ACTA in European Parliament committees: International Trade and Development
by Grahnlaw
Yesterday I offered some information about the state of ACTA in the institutions of the European Union: ACTA update (in part). Now for some complementary information.
Croatia Calling: EU referendum: Don?t know ? don?t care
from Bloggingportal.eu – Today’s posts
The results of the referendum are clear ? Croatia has chosen Europe! Two thirds of Croatian voters voted ?YES? in today?s referendum on country?s EU accession. Exactly 22 years after that historical day when Croatian del…
Croats say resounding ‘yes’ to EU membership (News)
from EurActiv.com
MAIN FOCUS: Croats vote for EU accession | 23/01/2012
from euro|topics
A clear majority of Croatians voted in favour of EU accession in a referendum on Sunday. But if they want to join the EU it’s above all for economic reasons, commentators write, and prophesy that the EU’s Eastern Enlargement is over for the time being.
Tensions grow ahead of Croatia’s EU referendum (News)
from EurActiv.com
Tobin tax: the EU’s Trojan horse? (Analysis)
from EurActiv.com
The financial transaction tax that President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel have agreed upon is likely to backfire as more member states endorse the British condemnation of it, says Daren Ennis, director of MHP Communications.
?Britain will never accept German leadership?
from Ideas on Europe by European Geostrategy
By James Rogers
Norway almost as deeply integrated in the EU as the UK
by Grahnlaw
When we think about Norway and the European Union, Britain tends to surface. But what is Norway’s EU relationship in reality?
Debate on Hungary in the European Parliament
from The European Citizen by Eurocentric
Hungary’s Prime Minister addressed the European Parliament today in the debate on Hungary’s new constitution and Fidesz’s actions in power. Earlier, in the debate on the Danish presidency, Danish PM Thorning-Schmidt signaled her support for the Commission’s legal action against Hungary, side-stepping the question of using Article 7 TEU against Orban’s government if Fidesz doesn’t make sufficient changes.
The Draft Euro Fiscal Pact – Episode IV
by Open Europe blog team
We have just got our hands on the fourth draft of the European ‘fiscal pact’ (this time, the Telegraph’s Bruno Waterfield – who is always quick off the blocks – beat us to it), which is being circulated among national delegations tonight. At a first glance, a very limited number of Articles have changed from the previous version – but all the changes look pretty significant:
A stronger, more active European Parliament?
from The European Citizen by Eurocentric
Martin Schulz, the former leader of the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament has beenelected the President of the Parliament for 2.5 years.* He’s set out his stall for parliamentarianism: that he’ll stick up for the EP within the EU’s institutional triangle and in the ongoing negotiations for the New Fiscal Compact (acceptance speech [PDF]):
So where does EU money come from?
by Open Europe blog team
Ahead of our impending paper looking at the effectiveness or otherwise of the EU?s structural funds (watch this space) we came across this timely comment from Hungarian PM Viktor Orban – who has been subject to some (ehum) controversy over recent weeks (he took a roasting in the European Parliament on Wednesday).
MAIN FOCUS: Romanians fight for more democracy | 20/01/2012
from euro|topics
The Romanian opposition alliance USL joined in the protests against the government’s austerity programme and President Traian B?sescu on Thursday. But according to commentators the opposition parties are entertaining false hopes because the population doesn’t trust them either.
Hungary: democracy choked with a silk scarf
from Blogactiv by Marek Siwiec MEP
Yesterday in the European Parliament?s plenary room everyone agreed in one case ? they praised Viktor Orban?s decision to arrive in an emergency mode to Strasbourg. But then, there were only differences.
Communicating EU technocracy and science: Is it the same?
from Ideas on Europe by Ronny Patz
Fellow Bloggingportal.eu editor Mathew has just published an excellent piece titled ?Of technocrats, journalistic balance and telling EU stories?. His post reflects in a way what I try with this blog, that is to think about whether translation between the world of self-imposed balance and reason and the world of purposeful (or purposeless) conflict of ideas staged by the media.
ACTA update (in part)
by Grahnlaw
In October 2011 I wrote a blog post Greens challenge ACTA legality. The two proposals from the Commission (DG Trade) had been published in June. They are:
Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION on the signing, on behalf of the European Union of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, Australia, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United Mexican States, the Kingdom of Morocco, New Zealand, the Republic of Singapore, the Swiss Confederation and the United States of America; Brussels, 24.6.2011 COM(2011) 379 final; procedure 2011/0166 (NLE)
“Britain and German EU leadership” by Henning Meyer
from Social Europe Journal by Henning Meyer
I rarely feel the need to attack a post on another blog but what I read this morning onIdeas for Europe, the blog of UACES (the academic association for contemporary European studies) was just a bit too much. The author James Rogers wrote on ?Why Britain will never accept German leadership? and took over arguments from another blog written by Julian Lindley-French (who to be fair put his arguments more into perspective).
Reflections on the Community & Council method
from Blogactiv by David
The leaders are now repeating their mantra; the solution to the crisis is the Community method. The Community method involves open democracy. We haven?t got it! We have the ?Council method? which involves a political cartel ruling Europe behind closed doors. It is an oligarchy of political party chiefs. It is the cause of the financial crisis.
Take the recent happenings in Parliament.
Europlay: A Compassionate Europe: open letter to Mr.Schulz
from Bloggingportal.eu – Today’s posts
Dear Mr.Schulz,a couple of days ago you’ve been elected as the President of the European Parliament. I have stated publicly why I don’t agree with the non-written tradition which is developing around the European Parliament Presidency and why, as far…
La santé des immigrés en France se dégrade
from Blogactiv by EU-Logos
En trente ans, la santé des immigrés s?est dégradée : meilleur dans les années 1970, l?état de santé des immigrés est devenu plus mauvais que celui des Français, selon une étude du bulletin épidémiologique hebdomadaire (BEH), à paraître mardi 17 janvier. Pour expliquer cette détérioration, les chercheurs mettent en avant à la fois des changements dans les politiques migratoires, mais aussi des profils de migrants différents, ainsi qu?un accès aux soins insuffisant.
Britain: not a bigger Switzerland
from Blogactiv by euromove
Daniel Hannan?s argument that Britain should leave the European Union and seek to emulate Switzerland in its relations with the EU (read it here) relies on two assumptions, neither of which I think is true. The first assumption is about the EU, the second is about Britain.
Norway?s Europeanisation and the democratic deficit
from Ideas on Europe by Ronny Patz
The Norwegian Government has just published a 900-page long report titled ?Outside and Inside – Norway?s agreements with the European Union? (the link leads to the English translation of the 1st chapter). The report summarises the scope of Europeanisation of Norway and the implications this has for the country and involved notable (EU) scholars such as Jonas Tallberg.
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