NEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER HEADLINE NEWS US missile defence early warning site to be built in Czech Republic MATEJ HRUSKA 30.07.2010 17:52 CET EUOBSERVER BRUSSELS The United States and the Czech Republic are once again negotiating the possibility of building part of the US missile defence system in Prague , Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas said on Friday . The Pentagon has already requested a sum of 2.2 million for the building from the US Congress . Prague is the most likely location for the early warning site Photo : wikipedia Print Comment article The facility should be able to detect and give an early warning in case a short- or medium-range missiles aimed at Nato . countries According to sources from the Czech Foreign Ministry , the new siteNEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER HEADLINE NEWS Berlin angered by German commissioner's absence during coal subsidies decision HONOR MAHONY 30.07.2010 17:28 CET German EU commissioner Guenther Oettinger is in Berlin's bad books for missing a meeting last week where his colleagues agreed a tougher-than-expected line on subsidies to ailing coal mines , a decision with important implications for thousands of jobs in his home . country According to a news report in Spiegel Online , Chancellor Angela Merkel is furious that Mr Oettinger missed the crucial meeting last Tuesday 20 July to attend at a mid-level conference in Washington . instead Guenter Oettinger away when he ought not to have been at least according to Berlin Photo : European Parliament PrintNEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER HEADLINE NEWS Comment EU membership No thank you HJÖRTUR J . GUÐMUNDSSON 30.07.2010 10:11 CET EUOBSERVER COMMENT European politicians and journalists visiting Iceland in recent months have been quite astonished to experience first hand how little interest Icelandic MPs and Icelanders in general have in joining the European Union . So astonished in fact that Icelandic lawmakers have repeatedly been asked if the EU application delivered by the Icelandic government in 2009 is really serious . Well , quite frankly it isn't . It is a door bell prank . No one really is there when the bell rings and the door is opened . An application for EU membership should never have been made Photo : EUobserver.com Print Comment article ThereNEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER HEADLINE NEWS Europe's economic confidence on two-year high MATEJ HRUSKA 30.07.2010 09:48 CET European confidence in the economic outlook rose to the highest in more than two years in July , as rising demand for industry products , overall optimism and declining German unemployment boosted the general . mood The Economic Sentiment Indicator produced by the European Commission which shows the economic mood based on the surveys of managers and consumers rose in July by 1.9 points to 102.2 in the EU and by 2.3 points to 101.3 in the euro area , the commission said on Thursday 29 July Economic confidence in the euro area and the EU as a whole continues to rise Photo : EU Commission Print Comment article However , the resultsNEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER HEADLINE NEWS Bulgaria's murder bureau' targetted emigre dissidents ALEXENIA DIMITROVA 30.07.2010 09:38 CET Dissidents targetted by the regime upper row l to r Traicho Belopopski , Alexander Iliev , Blago Slavenov bottom row l to r Nikola Kostov , Stefan Svardlev , Theodor Dimitrov Print Comment article Bulgaria's Communist-era security agency , the dreaded Committee for State Security , maintained a top secret unit in charge of kidnapping , discrediting and killing of Bulgarian émigrés around the world long before the notorious assassination of writer Georgi Markov in London in 1978, it can be revealed . See more at WAZ.EUobserver 22:02 CET 31.07.2010 NEWS IN BRIEF FEATURED LATEST BLOG POSTS Irish court asks EU advice onNEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER HEADLINE NEWS EU washes hands of French plans for Roma expulsions as tensions grow VALENTINA POP 30.07.2010 09:30 CET The European Commission on Thursday said it is up to member states to decide whether they expel Roma people , but only on an individual basis and respecting the principle of proportionality in reaction to France's announcement it will dismantle 300 Roma camps within three . months We're not here , as the European Commission , to judge on individual cases of Roma people . It's for each government , each authority to make those decisions , Matthew Newman , spokesman for justice and human rights said during a press conference . Roma are being pushed back from France , Germany , Italy and Denmark Photo : Planet, NEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER HEADLINE NEWS Media freedom threatened in most European countries , says OSCE Authorities have yet to understand that media are not their private property , quot says the OSCE Photo : DRB62 HONOR MAHONY 30.07.2010 09:25 CET EUOBSERVER BRUSSELS Media freedom is threatened in most European countries , warns the Organisation for Co-operation and Security in Europe , highlighting incidences in several of its member states including EU countries France , Italy and . Greece In a report published Thursday 29 July the 56-member OSCE , a loose gathering of states monitoring regional security , says that freedom of the media concerns arise in most OSCE participating States . They only manifest themselves differently . Print Comment
To understand why our politicians are held in such contempt, look no further than the coming Bill on a referendum to change the voting system.
I forever blogging about the absurdity of holding a referendum on AV, which neither of the two coalition parties proposed at the last election, while not having a referendum on Europe, [...]NEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER HEADLINE NEWS Norway tops up funding scheme for south-eastern EU states VALENTINA POP 29.07.2010 09:27 CET EUOBSERVER BRUSSELS Norway , Iceland and Liechtenstein on Wednesday 28 July agreed to donate 1.79 billion to the EU's poorer southern and eastern members in the coming five years for green projects , labour rights , research and human resources , a top-up of 22 percent compared to the previous . period The funding scheme renewal was delayed for over a year Photo : Council of European Union Print Comment article The funding scheme is part of the European Economic Area agreement which ties the three countries to the EU , allowing them to participate in the internal market without actual membership of the . bloc Norway
Catalonia’s decision to proscribe bullfights has less to do with sentiment towards animals than with regional assertiveness. Nothing wrong with that, of course: as a localist, I’m all for provinces and regions drawing up their own laws. But don’t make the mistake of extrapolating too widely, as the BBC has, from a decision based largely [...]NEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER HEADLINE NEWS New EU police investigation co-operation alarms civil liberties watchdogs LEIGH PHILLIPS 28.07.2010 17:35 CET EUOBSERVER BRUSSELS Long a refusenik in the realm of European co-operation on justice and home affairs , the UK has decided to opt in to a proposal that will simplify requests by police in other EU member states to investigate suspects in criminal . cases The British government is calling the move a new invaluable tool in the fight against transborder crime , but civil liberties watchdogs say that the move will force police to investigate individuals for acts that are not considered crimes in their home . country Even if it an act is not a crime in one country , police may still have to investigate ifNEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER SOCIAL AFFAIRS EU population over half-a-billion MATEJ HRUSKA 28.07.2010 10:07 CET EUOBSERVER BRUSSELS The European Union's population reached the half-a-billion mark at the beginning of 2010, with immigration pushing it up higher than the net increase would have been following the year's births and deaths , new figures from the EU's statistics agency , Eurostat , showed on Tuesday 27 July Europe's population is still rising , with immigration climbing faster than natural growth' Photo : European Commission Print Comment article The EU's population as of January 2010 was estimated to be 501.1 million , compared to 499.7 million last year . The EU gained an additional 1.4 million residents , with 900,000 immigrants enteringNEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER HEADLINE NEWS EU cautiously backs Ukraine's gas reform VALENTINA POP 28.07.2010 09:27 CET EUOBSERVER ODESSA The EU commission has cautiously welcomed a new law on the Ukrainian gas sector as a first step in a series of reforms that could reduce the country's dependence on Russian gas imports and see more foreign investments flowing into the embattled . economy The recently adopted gas law is a positive starting point . It should be followed by effective reforms , including the implementation of new legislation on public procurement and independent energy sector regulation , EU energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger said on Tuesday 27 July in Odessa , a Ukrainian port on the Black Sea . coast EU energy commissioner OettingerNEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER HEADLINE NEWS Brussels worried about falling support for EU in Iceland LEIGH PHILLIPS 28.07.2010 09:27 CET EUOBSERVER BRUSSELS The European Union formally launched negotiations with Iceland on Tuesday over the north Atlantic island's accession to the bloc even as negative opinion towards the EU mounts , a development that has not gone unnoticed in Brussels and other national . capitals I'm concerned by the current lack of broad public support for European Union membership in Iceland , said enlargement commissioner Stefan Fuele speaking to reporters alongside Icelandic foreign minister Oessur Skarphedinsson after talks were . opened Reykjavik , the seat of Iceland's government Photo : European Commission Print Comment article
It’s the end of July, which means it’s nearly August, which means it’s time for the holidays! And boy, does Brussels go on holiday! One minute you’re standing on Place Luxembourg marveling at the sheer weight of people apparently desperate to get into Ralph’s or Pullman, and then, in a puff of smoke, they disappear. [...]NEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER HEADLINE NEWS Cameron angry' over opposition to Turkish EU membership HONOR MAHONY 27.07.2010 17:33 CET On his first visit to Turkey since becoming British prime minister , David Cameron gave a compliment-laden speech to the EU hopeful , backing the country's desire to become a regional power and paying tribute to its relatively strong . economy The UK has traditionally been very supportive of Turkey becoming a member of the European Union but Mr Cameron's speech was nevertheless notable for its implicit criticism of France and Germany for their oft-stated opposition to the poor and predominantly Muslim country ever fully entering the . club Turkey has been playing a more assertive regional role of late Photo : zz77 PrintNEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER JUSTICE HOME AFFAIRS Greece's locked up migrant children attempt suicide The Pagani detention centre , Greece Photo : UNHCR LEIGH PHILLIPS 27.07.2010 15:37 CET EUOBSERVER BRUSSELS Greece is imprisoning unaccompanied migrant children in violation of EU laws and often in appalling conditions , human rights campaigners have . revealed In a report detailing how asylum seekers and irregular migrants are being detained as a matter of course , rather than a last resort , Amnesty International has excoriated Athens for its policy of imprisoning children for long periods . Print Comment article Conditions are so appalling , the report says , that children resort to hunger strikes in protest at their imprisonment , and some even
The EU is treating Turkey shabbily. Singly, member states have perfectly consistent policies. Some countries want, in Gladstone’s phrase, to bundle the Turk, bag and baggage, out of Europe. France, Austria and (less vocally) Germany are in this camp. Others, led by Britain, see Turkish membership as strategically valuable: a way to bolster the world’s [...]NEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER HEADLINE NEWS EU foreign ministers approve diplomatic service HONOR MAHONY 27.07.2010 09:20 CET EUOBSERVER BRUSSELS EU foreign ministers on Monday 26 July gave the nod to the overall structure of the Union's new diplomatic service , paving the way for chief of diplomacy Catherine Ashton to begin making appointments to the service that will employ . thousands It is historic to be able to witness the birth , at least at the decision level , of a European diplomacy , Belgian foreign minister Steven Vanackere , whose country holds the EU rotating presidency , said following the . meeting The EU is hoping to project a more coherent and longterm foreign policy with the help of its diplomatic service Photo : wikipedia Print CommentNEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER ENLARGEMENT Push for Serbia EU accession speed-up in wake of Kosovo court ruling LEIGH PHILLIPS 26.07.2010 20:39 CET EUOBSERVER BRUSSELS A number of EU states are in favour of speeding up Serbia's EU accession process in the wake of Belgrade's loss at the International Court of Justice over Kosovo's declaration of . independence The foreign ministers of Italy , Slovakia and Austria pushed for such a move heading into Monday's meeting of EU foreign ministers , the first time EU governments discussed the implications of the ICJ's finding last . week Serbian protests at the time of Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008 Photo : UN Photo Afrim Hajrullahu Print Comment article Ahead of the day's meeting , Italian foreignNEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER HEADLINE NEWS Iceland membership talks formally begin Tuesday HONOR MAHONY 26.07.2010 17:41 CET At their last meeting before the summer break , EU foreign ministers on Monday 26 July gave the greenlight for the start of negotiations on Iceland's membership . bid Talks will formally begin on Tuesday . The small north Atlantic island , with a population of just 320,000, has aligned itself with many EU laws and is seen as fitting snugly with the slightly more ineffable European norms' , but negotiations on a few key issues such as fishing rights and its traditional whale hunting are expected to be . difficult Fishing rights are expected to be one of the toughest areas of negotiation Photo : European Commission Print CommentNEWS OPINION BLOGS AGENDA CONFERENCES BOOKS VIDEOS WAZ EUOBSERVER DEFENCE Iran warns EU against imposing sanctions HONOR MAHONY 26.07.2010 09:22 CET Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said the EU will regret the economic sanctions it is planning to impose on Tehran later today 26 July at a foreign ministers' meeting in . Brussels Anyone who adopts a measure against the Iranian nation should know that Iran will react swiftly , Mr Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying on Sunday by Iran's English-language Press TV channel , reports the . BBC Anyone who adopts a measure against the Iranian nation should know that Iran will react swiftly Photo : wikipedia Print Comment article Experience shows such a reaction by the Iranian nation will cause you to regret it . The warning came before the EU
Home News News EU investigates macabre' plans News EU investigates macabre' plans 25 07 2010 02:10 webmaster 6 Global Print PDF RSS Feeds UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom today revealed his horror at news the EU is looking into eco-friendly' plans allowing undertakers to dissolve the dead then flush them into the sewage . system I am utterly appalled at this suggestion which is almost beyond belief and that is saying something with the bilge given the go ahead by the European Commission , quot said Mr Bloom , UKIP Euro MP for Yorkshire and North . Lincolnshire The Commission is investigating plans which could see corpses dissolved in caustic solutions in a bid to cut down on the amount of land taken up by . graves Belgian undertakers have come up with the proposals which could see people's deceased
For 70 years, a quixotic organisation called Federal Union has been campaigning for a worldwide confederation. There is a whiff of benign 1930s dottiness about its campaign: of handbills and sandals, Esperanto and vegetarianism, decimalisation and naturism. You can’t help warming to people whose only real complaint against the EU is that it is insufficiently [...]
Henning Meyer from the Social Europe Journal turned my attention to this report of the Pew Global Attitudes Project measuring the public approval of the ban of face-covering veils (burqas). What I did was to compare the data for the approval rate with the percentage of the Muslim population in the respective countries (data was [...]: Home News News Power grab gains pace : Less sovereignty and more waste of taxpayers money News Power grab gains pace : Less sovereignty and more waste of taxpayers money 21 07 2010 15:17 webmaster 12 Global Print PDF RSS Feeds By Marta Andreasen MEP In the meantime negotiations for the 2011 Budget are ongoing and I see that both Parliament and Commission are not giving up their ambitions even when they can see that almost all the national governments are making significant cuts to their budgets . And the ambitions include not only the European External Action Service and the Supervisory Authorities but also salary increases for EU civil servants and more assistant allowance for MEPs . quot The last two weeks have seen the EU bureaucracy speed up their agenda on their power grab , and the
Home News News ConDem Green Economy plan could cost 45.6bn and lose 125,000 jobs News ConDem Green Economy plan could cost 45.6bn and lose 125,000 jobs 14 07 2010 14:14 webmaster 5 Global Print PDF RSS Feeds Research by a Spanish University has shown that each green' job created costs 800,000 and lost 2.2 other jobs . UKIP MEP Derek Clark said that it called into question the whole future of the green' industry that was being pursued at both European and UK . level The document produced by the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid , came to light under US Freedom of Information Act requests by campaigners concerned at President Obama's failure to ban political . lobbyists Mr Clark , who sits on the European Parliament's Employment committee , said that the British government should now, Home News News EU and hot air , now there's a familiar blend News EU and hot air , now there's a familiar blend 13 07 2010 15:17 webmaster 9 Global Print PDF RSS Feeds By John Bufton MEP It's the last week of activity for MEPs before Brussels closes down for the summer to reopen again in September , giving MEPs time to work in their constituencies . The dates aren't too dissimilar from school holidays , but wonder how many school children of today will be able to retire at 60 with a guaranteed , average healthy pension of 60,000, that's costing Britain some 135 million So whilst they demand Europeans be realistic about having to work longer and retire on less , they make sure that they are exempt from this Typical EU . hypocrisy Meanwhile under EU regulations , foreign nurses can noHome News News Stuart Agnew on changes to rules on GM crop cultivation News Stuart Agnew on changes to rules on GM crop cultivation 13 07 2010 14:49 webmaster 10 Global Print PDF RSS Feeds The EU is about to issue new proposals for the approval of GM crop cultivation . nbsp John Dalli , the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy will be proposing that member states opposed to GM crops should be free to ban them from cultivation on non-scientific grounds . Individual countries would be allowed to give socio-economic or cultural reasons for banning cultivation of GM crops . This offer is to be made in the hope that such states will end their tactic of stalling the approval process for each submission to grow GM crops in the . EU Under the proposal , the existing Europe-wideHome News News Sold Out Tories stab British banking industry in the back News Sold Out Tories stab British banking industry in the back 08 07 2010 14:51 webmaster 1 Global Print PDF RSS Feeds The vast majority of Conservative MEPs voted with their Lib Dem allies to shift the centre of European Banking Regulation from London to Frankfurt yesterday in a massive betrayal of British . interests The vote in Strasbourg today created a new European Banking Authority , which will assume supervisory powers over British banks , and represents a significant transfer of sovereign powers to . Brussels Of the 25 Conservative MEPs , only 3 voted against , with the rest supporting the removal of regulatory power over British banks to Germany . Naturally , their Liberal Democratic allies also voted in .Home News News EU political interference costs lives in military operations' News EU political interference costs lives in military operations' 08 07 2010 13:38 webmaster 1 Global Print PDF RSS Feeds Attempts by the new European External Action Service to gain control over military actions runs the risk of costing the lives of British troops , UKIP MEP David Campbell Bannerman said . today Speaking after voting on the EEAS in Strasbourg today , Mr Campbell Bannerman said that just last month , General Sir John McColl , addressing the European Parliament's defence committee , had said that political interference by the EU in peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslavia could cost the lives of . troops Mr Campbell Bannerman said , There is a real danger of lives being lost because of, Home News News If the CAP doesn't fit , take it off News If the CAP doesn't fit , take it off 08 07 2010 11:51 webmaster 2 Global Print PDF RSS Feeds VIDEO In a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg today , Norfolk farmer and UKIP MEP Stuart Agnew declared the plans for the future of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy CAP unfit for purpose . quot Speaking during a debate on the future of the CAP , Mr Agnew said that the plans would divert money away from working farmers , and accused the EU of being obsessed with climate change , leading to nonsensical CO 2 reduction measures being . proposed There is no good reason to have the CAP , but if we are compelled to have it , let its focus be on supporting farmers , not on politically correct , pseudo-scientific scares . nbspHome News News Don't do it Nigel Farage urges Iceland News Don't do it Nigel Farage urges Iceland 07 07 2010 18:52 webmaster 12 Global Print PDF RSS Feeds VIDEO Lucky old Iceland , quot declared UKIP MEP Nigel Farage today in the European Parliament , as he implored the Icelandic people to resist EU membership , despite the intentions of their career politicians . Because they weren't part of this club , because they didn't surrender to the Euro they have had a competitive devaluation of the Krona which has been good for their economy . It has led to a tourist boom and I would have thought countries like Greece would have been very jealous of them , quot said Nigel . Farage We're talking about a place where people actually think before they jump , and I think that's why roughly two-thirdsHome News News Vichy Tories have stabbed British Financial Services industry in the back News Vichy Tories have stabbed British Financial Services industry in the back 07 07 2010 17:15 webmaster 29 Global Print PDF RSS Feeds The Vichy Tories have been exposed for the traitors they are . They have stabbed the City of London and the Financial Services Industry in the back , quot UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom said today , speaking after voting in the European Parliament against measures to create an EU Banking Authority , Pension Authority , Risk Board , and regulator of Central . Banks' Along with their Federalist LibDem allies they today voted in favour of the EU creating an EU Banking authority situated in Frankfurt . Years from now , people will look back and pinpoint this as the day that theHome News News No real PM to head up no real democracy News No real PM to head up no real democracy 07 07 2010 12:42 webmaster 64 Global Print PDF RSS Feeds VIDEO The lack of a proper head of state to lead Belgium's presidency of the European Union was described as fitting' for a fake exercise in democracy , UKIP MEP Nigel Farage said . today Speaking after hearing Belgium acting PM Yves Laterme address the European Parliament in Strasbourg , Mr Farage said , Belgium is an artificial construct as a nation , and a prototype for the equally artificial nation of the European Union . Of course , in the Brussels madhouse , failure of the prototype is no reason to not rush into the mass production of ever closer . union' We now have a President of the European Union who has no electoral mandate Home News News Central Banks are part of the problem not the solution News Central Banks are part of the problem not the solution 06 07 2010 17:26 webmaster 102 Global Print PDF RSS Feeds VIDEO The failure of the common currency has long been predicted , as it was flawed from the very start , UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom told Commission president Barroso today in . Strasbourg It was even flawed with your own rule book , and what actually happened when you introduced the euro is that you actually tore up your own rule book you threw it away Speaking during the debate on Economic governance in the EU and the Euro zone , and surveillance of national budgets Mr Bloom said that central banks are getting into the same trouble that commercial banks get themselves into when they buy junk debt that isHome News News EU SWIFT Agreement ignores UK Data Protection legislation News EU SWIFT Agreement ignores UK Data Protection legislation 06 07 2010 15:15 webmaster 65 Global Print PDF RSS Feeds VIDEO The passing of a new SWIFT financial transaction agreement with the United States simply ignores UK data protection laws and hands data about UK citizens to the US Government without their consent , UKIP MEP Gerard Batten said . today Mr Batten , who is a member of the European Parliament's Civil Liberties committee , said that the agreement simply trashed the basis of the UK's Data Protection Act' and allowed a foreign government to access private , personal data on financial transaction whenever it saw . fit Mr Batten said , Once again , the EU has ignored the rights of individuals in theHome News News Zapatero rejects Mugabe comparison over Spanish land grab News Zapatero rejects Mugabe comparison over Spanish land grab 06 07 2010 13:28 webmaster 96 Global Print PDF RSS Feeds VIDEO Spanish prime minister José Luis Zapatero today rejected comparisons to Mugabe of Zimbabwe , after UKIP MEP Marta Andreasen brought him to task over his government's inaction on the demolition of coastal homes in . Spain You have exercised the EU rotating presidency in the same way you govern your country , Spain that is , with your back to your citizens , quot Ms Andreasen told Mr Zapatero , who was in Strasbourg for the parliamentary debate to review the Spanish presidency after its six-month rotating period ended in . June Today I'm coming back here to remind you of the infamous Spanish land