⊂ EUROPE ⊃
EU welcomes Pence assurance of Trump’s support: US Vice President Mike Pence assured the European Union in Brussels on Monday that the Trump administration will develop their cooperation in trade and security and backs the EU as a partner in its own right. Pence said he was acting on behalf of President Donald Trump to express the strong commitment of the United States to continued cooperation and partnership with the EU. Donald Tusk, who chairs the European Council of EU leaders, told reporters that Pence had given him affirmative answers to three questions on Trump’s support for: the current system of international law, NATO and the idea of a united Europe.
reuters.com, time.com
Police raid Front National party headquarters: French police searched the headquarters of Marine Le Pen’s far-right Front National on Monday evening as part of an official investigation into fake jobs involving the misuse of EU funds to pay for a bodyguard and an assistant in Paris. The EU Parliament has demanded Le Pen pay back nearly 340,000 euros and, faced with her refusal to repay the money, has said it will start docking her salary in order to recover the funds.
theguardian.com, telegraph.co.uk
Europe is more energy-efficient: Eurostat, the EU’s central statistics agency, released a report on Monday saying that the EU consumed slightly less energy in 2015 than it did in 1990. The numbers show that Europe’s economies have become much more energy-efficient at producing goods and services since 1990. However, the statistics also underline that Europe is failing to do what’s necessary to protect global climate stability.
dw.com
Global arms sales hit highest level since end of Cold War: Global arms sales over the last five years reached their highest level since 1990, with India continuing to top the charts as the world’s largest defense importer, a report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has found. The volume of world arms trading increased by 8.4 percent compared with the 2007-2011 period. The United States remained the world’s top weapons exporter, supplying 33 percent of the arms traded abroad, ahead of Russia on 23 percent.
bloomberg.com, dw.com
Tax evasion: EU finance ministers set to agree on tax avoidance curbs faz.net
ESM: Regling re-appointed for new 5-yr term as head of euro zone bailout fund reuters.com
Poland in response to EU: Rule of law not under threat reuters.com
United Nations: Vitaly Churkin, Russian ambassador to the UN, dies at 64 washingtonpost.com
Conflict: Iran summons Turkish envoy over comments reuters.com
⊂ QUOTES ⊃
„Juncker is here to stay and fight all the crisis that Europe is facing, from Grexit to Brexit, and the migration crisis. He is as motivated as his first day in office.“
The European Commission has denied that President Jean-Claude Juncker could resign in March.
euractiv.com
⊂ COUNTRIES ⊃
Eurozone agrees to Greece talks: Eurozone finance ministers agreed on Monday to begin negotiations in Athens as soon as next week over much-needed overhauls in exchange for bailout payments. Representatives of Greece’s main creditors will go back to Athens in the very short term, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the president of the Eurogroup, said on Monday. Greece needs a new tranche of financial aid under its 86 billion euro bailout by the third quarter of the year to meet debt repayments.
nytimes.com, reuters.com
Trump pursues his attack on Sweden: US President Donald Trump escalated his attack on Sweden’s migration policies on Monday, doubling down on his suggestion — based on a Fox News report — that refugees in the Scandinavian country were behind a surge in crime and terrorism. The Fox News segment was an interview by the host Tucker Carlson with Ami Horowitz, a filmmaker who asserted that the police oftentimes tried to cover up some of these crimes committed by migrants. Officials in Sweden expressed alarm and dismay at Trump’s remarks. The Swedish Embassy in Washington offered the Trump administration a briefing on its immigration policies. Meanwhile, Trump has picked Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as his new National Security Adviser, one week after booting retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn from the post.
nytimes.com, nypost.com
British parliament debates Trump visit: On Monday, lawmakers debated whether Britain should rescind its offer of a state dinner to the US President. Opposition politicians said a state visit would be wrong because it would appear that the British nation is approving of the acts of Donald Trump. The British government on Monday defended its decision to offer Trump a lavish state visit and an audience with the queen this year, defying protests outside parliament and dissent from lawmakers.
washingtonpost.com, reuters.com
Migrants rush Spanish border in Ceuta: More than 850 African migrants have cleared the border fence of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta since Friday. Eleven migrants were injured while attempting to cross the five-mile barrier on Monday and have been hospitalised, the Red Cross said. The group entered in the same area as an attempt on Friday, when about 1,000 migrants rushed the border with about 500 of them reaching Spain. The Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla have the only land borders between the African continent and the EU, and are often a focal point for attempted crossings.
nytimes.com, dw.com
Versailles: Hollande invites Merkel, Rajoy and Gentiloni to summit en.europeonline-magazine.eu
Portugal: Government reimburses half of IMF bailout with latest payment uk.reuters.com
Spain: Exports from food industry are booming euractiv.com
⊂ JOB-BOARD ⊃
politjobs.eu: PlasticsEurope seeks Public Affairs Manager (m/f) *** GIZ seeks Policy Advisor (m/f) *** Siegfried Mureșan MEP offers Traineeship *** European Sunlight Association seeks Communication Officer *** ChildFund Alliance seeks Director – Brussels Office *** Mototrola Solutions seeks Director of Government Affairs – Europe and Africa *** Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft sucht Praktikant (m/w) *** Uni Europa seeks Policy Officer (m/f)
politjobs.eu, politjobs.eu/submit (Inserat schalten)
⊂ MALFUNCTION ⊃
American flag has 51 stars for Pence visit to EU: The Star-Spangled Banner looked more starry than usual during one of US Vice President Mike Pence’s appearances in Brussels. A background picture of the American flag that went up alongside the EU flag as Pence and EU leader Donald Tusk spoke on Monday had 51 stars. The Brussels version of the flag added one white star to the iconic flag, instead of the usual 50 representing each state of the nation.
dailymail.co.uk