The climate conference that began in hope several weeks ago has ended in frustration. Bulgarians have returned to the polls; will it be third time lucky? And we look at the growing use of SLAPPs and their implications.
The world appears underwhelmed by the outcomes of the COP 26 climate conference in Glasgow, which drew to a close at the end of last week (12 November).
Could do better
Despite commitments to a series of mitigation and conservation efforts, many delegates and observers were left deflated about the lack of progress in some key areas.
And while the EU is keen to retain its status as a global leader when it comes to climate action, none of the declarations signed in Glasgow actually bore Brussels’ official stamp of approval, as Green MEP Michael Bloss observed.
Michael Bloss, Member of the European Parliament – Greens/EFA, Germany (in German):
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“It is good that many member states have now committed, for example, to stopping foreign investments in fossil fuels or to phasing out combustion engines and coal by 2035. But what is apparent is that the European Union does not feature among the signatories.”
Bloss, who was speaking to Luxembourgish public radio 100,7, sees this is a sign that Brussels is failing to live up to its own ambitions.
Fellow German MEP Peter Liese noted that it should have fallen to the EU’s chief negotiator, the Commission’s executive vice-president Frans Timmermans, to ensure that the EU spoke with one voice at COP 26. But Liese fears that Timmermans, who is responsible for the whole Green Deal, might simply have too much on his plate.
Peter Liese, Member of the European Parliament – EPP, Germany (in German):
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“We need somebody in the EU who, like John Kerry, only deals with international climate policy. Somebody who is responsible for this full-time and can lead negotiations to ensure the EU once again plays a more significant role. It was not ideal that the EU was not a shining light for climate diplomacy at this conference.”
While intermediate steps were taken in Glasgow on the path to limiting global warming, Ursula von der Leyen was also disappointed with the outcome of the climate summit, reports AMS. Speaking to delegates at the Süddeutsche Zeitung economic summit on 15 November, the Commission chief insisted that the EU must serve as a good role model.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission (in German):
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“We are a huge market – a highly attractive one. And we are a key global trading partner. So, if Europe can prove that it is possible to prosper while operating a resource-efficient, CO2-free circular economy, then that will send an important signal. It is our duty to set a good example.”
More concretely, Kuku Raadio asked Tõnis Mölder, Estonia’s environment minister, how the goals agreed in Glasgow will be monitored.
Tõnis Mölder, Estonia’s Minister of the Environment (in Estonian):
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“We have agreed that this monitoring process will take place every five years. But what it will look like and whether we can develop common criteria to assess these goals will be up for discussion at future COPs. We were able to agree on such a framework for Article 6, which deals with the international carbon market. For example, we have an EU carbon market, and there is now a desire to implement this type of market worldwide. This sends a clear signal to those countries that are not meeting the climate targets that there is a mechanism here that can be used for them.”
Speaking of countries that may struggle to meet the climate goals, Poland’s deputy prime minister, Jarosław Kaczyński, insists that Warsaw is taking active steps to move towards renewable energy sources, says Polskie Radio.
Jarosław Kaczyński, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland (in Polish):
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“Large windmills with turbines will be built to produce electricity in the Polish economic zone of the Baltic Sea. These will have a capacity of 1,000 megawatts. We are building gas-fired power plants, which were previously almost non-existent in Poland. And we will also build nuclear plants.”
Kaczyński added, though, that this process cannot be rushed, and he refused to be drawn on whether his government might veto the Fit For 55 package.
Eleventh hour budget agreement
The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached an informal political agreement on the EU budget for 2022 late on Monday evening (15 November). The agreement covers commitments of some 169.5 billion euros and payments of EUR 170.6 billion euros.
Social democrat MEP Victor Negrescu explained the European Parliament’s ambitious position to Radio România.
Victor Negrescu, Member of the European Parliament – S&D, Romania (in Romanian):
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“The European Parliament has proposed an extremely ambitious budget for 2022 because we want, next year, to see a relaunch across Europe, to reduce the gaps between member states and, above all, to implement the education and social measures that will allow every European citizen to live better. We will continue to support the need for additional allocations for the European Guarantee Fund for COVID; we have proposed a series of measures to support European SMEs and start-ups; we have come up with a series of concrete projects in the fields of tourism, health, the environment, education and culture – concrete projects and programmes that, in our opinion, must be further supported as it is important for European money to go to areas that generate added value, areas that produce results, because expectations are very high.”
In parallel with the annual budget for 2022, EU countries will draw on the support provided by the NextGenerationEU recovery tool.
Belarus: keeping out while welcoming in
Radio 24 interviewed Pietro Benassi, Italy’s ambassador to the EU, who argued the case for a more modern solution to the ongoing migrant crisis than erecting physical barriers between the EU and Belarus.
Pietro Benassi, Italian Permanent Representative to the EU (in Italian):
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“We are against the wall approach, as the Council president said, and we cannot consider using migration as a means of conducting foreign policy. In our view, a wall is a solution that goes against the lessons of history and does not correspond to Europe’s founding values. We believe that the proposed solutions, including border control – which should not be thought of only in terms of land borders, where a wall is the easy solution, but also sea borders – can break technological ground, including by strengthening the Union’s specialised agencies, such as Frontex. A united EU can achieve excellent results without putting in place symbols that we find unacceptable, given our country’s history.”
Meanwhile, several member states are providing aid to migrants trapped in inhospitable conditions on the far side of the border. But Dovilė Šakalienė, a Lithuanian social democrat MP, told Žinių Radijas that Lithuania should not only be thinking about those who are still in Belarus, but also helping those who have made their way across into the EU.
Dovilė Šakalienė, Member of the Lithuanian Parliament (in Lithuanian):
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“Whatever solution we find, we must think about how we treat these people on a daily basis. From ensuring children’s right to education to access to health services. This includes mental health, as we have suicidal people; people who are in a bad state. We have victims of violence, people who have experienced trauma or rape, people who are badly wounded and have possibly even been tortured… Vulnerability assessments and assistance are not yet sufficiently high-quality, accessible, flexible and sensitive. We must prepare to integrate some of these people and start working with them right away. When they came to us, they became our responsibility. And some of them will not want to leave.”
Surprise result in latest Bulgarian election
A brand-new pro-European party won the latest re-run of Bulgaria’s parliamentary election on Sunday (14 November), leading to hopes that there may be an end to the political deadlock on the horizon.
‘We Continue the Change’ (PP), which received just over a quarter of the vote, was founded by two young members of the caretaker government: economy minister Kiril Petkov and finance minister Assen Vassilev. Both are Harvard graduates and entrepreneurs and they stood on a centrist, anti-corruption platform.
The new party’s conciliatory tone also sets it apart from its opponents, as political scientist Dimitar Avramov told BNR.
Dimitar Avramov, Political Scientist (in Bulgarian):
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“For the first time in eight years, the outlook seems positive. We have a candidate for prime minister who has said, firstly, ‘I am a candidate for prime minister, not necessarily prime minister’, and secondly, ‘if we make a mistake, we will apologise’. No such words have passed the lips of our sinless former prime minister, Boyko Borissov, for a very long time. Here we have two people who come from the Western world, who have graduated from university and speak respectfully. These are people who have knowledge of the political process and speak to us in the first person. For the first time since the initial election, Bulgaria is moving forward optimistically and politely and with an awareness of the need for dialogue and of the fact that policies come before names, and not vice versa. Yesterday, Kiril Petkov said ‘we want to raise the issues to talk about and the topics and policies, and only then to choose the people’. Do you remember what Slavi Trifonov [leader of populist opposition party There Is Such A People] did? He drew up a list and said ‘these are the ministers; this is the government’. People expect a constructive approach, and if they don’t get it from ‘We Continue the Change’, it will vanish as quickly as it emerged. Society does not forgive bad manners and weak policies.”
If Petkov and Vassilev manage to form a coalition with Slavi Trifonov’s There is Such a People (ITN) party, the liberal Democratic Bulgaria party and the Socialists, together they would hold more than 130 seats in the 240-seat legislature.
North Macedonia will be keeping a close eye on proceedings as such a coalition could pave the way for a softening of Sofia’s stance on Skopje’s EU accession prospects. Indeed, Petkov has hinted as much, telling a North Macedonian broadcaster that both sides would benefit from a closer relationship. BNR reports.
Kiril Petkov, Leader of We Continue the Change (in Bulgarian):
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“This will only come about through joint efforts, and we have the power to do that by making joint working groups, made up of more than just historians, and setting clear negotiating mandates for monthly meetings, to achieve results. I am sure that those things that are currently preventing such progress, which Macedonia also wants, can be resolved more rapidly, but only through hard work and not just through demands. Both sides need to make an effort, like good neighbours, and start talking about all the benefits we stand to gain, about all the things we have and the things we need to resolve. Because it is not a good idea simply to sweep them under the carpet. Progress can be made through dialogue and joint action, with teams and working groups. In short, by working together.”
Slovenian presidency hails strategic compass
On Monday 15 November, Europe’s foreign and defence ministers discussed the bloc’s ‘strategic compass’, the brainchild of EU High Representative Josep Borrell. The project aims to set out a common vision in the field of security and defence.
The draft text reflects all of Slovenia’s priorities, says RTV SLO, including the Western Balkans and deeper cooperation between the EU and NATO. It will now be discussed in the Council, with a view to adopting a final text before spring 2022.
Slapping down SLAPPs
MEPs have been calling since 2018 for a European law to protect victims of “SLAPPs” (strategic lawsuits against public participation), says 100,7. A growing phenomenon, these procedures are often brought for defamation – often by powerful organisations, large companies or wealthy individuals who use the justice system to silence those taking too close an interest in their affairs.
The topic has become a cause for concern among the EU institutions, with the Commission promising to present a draft law on the issue in the second quarter of 2022, following its public consultation.
Žinių Radijas considered the threat SLAPPs pose to democracy in its Monday programme (15 November). Dainius Radzevicius from Lithuania’s union of journalists notes that SLAPPs ultimately risk silencing public debate, which is not something to aspire to.
Dainius Radzevicius, Chair of Lithuania’s Union of Journalists (in Lithuanian):
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“The most important thing is to make sure that the powerful – those with financial resources and political or business links – do not usurp all spheres of life; that their interests do not take precedence over the interests of other individuals, communities, provinces and towns. That is why we are now talking about preventing SLAPP practices. On the one hand, the world of the media has clearly changed, but on the other, ordinary people must be given the opportunity to discuss, explain and criticise as they see fit. In the context of SLAPP, it is important to stress that people should be safe from prosecution when engaging in public debate.”
Reynders visit ruffles feathers in Hungary
Justice commissioner Didier Reynders was in Budapest last week (10-12 November) to meet with representatives of Hungary’s government, opposition, supreme court and NGOs to discuss issues identified in the country’s rule-of-law report.
The visit confirmed all the existing concerns, according to Reynders, but Budapest still contests the report’s legitimacy.
MTVA shares the views of Istvan Pocza, a senior analyst and project manager at the Batthany Lajos Foundation, a government body established “to promote Hungarian political mentality committed to the Hungarian people and nation, focusing on European unity and resting on common Christian values”.
Istvan Pocza, Senior Analyst at Batthany Lajos Foundation (in Hungarian):
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“We see a schoolmasterly approach taken by some members of the Commission – telling us what to think; how to read certain texts… It is not the job of the European Commission and its members to lead member states down a given path. Of course, they may have professional opinions and can make suggestions and offer advice. But they should have more of a coordinating function in such matters rather than making political statements and strongly worded declarations, which literally casts them as political actors.”
- Author: Joanna Neville, Euranet Plus News Agency
