The Brief – Trump cards in Europe


By Sarantis Michalopoulos | Euractiv.com

Nov 24, 2023
Content-Type: Opinion

DISCLAIMER: All opinions in this column reflect the views of the author(s), not of EURACTIV Media network.

The Brief is Euractiv's evening newsletter. 

Composition: Esther Snippe for Euractiv/Images: 
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With a Trump 2.0 administration considered to be an increasingly realistic scenario in Brussels, Europe has started looking to future-proof its relations with Washington while Eurosceptics are having a field day.

As Euractiv has previously reported, over the past weeks, European Commission officials and member states have started discussing how to ‘Trump-proof’ the Brussels-Washington relationship, given the experience with the previous Trump administration.

A senior source from the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) also confirmed to Euractiv that more consideration is being given to how to deal with a potential new Trump era and expedite the progress of legislation needed in specific fields, such as trade.

“Europe is examining all the key strategic moves that need to be made”, the EPP source said. “We have many unknowns such as the decoupling from China discussion, the Ukraine issue […] We need to be ready.”

Traditionally, US Democrats have been aligned with the EU’s liberals and centre-left and US Republicans with the EU centre-right (EPP).

However, with Trump at the helm, the US Republicans no longer have their traditional friends from the European People’s Party on board. Under the current EPP leadership, all relations with the Republicans have been frozen.

Moreover, the EU centre-right has also frozen its relationship with the International Democracy Union (IDU), which promotes conservative policies across the globe and supports Trump.

Although Europhiles have started taking measures, on the other side of the political spectrum, Eurosceptics are rushing to buy red carpets.

Europe’s own political landscape is shifting, from the Netherlands and Geert Wilders’ election victory to Germany’s far-right AfD, which is consistently polling in second place. Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy government is already in power.

In France, Marine Le Pen leads the polls, as does the far-right FPÖ in Austria. In Spain, Franco nostalgics in Vox attempted to get into government following the inconclusive July elections but a coalition with the centre-right did not materialise.

And in Sweden, the vice president of the conservative ECR and MEP for the far-right Sweden Democrats is now calling for Swexit, should the EU obtain more powers than it currently has.

On the other end of the spectrum, the left is steadily declining.

From Greece to France and Germany, leftist parties are being dismantled. An already fragmented EU left is collapsing.

The EU liberals, centred around France’s Emmanuel Macron, are expected to see a further drop in their influence after next June’s EU elections as they struggle to establish a clear political identity, relying mostly on the spiel of “either you vote for us, or left-wing or right-wing populism is coming”.

For their part, the Greens’ environmental agenda is proving to be somewhat disconnected from people’s needs and reality. Caring more about electric cars than people’s pockets does not go down well with most of the EU electorate.

Similarly, the Socialists remain divided into two camps: a ‘centre-right in disguise’ or mainstream leftists.

All these parties, broadly considered ‘progressive’, are expected to be dealt electoral blows in the upcoming EU elections.

On the other hand, conservatives in the ECR, who aim to represent the new centre-right face of the EU, are expecting gains. From Italy’s Meloni – who has openly expressed her admiration for Trump – to Poland’s PiS party, which will do everything to paralyse the leadership of more reform-minded Donald Tusk.

The EPP is still projected to remain the main power in EU politics and will highly likely keep the top Commission job under Ursula von der Leyen. The recent fretting in and around Berlaymont is therefore not at all surprising.

Trudeau, EU leaders talk Ukraine and climate at Canada summit


Euractiv.com with AFP
Nov 24, 2023

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen deliver media statements at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 23 March 2022. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Brussels to attend an extraordinary NATO summit which will take place on 24 March. 

EPA-EFE/GEERT VANDEN WIJNGAERT / POOL

The leaders of Canada and the European Union reiterated on Friday (24 November) strong support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, while pledging to deepen coordination on climate efforts.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel at a summit in Canada’s easternmost city, St. John’s.

“We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” the two sides said in a statement, pledging to “work to address Ukraine’s immediate military and defense needs and ensure Ukraine has the long-term security commitments needed.”

Trudeau announced that Canada would donate 11,000 assault rifles to Ukraine along with nine million rounds of ammunition.

Since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, Canada has pledged Can$2.4 billion (€1.645 billion) in military aid to Ukraine.

Michel also said that the EU was “ready to do more in the weeks to come.”

The announcements come as the United States, Ukraine’s biggest military backer by far, has been unable to pass additional funding through Congress amid political deadlock.

Von der Leyen praised Canada as having backed Ukraine even before the war.

She cited Canadian programs to train the military in pro-Western Ukraine and said this had been key in fighting the invasion.

Von der Leyen said the EU has now trained 30,000 Ukrainian troops out of its goal of 40,000, and that the bloc will soon disclose what it plans to do with Russian assets it has seized in response to the invasion.
Canada mineral wealth

The European leaders also expressed interest in Canada’s rich mineral resources, especially those used in electric vehicle batteries, with Von der Leyen inviting Canada to join a “critical raw material club” the EU plans to launch at next week’s COP28 summit in the United Arab Emirates.

The former German defense minister described Canada as “the only country in the Western Hemisphere with all the raw materials required for lithium batteries.”

The leaders also announced the creation of a Canada-EU Green Alliance to strengthen cooperation in the fight against climate change, notably in regards to carbon markets and green hydrogen.

Trudeau, who thanked the EU for its help during Canada’s “worst wildfire season on record” over the summer, also announced the sale of several firefighting planes to Europe.

The EU leaders meanwhile raised the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), US President Joe Biden’s signature climate and social spending law passed last year.

The package provides some $370 billion in investments to combat climate change, mainly in the form of incentives and subsidies for projects in the United States.

European leaders have worried EU-based energy and auto companies will be shut out or move to the United States due to the IRA’s provisions requiring components to be sourced domestically or among Washington’s free-trade partners, such as Canada.

“We discussed the consequences for Canada, for the EU, of this IRA put in place by the United States,” Michel said.

He reiterated the need for the G7 to develop a competitive model based on a “level” playing field.

The last EU-Canada summit was held in Brussels in June 2021.

UK Supreme Court to decide on state immunity of sunken treasure


BY:MARIA WARD-BRENNAN

UK Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is due to decide on the first case of state immunity over millions of pounds of salvage sunken silver.

The ship at the heart of this dispute is the SS TILAWA, which was sunk in the Indian Ocean on 23 November 1942 by two Japanese torpedoes. The ship was travelling from Bombay to Durban during the Second World War. The ship had passengers and crew on board and 281 were killed when the vessel sank.

The ship was regarded as unsalvageable, but in 2017, it was claimed to be recovered by London-based Argentum Exploration, who found a cargo of 2,364 bars of silver said to be worth $43m (£37.35m).

Supreme Court rules London Deliveroo riders are not ‘workers’


Argentum Exploration locates and salvages valuable shipwrecks and is run by British racing driver Ross Hyett.

The silver bars were taken to Southampton in October 2017 and were declared to the Receiver of Wreck, an official who administers law dealing with maritime wrecks and salvage. At the time, the company mistakenly believed that the ship belonged to the UK.

The silver, at all material times, was owned by the government of the Republic of South Africa. The majority of the silver was intended to be used for the production of coinage for the Union of South Africa.

The company issued the salvage lawsuit in 2019, seeking a declaration that it was the owner of the silver bars. However, the Republic of South Africa argued that it was immune from the proceedings due to state immunity.

This case has already been in the High Court and the Court of Appeal. So far, on state immunity grounds, the courts have not agreed with the Republic of South Africa’s argument.

The Republic of South Africa asked the Supreme Court to dismiss Agentum’s claim for salvage on the ground that it is immune from the jurisdiction of the UK under the State Immunity Act 1978. The Supreme Court will rule on this tomorrow.

This case was the first ever to consider the State Immunity Act since it was enacted in 1978. The case not only tests the state immunity law but also the law of salvage. The decision will be watched by those in the maritime sector as well as those with a love of history.

Global scramble for Uranium spells trouble for UK’s nuclear plans

BY:RHODRI MORGAN

With no signs of easing, the UK must urgently factor a price surge into its nuclear plans

City A.M.’s energy editor Rhodri Morgan delves into the sector’s challenges in his weekly column.

The global rush for Uranium, and the consequential price spike, could pose a major headache for the UK’s nuclear power ambitions. 

Nuclear power currently provides about 10 per cent of the world’s electricity. And, despite this relatively small market share, – fossil fuels account for 61 per cent and renewables 29 per cent – nuclear energy, and by extension uranium production, is big business.

Over the last week, the price of Uranium concentrate – commonly known as U308 or yellowcake – has risen to a 15-year high of $80.25/lb.  The $139/lb high reached in 2017 came shortly after the world’s largest undeveloped uranium deposit flooded, driving panic around short-term supply. 

This time around, there’s no flood to speak of. In fact, there is a global uranium mining malaise. In order to be converted to nuclear reactor-ready energy sources, yellowcake needs to be converted and enriched, meaning buyers secure long term contracts for the ore from producers.

Over the years utilities have relied on existing over-supplied inventories until about 2018. This is where utilities – the primary user of uranium fuel – should have begun restocking supplies, but didn’t. 

Bram Vanderelst, head of uranium at Head of Uranium at Curzon Uranium, said it was a case of complacency, the effects of which are being seen fully now. 

“Utilities started running down stockpiles and bought as they needed it because uranium prices were at multi-decade lows and there was massive amounts of inventory,” he said. “When the market gets tight and stories come out about under-ordering and under-supply, that’s utilities panicking and covering.”

This is the wave uranium is riding, and will likely ride for the next year or two, as utilities rush to market to stockpile during a time when there’s not enough to go around, driving the price even higher. 

And to make matters more complicated, for Western states at least, Russia is the sixth largest producer of Uranium in the world.  Though Moscow appears to hold the cards, it can’t afford to withhold supplies from the West either as it tries to solidify its positions on reactor construction overseas. 

China is also aggressively buying up uranium. Its current total operable reactor net capacity is around 53,286 Megawatt electric (MWe), almost half that of the US. And it has 27,749 MWe capacity under construction, almost four times as much as second-place India. 

The required uranium for these projects is likely to deepen the already existing supply shortfall, sending prices, you guessed it, higher.

With no signs that the scramble is easing, the UK should urgently factor in this price surge into its nuclear plans.

West Cumbria’s nuclear expertise to shine in Paris

Posted on 26 Nov 2023 
Photo courtesy of McMenon Engineering

West Cumbria's nuclear capabilities are to be promoted by a delegation of key industry leaders at the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE) in Paris next week. The three-day event, taking place 28-30 November in Villepinte, will bring together prominent stakeholders, innovators, and experts from around the world to discuss and explore the latest advancements in the nuclear sector. The delegation from West Cumbria will be based at the UK & EIC (Energy Industries Council) Pavilion).

Led by the Department for Business and Trade, the Northern Powerhouse delegation includes: Industrial Solutions Hub (iSH), www.par.com PAR Systems (UK) Ltd, McMenon Engineering Services Ltd, James Walker, FIS360, Nuclear Transport Solutions, Barrnon and Oakwood Engineering Solutions. The contingent represent the region’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and collaborative progress within the nuclear technology sphere.

John Maddison, managing director of iSH-based in Cleator Moor, said the role of iSH is to represent and highlight the capability of the West Cumbrian supply chain, acting as a voice for the businesses and academic institutions unable to attend themselves. He added: "West Cumbria has long been a hub for nuclear excellence, and our participation in the WNE underscores our commitment to advancing the industry globally. This is a chance to showcase our capability to a global market.

West Cumbria has a diverse and well-established skills base geared towards decommissioning. That learning and innovation can be used and harnessed elsewhere with our knowledge and learning shared across the world. The goal is to bring back collaboration opportunities for the SMEs who so ably support our nuclear services.”

PAR Systems (UK) Ltd is an advanced engineering company specialising in remote and material-handling solutions for the nuclear industry. Managing director John McGibbon said: “We are delighted to be participating at this year's event as part of the UK Pavilion. We look forward to showcasing our specialist expertise in remote/material handling systems; manipulator systems for in-cell operations; maintenance, site support and upgrade of nuclear cranes and decommissioning applications for the nuclear industry.”

Exploring new horizons
Anand Puthran, McMenon Engineering CEO, said: “As we navigate the currents of growth and diversification, attending the WNE marks a pivotal step in our journey. We are not just showcasing our prowess in providing flow and temperature measurement instrumentation for nuclear projects, but also highlighting the crucial role we can play in this dynamic industry. It is about more than presence it is a commitment to fostering collaborations, exploring new horizons, and solidifying McMenon’s position as a key player in the civil nuclear landscape.”

James Walker, a leading provider of sealing solutions, will demonstrate the crucial role of reliable engineering in nuclear applications. Mark Brook, James Walker manufacturing director, said: “Although James Walker has been supplying sealing solutions to the nuclear industry for many years, applications are constantly developing. We want to make sure that our materials and expertise are considered in these cases, so I will be using the visit to the WNE to carry out research into key application opportunities and to try to identify companies we may be able to partner with in developing solutions to new challenges.”

Frank Allison, CEO of FIS360 said: “FIS360’s participation at the WNE is an opportunity to highlight the importance of innovation and how it shapes the future of nuclear advancement. Our aim is to foster active connections, share insights and explore collaborative partnerships, ultimately contributing to the collective growth of, and innovation within, the nuclear sector.”

The WNE will provide an invaluable platform for these West Cumbrian entities to forge international partnerships, share knowledge, and contribute to the global conversation on the future of nuclear energy. The delegation's presence at the exhibition is a testament to West Cumbria's status as a hub for nuclear innovation and expertise.

UK

College learners forced to study remotely after bus driver strike


Go North East bus strike forces colleges to pay thousands for private transport for learners

Anviksha Patel
27 Nov 2023



A bus driver strike has forced over a thousand college learners to study remotely this term, leading to a rise in mental health concerns and at least one safeguarding incident.

The pay dispute between Unite the Union members and bus company Go North East has left students stranded at home while colleges scramble for minibuses, taxis and extra bus services to get select groups to campuses, clocking up thousands of pounds in extra costs.

Go North East staff walked out at the end of September after workers rejected a 10.3 per cent pay rise offer as neighbouring Go North West workers are paid 20 per cent more. The strike is set to run until the end of December.

College representatives told FE Week that classes have had to be reorganised to focus on theory so courses could continue online.

East Durham College has a contract with another local bus company Arriva, but with the strike ongoing at Go North East, demand for Arriva buses has skyrocketed.

The strike has led to students resorting to walking miles to college, or to an Arriva bus stop, which are more sporadically located away from the Go North East bus routes and away from college campuses.

East Durham College campus director Alfie Wilkinson said one 16-year-old attempted to walk 13 miles to college one morning but after his phone died from using Google Maps, the college declared a safeguarding incident when family members could not contact him.

“He tried to get a bus and two buses went past without stopping,” Wilkinson said.

“We had members of his family and college staff out looking for him because he didn’t turn up for college. We didn’t find him until three o’clock.”

A spokesperson for Arriva told FE Week that it was running duplicate journeys as a result of increased demand, but added: “We do not have any plans to introduce additional services at this time.”

The college is also forking out £5,000 for taxis for the most vulnerable students, such as young carers and vulnerable learners with educational health and care plans.

It has provided taxis for nine learners so far, implemented a shuttle bus for 76 students, and paid drivers’ overtime. The college is even offering to pay mileage to parents who can drop off multiple students.

“We haven’t got a bottomless pit, but we are committed to putting in the finances to safeguard the education of the students,” Wilkinson said.

Holly Ackroyd, an 18-year-old who studies level 3 animal management at East Durham College, lives 20 minutes from the facility but has been stuck at home doing virtual learning as she lives on a Go North East bus route.

“It’s stressful. This is my most practical year and I’ve literally just missed out on all of it,” she told FE Week.

The college told Ackroyd to book a taxi, but she said getting a booking was like “trying to fight with someone on Black Friday”.

“Before the strikes, I got a taxi home from college, and it cost me around £16. Now it’s around £28.”

At neighbouring New College Durham, deputy principal Alison Maynard has identified 996 students who have no way of travelling to the college, which is “seriously impacting their studies”.

The college is now privately sourcing transport for around 500 priority students who need practical lessons, those in IT poverty, those who have assessments before Christmas, and students involved in performance shows and catering in the campus restaurant.

“We are in discussions with the Department of Education on how to recoup the costs of the transport,” she added.

The effort will be extended beyond the holiday period for GCSE mock exam participants. For the rest of the cohort, the college has switched to remote learning, but that also comes with issues.

“We are seeing students becoming disengaged and reporting an increase in mental health issues,” Maynard said.

Local MP Grahame Morris told FE Week: “Our FE providers should be commended for finding practical solutions to support their students, but they simply should not be forced into this position.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Go North East’s utter unwillingness to improve its pay offer in the slightest shows its blatant disregard for the wellbeing of its workers and the communities they serve.”

Go North East was contacted for comment.

UK

Lee Anderson Says Votes For 16-Year-Olds Will Kill Off The Tories 'For Generations'

The party's vice-chairman made the admission in secretly-recorded comments.

By Kevin Schofield
26/11/2023



Giving votes to 16-year-olds will kill off the Conservative Party “for generations”, the party’s deputy chairman has said.

Lee Anderson made the admission in secretly-recorded comments at a meeting of Tory supporters.

Labour has said it will reduce the voting age from 18 to 16 if it wins the next election.

Speaking in September, a party spokesperson said: “At the age of 16, many young people are paying taxes, working, and engaging in all parts of society — it is right that they get a say in who governs them.”

But speaking at a ‘Lagers With Lee’ event at Cambridge Rugby Club, Anderson said reducing the voting age would guarantee the Tories would be unable to form a government for decades.

He said: “The Labour Party will bring in votes for 16-year-olds. I’m convinced they will.

“Now if they do that, you might as well just rip your memberships up now, because you’ll never see a Conservative, not in my lifetime, again.

“If you bring in voting for 16-year-olds we’re done for, you know, for generations.”

According to the Sunday Times, Anderson also claimed that the right-wing Reform Party had offered him “a lot of money” to defect to them.

But Reform leader Richard Tice told the paper: “Desperate Tories will make desperate lies to save their skin.”

 

High cost, low profitability and storage challenges: Is carbon capture a realistic climate solution?

NO

By Angela Symons & Leah Douglas with Reuters

Published on 25/11/2023 - 

Here's why carbon capture is no easy solution to climate change.

Carbon capture technology is central to the climate strategies of many world governments.

It is also expensive, unproven at scale, and can be hard to sell to a nervous public.

This currently makes the model of capturing carbon dioxide emissions from the air and storing them for money unworkable.

As nations gather for COP28 - the 28th United Nations climate change conference - in Dubai at the end of November, the question of carbon capture’s future role in a climate-friendly world will be in focus.

So where are we up to with carbon capture and what stands in the way of its widespread deployment?

What is carbon capture?

Carbon capture is a way of reducing carbon emissions by capturing them at the source or removing them from the atmosphere.

The most common form of carbon capture technology involves capturing the gas from a point source like an industrial smokestack. 

From there, the carbon can either be moved directly to permanent underground storage (CSS) or it can be used in another industrial purpose first - a process known as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).

Another form of carbon capture is direct air capture (DAC), in which carbon emissions are captured from the air.

Carbon dioxide storage tanks are seen at a cement plant and carbon capture facility in Wuhu, Anhui province, China, September 2019.REUTERS/David Stanway/File Photo

How many carbon capture projects currently exist?

There are currently 42 operational commercial CCS and CCUS projects across the world with the capacity to store 49 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, according to the Global CCS Institute, which tracks the industry. 

That is about 0.13 per cent of the world’s roughly 37 billion tonnes of annual energy and industry-related carbon dioxide emissions.

Some 30 of those projects, accounting for 78 per cent of all captured carbon from the group, use the carbon for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), in which carbon is injected into oil wells to free trapped oil. Drillers say EOR can make petroleum more climate-friendly, but environmentalists say the practice is counter-productive.

• World at risk of becoming 'hostage to CO2 capture', according to IEA's latest report
• MEPs call for militaries to be more transparent in reporting emissions

The other 12 projects, which permanently store carbon in underground formations without using them to boost oil output, are in the US, Norway, Iceland, China, Canada, Qatar and Australia, according to the Global CCS Institute

It is unclear how many of these projects, if any, turn a profit.

About 130 direct air capture facilities are being planned around the world, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), though just 27 have been commissioned and they capture just 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

The US in August announced $1.2 billion (€1.1b) in grants for two DAC hubs in Texas and Louisiana that promise to capture two million tonnes of carbon per year, though a final investment decision on the projects has not been made.

High cost of carbon capture is a setback

One stumbling block to rapid deployment of carbon capture technology is cost.

CCS costs range from €14 to €110 per tonne of captured carbon depending on the emissions source. DAC projects are even more expensive, between €550 and €916 per tonne, because of the amount of energy needed to capture carbon from the atmosphere, according to the IEA.

Some CCS projects in countries like Norway and Canada have been paused for financial reasons.

Developers say they need a carbon price, either in the form of a carbon tax, trading scheme or tax break, that makes it profitable to capture and store the carbon. Without that, only carbon capture projects that increase revenue in a different way - like through increased oil output - are profitable.

• UN chief visits Antarctica, urging phase out of fossil fuels at upcoming COP28 talks

Countries including the US have rolled out public subsidies for carbon capture projects. The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022, offers a $50 (€46) tax credit per tonne of carbon captured for CCUS and $85 (€78) per tonne captured for CCS, and $180 (€165) per tonne captured through DAC.

Though those are meaningful incentives, companies may still need to take on some added costs to move CCS and DAC projects ahead, says Benjamin Longstreth, global director of carbon capture at the Clean Air Task Force.

Some CCS projects have also failed to prove out the technology's readiness. A $1 billion (€1.15b) project to harness carbon dioxide emissions from a Texas coal plant, for example, had chronic mechanical problems and routinely missed its targets before it was shut down in 2020, according to a report submitted by the project’s owners to the US Department of Energy.

The Petra Nova project restarted in September.

A model of carbon capture and storage designed by Santos Ltd, at the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association conference in Brisbane, May 2022.

REUTERS/Sonali Paul/File Photo

Problems with where to store captured carbon

Where captured carbon can be stored is limited by geology. This reality would become more pronounced if and when carbon capture is deployed at the kind of massive scale that would be needed to make a difference to the climate. 

The best storage sites for carbon are in portions of North America, East Africa and the North Sea, according to the Global CCS Institute.

That means getting captured carbon to storage sites could require extensive pipeline networks or even shipping fleets - posing potential new obstacles.

In October, for example, a $3 billion (€3.5b) CCS pipeline project proposed by Navigator CO2 Ventures in the US Midwest - meant to move carbon from heartland ethanol plants to good storage sites - was cancelled due to concerns from residents about potential leaks and construction damage.

Companies investing in carbon removal need to take seriously community concerns about new infrastructure projects, says Simone Stewart, industrial policy specialist at the National Wildlife Federation.

"Not all technologies are going to be possible in all locations," Stewart says.

 CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

EU Policy. 

EU’s plan for money-laundering checks on football inflamed by Chelsea claims

By Jack Schickler

Published on 17/11/2023 -

Lawmakers say allegations of misdealing by ex-owner Roman Abramovich lend credence to their crusade against dirty money in sport, though others urge caution

Recent revelations about financial misdealings at Chelsea FC have lit a fire under EU plans to make football subject to tough anti-money laundering restrictions.

EU negotiators are locked in a battle over whether to include football clubs, agents and associations under the bloc’s anti-money laundering (AML) rules, which would potentially require major sponsors and even fans to undergo extensive vetting.

Allegations which surfaced this week of complex financial transactions undertaken by ex-Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich have given extra ammunition to those MEPs keen to put football within the rules’ purview.

“The Chelsea affair shows once again the inherent risks in the football sector,” Damien Carême, the French green-party lawmaker who is spearheading AML talks on behalf of the European Parliament, told Euronews in a statement, adding: “The fight against money laundering cannot endure any gaps … no risky economic sector can be exempted from oversight.”

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), citing leaked documents, alleged that Abramovich made tens of millions in undisclosed payments made via offshore companies, bypassing rules intended to ensure financial fair play in the sport.

“I ask those who are against: what more proof do you need?” said Carême.

MEPs see football clubs, agents and associations as a tempting target for illicit finance, and want them to report suspicious activity to the authorities — just as banks, art dealers and diamond traders already do.

That follows a 2019 report from the Commission which highlighted the game’s “complex organisation and lack of transparency” as a money-laundering risk, and a 2020 study from EU police agency Europol which alleged match-fixing by mafia-style crime groups.

EU member states in the Council are less convinced. At a Tuesday, 14 November closed-door meeting, known as a trilogue, MEPs and Council members met to thrash out a final text of the AML law.

They discussed but did not reach agreement on the football issue, three sources briefed on the talks told Euronews. The Cyprus Confidential reports from TBIJ broke just hours later, with the Abramovich story following early Wednesday morning.

Same goal

UEFA, European football’s governing body, told Euronews it shared the objective of tackling financial crime and protecting the integrity of the game — but urged the EU not to rush headlong into regulation.

“EU policy makers should appropriately engage with football stakeholders in assessing impacts and developing policy options that meet our shared objectives,” a UEFA spokesperson said in an emailed statement, warning that poorly drafted laws could pose “unintended consequences across Europe’s diverse football landscape.”

That may borrow from the experience of Belgium — which passed new AML rules for football after a 2018 scandal dubbed “Operation Zero”, which saw prosecutors probing allegedly suspect financial transactions raiding clubs including Anderlecht, Bruges and Standard de Liège.

The Belgian regime offers a cautionary tale, Euronews was told by Niels Appermont, an associate professor at Hasselt University.

“The existing framework doesn’t really correspond very well with the business of professional football,” Appermont said — as the rules are designed for banks not sport.

While anti-money laundering rules require checks on their “customers,” it’s not always clear what that means for — say — an incoming player transfer, nor how potentially lengthy vetting procedures fit into the tight timelines of a transfer window, Appermont said.

William Bull, an assistant professor at Maastricht University who, alongside Appermont, co-wrote a UEFA-funded 2022 study into the Belgian law, acknowledged issues in the football market — but questioned whether AML rules are the right way forward.

In the football sector, “everyone seems to be pretty much agreed that there’s a problem in terms of transparency, credibility, concerns about various covert dealings or payments through agents,” Bull said, but added that the “the jury’s still very much out” about whether existing financial-sector regimes are cost effective.

Chelsea did not immediately respond to Euronews’ request for comment, but in a statement provided to TBIJ said that the allegations pre-dated the club’s current ownership, and that the club had reported potentially incomplete financial reporting to football regulators. Representatives of Abramovich, who was forced to sell Chelsea last year after being sanctioned for his connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin, did not return requests for comment, TBIJ said.