Brussels Briefing - A weekly round-up of the most interesting news from Europe
Ireland is all around the houses
What is it with Ireland and housing?
The last few decades were a missed opportunity to insulate and cut energy bills as the government delayed introducing EU legislation.
The latest attempt is on course to be another missed opportunity. The building renovation strategy submitted to the EU sets out how they will reduce greenhouse gases from buildings.
Ireland is praised for ticking the boxes, but then this is just a first version to be revised in 2014 after public consultation — but the Commission is still waiting.
It then reveals the overview is based on figures from 2007 — a lot has happened since then. So it looks as though Ireland’s energy plans are something of a mirage.
The latest ‘cure’ to build further outside Dublin will further exacerbate Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions, increasing the already very high emissions from cars.
Biting the hand that feeds you
If Britain appears confused over its relationship with the EU, then many of the country’s members of the European Parliament are too.
Syed Kamall, the British Tory MEP who heads up the ECR group (European Conservatives and Reformists) has announced he will campaign for Britain to leave the EU.
While some are calling for him to resign as group leader, many wonder what he is doing taking EU money for doing a job he wants to do away with.
He fears that the UK will be forced to adopt the euro and he dislikes that freedom of movement for EU citizens is unfair to migrants.
The ECR has invited its two Eurosceptic and xenophobic German AfD members to leave — or be expelled next month.
Word is that German chancellor Angela Merkel asked David Cameron to arrange this as the AfD are a threat.
Eddie’s a man of many talents
Irish civil servants in Brussels get little recognition, despite working crazy hours, chasing after politicians and trying to keep up with the paper work and interminable meetings. Often, they have other talents, like the spokesperson in the Irish Permanent Representation to the EU, Eddie Brannigan, who played Inspector Hound in the hilarious Tom Stoppard play, The Real Inspector Hound, in Brussels’ tiny Warehouse Studio theatre.
Reprieve for Ireland’s corporation tax
Ireland’s corporation-tax regime got a reprieve during the week, when the EU finance ministers proposed, and the others agreed, not to make public the tax situation of multinationals.
Ireland has signed up to a very similar agreement with the OECD that countries will swap multinational tax arrangements with one another. This will allow countries to see if they are being deprived of tax, but the details will not be made public. This will also allow EU countries to ensure companies are paying fair tax, but not those companies in the developing world. NGOs, like Action Aid, are disappointed, as they say this is an essential element in ensuring fair play for developing countries, such as those in Africa, where special deals rob them of an estimated $200bn a year in tax.
Thalidomide suffering ongoing
The Thalidomide scandal of half a century ago has resulted in more stringent controls on medicines, especially for pregnant women.
But the children born with under-developed or missing limbs, as a result of that drug’s use, are now suffering increased pain and trouble.
Fine Gael MEP, Mairead McGuinness, wants the European Commission to take action at EU level to help the victims, and their families, with the increasing health challenges many of them face daily.
There are 32 known survivors in Ireland, and, world-wide, about 5,000, or half of those who were affected, are still alive.
No adverse effect from environment laws
The OECD has come out with research that will upset a lot of their industry. It says that better environmental laws do not adversely affect trade in manufactured goods.
So this sends the ‘carbon leakage’ idea much touted by governments as a reason to hold onto polluting businesses up in smoke.
Even high pollution or energy-intensive industries like chemicals, plastics, or steel making would suffer a small disadvantage from a further tightening of rules, but this would be compensated by growth from other cleaner activities.
In fact, the OECD says, manufacturers that already pollute less will gain global market share even with tougher domestic laws while those that do not adapt will see their exports decrease. Market conditions and workforce quality are what really drives exports.
Tobacco lobbying raises its head again
The fallout from the forced retirement of health commissioner John Dalli in 2012 continues with the botched tobacco lobbying issue now being used against the head of the EU’s European Anti-Fraud Office.
Giovanni Kessler, former centre left Italian MEP and anti-Mafia prosecutor, took over at the office in 2011. He investigated Dalligate for the commission but now the Belgians want to prosecute him for listening on speakerphone to a conversation with a potential witness designed to gather evidence.
The college of commissioners lifted his immunity from prosecution two weeks ago after four requests from the Belgians to the delight of centre right members of the parliament prompting accusations of a political witch-hunt against him.
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