Jul72017

Public consultation identifies challenges for future Common Agricultural Policy

EU

European citizens believe that agricultural policy should continue to be managed at the EU level, and that helping farmers and protecting the environment should be its two main goals.

These are among the key findings of the public consultation published today on modernising and simplifying the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which received more than 322,000 submissions from a wide range of stakeholders, including farmers, citizens, organisations and other interested parties

Speaking at “The CAP: Have your say” conference today in Brussels, where the findings were disclosed, Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, said: “Today is another milestone on the journey towards the future of the Common Agricultural Policy and an opportunity for stakeholders to contribute further to the debate. The response to the public consultation shows the level of interest that there is in the CAP, which continues to support a dynamic agricultural sector, ensures safe and high quality food for 508 million citizens and provides for significant investment in rural areas.”

The high level of participation in the consultation shows that agriculture and its role in society has become an increasingly important issue for many European citizens. The vast majority of respondents (90%) are also clear that there is a real added-value in managing agricultural policy at the European level, as it ensures a level playing field within the single market and ensures that agriculture can respond more effectively to the shared challenges such as environmental protection (85%) and tackling climate change (73%). The need to maintain economic, social and territorial cohesion across the EU (86%) as well as the need for a common framework of sharing best practices (91%) was also frequently mentioned.  

Clear aims

The findings of the consultation are also clear about what the Common Agricultural Policy should achieve. Ensuring a fair standard of living for farmers is a key demand, with a majority of respondents (88%) recognising that farm incomes are lower than the EU average and that farmers receive only a small amount of the final consumer price for food (97%). Direct income support for farmers is considered the best way to achieve this (66% of respondents).

The other main aim of the CAP should be to ensure that farmers are encouraged to play their part in tackling climate change and protecting the environment, protecting biodiversity, reducing soil degradation and ensuring a more sustainable use of pesticides and fertilisers.

It is also clear from the findings that citizens and farmers alike want the future CAP to be simpler and less bureaucratic in order to more effectively rise to these challenges.

The findings of the consultation will feed into the Commission’s ongoing reflection on the future of food and farming. A Communication on modernising and simplifying the CAP will follow an impact assessment of possible future policy proposals.

Background

The online public consultation on modernising and simplifying the CAP was launched on 2 February 2017 and ran until 2 May 2017. It was open to all interested citizens and organisations and organised through a questionnaire in all 23 official EU languages.

The aim of the consultation was to gather views from farmers, organisations and any other interested parties on three main issues: agriculture, rural areas and the CAP today; objectives and governance of the CAP; and agriculture, rural areas and the CAP tomorrow. It included 28 closed questions (multiple choice), five open questions and the possibility to upload position papers.

For More Information

All replies to the consultation and a summary of the results will be published here.

“The CAP: Have your say” – conference reports and documents will be available here.

Jul72017

Highlights: Launch of EASO Annual Report on the Situation of Asylum in the EU 2016

EU

On 5 July 2017, EASO organised the Launch of the EASO Annual Report on the Situation of Asylum in the EU+ 2016, which was held in Brussels.

The 2016 EASO Annual Report on the Situation of the Asylum in the EU+ aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the situation of asylum in the EU+ (EU Member States plus Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein) by examining requests for international protection to the EU, analysing application and decision data, asylum trends, including key challenges and responses during the year, major institutional and legal developments and providing an overview of the practical functioning of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). According to the main findings and figures presented during the launching event:

  • There was significant increase in asylum applications over the past two years led to a growth in decisions issued at first instance: in 2016, EU+ countries issued close to 1.15 million first-instance decisions, an increase of 84 % compared to 2015.
  • The highest numbers of asylum applicants recorded were citizens of Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Nigeria.
  • The main receiving countries were Germany, Italy, France, Greece and Austria. There were 7 % more applicants awaiting a final decision on their application compared to 2015 which continued to put pressure on the asylum and reception systems of the EU+ countries.
  • The crisis in Syria continued to be a key factor in the number of applications for international protection in the EU+. Syria was the top citizenship of applicants reported with its citizens accounting for 26 % of all applications in the EU+ while more than 65 000 unaccompanied minors (UAMs) applied for international protection in the EU+, 37 % less than the previous year. Afghan nationals lodged 37 % of all UAM applications in the EU+.

Commenting on the main findings, Jose Carreira, Executive Director of EASO, highlighted: The launch of the Annual Report on the Situation of Asylum in the EU represents an excellent opportunity to identify the key changes, developments and trends in the field of international protection in 2016, so that we can better assess where we stand now and what should continue to be the focus of our efforts. The current situation of asylum in the EU and the fast pace in which the Agency is scaling up its operational capacity, makes this the right time to think about the future evolution of EASO.”

Click on photo to watch video

A panel discussion on EASO activities and operational work in the context of the hotspots, also held during the launching event with the participation of European Commission, representatives of EASO and national authorities. Among main topics discussed was the state of play on EU Relocation Programme and the implementation of the EU-TR Statement. According to statistics, more than 23 03 applicants relocated as of 3 July 2017, stated during the disuccsion.

Click on photo to watch video

Contributions to the Annual Report were also specifically sought from civil society with an open call for input from the EASO Executive Director to the members of the EASO Consultative Forum and other civil society stakeholders, inviting them to provide information on their work relevant for the functioning of the CEAS.

This year’s launching of EASO’s Annual Report on the Situation of Asylum in the EU was also marked by a Relocation Café concept event  which was organised by EASO with the participation of Belgian Asylum Authorities. The meeting aimed at providing factual information referring to the support provided by EASO to Greece and Italy in the context of the EU Relocation Programme. The Relocation Café offered the participants the opportunity to discuss important aspects of the EU Relocation Programme, as well as latest developments, with EASO’s asylum experts, in the active presence of  successfully relocated persons from Greece and Italy to Belgium.

Click here to see more photos and videos of the event
Click on photo to watch testimonial from Relocation Cafe
Click here to watch videos of Relocation Success Stories

EASO will continue its work within its mandate, as it may be strengthened to respond to current needs, while delivering on its core tasks in all areas, including: operational support, capacity building and training, facilitating practical cooperation among EU+ countries, collecting and analysing qualitative and quantitative information and information on countries of origin, and external dimension.

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Jul72017

After a decade of distraction it’s time to focus on building an economy for the many

Scottish Labour

After a decade of distraction, it is time for a clear and determined focus on building an economy for the many, not the few.

It shows how utterly dire the SNP government’s economic performance has become that ministers this week were celebrating GDP figures showing Scotland had narrowly avoided entering recession. Never has the bar for success seemed so low.

The reality is that for the past decade Scotland has been governed by Nationalist ministers more concerned with breaking up the UK than with breaking down barriers to enable people to get on in life with a secure job that pays a fair wage. They are more concerned with using their position in power to posture against the Tories than to alleviate the worst of Tory austerity.

Nearly 250,000 people in Scotland are working in low paid sectors without guaranteed hours or baseline employment rights. Almost one in five Scots are paid less than the living wage.

That is why Scottish Labour has published an industrial strategy that looks to unlock the potential of devolution to radically rebalance our economy.

On investment, we want to see a Scottish Investment Bank, established as part of a UK wide network of development banks to invest in the infrastructure our country needs.

We want greater investment in education, giving our people the skills they need to compete for the jobs of the future, tackling the skills shortages holding our economy back, and developing Scotland as a science, technology engineering and maths nation.

The pace of technological change and growth of automation is something no country can run away from or build a wall against. The challenge over the next ten to twenty years, as increasingly sophisticated algorithms replace jobs, isn’t to bring old jobs back but to create high paying new ones instead. This is something that Kezia Dugdale has repeatedly identified as a key challenge for Scotland in the years to come.

That’s why we want to see a software development and coding apprenticeship path developed to help Scotland’s young people get the skills they need. Barriers for young people, especially girls, from entering science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies and careers, must be ripped down. More investment and more direction can inspire a new generation of world-leading scientists and innovators to give our country the skills we all need to succeed. And we need to harness the potential of innovation to deepen and broaden exporting opportunities, especially to our small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector.
Despite improvements in recent years, businesses in Scotland still lag behind the OECD in terms of innovation – and almost half of research and development in Scotland is undertaken by just 10 companies. This is particularly concerning for the manufacturing sector, which has seen under-investment in modern equipment compared to overseas competitors. To help resolve this, the SNP government needs to do a better job of making businesses aware of the funding that is available for research and ensure that funding is properly used.

But it also needs to develop a strategy for linking Scotland’s world-class university research with business. It is well-documented that Scotland’s academic innovation is often utilised abroad rather than by firms here – and it clearly makes no sense to have research conducted in Scotland being used to give firms elsewhere a competitive advantage. Through Scotland’s academic sector, there is huge, untapped potential to create a truly innovative, research driven economy that will help business flourish and lead the world.

A lack of innovation, research and development also hinders the ability of SMEs to grow their exports and expand their business. Around 60% of Scottish SMEs do no trade outside of Scotland. Scotland’s exports are also highly concentrated – just 15 businesses account for 30% of all international exports, and 70 firms account for 50%. The SNP government needs to immediately act on these troubling figures. As is often the case with the SNP, Ministers had mooted creating a Manufacturing Institute, but to date no real progress has been made with this. These issues should be addressed as a matter of urgency.

The SNP government should be using the billions Scotland spends on procurement and public contracts to build a fairer economy. No business that engages in blacklisting or tax dodging should be rewarded with tax payer cash, instead they should be incentivised to pay better wages through public contracts.

We want to see a version of ‘Macora Law’ introduced in Scotland. This would allow workers to buy an enterprise when it us up for sale, and otherwise facing closure, giving more say to working people who want to see a company succeed.

Brexit represents a serious threat to the Scottish economy, but we should also seize the opportunity it presents.

Too many people experience long working hours, job monotony, management by stress and over-work.

The EU Working Time Directive, a measure aimed at limiting the length of the working week to 48 hours, is subject to a UK opt-out. As a result, across the UK there are 3.35 million people working over 48 hours per week – over a quarter of a million of these workers are in Scotland.

As we leave the EU, the UK and Scottish Governments should consult business to discuss how we can end the opt-out of the Working Time Directive as part of a managed reduction of working time to curb excessive hours, improve health and safety and boost productivity.

These plans could be driven by two new economy ministers. A dedicated Cities Minister and a dedicated Minister for Innovation.

These are just some of the ideas which could drive productivity and business growth, making Scotland an economic powerhouse once again – a new partnership between industry, government and employees. All we need now is a government with the vision and the will to implement them.

———–
Jackie Baillie is Scottish Labour’s Economy spokesperson. This article first appeared in the Scotsman on Saturday 8 July 2017 

 

Jul72017

Press release: Major milestone for A21 upgrade as new flyover opens

HM Government

The work is part of a project to upgrade the A21 between Tonbridge and Pembury to a new dual carriageway, speeding up journeys and boosting the economy.

Drivers using the A21 through the Longfield junction will no longer need to stop at the old Longfield roundabout as the new flyover partially opens, with one lane open in each direction. It is the latest in a series of milestones achieved by the Highways England-led project team in recent months, and follows the reopening of Tonbridge Road in April and moving traffic on to new structures near Fairthorne village in June.

The new flyover at the Longfield Road junction will remove the need for drivers continuing on the A21 to stop at the old Longfield roundabout

Highways England Project Manager Anne-Marie Palmer said:

Over the last few months we’ve made real progress with the construction of the new flyovers at Fairthorne and Longfield Road. Opening the new flyover at the Longfield Road junction will reduce congestion by removing the need for drivers continuing on the A21 to stop at the old Longfield roundabout. Later this summer we will be opening both lanes of the dual carriageway, which is when the benefits of this major improvement will really be noticed.

Earlier this year, Tonbridge Road reopened to traffic between the Longfield junction and Pembury hospital. The bridge at the new Fairthorne junction partially opened in June allowing construction of the new access road for residents along Pembury Walks and Half Moon Lane.

George Pargeter, Balfour Beatty Project Director for the A21 Tonbridge to Pembury Project, added:

We are very pleased with the progress on the A21 given the complex nature of this project. The partial opening of the Longfield Flyover is set to transform journeys for local residents by providing a more streamlined route for drivers continuing on the A21 and is a testament to the skills and expertise of the project team.

The Longfield flyover will fully open to traffic – providing two lanes to traffic in both directions – later this summer when the new dual carriageway opens.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Jul72017

News story: Jem Eskenazi joins UK Export Finance as Chief Technology Officer

HM Government

At UKEF, Jem will act as a champion for digital technologies within UKEF, responsible for innovation and adoption of new technologies as the department further develops its digital support for exports.

Jem brings significant experience of digital innovation in the international finance industry, having previously worked for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development as its Information Technology Managing Director.

Prior to this Jem has also held several Chief Information Officer posts, as well as undertaking various Non-Executive Director roles. He has experience in a number of geographic regions and industries, including financial services, mobile telecommunications, medical systems, industrial gases and pharmaceuticals.

Throughout his career, he has focused on the strategic evolution of IT functions, projects and roles, with a particular focus on improving integration with other departments.

Bhaskar Dasgupta, Chief Operating Officer at UKEF, said:

We’re delighted to welcome Jem to UKEF as Chief Technology Officer, with his extensive experience of delivering user-centred digital services. His pioneering approach to information technology teams and systems will ensure we in UKEF can continue to make exports happen by driving innovative technological solutions across the business.

Jem Eskenazi, Chief Technology Officer at UKEF, added:

UKEF provides competitive, innovative and flexible support for exports for firms of any size, in any sector. It therefore needs internal and external digital infrastructure that meets requirements as diverse and dynamic as the customers we support. I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead the organisation’s next phases in IT efficiency and innovation.