Tens of thousands of protesters rallied on Tuesday against plans to throw open Europe's vast service sector to increased competition, as EU lawmakers hammered out the details ahead of a crunch vote.
Union organizers said 40,000 protesters took to the streets in Strasbourg, seat of the European Parliament, in the hope of influencing the vote to take place tomorrow, while police put the number at nearly 30,000.
"We are demonstrating for services for all the people and not just services for money," said John Monks, head of the European Confederation of Unions. "It's very important that this message goes to the European Parliament today."
PHOTO: EPA
Police clamped down on access to the parliament after a demonstration last month by dockers turned violent, injuring 64 police officers and causing nearly 400,000 euros of damage to the assembly's imposing headquarters here.
Inside, lawmakers battled to broker a consensus ahead of a vote that holds high stakes for the huge services sector, estimated to generate at least half the economic activity in the 25-nation EU and 60 percent of its jobs.
The EU's executive commission, which originally proposed the plans, says a shake-up is urgently needed to spur employment and growth in Europe's long-flagging economy.
The plans stirred up controversy last year when campaigners against the EU's draft constitution mainly in France seized on them as an example of Brussels dictating job-threatening pro-market policies.
The proposals stoked fears in older member states that a proposal known as the country-of-origin principle to let service providers operate in other member countries under the rules of their home country would provoke a flood of workers -- epitomized by Polish plumbers -- from newer, low-wage EU members undercutting local competitors.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso downplayed such concerns, telling deputies during a debate.
"While founded on legitimate fears, there are also misunderstandings," he said.
The new EU member states plus Britain, the Netherlands and Spain are in favor that the package include the country-of-origin principle while France and Germany are against.
The two biggest political groups in the parliament, the conservative European People's Party (EPP) and the Socialists, were struggling to broaden a fragile compromise they struck last week by watering down the most controversial parts of the plans.
Socialist group leader Martin Schulz was hopeful that the consensus could be widened in the countdown to tomorrow's vote so that a text based on the compromise between the two big left and right groups would be passed.
"We're pleased with the compromise we hammered out with the EPP and we hope it will achieve a majority in the plenary," Schulz told journalists.
Nevertheless, it was far from a foregone conclusion that the plans would win backing, with deep divisions remaining among lawmakers.
Green leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit warned that the compromise was too vague and that it was "bad legislation that will create jobs for the legal experts."
If the parliament gives the green light to the plans in a first reading, the package will then go to the European Commission and member states for review.
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
RSS