OPEN EUROPE

"It does seem likely" he argues "or at least possible, that the continent's Roman law system will, in the fullness of time, take over in Britain. Whether that happens or not, everyone (except Patricia Hewitt) agrees the way this is going through Parliament is very sub-optimal. The secrecy, the manoeuvring, the obfuscation, the tricksiness, they all combine to alienate and exclude voters, citizens and (yes) commentators from understanding what the hell is going on."

Comment: The Government promised that Parliament would be given all the time it needed to scrutinise the Lisbon Treaty "line by line". But yesterday, during the debate on the crucial Justice and Home Affairs aspects of the Treaty, Europe Minister Jim Murphy deliberately avoided addressing any of the amendments to the Treaty tabled by MPs. This followed the debate on Monday when the Government reduced the amount of time devoted to debating the details of the Treaty to a bare minimum. Yesterday only one out of the 27 amendments was debated. Clearly Gordon Brown's strategy is to ram Lisbon through Parliament with as little argument and debate as possible. Unsurprisingly his claim that Parliament would be given a full scrutiny role has come to nothing already.
Independent

Commons debate Lisbon Treaty energy provisions: today
As MPs today debate the energy provisions in the Lisbon Treaty, Open Europe releases a new briefing on the impact of the Treaty's new energy powers. The Treaty will introduce a specific legal base for EU legislation on energy, and for the first time energy will be subject to majority voting.

The briefing notes that the UK Government originally opposed these new energy powers and tried to have them deleted. The Government said the new powers were "unnecessary" and that it had "detailed concerns" about them. But it later gave way. The Government is now using a bogus argument to justify the handover of powers. It claims that the powers are needed to break up energy monopolies on the continent. But legislation to do this has already been proposed, and is already subject to majority voting under the internal market article - Article 95.

Open Europe estimates that current EU energy policies will cost the average UK family of four £500 to £1000 a year. Additional measures which would pass under the Lisbon Treaty would raise these costs to a total of £600 to £1200 a year. Higher energy prices will hit low income groups hardest, with current EU policies estimated to lead to between 200,000 and 700,000 extra households in fuel poverty. Under the Lisbon Treaty, this would increase to between 300,000 and 800,000 extra households pushed into fuel poverty as a result of EU energy policies, potentially bringing the total to 5 million.
Read the press release here.

Ahead of the Gedling constituency referendum on the revised EU Constitution, the editor of the Nottingham Post reports on the level of interest among the regions' residents and politicians.
Nottingham Evening Post

EU ban on patio heaters could cost pub and catering industry £250m per year; but impact on global warming is "almost non-existent"
The BBC 10 o'clock news last night reported that MEPs are today expected to back a resolution calling on the European Commission to set a timetable for abolishing goods with low energy- efficiency ratings, specifically naming outdoor patio heaters. PA reports that it is estimated that a ban on outdoor heaters could cost the UK pub and catering trade £250 million a year in lost trade.

Dr Eric Johnson, National Expert Reviewer for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, warned however that "The overall impact of outdoor heaters on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions is very minimal, and once you look at the domestic models used in homes, the impact is almost non-existent."
No link

EU directive leading to increased surveillance in Britain
Simon Davies, Director of the watchdog organisation Privacy International, has a comment piece in the Telegraph, discussing the recent revelation that more than 1,000 requests a day are made to "intercept" phone calls, post and email in the UK. Davies argues that the EU Data Retention Directive means that every interaction UK citizens have on a phone anywhere in the country must be logged, stored and made available to Government, and that the resulting bank of information has provided the basis for the increase in state surveillance in Britain.
Telegraph

EU leaders press for transparency in financial markets
The leaders of Europe's biggest economies have called on financial institutions to improve transparency in all their activities. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown met his French, German and Italian counterparts at Downing Street yesterday to discuss the recent global market turmoil.

Andrew Neil, writing on the Spectator Coffee House blog, criticises the stance taken by Europe to avert recession and compares it unfavourably to policies adopted in the US by George W. Bush. Neil says that "America has taken major fiscal and monetary steps to reduce the risk of recession in 2008. Europe has done next to nothing on both fronts."
Guardian FT Times Reuters Mail BBC EUobserver Sun Independent Spectator Coffee House Guardian-White Times-Maddox Le Figaro

Merkel to speak at UMP conference on Europe
Le Figaro reports that Angela Merkel will tonight speak at a French UMP convention on Europe. According to the paper, she "will talk about the future of the Lisbon Treaty, globalisation and also the upcoming French Presidency of the EU." According to the French government, frictions between Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy are behind them, but Merkel "is not hiding her scepticism about the French idea for a summit for members of the eurozone", having publicly attacked the idea of creating "an economic government" several days ago. She is also against the idea of a Mediterranean Union. Former Italian Foreign Minister and head of the National Alliance Gianfranco Fini will also be present at the convention, as will the head of the Spanish Popular Party Mariano Rajoy.

Meanwhile, Le Monde reports that preparations for the EU Presidency are causing problems within Sarkozy's team, with Henri Guaino, his special advisor and speechwriter, apparently prompting criticism from the "most Europhile ministers". Guaino has said the Commission's competition policy is "absurd", thinks France should distance itself from EU budget deficit rules, has criticised the ECB, and voted against the EU Constitution. He is also behind Sarkozy's controversial idea for a Mediterranean Union.
Le Figaro Le Monde Le Monde 2

Referendum hopes live
On his Telegraph blog, MEP Dan Hannan argues that there is hope for a referendum on the revised EU Constitution to take place in the UK. He notes, "Best of all, some constituencies are going ahead and holding their own private referendums...This brilliant scheme is the brainchild of I Want A Referendum."
Hannan Telegraph

EU to adopt electronic register at borders
Le Monde reports that the European Commission will today adopt a package of measures proposed by Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini, which are designed to strengthen the EU's external border protection. The main proposal is for the creation of an electronic register of those coming in and leaving the EU.
Le Monde

The European Court of Justice has ruled that internet providers don't have to give copyright holders information on people sharing music and movies online.
IHT EUobserver

Slovenia and Malta have ratified the revised EU Constitution.
EUobserver