State of the Union 2015 - EUbusiness Week newsletter 715 - EUbusiness.com

EUbusiness Week 715 top stories: Juncker urges ‘bold’ plan for 160,000 refugees; Tear gas, water cannon at EU farmer protest in Brussels; EU, US reach data protection deal; EU Parliament strengthens seal hunt ban; Euro-MPs want full animal cloning ban; EU businesses warn China over ‘slow’ reforms

Publisher’s Note

Europe is “not in a good state”, Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker told MEPs in his State of the Union speech.

He unveiled ‘bold’ plans for the refugee crisis, he warned a new Greek government to stick to agreed reforms, he said he would push for a better deal for Britain, and he warned Russia against threatening eastern Member States.

“There is not enough Europe in this Union. And there is not enough Union in this Union,” said Mr Juncker. As Europe struggles to confront its many crises, we can expect “a political Commission. A very political Commission.”
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Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

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1. Juncker urges ‘bold’ plan for 160,000 refugees

Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker unveiled a “bold” new plan on Wednesday for dealing with the migrant crisis, calling on EU states to agree as early as next week to relocate 160,000 refugees from frontline countries.
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Greece must ‘respect’ deal after vote: Juncker
Key points of Juncker’s speech

2. Tear gas, water cannon at EU farmer protest in Brussels

Belgian police on Monday fired tear gas and water cannon at protesting European farmers as the EU said it would release EUR 500m in emergency funds to help ease the pressure.
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3. EU, US reach data protection deal

Brussels and Washington reached agreement Tuesday on a data protection deal that will allow Europeans to sue over improper use of their personal information in the United States.
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4. EU Parliament strengthens seal hunt ban

Euro-MPs have voted overwhelmingly to strengthen an EU ban on seal products, narrowing exceptions made for Canada’s indigenous Inuits.
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5. Euro-MPs want full animal cloning ban

MEPs backed calls Tuesday to tighten up a proposed ban on cloning animals for food so as to ensure they never find a place on European farms.
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6. EU businesses warn China over ‘slow’ reforms

The main European business lobby in China warns that “slow” implementation of market reforms risks plunging the country into stagnation, as concerns mount about slowing growth in the world’s second-largest economy.
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Inside the EU Institutions

Council Watch

Refugees: German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged the EU to agree to a proportional distribution of refugees with no limits on actual numbers, going much further than plans unveiled by the Commission on Wednesday.
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Cameron suffers defeat in Commons vote on EU referendum bill
New poll shows UK would vote to leave EU
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Commission Watch

VAT fraud: EU countries lost EUR 168 bn in sales-tax revenue in 2013 mostly due to fraud and errors, says the Commission.
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EU plans EUR 1.8 bn fund to curb African migrants
EU-Cuba talks turn to delicate issues
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Parliament Watch

Refugees: Parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly backed plans by Jean-Claude Juncker to ease the burden on EU border states from a wave of refugees mostly coming from Syria.
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EU labelling of Israel settlement products echoes Nazi era
Cameron to address Parliament on referendum
Russia’s Nemtsov, Saudi’s Badawi, listed for EU rights prize
EU Parliament should house migrants, Green MEPs say
Also this week, MEPs pressed the EU to come up with a bold peace initiative for the Middle East; and called for free, gender-equal public education for all children.
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EU diary

14 Sep: Extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council
14-15 Sep: Conference – EU Citizenship and Justice
14-15 Sep: European Parliament Committee Meetings
15 Sep: EU-Republic of Korea summit
16 Sep: European Parliament plenary session
17-18 Sep: European Tourism Forum 2015
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary