Erkan's field diary

EU, Russia enter Medvedev era with tricky summit

European Union leaders are set to hold a summit today with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for the first time to launch talks on a new "strategic partnership," including sensitive subjects like

MAIN FOCUS: A heated summit in Siberia | 26/06/2008

The Kosovo question, the US missile defence shield, Abkhazia and a new partnership agreement: the summit meeting between the EU and Russia which starts today in the western Siberian oil town of Khanty-Mansiysk promises some heated discussions. What is Europe's press expecting from the summit?

A new start is needed for Europe: The European Left chart a way forward

By Mick Hall

Below is a Declaration of the Party of the European Left [EL] in which it charts a way forward for the EU after the Irish people rejected the Lisbon treaty, making it null and void. Member Parties of the EL are socialist, communist, red-green and other democratic left parties of the member states and associated states of the European Union. (EU) They work together and establish various forms of co-operation at all levels of political activity in Europe, based on the agreements, basic principles and political aims laid down in the EL Manifesto. Membership to the EL is open to any left party and political organisation in Europe that agrees with the aims and principles of the EL Manifesto and accepts the EL statutes.

Ireland’s decision and Europe’s future

Europe was stunned this month by Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty. Indeed, the consolidation of the EU through a long and painstaking process has been halted until a viable solution can be reached.

The Lisbon Treaty Failure: Getting back to Basic Frames

By nanne

There is a lot of interesting discussion in the European blogosphere about issues related to the Irish referendum. Like the list of demands of Sinn Féin. Like the speculation about funding of Libertas by the American defence establishment. The latter is typical 'undernews' that is, for now, being ignored by the mainstream media.

Meta: Where to go from here?

By rz

(via European Union Law Blog) If I understand this correctly then Cyprus will reject the treaty of Lisbon. This would guarantee that a second referendum in Ireland wouldn't be necessary because the Treaty couldn't be enacted in its present form anyhow. This will mean yet another period of uncertainty for the EU.

I always felt that it would be necessary for more people to get engaged into EU political topics and this is the case now more then ever. Precisely for this reason I started this blog, more or less one year ago. But the pro-EU Blogosphere is not particularly influential and I do not see that this is going to change anytime soon.

State of denial?

New charges of complicity

EUROPE'S role in America's programme of extraordinary rendition and secret detention of suspected terrorists is blasted in a new report by Amnesty International. It charges that European agents were actively involved in interrogations, and that some European countries have hosted secret prisons.While much of the information has been reported before, Amnesty provides some interesting new nuggets.

Wary partners

Energy and security will dominate EU-Russia summit

EU pushes for high-speed internet for all

As the EU steps up its efforts to increase the spread of high-speed internet across Europe, the Commission and the incoming French Presidency yesterday (25 June) outlined their strategy to boost investment in Next Generation Access Networks (NGANs), the main infrastructure for broadband. Universal access to internet is a key priority for France.

Europe warned not to provoke Tehran

Ali Larijani, Iran's new parliamentary speaker, has warned Europe that imposing tighter sanctions immediately after offering incentives could provoke Tehran and urged world powers to send more positive signals.

Barroso Talks Tough

By nanne

The reason for most silly laws in Europe is not primarily the Commission, but the demand for it by mid-level Member State officials, and the Member States itself. Yet, it is the Commission that will catch most of the flack. Barroso, it appears, has finally had it:

Barroso in Commission not trying to control cucumbers shocker

By Jon

It’s one of the best known scare stories - that the EU legislates on the amount of curvature of cucumbers. Only José Manuel Barroso has hit back - the Commission wants to do away with the standards, but the Member States are resisting:

Treaty of Lisbon blame game

By Jon

In whatever walk of life, when something goes wrong someone has to take responsibility. The Irish voted No to the Treaty of Lisbon on 12th June, it’s caused a big problem for the EU, and so now it’s time to play the blame game - who needs to take responsibility for what happened? I’ll present the cases for and against, and the possible sanctions, and then you can vote…

Habermas and the EU

By nosemonkey

Nanne highlights a piece by the man who must surely now be Europe’s last great public intellectual, Jurgen Habermas (let’s face it, most of the rest are dead now… Not that Habermas wouldn’t deserve a place in the top five or ten of the last 40 years anyway, but still - where’s the next generation, eh?).

Thankfully it’s in English - and Habermas is always worth a read when he’s being topical, because he’s got an uncanny knack for spotting trends and problems that others miss, as well as being able to say things bluntly that would label lesser-known figures as raving eurosceptics. He is, however, more often than not spot-on, as this piece written back in 2001 (amply predicting all the problems the EU has faced in the years following the Treaty of Nice) and this from last year (on the challenges for the EU at 50) both amply demonstrate.

At any rate, Habermas is at once scathing and constructive in his criticism:

Lisbon treaty: French preach about the Irish vote

By Susannah Readett-Bayley

Many partisans of European construction were grieved – the French the first. However, Kouchner and his preaching cronies only rubbed the Irish up the wrong way – the Irish with the chance to decide

EU-Russia summit: nomads versus oil giants

By Nabeelah Shabbir

The resident taiga nomads are incongruous amidst the heads of state gathering in the oil boom town of Khanty-Mansiysk, between 26 and 27 June in western Siberia

Who are the citizens of Europe?

By Rainer Bauböck

Current citizenship laws in the European Union vary dramatically. The tension between freedom of movement and national legislation on citizenship has the potential to create serious conflicts, writes Rainer Bauböck.