European Commission
Malmström

I am in Strasbourg for the monthly meeting session. It has been two busy days. The College meeting of Commissioners, which are held on Tuesdays when we are in Strasbourg, was all about the budget and the situation ahead of the coming negotiations. I have also had a variety of meetings with Members of the European Parliament to talk about cyber, the asylum package, PNR, etc. The sun is shining outside and the park is full of storks.

I  had lunch with the Liberal Members of the LIBE Committee to discuss the near-term agenda and upcoming issues, such as the Schengen proposal and the asylum package, where the negotiations now are being intensified.

Earlier today we received a dreadful report from Amnesty International, which further demonstrates the Assad regime’s brutality in Syria. Media and other sources from Syria  reveal unbearable images of civilians killed and mutilated children. The massacre must stop.

Today I also suffer with the Belgian people who mourn all the children who died in a bus accident in Switzerland yesterday evening. Among those who survived many are injured and were taken to hospital. My thoughts are with their families.

This morning I met with the CEO and representatives from the Swedish mining company LKAB. The company accounts for 90% of iron ore production in Europe. We talked, among other things, about energy efficiency and research.  It was an interesting meeting, and in times of economic crisis it is especially nice to hear that there is still a huge demand for labour, as there is in Kiruna. They are dependent, and will in future be increasingly more so, on getting people with the right skills. They have partnered with universities in Iceland and Turkey among others to try and get this right. Increasing mobility with Turkey is one of my political priorities, and so while things are moving slowly with Turkey at the EU level, it is nice to see that it is moving forward elsewhere.

During the day, I followed CNN reporter Nic Robertson’s live reporting from Hama in Syria on Twitter. It’s really a terrible situation in the country and I am admiring the Syrian population for being incredibly brave and persistent.

It’s my third day on Twitter, and I admit, it is fun to see that I already have 500 followers.

Looking back at 2011, it has definitely been a very eventful year. The economic crisis has put pressure on people, politicians, governments and the European institutions. The problems are far from resolved as we enter 2012. There is still a long way to go.  But I hope we can shift our gaze in 2012 from the European crisis to providing all the support we can to a democratic transition in our neighbourhood.

The events last year related to the Arab spring really were historic. That people, in one country after another, stood up in protest against dictators, demanding free elections, democracy and human rights is truly amazing. Ben Ali and Mubarak are now gone and Kadaffi is dead.  This creates new conditions in countries where democracy has been in short supply. The brave people in Syria continue their protest against the violent and utterly tone-deaf regime.  I really hope that we will also see a change of regime in Damascus.

Another event that touched me deeply in 2011 is the massacre at Utöya in Norway last summer. It is still so unspeakably cruel and incomprehensible, and it has made us aware of how important it is to work together to identify extremists of all kinds and prevent that acts of violence of this kind is repeating themselves. The launch of the Radicalisation Awareness Network in September has been a great success, allowing many people to come together to share experiences in an effort to prevent violence.

The Poles have now handed over the EU Presidency to the Danes. The Poles had a hard time during the Autumn, in the shadow of “Merkozy”, but Prime Minister Tusk handled the situation well and has shown great European leadership. In my area, we have taken small but important steps forward regarding the asylum package. As the Danes now taken over it is important to continue these efforts so that, by the end of the year, we hopefully have all the pieces in place.

And as the new year begins, we are closely following the worrying developments in Hungary. The new Constitution has just come into force and it contains several problematic clauses that do not appear to be consistent with the fundamental values that all EU countries endorse. It has also led to large protests in Hungary. In addition, new laws have been adopted which greatly undermine both the Hungarian Central Bank, the judiciary and the Data Protection Ombudsman’s independence. The Commission has repeatedly expressed concern for these laws, and for the Constitution. Chairman Barroso has already sent two letters to the Hungarian Prime Minister, asking for clarification.

There is certainly no shortage of things to do in 2012, but let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy New Year!

The pressure on Syria is increasing. EU Foreign Ministers this week agreed to expand sanctions, and now finally, the Arab League is too voicing its concerns. The brave Syrian people are continuing their demonstrations despite the violence perpetrated by the army. Hopefully the regime will soon come to an end, but it will not happen peacefully. The risk of escalating violence is imminent. President Bashar al-Assad must resign. Now.

In a Europe burdened by the debt crisis, Italy has now got a new government which is composed purely of technocrats. They all seem to be competent professionals with high integrity and they will hopefully create some order in the Italian economy. But the fact remains that none of them are elected. All efforts should now focus on pulling the EU out of the crisis and preparing for the future. But instead an institutional debate has appeared about whether there should be an inner and outer core of Member States – most recently discussed in an article with Alexander Stubb, Finland’s EU Minister in today’s Financial Times. The talk is now of a ‘power core’ of Eurozone countries that have triple-A rating forming within the inner core of Eurozone countries. The reasoning behind this is unfortunate, especially at a time when the EU needs to stay together for European cooperation to fully function.

Last night, news came from New York on the inability of the U.N. Security Council to unite around a resolution against the brutal Syrian regime. That China and Russia used their vetos to block the resolution is a great shame, and goes directly against the values which the U.N. was constructed to uphold. The Syrian regime’s talk of reform has lost its last ounce of credibility as the attacks on civilians have escalated. European calls for an end to the violence, releasing imprisoned protesters and granting relief organizations access have so far not been observed. Recently, Europe sharpened its sanctions, concerning, among other things, the oil trade and a travel ban for representatives of the oppression. However, a U.N. resolution would have put welcome additional pressure on the regime.

It has been a dramatic summer with the horrendous acts committed in Norway, the American debt crisis, the Euro crisis, the turbulence on the stock markets, the violence against civilians in Syria, the riots in London and other British cities, and of course the awful famine disaster in the Horn of Africa. The European Commission is working in close cooperation with the UN and several NGO:s to help the people in the region. The Commission has contributed with €158 million in financial aid and the total EU aid (Commission and Member States) stands at €425 million. One of the most important measures, except for getting the emergency relief to these people, is to have a real peace process in Somalia and to secure the situation in the Horn of Africa.

Merkel and Sarkozy met in Paris yesterday to discuss the eurozone crisis. They came out in strong defence of the euro and suggested stronger political governance and a regular format and frequency for the euro area summits, with a permanent and elected chair, Herman van Rompuy to start with. A ceiling on public debt, a harmonisation of corporate tax within the eurozone and a European tax on financial transactions were also suggested. I am rather hesitant to a financial transaction tax, which will only function if adopted at a global level. But I do believe that a stronger political leadership and cooperation within the eurozone is necessary. 

The activity of the European Commission is reduced during the summer period but a lot of people are still present and working and most of us are constantly available. I am in office this week and there are papers to sign, briefings to prepare and internal meetings to chair but there is also time to actually go trough all those papers that have been piling up during the spring. I am also making good use of this more calmer period to prepare for the autumn, which will be rather intense I am sure.