Russia's new president is making his first official visit to Germany on Thursday. But news that the German foreign minister recently met the lawyer of jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky may bring a note of discord. The highlight of Dimitry Medvedev's visit will be his first-ever speech on foreign affairs -- the biggest indication yet of whether he'll follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Vladimir Putin, whose speech at a security conference in Munich last year was reminiscent of Cold War rhetoric. Berlin has been hoping for an improvement in relations with Moscow and Medvedev's pledge to strengthen the rule of law during his term of office has already been well received in Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to take up the issue during their meeting. Merkel has adopted a more critical stance towards Moscow than her predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, and, accordingly, relations with Putin had been distinctly frostier.
The highlight of Dimitry Medvedev's visit will be his first-ever speech on foreign affairs -- the biggest indication yet of whether he'll follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Vladimir Putin, whose speech at a security conference in Munich last year was reminiscent of Cold War rhetoric.
Berlin has been hoping for an improvement in relations with Moscow and Medvedev's pledge to strengthen the rule of law during his term of office has already been well received in Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to take up the issue during their meeting.
Merkel has adopted a more critical stance towards Moscow than her predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, and, accordingly, relations with Putin had been distinctly frostier.
In an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE, acclaimed journalist Nikolai Svanidze discusses Russian President Dimitry Medvedev's first visit to Germany, calling him a "flawless European" who is likely to continue Vladimir Putin's foreign policy. SPIEGEL ONLINE: Your book about Dmitry Medvedev is about to be published. To write the book, you and your wife Marina, the book's co-author, spent many hours with Russia's new president. What kind of a person is he? Nikolai Svanidze: He is relaxed, likeable, intelligent and educated. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is in Berlin on Thursday for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel. SPIEGEL ONLINE: Medvedev is the first Russian president in years to come from the intelligentsia. How will he govern? Svanidze: We'll have to wait and see. The fact alone doesn't tell us anything yet.
In an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE, acclaimed journalist Nikolai Svanidze discusses Russian President Dimitry Medvedev's first visit to Germany, calling him a "flawless European" who is likely to continue Vladimir Putin's foreign policy.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Your book about Dmitry Medvedev is about to be published. To write the book, you and your wife Marina, the book's co-author, spent many hours with Russia's new president. What kind of a person is he?
Nikolai Svanidze: He is relaxed, likeable, intelligent and educated.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is in Berlin on Thursday for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel. SPIEGEL ONLINE: Medvedev is the first Russian president in years to come from the intelligentsia. How will he govern?
Svanidze: We'll have to wait and see. The fact alone doesn't tell us anything yet.
That's funny. I don't remember anyone ever calling Vladimir Putin's foreign policies flawlessly European... "Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Social affairs ministers will next week once again seek to agree on two controversial EU bills, one on temporary agency workers and the other covering working hours. Interpreters for the meeting on Monday (10 June) in Luxembourg have been asked in advance to stay late, with diplomats saying the bloc's member states are the closest they have ever been to a compromise on the package. Six EU presidency countries have so far failed in reaching a deal on working time bill Slovenia, which currently holds the EU's presidency, took up the idea of merging the two issues from Portugal, who introduced it last year during its own six-month period at the bloc's helm but failed to achieve a breakthrough, mainly due to Britain's opposition. The EU's current working time law needs to be modified following two EU court verdicts regarding time spent by employees "on call", but its revision has been blocked by divisions over whether countries should be allowed to have an exemption from health and safety limits on working hours. Until the unsuccessful attempt at a deal last year, talks on rules for temporary work had been on hold since 2004, mainly due to differences over the social rights of temporary workers.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Social affairs ministers will next week once again seek to agree on two controversial EU bills, one on temporary agency workers and the other covering working hours.
Interpreters for the meeting on Monday (10 June) in Luxembourg have been asked in advance to stay late, with diplomats saying the bloc's member states are the closest they have ever been to a compromise on the package.
Six EU presidency countries have so far failed in reaching a deal on working time bill
Slovenia, which currently holds the EU's presidency, took up the idea of merging the two issues from Portugal, who introduced it last year during its own six-month period at the bloc's helm but failed to achieve a breakthrough, mainly due to Britain's opposition.
The EU's current working time law needs to be modified following two EU court verdicts regarding time spent by employees "on call", but its revision has been blocked by divisions over whether countries should be allowed to have an exemption from health and safety limits on working hours.
Until the unsuccessful attempt at a deal last year, talks on rules for temporary work had been on hold since 2004, mainly due to differences over the social rights of temporary workers.
The House of Commons in the Netherlands passed the Lisbon Treaty on Wednesday evening with a wide majority, some three years after the Dutch people rejected the constitutional treaty in a popular referendum. With the governing Labour Party and Christian Democrats, together with the market-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) voting in favour of the ratification of the treaty, the legislation passed easily. All the mainline Dutch political parties supported the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty Only the left-wing Socialist Party (SP), the Freedom Party of hard-right anti-Islam provocateur Geert Wilders and the Party for the Animals, an animal rights party with two seats in the chamber, voted against. The Dutch Senate still has yet to approve the document, however. The upper house is expected to debate the treaty over the summer. Three years ago, in June 2005, the European Union was dealt a body blow when the Netherlands voted heavily against the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.
The House of Commons in the Netherlands passed the Lisbon Treaty on Wednesday evening with a wide majority, some three years after the Dutch people rejected the constitutional treaty in a popular referendum.
With the governing Labour Party and Christian Democrats, together with the market-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) voting in favour of the ratification of the treaty, the legislation passed easily.
All the mainline Dutch political parties supported the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty
Only the left-wing Socialist Party (SP), the Freedom Party of hard-right anti-Islam provocateur Geert Wilders and the Party for the Animals, an animal rights party with two seats in the chamber, voted against.
The Dutch Senate still has yet to approve the document, however. The upper house is expected to debate the treaty over the summer.
Three years ago, in June 2005, the European Union was dealt a body blow when the Netherlands voted heavily against the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.
ISTANBUL: Turkey's highest court dealt a stinging slap Thursday to the governing party of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ruling that a legal change allowing women in head scarves to attend universities was unconstitutional. The 9-to-2 decision by Turkey's Constitutional Court sets the stage for a final showdown between Turkey's secular elite - its military, judiciary and secular political party - and Erdogan, a devout Muslim with an Islamist past. The court is one of Turkey's most important secular institutions, and the ruling was seen as largely political. It argued that the legal change violated the principle established in Turkey's Constitution that it is a secular state. The ruling, applauded by the secular political party that filed it, bodes ominously for Erdogan: The same court is considering a case that would ban him and 70 other members of his party, the AKP, from politics. A decision is expected this summer.
ISTANBUL: Turkey's highest court dealt a stinging slap Thursday to the governing party of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ruling that a legal change allowing women in head scarves to attend universities was unconstitutional.
The 9-to-2 decision by Turkey's Constitutional Court sets the stage for a final showdown between Turkey's secular elite - its military, judiciary and secular political party - and Erdogan, a devout Muslim with an Islamist past.
The court is one of Turkey's most important secular institutions, and the ruling was seen as largely political. It argued that the legal change violated the principle established in Turkey's Constitution that it is a secular state.
The ruling, applauded by the secular political party that filed it, bodes ominously for Erdogan: The same court is considering a case that would ban him and 70 other members of his party, the AKP, from politics. A decision is expected this summer.
German, French, Belgian and Spanish flags fly next to the European Union stars above the small compound, which is ringed with sandbags and razor wire. It is patrolled by soldiers with black rifles slung at their hips. Military vehicles are packed tight by the large air-conditioned tents. Inside, men and women in a variety of camouflage stare at their computer screens and occasionally glance up at the large maps of an unfamiliar country. The EU has deployed the 1,500-strong battlegroup to Vontinalys where, as you will know, the first ever free elections are threatened by the powerful local mafia and the pirates offshore, who grow bolder and more dangerous by the day. Only this morning fighters were scrambled when a light aircraft intruded into EU military airspace. The plane was forced to the ground and two people have been arrested, but we don't yet know the nature of the threat. What, you've never heard of Vontinalys? Don't bother Googling it. It's a country elaborately, even lovingly, imagined for the purpose of an EU war game.
German, French, Belgian and Spanish flags fly next to the European Union stars above the small compound, which is ringed with sandbags and razor wire. It is patrolled by soldiers with black rifles slung at their hips.
Military vehicles are packed tight by the large air-conditioned tents. Inside, men and women in a variety of camouflage stare at their computer screens and occasionally glance up at the large maps of an unfamiliar country.
The EU has deployed the 1,500-strong battlegroup to Vontinalys where, as you will know, the first ever free elections are threatened by the powerful local mafia and the pirates offshore, who grow bolder and more dangerous by the day.
Only this morning fighters were scrambled when a light aircraft intruded into EU military airspace. The plane was forced to the ground and two people have been arrested, but we don't yet know the nature of the threat.
What, you've never heard of Vontinalys? Don't bother Googling it. It's a country elaborately, even lovingly, imagined for the purpose of an EU war game.
Snark aside, I think this is a step in the right direction (making NATO redundant).
Also, why does Mark Mardell have to make fun of the fact that a military exercise involves an imaginary country? Is it that EU news can only be reported in the British press in jest? When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
Is it that EU news can only be reported in the British press in jest?
You sniped at my recent comments on the Times article on the Brussels-Strasbourg train, and now you ask this?
Jest is actually the positive spin mode of the UK press with respect to the EU. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Also, why does Mark Mardell have to make fun of the fact that a military exercise involves an imaginary country?
Oh no, once we had a big scary enemy called the Soviet Union and no pretence was made in training that they were who the forces were training against. Now we don't have any credible enemies and so have to indulge in make-blieve, just like our politicians.
I'm surprised we weren't attacking Hiran. keep to the Fen Causeway
Belgian finance minister Didier Reynders could succeed Luxembourg's premier Jean-Claude Juncker as the next president of the eurogroup - the club of EU countries using the euro - according to press reports. Mr Reynders told French daily Le Monde he would do it "gladly, provided that there is a consensus on my name," the paper reported on Wednesday (4 June). Fifteen EU countries currently use the euro, with Slovakia expected to join the eurozone next year. The Belgian minister has had a seat in the eurogroup almost as long as that of Mr Juncker himself, and is reported to have the support of several member states, particularly France. Mr Reynders has views close to those of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and both men have criticised the European Central Bank before. In 2001, Mr Reynders had clashed with the then ECB president, Wim Duisenberg, over the orientation the bank's monetary policy should follow, calling for the latter to be more relaxed.
Belgian finance minister Didier Reynders could succeed Luxembourg's premier Jean-Claude Juncker as the next president of the eurogroup - the club of EU countries using the euro - according to press reports.
Mr Reynders told French daily Le Monde he would do it "gladly, provided that there is a consensus on my name," the paper reported on Wednesday (4 June).
Fifteen EU countries currently use the euro, with Slovakia expected to join the eurozone next year.
The Belgian minister has had a seat in the eurogroup almost as long as that of Mr Juncker himself, and is reported to have the support of several member states, particularly France.
Mr Reynders has views close to those of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and both men have criticised the European Central Bank before.
In 2001, Mr Reynders had clashed with the then ECB president, Wim Duisenberg, over the orientation the bank's monetary policy should follow, calling for the latter to be more relaxed.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU environment ministers are set for another battle over plans to reduce car emissions, as the Slovene EU presidency has suggested that new passenger cars entering the market in 2020 should have a mandatory carbon dioxide (CO2) emission cap of 95 grammes/km. Later today (5 June), all 27 ministers will meet in Luxembourg to discuss a report by Slovenia, specifying ways in which EU member states want clamp down on the CO2 emissions of European car fleets. According to the document, seen by EUobserver, the presidency has proposed "setting a roadmap towards reaching the long-term target of 95 grammes/km by the year 2020". It argues that "a vast majority of delegations favoured, in principle, the introduction of long-term objectives". This goal would mean an expansion of the ambitions tabled by the commission last year, under which the average CO2 emissions of new cars must be reduced to 130 grammes/km from 2012.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU environment ministers are set for another battle over plans to reduce car emissions, as the Slovene EU presidency has suggested that new passenger cars entering the market in 2020 should have a mandatory carbon dioxide (CO2) emission cap of 95 grammes/km.
Later today (5 June), all 27 ministers will meet in Luxembourg to discuss a report by Slovenia, specifying ways in which EU member states want clamp down on the CO2 emissions of European car fleets.
According to the document, seen by EUobserver, the presidency has proposed "setting a roadmap towards reaching the long-term target of 95 grammes/km by the year 2020". It argues that "a vast majority of delegations favoured, in principle, the introduction of long-term objectives".
This goal would mean an expansion of the ambitions tabled by the commission last year, under which the average CO2 emissions of new cars must be reduced to 130 grammes/km from 2012.
If I understand it correctly, an average of 130g/km means that if I choose a 95 g/km car, my carbon saving will be offset and freeloaded by some greedy gas-guzzler?
(Have I understood it correctly?)
Goodness, I hate micro-management. I hope it's going to fail.
If they want to curb CO2, they need to tax fossil carbon, not that kind of cosmetic BS.
And 2020, what a joke!
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS- Promoting tolerance and convincing companies of the advantages of ethnically diverse personnel is not enough to prevent discrimination within European workplaces, a debate panel on migration and work has stated, asking for more powerful legal tools and sanctions against racist practices within enterprises. The number of companies that have not yet put in place a diversity policy is still too high, says Brussels "The number of companies that have not yet put in place a diversity policy is still too high," EU employment commissioner Vladimir Spidla told a conference about the challenges and opportunities posed by an ever more multicultural work environment, held in Brussels on Wednesday (4 June). The commissioner said that companies have to be convinced to carry out policies that promote integration, not only to make them comply with anti-discrimination laws, but for economic reasons as well. "Diversity encourages efficiency and thus the productivity of a company. Diversity can give a company an additional impetus and enable it to reach out to new segments of the market."
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS- Promoting tolerance and convincing companies of the advantages of ethnically diverse personnel is not enough to prevent discrimination within European workplaces, a debate panel on migration and work has stated, asking for more powerful legal tools and sanctions against racist practices within enterprises.
The number of companies that have not yet put in place a diversity policy is still too high, says Brussels
"The number of companies that have not yet put in place a diversity policy is still too high," EU employment commissioner Vladimir Spidla told a conference about the challenges and opportunities posed by an ever more multicultural work environment, held in Brussels on Wednesday (4 June).
The commissioner said that companies have to be convinced to carry out policies that promote integration, not only to make them comply with anti-discrimination laws, but for economic reasons as well.
"Diversity encourages efficiency and thus the productivity of a company. Diversity can give a company an additional impetus and enable it to reach out to new segments of the market."
As Lenny Henry once pointed out, most of the black faces you see at the BBC are cleaning the toilets. keep to the Fen Causeway
LUXEMBOURG: European Union nations agreed Thursday on common rules for expelling illegal immigrants, ensuring basic rights including access to food, shelter and legal advice. The rules say illegal immigrants in the 27 member countries can no longer be detained for more than 18 months before deportation to their home nations, and unaccompanied children cannot be expelled. The agreement took three years to craft, with some government and lawmakers claiming granting immigrants those rights would be too expensive. EU nations drafted the rules because of fears that illegals were using national loopholes to move across Europe under the radar of authorities. They still need the final approval of the European Parliament before they can be adopted into law. "This will make the return of those that we want to get rid of easier," said Peter Altmaier, German deputy interior minister. He said a key element of the new rules would ensure that "a re-entry ban issued in one member state will in the future automatically apply in the entire EU."
LUXEMBOURG: European Union nations agreed Thursday on common rules for expelling illegal immigrants, ensuring basic rights including access to food, shelter and legal advice.
The rules say illegal immigrants in the 27 member countries can no longer be detained for more than 18 months before deportation to their home nations, and unaccompanied children cannot be expelled.
The agreement took three years to craft, with some government and lawmakers claiming granting immigrants those rights would be too expensive.
EU nations drafted the rules because of fears that illegals were using national loopholes to move across Europe under the radar of authorities. They still need the final approval of the European Parliament before they can be adopted into law.
"This will make the return of those that we want to get rid of easier," said Peter Altmaier, German deputy interior minister. He said a key element of the new rules would ensure that "a re-entry ban issued in one member state will in the future automatically apply in the entire EU."
Giles Chichester resigned as leader of the Conservative Euro MPs today after breaking European Parliament rules on political expenses. He threw in the towel after facing an ultimatum from David Cameron to justify channelling more than £400,000 in staff allowances to a family business of which he is a paid director. Mr Chichester stayed on as a Tory MEP, but stepped down from the top job to limit embarrassment to Mr Cameron - who had asked him only three months ago to clean up Tory MEP allowances in the wake of a scandal at Westminster over MP Derek Conway. In a statement, the Conservative Party said Mr Chichester stepped down after chairman Caroline Spelman asked him to provide a full explanation of the arrangements put in place to fund his staff by 4pm tomorrow.
Giles Chichester resigned as leader of the Conservative Euro MPs today after breaking European Parliament rules on political expenses.
He threw in the towel after facing an ultimatum from David Cameron to justify channelling more than £400,000 in staff allowances to a family business of which he is a paid director.
Mr Chichester stayed on as a Tory MEP, but stepped down from the top job to limit embarrassment to Mr Cameron - who had asked him only three months ago to clean up Tory MEP allowances in the wake of a scandal at Westminster over MP Derek Conway.
In a statement, the Conservative Party said Mr Chichester stepped down after chairman Caroline Spelman asked him to provide a full explanation of the arrangements put in place to fund his staff by 4pm tomorrow.
The rightwing Swiss People's Party looks set to lose its representatives in the government in an ongoing internal policy row. But Zurich University political scientist Michael Hermann tells swissinfo that Switzerland is unlikely to abolish its consensus system in the seven-member cabinet. The People's Party has been subject to internal tensions between hardliners and liberal members for several years. The situation took a turn for the worse after the controversial cabinet minister and People's Party figurehead Christoph Blocher was voted out by parliament six months ago.On Sunday the party moved to ban Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf and her Graubünden chapter, because she had accepted her election to the cabinet against the wishes of the party leadership.A day later Defence Minister Samuel Schmid, the other People's Party representative in the four-party government, made it clear he no longer backed his party's hardball political style and was willing to join a more moderate movement.
But Zurich University political scientist Michael Hermann tells swissinfo that Switzerland is unlikely to abolish its consensus system in the seven-member cabinet.
The People's Party has been subject to internal tensions between hardliners and liberal members for several years. The situation took a turn for the worse after the controversial cabinet minister and People's Party figurehead Christoph Blocher was voted out by parliament six months ago.
On Sunday the party moved to ban Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf and her Graubünden chapter, because she had accepted her election to the cabinet against the wishes of the party leadership.
A day later Defence Minister Samuel Schmid, the other People's Party representative in the four-party government, made it clear he no longer backed his party's hardball political style and was willing to join a more moderate movement.
The spanish comission of infraestructure gathered yesterday and we no know the plans for the spanish train network. given the high price oil one would guess it should be first page.. je jeejj keep dreaming. Still, this is why it is so important: oil price moves to food price inflation if food transport is made using roads.
Nevertheless
http://www.lavanguardia.es/lv24h/20080605/53475150160.html
gives a good report (and quite long.. but not front-page)
I am really sorry I do not have time to translate it since it is very interesting.
But the main points are:
-First, huge investment in fast train lines, actually speeding up with the construction projects under way reaching 1200 km more in 4 years. Plus getting ready to do more in the future.
-Investment to keep the conventional lines running with security and electrical updates/upgrades.
-Null spetial investment in new "mercancias" (commodities) line, those who are purely for the transport of goods. Conventional lines which are no longer used due to the fast train lines will be adapted. So, the part of the investment dedicated to conventional lines going paralel to fast-train lines is considered a "mercancias" investment sicne noone else is going to use it (I repeat here the report)
-Important promises regarding the investment of the local rail network in Madrid in barcelona.. thoguh there is no specific plan yet.. where's the money? The only standing promise is the number of trains to buy which has been fixed (or looks like that in the article)...
Probably this comment deserves a diary on its own but I have a bunch of paper work and papers to submit....really sorry
I hope the other spaniards fill the blanks.
A pleasure I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude
He's a rightwing privatisation nutcase. keep to the Fen Causeway
A contract to run Britain's military pilot training was awarded to a consortium of private defence contractors, yesterday, Monday 2 June 2008. Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth announced to Parliament the award of the contract, valued at £635 million, to Ascent, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and VT Group, for the UK Military Flying Training System. It is designed to meet the long term flying training needs of the UK Armed Forces."This is a significant milestone for UKMFTS, which will enable us to exploit the strengths of the Ministry of Defence, the Armed Forces and the private sector to deliver outstanding military capability."
Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth announced to Parliament the award of the contract, valued at £635 million, to Ascent, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and VT Group, for the UK Military Flying Training System. It is designed to meet the long term flying training needs of the UK Armed Forces.
"This is a significant milestone for UKMFTS, which will enable us to exploit the strengths of the Ministry of Defence, the Armed Forces and the private sector to deliver outstanding military capability."
Treble bonuses all round methinks. keep to the Fen Causeway
