The Brief: Back to the future

BACK TO THE FUTURE

The EU summit may have a brand new colourful building. But it was the same old grey story when EU leaders met in Brussels.

All roadmaps led to Rome today but the road proved particularly bumpy. Poland last night threw its toys out the pram after being outvoted 27-1 on the reappointment of Donald Tusk.

That soured today’s EU-27 talks on the future of the bloc without Britain. The plan was to display a united bloc, looking optimistically forward, before the 60^th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

A working document backed by the leaders called for “an undivided and indivisible Union, which acts together wherever possible, at different paces whenever necessary.”

Last night the EU looked pretty divided, even if it was only Poland spoiling the party. You can’t be mostly united. You either are or you are not, it’s like being pregnant. Talk of the indivisibility of the Union may also prove optimistic.

This summit served up nothing new. The same European Council president. The same earnest talk about migration. The same last minute scramble to finalise language and jargon.

The EU served up a bland blancmange of re-heated ideas. The hoary old chestnut of multi-speed Europe was discussed. Instead of breaking new ground on the idea, member states opted to rely on established methods such as enhanced cooperation.

Enhanced cooperation allows some countries to press on with initiatives as a smaller bloc within the EU. But they can do that already, so again there was nothing new here.

The Polish hissy fit at Thursday’s European Council added to the sense of back to the future hanging over the Space Egg building.

For all the talk of brave, new, united beginnings, this was a classic piece of summit theatre.

Country comes to Brussels to pick a fight so it can tell its domestic audience it is fighting for the country.

The Brits were once regular travellers down this well-trodden path, last night the Poles picked up the baton.

The more things change, the more things stay the same. Just ask Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.

THE ROUNDUP

“I don’t like Brexit because I would like to be in the same boat as the British,” Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters at the summit, “The day will come when the British will re-enter the boat I hope.”

Guy Verhofstadt told the BBC that Britons should keep their EU rights post-Brexit.

Fresh from skewering Geert Wilders, Euronews’ James Franey asked President Hollande if he’d be voting for Emmanuel Macron or Marine Le Pen in the second round of the French presidential election.

The UN has issued a blistering critique of governments’ failure to stand up to multinationals over the dangers of pesticides. 200,000 people die each year from pesticide poisoning.

Environmentalists had lauded Benoît Hamon’s promise to ban glyphosate, but Europhiles have baulked at his latest plans for a eurozone parliamentary assembly made up of national MPs.

Jean-Claude Juncker said yesterday that the EU was “stepping in” to the Western Balkans to ease political tensions and stop the region falling under Russian influence.

Sigmar Gabriel used his first visit to Moscow as Germany’s foreign minister to warn Russia of “the danger of a new arms race spiral”. Berlin and Bucharest have signed a deal that will strengthen the Romanian army.

Angela Merkel again condemned Ankara’s “misplaced Nazi comparisons” but insisted Germany needs Turkey’s support for the refugee deal.

Dutch PM Mark Rutte told the Turkish foreign minister not to expect an official welcome if he comes to the Netherlands to canvas for referendum votes.

Forest fires will become a much more common occurrence around the Mediterranean, as climate change increases the supply of dry fuel.

The South American Mercosur trade bloc has set out its stall as EU negotiators head to Argentina to revive free trade talks next week.

Are plans afoot to set up a Ministry of Truth in the European Parliament?

Samuel White contributed to this Brief.

LOOK OUT FOR…

The European Parliament is in plenary session next week. Expect much talk about the future of Europe, the EU summit, and the protection of farm rabbits.

Views are the author’s.

Read more with Euractiv

Refugee deal continues to preoccupy Germany

Angela Merkel harshly criticised Turkey’s “misplaced Nazi comparisons” ahead of yesterday’s EU summit (9 March) but still insisted the refugee deal is important and must stay in place. Criticism is growing in both the German and European parliaments though. EURACTIV Germany reports.