship. And no one wants or needs an angry and destabilised Mexico.

IMAGE CREDIT: SherryVSmithVAB/Bigstock

The post Forget ‘The Wall’: building bridges benefits both America and Mexico appeared first on Europe’s World.

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Plenary sessions : Common EU-wide social rights, as proposed by the European Commission, the “European Pillar of Social Rights”, should be pegged at the highest level and not lead to a “race to the bottom”, MEPs stressed in a debate on Wednesday.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Common EU-wide social rights, as proposed by the European Commission, the “European Pillar of Social Rights”, should be pegged at the highest level and not lead to a “race to the bottom”, MEPs stressed in a debate on Wednesday.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Europe is not closing the door to Turkey, but recent developments prompt it to look for alternatives to Turkey’s accession to the EU, said MEPs in a debate with Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn on Wednesday.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Europe is not closing the door to Turkey, but recent developments prompt it to look for alternatives to Turkey’s accession to the EU, said MEPs in a debate with Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn on Wednesday.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

If you do not have an EP access badge, please register by Friday, 28 April 2017.

N.B: The meeting will be conducted in English and no interpretation will be available.
Location : Brussels JAN 2Q2
Further information
Programme
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Plenary sessions : Political group leaders and MEPs gave their views on Hungary’s new education law, perceived as targeting the Central European University, the tightening of rules for NGOs and asylum seekers and a government survey entitled “National Consultation - Let’s stop Brussels!”.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP