EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - A small group of politicians from around the EU have published a repackaged treaty for the bloc, hoping to feed into the emerging consensus among member states that a "simplified treaty" has to be extracted from the ashes of the rejected EU constitution. Unofficially known as the "Amato Group" - it is headed by former Italian prime minister Giuliano Amato - the outfit's contribution comes at a crucial time in negotiations on creating a new-look treaty after the original EU constitution was rejected mid 2005. The 16-strong group, containing several former prime ministers as well as two current European Commissioners, has stripped the rejected constitution of its constitutional elements - including the article on the EU's symbols and the controversial "God-less" preamble - reduced the charter of fundamental rights to one legally binding article and say they do not mind if the proposed EU foreign minister ends up with another name. Essentially, however, the main elements of the original constitution have been kept in. "We do not exclude that you reach the same final result," said Mr Amato at the unveiling of the document on Monday (4 June). 70 articles The treaty has been reduced to 70 articles (12,800 words) plus two protocols, one containing institutional changes and one containing policy innovations - by contrast the original EU constitution contained 448 articles and around 63,000 words.
Let's see... In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
A national "Britain Day" to celebrate its values and achievements is being proposed by two senior ministers. Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly and Immigration Minister Liam Byrne say it could be a new bank holiday or linked to the state opening of Parliament. In a pamphlet on their proposals, they also suggest immigrants could have the chance to "earn" British citizenship. Under a points-based system, credit would be given for doing voluntary work but lost for breaking the law. 'Neighbour contracts' The two ministers say UK communities need a stronger sense of what they have in common, and they say the proposed national day would celebrate British values and achievements. Mr Byrne said: "At a time when we face the threat of a new extremism, I just think it's important now for the law-abiding majority to stand up for the values that we've got in common.
Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly and Immigration Minister Liam Byrne say it could be a new bank holiday or linked to the state opening of Parliament.
In a pamphlet on their proposals, they also suggest immigrants could have the chance to "earn" British citizenship.
Under a points-based system, credit would be given for doing voluntary work but lost for breaking the law.
'Neighbour contracts'
The two ministers say UK communities need a stronger sense of what they have in common, and they say the proposed national day would celebrate British values and achievements.
Mr Byrne said: "At a time when we face the threat of a new extremism, I just think it's important now for the law-abiding majority to stand up for the values that we've got in common.
At a time when we face the threat of a new extremism
Oh, we do? And whose extremism would that be, Byrnie boy? When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
The Basque separatist group Eta says its ceasefire with the Spanish government will end on Wednesday. In a message printed by the Basque newspaper Berria, the banned group says "minimum conditions for continuing a process of negotiations do not exist". Eta declared a "permanent" ceasefire in March 2006, and had insisted it still held despite a bomb that killed two people at Madrid airport in December. After the attack Spain's Socialist government broke off peace talks. In its latest statement, Eta said that from Wednesday it would defend the Basque country "with weapons and on all fronts". The announcement suggests that another big attack could be imminent, observers say.
In a message printed by the Basque newspaper Berria, the banned group says "minimum conditions for continuing a process of negotiations do not exist".
Eta declared a "permanent" ceasefire in March 2006, and had insisted it still held despite a bomb that killed two people at Madrid airport in December.
After the attack Spain's Socialist government broke off peace talks.
In its latest statement, Eta said that from Wednesday it would defend the Basque country "with weapons and on all fronts".
The announcement suggests that another big attack could be imminent, observers say.
Nicolas Sarkozy, France's president, has urged Gordon Brown to leave behind his "outmoded" views on the European Union when he takes over as British prime minister next month.Describing him as one of Europe's great finance ministers, Mr Sarkozy said: "Gordon Brown has advanced and modernised the British economy over 10 years. I hope that in moving from Number 11 to Number 10 Downing Street he understands that Europe is not outmoded." ADVERTISEMENTHis comments underline the deep unease a number of EU leaders feel about the European policy Mr Brown will pursue. As UK chancellor, he largely limited himself to demanding economic reform in Europe and has often seemed keen to distance himself from Brussels for domestic political purposes.Appealing to Mr Brown to accept the need for a simplified institutional treaty, Mr Sarkozy told the Financial Times and selected foreign journalists: "Europe has need of the UK and the UK has need of Europe." Since being elected last month, Mr Sarkozy has been pushing a rapid relaunch of the European Union, arguing for a pared-down constitutional treaty that could be adopted by parliamentary vote. There is concern in several European capitals about how far Mr Brown is prepared to go to overhaul the EU's machinery and decision making rules.
Nicolas Sarkozy, France's president, has urged Gordon Brown to leave behind his "outmoded" views on the European Union when he takes over as British prime minister next month.
Describing him as one of Europe's great finance ministers, Mr Sarkozy said: "Gordon Brown has advanced and modernised the British economy over 10 years. I hope that in moving from Number 11 to Number 10 Downing Street he understands that Europe is not outmoded."
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His comments underline the deep unease a number of EU leaders feel about the European policy Mr Brown will pursue. As UK chancellor, he largely limited himself to demanding economic reform in Europe and has often seemed keen to distance himself from Brussels for domestic political purposes.
Appealing to Mr Brown to accept the need for a simplified institutional treaty, Mr Sarkozy told the Financial Times and selected foreign journalists: "Europe has need of the UK and the UK has need of Europe."
Since being elected last month, Mr Sarkozy has been pushing a rapid relaunch of the European Union, arguing for a pared-down constitutional treaty that could be adopted by parliamentary vote. There is concern in several European capitals about how far Mr Brown is prepared to go to overhaul the EU's machinery and decision making rules.
It's received a mauling from the public, but what do branding experts make of the new Olympics 2012 logo? Talk about pressure. This is a logo which took a year to design and has to help raise £2bn of private money to pay for the running of the Games. So there were some understandable nerves among the London 2012 organisers when they unveiled it. But they are adamant this is a logo which can engage with young people, excite sponsors and define London. "We don't do bland. This is not a bland city," says London 2012 chairman, Sebastian Coe. "We weren't going to come to you with a dull or dry corporate logo that will appear on a polo shirt we're all gardening in, in a year's time. This is something's that got to live for the next five years."
It's received a mauling from the public, but what do branding experts make of the new Olympics 2012 logo?
Talk about pressure.
This is a logo which took a year to design and has to help raise £2bn of private money to pay for the running of the Games. So there were some understandable nerves among the London 2012 organisers when they unveiled it.
But they are adamant this is a logo which can engage with young people, excite sponsors and define London.
"We don't do bland. This is not a bland city," says London 2012 chairman, Sebastian Coe. "We weren't going to come to you with a dull or dry corporate logo that will appear on a polo shirt we're all gardening in, in a year's time. This is something's that got to live for the next five years."
20 12
stacked on top of one another. Everything about the logo is hideous.
That must be one of the most colossally stupid statements ever made.
That's the meaning of the logo. When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
they just do ugly.
N Am EurAsia S Am Africa
We weren't going to come to you with a dull or dry corporate logo...
20 versions of absurd mercantilist kitsch. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Berlin has come up with a plan to fight an ongoing demographic trend that has seen young people -- especially women - flooding to western Germany from the former eastern states. German Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee, in charge of eastern German economic development, has said he wants to spend some 4 million euros ($5.4 million) over the next two years on measures to make the former East German states more attractive to young people. "The prognosis for population development up to 2050 are alarming," Tiefensee told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "Especially young women are leaving the east. We cannot just sit idly by and watch." [...] "We want to see how we can improve services to thinly populated areas," Tiefensee told the paper. The idea is to provide mobile medical services, multi-generational homes, and book-mobiles, and on-call bus service, among others. A new study by the Berlin Institute, a demographics research group, published on Wednesday showed that young people - especially women between the ages of 18 and 29 - are flooding to western Germany from the eastern states. As a result, there are 25 percent more men than women in some areas -- a European record.
German Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee, in charge of eastern German economic development, has said he wants to spend some 4 million euros ($5.4 million) over the next two years on measures to make the former East German states more attractive to young people. "The prognosis for population development up to 2050 are alarming," Tiefensee told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "Especially young women are leaving the east. We cannot just sit idly by and watch."
[...]
"We want to see how we can improve services to thinly populated areas," Tiefensee told the paper. The idea is to provide mobile medical services, multi-generational homes, and book-mobiles, and on-call bus service, among others.
A new study by the Berlin Institute, a demographics research group, published on Wednesday showed that young people - especially women between the ages of 18 and 29 - are flooding to western Germany from the eastern states. As a result, there are 25 percent more men than women in some areas -- a European record.
"Ideas or the lack of them can cause disease." - Kurt Vonnegut
As a result, there are 25 percent more men than women in some areas -- a European record.
That's an amazing demographic shift. It's also fertile ground for some interesting sociological studies on the impact of that imbalance on the localities, for example, higher crime or more fistfights. It would help us better understand what's going to be happening in China and India over the next ten years.
The young men stay behind and hook up with the neos. "Ideas or the lack of them can cause disease." - Kurt Vonnegut
It would help us better understand what's going to be happening in China and India over the next ten years.
As far as I was aware, it's already happening. There are a lot of riots in china, usually over land grabs and favouritism, but it's still seems to be pretty common.
As for india, well the rise of anti-muslim hindu nationalism can't be entirely a co-incidence with the male/female balance going awry. keep to the Fen Causeway
