EUROPEAN SOCIAL DEMOCRAT LEADER SUGGESTS WAY

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 000137 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2025 TAGS: PTER EFIN KTFN ECPS ECON PREL EUN AU SUBJECT: EUROPEAN SOCIAL DEMOCRAT LEADER SUGGESTS WAY FORWARD ON TFTP/FMDA Classified By: Amb. William C. Eacho. Reason: 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Hannes Swoboda (protect),a VP in the Social Democratic caucus of the European Parliament (EP),believes that a clear commitment by the European Commission (EC) and Council to address EP concerns about the interim TFTP/FMDA agreement can sway a majority in the EP to vote in favor of the agreement on Feb. 11 or, at a minimum, to agree to postpone the vote for further discussion. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Amb. Eacho met Feb. 5 with Hannes Swoboda as part of a broader effort to engage Austrian MEPs in a discussion of the TFTP/FMDA agreement. Swoboda opened with a quick review of the two key issues. First, he noted that the EP had warned the EC and Council against trying an end-run around the EP, but that the two had gone ahead and signed the agreement on Nov. 30. He also criticized the EC's and Council's lack of transparency during the negotiating process. In positive contrast, he noted the "open-minded" and extensive briefings given to an EP delegation (of which he was a member) by the Treasury Department in Washington in early December. ¶3. (C) On the second factor, Swoboda said that weaknesses in the interim agreement meant that EU citizens did not enjoy the protections and rights they were entitled to under EU law. However, he acknowledged that the media and public debate exaggerated the flaws greatly and complicated the EP's deliberations. He noted he had had to correct a colleague's mis-characterization of the scope of the interim agreement. ¶4. (C) Despite these problems, Swoboda believed that there was a real chance to winning EP approval of the interim agreement before Feb. 11, or at a minimum of winning a postponement of the vote. To get to this point, he proposed: a) A statement by the Spanish Interior Ministry on behalf of the Council at the opening of the EP debate on TFTP/FMDA affirming that the EC and Council will &take up8 the EP,s concerns in negotiating the long-term agreement. He reported that the EP President had written to the Spanish in January with just such a request, but that it had been ignored. Swoboda said everyone understands that the EC/Council cannot guarantee specific outcomes. b) A follow-on statement by the Commission confirming that these issues will be taken up in the negotiations for a permanent agreement. c) A cabinet-level statement from the U.S. affirming our willingness to discuss the full range of parliamentary concerns. ¶5. (C) Swoboda was optimistic about the impact of such statements on the EP because: a) He and SD Caucus President Schulz had discussed the matter between themselves and agreed that this would be enough for them to support the agreement. Swoboda noted that some in the Caucus (the Spanish and some British) already favor the agreement; b) The Conservatives (EPP) were already 2/3 of the way (100 for, 50 against) to accepting the agreement; and c) His conversations with Liberal caucus leaders also led him to believe they would be prepared to switch from no to yes on the basis of such statements. Swoboda indicated he saws no chance of changing Green views on the issue. ¶6. (U) Amb. and DCM have reached out to the more influential half of the Austrian EP delegation and expect to meet or speak with most in the coming week. Ironically, the Austrian conservatives now seem less inclined to support, but have been inconsistent and may still be susceptible to persuasion. EACHO