Dear readers,
Welcome to EU Politics Decoded where Benjamin Fox and Eleonora Vasques bring you a round-up of the latest political news in Europe and beyond every Thursday.
In this edition, we look at how European Parliament President Roberta Metsola could use Qatargate to advance her case for one of the EU’s top jobs.
Editor’s Take: Metsola makes her move
“There will be no impunity. None,” European Parliament chief Roberta Metsola told Twitter on 2 January, after moving to withdraw the legal immunity of two EU lawmakers, following the request of the Belgian judicial authorities.
Withdrawing the immunity from prosecution for any MEPs involved in the Qatargate bribery scandal was always going to be a formality – anything less and the Parliament would have brought itself into disrepute – but the speed with which Metsola has acted is noteworthy. Metsola has given a deadline of mid-February for the Parliament to complete the internal procedures that will allow criminal proceedings to take place.
The Qatargate scandal, which saw several MEPs and officials, including Greek deputy Eva Kaili, arrested amid allegations that they had received hundreds of thousands of euros in bribes from the Emirati state, which denies the accusations, is likely to dominate at least for the first few months of the year. The Parliament – and the other EU institutions – will be under huge pressure to tighten their lax rules on foreign lobbying.
Like any political crisis, a scandal is also an opportunity, particularly with the European elections less than 18 months away, and Metsola has been quick to establish her position.
Restoring the integrity of the Parliament, whose reputation has been badly damaged by Qatargate, and by the failure of successive Parliament leaders to have fit-for-purpose rules on lobbying, would be a fine legacy. It could have the added benefit of pushing Metsola’s case for one of the top EU jobs in 2024.
There is already speculation that the Parliament boss is one of the potential alternatives should Commission President Ursula von der Leyen not seek or be refused a second term at the Berlaymont.
The Maltese conservative has a good support base within her European People’s Party and would be well placed to command some cross-party backing. She would also be the first Maltese politician to take one of the EU’s top jobs. With few obvious names in the frame for the big three posts – the Commission President, European Council President and Foreign Affairs High Representative – we are likely to see more jockeying for position than usual at this stage of the election cycle. The response to Qatargate gives Roberta Metsola a logical platform from which to make her move.
Capitals-in-brief
Austria strikes migration deal with India. Faced with increasing numbers of Indian migrants, Austria has agreed to cooperate more closely on migration with India, which will take back citizens in exchange for legal avenues of labour market integration.
Norwegian company plans one of largest industrial investments in Finnish history. Plans to establish a green steel plant with an integrated hydrogen production facility in Inkoo, Finland, were announced by Norwegian company Blastr Green Steel on Tuesday.
Spain’s unemployment rate hits lowest rate in 15 years. Spain ended 2022 with the total number of unemployed people at 2.83 million, the lowest unemployment figure since 2007, new data from the country’s Labour Ministry revealed on Tuesday.
Inside the institutions
EU-China tug-of-war? Tensions between the EU and China could increase as most member states want to approve a mandatory pre-COVID test for all travellers coming from the country. This is a consequence of the Chinese COVID situation, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) has described as “concerning”, requesting that Beijing share more data.
Chinese Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning has warned of possible “countermeasures”. At the moment, no new variants were detected from China but experts warn that a wider circulation of the virus represents an increased risk.
Croatia joins the Schengen and Euro club. Croatia became the latest country to join the single currency and passport-free Schengen area this week. However, the first days have seen prices rocketing, as our Editor in Chief Zoran Radosavljevic reports. Economy Minister Davor Filipović has accused the country’s retail sector of taking advantage of the situation.
The Swedish presidency has started. As expected, the war in Ukraine dominates the program set out by the Swedish government.
Elsewhere, there is a shy reference to the possibility of moving towards “qualified majority voting in certain areas of the Common Foreign and Security Policy”. In another vague nod to the all-but-forgotten Conference on the Future of Europe, the Swedish government has promised to “strive to achieve a broad consensus among the member states on how to proceed with its proposals”.
On migration, meanwhile, the presidency expects to move forward on the Pact on Migration and Asylum, respecting the so-called roadmap on migration EU institutions and diplomats informally agreed last September.
What we are reading
- Europe prepares to take in more Ukrainians, with less support, in 2023, writes Claire Parker for the Washington Post.
- No EU migration deal under our watch, says Swedish presidency, according to The Financial Times.
- Qatargate? EU parliament’s culture of impunity is its own creation, writes Nikolaj Nielsen for EU Observer.
The next week in politics
- A quiet week for the EU bubble. Institutions are gradually returning to business as usual. In the meantime, the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU is warming up. The College of Commissioners’ meeting will take place in the country next week.
- EU Commissioners Ylva Johansson and Nicolas Schmit will deliver a speech at the launch of the Labour Migration platform, while Commissioner Margrethe Vestager will meet Tik Tok CEO Shou Zi Chew.
In the European Parliament, meanwhile, lawmakers will take part in political group and committee meetings.
Thanks for reading. If you’d like to contact us for leaks, tips or comments, drop us a line at [email protected] / [email protected] or contact us on Twitter: @EleonorasVasques & @benfox83
[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]
Source: euractiv.com
