EU summit 2013
The 2013 EU Summit took place from October 24-25, 2013 in Brussels , Belgium . It was chaired by the Belgian Herman Van Rompuy , President of the European Council .
subjects
The meeting of European heads of state and government was shaped by the events. of the NSA scandal and the boat accident off Lampedusa in 2013 . Data protection, the code of conduct for espionage services and the situation in the Mediterranean spontaneously became the central topics of the meeting.
NSA scandal
The NSA scandal - the wiretapping of Angela Merkel's cell phone and the interception of millions of French communications data - became a central theme of the summit. Right at the beginning of the meeting, Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande meet to agree on how to proceed with the upcoming talks with the USA. According to press reports, British Prime Minister David Cameron , whose intelligence services had entered into an alliance with the United States and were suspected of spying in Belgium, Italy and other countries, was keen not to denounce America's actions too much. He advocated focusing on the future and not the past.
Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasized that her complaint about the alleged bugging of her cell phone was not about herself, but about the "phones of millions of European citizens" whose privacy was endangered by US espionage activities. France , Italy and Poland demanded that before the European Parliament elections in May 2014, a decision should be made on a framework for Europe-wide data protection. Otherwise, any initiative would be postponed to 2015. However, the three countries were unable to enforce their demands. The adoption of an EU data protection reform was finally postponed to "late 2014 or early 2015". French President François Hollande lamented the delays caused by the European elections. This setback for a stricter EU data protection regulation was also strongly criticized by EU parliamentarian Manfred Weber ( CSU ): "We finally need political will for more data protection." Previously, stricter rules had been introduced into the draft by the EU Parliament . a. possible penalties in the billions for Internet companies who illegally pass on private data to US secret services .
During the meeting, the heads of state and government of the 28 EU countries emphasized that relations with the USA must be based on "respect and trust", which includes the work of the secret services.
EU refugee policy
In addition to the NSA scandal, the EU refugee policy was also discussed. At this first summit after the refugee disaster in Lampedusa , the mayor of the Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa called for a reform of European refugee policy. However, the government representatives could not agree on a workable result. They only issued a statement regretting recent deaths in the Mediterranean, but postponing further decisions to a later date.
The participants explained that a working group had been set up by the EU interior ministers to make better use of the European border protection facilities such as Frontex and the aid funds for particularly affected member states. The final report should be available by December 2013. The heads of state and government agreed that in summer 2014 they would fundamentally discuss future asylum and immigration policy in Europe.
Digital single market
Other topics of the conference were the digital economy as well as innovation and services. In the final declaration, the participants agreed: "As part of its growth strategy, Europe must promote digital, data-driven innovations in all sectors of the economy. Particular attention should be paid to reducing the digital divide between Member States. [...] In order to maximize the potential of the digital economy to increase productivity and to create new economic activities and skilled jobs, Europe needs investment and an appropriate regulatory framework. "
Furthermore, the heads of state and government committed themselves "to the completion of the digital single market by 2015", since a fragmentation of the market prevents the full development of the potential of the digital economy. The Member States had also insisted on urgent improvement in the implementation of the Services Directive in order to accelerate the opening up of the services markets. To this end, the EU summit instructed the Commission and the Council to submit annual progress reports on national reforms in the service sector. The Commission should submit proposals in March 2014.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c In the end only a very mild reprimand for Obama. EU summit. faz.net, October 25, 2013, accessed August 8, 2018 .
- ↑ a b No change in immigration policy. EU summit. faz.net, October 25, 2013, accessed August 8, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c Merkel is slowing down data protection in Europe. Despite the bugging affair. spiegel.de, October 28, 2013, accessed on August 8, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c d Merkel and Hollande are supposed to clarify NSA scandal with the USA. Order from the EU summit. spiegel.de, October 25, 2013, accessed on August 8, 2018 .
- ↑ misery wishy-washy. Refugee Policy at the EU Summit. sueddeutsche.de, October 25, 2013, accessed on August 8, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c What will be important on Friday. EU summit discusses the refugee drama. spiegel.de, October 24, 2013, accessed on August 8, 2018 .
- ↑ The dead of Lampedusa are far away again. EU summit. zeit.de, October 24, 2013, accessed on August 8, 2018 .
- ↑ Conclusions of the European Council (meeting of 24-25 October 2013). (PDF) europa.eu, October 25, 2013, accessed on August 8, 2018 .