Safer IN? Health improvements in EU this century

The number of deaths from heart attacks and strokes dropped significantly in the European Union between 2000 and 2013, according to the latest figures from Eurostat, reports EurActiv. However, cardiovascular diseases still cause enormous costs for society and the economy at large, according to the data released last week (4 May): http://www.euractiv.com/section/health-consumers/news/fatal-heart-attacks-and-strokes-drops-in-eu-but-costs-remain-high/

The National Institute of Economic and Social Research estimates that British GDP could fall by between 1.5 per cent and 7.8 per cent in 2030, compared to the situation if the country stays in. Interesting that the Institute believes both sterling and exports would get hammered by the loss of access to the single market, says Politico Morning Exchange: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmhmTupkoX5hGKnwAiZMJHmA2&fid=flinbox In fact, it adds, the majority of Britain's large companies say they have already hedged against the risk that a vote to leave the EU will knock more than 10 percent off the value of sterling, according to Reuters: http://reut.rs/1ZDmoMD.

Managing fish stocks would be a massive pain [for Britain outside the EU], according to Maria Damanaki, former fisheries commissioner whose term ended 2014 and currently global managing director for oceans at The Nature Conservancy, an environmental NGO. She says [in an op-ed seen in advance by Morning Agri and Food] that the Common Fisheries Policy, which sets fishing quotas, has worked in the U.K.'s favor. The country's fishing industry's gross profit margin jumped to 35 percent in 2014 because of management policy. In contrast, unmanaged seas like the Mediterranean have falling fish stocks and increasingly desperate fishermen:

https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cm_0tRIjUX5hGWogAhWtgkKA2&fid=flinbox

[The European] Parliament voted in overwhelmingly in favor of two fishing partnership agreements yesterday, reports Politico Morning Agri and Food. The Mauritania one aims to balance financial contribution to Mauritania with granting the European fleet greater access to its waters. Liberia has important tuna stocks in its waters, and the deal emphasizes sustainable management: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cm_0tRIjUX5hGWogAhWtgkKA2&fid=flinbox Spain is set to be a big beneficiary of the plans, says EurActiv Spain: http://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/new-fishing-deals-with-mauritania-and-liberia-approved/

After consulting its members, the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) decided it will advocate for continued U.K. membership in the EU, the Herald Scotland reports, reports Politico Morning Trade: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmSd5MZjUX5hGTXNidZ18T-w2&fid=flinbox

"Project Fear" is simply a clever piece of election branding intended to undermine Remain's greatest electoral strength - the power of their economic argument, according to an op-ed in Politico by Chris Hirst, European and U.K. group CEO at multinational advertising and public relations company Havas: http://www.politico.eu/article/why-project-fear-is-a-good-thing-for-remain-brexit-referendum-election-branding-leave-campaign/

An attempt by the European Commission to revise the contentious Posted Workers directive is likely to fail, as the national parliaments of at least ten member states from Central and Eastern Europe are reported have used a yellow card to stop the legislation, reports EurActiv...The new proposal intends to redress so-called 'social dumping', where European companies use low-cost workers to circumvent the labour laws of the host country: http://www.euractiv.com/section/social-europe-jobs/news/national-parliaments-invoke-yellow-card-in-response-to-revised-posted-workers-directive/

The French government's decision to force through labour market reforms without a vote in parliament can be explained by EU pressure to reform and reduce the deficit, says EUobserver: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmRJXlkUoX5hGNpdidZ1yJPg2&fid=flinbox

MEPs have stopped work on plans to give Turks visa-free access to the EU's Schengen zone, putting a wider migrant deal in doubt, reports EUobserver: https://euobserver.com/justice/133394

The European Commission and Parliament on Tuesday stepped up pressure on EU countries to act on proposed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures they say are needed to protect European industry against unfair trade practices, especially from China, reports Politico Morning Trade. The European health and food safety commissioner…called on the national governments to take action on a modernized Trade Defense Instruments measure the Commission proposed three years ago: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmSd5MZjUX5hGTXNidZ18T-w2&fid=flinbox

Joerg Wuttke, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, complained in an interview with CNBC that "trade with China is lopsided, in the sense that they can … buy anything they want, whereas we have a lot of restrictions", reports Politico Morning Trade. He asked the EU to secure better market access, adding that he hopes "there will be progress on the EU-China summit in Beijing in July … We need good news coming out of China": https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmSd5MZjUX5hGTXNidZ18T-w2&fid=flinbox

MEPs are this week debating whether to tell the European Commission to hold back its efforts to grant China market economy status in EU trading rules, reports Politico, [picking up a story in the FT: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmiYCFdjYX5hGQG4DBbm1Vag2&fid=flinbox Diego Zuluanga of the Institute of Economic Affairs told Politico Morning Trade: "Refusing to grant China market economy status would be a big strategic mistake": https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmSd5MZjUX5hGTXNidZ18T-w2&fid=flinbox

European Commissioner for Trade Malmström [told the European Parliament] the EU and Mercosur [the South American trade bloc] agreed to exchange offers this week, reports Politico Morning Trade. "Negotiations have dragged for quite some time," Malmström said, "but the change of government in Argentina has opened a unique window of opportunity:" https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmSd5MZjUX5hGTXNidZ18T-w2&fid=flinbox

The [European] Commission released its report on the latest EU-Japan negotiations, which happened between April 11-20 in Tokyo. As in any FTA [free trade agreement] negotiation, agricultural issues are at the forefront, says Politico Morning Agri and Food: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cm_0tRIjUX5hGWogAhWtgkKA2&fid=flinbox

According to Lolita Čigāne, the MP who chairs the Latvian Parliament's EU affairs committee, interviewed by Politico, many national parliaments - including the U.K.'s - don't get the most out of the EU because they don't engage with it at Parliament level. She says: "The level of knowledge of U.K. MPs [of the EU] leaves a lot to be desired. It stems from their mandate being so limited": https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmiYCFdjYX5hGQG4DBbm1Vag2&fid=flinbox

Bruno Le Maire, the third man in the race for the French right's presidential nomination, wants to reconcile Paris with the EU via a radical proposal - getting France to revisit the trauma of 2005 by holding a new referendum to redefine its relationship with the European Union. Politico interviewed him: http://www.politico.eu/article/from-yes-man-to-his-own-man-bruno-le-maires-eu-gamble/

Catching one's boss breaking the law currently seems like a lose-lose situation for all involved. There is support in the European Parliament for more protection to be given to whistleblowers, but it faces an uphill struggle. EurActiv Germany reports: http://www.euractiv.com/section/euro-finance/news/whistleblowers-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place/

Young people are often described as politically apathetic or lazy, but if the current generation of politicians made more effort to include them in decision-making, they would find that young people really do care, argues Johanna Nyman, president of the European Youth Forum, in an op-ed in EurActiv: http://www.euractiv.com/section/social-europe-jobs/opinion/how-to-fix-our-broken-democracy/