nEUwsletter 07/10/2019

Lesbos: Gateway to Europe

By Alexandre Capel

Located in the Aegean Sea few miles away from Turkey the Greek island of Lesbos could be seen as a picture from a postcard with its idyllic white villages nestled among olive groves. But it has also long been a natural passage for migrants and refugees aiming to get to Europe. Indeed, in 2015 – when the migrant crisis was at its highest – the island’s issues sprang to the attention of the world as several thousands of Afghan, Syrian and Iraqi nationals landed on European Union (EU) soil every single day, making Greece the main gateway to the old continent. At this time, it was more than 865 000 refugees that had disembarked in the European Union through the eastern Mediterranean migratory route according to French Newspaper Le Monde estimations.

In 2016, that number dropped significantly after Turkey and the European Union reached of an agreement. In exchange of 6 billion euros in aid, Ankara agreed to take back the migrants whose asylum applications has been rejected or judged inadmissible. The two entities also agreed on joint efforts to tackle the crisis.

Nowadays, the situation on the field is far more complex than it originally was. Although the migrants are not still in transit they now are stuck in overcrowded refugee camps waiting for their asylum applications to be processed. Moreover, the deal did not completely stop arrivals as the number of crossings has been steadily increasing. Since January 2019 it’s more than 36 000 new refugees that arrived and that are putting constant pressure on the island facilities.

Camps’ living conditions are regularly denounced by NGO and humanitarian organizations such as the United Nations Refugee Agency. Moria, the largest one – one of the 5 Greek “hotspots” – designed originally to accommodate 2300 peoples, is actually the home of 6700 inhabitants according to the Greek Home Secretary. Between the barbed walls, basic installations, such as heater and drinking water (available 2 or 3 hours a day) are seriously lacking. Garbage are not collected and start to pile up all across. Tents are flooded during heavy rains and fire is spreading easily at summer.

Disastrous humanitarian conditions pointed out by many actors such as Cecile Duflot in France, former Minister of Ecology during Hollande’s years and Oxfam France Executive director (aid & development charity organization) who wrote an article following the recent death of a women asphyxiated by the flames on September the 29th 2019.

“One more death in Lesbos, one of too many, one shame for Europe”

Le Monde, Oct. 4th, 2019https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2019/10/04/lesbos-n-ud-migratoire-europeen_6014267_3210.html

The impact of the World Trade Organization Boeing/Airbus arbitration decision on the European Trade

By Hélène Veysseyre

On October 2nd 2019, the World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body allowed the United States to put fresh taxes in place for the European products. The International organization finally took its decision concerning the 15-year-old dispute opposing the two aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing, in the indictment of European countries having improperly subsidized their own global competitor, Airbus. Indeed, following the illegality of those subsidies provided to Airbus, the WTO Dispute Settlement Body allowed the U.S. to apply additional taxes of all imported productions coming from the European Union. This monetary penalty from the WTO Dispute Settlement Body, worth $7,5 billion in tariffs, is essentially aimed at France, Germany, Spain and United Kingdom, which are the four principal European subsidiary companies.

However, the US government declared that it will be a collective responsibility for the entire European Union members. As a consequence, as early as October 18th 2019, the new U.S. measures will come into force, the customs duties will evolve in different fields gathered amongst a list of goods created by the US. The aircraft field will have an increase of 10%, while the alimentary field will have an increase of 25% among which we can find national symbol of the countries such as French wine, Spanish olive oil, Scottish whisky, and also manufactured products such as british woolen suits from the British Isles. This decision taken by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body takes place in a context of continuity into the Airbus and Boeing dispute. In fact, in rivalry since 1972, the WTO has been working on this dispute about unlawful subsidies of the two aircraft manufacturer for 15 years. In 2004, America declared invalid an agreement between America and the European Union, because accusing the countries part of the consortium Airbus Industry -France, Germany, Spain and United Kingdom- to get unlawful subsidies for the benefit of Airbus company.

Besides the sanction allocated to the European Union, there is a similar procedure taking place by the European Union. In fact, in a few months, the European Union will equally be granted rights to impose countermeasures against the U.S. because of their use of unlawful subsidies going against the WTO rules. Those countermeasures will be illustrated by new taxes gathered amongst a list of imported products from the US. So even if the WTO has not decided the amount of additional taxations yet, it recognized the similar illegality which has been performed by both Boeing and Airbus, by receiving unlawful subsidies.

However, the dialogue doesn’t seem to be entirely broken, as the European Union is calling for a fair resolution of the conflict, as the European Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia MALMSTRÖM, said: “The European Commission has consistently communicated to the United States that the European Union is ready to work with them on a fair and balanced solution for our respective aircraft industries. (...) Our readiness to find a fair settlement remains unchanged. But if the U.S. decides to impose WTO authorised countermeasures, it will be pushing the EU into a situation where we will have no other option than do the same.” An amicable resolution of these claims with similar reflections would then be a wise idea for the future of the transatlantic free trade.

The Irish Backstop Threatens the Northern Ireland Peace Deal

By Nomfundo Ndlwana

Suspicions are still rife that the European Union (EU) wants to tie Northern Ireland to Brussels permanently regardless of Brexit. Whilst initially this was an explicit assertion of the former First Minister of Northern Ireland David Trimble, it is a tacit suspicion of Number 10 Downing Street. As a result, the Northern Irish backstop, which ostensibly is unsolvable, is a problem that continues to prevent the UK leaving the EU. This however comes as no surprise. The Good Friday Agreement, with an alternative reference of the Belfast Agreement, since it comprises two inter-related documents, both agreed in Belfast on Good Friday, 10 April 1998, is characteristically complex.

Firstly, it is a multi-party agreement by most of the political parties of Northern Ireland that had historically engaged in extreme hostilities with a legacy of a plethora of fatalities. Therefore, it was, and still is, vital for the maintenance of regional peace. Secondly, and pertinently, it is an international agreement between the British and Irish governments, and therefore a United Nations recognised British–Irish Treaty, which is enforceable in the international legal system. This primary legislation with tripartite strands sets out a complex series of provisions, principally in relation to the status and system of government of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, the relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and the relationship between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. As the Republic of Ireland will still be in the EU once the Brexit deadline has passed while Northern Ireland intends to leave with the rest of the UK, the backstop was a solution put forward by Theresa May’s government as a temporary measure until another solution was found. The principal objective was to ensure there would be no border posts, physical barriers or checks on people or goods crossing over between the two countries. The earlier prospects of Germany and France caving in to the hardliner approach of the current British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, dissipated very quickly. Today, negotiators from the UK and EU are engaged in intense technical discussions in an endeavour to agree a new Brexit deal. A number of British officials, including the UK's EU adviser David Frost, are taking part in the talks at the EU Commission in Brussels. Expectations are that these meetings will continue through the weekend. However, European Council President Donald Tusk has suggested there is only the slightest chance of an agreement.

The UK is due to leave the EU at 23:00 GMT on 31 October and a European leaders' summit next Thursday and Friday is construed an ultimate opportunity to agree a deal before that deadline.

The question that lingers profoundly is that of the Northern Ireland Peace Deal. Could this be the end to the since halted bloodshed in Northern Ireland? There is a hope this is not the case.

As a dust in the starry sky, we are not alone - The Nobel Prize in Physics 2019

By Ruiling Zhang

On October 8 2019, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics "for contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth's place in the cosmos". The Nobel Prize in Physics was established in June 1900 according to Nobel’s testament.This award is designed to reward scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the field of human physics.

One half of the prize was awarded to James Peebles "for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology". Using theoretical tools and calculations, Peebles interprets the traces left in the early days of the universe and discovers new physical processes. Therefore, he laidthe foundation for the transformation of cosmologic conjecture in the last 50 years into scientific research. Rather more, the theoretical framework he developed in the mid-1960s has now become the basis for our understanding of the universe.

The other half jointly awarded to Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz "for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star." Mayor and Queloz are both swiss and they work together from 1994. They discovered the first planet outside the solar system, called as the exoplanet. It is located in the Milky Way, running around a sun-like star. They used a custom-made telescope to discover the 51 Pegasi b, a gaseous planet quite as the largest gaseous giant planet in the solar system-Jupiter, in the Haute-Provence Observatory, southern France.This discovery is the result of the European cooperation in terms of scientific research between EU member States and third countries.

As one of the top 100 universities in the world, the University of Geneva enjoys an international reputation and historical heritage. At the same time, it is a member of the European Research University Alliance and the Coimbra Group. It contributes to the worldwide development of not only science research but also political issues. The theoretical findings of James Peebles helped us understand the evolution of the universe after the Big Bang. Michele Meyer and Didier Quiloz searched for unknown planets and our neighbors in the galaxy. Their discoveries have promoted our perception of the universe.

Focus on the EU.

In terms of scientific research, the EU demonstrates its ability to support cooperation between the different member States. First, at the supranational scale, scientists are employed by the Commission to provide independent scientific advice in the decision making process. This European Science Hub is aiming to bring together scientific knowledge of Europe. Moreover, the European Research Area may be referred to as a science single market as it promotes an inclusive way of work allowing an effective cooperation between member States. Finally, the EU promotes the creation of research networks between scientists through the European Cooperation in Science and Technology programme.The EU also establishes frameworks for bilateral cooperation with third countries. These actions contribute to the European Union's scientific cooperation beyond the bloc. Thanks to this '' science diplomacy '', concrete scientific researches and an effective interaction between scientists from all around the world are made possible.