MIDDAY BRIEF, IN BRIEF

Today at Commission, globalization and Bulgarian commissioner

Globalization plan criticized for being light on policy proposals.

It was the calm after the French election storm in the European Commission press room on Wednesday.

Two vice presidents — Frans Timmermans and Jyrki Katainen — were at the podium to talk about the Commission’s “reflection paper on harnessing globalization,” which includes strategies to tackle tax evasion, unfair government subsidies and so-called social dumping, the practice of employers exploiting cheaper labor costs in other countries.

“There is no protection in protectionism, but there is isolation in isolationism,” said Timmermans.

But reporters were not impressed as the paper is light on policy proposal and more of a round-up of what has been said in the past.

Timmermans answered by saying it was “not a policy paper but a reflection paper” and the idea was to start a debate on how the EU could tackle globalization in a fair way. He said it will be up to Jean-Claude Juncker to announce any legislation on the topic.

Katainen said he would oppose a “Buy European Act,” an idea proposed by French President-elect Emmanuel Macron, if it means that public authorities have to to buy products “no matter the quality or the price, [but] only based on geographical principles.”

The Commission also confirmed it had received a nomination for the new European commissioner from Bulgaria. MEP Mariya Gabriel is slated to replace Kristalina Georgieva, who left to become the CEO of the World Bank earlier this year.

Tomorrow, Pierre Moscovici, the European commissioner for economic and financial affairs, will present the 2017 spring economic forecasts.

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