EU criminalises racial hatred but...
EurActiv says "Although the law is significantly watered down from original proposals put forward six years ago, the European Union has outlawed racism, xenophobia and the denial of genocide, but did not mention anti-Semitism or the Holocaust by name...." Nosemonkey's critical approach here. DJ Nozem's intervention here.
Barroso organising mini-summit on EU constitution; European commission president Jose Manuel Barroso is in the process of organising a mini brainstorming summit on a new look EU constitution with the aim of giving "momentum" to the ongoing talks on the future treaty. Sources have said the upcoming EU presidencies until 2009 have been
invited.
Constitutional Treaty - key elements
EU leaders signed the Constitutional Treaty in autumn 2004, but the ratification was stalled following the two negative votes on the text in France and the Netherlands in 2005. EU leaders are now seeking to agree to a new treaty on the basis of the constitutional provisions. This dossier outlines the key changes proposed by the Constitutional Treaty text to the current system based on the provisions of the Nice Treaty......
Nosemonkey's Euroblog roundup part III here.
And here comes a huge roundup of mine:
Too old posts but worthy of quoting:
* European Law Monitor : A Subscription Service for Alerts, Legislation Tracking, Advice and Research
* THE EU LEGAL SYSTEM
* German Vice-Chancellor Muntefering Challenges Lawmaking and Presidential Selection Procedures in the European Union
**Europe is united only by its contradictions
"Europe is possible"
An interview with Bernard-Henri Levy, by Thierry Chervel
"American Vertigo" is the title of Bernard-Henri Levy's latest book (recently appeared in German translation). In 2004, Levy was invited by the Atlantic Monthly to travel across the USA. He watched George Bush on his electoral campaign, went to the camp at Guantanamo, visited New Orleans before Katrina struck and gained insights into American puritanism at a brothel near Los Angeles. The book is also a reflection on the intellectual scene in the USA and the relationship between Europe and the USA. Thierry Chervel met up with Levy at the Leipzig Book Fair at the end of March.
Quality of Life
Well-being and quality of life in a population, which are linked to factors such as standard of living, happiness, freedom and environmental health, are essential to economics and political science. Politicians are showing an increasing interest in developing a 'Gross National Happiness' index, similar to GDP.
In Defense of Europe
Europe is now a global superpower of world-historical importance, writes Andrew Moravcsik in the March 26, 2007, issue of NEWSWEEK International. Some of his readers, however, disagree (politely or not).
* Europe's future, ethnicity, and faith
Rainer Münz in Old Europe
A look ahead to the twenty-first century
With rising life expectancy, stagnating working-age populations, and low birth rates, Europe faces a demographic challenge in the next fifty years that it has never known before. For the economy, this will mean a shortage of local workers, a lack of skilled workers, and shifts in sectoral demand. One solution – to raise the age of retirement – presupposes a functioning labour market for older potential employees that in large parts of Europe does not exist. An overview of the problems of and solutions to an ageing Europe..........
Ivaylo Ditchev in Fluid citizenship
Utopia of freedom or reality of submission?
After almost half a century of socialist state policy replacing rights by privileges and making migration from village to city a powerful instrument of domination, countries like Bulgaria have found themselves in the complex geometry of the EU. Around two million persons a year of a population of seven million are in permanent motion, working abroad, studying, coming back, investing, leaving again. This trend towards overcoming arbitrary socio-political spaces is most evident in the Internet's utopian horizon of absolute mobility. But is the downside to this utopia a loss of public spirit?.......
* Russia's European Occupation by Keith C Smith
* Missiles, Oil, and Europe Re-Divided by Joschka Fischer
* The EU’s Global Mission by Joseph E. Stiglitz
* Where are Europe's Optimists? by Melvyn Krauss
* Europe needs to make up its mind by Jan-Werner Mueller
* Europe’s Fight Against Terrorism by Gijs de Vries
* Death-Defying Europe by Giles Merritt
* The Judicial Massacre of Srebrenica by Antonio Cassese
* Europe, America, and the Drumbeat of War with Iran by Joschka Fischer
* How to Make EU Integration Popular by Daniel Gros and Stefano Micossi
* Western Europe’s Eastern Challenge by Hans-Werner Sinn
* Energizing Europe by Jean-Paul Fitoussi
Europe's True Stories
Timothy Garton Ash, Oxford University
Prospect Magazine, February 2007
.
Europe has lost the plot. As we approach the 50th anniversary of the treaty of Rome on 25th March 2007—the 50th birthday of the European economic community that became the European Union—Europe no longer knows what story it wants to tell. A shared political narrative sustained the postwar project of (west) European integration for three generations, but it has fallen apart since the end of the cold war. Most Europeans now have little idea where we're coming from; far less do we share a vision of where we want to go to. We don't know why we have an EU or what it's good for. So we urgently need a new narrative..........
European Identity and Its Changing Others
Iver B. Neumann, NUPI-Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
[Abstract] Taking its clue from Finnish experiences with identity politics, this lecture introduces the concept of collective identity. Collective identity is about forging an acting ‘we ’. It constitutes the polis, and is therefore basic to any politics. Constituting the polis is a relational act: the group in question constitutes itself by drawing up and maintaining boundaries towards other groups. Drawing on these insights, the bulk of the lecture discusses European identity in term of Europe’s relations to some of its constituting others. Pointing to the importance of not sealing itself off from its Muslim citizens and neighbors, the lecture ends with a plea for Turkish EU membership........
The multicultural Issue
Who should the West support: moderate Islamists like Tariq Ramadan, or Islamic dissidents like Ayaan Hirsi Ali? Are the rights of the group higher than those of the individual? With a fiery polemic against Ian Buruma's "Murder in Amsterdam" and Timothy Garton Ash's review of this book in the New York Review of Books, Pascal Bruckner has kindled an international debate. By now Ian Buruma, Timothy Garton Ash, Necla Kelek, Paul Cliteur, Lars Gustafsson, Stuart Sim, Ulrike Ackermann and Adam Krzeminski have all stepped into the ring. here is the discussion...
Comments
The European Union with 500 million citizens is a Superpower.
Switzerland,Norway,Greenland and Iceland are
also part of the E.U. in all but Treaty since citizens of all countries above can live and work anywhere in the E.U.
Border controls have been discontinued so they are united on all but a very few issues.
They all have the same European Rights as citizens.
With over 500 million people and other countries ready to join the E.U. over the next 15 years the popultion will eventually be closer to 700 million citizens within 20 years or so.
As of now the E.U.27 has 40 million factory jobs and is the world's largest exporter of Merchandise and Services with total Exports around 2.2 trillion in 2006 and growing at 10% annually.
Europe is the world's largest Foreign Investor-by far!
The E.U. has over 2 million soldiers and has Nuclear Weapons with Modern Navies, Armies and Airforces.
The E.U. 27 total GDP in Eurodollars for 2007 will be 14.5 trillion which would be close to 20 trillion U.S. and this is not including other non-EU countries which will join in the future.
Any entity which has a 20 trillion U.S. dollar economy should be considered a Superpower!
The Eurodollar exchange rate is 1.36 to the American Dollar at present so that's how I converted from Euro to U.S.
The E.U. created 3.5 million new jobs in 2006 and has created about 20 million jobs since 1997.
Why?
Why is this not reported more often?
EU Women traditionally did not work as much but now are entereing the workforce.
With the European Social Safety nets and High wages,especially the original EU15 one should not question the power of Europe.
At Exchange rate Parity for 2007 the Original EU15 plus Switzerland,Greenland,Iceland have a GDP per Capita around 30,000 Euros so converted to U.S. would equal what per Capita?
Over $40,000 US per Capita and their Gini index is 33 or so while the US Gini is 48 meaning the wealth is more evenly distributed among the Citizens unlike the US where the rich just get richer at the Workers expense.
Scientific Journal Publications:
The EU Passes the US in 1995!
Average Life Expectency:
The US is ranked 47th in the world!
THe EU has safety nets that the US does not afford it's people(Cheap Education,Welfare,Unemployment benefits, healthcare,etc)
Why?
Why is the US the world's largest debtor?
ETC.ETc.
Posted by: thomas riccardo | May 21, 2007 02:29 AM