Pricey readers,
Welcome to EU Politics Decoded, the place Benjamin Fox and Eleonora Vasques carry you a round-up of the newest political information in Europe and past each Thursday. This version is curated by Eleonora, as Benjamin is presently on paternity depart.
This week, we’re taking a look at how the disaster in Israel and Palestine dangers creating a brand new migration disaster that might have a spillover impact into the EU’s relations with North Africa.
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Editor’s Take: EU’s migration fears defend North African dictators
Migration is a famously delicate challenge for EU governments and commentators. With discussions nonetheless ongoing on the brand new Pact, debates proceed to rage, as Benjamin and I’ve reported many occasions on this e-newsletter.
One matter that trumps migration in sensitivity is Israel and Palestine, as a colleague remarked to me whereas strolling within the European Parliament some weeks in the past.
But the 2 will not be standalone points: Elevated instability (a warfare, humanitarian crises, local weather disasters…) in third international locations, inevitably results in adjustments in migratory flows.
In our occasions, there are some particular classes of individuals for whom freedom of motion is denied – individuals who can not get paperwork, stateless individuals or others with “weak” citizenship. These persons are known as migrants, whereas those that journey freely within the Schengen space with robust EU passports are ‘expats’.
For these in search of to flee from loss of life within the Gaza strip, which has been underneath Israeli airstrikes for over two weeks now in retaliation to Hamas’ assaults on 7 October, Egypt is one potential vacation spot.
In a letter to member states earlier than right now’s European Council, Ursula von der Leyen stated that the EU’s priorities on migration “also needs to be to ascertain a strategic and mutually helpful partnership with Egypt”.
Based on the Fee President, “Egypt’s function is significant for the safety and stability of the Center East, it hosts rising numbers of refugees, and we now have a duty to assist it,” stated von der Leyen.
Nevertheless, such offers will not be simple. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is experiencing an inside disaster, with a rustic economically on the point of collapse. Tunisian President Kais Saied was in an identical scenario, earlier than beginning a propaganda marketing campaign of distraction towards sub-Saharan migrants, and a tug-of-war with Europe.
Even earlier than the newest atrocities in Israel and Palestine, the European Fee stated a number of occasions that negotiations have been ongoing to deepen relations with Egypt, with the EU-Tunisia deal as a template.
The difficulty is that the EU-Tunisia deal is maybe not as strong as Brussels had thought, with Saied wielding a lot energy over the EU with migration coverage.
Europe should be cautious to not increase the legitimacy of dictators’ regimes via diplomatic relations.
In March 2020, von der Leyen praised Greece because the “defend of Europe” when coping with the migration disaster, containing arrivals. In 2023, a brand new defend exists – although this one is led by dictators in North Africa who will not be afraid to make use of folks for geopolitical functions.
These are the shields of Les Misérables.
Who’s Electioneering?
Ukraine is meant to have elections in October, in keeping with the nation’s official calendar. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushed for elections to be held with US and EU assist in a assertion final August, regardless of the warfare that has been ongoing since February 2022.
Nevertheless, since Ukraine is at warfare, any elections needs to be suspended, in keeping with the nation’s guidelines. Zelenskyy has not referred to the elections in his latest statements.
In September, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko advised Euractiv in an unique interview that “it’s not solely unacceptable but additionally immoral and anti-Ukrainian,” to carry elections in occasions of warfare. Based on her, there are too many limits to holding a democratic election whereas the nation is at warfare.
Capitals-in-brief
Berlin strikes forward with fast-tracking deportations. A controversial invoice to speed up the deportation of rejected asylum seekers was agreed upon by the German authorities on Tuesday (24 October), with members of the coalition talking out towards the transfer.
Tusk to debate unblocking EU funds for Poland. Opposition chief and potential future prime minister Donald Tusk set off to Brussels to debate the prospect to unlock the nation’s EU restoration cash, which was frozen as a result of rule of legislation considerations in Poland.
Social media ‘unresponsive’ to disinformation requests forward of Slovak election: report. Requests by the Slovak authorities for Meta to take away deceptive and misleading content material forward of elections on the finish of September have been met with an insufficient and ineffective response, in keeping with a report on disinformation, which additionally requires an EU-wide answer to drive Telegram to adjust to comparable requests, revealed by the Inside Ministry’s Centre for Combating Hybrid Threats.
Fico to fulfill with leaders at EUCO. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s authorities was shaped simply in time for him to attend the European Council summit, which is able to give attention to the unfolding scenario within the Center East, on which he refuses to ‘tolerate plans to raze Gaza to the bottom’, the warfare in Ukraine and migration.
LGBTQI activists in Bulgaria win harassment lawsuit towards nationalist get together. Bulgaria’s nationalist VMRO was discovered to have harassed the LGBTQI neighborhood in one among its Fb statuses, with an administrative court docket ruling condemning the act of discrimination primarily based on sexual orientation.
Contained in the establishments
Von der Leyen responds to EU workers letter on Israel stance. EU Fee President Ursula von der Leyen has defended herself towards accusations of bias by stressing that the EU was working for the protection of civilians “of all faiths and nationalities”, in keeping with an inside memo seen by Euractiv.
EU Parliament seeks a say in choosing Fee president after elections. The European Parliament desires to be engaged in negotiations with nationwide leaders in selecting the European Fee president after EU elections, in keeping with a draft report the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) voted on Wednesday (25 October).
New conference to alter the treaties? MEPs have known as for a serious reform of the EU treaties in a report authorized on Wednesday (25 October), that will scrap a collection of nationwide vetoes and make the bloc’s government arm, the European Fee, extra overtly political.
The proposal shall be additionally mentioned after which voted by MEPs through the November plenary session and by the Council.
Amongst EU ministers, solely a easy majority is required to open a so-called conference, the place nationwide and EU policymakers would collect to work on the adjustments of the treaties.
EU Court docket of Justice shall be the one physique to interpret and set EU legal guidelines scope. EU lawmakers within the European Parliament reaffirmed the precept of the “primacy of EU legislation” in a vote on Tuesday (24 October) within the Constitutional Affairs committee (AFCO).
Based on them, the precept must be extra explicitly said in EU treaties, and the EU Court docket of Justice should be the one interpreter of EU legal guidelines. MEPs felt the political must reaffirm such a precept, as a result of it has been challenged on multiple event.
Difficult the precept of EU authorized supremacy was on the coronary heart of the ‘Depart’ marketing campaign’s arguments forward of the UK Brexit referendum in 2016. Earlier than the warfare in Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki advised MEPs throughout a listening to on the European Parliament in Strasbourg in September 2021 that nationwide legal guidelines must be thought of superior to the EU Court docket of Justice.
Terry Reintke is the European Greens get together lead candidate for EU elections. The co-President of the Greens/EFA group within the European Parliament Terry Reintke will run for European elections because the EU Greens get together main candidate, or the so-called spitzenkandidat, the co-president introduced on X (ex-Twitter) on Wednesday (25 October).
The spitzenkandidat refers to the person who not solely represents the get together within the EU electoral marketing campaign, however can be the get together’s candidate for the presidency of the European Fee.
Euractiv interviewed Reintke earlier than the summer time break in regards to the EU elections, you could find the video right here.
EU policymakers enter the final mile on the Synthetic Intelligence rulebook. The world’s first complete AI legislation is coming into what could be its final weeks of intense negotiations.
Nevertheless, EU establishments have nonetheless to hash out their strategy to essentially the most highly effective ‘basis’ fashions and the provisions within the legislation enforcement areas.
Lawmakers agree stance on contested EU packaging legislation. Lawmakers within the European Parliament’s setting committee voted on Tuesday (24 October) their place on a brand new legislation to deal with packaging waste in Europe as discussions turn into more and more fraught.
What we’re studying
Israel: one warfare crime doesn’t justify one other, Dror Feiler and Arthur Goodman write for EU Observer
Politics poses the largest risk to financial development in China, Martin Wolf writes for the Monetary Instances
Belgians named second best plastic packaging recyclers in EU, Thomas Moller-Nielsen writes for The Brussels Instances
The subsequent week in politics
The Council slows down actions subsequent week. Casual assembly of tourism ministers is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday (30-31 October).
The European Parliament will consider actions exterior Brussels: MEPs will take part in numerous missions worldwide.
Thanks for studying. When you’d prefer to contact us for leaks, ideas or feedback, drop us a line at benjamin.fox@euractiv.com / eleonora.vasques@euractiv.com or contact us on Twitter: @EleonorasVasques & @benfox83
[Edited by Benjamin Fox]
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