June 2023 | 275 comments (275 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: EUROPE foreign policy ARRIVAL (none / 1)

euronews | EU countries strike major deal on migration rules, delivering the first breakthrough in years, 8 June

The agreement paves the way for introducing new rules to collectively manage the reception and relocation of asylum seekers. Last year [2022], the EU received more than 962,000 asylum applications, the highest figure since 2016.
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At the end of the meeting, Malmer Stenergard confirmed the one-off payment for each rejected applicant will be provisionally set at €20,000, which will then be channelled into a yet-to-defined common EU fund. The number of relocation will be 30,000 asylum seekers per year. Additional provisions have been included in case the pledges fall short of the target.
concilium.europa.eu | Migration policy: Council reaches agreement on key asylum and migration laws (08.06.23)
"To balance the current system whereby a few member states are responsible for the vast majority of asylum applications, a new solidarity mechanism is being proposed that is simple, predictable and workable. The new rules combine mandatory solidarity with flexibility for member states as regards the choice of the individual contributions. These contributions include relocation, financial contributions or alternative solidarity measures such as deployment of personnel or measures focusing on capacity building. Member states have full discretion as to the type of solidarity they contribute. No member state will ever be obliged to carry out relocations.

The political agreement allows the EU Council to start negotiations with the European Parliament, which has a somewhat diverging position on the matter. The goal is to wrap up the legislation before next year's EU elections.
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ICYMI
europarl.europa.eu | Legislative Train Schedule, 20 May
In "Promoting our European Way of Life"
statewatch.org | Tracking the Pact: Compromise texts, member state comments, "balance between solidarity and responsibility", 22 May

On 17 May a revised compromise text (pdf) was circulated...This followed a previous version circulated on 15 May dealing with border procedures (pdf); on the same day, a document containing member states' comments (pdf) on a previous version of the text was also distributed within the Council.
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by Cat on Thu Jun 8th, 2023 at 11:12:46 PM EST
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"Integrated Security for Germany," National Defense ~~Strategy~~ Position Paper, June 2023, 39 pp
preface, initial paragraphs

Olaf Scholz: Dear readers,
Providing security for its citizens is the most important job of every state, of every society. Without security there can be no freedom, no stability, no prosperity.
IMF head welcomes Europe's interest rate hikes in campaign against inflation
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Annalena Baerbock: Dear readers,
Our peace is fragile. Our freedom is precious. For too long we in Germany considered our security in Europe to be something we could take for granted. However, our peaceful order is not set in stone, as has been plain at the latest since Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The climate crisis also threatens the security of the people in our country bringing floods and heatwaves.
Drought and rising heat bring unusual wildfire warnings in northern Europe
The COVID 19 pandemic, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns—all these threats show how vulnerable we are. Making us more robust in all areas of life is the aim of this our first National Security Strategy. After all, in the 21st century, security also means making sure our heating works in winter. Security means being able to find medication for our children in our pharmacies. Having smartphones that work because supplies of the necessary microchips are reliable. Getting to work safely because our trains are not paralysed by cyberattacks.
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Politico.eu.com | Germany to buy Iron Dome-style air defense system from Israel, 14 June €5B

"With the purchase of the German IRIS-T SLM and the acquisition of the Israeli Arrow, we are pushing ahead with two major projects from the Bundeswehr's special assets that will help build up a protective umbrella in Germany," Karsten Klein, a lawmaker for the Free Democrats in the committee, told POLITICO. The Arrow-3 system is developed and manufactured by Israeli Aerospace Industries in cooperation with U.S. aerospace giant Boeing. Klein said that the air defense systems combined would provide a 2,400-kilometer range.
The Arrow-3 system has been in use in Israel since 2017 as part of its Iron Dome protection network. Berlin is aiming for a binding contract for the Arrow-3 system by the end of 2023, according to a document seen by POLITICO, which then could be operational by the end of 2025. As part of a splurge in defense spending across Europe following Russia's war on Ukraine, aerospace firms fear that billions of euros will go to contractors outside the EU, including in Israel, South Korea, and Türkiye.

archived Iron Dome® family deployment

Poverty, climate, regional stability on agenda as Saudi crown prince visits France, 16 June

France is a major weapons and defense supplier to Gulf nations. The leaders also are preparing for a global summit next week "aimed at bringing together private and public funding" to fight poverty, support climate transition and protect biodiversity, the French presidency said.

21.06.2023: European Business & Biodiversity Forum, 16-21.06.2024: World Biodiversity Forum

by Cat on Fri Jun 16th, 2023 at 03:03:32 PM EST
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hankyoreh | How a mature democracy formulates its security strategy, 26 June "triad"

Last week, I visited Germany at the invitation of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The five members of the delegation -- two representatives from ASEAN countries, one from India, one from Pakistan, and me [ROK]-- had the chance to join focused discussions with a variety of figures including political leaders, high-ranking officials in the areas of foreign policy and national security, think tank researchers, and members of the press. The topic was Germany's strategy [sic] on China.
We tend to think of Germany as being a logical, methodical and meticulous country, but these discussions turned out to be quite chaotic. I noticed varying perceptions of China even among members of Germany's leadership as well as major differences in their desired approach.
Those differences were also evident in the German government's first report on its national security strategy [sic], which was published on June 15. That report defines China as playing three roles: partner, competitor and systemic rival.
ECFR: [EC Pres. Ursula] Von der Leyen dispensed with the EU's established triad
But groups that are friendly to China have a strong tendency to treat China as a partner, neutral groups tend to see it as a competitor, and hostile groups regard it as a systemic rival.
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First, let's look at Germany's economic policy on China. Germany seems to have written off some aspects of the US' strategy of "decoupling," which is aimed at removing China from capitalism's international division of labor. But Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who is head of the Greens (which is in coalition with the ruling Social Democratic Party), strongly prefers a policy of "de-risking" with China because of human rights issues. De-risking, which means moving away from China in risky areas of the economy, doesn't seem to be that different from decoupling.
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