Eurolokomotiv

Füle: I'll make sure Croatia joins EU without monitoring

2010-03-31T20:58:00.001+02:00

Bulgaria and Romania's EU accession in January 2007 was accompanied by a monitoring mechanism designed to guide those countries' progress in the field of law enforcement, but Croatia should join without such a tool, Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner Štefan Füle told EurActiv in an interview. Croatia is approaching the finishing line in its EU membership negotiations, but steps still need to be taken in a number of difficult areas - particularly the judiciary, public administration, corruption and minority rights (EurActiv 24/03/10).

30 March 2010 | Updated: 31 March 2010

http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/enlargement-commissioner-i-will-make-sure-croatia-joins-without-monitoring-news-395250

EU plays it tough on Western Balkans

2010-03-31T20:54:00.001+02:00

Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle deliberately left early from a regional summit in Slovenia this weekend, signalling that the European Commission's patience with the Western Balkans has its limits.

http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/eu-plays-it-tough-western-balkans-news-369264

Paradoxiacally strong

2010-03-01T22:28:00.000+01:00

A triumphant Viktor Yanukovich is inaugurated in Kiev, but his political problems have only just begun. EVEN in Ukraine, elections can end. After two rounds of voting and weeks of legal rumbles, Viktor Yanukovich was inaugurated on February 25th as Ukraine’s fourth democratically elected president. In November 2004 he tried and failed to steal the crown. Now he has played (mostly) by the rules—and won. Although Yulia Tymoshenko, his charismatic rival (and Ukraine’s prime minister), refuses to recognise Mr Yanukovich’s victory, she withdrew her legal appeals this week. Ukraine’s highest office has thus moved from an incumbent to an opposition leader: a rare achievement in an ex-Soviet republic. Feb 25th 2010 | MOSCOW | From The Economist print edition: http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_ID=15580872&fsrc=nlw|wwp|02-25-2010|politics_this_week

Another scandal inolving the Army in Turkey...

2010-03-01T20:27:00.000+01:00

FOR decades Turkey’s meddlesome generals inspired fear and respect. These days they rouse pity and even scorn, as scores of retired and serving officers are arrested and jailed for alleged plots to overthrow the Justice and Development (AK) party, which has ruled the country since 2002. Feb 25th 2010 | ISTANBUL | From The Economist print edition:

http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_ID=15581048&fsrc=nlw|wwp|02-25-2010|politics_this_week

Serbia 'elephant in the room' at Croatia celebration

2010-02-23T18:19:00.000+01:00

Ivo Josipović was today (18 February) sworn in as president of Croatia at an inauguration ceremony attended by all the heads of state in the region, with the notable exception of Serbian President Boris Tadić. Croatia is poised to become the first country to join the EU since the accession of Romania and Bulgaria in 2007. The country is expected to complete its accession negotiations in 2010. Croatia holds parliamentary elections every four years and presidential elections every five years. Most of the executive power is vested in the post of prime minister. The latter position has been held since July 2009 by Jadranka Kosor, after the resignation of former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader. Social Democratic candidate Ivo Josipović won 60.3% of the vote in the second round of the presidential race on 10 January 2010. He was running against Milan Bandić, the populist mayor of Zagreb. The change of guard' with outgoing President Stjepan Mesić took place in Zagreb's St Mark's Square under the eyes of European heads of state (Hungary, Slovenia, Poland, Macedonia, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina) and diplomatic delegations from around 80 countries, including Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt, Canadian Minister of State Lynne Yelich and Chinese Minister of Culture Cai Wu.

Euractiv:
http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/serbia-elephant-room-croatia-celebration-news-260498

Geopolitics: Facing up to China

2010-02-17T16:25:00.001+01:00

For six decades now, Taiwan has been where the simmering distrust between China and America most risks boiling over. In 1986 Deng Xiaoping called it the “one obstacle in Sino-US relations”. So there was something almost ritualistic about the Chinese government’s protestations this week that it was shocked, shocked and angered by America’s decision to sell Taiwan $6 billion-worth of weaponry. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, passed in 1979, all American administrations must help arm Taiwan so that it can defend itself. And China, which has never renounced what it says is its right to “reunify” Taiwan by force, feels just as bound to protest when arms deals go through. After a squall briefly roils the waters, relations revert to their usual choppy but unthreatening passage.

Economist : http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=15452821&source=most_commented

EU ministers give Greece timetable for recovery

2010-02-17T13:24:00.000+01:00

EU finance ministers have given Greece a month to convince the European Union – and financial markets – that emergency measures to tackle its growing deficits will put the country on the road to recovery. The ministers reiterated their support for Greece, but played their cards very close to their chests

http://www.euractiv.com/en/euro/eu-ministers-have-greek-plan-no-details-news-259957

The election of Viktor Yanukovich is not as surprising as it may seem

2010-02-16T13:09:00.000+01:00

The big picture in Ukraine often looks clear and dramatic. In the 2004 orange revolution Viktor Yanukovich was the operatic villain. In the cast-list of Ukrainian politics he is a former convict, a stooge of Moscow and a gaffe-prone thug. But in the latest act, on February 7th he became the democratically elected president, winning 49% of the vote, against 45.5% for the defeated prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko.Five years ago Mr Yanukovich had been the hand-picked successor to Ukraine’s autocratic leader, Leonid Kuchma, who rigged the election in favour of his protégé but sparked mass protests that brought Viktor Yushchenko and Ms Tymoshenko to power. In the words of Mr Kuchma, the score has now been “annulled”. Mr Yushchenko, who spectacularly failed to govern the country well, has been kicked out. Ms Tymoshenko refuses to concede defeat, causing irritation in the Ukraine and the West. And Mr Yanukovich has (almost) become a champion of democracy.

From The Economist print edition:

www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_ID=15501625&fsrc=nlw|wwp|02-11-2010|politics_this_week

NATO’s relations with Serbia

2010-02-10T16:13:00.000+01:00

Serbia is one of newest members of the Partnership for Peace (PfP), joining in December 2006. Democratic, institutional and defence reforms are a key focus of cooperation. Serbia agreed its first Individual Partnership Programme (IPP) with NATO in 2009, which sets out priorities for its cooperation with NATO.

From the NATO website:

http://www.nato.int/issues/nato-serbia/index.html

Third revision of arrangement with IMF

2010-02-10T13:24:00.001+01:00

The IMF mission led by Albert Jagger is coming to Belgrade today for negotiations with Serbia Government over the third revision of the credit standby arrangement. The talks between the IMF with Serbia Government and the National Bank shall begin tomorrow.

Blic, Serbia:

http://english.blic.rs/Economy/5993/Third-revisionof-arrangement-with-IMF

Kosovo status as early as in 2010 ?

2010-02-10T13:21:00.000+01:00

Former UN regional representative in Kosovska Mitrovica Gerard Gallucchi thinks that the year of 2010 might be a year for settlement of Kosovo status and its northern part. He also thinks that the only way to solution lies in new negotiations.

Blic, Serbia:
http://english.blic.rs/News/5955/Kosovo-status-as-early-as-in-2010

A very European crisis

2010-02-09T14:59:00.000+01:00

The sorry state of Greece’s public finances is a test not only for the country’s policymakers but also for Europe’s. SOME would say that tragedy was inevitable from the moment, nine years ago last month, when Greece was admitted to the euro zone. Others would claim that woe was sure to befall such a disparate currency union sooner or later: if not Greece, then some other weak member of the club would have been the cause. Avoidable or not, trouble has arrived. At best, Greece has to undergo a dramatic budgetary tightening. Its fellow Europeans, or the IMF, may yet have to organise a humiliating bail-out. Some even talk—probably mistakenly—of the beginning of the end of the euro area.

From The Economist print edition: http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15452594

Barroso II 'in search of lost time'

2010-02-08T16:03:00.000+01:00

A daunting agenda awaits the incoming Barroso II team ahead of its confirmation vote in the European Parliament tomorrow (9 February), as valuable time has been lost in ratifying the Lisbon Treaty, choosing new leaders and putting in place the new EU executive.

Euractiv:http://www.euractiv.com/en/priorities/barroso-ii-search-lost-time

Greece's troubles

2010-02-08T15:52:00.002+01:00

Rarely do chickens come home to roost with such precision. George Papandreou, Greece’s Socialist (Pasok) prime minister, is struggling to stop the country “falling over a cliff”, as he put it in a gloomy television address on February 2nd. Yet it was his late father Andreas, a spendthrift Pasok premier, who presided over the origins of Greece’s crisis with a borrowing spree in the 1980s. The younger Mr Papandreou must now act quickly to curb Greece’s “triple deficit”—big budget and current-account deficits, plus a soaring public debt—or risk a humiliating loss of sovereignty to the European Union’s institutions to escape a sovereign default. Extract from the Economist:

http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_ID=15464901fsrc=nlw|wwp|02-04-2010|politics_this_week

The cruelty of compassion: Social cohesion has become an excuse for avoiding necessary reforms in Europe

2010-02-06T17:39:00.002+01:00

SOCIAL cohesion is one of those values all decent Europeans can sign up to: less social conflict and less of the inequality that America and Britain put up with. Some countries, notably Germany, really do manage to marry social harmony and economic reform. In the past decade Germany has—thanks to good management and obliging unions—kept its public sector in check, partly freed its labour market, held down unemployment, and regained competitiveness. Elsewhere, though, the need to preserve social cohesion, parroted by European politicians from left and right, has become a self-defeating excuse to avoid reform

From The Economist print edition:

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15393964

Macedonia to get EU accession date in March

2010-02-04T12:59:00.001+01:00

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Parliament's (EP) Foreign Policy Committee approved on Wednesday (January 27th) amendments to Macedonia's EU progress reported submitted by EP lawmaker and rapporteur Zoran Thaler. Under the document, the country is to receive a date for starting EU accession talks in March, when the EU's foreign ministers will hold their next summit. Speaking to journalists after the vote, Thaler said the approval was a very positive development for Macedonia and a strong political signal from the EP to the European Commission and the EU Council. Setimes.com:

http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/breakingnews/2010/01/27/nb-01

Too many cooks

2010-02-02T14:43:00.003+01:00

After nearly a decade of effort, the Lisbon Treaty is finally in place – and Europeans finally have the chance to develop the unified voice and combined weight in the world that we all now understand to be necessary. Yet Europe’s national leaders seem unable to curb the sort of self-indulgent behaviour that will sabotage this historic opportunity. Extract from:

http://www.globeurope.com/standpoint/too-many-cooks

France devises sustainable development barometer

2010-01-29T13:15:00.001+01:00

In an attempt to address sustainable development challenges, France this week presented a series of indicators to measure progress towards green growth and jobs. Euractiv:

http://www.euractiv.com/en/sustainability/france-devises-sustainable-development-barometer/article-189134

Pro-Russia Yanukovich leads ahead of Ukraine vote

2010-01-29T13:10:00.002+01:00

Viktor Yanukovich, former prime minister and leader of the powerful Party of the Regions, which represents the Russian-speaking part of Ukraine in parliament, has emerged as the front-runner in opinion polls ahead of the second round of the presidential election on 7 February. Ukraine faces a 7 February run-off vote between opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich and populist Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko after the first round of presidential elections on 17 January failed to produce an outright winner (EurActiv 18/01/10). The election will define how Ukraine, a former Soviet republic of 46 million people wedged between the European Union and Russia, handles relations with its powerful neighbours and may help unblock frozen IMF aid to its ailing economy. Just days before the first round, Tymoshenko promised that her country would become an EU member if she were elected president (EurActiv 15/01/10). After the first round, Yanukovich led with 38% of the vote, Tymoshenko had 24% and businessman Sergey Tigipko won 13%.

Tymoshenko pressed Tigipko to accept the prime minister's job if she is elected president next month

According to a poll by the Kyiv International Sociology Institute, 55.9% of respondents would support Yanukovych of the Party of Regions (PR) in next month's ballot, while 40.7% would vote for current Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. The remaining 3.4% say they would vote against both candidates.

Extarct Fron Euractiv:

http://www.euractiv.com/en/east-mediterranean/pro-russia-yanukovich-leads-ahead-ukraine-vote/article-189358

EU struggles to 'fly the flag' in Haiti

2010-01-26T13:56:00.000+01:00

Pressure is mounting on the European Union to 'fly the flag' in Haiti, with the country seemingly becoming a test case for showcasing the bloc's revamped institutions under the Lisbon Treaty.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, and has experienced a lot of political violence throughout its history. In February 2004, an armed rebellion forced the resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. A provisional government was put in place, with security provided by MINUSTAH, the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti. Réné Préval, the current president, was elected in 2006. Scientists said the earthquake which hit Haiti on 12 January was the strongest on Earth since 1770. The damage was high, as the catastrophic 7.0 magnitude epicentre was just 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince and its two million inhabitants. The number of deaths is yet to be determined, with estimations of 300,000 frequently cited. On 24 January the Haitian government announced that 150,000 bodies had already been buried in mass graves in Port-au-Prince alone.

The widespread devastation included vital infrastructure, including every hospital in the capital, air, sea and land communications, and telecommunications. The initial foreign military presence comprised MINUSTAH and several US Coast Guard vessels, followed by larger ships, helicopter carriers and a floating hospital. French military vessels also docked in Port-au-Prince. In total, the US Navy lists its resources in the area as "17 ships, 48 helicopters and 12 fixed-wing aircraft" in addition to 10,000 sailors and Marines. US President Barack Obama appointed former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to help raise funds for Haiti's recovery. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Haiti on 16 January. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that his country, together with the US, Brazil, Canada and others, would hold a conference on the reconstruction of Haiti.

EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Karel de Gucht was in Port-au-Prince on 21 January. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton met on the same day in Washington with Hillary Clinton. Both discussed the situation in Haiti, where in Clinton's words "one of the greatest rescue-and-relief efforts in the history of the world is underway". EU foreign ministers are gathering in Brussels today for a two-day meeting during which Europe's response to the situation in Haiti will be high on the agenda. Herman Van Rompuy, the EU's new permanent president, has asked heads of state and government to discuss the situation at their informal summit on 11 February.

Euractiv:

http://www.euractiv.com/en/priorities/eu-struggles-fly-flag-haiti/article-189184

European Presidencies Coordination

2010-01-26T13:47:00.003+01:00

Spain, Belgium and Hungary have agreed a joint 18-month programme, beginning in January 2010, for their 'trio' of EU presidencies. The three countries pledged continuity for their stint at the EU helm, which is the first such 'presidency trio' to take place under the EU's revamped institutions. Spain, Belgium and Hungary want to set a precedent and lead by example. Extract from EurActiv:

http://www.euractiv.com/en/priorities/belgium-hungary-set-eu-presidency-priorities/article-189203

Professor: Kosovo highest hurdle in Serbia's EU race

2010-01-25T17:14:00.004+01:00

Lessons drawn from the accession of Cyprus to the EU will not be easily forgotten by the bloc's leaders, Professor Miroljub Radojković told EurActiv in an interview, underlining that Serbia's quest for territorial integrity must be satisfied before EU membership is seriously put on the negotiating table. Extract from Euractiv:

http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/professor-kosovo-highest-hurdle-serbia-eu-race/article-189169

http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/professor-serbia-past-hindering-future/article-189171

Glimpse at Ukrainian Elections 2

2010-01-25T11:22:00.004+01:00

The run off ballot is scheduled for the 7th of February, Yanucovich have not knocked out Julia Tymoshenko as many analist forcasted. Nevertheless, voters seem to be willing to punish the protagonists of the Orange Revolution. At stake there is also Kiev's foreign policy. Even though voters have not been sensitive on this matter the outcome of the election will definately influence, in a way or in another, Ukraine's attitude towards the EU.

Euractiv:

h ttp://www.euractiv.com/en/east-mediterranean/pro-russia-yanukovich-takes-lead-ukrainian-elections/article-188983

http://www.euractiv.com/en/east-mediterranean/ukraine-presidential-hopeful-plays-eu-accession-card/article-188915

Migrations: a topic set aside

2010-01-22T17:02:00.005+01:00

The topic of migrations has been set aside from the European debates notwithstanding the fact it still offers grounds for political battles and academic debate. Apart from human rights related spectacular events (such as the recent riots in Southern Italy) and many politcal parties among Europe pushing the issue on a nearly racist-edged basis, the phenomena fades up quickly form the scene mostly for the difficulty of the Union in finding a clear cuts instead of short-cuts on effective and faireregulations. The so called phenomenon of "externalisation" of migration policies, in few words, improving third countries' capacity of embanking the flows is many times an embarassing topic for member States, especially for Southern European countries, notably easily reacheable areas for migrants coming from Middle east and Africa.

Migreurop.org:
http://www.migreurop.org/article903.html

Struggling transitions or EU inertia?

2010-01-22T15:26:00.001+01:00

The EU's influence on its greater neighbourhood - from Eastern Europe to Central Asia and North Africa - is fading in some places but offers under-utilised potential in others, according to Richard Youngs, research director at a Spanish think-tank, who presented a new study this week in Brussels. "In the last five years, there has been a virulent intellectual debate about the backlash against democracy," said Youngs, who presented his publication, 'Democracy's plight in the European Neighbourhood', in Brussels on Wednesday (20 January).

Extract from Euractiv:

http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/struggling-transitions-europe-borders/article-189154