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Worldwide
-DW Information
Paris, Jan 06: The primary weekly assembly of 2022 of the 27 EU Commissioners is being held within the French capital, Paris, regardless of excessive case numbers of COVID-19 in Europe and notably in France.
French President Emmanuel Macron has outlined an formidable plan for the presidency, within the hope of pushing quite a lot of key points over the following six months.
In an announcement to mark its launch, Macron mentioned, “the French presidency have to be a second of reality for the regulation and accountability of digital platforms, the carbon pricing at European borders on imported merchandise, minimal wages, and our relationship with Africa.”
Uncommonly for a European Council presidency, there will likely be a nationwide election throughout these six months, with French voters heading to the polls in April.
Franco-German axis
France takes up the Council presidency from Slovenia, which adopted Germany’s stint throughout the first half of 2021.
With Chancellor Olaf Scholz taking up after 16 years of Angela Merkel main Germany, the political priorities of the French presidency will likely be a check of the brand new relationship between Paris and Berlin.
“How Macron is obtained usually in Berlin continues to be an open query,” Jon Value, a distinguished EU blogger, informed DW. “On power coverage — particularly nuclear — there’s apparent stress, however Scholz will likely be much less fiscally hawkish than Merkel”s administration was. There’s additionally nonetheless a conflict of fashion between the extra brash and assertive Macron and the very understated Scholz.”
The brand new German authorities was eager to brazenly present its dedication to the connection with quite a lot of senior ministers and the chancellor himself heading straight to Paris within the days instantly after being sworn in.
Digital agenda
Throughout the French EU Council presidency, Macron needs to maneuver ahead two main items of EU laws on digital protections.
The European Fee put out proposals for the Digital Providers Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in December 2020 and Paris hopes negotiations with the European Parliament and amongst EU governments might be accomplished whereas France holds the chair.
The DSA could be a sweeping legislation to battle disinformation, murky promoting practices and unlawful content material on-line.
The DMA proposal focuses on lowering the management of multinational tech firms on-line and stopping them from abusing their highly effective positions.
“We will anticipate the French presidency to concentrate on reinforcing measures to fight unlawful content material on-line, safeguarding due diligence measures in addition to on pushing for robust centralized enforcement of the long run DSA regulation,” Eliska Pirkova, Europe coverage analyst on the digital rights group Entry Now, informed DW.
Local weather motion
One of many different key issues for the French presidency is making an attempt to get the EU to implement a carbon border tax.
France has lengthy been one of the vociferous nations calling for extra taxes to be levied on services and products that emit massive quantities of CO2.
In its proposals to achieve a 55% discount in emissions by 2030, the European Fee put ahead a plan generally known as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). A world first, it’ll have an effect on high-emitting industries corresponding to metal, cement, aluminum, fertilizers and power manufacturing.
EU watchers like economist Andre Sapir, a senior fellow at Bruegel, a suppose tank, informed DW, “There are clear hesitations on the a part of quite a lot of EU member states to proceed due to the concern of retaliation by third nations who will likely be affected by the carbon tax, which means in my opinion that the EU wants to barter with third nations earlier than implementing its carbon border tax.”
Different points the French presidency plans to deal with are an EU-wide minimal wage, tips on how to tax world digital companies and, probably, to adapt EU guidelines on authorities funding of sure industries to have the ability to compete with world gamers like China and the US.
Edited by: Nicole Goebel
Supply: DW
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