2009 Pre-Conference Information Pack
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Civitas National Sixth Form EU Conference 12 th March 2009 2009: a pivotal year for the EU? The Emmanuel Centre, Westminster Contents Directions Introduction 4 Notices 5 Conference Schedule 6 EU updates sheet 7 The EU: A Unique Political Model 10 Charles Grant - Centre for European Reform, Director Discussion Panel: June 2009 European Parliament Elections 12 MEP candidates from UK political Parties European Economics: Can the EU help to avoid financial turmoil? 13 Graeme Leach - The Institute of Directors, Chief Economist EU law: a help or hindrance to business performance? 15 Ruth Lea - Global Vision, Director Debate: Do we need a Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty? 17 Richard Laming - the European Movement in the UK, Secretary General Derek Scott - Open Europe, Deputy Chairman EU Education Project 19 Request Forms 21 CONFERENCE DIRECTIONS Emmanuel Centre Marsham Street, Westminster, SW1P 3DW CALL: 07765044264 Emmanuel Centre Strutton Ground (sandwich shops) Introduction Dear Delegate, Many thanks for choosing to attend today’s conference on the European Union, a subject that will be receiving more attention from the media as we approach the European Parliament elections in June 2009. Civitas is concerned with promoting political awareness about the institutions of a free society. To this end, we believe that the role and structure of the EU must be much more widely understood. The EU is a hugely significant part of the current political landscape of the UK, and is unquestionably larger and more influential than at any time in its history. Our research has shown that knowledge of the EU and its influence and policies is lacking across all sections of society, and particularly among young people. The EU is all too often seen as ’too far away’ or ’not really relevant’; attitudes that we have found quickly evaporate once basic knowledge of the EU is acquired. Most importantly then, this understanding should be based on balanced resources and teaching. The conference is an opportunity for students to hear cutting-edge arguments, from both sides of the EU debate, presented by those professionals directly engaged in it. The content is of relevance to Politics, Economics and Business Studies curricula but is of value to all people with an inquisitive mind and desire to understand the political world around them. Many thanks to all our speakers today, for generously taking the time to share their expertise with us. We are certain they will provide an insightful and thought- provoking introduction to some of the most pressing issues surrounding the EU today. The following pages are intended as a preparatory briefing for the conference. Please distribute this information to your group members. There is a short briefing per session, each of which includes: information about the speaker(s), background information on the subject of the presentation, a list of questions complied with relevance to A-Level curricula, and a list of the relevant factsheets on our website (www.civitas.org.uk ) for further reading. There is also an update on recent activity within the EU. Please note that the briefings have been prepared by Civitas and they do not reflect the opinions of the conference speakers. Civitas Notices • Civitas staff will be present throughout the conference and can be identified by their badges. Please do ask for help if you have any problems or questions. • The conference is designed to offer as much opportunity for delegates to question and interact with our speakers as possible. Please encourage your group members to make the most of this at the end of each session. • This is particularly relevant to the Discussion Panel with MEP candidates for the 2009 European Parliament election. This session is intended to be an audience-led discussion on issues of interest to the delegates, so please encourage your group members to consider beforehand any subject they may particularly want discussed. • The Emmanuel Centre is a religious center and we ask that delegates behave accordingly. • Lunch is not provided, although there is a Tesco nearby and several sandwich shops on Strutton Ground, as indicated on the map in this information pack. • Delegates should not eat in the main auditorium. The Upper Hall, adjacent to the lobby, is available for delegates to have lunch. • The conference is scheduled to finish by 3.30pm at the very latest. Please ensure that all delegates remain seated for the duration of the final session to avoid disruption of the debate. 2009: a pivotal year for the EU? 10.30 am The EU: A Unique Political Model Charles Grant , Centre for European Reform , Director 11.10am Discussion Panel June 2009: European Parliament elections The role of UK political parties at the EU level Jean-Paul FLoru, Conservative MEP candidate (London Region) Dinti Batstone , Liberal Democrat MEP candidate (London Region) Anne Fairweather , Labour MEP candidate (London Region) David Campbell Bannerman , UKIP MEP candidate (Eastern Region) 11.50am European Economics: Can the EU help to avoid financial turmoil? Graeme Leach , Institute of Directors , Chief Economist and Director of Policy 12.30pm Lunch 1.30pm EU law: a help or hindrance to business performance? Ruth Lea, Global Vision , Director 2.10pm Debate: Do we need a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty? Richard Laming , Federal Union , Director Derek Scott , former advisor to Tony Blair and Deputy Chairman of Open Europe Each session will end with a twenty minute Question & Answer Session. If you would like to pose a question to one of the speakers please raise your hand and you will be provided with a microphone. EU Facts Update: developments in the EU (February 2009) The EU’s Lisbon Treaty cannot come into force unless it is ratified by all 27 EU Member States. i. S econd Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty Debate about when the Irish Government might hold the second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty continued. Some suggested that the referendum could be held in October, but others suggested that because of the economic downturn, the revote might take place sooner. For example, it could take place in June at the same time as the European Parliament elections. Ireland was granted concessions from the Lisbon Treaty during the EU summit last December. In a poll by the Irish Times/TNS mrbi on 12 th February, 51% people said they would now vote Yes, 33% would vote No, and 16% are undecided. ii. Germany has not yet ratified the Lisbon Treaty because of disagreement about whether it conflicts with the German Constitution. Germany will make a final decision on the Treaty in May or June 2009. iii. The Lower House of the Czech Republic Parliament approved the Lisbon Treaty on 18 th February. However the Treaty has not yet been approved by the Parliament’s Upper House. Czech Republic EU Presidency update : (The Czech Rep currently holds the rotating EU Presidency.) MEPs walked out of Czech President Vaclav Klaus’ speech to the European Parliament on 19 th Feb. His speech argued that the EU’s democratic deficit could not be solved because there is no "European demos". Sweden will take over the EU Presidency on 1 st July 2009 when it promises to strengthen Sweden's role in the EU and to strengthen the EU's role as a global actor. EU Working Time Directive: New campaign to keep the UK’s opt-out for firefighters The Liberal Democrats set up a campaign to maintain the right of UK fire-fighters to opt-out of the EU's Working Time Directive. The Directive limits the legal amount of working hours to 48-hours per week. This includes time spent on-call, which hugely affects firefighters. Lindsey Oil refinery Dispute In the UK, there were long-running industrial strikes at the Lindsey oil refinery in Lincolnshire over the employment of foreign workers. British workers complained when a contract was awarded to an Italian company, which hired workers from Italy and Portugal. However, Acas (an arbitration service) ruled that no British or EU law was broken. The EU’s laws governing the free movement of people within the EU (e.g. the Posted Workers Directive, which came into force in December 1999) allow foreign contractors to employ staff from overseas if they give them the same legal rights as British employees. 'European Asylum Support Office' proposed by EU Commission An EU-wide office will be set up in 2010 if it is agreed by Member States and the EU Parliament by the end of 2009. European Parliamentary Elections The next European Parliamentary Elections will take place in June this year. They will be the first elections since the EU’s most recent wave of enlargement in 2007, when Bulgaria and Romania joined. An armed robbery took place at a bank inside the European Parliament building in Brussels on 12th February. EU citizenship European Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot told a parliamentary committee on 16 th February that during a revision of the justice and home affairs policies in the second half of 2009, the concept of EU citizenship would be ‘fleshed out’ because, at present, it is often perceived as an ‘imaginary concept’. EU Commission might re-introduce the ‘set-aside scheme’ for farmers . The scheme requires farmers to leave land unfarmed to avoid over-production. However, some farmers criticized the scheme for limiting their productivity. A panel in the EU Commission decided not to force France and Greece to allow crop maize to be genetically modified. Mobile phone manufacturers produce standardised chargers for mobile phones on the recommendation of the EU Industry Commissioner, Günter Verheugen. At the moment most chargers are only compatible with phones made by certain companies. European economy update: Budget deficits in EU Member States Greece, Spain, France, Malta, Ireland and Latvia breached EU rules when their budget deficits exceeded 3% GDP in 2008.