Hungary, Poland hijack EU leaders’ gathering over
migration
BY NICHOLAS
VINOCUR
JUNE 30,
2023 7:15 AM CET
Brussels
Playbook
By NICHOLAS
VINOCUR
with ZOYA
SHEFTALOVICH
GOOD
MORNING. This is Nick Vinocur, wishing you a happy Friday. For summit
revellers, congratulations, you made it. For everyone else, it looks like you
may yet be able to cheat the rain for that pre-departure apéro on Place Londres
this evening.
We’ve got
you covered on the EU Council, the musings of Sweden’s (very industrious)
ambassador, as well as a dire warning from the head of Europe’s law enforcement
agency Europol on how drug gangs are chipping away at the foundations of
democracy, right here on our doorstep.
DRIVING THE
DAY: SUMMIT STALLERS
HUNGARY,
POLAND JOIN FORCES TO BLOCK TEXT ON MIGRATION: With the European election
looming and the EU anxiously observing events in Russia, the bloc’s leaders
made quick work of coming up with joint language on Russia and Ukraine at their
summit on Thursday, and planned to focus on economic matters and relations with
China. The only thing left to do was agree on a final statement. But then,
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán spoke up.
Summit
stalled: Orbán, flanked by Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki, decried the EU’s
approach to migration as unacceptable. The pair roundly refused to move forward
with the summit’s final statement until their concerns were addressed. Just
after 1 a.m. EU leaders called things off and went home. They’ll be back this
morning. Full details here.
Bottom
line: The move is an indirect attempt to kill a recent migration deal that
would relocate migrants across the Continent. That deal passed with majority —
not unanimous — support among EU capitals.
**A message
from SQM: SQM produces high quality lithium in Chile with significant local
added value from its operations. The relationship with its neighbours in Salar
de Atacama is an integral part of daily operations. SQM not only offers
substantial financial support, but also assists operationally in areas such as
water access, energy, health, education, and infrastructure. Read more.**
‘The
migration deal stands,’ Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said as he left the
summit. “What has been the issue today was not the migration pact … but that
Hungary and Poland don’t like the way the migration pact was decided.”
German nein
to Hungary/Poland inserts: Orbán said he cannot agree on the migration
statement unless Poland’s push to introduce the “consensus” language is also
included. Poland also wants to insert language demanding that each country get
to decide which migrants “they accept on their territory.” According to an
official familiar with the discussions, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described
the Polish insertion as unacceptable, report Hans von der Burchard and Jacopo
Barigazzi.
One country
seemed satisfied all day — Italy. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has succeeded
in pulling the EU in her preferred direction on migration. And she seems in
line to have more political moments in the sun, with more and more far-right
parties either winning elections or joining center-right parties in government
around the EU. Suzanne Lynch has that story.
BELARUS
THREAT ON LEADERS’ MINDS: Earlier in the summit, leaders voiced angst about the
situation in Belarus, where the delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons
and the mooted relocation of the Wagner troops ratchets up tension. “This is an
explosive mix,” said an EU official, describing recent developments as a “new
situation.”
Little
green men: Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda told POLITICO’s Lili Bayer and
Jacopo Barigazzi on the EUCO sidelines that it was unclear exactly how many
Wagner mercenaries have made it to Belarus.
Is the band
back together? According to available intelligence, Nausėda said, it’s
impossible to definitively say whether the Wagner Group has truly reformed in
exile. The group’s presence, he said, “is not reality” just yet. “We can talk
only about some persons,” like Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who, according
to Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, is in Belarus.
‘Threat’ to
Europe: Before the gathering, one senior EU diplomat voiced concern about the
possible presence of Wagner personnel in Belarus. “It does represent a security
threat at the border,” the diplomat said. Lukashenko has already
“instrumentalized migrants. It would be much easier for him to do that with war
criminals.”
Further
listening: More from Nausėda on this week’s EU Confidential podcast.
KYIV
CALLING: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called in to the summit to
deliver an optimistic message about Kyiv’s hoped-for EU accession. EU leaders
are expected to discuss Ukraine’s application to join the bloc at their
December summit. Zelenskyy opened his address with an update on his visit to
the frontline in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia. Though he did not mention Ukraine’s
counteroffensive specifically, he said the fighting is “highly intensive.”
WEAPONS
UPDATE: The Biden administration is actively considering sending cluster
munitions to Ukraine, Alex Ward reports.
ICYMI —
STOLTENBERG GETS ANOTHER EXTENSION: Jens Stoltenberg is set to stay on as
NATO’s chief for another year, four people familiar with the decision told my
colleagues Lili Bayer and Alex Ward. Details here.
NATO PLEA:
Ukraine should get an invitation to NATO, argue Alyona Getmanchuk of the New
Europe Center and Olena Halushka of the International Center for Ukrainian
Victory in this opinion piece for POLITICO.
READ THIS
NEXT: President Vladimir Putin had an iron grip on most Russians’ views of the
world. Then Prigozhin ripped that facade apart. In the aftermath of the Wagner
Group boss’ aborted uprising, Putin and his propagandists — national
broadcasters, high-profile politicians and social media influencers — have
struggled to explain how the warlord, an archetypal Russian hero, suddenly
turned into its most infamous traitor. Mark Scott has the full story here.
DRUG-RELATED
VIOLENCE, CORRUPTION SOARING
of the EU
leaders’ meeting in Brussels, the head of the bloc’s law enforcement agency,
Europol, sought to bring their attention to a problem she says can undermine
rule of law and chip away at the foundations of democracy: Worsening
criminality linked to illegal drugs.
EU becomes
No. 1: Speaking to Playbook ahead of the EUCO, Catherine De Bolle said several
of the bloc’s countries are facing extreme violence and mounting corruption as
Europe becomes the primary global marketplace for drug gangs.
‘Tough and
hard violence’: “The European Union has become more important compared to the
United States” for drug gangs, De Bolle said. “What is really worrying to us is
the increase in violence. Not only regular violence but contract killings,
torture, explosions — really tough and hard violence with a lot of dead
people.”
In a city
near you: Politicians have warned of “narco-terrorism” plaguing Antwerp, the
affluent Belgian port city. Gang members have become increasingly brazen,
tossing grenades into storefronts and engaging in shootouts that, in January,
resulted in the death of an 11-year-old girl. In the Netherlands, the murders
of a prominent crime journalist and a lawyer have jolted the nation into
toughening its approach to drug gangs.
When
criminals take over: But that’s just scratching the surface, according to De
Bolle, who says criminal gangs are also targeting smaller ports in Germany and
Spain to get their products into the EU market. “We discovered one harbor where
everyone was corrupted,” she said, declining to name the port. “You can have
these really tricky situations where criminals have actually taken over.”
‘They want
to decide’: The flip side of violence is creeping corruption and erosion of
rule of law, as gangs seek to infiltrate ports, courts, local government and
even police forces. “They are infiltrating our societies,” said De Bolle, a
former head of Belgium’s federal police. “They want to decide on big issues in
our societies, and we need this to be a priority in coming years if we want to
save our system.”
Time to
wake up: If that sounds dire, it’s because De Bolle — whose agency coordinates
work among national police forces across Europe — believes “we are behind.”
While the Europol boss applauded efforts by six countries (Belgium, Germany,
France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands) to form a crime-fighting coalition to
jointly lead investigations, she said leaders needed to make the fight against
organized crime an EU-wide priority if they are to preserve faith in the
system.
FROM SWEDEN
TO SPAIN
SWEDEN’S
TRIUMPHS AND TRIBULATIONS: After a six-month Council presidency that featured
the resumption of Europe’s migration crisis, the bloc’s potential enlargement,
growing concerns about rule of law in Hungary and Poland and of course the
ongoing Russian war of aggression, Sweden can finally breathe a sigh of relief
(or just chillar ut lite) and let Spain grab the wheel.
If I may say
so myself: In a written message to POLITICO, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson
pronounced Sweden’s presidency “a success” (you don’t say!), pointing to
progress on support for Ukraine, the migration pact and the Fit for 55 climate
package as his country’s crowning achievements. “We have done what many thought
impossible” on migration, he crowed, progress on which was a key aim for his
right-leaning government.
Swedish
envoy’s swan song: But the person doing the heavy lifting in Brussels was
Permanent Representative Lars Danielsson. Rounding out not just Sweden’s EU
presidency but a seven-year stint in Brussels that will be followed by his
retirement, Danielsson reflected with Playbook on a whirlwind six months during
which Sweden oversaw some 300 decisions in total (take that, Spain and Belgium)
— though with characteristic Scandinavian modesty, he underscored it was
largely due to the presidency’s timing.
Proudest
moment: Closing out the migration file. Flagged as the priority by the Swedish
government, progress in this area was trickier for being “extremely political,”
such that in January Danielsson saw a “50/50 chance” of a deal getting done.
But appetite grew over the course of the presidency to have an EU-wide solution
to the challenge of relocating migrants inside the Union, he said.
Reassuring
the Italians: In the end it was less the internal aspects than protection of
the EU’s external borders that proved contentious. “What basically took place
was not so much a drama in the room as far as negotiations on various aspects
of the pact but rather how can we make the Italians and other frontline states,
but mostly Italians, confident that, OK, the Union or the member states, we see
the problem with Tunisia,” he said. “That was what sort of finally got the
prime minister to say, ‘OK I can accept that.'”
NB: The
drama is far from being over, as we’ve noted above. The deal still has to get
through the European Parliament, too.
What was
easy: “If you look at the financial side [of support for Ukraine], basically
it’s worked quite well because there was a willingness to do this. So that has
not been the big obstacle,” Danielsson said. Nor was ramping up production of
ammunition for Ukraine, he added.
Biggest
challenge: Bringing over new rounds of sanctions against Moscow and seeking a
deal on what to do with Russia’s frozen assets in Europe (still a hard nut to
crack). “We’ve seen a very clear tendency, every sanctions package takes longer
than the previous ones,” he said.
What to do
with Russia’s frozen assets remains “a very difficult legal issue,” Danielsson
added, noting that European Central Bank’s Christine Lagarde had criticized
plans to use the assets. “Many people argue that, if there were to be
disturbances on the financial markets because of this, wouldn’t that have
happened already when we froze the assets?” he said.
On
sanctions, he said the main issue was Ukraine’s list of foreign companies which
it says contribute to Russia’s war effort. “Some member states said that
totally, no, this is not correct. So Ukraine should remove these companies
before they could see to additional sanctions. Now, we managed to sort this
out,” Danielsson said.
What the
Spaniards should worry about: The Western Balkans, where tensions between
Serbia and Kosovo are at a boiling point. “During our presidency we’ve done a
lot of bilateral contact, we have had ministers all over the place. But if you
look at the actual substantial progress in the negotiations with the six
countries, it’s not a very impressive record.”
What
they’ll be dealing with: Enlargement. As the EU contemplates bringing in new
members including Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, “the most important aspect” to
address, per Danielsson, is “how we can make sure the EU is ready for new
members. Because in my mind, the discussion on that issue has been too focused
on treaty changes. My strong belief is that we don’t need treaty changes to
bring in new members, but we need to change our policies,” Danielsson said,
citing agricultural policy, cohesion policy and institutional functioning.
Parting
word: Forget about canceling Hungary and Poland’s presidencies of the EU. “The
rules are very clear,” Danielsson said, noting that presidencies are meant to
act for all 27 countries, not in their own national interests. And if Poland or
Hungary fail this test? “Well, then you will have to discuss what happens, but
it doesn’t mean that you should change your rotation.”
ROAD TO
2024 EU
RENEW
LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN PLATFORM: Liberal EU parties will campaign under the banner
of “Renew Europe” for next year’s European Parliament election, the parties’
hierarchy agreed at a pre-summit meeting on Thursday.
Meaning:
The campaign brand will match the name of the political group in the European
Parliament, which is dominated by French MEPs tied to President Emmanuel Macron
and led by MEP Stéphane Séjourné. “We’ve created a common platform which allows
all the national parties to join together under the banner of Renew to make a
campaign,” Séjourné told POLITICO’s Eddy Wax.
Liberals
back spitzen process: The leaders of the umbrella ALDE party, European Democratic
Party and Renaissance co-signed a memorandum of understanding — seen by
Playbook — that leaves open the possibility of having one or multiple lead
candidates for European Commission president (also known in EU-speak as
Spitzenkandidaten) at the polls next year. The candidate or candidates will “be
nominated jointly, in the respect of Europe’s diversity and in view of top
positions in the European institutions.” The memo adds: “The three parties
below decide to create a strong liberal, democrat and centrist alliance in the
run-up to the 2024 European elections.”
METSOLA
SAYS EU ELECTION REFORM IS NOT ‘DEAD’: With less than a year to go until the EU
ballot, the Parliament’s plans to reform the way millions of citizens vote have
slammed into the brick wall of EU governments gathered in the Council.
Parliament President Roberta Metsola told journalists that one of the key
planks of her institution’s push — creating a single EU-wide constituency to
elect MEPs who represent the entire bloc — is not entirely dead. “For me, the
transnational lists … is never dead. Hope is eternal so I will hang onto that,”
she said. However, it is extremely unlikely that countries will greenlight any
major changes before the June 9 vote, Eddy reports.
BAD NEWS
ABOUT MAY 9: Earlier this week, Playbook reported that EU affairs ministers
meeting at the General Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Tuesday rejected the
Parliament’s push to make the voting system for the 2024 EU election more
democratic — and that the only thing they could agree on was making May 9 a
public holiday. A Council press officer got in touch to clarify that in fact,
the ministers at the GAC didn’t officially agree to give Europeans another day
off — rather that the proposal “received the broadest support,” according to a
Council document.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário