Monday, June 28, 2004
EU newcomers prepare to join euro
BBC NEWS | "Estonia, Lithuania and Slovenia have fixed the value of their currencies against the euro as the first step in adopting the single currency.
They are the first of the European Union's 10 newcomers to take such a step and aim to adopt the euro in 2007.
The countries will ensure that their currencies do not rise or fall by more than 15% against the euro. "
EU newcomers prepare to join euro
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Leaders to have another shot at deciding commission president
EUobserver.com | "EU leaders are to gather next Tuesday (29 June) in Brussels to see if they can hammer out agreement on who should be the next Commission President.
Scheduled to discuss the appointment over dinner, their meeting will come just over a week after negotiations on who should get the top Brussels job broke off after descending into a mud-slinging match between France, Germany and the UK, according to sources.
An Irish Presidency official said the Irish prime minister and current head of the EU, Bertie Ahern, will only call the meeting once he is sure member states can reach consensus on a name."
Leaders to have another shot at deciding commission president
Monday, June 21, 2004
Europe rocked by winds of change
BBC NEWS | "To British eyes, a 25-member Union has attractions and drawbacks too.
The chief attraction is that with so many new members, the days of French and German domination are over.
President Chirac's voluble frustration half-way through these interminable talks was a little moment of history all by itself: he had moved decisively with the Germans and his traditional allies to settle something important - looked around - and suddenly realised he didn't have the votes.
It is hard to over-state the change that expansion has brought, and which this new constitution gives shape to.
Everyone knew the expansion would change things, of course: but the full reality has not hit home until this weekend in Brussels. "
Europe rocked by winds of change
Blair begins EU constitution push
BBC NEWS | "Tony Blair begins the task of selling the newly negotiated EU constitution with a statement to MPs on Monday.
He will report on the 'historic success' of a deal he says safeguards UK control of tax and other key issues, and allows the EU to function properly.
The prime minister says the UK will only sign up to the constitution if the public back it in a UK-wide referendum.
Opinion polls suggest suspicion of Europe is at a new high - and a number of Labour MPs oppose the constitution. "
Blair begins EU constitution push
Friday, June 18, 2004
Constitution for Europe agreed
EUobserver.com | "EU leaders have agreed a Constitution for Europe after almost two and half years of intense negotiation and wheeler-dealing.
"It's done", said a diplomat simply, announcing the deal.
The final few hours of negotiation leading to the historic deal were characterised by bad temper as the 25 member states of the European Union wrangled over the balance of power in a future Europe.
The new voting system, how much power the European Commission should have over member states' economic policies and whether a mention of Christianity should be included in the text were on the table until the last minute."
Constitution for Europe agreed
EU heads 'agree new constitution'
BBC NEWS | "Leaders from 25 countries have agreed the first written constitution for the European Union, diplomats say.
The deal came after the UK and France publicly criticised each other over the slow progress at the Brussels summit.
But both Germany and France backed a compromise constitutional draft put forward by Ireland - the current holder of EU presidency.
Reports say the other sticking point - a new European Commission president - has been postponed for later talks. "
EU heads 'agree new constitution'
Shortlist for president down to two
EUobserver.com | "Two men have emerged as front runners to become the next President of the European Commission as the debate over filling the post reaches a climax.
After two days of talks in Brussels, the Portuguese premier Jose Manuel Durão Barroso and French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier are out in front of the pack, according to one well placed observer.
According to Andrew Duff, a senior member of the Convention - the body which created the first draft of the Constitutional Treaty - there will be a vote within hours to decide who will emerge the victor. "
Shortlist for president down to two
Sunday, June 13, 2004
Dutch vote whistleblower into European Parliament
EUobserver.com | "With 99.1% of the votes counted, the European elections in the Netherlands have brought a spectacular entry into the European Parliament of the famous whistleblower Paul van Buitenen, while the governing centre-right coalition suffered a major blow.
Together with the UK, the Netherlands was the first country to vote on Thursday (10 June). Votes were counted by local authorities and gathered by the Dutch Press Agency, ANP.
Contrary to what polls had predicted, the anti-corruption candidate Paul van Buitenen, who contended for the first time, gained two seats (7.3 percent of the votes). "
Dutch vote whistleblower into European Parliament
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Euroscepticism grips Netherlands ahead of European elections
EU Business | "Less than a month before their country is to take over the presidency of the European Union, the Dutch are increasingly becoming eurosceptic, viewing the pan-European bloc as too bureaucratic and spendthrift and fearing the adverse fallout of its recent enlargement.
'The Netherlands was one of the most enthusiastic supporters of European construction,' said Sjerp van der Vaart, head of the European Parliament office here.
A recent poll by the center-left daily Volkskrant showed that 43 percent of the Dutch public opposed granting the European Union more powers than it currently has, while 30 percent were in favor.
Meanwhile 46 percent of those polled believe the May 1 enlargement of the Union from 15 to 25 members will bring more disadvantages -- unemployment, more crime -- than benefits, according to a survey by the center-right daily Algemeen Dagblad.
This lack of enthusiasm could mean a lower turnout in the European elections Thursday. Five years ago, only 29.9 percent of voters bothered to cast their ballots, the lowest rate among EU members behind Britain.
Dutch euroscepticism is surprising. For years this small country has been among the strongest backers of federalism with the support of its 16-million-strong population. "
Euroscepticism grips Netherlands ahead of European elections
EU buoyant as G8 prepares to unveil Mid East plan
EUobserver.com | "Brussels is claiming a major diplomatic victory as a US initiative to reform the Middle East takes on a European flavour.
Key EU demands appear to have been met in the latest draft of a joint G8 plan to reform and democratise the Middle East.
The text, drafted by the US - which currently chairs the G8 - is set to be unveiled during this week's G8 summit at Sea Island, Georgia - which begins on Tuesday (8 June).
During the months of negotiations leading up to the summit, the EU had voiced concerns that the original text imposed reform from the outside and that a resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict did not play a big enough role."
EU buoyant as G8 prepares to unveil Mid East plan
France and Germany fight over police post
EUobserver.com | "The appointment of the new director of Europol, the European Police Office, has put France and Germany at loggerheads, with both backing their own candidate to get the post.
This question will feature again on the agenda of EU justice and interior ministers on Tuesday in Luxembourg but lack of agreement between these two countries could see the issue being postponed for a summit of EU leaders next week.
Time is marching as the term of the present director, German Jürgen Storbeck, finishes at the end of this month.
But the need for EU member states to agree unanimously on the next person to head the Office has blocked the issue for months.
The Frenchman Jacques Franquet - director of the international and technical police co-operation service (SCITP) is seen as the front runner, but Germany is backing Mr Storbeck, who wants his mandate to be renewed."
France and Germany fight over police post
Italy: Iraq and economy are key
BBC NEWS | "In the second of a series of reports on the European election campaign from six countries around Europe, Tamsin Smith reports from Rome.
When Italians go to the polling booths on 12 and 13 June, they face no fewer than 13 electoral lists ranging from the far right to the far left. "
Italy: Iraq and economy are key
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Governments across EU to be hit in European elections
EUobserver.com | "Governing parties across the EU are set to be hit hard in the European elections in just under two weeks time, according to a new survey on EU citizens' voting intentions.
Published on Tuesday (1 June), the EOS Gallup poll conducted in 21 of the 25 member states shows that for most countries, the elections for European Parliament will be a warning for the ruling party.
Some of the biggest losses will occur in Poland and Germany."
Governments across EU to be hit in European elections
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Verhofstadt wants Belgian referendum on Constitution
EUobserver.com | "Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt today said he would like to organise a non-binding referendum on the Constitution in late-summer.
According to wire reports, Mr Verhofstadt said, 'Europe is more and more part of our national politics', adding, 'I want a non-binding, consultative referendum'.
Under Belgian law, a referendum cannot be binding.
Mr Verhofstadt - a frontrunner to succeed Romano Prodi as President of the European Commission - said that the vote would be held within 50 days of the agreement on the final text - expected on 17 - 18 June.
He said the vote could come on the same day as the Netherlands holds a popular vote.
If confirmed, Belgium would be the eighth country to hold a referendum on the Constitution. "
Verhofstadt wants Belgian referendum on Constitution
Irish PM, with eye on EU constitution, ducks out of commission race
EU Business | "The countdown was on Tuesday to find a new president for the European Commission after Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, under pressure to finalize the EU constitution, ruled himself out of the race.
Ahern, whose country currently holds the European Union presidency, once again stressed at the weekend he was not in the running to take the top spot at the EU executive arm after the Italian Romano Prodi stands down in October. "
Irish PM, with eye on EU constitution, ducks out of commission race
Turkish prime minister to visit Netherlands -- holder of next EU presidency
EU Business | "Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay an official visit this month to the Netherlands, which is to assume the rotating presidency of the European Union next month.
Erdogan will be accompanied during his visit, set for June 15-17, by a delegation of Turkish business leaders, his press office said Tuesday. "
Turkish prime minister to visit Netherlands -- holder of next EU presidency
Poland demands minority veto in Constitution
EUobserver.com | "Just as the contentious issue of voting rights in EU Constitution talks seemed to be overcome by the widely agreed formula of a 'double majority', Poland has now tabled a new demand which is set to further complicate talks.
The Polish interim Prime Minister Marek Belka told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung on Sunday (30 May) that Poland has 'in principle' accepted the double majority system, but that this should be complemented by the possibility of a veto of EU decisions by states representing a fifth of the EU population."
Poland demands minority veto in Constitution
Paris, Berlin and Brussels at odds over 'European champions'
EurActiv.com | "Just days after Germany and France announced a meeting to discuss the future of European industrial policy with the aim of creating 'European champions', the event has been postponed indefinitely, reports the Financial Times. Although "availability problems" have been cited as a reason, it seems that disagreements between Paris, Berlin and Brussels are to blame for the decision.
Berlin is said to be angered by France's enthusiasm for creating a new national champion in the form of a bid by French company Sanofi-Synthélabo for its rival Aventis, which Germany's Economy Minister Wolfgang Clement referred to as a "relapse into state interventionism". Recent debates surrounding the future of struggling engineering giant Alstom have put a further strain on relations. While Germany was hoping for the creation of a genuine 'European champion' through an approach by Alstom's rival Siemens, France wanted to keep the company firmly in French hands."
Paris, Berlin and Brussels at odds over 'European champions'
Netherlands threatened with court case over election results
EUobserver.com | "With just weeks to go until the Netherlands takes over the helm of the European Union, the country is being warned it faces court action if it releases election results before 13 June - three days after the Dutch go to the polls.
The European Commission today (28 May) said that the Netherlands may face court action if it releases its election results before the last votes are in at 22.00 on 13 June.
The Netherlands is one of the countries which will hold European Parliament elections on the 10th of June, whereas other EU countries, such as Spain and Greece, will vote later."
Netherlands threatened with court case over election results
Richt Europacampagne op elites
Clingendael | "De verkiezingscampagne voor de Europese verkiezingen moet radicaal anders, teneinde een herhaling van ‘juni 1999’ te voorkomen, betoogt Alfred Pijpers.
Stemmen voor Europa: op 10 juni mogen in Nederland 11,6 miljoen kiesgerechtigden hun stem uitbrengen voor het Europees Parlement. Nationale en Europese voorlichtingsdiensten draaien op volle toeren, teneinde een herhaling van juni 1999 te voorkomen toen de opkomst in Nederland tot de laagste in de Europese Unie behoorde.
De campagnes richten zich primair op “groepen die van huis uit minder geneigd zijn om te gaan stemmen: jongeren, allochtonen, nieuwe stemmers, laag-opgeleiden met een laag inkomen, niet-stemmers”, blijkt uit het plan-de-campagne van betrokken overheidsinstanties. Om het Europa-gevoel op te krikken, worden de Beurs van Berlage en de perstoren van de Tweede Kamer ingepakt met pro-Europese leuzen en tijdens het PinkPop-festival worden debatten georganiseerd onder leiding van Theo van Gogh.
Maar om een herhaling van juni 1999 te voorkomen, moeten de campagnes op een andere leest worden geschoeid.Respecteer de belangstelling voor de nationale politiek.
Brussel is ‘best belangrijk’, en niet meer weg te denken uit de vaderlandse politiek, maar miljoenen Nederlanders vinden Den Haag belangrijker, en in politiek opzicht interessanter. Geef ze ongelijk: het kabinet-Balkenende snijdt zonder noemenswaardige Brusselse bemoeienis in de uitkeringen, wil de VUT afschaffen, zet asielzoekers het land uit, haalt de pil uit het ziekenfondspakket en de nederwiet uit de handel, krimpt de thuiszorg in, gaat het Groene Hart volplempen, gaat boren in de Waddenzee, stuurt soldaten naar Irak, en blokkeert de troonsopvolging van prins Johan Friso. Daar kan natuurlijk geen chocoladerichtlijn uit Brussel tegenop. "
Richt Europacampagne op elites
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