By Antonio Rondon *
Havana (PL) The European Council, overwhelmed by the wiretapping scandal exerted by the U.S. and the pending immigration issue, left in the background the proposal of solutions to improve social conditions in a region affected by the economic crisis. Topics such as technological collaboration in the digital sphere and development cooperation issues passed as mere formality in the two-day session, 24 and 25 October, the Council in Brussels, while seeking consensus to condemn U.S. espionage actions in Europe.
At the conclusion of previous European Council held in June last, the issue of youth unemployment, then raised the brand new Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta, appeared to become the main autumn version.
With an average unemployment rate in the region of 25 percent, the problem of unemployment of young people between 16 and 24 years old became a burden for Europe and an uncomfortable issue for governments implementing harsh austerity measures .
The consequences of the austerity measures in Europe were conveniently dropped to second place in the discussions of the 28 members of the European Union (EU).
In fact, the issue of immigration, which at the time seemed to take over the debates, was also overcome by the hacking scandal.
Only in France in a few months of this year, U.S. intelligence agencies intercepted some 70 million calls and Spain was at 60 million in a single month.
Stealth monitoring of communications of at least 35 leaders of several countries, including Washington allies such as France, Germany or Spain, seems to put in an awkward position the European own advocates strategic ties with its partners across the Atlantic.
Hence the European countries should adopt a resolution to underline the need to rebuild mutual trust, badly damaged after the hacking scandal, alleged in documents released to the press by Edward Snowden.
However, the resolution had a conservative tone in any way or made threats referred to the suspension of the negotiations for a free trade agreement between the U.S. and the EU.
In this regard, the Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, said that in no way was unilaterally increase pressure, but to find a solution.
Last July Snowden, former employee of the National Security Agency (NSA) for 27 years promised to temporary asylum in Russia, information leakage suspend uncomfortable spying on his country.
However, before leaving Hong Kong in June last course at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, where he remained for nearly a month, Snowden gave several media thousands of confidential documents as a kind of life insurance.
But journalists to whom he gave such data considered necessary to continue with the complaints, now put on land relations embarrassment to Europe and the United States.
As said at the time the prime minister David Cameron, one of which almost precludes the common position at the European Council on the resolution of espionage, each country seeks defense forms, including communications exchange control .
Rather to Cameron Snowden allegations are a threat to the security of European countries, perhaps in an attempt to placate the true extent of hacking scandal.
London is one of the exercises also monitor telephone calls both within and outside the UK through its Tempora program, managed by Surveillance Agency Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). The German government itself should provide explanations on data published in the press on the full cooperation of the German intelligence service with American intervention in communications.
But others come to light on the eve of the expected revelations European Council, the issue was at the forefront of discussions, Belgian media considered.
At first, the meeting in the Belgian capital looked set entirely to the issue of migration, because the tragedy occurred on October 3 near the island of Lampedusa, when the sinking of a boat carrying 518 people left a balance of 366 deceased.
The discussion of the subject, no doubt, drew contradictory afloat European discourse on immigration.
The fatal wreck, which was joined by another of nearly 40 deaths on 11 of that month, attested to the EU to conduct humanitarian pronouncements on the treatment of aliens arriving in the EU cap.
But the reality is quite different in almost all the states of the regional bloc.
In addition to the limitations imposed between members of the Schengen Treaty, the EU applies measures generally aimed at minimizing the foreign undocumented entry into the region.
Several countries such as the UK and France increasing restrictions apply to enter or stay in the territory of immigrants.
In times of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi came to pass legislation that punishes employers for the fact of employing or harboring illegal foreign and punishes immigrants vessels collected at sea.
In addition, in August 2009, a law imposed fines of up to five thousand euros for the undocumented by illegal immigration deportation v thereof.
Europe discussed for nearly a decade with the regulations on asylum and therefore no one expects an immediate consensus on an even more thorny such as immigration.
The rejection of the presence of foreigners is increasing in times of economic crisis, an issue exploited by xenophobic and neo-fascist organizations to present immigration as an evil, thus furthering the political spectrum.
In fact, the European Council President, Herman Van Rompuy, announced the future creation of a task force, led by the European Commission, responsible for handling cases of immigrants in the Mediterranean.
However, the implementation of this mechanism will be effective in June 2014, after the European Parliament elections next May, after which the Eurcámara could be flooded xenophobic groups.
No one spoke in the Council to increase rescue capabilities at sea or to open safe routes for refugees, only invoked border control measures, complained organizations defending human rights.
This was out of specific agreements of the European leaders in Brussels, which only mentioned the need to resolve the issue jointly, instead of applying the agreement called Dublin 2.
That arrangement signed in the Irish capital considers that states where they arrive in the first foreigners are responsible for giving treatment and route, a circumstance which increased the number of immigrants in countries like Italy, Malta, Greece and Spain in the last five years .
The background evil consequences of austerity measures, ie, increased social insecurity, largely forgotten and only merited a formal discussion.
Few governments wished to discuss issues as negative as the failure of the austerity measures in countries like Greece and Portugal, where the recession worsens and unemployment rises in a spiral, thereby increasing social deterioration.
Since last June session of the European Council, when all of Italy heard complaints about the situation of young people to be one of the most affected in the region by that scourge, the issue of youth unemployment was relegated to the background.
Unemployment affects about seven million 500 thousand young.
But the 28 put a deaf ear to the plight of unemployment, one of the most visible consequences of the austerity measures, amid a crisis that certifying a strong xenophobic sentiment in Europe.
* Head of European writing Prensa Latina. |
