EU Foreign Policy

Nosemonkey reports: "European Commission: It?s not racist to target a particular ethnic group for police persecution

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European Commission: It’s not racist to target a particular ethnic group for police persecution

Good news for fascists today – according to the EU, it’s no longer racist to target a particular ethnic group based on folklore that suggests they’re all criminals.

EU Should Balance Criticism Toward Russia and Georgia

Leonie Holthaus: The EU should serve as a mediator in the Russian-Georgian dispute. This role requires that the EU does not take sides with one conflicting party but rather balance its criticism. Even if a position like this is perceived as "hesitant" in the US press, it may contribute to resolving the conflict by diplomatic means………

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"The crisis of the Post-Cold War European order

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The crisis of the Post-Cold War European order

By Ivan Krastev

A policy of engagement defined as a focus on national interest, and a radical turn from value-based foreign policy to nineteenth century Realpolitik, is not a workable option for relations between Russia and the West, writes Ivan Krastev.

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PRESIDENCY CONCLUSIONS of EXTRAORDINARY EUROPEAN COUNCIL, (1 SEPTEMBER 2008)

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COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Brussels, 1 September 2008 (01.09)

12594/08

COUNCIL 3

COVER NOTE

from : Presidency to Delegations

Subject : EXTRAORDINARY EUROPEAN COUNCIL, BRUSSELS

1 SEPTEMBER 2008

PRESIDENCY CONCLUSIONS

Delegations will find attached the Presidency conclusions of the Extraordinary European Council held in Brussels (1 September 2008). 12594/08 2

The meeting of the European Council was preceded by an exposé by the President of the European Parliament, Mr Hans-Gert Pöttering, followed by an exchange of views.

1. The European Council is gravely concerned by the open conflict which has broken out in Georgia, by the resulting violence and by the disproportionate reaction of Russia. This conflict has led to great suffering on both sides. Military action of this kind is not a solution and is not acceptable. The European Council deplores the loss of human life, the suffering inflicted on the population, the number of displaced persons and refugees, and the considerable material damage.

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"Summit to test Europe's unity over Russia

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Summit to test Europe’s unity over Russia

European leaders will try to put on a united front during a summit in Brussels today (1 September) that will review the EU’s relations with Moscow following the conflict in Georgia. But sanctions are off the agenda for now.

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"The demographic time-bomb

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The demographic time-bomb

New projections for an ageing Europe

WHO’S up and who’s down in Europe? If it’s population one is counting, Britain will be on top in 50 years’ time, passing both Germany and France to become the biggest country in the European Union, according to projections in a new study.

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"Can the EU win the peace in Georgia?

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Can the EU win the peace in Georgia?

The conflict between Georgia and Russia has seen the EU become the main diplomatic mediator between the two and it should use this status to develop peaceful relations in the region, argue Nicu Popescu et al. in an August 2008 commentary for the European Council on Foreign Relations.

USAK Report: Change in Caucasia brings burdens and opportunities for Turkey

By USAK

Turkey is one of the countries that will be most vulnerable vis-à-vis a new global order triggered by the conflict between Georgia and Russia, a study by the Ankara-based International Strategic Research Organization (ISRO/ USAK) has noted.

The conflict erupted on Aug. 7-8 when Georgia tried to retake South Ossetia. A Russian counter-offensive pushed into Georgia proper, crossing its east-west highway and nearing a Western-backed oil pipeline. Russia ignored Western demands to remove its remaining troops from Georgia’s heartland, saying the residual troops are peacekeepers needed to avert further bloodshed and to protect the people of Georgia’s separatist, pro-Moscow provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two days after Moscow said it had wrapped up its withdrawal.

 

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"Merkel asked to take lead in reshaping East-West relations

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A man carries a log to his home in a small hillside settlement ...

A man carries a log to his home in a small hillside settlement located near the village of Janovce in Eastern Slovakia where none of the houses have running water or a toilet. A surprising 20 million people in the European Union do not have access to decent toilets and suffer from a lack of hygiene, posing serious health risks, experts meeting at World Water Week in Stockholm said.

(AFP/File/Joe Klamar)

 

Merkel asked to take lead in reshaping East-West relations

The notion that German Chancellor Angela Merkel should step up and take the lead within the EU to resolve tensions over Georgia and reshape the West’s relations with Moscow appears to be emerging, with analysts claiming Germany is the only country that Russia might listen to.

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"Commission to test free access to EU research

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Strasbourg not yet ready for MEPs

The European Parliament’s temporary relocation to Brussels from Strasbourg reignites a row about where it should be based.

Pieter Aertsen
found in Small Food Nation
(Pieter Aertsen, Butcher’s Stall with the Flight into Egypt, 1551. Source.)

Commission to test free access to EU research

A pilot project that will give unrestricted online access to EU-funded research results was launched yesterday (20 August), which the Commission claims will ensure better exploitation of scientific studies and guarantee a "fair return" for taxpayers. But specialist publishers are unhappy with the move.

Memories of Czech invasion

Two BBC website readers share their experiences of the Soviet invasion and living under communist rule in Czechoslovakia.

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"NATO's new role?

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MAIN FOCUS: NATO’s new role? | 20/08/2008

The NATO foreign ministers gathered yesterday to confer on the crisis in the Caucasus. NATO General Secretary Jaap de Hoop Scheffer sharply condemned Russia and called for an immediate withdrawal of all Russian troops. Europe’s press discusses the role of the alliance after Moscow’s show of force.

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