Photo : www.consilium.europa.eu/
IN FOCUS
By Padmashree Anandhan
The European Council Summit 2021
The European Council Summit was held from 21 to 22 October 2021. The discussion focused on several aspects from the rule of law, energy prices, the instrumentalization of migrants via hybrid warfare, the pandemic, cyber security, international trade, digital policy, as well as climate change. Apart from these debates and discussions, the summit also witnessed the bloc leaders giving a farewell to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.
Key Highlights of the Summit
First, the rule of law has been a recurring issue in the Council's agenda. In the previous summit, Hungary was at the centre of attention while this time Poland took over. Developments in Warsaw raised concerns among the bloc members. Discussions regarding the controversial Polish Constitutional Tribunal ruling stating certain EU treaties were discordant with the Polish Constitution. The issue of judicial independence was also challenged by Poland. The EU leaders urged the European Commission to take necessary action in line with the rule-of-law conditionality legislation.
Second, discussion on energy prices. While countries like France and Spain expect the energy prices to hike further, the Netherlands assured that the price hike was temporary. The Prime Minister of Spain requested an analysis on price formation and monitoring speculative behaviour. Nuclear energy was not mentioned but was seen as a stable source that could be included in the green transition. Poland and Hungary used the energy price debate to call out for the "Fit for 55" package. The European Commission adopted the package to make the EU's climate, energy, land use, transport, and taxation policies fit for cutting down net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030.
Three, the debate on migration. The discussion covered various aspects such as the external dimension of migration, the non-acceptance of instrumentalizing of migrants for political purposes by third countries, and the increase in the inflow of migrants at the EU's borders. The leaders restated that such letting in of migrants across the EU borders the Belarusian regime was seen as a retaliation against EU sanctions and is intolerable. They proposed to the EU to build protective measures to respond steadfastly.
Four, EU leaders raised concerns on the rising new coronavirus cases in the many member states and the unmatched levels of vaccination. To fill the vaccination gap, the European Council suggested fighting out disinformation, vaccine disparities across states and also emphasized the need for vaccination campaigns to tackle new variants.
Five, Digital Policy. The European Council's Digital Policy seeks for a digital transformation in Europe. Under the policy, it aims for "growth, job creation, competitiveness, and resilience." The identified threats to the digital transformation were limited production capacity, high entry costs and lack of a level playing field in semiconductors are threatening the EU's capacity in digital transformation, also in light of persisting global shortages. The Commission launched the coalition on processors and semiconductors in July 2021 and proposed European Chips Act as a step towards the digital plan.
References
"Outcome of the European Council meeting of 21-22 October 2021," European Parliament, 22 October 2021.
"European Council: As it happened," POLITICO, 20 October 2021.
IN BRIEF
By Joeana Cera Matthews and Vaishnavi Iyer
UKRAINE
Dutch court rules for Ukraine to have control over artefacts from Crimea
Referring to the Netherlands' appeals court ruling as a "long-awaited victory", Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated: "we always return what is ours". He added that Ukraine would first "return Scythian gold" and then "return Crimea". Crimean officials have criticized the ruling as violating the right of the Crimean people to access their cultural heritage. Russian officials have also condemned the ruling. The historical treasure consists of gold, ceremonial daggers, a golden helmet, jewellery, and a Chinese lacquered box among other treasures. The return of the exhibition was sought by Crimea after lending the artifacts to Amsterdam in 2014, which later came under Russian territory following the annexation. While disputes continue over the recognition of the annexed territory, the international loan remains one of the most important billed exhibitions in Ukrainian history. (Andrew Roth, "Ukraine has legal right to Crimean artefacts, Dutch court rules," BBC, 26 October 2021)
REGIONAL
France seizes British boat amid fishing row
A British boat has been seized amid the French-UK fishing rights row. In September, the UK denied French boats fishing licenses which angered France. The rejection, according to France, is a violation of the Brexit agreement. The UK noted that blocking British boats was a violation of international law and trade agreements. It has asserted that European vessels have received 98 percent of all licence applications. France insisted on an agreement by 02 November threatening to target the Channel Island energy supplies. The UK is disappointed over the French decision while France is prepared to intensify sanctions with electricity cuts to Jersey and "target measures" which have been in effect since 26 October. Brexit minister David Frost is expecting further communication with France seeking clarification over the issue. (Joseph Lee, "Fishing rights row: French threats disappointing, says Frost," BBC, 28 October 2021)
CLIMATE CHANGE
Survey: EIB poll reveals EU citizens' lack of faith in their governments
On 27 October, the European Investment Bank (EIB) released a climate survey which included respondents from across the bloc. The poll concluded that 58 percent of the 27,700 respondents believed that their governments would be unable to reach the climate goals they had set for themselves. In particular, they were not convinced that their governments could cut the CO2 emissions by 2050. 70 percent of the respondents believed that action at the individual level could assist emission reduction. Commenting on the survey, EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle said: "In the run-up to COP26, these demands from the public are a clear mandate for us to strengthen our efforts and accelerate the green transition." The COP26 summit is set to begin on 31 October at Glasgow, Scotland. (Kate Abnett, "Most Europeans think governments will miss climate goals, poll finds," Reuters, 27 October 2021)
INTERNATIONAL
France: Macron calls for Australia to 'redefine' relationship
On 28 October, French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone conversation with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. This was the first time the leaders conversed since the AUKUS pact created diplomatic tensions between the two countries. The French President's office released a statement, post the conversation, where Macron repeated that Australia "had broken the relation of trust between the two countries". The statement also called upon Morrison's government to "propose concrete actions" in order to rebuild the lost trust. The diplomatic tensions arose after Australia chose the US' submarine-deal over its agreed deal with France — effectively cancelling out Paris from the equation. (Joseph Lee, "Australia must 'redefine' relations after submarine spat 'broke' trust, Macron says," France24, 28 October 2021)
The US condemns lack of reciprocity on staffing in Moscow Embassy
The US embassy warned Russia that its services would be cut off next year if a resolution on the visa dispute was not made. A senior US official requested that Russia make headway on boosting the number of visas available to diplomats. Russians are flocking to the US embassy in Warsaw after the US halted visa processing in Moscow. He said the embassy lacks personnel to perform fundamental functions such as issuing diplomatic cables, opening and closing embassy gates, and other operative services. After Russia limited employing Russian or third-country workers in the missions, the US lost a substantial number of people — dropping from 1,200 to 120 by 2021. Tensions between the US and Russia remain high on several fronts. ("U.S. Warns Moscow Embassy Could Stop Functioning Due to Visa Row," The Moscow Times, 28 October 2021)