Nuclear and gas get green light, France takes on presidency, Libya thumbs its nose
Week 1: January 3 to 7, 2022
Welcome to the first edition of Union Weekly, a newsletter that offers a snapshot of some of the latest developments in the European Union.
Every Friday at 12pm, I’ll publish a short synopsis of the week that was in Brussels, breaking down the top stories, the highlights from parliament, the FOIAs to follow, and the money that’s being spent.
I’ll also profile some lesser-known but key figures in the European Union to give you a better understanding of who is pulling the policy strings in Brussels.
Gas and Nuclear Get Green Light
In energy, the European Commission has moved forward with a proposal to include nuclear and gas energy on its list - or “taxonomy” - of climate friendly energy sources subject to certain conditions, with the draft proposal, which was published in full by EurActiv, asserting that nuclear energy can “can make a substantial contribution to the climate change mitigation objective.” The way for the proposal was partly paved by a report by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre:
“It is necessary to recognise that the fossil gas and nuclear energy sectors can contribute to the decarbonisation of the Union’s economy.”
To make the list, one of the key criteria to be met is that the energy source “does no significant harm” - and experts appointed by the European Commission to examine if nuclear energy meets that criteria couldn’t be clearer:
“We state categorically that the proposed inclusion of nuclear fission energy… is
contrary to the our recommendation to the European Commission.”
But proponents of the inclusion of nuclear - most notably France, where nuclear power accounts for about 70 percent of all electricity production - say the use of nuclear power is essential to bridge the gap as coal-fired plants are phased out. Germany disagrees.
And, as for gas, the inclusion of a fossil fuel on the taxonomy has been met with disbelief in some quarters. But the logic for supporters - the largest being Germany - is the same; that gas is needed while coal is phased out.
The timing of the proposal - the draft was released on New Year’s Eve - has been criticised by opponents. “Short of digging an actual hole, the European Commission couldn't have tried harder to bury this," remarked Henry Eviston of WWF Europe. The final proposals are due to be published on January 12, giving opponents just eight working days to formulate a response. And, unsurprisingly, environmental groups have slammed the plan:
“The Commission’s taxonomy is a licence to greenwash. Polluting companies will be delighted to have the EU’s seal of approval to attract cash and keep wrecking the planet by burning fossil gas and producing radioactive waste.” Magda Stoczkiewicz, Greenpeace EU programme director
So, in short, nobody appears to be completely happy with the proposal as it stands - except perhaps for Russia, which, when it’s not busy rattling its sabre over the EU’s eastern border, is the bloc’s largest source of gas imports. Nevertheless, the rule is likely to come into force - to reject the proposal would require the votes of at least 20 member states, and chances of that are extremely slim. Unless, of course, the European Greens can do something about it:
“As the European Greens, we are considering taking legal action before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) against the plans of the EU Commission to classify investments in gas and nuclear power plants as sustainable and climate-friendly. The Commission knows that its proposal is legally contestable and does not have a particularly firm footing. We now want to mobilize a majority in the EU Parliament against the plans." European Greens Co-Chairman and Austrian MEP Thomas Waitz
France Begins Six-Month EU Council Presidency Stint
The new year begins with France taking over the Presidency of the EU Council. What does this mean for the rest of us? Politico Europe has a good rundown of some of what we can expect over the coming six months, including reducing the bloc’s emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030, pushing through new rules on online content and digital market abuses, and introducing minimum corporate tax rates and new tax rules for digital companies. The European Parliamentary Research Service has also published its own outlook:
While the last French Presidency, in 2008, was characterised by the global financial crisis, the forthcoming one is expected to be dominated by the ongoing Covid pandemic, the cost of energy crisis and the aftermath of Brexit. The French Presidency will very likely give special impetus to the conclusion of the Conference on the Future of Europe, which should take place in the first half of 2022.
French President Emmanuel Macron is also expected to pursue a hardline on migration, a potentially politically advantageous move ahead of the country’s presidential elections, and one that has drawn fire from some of his opponents at home. In December, Human Rights Watch challenged Macron to use its presidency to pursue a more progressive migration policy:
“Measures should include robust, state-led, and active search-and-rescue operations where they are needed, support for nongovernmental lifesaving efforts, and conditioning support for the Libyan Coast Guard and Navy on concrete and verifiable steps to end widespread abuse against migrants and asylum seekers in Libya.”
Chance would be a fine thing.
Militia Leader Nominated Head of Libyan Migration Authority
In Libya, meanwhile, Mohammed al-Khoja, a militia leader with links to people smuggling, according to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, was nominated as head of the Department for Combating Illegal Migration (DCIM). His nomination exposes the central folly of the EU's financial support of migration control in Libya; that the official arms of the government the EU routes funds to and the militias it lambasts are often one and the same.
The DCIM is a significant benefactor of the EU's Trust Fund for Africa; in 2019, for example, it received 30 specially modified Toyota Land Cruisers to find and intercept migrants in Libya's southern desert, in addition to 10 buses to ship them to detention once found, where, inevitably, they become subject to all manner of abuse - torture, rape, extortion, and more.
And Al-Khoja's appointment lays bare another stark reality; for all its efforts, the EU's influence over Libya's political system is, in reality, negligible, despite the outlay of millions for development programmes and so-called "migration management."
“His appointment suggests that the abusive detention center system, which relies on violence and extortion, will continue without hope for reforms.” Wolfram Lacher, Libya researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs
Read more about Al-Khoja’s appointment and its significance via Ian Urbina, my colleague at The Outlaw Ocean Project, and read our investigation into the EU’s support of Libya’s migrant jails here. If you’d prefer to watch rather than read, check out the video below, produced by our video editor Raphaela Morais and narrated by Ian.
Follow the FOIAs
Following the controversy over the Commission’s taxonomy proposals, there are a few FOIA requests that are worth following over at AskTheEU.org.
There are a number of requests in, including from myself, on details of meetings between the Commission’s energy directorate and fossil fuel companies. You can follow updates on these efforts here (from Pascoe Sabido of the Corporate Europe Observatory), here (from me), and here (via Kalina Dmitriew, a climate change analyst at InfluenceMap).
Other FOIAs that caught my eye include one from Matto Astuti, a member of Italy’s Association for Legal Studies on Immigration, who is seeking more information on the performance of two of those aforementioned multimillion EU Trust Fund programmes in Libya. Follow his efforts here and here.
And, of course, everyone is always interested in what those crusty old tech giants are up to. In this case, Global Witness has us covered. It’s seeking details about the European Commission’s Justice and Consumers department’s meetings with Apple, Facebook Ireland, and Google. Follow the requests here, here, and here.
Tender is the Night
Frontex, the EU’s border agency, splashed the cash last year - spending over €100m alone on aerial surveillance - and it ended the year in similar fashion. Multiple tenders for equipment to support Joint Operation Poseidon in Greece, with a potential value of over €80,000,000, were published in December.
Greece-Piraeus: Surveillance boats for the Hellenic Coast Guard (€55.56m)
Greece-Piraeus: Marine patrol vessels for the Hellenic Coast Guard (€34m)
Denmark-Ballerup: Radio, television, communication, telecommunication and related equipment for Denmark’s contingent to the operation (3m DK)
The contracts were published as yet more tragedy unfolded in the Aegean Sea. On December 23, the NGO Mare Liberum e.V. said it had witnessed “a tremendous escalation of violence” against migrants, and on Christmas Eve, December 24, at least 16 migrants died when their boat overturned near the Greek island of Paros. Aegean Boat Report, an organization which monitors for violations in the Aegean Sea, said yesterday, January 6, it had witnessed 629 cases of illegal pushbacks on the Greek Aegean islands throughout 2021.
Profile: Kadri Simson
Energy supply across the EU is going to be a huge issue in 2022, with the need to reduce emissions and the pressure to maintain supply both acute issues for the bloc’s member states. In other words, a busy year lies ahead for European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson.
Simson, a member of Estonia’s left-leaning Center Party, landed the role in December 2019, having served as Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure in her home country from 2016 to 2019, and was seen as one of her party’s leading lights at the time of her nomination to the role. But, despite holding the energy brief for the last two years, she’s still a relative unknown outside of Estonia.
Simson’s political ascent in Estonia was not without controversy. In 2017, she found herself embroiled in a scandal in which she was accused of influencing government policy to provide support payments to the pig farming industry, eventually benefiting a pig farm linked to her partner, Teet Soorm. Simson denied all allegations of wrongdoing, and said Postimees, the newspaper that broke the story, had “erred against fact on several occasions.” A subsequent motion of no confidence against her by the opposition failed.
Then, in a separate case at the end of 2017, Soorm was detained by police on suspicion of of large-scale embezzlement and money laundering, and the home he shared with Simson was raided by police. The case was later dropped, with Soorm forced to pay €25,000 into the state revenue. Simson herself was never suspected of any wrongdoing, though she came under fierce criticism for her ties to Soorm.
Perhaps more significant for the year ahead, and a sign of where she leans on energy policy, is Simson’s record as minister. Simson’s green credentials are, to say the least, wanting. As minister, she backed supports for Estonia’s oil shale industry, and continued to voice her support for new oil shale plants in Estonia after becoming commissioner.
Simson was grilled on her record by Finnish Green Ville Niinistö during her debut performance in the European Parliament in October, just prior to becoming commissioner. According to the EU Observer, Niinistö said he was "worried about [Simson’s] climate credentials," as Estonia was a "supporter of shale oil, one of the dirtiest energy sources."
Simson’s backing of gas energy during the October Q&A also drew flak - she said gas, especially biogas and other forms of gas, was “an important tool for the transition period” - and her overall performance was described, variously, as evasive, unpromising and “alarmingly weak.”
Simson’s views put her right in line with the latest proposal from the European Commission, but are sure to bring her challenges from climate campaigners. And with France sure to push the 55 percent emission cuts by 2030 target, Simson’s record on fossil fuels is likely to put her at the center of much controversy throughout the year.
ICYMI…
New Euronews Owner, Alpac Capital, Linked To Hungarian PM's Adviser via RFE/RL
Euronews announced on December 17 that Portuguese investment firm Alpac Capital, whose chief executive officer, Pedro Vargas David, is well connected in Hungary and is the son of Orban adviser Mario David, will buy an 88 percent share from Egyptian tycoon Naguib Sawiris.
In recent years, Euronews has seen falling revenues and has been subsidized by the European Commission.
Despite EU court rulings, Facebook says US is safe to receive Europeans’ data via Politico Europe
Europe's top court says Washington plays fast and loose with European data. Facebook disagrees.
Despite the European Union's highest court twice declaring that the United States does not offer sufficient protection for Europeans' data from American national security agencies, the social media giant's lawyers continue to disagree, according to internal documents seen by POLITICO.
Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, said: “This proposal will tighten the screws on shell companies, establishing transparency standards so that the misuse of such entities for tax purposes can more easily be detected.
Next week…
The European Parliament will begin kicking into gear next week with the sitting of a number of committees on Monday on Thursday. Proceedings can be watched live on the parliament’s website here.
Full agendas have not yet been released, but of potential interest are the meetings of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs amid ongoing concerns about migration policy, and the Committee on Development, which will discuss access to vaccines in developing countries.