:00:00. > :00:40.flooding in decades. Now on BBC News it is time for Politics Europe.
:00:41. > :00:47.Hello, and welcome to Politics Europe. Today's programme, EU
:00:48. > :00:52.leaders agree tougher sanctions on Russia, in an attempt to end the
:00:53. > :00:57.crisis in Ukraine. Germany and ounces plans to send arms to Kurdish
:00:58. > :01:01.vices taking on an Islamic State in northern Iraq. Jean`Claude yorker
:01:02. > :01:06.meets members of his new European Commission, as he decides who will
:01:07. > :01:15.get the top jobs and meet the neighbours. We report from the EU's
:01:16. > :01:19.newest member states, Croatia. So all that to come, and more, and the
:01:20. > :01:27.next half an hour. First though, here is our guide to the latest from
:01:28. > :01:30.Europe in just 60 seconds. Germany breaks its post`war policy of not
:01:31. > :01:34.sending arms to conflict zones, and authorises the arming of a 4000
:01:35. > :01:38.strong battalion of Kurdish fighters, to battle the Islamic
:01:39. > :01:42.State in northern Iraq. Italy has the EU presidency in the newly
:01:43. > :01:46.designated EU foreign affairs chief, says Nato countries bordering on
:01:47. > :01:52.Russia need more than a paper pledged that Nato will step in, if
:01:53. > :01:56.it comes to fight. You lost independence once before with Nato,
:01:57. > :02:00.you will never lose it again. Strong words from the President as leaders
:02:01. > :02:05.meet in Wales, for the latest Nato summit, with security issues across
:02:06. > :02:09.the globe dominating. A potential headache for Angela Merkel, with
:02:10. > :02:14.victory for the alternative for Germany party, for the first time a
:02:15. > :02:18.party which opposes the euro one seats in the State assembly on
:02:19. > :02:22.getting 10% of the vote in Saxony. Meanwhile, that sucks. New rules
:02:23. > :02:27.banning the manufacture or import of over 1600 watts vacuum cleaners led
:02:28. > :02:35.to a huge crush on the things before the ban came in. And with us for the
:02:36. > :02:39.next 30 minutes, I am joined by Jane Collins and Catherine Stihler,
:02:40. > :02:44.welcome to both of you. Let's take a look at one of those stories in more
:02:45. > :02:50.detail, the EU's response to the Islamic State militants in Iraq.
:02:51. > :02:55.Jane Collins, first of all, should Ransomes be paid to ISIS, to release
:02:56. > :02:59.hostages? It is a very emotive question. I think once we start to
:03:00. > :03:05.do that, you are going down a 1`way street, and you can't come back.
:03:06. > :03:08.Don't know. Your position would be never to pay a ransom for
:03:09. > :03:12.terrorists, in that sense, to have a British hostage released. Once you
:03:13. > :03:16.have done it, as I said, you have opened the door, it is a 1`way
:03:17. > :03:19.street, there is no turning around. Catherine Stihler, and you agree
:03:20. > :03:24.with that, with the Prime Minister being quite hawkish on this issue? I
:03:25. > :03:28.think there are other ways to try and deal with the situation, none of
:03:29. > :03:32.us want this to be the way it is, but we have to negotiate and use
:03:33. > :03:37.other means, than paying ransoms. The German parliament is arming up
:03:38. > :03:41.Italian of Kurds, to some extent changing decades`old commitments by
:03:42. > :03:43.Germany not to get involved militarily in any international
:03:44. > :03:47.conflicts, and their Foreign Minister has recently given a speech
:03:48. > :03:52.advocating more muscular German policy. You think, Jane Collins,
:03:53. > :03:56.that it would be a good idea for a concerted EU effort to do things
:03:57. > :04:01.like arm the Kurds? I think in Iraq at this moment in time, and
:04:02. > :04:05.remember, we are virtually guilty of causing the situation, with this
:04:06. > :04:09.illegal war, and we've got the tee sides now that were struggling to
:04:10. > :04:15.get some sort of stability, and it is looking impossible. I think, with
:04:16. > :04:19.the Islamic terrorist groups and everything, there has never been a
:04:20. > :04:26.more good case for armed intervention in Iraq. Right, so you
:04:27. > :04:32.are saying because debt, in the 2003 invasion. We did, we went into and
:04:33. > :04:35.illegal war, led by Tony Blair. Has that led to the rise of Catherine
:04:36. > :04:39.Stihler? To have taken advantage of a very destabilised country. What
:04:40. > :04:42.about the situation in Syria? Should there have been airstrikes earlier
:04:43. > :04:48.this year in Syria that might not have let to a vacuum for ISIS to
:04:49. > :04:51.rise. The thing in Syria, is UKIP disagreed with arming the rebels,
:04:52. > :04:56.because the very same people now are Wraxall using the arms against us.
:04:57. > :05:00.They would say they are not the same people, that they were the moderate
:05:01. > :05:02.resistance there. You think now Ed Miliband should firmly stand and say
:05:03. > :05:06.we will support airstrikes if America calls on Britain. I think we
:05:07. > :05:11.have to work together to find solutions to ISIS, that is why we
:05:12. > :05:15.are working together. Should Labour support airstrikes? We should look
:05:16. > :05:18.at all our options, but at this precise moment, we have to
:05:19. > :05:24.negotiate, we have to make sure that we are working together. Who are we
:05:25. > :05:28.negotiating with? Well, with our colleagues and our alliances. I
:05:29. > :05:32.don't think that we can rush into things. This is such a serious
:05:33. > :05:37.situation that we are in, where we have to make sure humanity, I mean,
:05:38. > :05:39.look at what is happening with the Christian minority and other
:05:40. > :05:43.religious minorities in northern Iraq. We have had humanitarian
:05:44. > :05:46.efforts, we have had obviously that corporation which is absolutely
:05:47. > :05:51.essential. But now we have to work together in Nato, across the
:05:52. > :05:55.European Union, to tack to tackle this serious and poisonous threat. I
:05:56. > :05:57.agree it is to be poisonous threat, but you can't negotiate with
:05:58. > :06:04.terrorists. That is the main problem. Was a negotiate with
:06:05. > :06:08.terrorists, I was saying we have to work together with other regional
:06:09. > :06:11.powers. Within the EU. And that is something the European Union could
:06:12. > :06:17.be doing. And isn't this time that we need allies in the EU more than
:06:18. > :06:23.ever, rather than being isolated and out of Europe, as the UKIP was. We
:06:24. > :06:27.can have our input into the situation is quite positively
:06:28. > :06:32.without having to be part of the EU. I think we have to work together. To
:06:33. > :06:37.come back to the point, north and south Iraq really do need to split,
:06:38. > :06:41.and you could move... I disagreed on TV with that. You are calling for
:06:42. > :06:47.the country to... Is so destabilised, we can move some of
:06:48. > :06:53.the Christian population through to the Nineveh plans for safe keeping.
:06:54. > :06:56.Shouldn't we recognise the Sunni minority to make sure their voices
:06:57. > :07:00.are heard. This is the problem, that minorities have not been heard, and
:07:01. > :07:03.it is important that we work together to make sure that happens.
:07:04. > :07:08.You want to see the breakup of Iraq, because you don't think those
:07:09. > :07:12.different groups can... Is just not working, and until it stabilised, it
:07:13. > :07:16.won't. The EU is piling more pressure on Russia over the crisis
:07:17. > :07:19.in Ukraine, with deeper economic sanctions targeting state`controlled
:07:20. > :07:23.banking, energy, and defence sectors, under discussion. France
:07:24. > :07:27.has already halted the delivery of a warship to Russia this week, one of
:07:28. > :07:30.two that were on order before the existing sanctions were imposed. Now
:07:31. > :07:35.more of President Putin's inner circle, dubbed Putin's cronies,
:07:36. > :07:38.could have travel ban imposed on them, and if that doesn't persuade
:07:39. > :07:41.President Putin, there are suggestions that the EU could
:07:42. > :07:44.recommend that Russia be banned from participating in sporting events.
:07:45. > :07:48.Including stripping them of the 2018 World Cup. It is due to be hosted in
:07:49. > :07:53.Moscow. James Collins, what you think about 1000 troops being
:07:54. > :07:58.committed to a rapid reaction force in Nato? `` James Collins. Can I
:07:59. > :08:04.just address the fact that we have 30 of our soldiers already on
:08:05. > :08:13.exercise in Ukraine. `` Jane Collins. Ukraine is not part of
:08:14. > :08:17.Nato. No. We have no benefit in actually interfering in this
:08:18. > :08:21.situation. Really? Unfortunately we have had America and the EU pushing
:08:22. > :08:24.forward sanctions, pushing forward some interference. Now don't get me
:08:25. > :08:30.wrong, we do not condone President Putin in his annexation of Crimea.
:08:31. > :08:35.Do you think it has the right to do? No, we are saying we do not condone
:08:36. > :08:42.him in his annexation of Crimea, and East Ukraine regions. I just said we
:08:43. > :08:47.do not. But you don't think it's worth anybody coming in to stop him.
:08:48. > :08:51.With do not actually say... What he is doing is wrong, that is what I am
:08:52. > :08:54.saying. We don't actually think that what he is doing is right, what
:08:55. > :09:00.we're saying is that there is no benefit from all these sanctions,
:09:01. > :09:07.going in hard like we are doing, to actually, to the UK. What you say to
:09:08. > :09:10.that Catherine? I think sanctions have to be... I disagree completely.
:09:11. > :09:13.This is our neighbourhood. A foreign power has invaded the eastern part
:09:14. > :09:17.of a sovereign country. This is a serious crisis across Europe, the
:09:18. > :09:21.most serious since Nato in Serbia, this is something that is really,
:09:22. > :09:25.really critical. And I think when you look at what is happening in a
:09:26. > :09:30.sovereign state, where a foreign power has invaded, and also the fact
:09:31. > :09:33.that many of our eastern European countries, who are now full members
:09:34. > :09:37.of the European Union, their viewpoint about Russia and Russian
:09:38. > :09:41.power, never forget Estonia had a cyber attack. Yes, but the fact of
:09:42. > :09:49.the matter is that the EU, and America, coup to depose an elected
:09:50. > :09:54.president. But what about what is happening in terms of people living
:09:55. > :09:57.there. And also look what has happened as well with the aeroplane
:09:58. > :10:02.crash, not being able to get into the site. It also written plays it
:10:03. > :10:05.both ways. On one point he says he has nothing to do with the people
:10:06. > :10:09.who are creating havoc in eastern Ukraine, but at the other side he
:10:10. > :10:12.says he can stop and have a ceasefire. I welcome the move, that
:10:13. > :10:19.is very important, that we are working together. What about the PM
:10:20. > :10:27.today, I'm not sure it was today, but in Ukraine, actually dismissing
:10:28. > :10:31.President Putin's 7`point plan. You mean President Boris Shango talking
:10:32. > :10:40.about the ceasefire? Actually coming together to talk, both as foreign
:10:41. > :10:44.land is the `` president Poroshenko. We welcome that, we need
:10:45. > :10:47.to make sure there is a ceasefire. Are you not worried about what is
:10:48. > :10:50.going on in eastern Ukraine in terms of how good effect of the Eastern
:10:51. > :10:56.European countries and the rest of Europe. Of course it is worrying,
:10:57. > :10:59.but what we are saying is we cannot see any benefit in putting armed
:11:00. > :11:02.troops on the ground. It has got to be... We are talking about
:11:03. > :11:07.sanctions, that is what we are doing. The Saxons are not touching
:11:08. > :11:10.the gas and oil, and if it is not touching the gas and oil, it is
:11:11. > :11:14.completely toothless. We will leave it there. The buzz in Brussels this
:11:15. > :11:16.week has been all about who Jean`Claude Juncker will choose to
:11:17. > :11:22.be his new commissioners when he takes over as president of the
:11:23. > :11:25.European Commission in November. Will he have enough female
:11:26. > :11:29.candidates? Will he rearrange the commission? And who will get the
:11:30. > :11:33.best jobs? We sent our correspondent to find out. The current
:11:34. > :11:38.commissioners only have two months left of these weekly meetings before
:11:39. > :11:43.their replacements takeover. Appoint to these jobs are closely
:11:44. > :11:46.scrutinised. They are powerful positions, because the commission is
:11:47. > :11:52.the only part the EU that can propose new laws. It is up there on
:11:53. > :11:56.the 13th floor of this building, at the home of the European Commission,
:11:57. > :12:02.that you will find the president, soon to be Jean`Claude Juncker, and
:12:03. > :12:06.his 27 commissioners. There is one commissioner from each member state,
:12:07. > :12:11.and each looks after a different policy area. It is the President who
:12:12. > :12:15.decides which portfolio each member state debts, so all this week,
:12:16. > :12:19.Jean`Claude Juncker has been interviewing candidates. And
:12:20. > :12:24.surprisingly, he seems to think I might have a chance. What job are
:12:25. > :12:31.you going to give the UK can visit? Are you can visit? Sadly I am not a
:12:32. > :12:35.candidate. Denmark's member has been the Commissioner for climate change
:12:36. > :12:39.for five years. Nice to meet you, how are you. She knows all about the
:12:40. > :12:42.gruelling process of getting the job. You come from your national
:12:43. > :12:46.governments normally, you know a lot about politics, but this is a
:12:47. > :12:51.different kind of world. So you have a certain humility, in the
:12:52. > :12:54.approach. But you also know, for instance, that first meeting with
:12:55. > :12:57.the President`elect is extremely important, because that is where it
:12:58. > :13:04.is defined, what you are going to do, what is your true portfolio for
:13:05. > :13:08.the next five years. Lord Hill, what position are you getting? Nice to
:13:09. > :13:11.see you. And a very good conversation, thank you very much. A
:13:12. > :13:14.positive UK candidate after his first meeting with Jean`Claude
:13:15. > :13:21.Juncker. The new foreign portfolio is ready taken, Italy's member got
:13:22. > :13:24.the job at last week's summit, when Poland's member was named as
:13:25. > :13:27.president of the EU Council, but all the other jobs are still up for
:13:28. > :13:31.grabs, which means journalists still have plenty to gossip about. The
:13:32. > :13:35.most sought after jobs, generally speaking, are the economic ones, so
:13:36. > :13:39.economic and monetary affairs, trade, the internal market,
:13:40. > :13:43.accommodation, those areas. Britain has said, and David Cameron has made
:13:44. > :13:48.it clear, that is what he wants, a top economic job. But if the spec
:13:49. > :13:50.elation is right and he gets energy and climate change, you can argue
:13:51. > :13:54.energy is absolutely crucial to our economy, so I think whatever he
:13:55. > :13:57.gets, as long as it is in the economic area, he will be a will to
:13:58. > :14:02.sell. Ultimately the final decision is taken in the European Parliament,
:14:03. > :14:06.where MEPs will vote on Jean`Claude Juncker's packages of commissioners
:14:07. > :14:09.and their portfolios. Vivian Reding is to be the commission's vice
:14:10. > :14:12.president, like Jean`Claude Juncker, she is from Luxembourg, and says the
:14:13. > :14:18.number of women candidates is an issue. Hanna women are half of the
:14:19. > :14:24.talent, half of the knowledge, half of the responsibility, so let's also
:14:25. > :14:27.carry half of the doing, what we are standing for. And I have the
:14:28. > :14:29.impression that unfortunately, in some member states, this is not
:14:30. > :14:42.taken seriously. This is an incredibly complicated
:14:43. > :14:49.process, and even after Jean`Claude Juncker is made up his mind, it is
:14:50. > :14:57.still not a done deal. We have been joined by the leader of
:14:58. > :14:59.the Conservatives in Europe. It doesn't look as if Lord Hill will
:15:00. > :15:05.get one of those top economic jobs, does it? We don't know yet. So far,
:15:06. > :15:09.we have seen rumours of a draft commission plan. If it is true that
:15:10. > :15:15.he might get the energy portfolio, that is a crucial portfolio. Look at
:15:16. > :15:17.what David Cameron and President Obama are talking about at the
:15:18. > :15:22.moment, how we need to secure energy from Russia. We have just heard from
:15:23. > :15:26.one of the commentators in that film, that the government will argue
:15:27. > :15:29.that whatever job Lord Hill gets is crucial to the economy, because
:15:30. > :15:32.everything is crucial to the economy. It is not the same as
:15:33. > :15:39.getting one of those top economic portfolios. He has made it quite
:15:40. > :15:42.clear that he will change the portfolios around, so it won't be
:15:43. > :15:45.exactly the same. If you had said to me a few weeks ago, what portfolio
:15:46. > :15:51.would you like, energy would have been one of the top ones. It sounds
:15:52. > :15:59.that is what he is going to get. I don't know that, once I know, if he
:16:00. > :16:04.gets it, great. Let's take the energy portfolio away, which other
:16:05. > :16:11.portfolio would you have liked for Lord Hill? I would like to see... We
:16:12. > :16:17.are interest in British interests, trade, monetary affairs. Whatever
:16:18. > :16:23.happens, the British MEPs will continue to stand up for that
:16:24. > :16:26.crucial industry. Do you accept that without occupying one of those top
:16:27. > :16:32.economic portfolios, Britain's influence in those areas between
:16:33. > :16:36.prosperity and spending, rife within the European Union, will be
:16:37. > :16:41.diminished? Absolutely not. They will discuss the issues, and often
:16:42. > :16:46.commissioners bring up issues that are not strictly related to their
:16:47. > :16:50.portfolios. Climate change is another issue, with the Paris
:16:51. > :16:56.conference next year, it is a very important issue to be dealing with.
:16:57. > :17:02.Don't forget it. Of course. Wouldn't it be better if we were occupying
:17:03. > :17:09.one of the top economic roles? Of course it is. It is a bit of a
:17:10. > :17:13.Mickey Mouse. His appointment is, for him, because he will be made
:17:14. > :17:18.very unpopular at home, because energy bills will go up. He is going
:17:19. > :17:26.to actually push through European legislation that will increase
:17:27. > :17:29.windfarms, and it is the pensioners, the young families, their bills will
:17:30. > :17:35.go up. He won't be popular. On the basis of what Jane Collins said when
:17:36. > :17:41.she was talking about the portfolio, is it because Lord Hill wasn't
:17:42. > :17:43.particularly well`known to anyone, particularly Jean`Claude Juncker,
:17:44. > :17:49.that his chances of getting more role were also reduced? If we look
:17:50. > :17:53.at most of the commissioners, many people don't know any commissioners
:17:54. > :17:57.outside the Brussels Circle. Everyone I have met across the
:17:58. > :18:00.political spectrum, including Jean`Claude Juncker himself, have
:18:01. > :18:04.said to me that they have been very impressed. How many former prime
:18:05. > :18:07.ministers will be chosen as commissioners or have been chosen as
:18:08. > :18:17.commissioners? Some have clearly been chosen. Just because you are
:18:18. > :18:22.former prime ministers is not mean you are the most effective PM. That
:18:23. > :18:25.they agree with, but it is all about profile, isn't it? It is not, it is
:18:26. > :18:30.about being well respected within the Brussels Circle. Jean`Claude
:18:31. > :18:35.Juncker had to Google Lord Hill, so he didn't know him, let alone
:18:36. > :18:45.respect him. The UK is not well respected in the UK, so... You think
:18:46. > :18:50.that is Ukip's Fault? The single market is not there any more.
:18:51. > :18:54.Consumer rights isn't there any more, and those are the things when
:18:55. > :19:01.I think, there is better regulation, which is down to the Dutch
:19:02. > :19:06.representative. A German has a trade portfolio, the French have
:19:07. > :19:10.competition. These are all rumours, we will find out next week. I think
:19:11. > :19:13.we have to look at it in totality. There is a healing process, it is
:19:14. > :19:17.very tough, and then they have to vote in the Parliament. We have to
:19:18. > :19:24.go to see this College of commissioners approved. Now there
:19:25. > :19:31.are nine female candidates, and that is something... I would rather see
:19:32. > :19:34.no commissioners. We don't have a British commissioner, they are
:19:35. > :19:37.called EU commissioners. But they are working on the half of the UK as
:19:38. > :19:40.well, aren't they? You wouldn't think so, if you actually saw what
:19:41. > :19:42.was happening. We can argue about whether there is a point of
:19:43. > :19:46.commissioners. Should the public know a little bit more about what
:19:47. > :19:53.they do and who they are? Yes, I think it is important. I spoke to
:19:54. > :19:58.the Tory backbenchers this week, and 1.I made, whatever you think of the
:19:59. > :20:01.EU, we are members, and that means that legislation we made in Brussels
:20:02. > :20:07.becomes law in Britain, and we have to recognise that. What was the
:20:08. > :20:11.reaction? Very positive. It'll wanted to know who these people are.
:20:12. > :20:14.People need to recognise how many of our laws are made in Brussels.
:20:15. > :20:21.Briefly, do you think there would have been more chance of getting one
:20:22. > :20:25.of the top jobs if David Cameron had nominated someone. Hang on, you are
:20:26. > :20:29.saying that the job that Lord Hill is getting won't be one of the top
:20:30. > :20:34.jobs. If you look at the crucial issues that Obama and Cameron talked
:20:35. > :20:40.about the Nato summit, energy is one of those. Hold onto your hats, we
:20:41. > :20:47.have the first a new series of elms called Meet the Neighbours. We
:20:48. > :20:50.started off in Croatia, the newest member of the EU, where our reporter
:20:51. > :21:12.got himself into a bit of a fight. I am finding out about life as a
:21:13. > :21:23.gladiator in a town in northern Croatia. It is like being in a bin.
:21:24. > :21:30.Another empire was here long would you rather be subject of the Roman
:21:31. > :21:37.Empire or EU Empire? OK, Roman Empire was definitely more choral.
:21:38. > :21:42.This is a country that is used to joining just listen to the tour
:21:43. > :21:47.guide. My grandfather was born in Austria. My father in Italy. I was
:21:48. > :21:51.born in Yugoslavia and my kids in Croatia. And all in the same city,
:21:52. > :21:57.so that is the 20th century for rust. Croatia is always changing
:21:58. > :22:03.hands. Many countries will never go through what we went through in the
:22:04. > :22:08.last century, so this is a very interesting place. Nowadays, Croatia
:22:09. > :22:18.is famous for tourism, at a big industry is shipbuilding. So big you
:22:19. > :22:21.need a bike to get around. Two ferries over there are going to
:22:22. > :22:23.Turkmenistan, the ship is going to Afghanistan, and this tanker is
:22:24. > :22:30.going to be rented out. It is massive. The country's shipyards
:22:31. > :22:34.were state run, but they had to be sold off as a condition of joining
:22:35. > :22:38.the EU. Brussels also insisted the country bring lots of sectors up to
:22:39. > :22:40.European standards, from the police to the sewerage system. Now, let's
:22:41. > :23:00.get a taste of the politics. This restaurant is called Cocker
:23:01. > :23:07.doodle do, the left`wing parties that form the government developed
:23:08. > :23:13.their policies here, so they are known by that name. They had several
:23:14. > :23:17.courses, good Croatian wine and good wine, and with those come good
:23:18. > :23:21.ideas. Another regular diner was the former PM, who was jailed earlier
:23:22. > :23:27.this year for corruption on a massive scale. Something that is
:23:28. > :23:33.often on the menu in Croatia. But here is one customer who is squeaky
:23:34. > :23:37.clean. She is part of a brand`new Green party that wants to shake up
:23:38. > :23:48.the system. The general impression is that our politics is all about
:23:49. > :23:53.obtaining power and privileges, well`paid positions, and not caring
:23:54. > :23:58.about the rest of the world. The problem people worry about most here
:23:59. > :24:02.is the state of the economy. Croatia has been battling a fierce recession
:24:03. > :24:15.for six years, and not everyone is convinced that joining the EU will
:24:16. > :24:19.shield them from it getting worse. Not a resounding success for Croatia
:24:20. > :24:24.since it has joined the EU? I think talking to Croatian colleagues, I
:24:25. > :24:29.think Croatia has welcomed being a member of the EU. Access to the
:24:30. > :24:35.single market, the fact that 4.4 million people are now European
:24:36. > :24:43.citizens. Why is the economy not doing well? Across the EU, our
:24:44. > :24:49.economies have been hit by the recession, and are recovering. It is
:24:50. > :24:54.the only member state, and I wrote to every country about the
:24:55. > :25:01.independence, they said there would be no shortcuts. I welcome that. 18
:25:02. > :25:04.billion spent on them in 2013, the tourism hasn't taken off as they
:25:05. > :25:09.hoped it would, 20% unemployment, I don't see where there is any
:25:10. > :25:14.benefit. There is nothing evident that it has been beneficial to join
:25:15. > :25:25.the EU. That's it for today, thank you to my guests.
:25:26. > :25:30.A bit of a blip in the settled whether we have been having, some of
:25:31. > :25:34.us getting showers or rain. Normal service will resume on Monday, as we
:25:35. > :25:35.will see in a moment. If you have been having showers,