«Nobody would recognise the independence of Catalonia», EP chief warned

The president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, took an unprecedented position so far against the idea of secession, considered a «mistake»

Antonio Tajani (left side) with Mariano Rajoy

by Emanuele Bonini  
(english version of my article for eunews.it)

Separation from Spain is «a mistake», a not sustainable option, since «nobody in Europe would recognise the independence of Catalonia», the president of the European Parliament said today. Antonio Tajani is the first EU top official to openly take position against what is still a Spanish autonomus region. Speaking at the end of the meeting with the head of State and government of the EU Member States, he was able to break the wall of silence around the Catalan issue. The political messagge sent to the local authorities is not conciliatory. On the contrary, Tajani's speech escalates tentions, although it contains true element of realpolitik. Amongst these, the fact that in case of independence Catalunya risks to find itself totally and completely alone and isolated.

Leaving Spain means leaving the EU. In such a scenario, Catalunia will never access the European Union because enlargment alwayas requires unanimity. The alternative can be the European Economic Area (EEA), but in order to join the group the applicant needs to be recognised as State, independent and sovereign, by the international community. There is also a legal aspect, Tajani told repoters during the press conference. The EU cannot recognise Catalonia because already recognises Spain and its Constitution. Therefore, an eventual secession of Catalunia «would be against the law», and more in detail, it would be «against the Spanish Constitution, which is EU law». In other words no mediation is possible, according to Tajani. «I have no intention to mediate» between Spain and Catalunia. This for two different motivations: first of all, «it's not up the European Parliament to do so», and secondly «we have no intention to recognise Catalunia as an interlocutor of the same level of the Spanish government». Tajani standed with Marian Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister member of the EPP like the president of the European Parliament. The latter made clear that «Catalunia is not a State but a region part of the Spanish country», assuming that for the EU the status won't change.

Italy wants a «multi-year» period to assess reforms

Finance minister Pier Carlo Padoan stressed the importance of giving structural intervention the proper time to bear fruits. «It is no a way to escape our duties»

Pier Carlo Padoan

by Emanuele Bonini

The European Union should reconsider the approach at the base of the European Semester, the cycle of economic and fiscal policy coordination within the EU. Reforms should be evaluated in the medium term instead of the current year-by-year attitude, the Italian Finance minister, Pier Carlo Padoan, said today. «One year is not enough to see if reforms are on track», he said intervening at the "Reinventing convergence" conference, held in Brussels by the European Commission. «We need a multi-year period to assess whether reforms are bearing fruits or not». The concept expressed is not new to Padoan. Indeed, it is not the fist time the Italian minister insists on longer-lasting framework as key elements of reforms, and once again he reiterated what has been stating since he took office, in the previous legislature. «Reforms need time to be passed and implemented, need time to be perceived by the people as the good idea, need time to produce effects». That doesn't want to be a smart move to avoid responsibilities. Padoan assured partners Italy will remain committed to what the EU rules foresee. A multi-year approach in the national reform programme assessment «has not be seen as a way to escape from obligations».

Padoan recalled how much Italy has done in these last years. «The beginning of the story» of the country, as he said, was a situation made by «three challenges», namely the stability of the public finance with the related debt reduction issue, the need of enhancing the growth potential, and the reform of the banking sector. Italy had all these three problems, three aspects that «severly interact» and that turn in «a worse example of vicious circle» especially in situation of harsh crisis such as the one Europe experienced since 2008. «Since then we turned a page, starting a virtuos circle», the Italian minister stressed in his intervention. He recalled all the reformes already passed by the Parliament, the one of the labour market (Jobs act), the one for the civil just, «one of the main obstacles for business», and the several measures tabled for the banking sector. Here the italian minister wanted to point out that the bank restructuring process «is still underway, is not over, but is in the right direction».

EU to put an end the profitable detached work

Draft amending proposal of the posted workers directive wants to eliminate the wage differences. In name of labour protection and fair competition

by Emanuele Bonini

Same remuneration and same conditions as local workers, no salary level change in case of subcontractor, publication of all elements of the different remuneration policies in force in the Member States. The European Union made a step forward in the revision of posting workers directive, by adopting the draft proposal containing the new measures. The Employment and Social Affairs Committee approved the legislative text by with 32 votes to 8 and 13 abstentions, paving the way to the negotiations with the European Council. Unless of last-minute surprises, with every probability the Plenary will back the draft bill in the vote scheduled next week. Then representative from the Parliament and from the Member States (Council) will be in the position of table negotiations.

Posted workers account for less than 1% of the overall EU working population, but they are growing in number. According to the EU figures, in 2015 they were 2.05 million, a value increased by 41,3% between 2010 and 2015. The growth of the single market has led to increased wage differences, generating automatic incentives for posting. Workers sent working abroad often earn considerably less than local workers, which can lead to unfair competition between posting and domestic companies, social dumping and exploitation of posted workers. The new draft rules are supposed to stop all that, pointed out one of the two co-rapporteur. «The agreement we have is politically clear: improve the protection of workers and ensure a level playing field for companies in the internal market», said the Elisabeth Morin-Chartier after the commitee vote.

Italy a real problem as no-vax war set in EU agenda

«Unacceptable» for the European Commission chief that in 2017 children still die for measles. Figures suggest is time for remedies, called vaccinations

A US measles information leaflet. Click to enlarge

by Emanuele Bonini

A spectre is haunting Europe, the spectre of sickness. All the powers of Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre, except the Italians. It could be argued that Karl Marx, philosophy and history are all serious things. Perhaps health is not? Of course it is, otherwise the Italian no-vax culture would had never become a matter of urgence. How to explain the lack of vaccinations in Italy in the politica agenda of the EU? In no other way but that. Care and healthcare are supposed to be prerogative of sovereign countries, but apparently in certain cases they don't care. So here comes the need of intervention. The president of the European Commission stressed it clearly in his State of the Union speech, and that was astonishing as is the Italian state of play. The latest figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) help a lot in catching the spectre which is annoying the continent. Only in 2017, as of 13 September, Italy has reported 4.487 measles cases, making the country the 5th in the world for highest infection rate. Worse than Italy made India, Nigeria, Pakistan and PRC, all developing or underdeveloped countries.

Shame and shake. Antivaxers are ashaming Italy and shaking Europe. «Measles outbreaks continue to occur in a number of EU/EEA countries», the ECDC noticed. Italy and Romania are the main EU countries where such infections take place, as also detected by the World Health Organization (not updated data compared to those from the ECDC). Thus, «there is a risk of spread and sustained transmission in areas with susceptible populations». According to Jean-Claude Juncker «it is unacceptable that in 2017 there are still children dying of diseases that should long have been eradicated in Europe». In other words, what the president of the European Commission ment without saying, a modern Europe can't afford to have neither medievalist forces nor third world poverty dynamics. «Children in Romania or Italy must have the same access to measles vaccines as children in other European countries. No ifs, no buts». So antivaxers, please go home! «Avoidable deaths must not occur in Europe, and we are working with all Member States to support national vaccination efforts». So work Italy? Just in case, the ECDC recalled that «vaccination with at least two doses remains the most effective measure» against measles outbreaks. Oops!


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