EU summit gives in to Irish demands on Lisbon Treaty
On the first day of the European Council (11 December), EU leaders agreed on a package of Irish demands which pave the way for a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland, which will most probably be held in October 2009.
[Comment] Ireland has a diplomatic victory but the real winner is Europe
Adapting to climate change
There is "no need to wait for extreme weather events to strike and islands and coastal regions to be flooded" to develop effective climate change adaptation policies, argue Frank Biermann, professor of environmental policy sciences at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IES) et al. in a November paper for the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS).
Greece to appear ‘sick man’ at EU summit
Outbreaks of street violence in Greece reminiscent of France’s May ’68 events mean the Mediterranean country will appear to be ‘the sick man of Europe’ at an EU summit starting in Brussels today (11 December).
MAIN FOCUS: Climate talks | 12/12/2008
Today, Friday, the EU’s heads of state and government hope to approve a climate protection package at their summit in Brussels and then present it at the UN Climate Change Conference in the Polish city of Pozna?. Europe’s press comments on the current results of the international climate talks.
Davignon: Europe needs a new social model
The first half of 2009 will determine not only whether the EU is successful in leading the global response to the financial crisis, but also what is required to make the European social model work in the 21st century, according to former European Commissioner Viscount Etienne Davignon, president of both Friends of Europe and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Europe, who spoke to EurActiv ahead of this week’s EU summit.
Ireland, here we go again (I’m nervous)
So there will be another vote in Ireland on the Treaty of Lisbon. “Oh no” was my first reaction. Then the first person who heard my reaction asked me “so what else should they do?” That is a question I cannot answer, and indeed I don’t think that Libertas has the answers either. Lest we forget Heads of State and Government have been trying to reform the EU’s institutions since 2000 (when the last Treaty was agreed in Nice) and the process has become more and more painful and contorted.
Greece unravelled
The possibility that the Greek government might fall following the worst riots in decades has exposed the fragility of national politics. But the economy has developed fault lines too
What is happening in Greece? , openDemocracy
Greek riots: Students smart
A lack of social and political reform is costing the country dear just as times become harder
MAIN FOCUS: Political crisis in Greece | 11/12/2008
After the rioting of recent days, Greece finds itself in the midst of a harrowing crisis. The European press comments on events as they unfold, and sees the country’s political leadership as the main cause of the problem.
The Economist: Greece – Disorder on the Hellenic street | When nettles go ungrasped
Greece: first political victim of global economic crisis
Our neighbor Greece has been in the grips of complete chaos and ruckus since Saturday night. The apparent cause is the death of a 16-year-old boy, hit by a bullet fired from the gun of a police officer as security forces tried to intervene in a skirmish at an outdoor cafe.
Can Britain join the euro?
The immediate answer is not right now. Joining the euro requires fixing an exchange rate between the pound and the euro forever, and with sterling falling every day, no-one can be sure what the right rate would be. The Maastricht treaty itself requires two years of membership of the Exchange Rate Mechanism as a means of establishing a viable long-term rate, and it would be an enormous error to fail to do this properly.
A second Irish referendum
There are lots of reasons for doubting whether holding a second Irish referendum on the Lisbon treaty is a good idea, or whether it can be won, but it cannot be correct to say that to do so would be undemocratic.
18, 648 ‘legal’, industrial deaths in Europe
‘Produce, consume, die’: the soundtrack for European industrial casualties is provided by eighties Italian punk group CCPP. For the third consecutive year, accidents and serious injuries are up by one quarter and a fifth respectively. Overview spanning Poland and Italy via the UK and India
Euro elections 09: “Bring it on”?
n Elections
Really? Are you really sure, when talking about anti-EU mobilisation for next year’s elections, that you want to borrow the words of President Bush, speaking about Iraqi militants attacking US troops way back in 2003? You don’t think that might be, erm… tempting fate just a little? Just a tad unfortunate, perhaps?
And so my hopes for these elections continue to diminish. I’ve yet to hear any senior UK party figures (bar the single-issue UKIP and racist maniacs in the BNP) make any mention of the things. And the likelihood of these being the first elections in which I have been entitled to vote in which I decide not to bother rises by the day.
The Czech EU Presidency
Under the motto ‘A Europe without barriers’, the Czech Republic will assume the six-month rotating presidency of the EU from France on 1 January 2009. The country will have to deal with complex European and domestic problems, including the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by the Czech parliament.
Muslims in Europe
If you are an American policy maker focusing on Europe, the job sometimes gets quite boring. For the US government, the top foreign policy priorities these days are far away from the old continent.
Libertas launches
So, hot on the heels of its success getting a “No” in the Irish Lisbon Treaty referendum, Libertas has today relaunched as a pan-European political party. Look – it’s got a shiny new website and Twitter, Facebook and Flickr accounts and everything!
“If people want a strong and healthy Europe that is democratic and answerable to them, they should vote for a Libertas candidate”
Libertas Anti-European Party will galvanise pro-Europeans to defend the EU
As the leader of the Irish no campaign launches his anti-European party in Brussels today, Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament actually believe it will serve to get the issues out in the open, expose the deceit and untruths of the Libertas campaign and encourage pro-Europeans across the continent to be more vocal in support of the European Union.
2008 Energy and Environment Report
Source: European Environment Agency
From Press Release:
80 % of the greenhouse gas emissions in Europe still come from the energy sector, warns a report from the European Environment Agency released today. The sector continues to have significant impacts on the environment, despite the fact that more efficient production of electricity and heat, together with an increased share of renewable energy sources and replacement of coal and oil with gas are gradually contributing to cut emissions of greenhouse gas and air pollutants in Europe.
The 2008 Energy and environment report confirms that if Europeans simply stick by current policies and measures, energy consumption will continue to rise by up to 26 % by 2030 –and fossil fuels will remain as the main source of supply. “Business as usual is not an option for the energy sector” stated Professor Jacqueline McGlade, EEA Executive Director at the launch of the report in the Europeahappening fast enough to secure the future of our environment”, she said.
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