Tag: EU

Swiss vote to stay in ‘haven’

Europe, International

Wallis: Schlitteln im Kanton Wallis

No good news for the EU this Sunday from the Switzerland. Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected plans to abandon the corporate tax system, leaving startled government in a stalemate confronted with the Europeans critics,  attempting to  convince rich neighbours to stop the regime of record low tax rates for thousands of multinational companies enjoying tax ‘haven’.

Switzerland agreed with the Organisation for Economic co-operation and development (OECD)  in 2014 to change by 2019 the special status, which has been a beacon of attraction for around 24,000 multinationals searching to maximize profits through minimising tax payments.  That provision will now remain in place past the original deadline.

Most Swiss voters recognized the country needs reform to avoid being blacklisted as a low-tax pariah. But new measures proposed to help companies offset the loss of their special status had created deep divisions.

Just over 59% of referendum participants – who have the last word under the Swiss system of direct democracy – opposed the plans, which the country’s political and business elite succumbed under international pressure.

The ‘no’ voters took into consideration the opportunity to employ 150,000 staff and contribute half of federal corporate taxes due to this special tax status.

Barnier: Brexit “reasonable negotiator”

EU, Politics

barnier-negociator

 

“There are lots of people who are jumping up and down saying ‘Oh, we’ve got this dangerous Frenchman (Barnier – av) in here that’s going to undermine London’,” said Syed Kamall, pro-Brexit leader of May’s Conservatives in the European Parliament. “It’s not like that.

“He’s going to be a reasonable negotiator,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to agree at the end of the day. But I can think of few other people that I would want on the other side of the negotiating table.”

Barnier knows Brexit Secretary David Davis from their time as Europe ministers in the 1990s – part of a vast contact list of people from many walks of life that Barnier has built in four decades since he was elected to parliament aged just 27.

Not all who know Barnier share Kamall’s assurance he can keep talks civil. One City executive said Barnier won “grudging respect” from British negotiators for coming to understand their issues and improving his English. But he also came over as aloof and “patrician”, brusque with his staff and juniors, and “vain”.

Barnier  told French newspaper La Depeche he would go into talks “neither naive nor with preconceptions”, and recalled his last major negotiations:

“My strategy was to work with the British and the City … and not to pass laws against them or without them. So although we’re now in a different context, a deal on Brexit is possible.”

 

Treaty of Rome: balance sheet

EU, Europe, International, Politics

 

Signature of the Treaty of RomeNext month the EU leaders will gather in Italian capital , 26/01/2017,  to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. However, in view of the UK imminent departure, and multiple crises the EU project suffers, one does  not expect any opulent festivities. The situation is aggravated by the banking crisis in Italy, considering the departure from the eurozone, and exhausted by invasion of illegal migrants from Africa.

According to the EU officials a new document expected to be signed by 27 EU leaders, committing them to a new concept for the bloc, without the UK. There is also some concern, or even fear of the UK government to trigger the #Brexit  article 50 the very same day to overshadow the symbolism of the date.

Initially anticipated as a huge celebration, the event will be reduced to a sober political meeting without red carpets and fireworks. No flamboyant declarations or promises will be made, awaiting the results of French elections in May with Marine Le Pen of Front National leading in polls, promising her electorate a referendum on the EU membership of France in six month after the ascendance to power.

EU against child-soldier practise

Africa, Asia, Conflict, EU, Human rights, International, World

al-shabab-child-soldeir

Ahead of the International Day against the use of child soldiers – 12 February -the EU top diplomat Federica Mogherini and the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, pledge to intensify their efforts to end the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict.

“On the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers we jointly celebrate a growing global consensus among UN Member States that they should not recruit or use children in armed forces in conflict and that boys and girls should be protected from all grave violations.” –  continued Mogherini.

“Child soldiers are always the victims: forced to combat, often brutally abused, and not rarely isolated when they finally manage to get back to their communities. I met Colombian boys and girls who have managed to quit the FARC’s guerrilla and are now looking at their future with hope”.

“We have the duty to keep supporting them and all the former child soldiers, to give them the chance of a good education and of a place in their societies. At the same time, we will continue to bring forward our engagement in ending the recruitment and use of children by armed forces. Depriving a child of its rights is depriving a society of its future,” – said Federica Mogherini.

EU: Muslim migrants not welcome

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eu-migrants

OPINION: Recent Chatham House survey shows growing opposition of the European citizens to the EU open door policy, imposing millions of illegal migrants to be taken care of by the local communities.  Unlike the EU establishment the citizens are not prepared to provide for growing number of arriving from Muslim countries, unwilling to integrate.

The European nationalist parties at raise say that the integration is not good enough any more, but should be replace by the assimilation, respecting the values, traditions and customs of the receiving society.
The leading candidate for French presidency, Marine Le Pen said that she would abolish double citizenship for non-EU countries, and request the respect to French Republican values for all residence in the country. The similar programmes are successfully promoted by the other European nationalist parties,  capturing the moods of the tax-payers, exausted by the problmes created by the mass migration from the Musim countries,
spreading their own traditions and customs of Middle Ages on modern Western societies.
However, even in case Marine Le Pen loses the election the anti-mass migration moods became too strong to ignore after the series of terrorist acts in Europe in 2016.
The attempts of the Socialist and centre-right politicians to  detach terrorism from Islam failed, undermining trust between the establishment, official mass-media and the electorate, believing to be manipulated for purposes having noting in common with its own interest.
Among reasons of imposing mass migration on Europeans the most often are cited the eagerness of the Socialists to import the electorate, and the desire of the Liberals to destroy the nation-states  to create the United States of Europe, a huge market of consumers. At some point both Liberals and Socialists interests coincide, using the mass migration as a tool to break the status quo pushing forward their own agenda.
It is likely the current mood of anti-mass migration is here to stay, meaning that the proponents of the open-door policy will have to leave stage in upcoming elections. The words of President Trump calling chancellor’s Merkel decision to receive migrants was a ‘catastrophic’ mistake, which destroyed the EU project,  are proven to be true by the current survey. The abuse of solidarity, the abuse of hospitality, the abuse of freedom, – all of them bore bitter fruit. And above it all the security problem the radical Islam casts on European societies in day lives can not be tolarated any more.
The survey of Chatham House proves what many sensed intuitively – the 2017 will become a year of “Reconquista” – the much-anticipated return of Europeans to their Christian roots. Viva Hantington!
Brussels

Europeans against Muslim migrants

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muslim-migrants

Chatham House: A Chatham House survey of more than 10,000 people from 10 European states casted light on the citizens attitude towards migration from mainly Muslim countries. The results suggest that public oppose to any further migration from predominantly Muslim states is by no means confined to Trump’s electorate in the US but is fairly widespread.

In the survey, carried out before President Trump’s executive order was announced, respondents were given the following statement: ‘All further migration from mainly Muslim countries should be stopped’. They were then asked to what extent did they agree or disagree with this statement. Overall, across all 10 of the European countries an average of 55% agreed that all further migration from mainly Muslim countries should be stopped, 25% neither agreed nor disagreed and 20% disagreed.

Majorities in all but two of the ten states agreed, ranging from 71% in Poland, 65% in Austria, 53% in Germany and 51% in Italy to 47% in the United Kingdom and 41% in Spain. In no country did the percentage that disagreed surpass 32%.

EU foreign policy drama

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migrants-bodies-on-coast

With flows of migrants from Libyan cost, the EU Southern Neighbourhood, ravaged by Islamic terrorists, and the defrozen conflict in the EU Eastern Neighbourhood with tanks moving along the vicinities in Donetsk, the EU foreign affairs Council, 6.2.2017,  finds itself in the worst situation in years, if not in decades, since the Balkan war.

Both problems have one element in common: the active involvement of the EU in shaping of the future of the neighbouring countries. The zeal of the implementation of the Neighbourhood policy in Ukraine led to the break of pro-European and pro-Russian populations, while the overthrowing of the Libyan ‘tyrant’ caused a turmoil on a half of the African continent.
Due to the EU efforts Libya from a donor became an acceptor, requesting funds to keep the flows of migrants on its coasts. 200 000 euro of taxpayers money were pledged to UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), while the destiny of Colonel Gaddafi’s fortune of 200 000 billion, as reported shortly before his assassination, remains obscure. However,  even if donated as agreed the major question remains if there are structures and institutions able of the implementation of the programme to improve the conditions of migrants, and fight against the smugglers.
GNA hardly controls Tripoli, where recently an explosion next to Italian reopened Embassy brought into focus grave security concerns for corps diplomatique, already shuttered by the tragic death of US Ambassador Stevens.
The EU mission on its page still calls it an ‘exiting’ time:
“It is an exciting time to be in Libya as the country is seeking its path towards democracy and stability. Just over two years ago (! -av), the Libyan people showed to the world that popular will could prevail over a ruthless dictatorship. For their courage and determination, Libyans gained the admiration of the whole world”, – although unlike Italians they prefer to watch if from the safe distance of ‘Prestige Business Center Bloc’ in Tunis.
Obviously impossible to compare ravaged by jihadists Libya with the  ‘Anti-terrorist operation’ (ATO) of President Poroshenko in Ukraine, the latest active fighting at the front line in Avdeevka, next to Donetsk endangered Minsk agreements, showing the fragility of the situation there and a huge ambition of Kiev’s leadership to conclude ATO, even at cost of the devastation of once wealthy industrial region of coal-mining.
Till present on contrary to the EU expectations the prolonged restrictive measures against Russia have not delivered an expected result to force Kremlin to abandon its support to two self-proclaimed Republics of Lugansk and Donetsk.
However the sanctions have an effect of the European agricultural sector and business, suffering losses as the result of this policy: the rise of the anti-EU forces in old member states is too obvious to ignore even for myopic bureaucrats of the European external action service, risking to lose their jobs soon, while the European nations demand referendums on EU membership from their governments, profoundly unsatisfied with the impact of  EU foreign policies on their lives.

MEPs ire over Trump’s ban

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nigerians

Unlike Nigel Farage, I don’t think the MEPs are hypocrites being outraged about President Trump’s #terroristban, no they are not, they are a bunch of genuinely frustrated people sensing the very basement of their well-being is shaken.

It was easy to navigate in good weather, in old good days, when resources were plentiful, and nobody expected any decisiveness from the European Parliament – a champion of consensus.
However new realities demand adequate decisions: the security issues had to be addressed yesterday, before the terroristic acts in Paris, Brussels, Nice and Berlin. Moreover the Europeans are not able to host, or to provide for 850 Africans eager to immigrate to the continent of peace and prosperity, the true Eldorado with generous social security benefits, housing and medical care. One should admit there is no single prosperous democratic state in Africa, even in South Africa corruption is a ‘thief stealing the dream’.
Huge territories over the Afriacn continent ravaged by conflicts, mainly those on religious grounds, daily produce thousands of refugees streaming to the North, to Libyan coast to try their chance to cross the Mediterranean to find their European ‘Eldorado’.
On contrary to what the Left politicians try to convey to us, the microscopic number of migrants is going to get an employment. As one prominent European political concluded, the most refugees and migrants arriving are ‘uneducated, religiously blinded, fanatical and impossible to integrate’. Nowadays, Europeans bring here ‘such Neanderthals’ who had been extinct on the European continent (thanks God!), – the remarks caused ire of the Left, unable to see any flows in their potential electorate, gratefully voting for generations for their saviors and generous providers.
However it is not from the purse of the political care-takers the bill on mass-migration is footed, amounting in millions of asylum-claims per year. It is the dissolving European middle class who is burdened to an extend it can hardly make the ends meet. The UK PM Theresa May called middle class families with children ‘new poor’, with only half of them living in home of their own, according to a survey.
But the European left – the Socialists and the Greens, do not really care about Middle class, seen as a decadent bourgeoisie, the Left is busy importing their own electorate at mass scale to ensure their own warm place in the politics for generations to come.
The European left and even centre-right genuinely despises President Trump, who broke a steriotype, setting an example of a leader who cares about his own citizens first, unlike the European mainstream political cast, busy with transferring as many poor from the Third World as possible to sponsor their family growth as much as possible to break the model of nation-state with a cultural identity, and to move effortlessly towards federal Europe, ‘The United States of Europe’, one big market for consumers, without any particular moral concept, just with a burning desire to acquire. Looks like Mr.Soros dream to me:)
Here the EU left meets the liberals: both need mass-migration to realise their majestic plans, however none of them to a benefit of the ‘aboriginal’ Europeans.
(Photo: illustration)

The City moves to Ireland?

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dublin

Many of British-based financial services firms have already decided to relocate at least part of their operations to Ireland, and others are expected to follow in the first half of this year, Ireland’s minister for the sector said this week.

Speaking at an event hosted by the London Irish Business Society, Eoghan Murphy said Britain’s decision to trigger #Brexit at the end of March had been a catalyst for these moves.

“With the time horizon we now have around Article 50, some decisions have already been made for relocation,” Murphy said, declining to name the companies, or give a number.

Earlier this month Irish finance minister Michael Noonan confirmed Irish central bank had received over 100 inquiries from British-based financial firms considering a move.

Fillon liberates the way to Le Pen

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fillons
Photo: illustration Francois and Penelope Fillon in better days
When Mr.Fillion was singing a lavish allowance to his wife from a public fund he couldn’t have guessed what an effect his misplaced generosity would have on the cause of European history. If before #PenelopeGate the majority of French were sure Fillon is their next president, after the scandal the wheel of fortune definitely moved away from him. The downfall of the front-runner gave to Marine Le Pen’s chances to become next president of the V Republic, changing her candidate status from ‘probable’ to ‘highly probable’. The ascendancy of Front National leader to Élysée Palace will certainly initiate the fundamental reshaping of the European project, so much feared by the keepers of EU dogma.

The sudden “misfortune” in the form of preliminary investigation in the prosecutor’s office that brutally changed the fate of the front-runner of the French presidential elections Francois Fillon, recasts the whole of political performance just a couple of month before the J-Day.

Many observers point out that French electorate is quite used to a fact of public fund abuse and flourishing nepotism in the political cast, so they can not be surprised by one more scandal, because they have seen so many. However this time there is a particular case because while generously filling the family budget from the public funds, Mr.Fillon called for austerity policy for his compatriots – the hypocrisy that destroyed his reputation forever.
The jungle of politics follows its laws, scavenging on what is over from Fillon’s reputation, the public opinion is upgrading in ranks Front National Marine Le Pen, and a newcomer – semi-Socialist Emmanuel Macron, from now onwards two most probable candidates to confront in the second round of elections.
If before the #PenelopeGate the battle between Fillon and Macron was considered to be difficult to latter because of lack to the governing experience, the competition with Marcon profiles Le Pen to her advantage. As a career politician she is heavy-weight next to Macron-banker, and short time finance minister of the most unpopular president of the V Republic. Not the best of the references so far. However his very recent political record would not encourage many to experiment with Mr.Macron as a president of the country, already hugely disappointed in the management of his Socialist boss.