⊂ EUROPE ⊃
Tusk calls on Europe to rally against Trump: European Council President Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump has joined Russia, China and radical Islam among threats to Europe and called on Europeans to stick together to avoid domination by three other continental powers. Several statements from Washington have prompted alarm in Europe’s capitals. Tusk issued a call for political solidarity before a summit in Malta later this week, where Europe’s heads of states will gather to discuss the future of the EU.
reuters.com, independent.co.uk
EU revolving door is lightning rod for populists: The EU’s failure to stop former EU Commission staff and MEPs from working as lobbyists has boosted populist movements around Europe, says Brussels-based NGO Transparency International. It recommended extending cooling off periods after public service, during which new jobs must be approved by a regulator with many more powers and resources than any today in Brussels. At present, the Parliament places no restrictions on former members, although it does on their staff. The revolving door, where politicians or officials leave their posts to then lobby on the same issue they legislated on, has emboldened populist movements and their leaders in France, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, Transparency International said.
euobserver.com, euronews.com
EU court says countries can reject asylum seekers with terrorism links: EU member states can reject asylum seekers who have taken part in terrorist activities even if their role was confined to logistics, the European Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday. The ECJ ruled against a Moroccan whose request for asylum in Belgium was rejected after a court convicted him in 2006 of forging passports for a Moroccan group recruiting jihadists for Iraq. Logistical involvement in terrorist activity, including forging documents, is enough to be precluded from asylum procedures.
euractiv.com
Outburst of violence in Ukraine: Heavy shelling in Avdiivka in east Ukraine has left thousands of people without electricity, heating and water for days. Amid an upsurge in fighting with pro-Russian separatists Ukrainian officials are preparing for a possible evacuation of the city. The Ukrainian foreign ministry expressed deep concern on Monday over the intensification of the Russian-terrorist forces in Donbas. Other reports, however, speak of a creeping offensive of Ukrainian forces. Reports indicate that residential areas have been shelled.
euronews.com, euractiv.com
UN: Syria peace talks postponed until February 20 reuters.com
Austria: Anti Ceta, TTIP petition signed by 562,000 foxnews.com
Arctic: Environment committee calls for rapid action to protect the region europarl.europa.eu
Transport: EU plans automatic braking system to clamp down on road deaths euractiv.de
⊂ QUOTES ⊃
„All organisations can benefit from the experience and insights that former politicians bring, but there is an issue with those who one minute are drawing up EU laws and the next are lobbying their former colleagues on the exact same issues.“
Daniel Freund, Transparency International’s Head of Advocacy, says the EU Parliament must bar departing members from moving directly to lobbying former colleagues.
euronews.com
⊂ COUNTRIES ⊃
Police raid French parliament in Fillon investigation: French conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon and his wife were questioned for five hours by police investigators on Monday as part of a probe into allegations that Penelope Fillon had been paid for fake jobs. Police also raided the lower house of parliament. France Inter radio suggested police were searching for her employment contracts. Fillon has said he is the victim of a smear campaign. Meanwhile, two French Socialists said they would not back their party’s hard-left presidential candidate Benoit Hamon.
theguardian.com, cnbc.com, reuters.com (Hamon)
UK parliament debates Brexit bill: The British government is determined to trigger negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union by March 31, lawmakers were told Tuesday. Opening the debate on the parliamentary bill that will give Prime Minister Theresa May the go ahead with Brexit, David Davis, Secretary of State for Exiting the EU told parliamentarians they could not block the process. The decision to leave the trade block was a point of return already passed, he said. A vote is scheduled for Wednesday evening.
cnn.com, theguardian.com
Czech foreign minister says his email was hacked: Hackers have breached dozens of email accounts at the Czech Foreign Ministry in an attack resembling one against the US Democratic Party that the former Obama administration blamed on Russia, Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said on Tuesday. No classified data was stolen during the attacks, which took several weeks. Zaoralek didn’t specify the country he thought might be behind the attack, but said the character of the attack was very sophisticated.
washingtonpost.com, bloomberg.com
German Chancellor Merkel holds talks with Swedish government: Angela Merkel was met Tuesday morning by Mikael Damberg, Sweden’s minister for enterprise and innovation, on her arrival at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport. She later held talks with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. Afterwards she responded to a question in relation to a comment from one of US President Donald Trump’s advisers. Peter Navarro, the head of the White House National Trade Council, had claimed that Germany was bolstering its exports with what he called a grossly undervalued euro. Merkel said Germany was a country that had always called for the European Central Bank to pursue an independent policy.
dw.com, politico.eu
France: Quebec suspect fan of right-wing Marine Le Pen yahoo.com
Italy: Former rail bosses convicted over 2009 disaster euronews.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 ⊃
Melania Trump boosts Slovenian tourism: American tourists are flocking to Slovenia to see where Melania Trump grew up, according to new figures out Tuesday. Slovenia’s Statistics Office said the number of overnight stays in the country by U.S. visitors surged by 15.4 percent in December and was up by 10.2 percent in 2016. The total number of overnight stays by tourists in Slovenia rose by 7.6 percent to 11.1 million in 2016 versus a rise of 7.2 percent in 2015.
politico.eu