Photo : LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP
28 May 2024, Tuesday | NIAS Europe Daily Brief #845
By Neha Tresa George and Ken B Varghese
FRANCE
"Ill wind is blowing in Europe, so let us wake up" says Macron
On 27 May, Deutsche Welle reported on Emmanuel Macron’s speech on his second day in the eastern German city of Dresden. In his speech, he warned against authoritarianism and the growing influence of far-rights over Europe. "Everywhere in our democracies these ideas thrive, pushed by the extremes and in particular the far right. This ill wind is blowing in Europe, so let us wake up," Macron said. Speaking in German, he also mentioned the ongoing war in Ukraine indicating that Europe was at crossroads. He delivered his address at the city's famous Frauenkirche, a church that symbolises both the destruction of World War II and German reunification. To the young people who made up much of the crowd, he emphasised European unity by referring to the German unification at the end of the Cold War. He will wrap up his visit with the last to the western German university city of Münster. There, he will be awarded the International Peace of Westphalia Prize for his efforts toward ‘sustained peace’ which will be followed by the joint talks at the Meseberg Place. “Macron makes case for European unity in Dresden speech,” Deutsche Welle, 27 May 2024
Parliament proposed to pass the bill “right to die”
On 27 May, the French parliament debated a bill on ‘aid in dying’ which is a right-to-die bill backed by Emmanuel Macron, President who has made it a flagship reform of his second term. If this bill becomes would last for more than a year bringing France closer to its European neighbours. Some countries have already allowed assisted dying. Catherine Vautrin, Health minister said that the government was seeking: “…an ethical response to the suffering of people at the end of their life…it is to parliament’s credit that it takes up the most serious and distressing issues that affect and sometimes torment our society.” Macron has insisted that this right to death would be only limited to people with incurable illnesses and intense pain. This bill is widely known for focusing on “end of life” or “aid in dying” in French debate, rather than “assisted suicide” or “euthanasia.” Macron also stated that France needed such a law because there would be situations where one cannot humanly accept.” The goal was “to reconcile the autonomy of the individual with to solidarity of the nation.” Many religious leaders, health workers and most left-leaning deputies are strongly against this bill. Now this bill would be only applicable to those people born in France or residents staying for a long term will be allowed for assisted dying. Patients over 18 years old are only Eligible to apply for this bill. French patients who are suffering from pain and wish to end their life would travel abroad, including to neighbouring Belgium, or the Netherlands which became the first EU country to allow euthanasia. Spain also allowed euthanasia in 2021 and medically assisted suicide for people with a serious illness, followed by Portugal in 2023. (“French parliament debates divisive bill on 'aid in dying',” Le Monde,27 May 2024)
France lifts state of emergency for New Caledonia
On 27 May, France lifted the state of emergency on New Caledonia. This issue was raised due to the France’s proposal to make new changes to the voters list in New Caledonia which has been under France since 1853. Although many indigenous Kanaks opposed French rule and wanted complete independence. They strongly oppose the electoral reform as would diminish their influence and opinion in their votes. This bill proposal caused massive protests on the island cause of which France had to impose a state of emergency on 15 May. This has given more power to the police and given them authority to tackle violence including house detention, expanded power to searches without warrants, seize weapons and restrict movements. The French government has also dispatched hundreds of police and military for reinforcement to restore order in the archipelago. (“ France to lift New Caledonia state of emergency,” Deutsche Welle, 27 May 2024)
GEORGIA
Parliament committee rejects president’s veto of the “Foreign Agents” bill
On 27 May, the Georgian parliament committee rejected Salome Zourabichvili, President of Georgia veto of the Foreign Agents bill. This move by the parliament provides a possibility to override the president’s veto on the bill. It mandates all media houses and non-governmental organisations funded for more than 20 per cent of their total budget from abroad to be registered as “carrying out the interest of the foreign power.” This bill triggered massive protest for weeks across the country, Salome Zourabichvili, President of Georgia vetoed the bill on 18 May after approval of the parliament. She along with Irakli Kobakhidze, Prime Minister said: “As the specter of Russia looms over us, partnership and rapprochement with Europe are the true path to preserving and strengthening our independence and peace.” Kobakhidze also strongly criticised Zourabichvili by saying: “It was the unity and reasonable steps of the people and their elected government that gave us the opportunity threats and multiple betrayals, including the betrayal of the President of Georgia.” (“Georgian parliament committee rejects presidential veto of the divisive 'foreign agents' legislation,” Le Monde ,27 May 2024)
POLAND
Polish opposition party faces allegations of corruption
On 27 May, Politico reported that the right-wing opposition party which formerly controlled Poland’s justice ministry from 2015 to 2023 was facing severe allegations of corruption for mismanaging a fund meant to compensate crime victims. The former justice minister from the former Law and Justice (PiS) party, Zbigniew Ziobro, was accused of improperly carrying out the Justice Fund, personally overseen by him according to the fund’s former director Tomasz Mraz. He also added that he recorded over 50 hours of conversation with officials but not with Ziobro. According to the prosecution, some 285 million złoty (66 million EUR) from the Justice Fund may have been misused under Ziobro for political aims. Parliament was conducting an inquiry over the allegation that the fund was used to buy Pegasus spyware.
Zbigniew Ziobro was one of the pioneers of bringing judges under tighter political control which resulted in the bust-up between Warsaw and Brussels. Apart from being the country’s chief prosecutor at that time, he was also the leader of a smaller Catholic-nationalist party called Sovereign Poland which was PiS’s junior coalition partner. Although he didn’t have easy access to the media and political cash, the ministry under him did run a special fund to distribute millions to help crime victims for a year.
Although Ziobro’s party Sovereign Party had issued a press release calling Mraz’s statements “a pile of nonsense and manipulation that was used to brutally attack the politicians of Sovereign Poland,” the political scandal could result in a major political gain for the Civic Coalition party as Donald Tusk rallies support for his party in the upcoming elections. He referred to the scandal as ‘an organised criminal activity’. Recently, he had started targeting the PiS party portraying it as a corrupt force that made the country grow apart from the EU. Although Ziobro hasn’t met the media since his cancer treatment in early 2024, both his people and the PiS party are outrightly rejecting the allegations. (Wojciech Kość, “Corruption allegations swirl over Polish opposition party,” Politico, 27 May 2024)
REGIONAL
Ursula von der Leyen warned for her stance on the far-rights in Europe
On 27 May, European socialists warned Ursula von der Leyen against her alliance with the far-right leader, Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister. They said that they would not support her in the elections as long as she continued suggesting she could work with the hard-right MEPs aligned with Meloni, thus affecting her second-time candidacy for the European Commission. Even the Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor and his Social Democratic Party signalled that they supported the socialists’ claims. The Socialist Democratic Party's lead candidate for the upcoming election Katarina Barley expressed her contempt for working and cooperating with the far rights or radical parties at any level.
Von der Leyen, who hails from the centre-right European People’s Party, has indicated that if she fails to secure a majority with the backing of centre-left and liberal lawmakers after the EU election, she could work with the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European parliament. Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party is a part of this party. As Paris and Berlin were dissatisfied with her stance on the far-rights, her candidacy faced a serious challenge as they also had a replacement in their mind: Mario Draghi, former Italian Prime Minister. Draghi had received the backing of one of Macron’s closest allies, Pascal Canfin who is an MEP as he said in a statement that France and everyone in the presidential ecosystem would like Draghi to play a role. Macron who has been rumoured to manoeuvre Draghi to the EU executive now has allies in Berlin, especially with his three-day visit to Germany. Since von der Leyen is the European People’s Party’s lead candidate, she would require 361 votes apart from EPPs assured 176 seats. To secure her position, she needs the centre-left MEPs to support her. (Gordon Repinski, Jakob Hanke Vela, Šejla Ahmatović, Julius Brinkmann, and Jürgen Klöckner, “Von der Leyen faces Socialist revolt over her far-right flirtation with Meloni,” Politico, 27 May 2024)
INTERNATIONAL
US assures Europe for consistent delivery of LNG
On 27 May, Politico reported on the statement of a top US energy official reassuring Europe that Joe Biden’s decision to pause approvals for the new liquified natural gas projects would not affect deliveries to Europe. According to David Turk, US Deputy Energy Secretary the move would not affect any current exports or construction. The move by Biden was a bid to ease the climate-conscious voters ahead of the elections in November. The decision shook European industry due to its increasing alliance on the liquified natural gas (LNG) exports from the US. LNG exports from the US to the EU have steadily increased since the Ukraine war started and currently makeup half of the bloc's LNG supplies. Since the U.S. exports about 14 billion cubic feet of LNG per day and it has already approved up to 48 billion cubic feet for export from future projects, it was necessary to review the climatic and environmental implications according to Turk. With the US exporting 7.1 billion cubic feet per day to the EU in 2023, Biden’s move was in connection with France’s pathway to climate neutrality by 2050. (Nicolas Camut, “US assures Europe: We’ll keep sending you gas, we promise,” Politico, 27 May 2024)