"French Presidency seeks strong 'Small Business Act'
French Presidency seeks strong 'Small Business Act'
The Commission harbours great hopes that France will broker an agreement among the bloc on a 'Small Business Act' (SBA) for SMEs, considered vital to boosting Europe's competitiveness. Paris particularly aims to improve access to public tenders and promote greater R&D investment.EUTube goes from sex to science
Eureka! EUTubes newest clip is geek-tastic. Even though the European Commission brought us this clip, which we discussed in an earlier post, it is still unexpected that they have shown such agility on EUTube. Even more shocking that they are making public service videos which aren’t lame.BBC blamed for attacks on Poles
An MP has blamed the BBC's "liberal elite" for an increase in attacks on Polish people living in the UK.Don’t bite the hand that feeds you: some thoughts about Brussels lobbying
My old MP Paul Flynn is in Brussels at the moment with the Public Administration Select Committee from the House of Commons and in his typically thoughtful and visceral way he has a go at the ‘dark arts of lobbying’ in Brussels. Look at Brussels from the outside and the amount of lobbying activity here, and the undoubted influence of lobbyists is considerable and scary.
Mardell's Europe
What should EU leaders do to ease world food crisis?Protectionism v food security
Is Europe helping or hurting the developing world?
FOOD is a more emotional topic than ever. With talks underway this week to deal with the global crisis, Europeans (who have been battling over their own agricultural policies for years) are being asked to take a fresh look at their policies. Over at the BBC, Mark Mardell writes:Fishermen clash with police at EU
Police clash with fishermen protesting against the high cost of fuel outside EU headquarters in Brussels.Eurocrats ride the gravy train
Starting next month, members of the European Parliament will travel in style on their own specially designed high-speed train from their office in Brussels to their other office in Strasbourg, France. The parliament holds its preparatory meetings in Brussels and its plenary sessions in Strasbourg meaning that every month, 377 MEPs and their staff need to be transported between the two cities. The new train is being touted (mostly by the French who built it) as an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to flying. It will still cost European taxpayers more than $300,000 per journey and won't be open to the public.
Schwalba-Hoth: Switzerland 'totally disconnected' from EU
There is no political debate on Europe in Switzerland, like in the former Communist countries in the past, political strategist Frank Schwalba-Hoth told EurActiv in an interview. Together with the NGO , he plans to launch a debate to influence decision-making in Brussels.MAIN FOCUS: The European Central Bank turns 10 | 02/06/2008
The European Central Bank was founded ten years ago on 1 June 1998: a crucial step in introducing the single European currency. Europe's press discusses the triumphs, but also the negative effects of the introduction of the euro system.
AUDIO: Olli Rehn on EU Enlargement
Is bigger better?
OLLI REHN, the European Union's enlargement commissioner, is a man with a difficult dossier. it is his responsibility to judge whether countries such as Serbia and Turkey are ready for EU membership. The Economist's Brussels correspondent met with Mr Rehn in May, to hear his latest thoughts on the expanding the union and how he is handling some of its more sensitive issues.
High Hopes for an US-EU led International Climate Change Policy
Axel Berg: After the elections in the US, Europeans are expecting to forge ahead with transatlantic cooperation on climate policy. Whoever is in the White House, expectations are high, especially among the Germans who want to set precedents and increase pressure on the international community.Irish in spotlight
Voters in Ireland debate Lisbon Treaty ahead of pollEurope's Changing Attitude on Iraq
"For the first time since 2003, a consensus is emerging in the EU on the need to do more for Iraq," write Daniel Korski and Richard Gowan of the European Council on Foreign Relations and add: "There is a risk that the United States will not take advantage of this opportunity."MEP: Waste management culture 'lacking in Slovenia'
Eastern European countries are still grappling with the legacy of communist-era waste collection and treatment systems, according to Mojca Drcar Murko, a Slovenian MEP who says consumer education is now key. She spoke to EurActiv Slovakia in an interview ahead of the Commission's annual Green Week event.EU Treaty: Czechs send backup Presidency plans
The Czech government yesterday (2 June) sent out its programme for the EU presidency starting in January 2009 in two versions in case not all countries ratify the Lisbon Treaty by the end of the year.Right of access to EU documents 'at risk'
The European Ombudsman called on MEPs to "defend the EU's commitment to transparency" during yesterday's (2 June) Parliament hearing on the Commission's plans to revise a law on public access to EU documents.EU promises to act on high-speed Internet networks
Under heavy pressure from the industry and the European Parliament, the Commission will "soon" come out with a proposal to spur EU investment in Next Generation Networks (NGNs), Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding told EurActiv.East Europeans to enter competition for top EU job
The new member countries from Central and Eastern Europe will fight hard to get one of the three prominent EU jobs created by the upcoming Lisbon Treaty, according to Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, a former Polish European Affairs Minister who is now chairman of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET).MAIN FOCUS: The elections in Macedonia | 03/06/2008
Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's conservative Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO–DPMNE) has won the early parliamentary elections in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, amid scenes of violence at the polling stations. What consequences will the hard-fought elections have for the process of European unification?
EU Biofuels -- Take the Poll
Via eurotrib, there's a poll on this Commission page about the EU's biofuels target. That target would be 10% of the fuel mix in 2020. So go on over and give the Commission your view. At 45,000 votes, the balance is 88.4% against.El Festival del Eurocontrol (4)
Angela Merkel en la Knesset, Jerusalen, 18 de marzo de 2008. El viaje y el gesto coincidían con una más activa política exterior comunitaria en Oriente Medio, ante los meses de vacío generados por el relevo en la Casa Blanca........
MAIN FOCUS: The World Food Security Summit in Rome | 04/06/2008
The global food crisis has faced the Food and Agriculture Organisation with major challenges. The World Food Security Summit in Rome is intended to offer a framework for finding solutions. But Europe's press has harsh words for the summit - and for the FAO.
