⊂ EUROPE ⊃
EU demands immediate Syria ceasefire: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered a daily pause in the fighting in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta enclave, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoygu said. The European Union has called for the rapid implementation of the ceasefire in Syria. A UN Security Council resolution demands a 30-day ceasefire across the country, but fighting has continued to rage in some places. Meanwhile, the EU has slapped sanctions on Syria’s industry and information ministers – freezing assets and barring them from travelling in the bloc. It means more than 250 people are now under sanctions. Dozens of organisations have also had their assets frozen.
politico.eu, euronews.com
Labour backs new customs union with EU: Britain should enter a new customs union with the EU, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Monday, setting up a possible parliamentary defeat for Prime Minister Theresa May who has vowed to leave the arrangement after Brexit. Corbyn said this would avoid the need for a „hard border“ in Northern Ireland and ensure free-flowing trade for business. Corbyn said Labour would be looking for a Brexit that put the working people first. According to British Brexit Secretary David Davis, Labour’s new position on Brexit is “snake oil” that would put one of the greatest prizes of leaving the EU out of reach.
reuters.com, bbc.com, politico.eu
Transparency watchdog in Parliament questions Selmayr appointment: Martin Selmayr’s sudden appointment as secretary-general of the European Commission was a “cloak-and-dagger operation” and should be investigated, according to Sven Giegold, a German MEP from the Greens group and leading proponent of EU transparency. Selmayr, who is currently Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s powerful chief of staff, was appointed Wednesday as secretary-general by the College of Commissioners, effective on March 1. His appointment was added to the meeting’s agenda at the last minute, and many commissioners were unaware of it ahead of time.
politico.eu
EU says stands ready to regulate crypto-currencies: The EU stands ready to regulate crypto-currencies if risks from the sector are not tackled at the global level, the bloc’s financial services chief said on Monday. Germany and France said this month that, while new opportunities arose from crypto-currencies, they could also pose substantial risks for investors and be vulnerable to financial crime without safeguards. Meanwhile, the EU Commission wants to tax digital giants on their revenue at a rate between 1 and 5 percent. The proposal would apply to firms such as Google and Facebook which have more than 750 million euros of revenue worldwide and EU digital revenues of at least 10 million euros per year, according to reports.
reuters.com, politico.eu (Tax)
Gmail German case to be decided by ECJ: The long-running legal dispute between the German Federal Network Agency and Google over the search giant’s email service Gmail took another twist on Monday. The German Higher Administrative Court in Münster ruled that the case be referred to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The issue at hand is the fact that the German Federal Network Agency believes Google’s popular Gmail service qualifies as a telecommunications service, and ought to be regulated accordingly by German and European telecommunications law. Google disputes this designation, which a German Administrative Court in Cologne upheld in November 2015. Google appealed that verdict to the Münster court, which has now sent the case to the EU’s highest court on the basis that the relevant sections in the German Telecommunications Act are based on identical provisions in EU law.
dw.com
Rohingya refugees: EU agrees to prepare sanctions on Myanmar generals reuters.com
State aid: Commission approves 70 million euro public support scheme for electric buses and charging infrastructure in Germany europa.eu
ECB: Eurozone economic slack may be bigger than thought uk.reuters.com
Controversy: Turkey’s Erdogan criticised for telling tearful young girl dressed as soldier she would ‘die a martyr’ telegraph.co.uk
⊂ QUOTES ⊃
„We don’t want a bureaucratic Europe.“
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani has called the Spitzenkandidat system a “proposal to reinforce democracy”. He lashed out at the Council’s preference for leaders to nominate a candidate themselves.
euractiv.com
⊂ COUNTRIES ⊃
Investigative journalist killed in Slovakia: Investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee have been shot to death in their home east of the Slovak capital, Bratislava. The head of the Slovak Police, Tibor Gaspar, said it was likely the murder was connected to Kuciak’s work as an investigative journalist. Kuciak reported on tax evasion and fraud among Slovak businesses, including people connected to the Slovak governing party, Smer. According to local media, Kuciak received threats from Slovak businessmen about his investigations and reported these to the police last autumn.
cnn.com, dw.com
Merkel wins CDU party’s backing for German coalition deal: German Chancellor Angela Merkel has moved closer to a fourth term as German chancellor after her conservative CDU party voted overwhelmingly in favour of renewing a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD). More than 97 percent of the 975 CDU party representatives voted for another so-called grand coalition with the SPD and the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the CSU. Just 27 voted against. That leaves just the SPD’s membership vote on the coalition deal to determine whether Germany will be able to establish a new government, five months after the September election. Results of the SPD vote are expected this coming Sunday.
theguardian.com, politico.eu
Italian election 2018: Italy’s next election will take place on Sunday, March 4 when the fate of the country will be decided with the election of a new government and new prime minister. The economy and immigration are the top issues of contention this year, following the 2015 migrant crisis that saw Italy become a spot for new arrivals form the Mediterranean. The three main political heads to look out for are Silvio Berlusconi, former prime minister and head of Forza Italia, the embattled leader of the center-left Democratic Party (PD) and former prime minister Matteo Renzi, and Luigi Di Maio, the anti-establishment 5 Star Movement’s (M5S) leader.
express.co.uk
-Advertisement-
Welted men’s footwear: Superior craftsmanship in shoemaking. Buy directly from our manufactures avoiding expensive middlemen. Experience true shoe freedom, handcrafted and custom made from the finest Italian leather. No matter the occasion; be it for the office, leisure or weddings – we have the appropriate pair of shoes
shoepassion.com
Macron government takes on union bastion in French rail reform: France will abolish jobs-for-life at the debt-ridden state-owned SNCF railways firm, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Monday, setting President Emmanuel Macron’s government on a collision course with powerful labour unions. The overhaul of the SNCF, whose debts top 45 billion euros, is among the politically riskiest reforms to be pursued since Macron won power in May 2017. Workers at the SNCF, a stronghold of the far-left CGT union, have already warned of protests and possible strikes over the reforms, which would spell the end of preferential terms that rail employees have enjoyed.
reuters.com
Greek minister quits in uproar over rent subsidy: A Greek junior minister resigned on Monday after a wave of outrage triggered by reports that she had claimed a rent allowance despite extensive personal wealth. Rania Antonopoulou, who had been deputy labour minister in charge of the unemployment portfolio since 2015, was entitled to the subsidy, intended to help members of government with rent if Athens is not their home. But a Sunday newspaper report that she was claiming it, and for an apartment in a smart neighborhood, touched a nerve in a country where a third of the population live in poverty and unemployment is higher than anywhere in the eurozone.
reuters.com
Hungary: UN human rights chief calls Orban racist politico.eu
Germany: Berlin police chief forced out after years of scandal dw.com
New Zealand: Prime Minister Ardern unfazed by sexist interview cnn.com
⊂ JOB-BOARD ⊃
politjobs.eu: Bitkom sucht Referent europäische Digitalpolitik (w/m) *** Int. Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory seeks Innovation Project Manager *** Int. Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory seeks Project Assistant for EU Funded Projects *** PwC seeks Public Affairs Senior Manager Belgium *** Johnson & Johnson seeks Policy Assistant, Government Affairs & Policy EMEA *** Public Policy Manager, Connectivity *** Ryanair offers Public Affairs internship
politjobs.eu, politjobs.eu/submit (Inserat schalten)
⊂ MALFUNCTION ⊃
Ivanka Trump believes Donald Trump’s denials of sex misconduct: The daughter of US President Donald Trump said she believes the president’s denials about the accusations of sexual misconduct. Ivanka Trump also claimed the question posed to her was inappropriate. Trump, a White House senior adviser, also discussed her father’s proposal of arming teachers, which the president raised after a gunman killed 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida, this month.
nbcnews.com