Dave Keating Profile picture
Jan 18 8 tweets 2 min read
Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola has been elected, with 458 out of 690 votes, as the next president of the European Parliament.

"I want people to recapture a sense of beliefe and enthusiasm for our [European] project," she says, accepting the position.
"In the next years people across Europe will look to our institution for leadership & direction, while others will continue to test the limits of our democratic values and European principles. We must fight back against the anti-EU narrative that takes hold so easily and quickly"
"Disinformation and misinformation further amplified during the pandemic fuels easy cynicism and cheap solutions of nationalism, authoritarianism, protectionism, isolationism," says Metsola.

"These are a false illusion, offering no solutions."
Metsola addresses her relative youth (43) compared to most holders of this position.

"My generation sees no old and new Europe. We are the 1st of the Erasmus generation. The last of the Walensa and Havel generation..."
"...we understand that equality of opportunity is different from making everyone the same. We celebrate differences in Europe because we know that that is what makes us stronger, unique, European."
"This house matters. To our judges under attack, to our healthcare frontliners under pressure, to every woman in our union still fighting for her rights...to our LGBTI communities, to those still discriminated against because of their religion, skin colour or gender identity"
"The world around us is less friendly than it was a generation ago," says Metsola.

"For the EU to remain credible and exert its influence globally, we have to remain principled. This is our true strength. For autocrats and despots, the EU is a threat simply by existing."
In conclusion, a message for Europe's Orbans. "Let me be clear: to those who seek to destroy Europe, know that this house stands against you"

"To those who attempt to undermine democracy, rule of law, free speech & fundamental rights...know that this house will never accept it"

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More from @DaveKeating

Jan 17
There's been a lot of French media attention on the anti-abortion stance of Roberta Metsola, the centre-right Maltese MEP set to be voted European Parliament President tomorrow.

Here are 4 pieces of context I think are missing in the debate: (thread 1/7) elle.fr/Societe/News/R…
1) 'President' is a misnomer for this position. It's more like the Speaker of the House in the UK.

They chair debates and ceremonially represent the parliament to the other institutions. But the position comes with no real political power. (thread 2/7)
2) By agreement EP's 2 largest groups, centre-right EPP and centre-left S&D, split this position between them for the 5-year EP terms

David Sassoli from the left was president the past 2.5 years. Whoever the next president is, under the agreement it will be a conservative. (3/7)
Read 7 tweets
Dec 14, 2021
EU home affairs commissioner @YlvaJohansson says today’s proposal to revise the Schengen border code is designed to provide countries alternatives to internal EU border checks, for instance through greater police cooperation.

From now on they’ll have to fully justify checks.
Member states will still be able to request 6-month derogations to Schengen rules against internal border checks, says the home affairs commissioner.

But more justification will be needed, and Commission can in theory reject.
Member states would be able to point to the ‘instrumentalisation of migration’ (as happened at 🇵🇱🇧🇾 border) as a reason for introducing internal border checks.

But, VP Schinas clarifies, only if the EU Council has declared such an emergency.
Read 7 tweets
Dec 14, 2021
The European Commission will today propose a revision to the #Schengen Border Code - the system of passport-free travel within the EU.

We can expect some media coverage portraying this as an erosion of free movement. But that's missing the point. A thread (🧵1/7)
It's often been said that the euro currency was only done halfway: monetary union without fiscal union.

The Schengen code, developed at the same time, was also done only halfway: open internal borders without common management of external borders. (🧵2/7)
When people hear Schengen they first and foremost think of passport-free travel within the EU.

But the other part of the agreement, not very well followed through on, was the new common EU external border. (🧵3/7)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_…
Read 7 tweets
Dec 14, 2021
Once Greece’s EU accession opposition over use of the name “Macedonia” was resolved, the country still had a problem because Bulgaria objects to the idea that there is a “Macedonian” language.

They say it is a dialect(s) of Bulgarian. But, a breakthrough: ft.com/content/0c7242…
Is Macedonian a language? Linguists are split. As the old saying goes, “a language is a dialect with an army”

But this is going to be a big issue in Western Balkan accession, with concerns over the same language being translated/interpreted multiple times en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political…
The argument is Austrian, Flemish, Luxembourgish or other dialects aren’t registered as official EU languages, so we shouldn’t be registering Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian & Montenegrin all separately. Same for Bulgarian/Macedonian.

Problem is, what do you call the language?
Read 4 tweets
Dec 9, 2021
This part of Macron's speech has people talking here

It's often said the euro was set up only halfway, as monetary without fiscal union. Eurogroup was an effort to fix that

Schengen was also set up only halfway. Open internal borders but without EU control over external borders
I beat this analogy to death I know, but imagine if in🇺🇸 the border states were the only ones with authority over national borders.

Would people in New Jersey be comfortable with Arizona being in charge of their border security?

Change that to France & Poland and you've got 🇪🇺
The external borders of the US are run entirely by the federal government. There is constitutionally-guaranteed free movement between US states.

That the external borders are run collectively by all states, not just the border ones, gives everyone confidence to have open travel.
Read 5 tweets
Dec 9, 2021
President Macron speaking now outlining his intentions for France’s presidency of the Council of the EU, which starts 1 January.
Macron says he wants to set up a decision-making body for the Schengen Area like the Eurogroup for the Eurozone.

It would take decisions on emergency actions and Frontex missions at EU borders (a step toward EU external border management).
Macron says the suspension of EU budgetary rules for the pandemic needs to end, and EU states need to get back to convergence.

But “we can’t pretend like nothing’s happened”. Budget rules should be less stringent (a long time French ask).
Read 9 tweets

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