http://www.diigo.com/user/Wolfgangschumann Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:43:52 -0000 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:43:52 -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"><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><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><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/9/26670/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p>Poland – one of the countries pushing for the suspension – hailed the final declaration as a victory and insisted its position was not isolated.</p> <p>"We were not alone, we were acting within a group," including also the Czech Republic, the Baltic States - Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, the UK and Sweden, Polish President Lech Kaczynski told journalists.</p></div></p><p><div class="content"><p>The talks on a new treaty defining the EU relations with Russia were scheduled to take place later this month, but pressed by the demand of several member states, it was decided this would be tied to Russian withdrawal from Georgia.</p> <p>The postponement modifies a previously circulated draft version of the summit's conclusion that took a softer stance on the issue of talks.</p></div></p><p><div class="content">EU leaders on Monday (1 September) agreed to postpone talks on a new EU-Russia partnership until Russian troops withdraw from Georgia following the insistence of a bloc of member states.</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/eu-policy_memberstates' rel='tag'>eu-policy_memberstates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/cfsp' rel='tag'>cfsp</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/russia' rel='tag'>russia</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/georgia' rel='tag'>georgia</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:31:56 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26653/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><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><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><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/9/26617/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content">"As with every similar provocation, this technical move cannot be ignored, and the government will submit a protest to the UN security council. You can't go about it [the EULEX transfer] this way," Serbia's Kosovo minister, Oliver Ivanovic, told the B92 news agency.</div></p><p><div class="content"><p>The UN has begun the handover of office space and vehicles to the EU's "EULEX" police and civilian administration team in Kosovo, amid Serbian and Russian complaints that the move does not have a legal mandate. </p> <p>"The technical agreement gives UNMIK [the United Nations Mission in Kosovo]...the green light for transferring assets to us," EULEX spokeswoman Karin Limdal told AFP, after the two sides signed a memorandum on the transfer on Monday (18 August).</p></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/UN' rel='tag'>UN</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/kosovo' rel='tag'>kosovo</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, 19 Aug 2008 07:51:51 -0000 http://www.cor.europa.eu/pages/HomeTemplate.aspx <p></p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/eu-institutions' rel='tag'>eu-institutions</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/CoR' rel='tag'>CoR</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/portals' rel='tag'>portals</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:29:05 -0000 http://eesc.europa.eu/index_en.asp <p></p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/eu-institutions' rel='tag'>eu-institutions</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/ecosoc' rel='tag'>ecosoc</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/portals' rel='tag'>portals</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:27:06 -0000 http://www.tol.cz/look/estore/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=11&NrIssue=100&NrSection=100&NrArticle=19846 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content">In <i>Kosovo: What Everyone Needs to Know</i> , Tim Judah provides a straight-forward guide to the complicated place that is Kosovo. Judah, who has spent years covering the region, offers succinct, penetrating answers to a wide range of questions: Why is Kosovo important? Who are the Albanians? Who are the Serbs? Why is Kosovo so important to Serbs? What role does Kosovo play in the region and in the world? Judah reveals how things stand now and presents the history and geopolitical dynamics that have led to it. The most important of these is the question of the right to self-determination, invoked by the Kosovo Albanians, as opposed to right of territorial integrity invoked by the Serbs.</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/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/serbia' rel='tag'>serbia</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:25:17 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26606/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p>"The European Union will want to consider how it proceeds with the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement," UK foreign minister, David Miliband, said. "The sight of Russian tanks in Gori, Russian tanks in Senaki, a Russian blockade of Poti, the Georgian port are a chilling reminder of times that I think we had hoped had gone by."</p> <p>The Polish and Lithuanian ministers echoed the British position. </p> <p>"Of course some consequences must appear of the aggression," Lithuanian foreign minister, Petras Vaitiekunas, said. "There was clearly disproportionate force used by the Russians," Poland's Radoslaw Sikorski added.</p></div></p><p><div class="content"><p>EU foreign ministers on Wednesday (13 August) agreed to send peacekeepers to help supervise the fragile Russia-Georgia ceasefire, putting off discussions on potential diplomatic sanctions against Russia until next month.</p> <p>"The European Union must be prepared to commit itself, including on the ground," the EU joint statement said, asking EU top diplomat Javier Solana to draft more detailed proposals for the ministers' next meeting on 5 September.</p></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/eu-policy_memberstates' rel='tag'>eu-policy_memberstates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/cfsp' rel='tag'>cfsp</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/georgia' rel='tag'>georgia</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/russia' rel='tag'>russia</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:36:38 -0000 http://ec.europa.eu/dgs_en.htm <p></p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/eu-commission' rel='tag'>eu-commission</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/portals' rel='tag'>portals</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:06:09 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26605/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p>The French EU presidency is expected to endorse the Russia-Georgia ceasefire, offer humanitarian aid and urge EU unity in a statement after an EU foreign ministers meeting on Wednesday (13 August), with Paris keen to avoid controversy on who to blame for the crisis.</p> <p>Preparatory discussions by EU diplomats on Tuesday saw a group of former communist states speak in "sharp language" about Russia, but the tone was "less radical than they used for their domestic press," one diplomat who attended the debates told EUobserver. </p></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/eu-policy_memberstates' rel='tag'>eu-policy_memberstates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/French_Presidency_2008' rel='tag'>French_Presidency_2008</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:53:02 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26601/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p>The Finnish autonomous Aland Islands are causing headaches for the Finnish government by demanding certain concessions from Helsinki in return for ratifying the EU's Lisbon Treaty.</p> <p>The local government in the capital Mariehamn has said it will ratify the bloc's latest institutional rule book only if it gets the nod for four demands, with the vote in the Aland 30-member strong parliament expected in the autumn.</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/ratification' rel='tag'>ratification</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/finland' rel='tag'>finland</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:06:15 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26599/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p>According to Alter-EU, the total number of expert groups has increased by more than 40% since 2000, with one group for every eight officials working in the European Commission. Total membership of the groups runs to over 50,000.</p> <p>The rise in the number of lobbyists, think tanks and NGOS in Brussels as well as the increasing tendency of Europe to set the regulatory agenda around the world has made the influence of these groups a highly political issue. </p> <p>In June, the commission officially launched its public online lobbyist register, but the move was immediately criticised by civil society groups for lacking teeth because it is a voluntary system.</p></div></p><p><div class="content"><p>According to the group, EU industry commissioner Guenter Verheugen is responsible for 127 expert groups but only 19 of these include membership details. As an example, it points to the expert group on biotechnology which has 20 industry representatives, six academics and no NGOs.</p> <p>Meanwhile, his research colleague Janez Potocnik oversees 97 groups of which just 17 have their details listed while energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs is in charge of 36 groups of which three contain membership details.</p></div></p><p><div class="content">A transparency campaign group has written to seven European commissioners to pressure them to make good on a promise to reveal the names of the people who sit on the expert groups that influence EU legislation in key areas.</div></p><p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/interest-groups' rel='tag'>interest-groups</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/commitology' rel='tag'>commitology</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/governance' rel='tag'>governance</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:12:13 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26590/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p>It notes that the 27-nation bloc continues to achieve results and "integrate" using intergovernmental bodies such as the European Defence Agency and through new laws such as those on liberalising the energy market in Europe or the Emissions Trading Scheme.</p> <p>But the paper suggests that the EU would be "much better off" with the Lisbon Treaty - already ratified by 23 member states - as it would clear up the "dreadful arrangements" for managing EU foreign policy, currently a mishmash of personalities and responsibilities. </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/ratification' rel='tag'>ratification</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/options_after_Irish_No' rel='tag'>options_after_Irish_No</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:50:24 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26579/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p>President Klaus - by far the most outspoken eurosceptic in Central-Europe - made no secret of his pleasure at the Irish No. While the office of the Czech president is largely honorary, his signature is needed to round up the ratification process of the Lisbon Treaty. But Mr Klaus's bark is often worse than his bite. It is very unlikely he will risk being scapegoat of the entire EU by blocking the ratification after a positive vote in parliament. </p> <p>More significant however is the fact the president still has considerable influence on a large segment of the Civic Democratic Party. After the Irish referendum the harsh language of Mr Klaus was echoed by several party members. CDP holds a majority in the Czech Senate where voting on the Lisbon Treaty still needs to take place. </p></div></p><p><div class="content">Ratification of the Lisbon Treaty has encountered serious delay in the Czech Republic. While the lower house of parliament has voted in favour of the document, the Upper House seems to cause a problem. In April a group of CDP-Senators decided to put the Lisbon Treaty to the Constitutional Court. As a result the ratification process in Prague has been suspended.</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/ratification' rel='tag'>ratification</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/czechia' rel='tag'>czechia</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:15:58 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26576/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><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><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><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://euobserver.com/9/26568/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p>But the situation for the new Kosovo passport holders remains less clear, as Slovakia, Malta, Spain, Cyprus, Portugal, Greece and Romania have not recognised the new state. </p> <p>"We do not recognise an independent Kosovo, so we will also not recognise their documents. We will continue to recognise substitute passports issued by the UN administration and Serbian passports," a Slovak interior ministry spokesman told Slovak newspaper Sme earlier this month.</p></div></p><p><div class="content">The documents will replace the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) passports, which have been in circulation since the UN intervened after a Serb crackdown on Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanian population in 1999. The UNMIK documents will no longer be produced but will remain valid until their expiry dates.</div></p><p><div class="content">Twenty EU states will begin welcoming Kosovo passport holders after Pristina started issuing the new documents on Wednesday (30 July). Slovakia will not allow entry however, while the six other EU countries that do not recognise Kosovo have not made their position clear.</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/eu-policy_memberstates' rel='tag'>eu-policy_memberstates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/kosovo' rel='tag'>kosovo</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicy_candidates' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicy_candidates</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:19:17 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26565/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p>The Irish government is considering calling a second Lisbon treaty referendum in autumn 2009 after securing concessions on the number of commissioners, abortion, taxation and military neutrality, a major Irish daily reports.</p> <p>Under the plan, the re-vote in September or October next year would come after the June 2009 European Parliament elections, meaning the total number of MEPs would go down from 785 to 736, instead of 751 as envisaged by Lisbon.</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/eu-policy_memberstates' rel='tag'>eu-policy_memberstates</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/ireland' rel='tag'>ireland</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/ratification' rel='tag'>ratification</a> </p><p><strong>Posted by:</strong> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann'>wolfgangschumann</a></p> Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:04:41 -0000 http://euobserver.com/9/26550/?rk=1 <p></p><p><strong>Highlights and Sticky Notes:</strong><p><div class="content"><p>Macedonia was granted the status of EU candidate in December 2005, but has yet to open accession talks with the bloc.</p> <p>Skopje is hoping that this can happen in the course of this year, but the stalemate in its relations with Greece, added to the fact that current EU presidency country France has clearly stated its support to Athens, may complicate its plans.</p></div></p><p><div class="content"><p>The new coalition government consists of VMRO-DPMNE and DUI, while the Social Democratic Union has decided to boycott all parliamentary activity following the arrest of one of its vice-presidents, Zoran Zaev, some 10 days ago, saying the accusations against him of alleged links to organised crime were "politically motivated."</p> <p>"We will work day and night to become a member of the European Union and NATO," Mr Gruevski told parliamentarians when presenting his new government, AFP reports.</p> <p>Fighting corruption and organised crime, as well as improving inter-ethnic relations in Macedonia will also figure among the priorities of the new team, he said.</p> <p>A persisting deadlock in the country's name row with Greece is threatening to delay Skopje's EU ambitions despite any future progress on its internal deficiencies, however.</p></div></p><p><div class="content">The Macedonian parliament on Saturday (26 July) approved the country's new government led by prime minister Nikola Gruevski and pledged to do its utmost to speed up Macedonia's EU integration.</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/macedonia' rel='tag'>macedonia</a> <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/wolfgangschumann/enlargementpolicymemberstates' rel='tag'>enlargementpolicymemberstates</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> Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:48:38 -0000 60