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.

Continue reading "EU criminalises racial hatred but..." »

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29 March 2007

BBC Europe editor Mark Mardell on the European Union's growing, but often unrecognised, role in the field of foreign policy, and continuing support for the idea of an EU foreign minister.

Dossier of Tuesday, April 3, 2007; Kosovo and the UN Security Council

The UN Security Council begins talks about the plan proposed by UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari for the future of Kosovo. He recommands an "independence under international supervision" fort this Serb province that has been under UN administration since 1999. The position of Russia, which could exercise its right of veto in Serbia's favour, will be decisive. But even the EU member states have not yet reached a consensus.......

A European periphery roundup

  It’s not just in Ukraine that things are happening. All around Europe’s eastern fringe, people seem to have become a tad unsettled by the onset of Spring, says Nosemonkey. A real good round up for the interested parties............

Turkey is the 7th Biggest Exporter to the EU

Continue reading ""Who are the citizens of Europe?" »

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Cafe Babel: Winter’s finally over, and 2007’s season of theatre festivals is firmly underway. Here's the pick of the bunch

Cinema: Europe up to your eyeballs

Best videos on European Union, selected by RSFBLOG on the occasion of the European Union on its 50th anniversary

'I was so intense about being a skinhead, to me it was final' ... Gavin Watson's brother Neville shares a bottle of cider with his mates. Photograph: Gavin Watson

VIA Simon Garfield on Skinheads... 

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 Chris Davies says:

So the EU is 50. It's not a bad age and its future looks secure. Recent concerns about global warming and future energy supplies have reminded governments of their dependence on one another and reinforced the desire to move forward together.As an environmentalist I never have a problem answering the question "what has the EU done for us?....

Segolene Royal's official campaign poster is out, and a bit frightening, at least in comparison with earlier ones says the French Élection 2007 blog.... If that's not an April Fools Day joke, it is really ugly.... In the mean time, Sarkozy goes all the way on immigration.

AFOE: Finnish Parliamentary Election 2007 - Lessons Learnt

Continue reading ""Why we should rejoice after fifty years of the EU" »

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German Ambassador in Ankara Eckart Kuntz said that the recent problems in Turkish-German relations are due to misunderstandings and misinformation.

German Ambassador Eckart Kuntz

Speaking at a press conference, Ambassador Kuntz claimed that Turkey's EU membership negotiations are on track, and yet the media representation of the level of relations does not present the actual truth. Recalling that a new chapter in negotiations had been recently opened, Ambassador Kuntz reiterated his hopes that three more chapters will be opened before the German presidency of the EU ends in June.

...........

Ambassador Kuntz said that the fact that Turkey was not invited to the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome was misrepresented in the Turkish media. "Only the 27 member states were invited, and there was no ill-intent towards Turkey," said the ambassador. Kuntz said that he was sorry that Foreign Minister Gül would not able to join the Gymlich-type informal meeting. Kuntz said he believed this was due to the heavy agenda of the foreign minister.

The German ambassador also clarified some recent news about the cup that Merkel gave to French President Jacques Chirac as a gift. The cup had a motif of Napoleon Bonaparte and bore the date 1799. An article in respected UK daily the Financial Times asserted that Merkel was referring to Napoleon's unsuccessful attack on Egypt and Palestine of that date. Egypt and Palestine were Ottoman lands at that time, and the FT claimed that this symbolic gift was hinting that Germany and France were forming an anti-Turkey camp within the EU. Ambassador Kuntz asserted that the motif on the cup was not Napoleon himself, but rather a flower motif and the date was referring not to Napoleon's eastern campaign, but to the fact that France became a European empire in that year. Uniting Europe under one single authority was Napoleon's dream, and on 1799 he came closest to realizing that dream.

.......... 

 Well, in the two most thorny issues here (no invitation to the 50th year party and the gift cup) I don't really believe there is misinformation. It is already a factual information that only 27 members were invited but the reason why 2 negotiating candidates were not invited is not available in Mr. Kuntz's statements...

 In the mean time, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has declined an invitation to attend an EU meeting Saturday, but officials denied that his decision was linked to disappointment over the bloc's failure to invite Turkey to its 50th anniversary celebrations in Berlin last week.

In other developments:  

Continue reading "German gov't defends herself: ‘Media view of Turkish-EU relations is misleading’" »

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[this post has been re-published in Reporters Without Borders' blog here, What bloggers say about... the European Union on its 50th anniversary]

I had passingly stated that it was a deliberate act that Turkey was not invited to the 50th year celebrations. It is time for a longer and angrier post. Since the Dink assassination, I have lost my temper and I have been producing angrier posts on the rising ultranationalism in Turkey and i have stated how disappointed I am with the Turkish state apparatus. Turkey should also be held responsible in the issues of Cyprus, Kurdish rights and Armenian Genocide claims etc to some (and sometimes to a large) extent. But this does not mean that only one actor, here that is, Turkey and her citizens, should bear all the responsibility and it is time for the EU leaders and publics to think about their responsibilities.

ÇiziYORUM - Ercan AKYOL

VIA 

1. By not inviting Turkey, the EU explicitly violates its own principles. It is the EU who in the last analysis decided to start negotiations. For god's sake, we don't know what will happen in the end, but you are actually negotating for membership. Isn't that enough to invite? The organizing party the German Presidency and its head Angela Merkel should be ashamed. It is such an arrogance and it is such a hypocritical act that should definitely be punished in one way or another!

2. I do not believe in the claim that the EU leadership is in a state of crisis. That is repeatedly stated in many articles and op-eds but the EU keeps on producing decisions in many areas and keeps on enlarging. It is only in relation to Turkey, the EU feels it is in a crisis. It is indeed hypocricy; decision makers are anti-Turkish and have evaded an open confrontation with Turkey so far. But it seems that Merkel's last move is a shift in policy. It might be minor issue but have a look at this:

Art and Imperialism hand in hand / Bonaparte the care giver in a painting by Antoine-Jean Gros
Bonaparte visitant les pestiférés de Jaffa

Mavi Boncuk says "German chancellor Angela Merkel gave outgoing French President Jacques Chirac an 18th-century beer mug with an embossed relief representing Napoleon's military victory over the Ottoman army in Egypt in 1799, marking celebrations commemorating the 50th birthday of the European Union..."

So where is the subtlety of diplomacy? Merkel and the likes (particularly Sarkozy, of course) do not even bother with being implicit in their approaches.

Radikal-çevrimiçi Cilalı Taş Devri

Çizer: Emre Ulaş

3. As quoted today "If the EU has negative thoughts about Turkey, it should make its decision so that we can continue on our own road. Let's not waste money or energy," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an apparent reference to Germany, which declined to invite Turkey to the summit held in Berlin over the weekend....  "Turkey will not be a burden for the EU; it will remove weight from Europe's shoulders."

Alternative energy sources, a dynamic population and a strong army etc could contribute to EU's apparent weakness in world affairs and it is time to think of a more confident approach (for Turkey). The seemingly ill-intended elites of the EU should begin to tell their "ignorant" masses about the possible opportunities instead of regular Turkey bashing.

4. Well, here I am. I have to agree with EU septic cartoonists and columnists in Turkey, about the bad intentions from the EU side. EU policies weakened the pro-EU AKP gov't and pro-EU activists and helped to fuel ultranationalism here. Apparently, the same policies and their makers are fuelling right wingers (some of which are prone to be extremist) by bowing to Turkey/immigrants/minorities bashing politicians...

5. What I still like about the EU, that is why I am writing a dissertation thesis on it, is that it is an open-ended process. Things seem to be very gloomy right now but i really believe that changes in the EU power balance, the world wide geo-strategies might provide a brighter scene for Turkish citizens...

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In a FT piece it is stated that "Turkey's faltering bid to join the European Union made rare progress yesterday, when Ankara and Brussels resumed formal negotiations for the first time since the talks were partially frozen in December.The beginning of the talks on enterprise and industrial policy was marked by a conference in Brussels attended by Ali Babacan, Turkey's chief negotiator.........But expectations are low that the two sides can overcome mounting frustration with each other, spurred by EU concerns about Ankara's uneven record on domestic reform and rising anti-EU sentiment in Turkey. Commission officials see 2007 as a year of "muddling through" ahead of Turkish elections and a Cypriot poll next year. Talks planned for coming months are on relatively "easy" topics that are neither politically sensitive nor subject to much EU law. Even so, Commission officials worry that the possible election of Nicolas Sarkozy, the French presidential candidate, who is opposed to Turkish membership, could make progress more difficult.......

Dossier of Thursday, March 29, 2007; European security policy
The Czech government has officially begun negotiations with the US for participation in the latter's missile defence system. Poland is considering a similar step. Does this defeat Europe's attempts to develop a common security policy that takes account of both American and Russian interests?

Brussels corruption scandal could lead to more arrests!

Europe at crossroads By Stavros Lygeros
On its 50th anniversary, the EU can claim quite a positive record. But anyone can see that the integration process has come to a halt. The two expansion waves have taken a hefty toll on political unification. It’s not just the practical difficulty of finding a single voice for 27 governments. Most importantly, EU attempts to wean itself from American hegemony have been seriously undermined...........

Continue reading ""Thaw in Turkey's EU membership talks process" »

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27-Member Bloc Riven by Competing Visions...

Communicating enlargement by Amanda Akçakoca:

Continue reading "On Its 50th, E.U. Faces an Identity Crisis" »

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Simon Tisdall says:
Turkey was not invited to Europe's big birthday bash on Sunday despite being an official candidate for European Union membership. Ankara expressed disappointment at a "missed opportunity". Media reaction to the perceived snub was sharper.......

Party's Over for EU: After Show of Unity, EU Rifts on Reform Re-Emerge
The ink on the 'Berlin Declaration' signed on Sunday was barely dry when the rift between the supporters and opponents of an EU constitution re-opened. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, hosting the EU's 50th birthday party in Berlin, warned that failure to reform its outdated institutions would be a 'historic error.'".........

Dossier of Monday, March 26, 2007; Will the Berlin Declaration take the EU to 2009?
The 50th anniversary summit in Berlin ended with the signing of the Berlin Declaration. The document makes reference to a foundation treaty rather than a new constitution and in it the EU also commits to reform by 2009. But is the reform process really gaining momentum?.......

EU MISSING OPPORTUNITY TO USE TURKEY AS RELIABLE ENERGY CORRIDOR
John C.k. Daly:

Amid great fanfare, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, and Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev assembled in Athens on March 15 to initial an agreement on a $1.25 billion, 173-mile-long pipeline running from Bulgaria’s Black Sea Burgas port to Greece’s Adriatic port of Alexandropolis (Southeast European Times, March 19)....

Continue reading ""European Union 'has become a fat midget'" »

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Ségolène Royal has declared her support for Turkey’s bid to join the European Union, becoming the only main contender in France’s forthcoming presidential election to endorse an enlargement deeply unpopular with voters. Royal's support is also blogged here...

Nosemonkey's inaugural Euroblog roundup on this, the 50th anniversary weekend of the Treaty of Rome....

Europeans richer, older, more child-free writes Simon Briscoe while The EU's future under scrutiny.

The British public loves a euro-furore - a story about changes to our traditional way of doing things, usually dreamt up by "barmy Brussels bureaucrats" or "meddling eurocrats". Here is the link...

Here is FP Blog's take on the euromyths

 

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The Berlin Declaration marking the EU's 50th anniversary will not directly mention enlargement or the European Constitution, in order to avoid potential disputes between member states.

 Ercan Akyol from Milliyet portrays the EU at 50 celebrations...

Powerful EU democracy needs powerful political parties

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On the eve of EU's 50th anniversary, German philosopher Jürgen Habermas sets out what he believes are the most pressing items on the European agenda.........

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. ...........

Berlin is seen as a symbolic venue for the EU party

European Union leaders have joined a gala concert in Berlin celebrating the 50th anniversary of the bloc, which was founded by the 1957 Treaty of Rome.

BBC Discussion: What does 50 years of the EU mean to you?

Prosperity, peace and unity - and a midlife crisis

Half a century on, a French city and a Polish town represent old and new Europe

By Ian Traynor  in The Guardian

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