Doubts over EU’s refugee plan – EUbusiness Week newsletter 734 – EUbusiness.com

EUbusiness Week 734 top stories: EU pushes Greece to improve conditions for migrants; Key ‘Brexit’ decisions must wait until EU summit; Eurozone chief plays down bank crisis fears; Civil aviation first step to capping carbon emissions; Internet is growing market for illegal drugs: EMCDDA; ECB to decide soon on fate of 500-euro banknotes

Publisher’s Note

Faced with the reluctance of many governments, there are growing doubts that Commission president Juncker’s flagship plan to distribute refugees around the EU will succeed. The scheme would relocate 160,000 asylum seekers from frontline states Greece and Italy. However, only 500 people have been taken in, with Member States moving at a snail’s pace.

While some countries have been setting unacceptable racial and religious conditions, the Commission could be more vocal in how refugees can be integrated into their new countries. A sustainable migration policy is the EU’s top political priority, but it still looks some way off.
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Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

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1. EU pushes Greece to improve conditions for migrants

The EU piled pressure on Greece on Wednesday over Europe’s migrant crisis, telling Athens to improve conditions for refugees and to shore up its borders or risk a suspension of the Schengen passport-free zone.
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Erdogan threatens to send refugees to EU as NATO steps in

2. Key ‘Brexit’ decisions must wait until EU summit

Talks on a deal to keep Britain in the EU will go down to the wire at the leaders’ summit next week after negotiators failed to reach a breakthrough on the key issues, say European sources.
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Thatcher would have backed UK staying in EU: advisor

3. Eurozone chief plays down bank crisis fears

Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem on Thursday played down fears of a new banking crisis that have spooked global markets, insisting that eurozone banks are stronger than a few years ago.
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4. Civil aviation first step to capping carbon emissions

Experts have agreed on proposals for the first binding limits on carbon emissions for the aviation industry, a move welcomed by UN chief Ban Ki-moon as a boost to the battle against climate change.
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5. Internet is growing market for illegal drugs: EMCDDA

The Internet is now a growing and varied market place for trading illegal drugs in Europe, the Union’s watchdog agency said on Thursday.
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6. ECB to decide soon on fate of 500-euro banknotes

The European Central Bank will take a decision soon on whether to keep printing 500-euro banknotes, with the arguments for doing so becoming “less and less convincing”, a top-ranking official said on Thursday.
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EUROPEAN LAW

EUR 30m fraud: Italian police have arrested a retired cleric suspected of having defrauded investors of 30 million euros which they were told would help fund a humanitarian foundation.
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Latest news from the European Court of Justice
EU law firms
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Inside the EU Institutions

Council Watch

Two-speed Europe: the six founding members of the EU have reiterated their commitment to “ever closer union”, even it means leaving less enthusiastic partners like Britain behind.
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Italy PM demands EU change of course on ‘deadly’ austerity
Spain’s acting PM may ask EU for leeway in reducing deficit
Varoufakis back in Germany to launch EU grassroots movement
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Commission Watch

Portugal: the Commission has approved Portugal’s draft budget for 2016, but warned that more efforts would be needed by the socialist-led government to avoid a breach of EU rules on spending.
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EU calls on Israel to halt demolition of Palestinian housing
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Parliament Watch

Saudi visit: MEPs on a visit to Saudi Arabia have raised the case of jailed blogger Raif Badawi, winner of the Sakharov human rights prize.
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EU, N Africa both stand to gain from stable Libya: Schulz
This week, a delegation of MEPs visited Turkey to assess its response to the Syrian refugee crisis, and Germany to study reception arrangements for asylum seekers.
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EU diary

12 Feb: Economic and Financial Affairs Council
15 Feb: Agriculture and Fisheries Council
15 Feb: Conference on energy-intensive industries
15-18 Feb: European Parliament Committee Meetings
17 Feb: European humanitarian roundtables 2016 (Sweden)
18-19 Feb: European Council
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary