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EUROPEAN UNION

EU leaders head to Sweden to seek fairer post-Brexit economy

EU leaders are set to meet in Gothenburg this week to launch an offensive on the economic inequalities fuelling populism.

Published: 15 November 2017 15:09 CET
EU leaders head to Sweden to seek fairer post-Brexit economy
Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. Photo: Alexander Larsson Vierth/TT

Friday's summit in the port city of Gothenburg aims to restore faith in the post-war vision of a united Europe by promoting fair jobs, growth and a social safety net after years of crisis-driven economic austerity.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said far-right gains in Austrian and German elections, which followed the shock of Britain's vote to leave the European Union, showed action was necessary.

“Rightwing extremists gaining power? Yes of course I'm worried because I know it's a poison for society,” Löfven, the summit's co-organizer, told AFP in an interview in Brussels last month.

“I'm convinced that a sustainable European Union needs a strong social dimension because this is all about people.”

The so-called “social summit” is the first of its kind since one in Luxembourg in 1997.

It aims to show that the EU is not just a huge market of 500 million people, but a force that can meet the concerns of working people by reducing inequality, boosting welfare and improve people's work-life balance in an era of ever increasing global competition.

Ambitious reforms

The meeting is also the first in an ambitious timeline of summits proposed by EU President Donald Tusk over the next two years to reboot the bloc after Brexit and other setbacks.

Former Polish premier Tusk unveiled the schedule of talks just weeks after calls for deep EU reform by French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker.

Most of the EU's 28 national leaders are expected to attend, including British Prime Minister Theresa May, even though her country, which is due to leave the bloc in 2019, has long resisted greater government involvement in the job market.

May could take the chance to have meetings on the sidelines with other leaders about the deadlocked Brexit negotiations, with a December deadline looming for a deal to move on to trade talks.

But Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, the bloc's economic and political dynamo, will skip the summit to lead talks for a new governing coalition, though her aides said she fully supports the meeting's goals.

These points will be enshrined in a European Pillar of Social Rights which Juncker, European Parliament chief Antonio Tajani and Estonian Prime Minister Juria Ratas – whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency – are due to sign on Friday.

Extremism and populism

But there are, as ever, splits within the EU over how best to drive economic growth.

Löfven, Juncker and other EU leaders have called for free trade deals with Latin America and other parts of the world despite calls by Macron to moderate their zeal.

Macron argues that EU governments no longer have the popular support to negotiate trade deals as many Europeans fear they will lead only to more job losses as well as weaker environmental and health standards.

READ ALSO: Stefan Löfven outlines his vision for EU's future

Löfven, who has headed a fragile Social Democrat coalition since 2014, said trade deals are needed for economic growth but that wealth must be distributed in a “fairer way than we do today”.

“If gaps are widening too much, especially if people at the bottom of the society feel that they are not part of this, well that breeds extremism and populism,” Löfven said.

Leaders are also due to discuss ways to make it easier for young Europeans to move for education and jobs, such as the Erasmus programme, which has allowed five million Europeans to study around the bloc since it was launched 30 years ago.

“Education and culture are the source of millions of jobs and growth in our Member States and tools to reduce inequalities,” Tusk wrote in an invitation letter.

Article by AFP's Lachlan Carmichael

For members

DRIVING

EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

The EU has agreed to extend the number of driving offences for which motorists from other member states can be fined for and to make it easier for authorities to chase up the fines and make foreign drivers pay.

Published: 13 May 2024 17:28 CEST
EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

In the last voting session of this term, in April, the European Parliament passed new rules to ensure drivers who breach local traffic rules in another EU member state are found and fined.

The cross-border enforcement (CBE) directive was first adopted in 2015 after it was found that non-resident drivers were more likely to commit speeding offences. The European Commission estimated that in 2008, foreign drivers accounted for about 5 percent of road traffic in the EU but committed around 15 percent of speeding offences.

The directive partially improved the situation, but according to the Commission 40 percent of traffic violations committed in other EU countries are still unpunished “because the offender is not identified or because the fine is not enforced”.

In March 2023, the Commission therefore proposed updating existing measures.

New rules extend the type of offences that will trigger assistance from another member state and seek to improve collaboration among national authorities to identify and fine offenders.

The European Parliament and Council agreed in March on the final text of the directive, which is now being formally approved by the two institutions.

André Sobczak, Secretary-General at Eurocities, a group representing European cities in Brussels, said: “While the final outcome of the discussions is not ideal, we are pleased that EU policymakers have at least put the issue of the enforcement of local traffic rules on foreign vehicles on the table. As we approach an election year, I believe such a practical example can demonstrate why a European approach is necessary to address local issues.”

Which traffic offences are covered?

The previous directive covered eight driving misconducts that would require member states to cooperate: speeding, not wearing seat belts, failing to stop at a red traffic light, drink-driving, driving under the effect of drugs, not wearing a helmet (motorcycles / scooters), using a forbidden lane and using a mobile phone or other communication devices while driving.

The Commission proposed to add to the list not keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front, dangerous overtaking, dangerous parking, crossing one or more solid white lines, driving the wrong way down a one way street, not respecting the rules on “emergency corridors” (a clear lane intended for priority vehicles), and using an overloaded vehicle.

The Parliament and Council agreed to these and added more offences: not giving way to emergency service vehicles, not respecting access restrictions or rules at a rail crossings, as well as hit-and-run offences.

Despite calls from European cities, the new directive does not cover offences related to foreign drivers avoiding congestion charges or low emission zones. In such cases, information about vehicle registration can only be shared among countries with bilateral agreements.

Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General at POLIS, a network of cities and regions working on urban transport, called on the next European Commission to take other local traffic offences, such as breaches of low emission zones, “fully at heart”.

Collaboration among national authorities

For the traffic violations covered by the directive, EU countries have to help each other to find the liable driver. The new directive further clarifies how.

Member states will have to use the European vehicle and driving licence information system (Eucaris) to get the data of the offender.

National authorities will have 11 months from the date of the violation to issue the fine to a vehicle from another EU member state. However, they will not have to resort to agencies or private entities to collect the fine. This was requested by the European Parliament to avoid scams or leaks of personal data.

Authorities in the country of the offender will have to reply to requests from another EU member state within two months.

When the amount of the fine is more than €70, and all options to have it paid have been exhausted, the member state where the violation occurred can ask the country of the offender to take over the collection.

The person concerned will be able to request follow-up documents in a different official EU language.

When will the new rules will be enforced?

Now that the EU Parliament has passed the law, the EU Council has to do the same, although there is no date set for when that will happen. Once the directive is adopted, EU countries will have 30 months to prepare for implementation.

Last year the Commission also proposed a new directive on driving licenses, but negotiations on the final text of this file will only take place after the European elections.

This article has been produced in collaboration with Europe Street news.

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