French rail strikes on way
In a move that could affect thousands of cross-border workers in Luxembourg, French rail unions on Thursday have called for a series of strikes starting juts after Easter. The union are angry at government plans to push through significant reforms of the state-run rail operator SNCF. These include ending the right to jobs for life and removing early retirement provisions. Reuters reports that the unions have called for industrial action that would affect two out of every five days over a three-month period. “The unions have realised that faced with an authoritarian government, we need to be prepared to take a combative stand over a very long period,” said Laurent Brun, head of the railway section of the CGT union was quoted as saying.
Watchdog slams Barroso’s bank role
Emily O’Reilly, the European ombudsman has launched a war of words with a stinging attack on the European Commission for not imposing a formal lobbying ban on its former president, José Manuel Barroso, when he joined US bank Goldman Sachs. Her report slams incumbent president Jean-Claude Juncker for failing to properly scrutinize whether Barroso’s new job undermined fragile public trust in the European Union. “Ex-commissioners have a right to post-office employment, but as former public servants they must also ensure that their actions do not undermine citizens’ trust in the EU,” said O’Reilly. Barroso had apparently made a promise that he would not conduct any obeying of the EU on behalf of his new employer, but O’Reilly’s report suggests he did just that when he met commission vice-president Jyrki Katainen in October 2017. Reuters reports that Barroso has tweeted in his defence, saying “I have not and will not lobby EU officials.” Meanwhile commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said that "we will answer to all recommendations."
Trump picks EU ambassador
A Portland hotelier may well be the next United States ambassador to the European Union. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Trump administration has put forward the name of Gordon Sondland to fill the post, which has been vacant since the president’s inauguration in January 2017, when Anthony L. Gardner was one of a number of ambassadors around the world whose tenures were terminated. Sondland “donated $1 million to Mr. Trump’s inaugural committee, according to Federal Election Commission records” says the WSJ.
Restaurateurs not good fellas, says court
The European Union’s General Court in Luxembourg has told a Spanish chain of pizzerias that it cannot brand its restaurants “The Mafia”. The ruling follows a complaint by the Italian government that it was immoral to trade on the name of a “criminal organization” whose “activities breach the very values on which the EU is founded”. The chain had tried to obtain legal protection for its slogan “La Mafia se sienta a la mesa” (“The Mafia’s at the table”). The judgement has made headlines around the world as sub-editors have fun with the news--Reuters' story is titled “Forget about it”, The Sun speaks of an offer the judges could refuse, while The Australian says the court “shoots down” the branding.