MIDDAY BRIEF, IN BRIEF

Today at Commission, environment review and the Donald

Commission does not rule out a US-EU summit in May.

After a day off for the EU summit in Malta on Friday, it was business as usual in the Commission.

Karmenu Vella, the European commissioner for environment and fisheries, presented the Commission’s environmental implementation review, which contained none of the usual rankings or naming and shaming found in these types of EU reports. The takeaways: POLITICO’s environment reporter Marion Solletty reports that all EU countries need to do more to tackle air pollution and biodiversity.

Over the weekend, the Commission’s first vice-president, Frans Timmermans, talked with Teodor Meleșcanu, the Romanian foreign minister, after Bucharest decided to withdraw a controversial decree decriminalizing some corruption offenses. Timmermans said the Commission was ready to provide any “legal expertise” to help with anti-corruption reforms in Romania.

Trump news …

The Commission confirmed the EU’s diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini will travel to the U.S. this week, as will Dimitris Avramopoulos, the migration and home affairs commissioner. He will meet John F. Kelly, Donald Trump’s new secretary for Homeland Security, to talk migration.

Talks are “ongoing” over a potential visit by the U.S. vice-president, Mike Pence, to the EU institutions in the coming weeks and the Commission did not rule out a U.S-EU summit in May after a NATO summit that Trump will attend.

The Commission declined to comment on the decision by a U.S. federal judge lifting the Muslim travel ban over the weekend.

On our way to Rome …

The Commission provided little insight into its preparation for the Rome summit on March 25 and its white paper ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

Reacting to suggestions by Angela Merkel that there could be a “two-speed” Europe in future, the Commission said: “Speed is important, but equally important is the direction of travel.” That means the Commission thinks a two-speed Europe will only work if national leaders also agree greater eurozone integration and institutional reforms.

The Commission did note, however, that while its job is to create unified European solutions, the euro and the Schengen system are proof of existing EU flexibility.