http://www.diigo.com/user/Wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:01:29 -0000 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:01:29 -0000 http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/macedonia-name-negotiations-home-straight/article-175972 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content">Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski and Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn today (2 October) signalled&nbsp;that the 17-year-old 'name dispute' between Skopje and Athens over the name 'Macedonia' may be nearing a solution</div></p><p><div class="content">"Ambassador Niemetz has requested next Tuesday to meet the negotiators from both countries, Ambassador [Admantios] Vassilakis of Greece and Ambassador [Nikola] Dimitrov and Martin Protoger [chief of staff to Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski]. The aim of the meeting is for both countries to&nbsp;make their remarks or request amendments following mediator Niemetz's last proposal. On this basis, I expect that Ambassador Niemetz will be able […] to table a final version," Crvenkovski said.&nbsp;</div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargement' rel='tag'>enlargement</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_candidates' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_candidates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/macedonia' rel='tag'>macedonia</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/greece' rel='tag'>greece</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:01:29 -0000 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1425&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><h1><b>Commission adopts multi-annual planning of financial assistance to the Western Balkans and Turkey </b></h1> <h2> <a name="Heading7"></a><b><i>The Commission has completed today the strategic planning of EU financial support for 2008-2010 to the candidate countries and potential candidates: Croatia, Turkey, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Kosovo</i></b>^{<b><i><a href="#fn1" name="fnB1">[1]</a></i></b>}<b><i>. This financial assistance aims to enhance political and economic reform and development to realise their European perspective. For 2008-2010, the overall indicative amount of EU financial assistance under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) is €4.471 billion. </i></b></h2></div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargement' rel='tag'>enlargement</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/eu-commission' rel='tag'>eu-commission</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/westernbalkans' rel='tag'>westernbalkans</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/ipa' rel='tag'>ipa</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:42:25 -0000 http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1221658609.84 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p>Serbia vowed Wednesday to press on and implement a European Union trade deal despite anger at a Dutch veto that came even though Belgrade arrested top war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic.</p><p>Bozidar Djelic, Serbia's deputy prime minister for EU integration, said in an interview with a local newspaper that he was "infuriated" by the Netherlands' refusal to unfreeze the EU trade and aid pact.</p></div></p><p><div class="content"><p>EU foreign ministers on Monday failed to convince their Dutch counterpart, Maxime Verhagen, to drop his country's objections to unfreezing the accord despite Belgrade's improved track record on war crimes.</p><p>UN chief war crimes prosecutor Serge Brammertz had told the EU ministers there was "very clear progress" in Serbia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).</p></div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargement' rel='tag'>enlargement</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicmemberstates' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicmemberstates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/netherlands' rel='tag'>netherlands</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/serbia' rel='tag'>serbia</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Thu, 18 Sep 2008 08:01:40 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26743 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p>EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday (15 September) failed to unfreeze the trade related part of a pre-accession deal with Serbia, following the Netherlands' opposition.</p> <p>"There is a very, very big majority saying that we [EU] should unfreeze [the agreement]. But there is no unanimity," French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, told journalists after the meeting.</p></div></p><p><div class="content">EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana was more optimistic, however, saying that the bloc's 27 ministers could agree to unblock the interim agreement during their next meeting in October.</div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargement' rel='tag'>enlargement</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicymemberstates' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicymemberstates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/netherlands' rel='tag'>netherlands</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/serbia' rel='tag'>serbia</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:32:39 -0000 http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/serbia-ratifies-key-eu-pre-membership-accord/article-175208 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content">Serbia has overcome another hurdle on its path towards EU membership&nbsp;with today's&nbsp;(9 September) ratification&nbsp;by its&nbsp;parliament of&nbsp;a key pre-accession agreement offering&nbsp;the country&nbsp;closer trade relations and easier travel within the Union.</div></p><p><div class="content">140 deputies&nbsp;from the 250-seat parliament voted in favour of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), with 26 rejecting it. This means that at least 13 members of the opposition - likely members of the Liberal block, who support EU membership and for this goal would even sacrifice Kosovo - joined the government on this issue.The biggest opposition group, the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), collectively abstained.&nbsp;</div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargement' rel='tag'>enlargement</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_candidates' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_candidates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/serbia' rel='tag'>serbia</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/saa' rel='tag'>saa</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:02:05 -0000 http://www.nomos-shop.de/productview.aspx?product=10226 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p>Durch den Zerfall Jugoslawiens 1991 und die militärischen Auseinandersetzungen in Folge der Unabhängigkeitserklärung einzelner Staaten rückte der Balkan einmal mehr in den Fokus der Weltöffentlichkeit. Dabei spielten sowohl Kroatien als auch Bosnien-Herzegowina eine elementare Rolle. </p> <p>Seit der Unterzeichnung des Friedensvertrages von Dayton haben sich beide Staaten jedoch sehr unterschiedlich entwickelt. Somit stehen beide auch auf einer anderen Stufe hinsichtlich ihrer Bestrebungen, der EU beizutreten: Für Kroatien scheint ein Beitritt bald Realität zu werden, Bosnien-Herzegowina hingegen ist noch weit entfernt. </p> <p>Die Studie geht der Frage nach, wieso sich beide Staaten in so unterschiedlichen Stadien hinsichtlich ihrer Beitrittsperspektiven befinden. Neben einer Analyse und dem Vergleich der Transformationsprozesse werden die von der EU aufgestellten Beitrittskriterien analysiert und hinterfragt. Die Publikation verdeutlicht, dass ein nachhaltiger Frieden auf dem Balkan nur durch eine realistische EU-Perspektive und eine intensive Kooperation der Mitgliedstaaten mit den südosteuropäischen Staaten zu gewährleisten ist. </p></div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/literature' rel='tag'>literature</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/eu-research' rel='tag'>eu-research</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_candidates' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_candidates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/croatia' rel='tag'>croatia</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:36:19 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26715/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content">The EU is expected to demonstrate "leadership" in assuring Bosnia and Herzegovina's transition to a viable state that could one day join the 27-member bloc, the international community's high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina said in Brussels on Tuesday (9 September).</div></p><p><div class="content"><p>Mr Lajcak said the security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina was currently stable, but stressed that the country is still facing numerous political challenges, the solving of which requires the EU to play a role.</p> <p>One strategic issue, he underlined, is constitutional reform in Bosnia. There is currently no united approach to such reform, not only domestically, but also within the international community.</p> <p>"The international community and the EU in particular needs to define what it expects from any agreement" on constitutional reform in Bosnia, he said.</p></div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargement' rel='tag'>enlargement</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_candidates' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_candidates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/bosnia' rel='tag'>bosnia</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:34:47 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26682/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p> It would be "possible" for Serbia to win the status of an EU candidate country next year, provided that it fulfills the necessary conditions, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said on Wednesday (3 September).</p> <p>"If everything goes according to plan and if all the conditions are met, it would be possible [for Serbia] to have candidate country status in 2009," Mr Barroso told reporters in Brussels at a briefing together with Serbian President Boris Tadic.</p></div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/serbia' rel='tag'>serbia</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/ICTY' rel='tag'>ICTY</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/westernbalkans' rel='tag'>westernbalkans</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:43:52 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26675/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content">EU enlargement, particularly to the Western Balkan countries, is set to feature high on the agenda of the bloc's two presidencies in 2009, with Croatia seen as likely to conclude its EU membership talks next year, said the Czech Republic and Sweden - the next two member states to hold the EU's six-month rotating chairmanship after France.</div></p><p><div class="content"><p>During the presentation of their common programme, the current presidential trio - France, the Czech Republic and Sweden - also stressed their general support for the whole Balkan region and its "path towards EU integration."</p> <p>"The whole region will be a priority during our consecutive presidencies," Ms Malmstrom pointed out.</p></div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/French_Presidency_2008' rel='tag'>French_Presidency_2008</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/Czech_Presidency_2009' rel='tag'>Czech_Presidency_2009</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/Swedish_Presidency_2009' rel='tag'>Swedish_Presidency_2009</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/westernbalkans' rel='tag'>westernbalkans</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:34:23 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26653/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content">Germany's close relations with Russia are the main obstacle to signing a major EU-Ukraine treaty at the upcoming EU-Ukraine summit in France, Ukraine diplomats say, warning that failure to seal the deal will signal to Moscow that it can veto EU policy on post-Soviet states.</div></p><p><div class="content">"There are maybe two or three countries who are strong opposers, strong sceptics," Ukrainian deputy foreign minister Konstantin Yeliseyev said in Brussels on Thursday (28 August), commenting on EU reluctance to state clearly that "the future of Ukraine lies in the European Union" in the preamble to the new treaty</div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/eu-policies' rel='tag'>eu-policies</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/cfsp' rel='tag'>cfsp</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/neighbourhoodpolicy' rel='tag'>neighbourhoodpolicy</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicymemberstates' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicymemberstates</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:15:07 -0000 http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/serbia-warned-play-eu-camp/article-174778 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content">As the EU prepares to&nbsp;assume&nbsp;responsibility for policing Kosovo from the UN, French and British diplomats have warned Serbia that its strong opposition to the EU mission and its decision to seize the UN International Court of Justice over the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence could complicate the country's EU membership bid.</div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/eu-policies' rel='tag'>eu-policies</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/cfsp' rel='tag'>cfsp</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_candidates' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_candidates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/serbia' rel='tag'>serbia</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:38:51 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26576/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content">Serbian president Boris Tadic has vowed Belgrade will "fulfil its international obligations" by hunting down two remaining war crimes fugitives - general Ratko Mladic and former Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic.</div></p><p><div class="content">Despite the arrest of Mr Karadzic, the EU has stopped short of rewarding Belgrade by giving the green light to implementation of the trade-related part of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) - a pre-accession deal that the EU signed with Belgrade in April this year.</div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargement' rel='tag'>enlargement</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_candidates' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_candidates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/serbia' rel='tag'>serbia</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/ICTY' rel='tag'>ICTY</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:24:36 -0000 http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/bulgaria-mea-culpa-eu-moves-suspend-funding/article-174462 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content">The leaders of Bulgaria and Romania have accepted criticism of the two countries' performances in meeting EU standards on judicial reform and fight against corruption as fair. But&nbsp;financial sanctions&nbsp;amounting to&nbsp;hundreds of thousands of euro were hard to swallow in Sofia.</div></p><p><div class="content"><p><em><strong>Mea culpa&nbsp;</strong> </em> </p> <p>Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said Bulgaria deserved to be criticised&nbsp;in the Commission's report, the Bulgarian press reported.&nbsp;</p> <p>"There are grounds for criticism, to be honest," Stanishev told the press in the Black Sea city of Varna. “The truth is Bulgaria is learning how to work with European money," he added.&nbsp;</p> <p>The opposition has attacked the government, including&nbsp;over Bulgaria’s decline compared to Romania. A no-confidence motion is expected to be voted upon in Parliament today, but the coalition government controls 150 out of 240 MPs and is expected to survive.&nbsp;</p> <p>More interestingly, a poll showed that a majority of Bulgarians were siding with the Commission and believe that the EU should indeed freeze its subsidies. The perception&nbsp;among ordinary citizens, shows the study by the&nbsp;Alpha Research Institute, is that this money&nbsp;is not reaching them. Thus many Bulgarians welcome funding cuts as a way&nbsp;of hurting the corrupt political class.&nbsp;</p></div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargement' rel='tag'>enlargement</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/eu-policy_memberstates' rel='tag'>eu-policy_memberstates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/bulgaria' rel='tag'>bulgaria</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/romania' rel='tag'>romania</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:47:29 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26525/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content">EU foreign ministers on Tuesday hailed the arrest of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic as an important step in Serbia's progress towards EU integration - but stopped short of offering Belgrade any concrete concessions at this stage.</div></p><p><div class="content"><p>For his part, EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn called the moment: "historic for international justice."</p> <p>It is also "very important for Serbia's European aspirations" and "proves that the new government of Serbia has the determination to turn the page, leave the nationalist past behind and move towards a European future," he added.</p></div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargement' rel='tag'>enlargement</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_candidates' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_candidates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/serbia' rel='tag'>serbia</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/ICTY' rel='tag'>ICTY</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:50:18 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26495/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p>Croatia will be ready to join the EU in 2009 and its membership is not going to be delayed by the EU's current institutional "crisis", Croatian President Stjepan Mesic has said.</p> <p>"I understand European countries, including France, which intend to solve the EU's institutional problems before proceeding to any new accessions … [But] we will speed up the rhythm of our reforms and be ready in 2009 to join the EU as its 28th member," Mr Mesic told French daily Le Figaro in an interview published on Tuesday (15 July).</p></div></p><p><div class="content">Asked if he could imagine his country joining the EU without the bloc having dealt with the Irish No, Mr Mesic said: "No, the EU will find a way out of this crisis. If 26 EU states ratify Lisbon [traty]… they will find a solution for the 27th … The European institutional crisis will be solved."</div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargement' rel='tag'>enlargement</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_candidates' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_candidates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/croatia' rel='tag'>croatia</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/lisbon-treaty' rel='tag'>lisbon-treaty</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:06:29 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26479/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content">The international community has pledged to invest €1.2 billion toward the rebuilding of Kosovo, with the European Commission alone putting aside €508 million to fill in the gaps in Pristina's financial needs from 2009 to 2013.</div></p><p><div class="content"><p>Kosovo, which seceded from Serbia in February of this year, is one of Europe's most under-developed economies and is highly dependent on foreign subsidies. </p> <p>From 1999 to 2007, when under the direct administration of the United Nations, Pristina benefitted from over €3.5 billion in reconstruction assistance. </p> <p>However, the official unemployment rate remains a worrying 43 percent, with youth unemployment estimated even higher, at around 60 percent. </p> <p>Kosovo's economy grew by 4.4 percent in 2007, with an inflation rate of 13.6 percent as of April, 2008. </p> <p>The largest chunk of money for Kosovo is to come from the European Commission, followed by an American contribution of some $400 million. Beyond the EU's own funds, member state Germany has pledged €100 million, and the UK has confirmed an aid package worth £23 million. </p></div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargement' rel='tag'>enlargement</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/kosovo' rel='tag'>kosovo</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/westernbalkans' rel='tag'>westernbalkans</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/candidate_countries_economy' rel='tag'>candidate_countries_economy</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:41:17 -0000 http://balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/11478 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content">Bosnia’s Interim Agreement with the EU has come into force, bringing the country into a new phase of trade relations with Europe and its common market. <p><em><!-- Author Start --><!-- Author End --></em></p> Until Bosnia’s Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union – signed on June 16 – is ratified by all EU countries, relations between Bosnia and the bloc will be regulated in accordance with the Interim Agreement.<br /></div></p><p><div class="content">However some economic experts warn that the country’s cumbersome, expensive and ineffective administration is ill prepared to meet all the challenges and risks brought by opening of Bosnia’s market to cheaper and better goods from the EU.</div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargement' rel='tag'>enlargement</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_candidates' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_candidates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/bosnia' rel='tag'>bosnia</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/saa' rel='tag'>saa</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:44:33 -0000 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f24b5eda-45eb-11dd-9009-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p>My own hunch is that they will try to find a way to enforce the Lisbon treaty without the non-ratifiers. As a first step, they will try to offer the No-sayers a quit-and-rejoin deal. It would be the least divisive option of all, but unfortunately, it may also be one of the least realistic. It would obviously require their consent, which is far from assured. In Ireland’s case it may require a referendum to get out and another one to get back in.</p><p>If this is not possible, there are several other options involving varying degrees of involuntary separation. For example, everybody would formally remain inside the EU on the basis of the Nice treaty, but the ratifiers would organise their areas of co-operation outside the EU and its institutions – on foreign policy, immigration, economic governance, maybe even on energy and the environment. They could do so using the provisions of Lisbon treaty or any other rules they choose among themselves.</p></div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/constitution' rel='tag'>constitution</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/lisbon-treaty' rel='tag'>lisbon-treaty</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/options_after_Irish_No' rel='tag'>options_after_Irish_No</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargement' rel='tag'>enlargement</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:59:42 -0000 http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/analysis/11298 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content">With EU enlargement in question following the Irish ‘no’ vote to the Lisbon Treaty, Zagreb fears a fresh delay to its accession.</div></p><p><div class="content">Some experts also maintain that enlargement to include Croatia might be possible even if the Lisbon Treaty does not enter into force. <br /><br />The Brussels think tank, the European Policy Centre, for example, noted in a recent paper that while Croatian accession would require some adjustments to Nice, “some of these, concerning, for instance, the composition of EU institutions and the voting rules, could be introduced through the Accession Treaty with the next entrant (probably Croatia)”. <br /><br />Michael Emerson, enlargement expert for another EU think tank, the Centre for European Policy Studies, agrees. <br /><br />“It is not impossible legally for Croatia to come in with few bits of adjustment to exciting treaties”, Emerson said. “However politically, some member states will use this as leaver to try to get Lisbon Treaty through”, he added.</div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/lisbon-treaty' rel='tag'>lisbon-treaty</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargement' rel='tag'>enlargement</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicymemberstates' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicymemberstates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/croatia' rel='tag'>croatia</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:38:28 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26387/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content">MEPs in the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee on Tuesday (24 June) approved an enlargement report stressing that the EU's own capacity to absorb new states should be taken into account when considering membership applications in the future.</div></p><p><div class="content">The EU's enlargement strategy should "strike a balance between the Union's geo-strategic interests, the impact of political developments outside its borders, and the Union's integration capacity, including its ability to cope with future internal and external challenges and to realise its political integration project," reads the report prepared by German centre-right MEP Elmar Brok.</div></p><p><div class="content"><p>It also comes in the aftermath of Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon treaty in a referendum 10 days ago, which has prompted divisions among EU leaders about the possibilities of continuing with the enlargement process at this stage.</p> <p>France's president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, have both declared that EU expansion will have to be halted until the document enters into force, while leaders in other countries – such as Poland – have said the process can continue.</p></div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargement' rel='tag'>enlargement</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_eu' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_eu</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/europeanparliament' rel='tag'>europeanparliament</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/absorption_capacity' rel='tag'>absorption_capacity</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:11:51 -0000 60