Young people can decide on their own future by voting to REMAIN

Polling shows young people in the U.K., like elsewhere in Europe, have radically different views to their parents' generation on a whole range of issues, from immigration to gay marriage, reports Politico. They are also far less taken with Euroskepticism, tending to view the EU, and globalization in general, as an opportunity rather than a threat. Problem is, they can't be relied on to get to the polling booths on June 23: http://www.politico.eu/article/cameron-brexit-eu-referendum-easyjet-generation-can-fix-brexit-if-they-can-be-bothered/

"Most EU-sceptics are from the 60+ generation. For young British people, the country is an entirely normal EU country," according to Christian Odendahl, an economist at the Centre for European Reform, in the German magazine Wirtschaftswoche (Business Week), quoted by Euractiv: http://www.euractiv.com/section/uk-europe/news/brexits-big-three-arguments-fact-checked/?nl_ref=13857047

European Union heavyweights France and Germany are readying a joint plan for the future of the bloc after Britain's June 23 referendum, irrespective of whether Britons vote to remain or leave, sources said Friday, according to EurActiv: http://www.euractiv.com/section/uk-europe/news/paris-and-berlin-ready-new-eu-plan-for-after-brexit-vote/?nl_ref=13857047

The [UK] NI Affairs Committee said due consideration should be given to the fact that Northern Ireland was the UK region most dependent on trade with the EU, and the only location to have a land border with an EU state, reports the Belfast Telegraph. And it said that a post-Brexit deal between the EU and World Trade Organisation would be "hugely damaging" to farmers in NI: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/brexit/northern-ireland-a-special-case-in-the-eu-referendum-debate-mps-insist-34749906.html

Enda Kenny [Irish Prime Minister] said Brexit would have a negative impact on trade and could return custom and border controls between Ireland and the UK, reports EUobserver. Kenny is the third foreign head of state to urge Brits to stay in Europe, after US president Barack Obama and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe: https://euobserver.com/tickers/133593

EU URBAN AGENDA LAUNCHED TODAY: The "Pact of Amsterdam,"to be launched today, will aim to improve quality of life in cities by ensuring they "get more say in EU policy making." The Commission's publicity materials say: "Most of the actions will be about policy improvements and will not require funding." Politico reports: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmCFxykiQm5hGNomw75afaHg2&fid=flinbox

The European Council has adopted new rules for the protection of trade secrets and confidential information of EU-based companies, reports World Intellectual Property Review...Throughout negotiations MEPs stressed the need to ensure that the legislation does not curb media freedom or restrict the work of journalists regarding their investigations and protection of sources: http://www.worldipreview.com/news/eu-council-adopts-trade-secrets-directive-10207

A group of nineteen large companies and environmental NGOs are demanding the European Commission introduce binding CO2 limits for trucks, reports EurActiv. There are currently no standards regulating pollution from trucks. Campaigners have put pressure on the Commission to propose binding rules: http://www.euractiv.com/section/transport/news/ikea-nestle-and-philips-join-call-for-eu-limit-to-truck-emissions/?nl_ref=13857047

Truckmakers may face a record multi-billion euro EU cartel fine over charges they fixed prices and delayed emission technologies, reports Politico, picking up a report in the FT: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmCFxykiQm5hGNomw75afaHg2&fid=flinbox

AGRICULTURE - SACRED COW UP FOR DISCUSSION TODAY: The Dutch [EU presidency] want a debate on the reform of the common agricultural policy, which consumes a third of the EU budget, reports Politico. They call for "further simplification and deregulation," noting that the significant decrease in the number of farmers in recent decades calls into question the legitimacy of a policy that revolves around producer needs: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmCFxykiQm5hGNomw75afaHg2&fid=flinbox

The failure of EU states to comply with European environment law comes at the cost of €50 billion euro a year, according to a new report. The European Union hopes to upgrade implementation with a new reporting tool. Under the European Implementation Review (EIR) that was launched on Friday (27 May), the commission will evaluate implementation of the EU environmental acquis and highlight weaknesses and obstacles that prevent rules from working efficiently, reports EUobserver. The EU executive will also present country-specific recommendations: https://euobserver.com/environment/133585

New Zealand's Trade Minister Todd McClay is in Europe this week to drum up support for a free-trade deal with the EU, reports Politico Morning Agri and Food. EU leaders and New Zealand agreed to open trade negotiations in October 2015, but there hasn't been much movement since then. McClay is attending an OECD meeting Wednesday and Thursday before meeting counterparts in Italy, Greece, France, Austria and Slovakia. Why is this important? New Zealand is a dairy powerhouse, and any free trade agreement with the country will spur massive opposition from Europe's fragile dairy sector: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmOVitzSQm5hG0_gAiZMHTgA2&fid=flinbox

Slovakia's final agenda for its first EU Council Presidency will be adopted at the last moment, says Dušan Krištofík, the Slovak Ambassador to Poland. The reason is the British referendum on EU membership, which "will have a major impact on the Union" whichever way it goes, hetold EurActiv Poland: http://www.euractiv.com/section/central-europe/interview/slovak-ambassador-no-alternative-to-the-eu/?nl_ref=13857047

Courtesy of Peter Morris, European Movement in North east