Sweden's prime minister, the current chair of EU summits, says he is half-way through consultations to determine a shortlist for the new EU top jobs. Fredrik Reinfeldt said he expected to be ready soon to call a special EU summit to appoint the permanent EU president and foreign policy chief. The Belgian Prime Minister, Herman van Rompuy, has emerged as a frontrunner for the post of EU president.
Fredrik Reinfeldt said he expected to be ready soon to call a special EU summit to appoint the permanent EU president and foreign policy chief.
The Belgian Prime Minister, Herman van Rompuy, has emerged as a frontrunner for the post of EU president.
Poland has made a bid to give smaller EU countries more power in the EU president selection process by calling for candidates to hold job interviews in front of the 27 EU leaders. "It is proposed that the election of the future President of the European Council is preceded by a discussion of the Heads of State or Government of the Member States during which the candidates would present their vision of how their tasks would be conducted," Warsaw has said in a fresh position paper seen by EUobserver. The appointment of the new EU foreign relations chief should follow the same format, but with the 27 EU foreign ministers also brought in to the chamber.
"It is proposed that the election of the future President of the European Council is preceded by a discussion of the Heads of State or Government of the Member States during which the candidates would present their vision of how their tasks would be conducted," Warsaw has said in a fresh position paper seen by EUobserver.
The appointment of the new EU foreign relations chief should follow the same format, but with the 27 EU foreign ministers also brought in to the chamber.
The Czech government has nominated its serving minister for European affairs, Štefan Füle, to be the country's next European commissioner. Füle emerged today as the only name acceptable to the country's two leading parties after a process of jockeying and negotiations that had lasted months. Füle, who is 47, has been in his post since May, when a caretaker government of non-politicians was formed after the collapse of a government led by Mirek Topolánek, leader of the Civic Democrats.
Füle emerged today as the only name acceptable to the country's two leading parties after a process of jockeying and negotiations that had lasted months.
Füle, who is 47, has been in his post since May, when a caretaker government of non-politicians was formed after the collapse of a government led by Mirek Topolánek, leader of the Civic Democrats.
Romanian MEP Adrian Severin and former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema have emerged as frontrunners for the new EU foreign minister job to be created by the Lisbon Treaty, EurActiv has learned. But the pair is facing difficulties with their candidacies at home and abroad respectively. Following UK foreign minister David Miliband's unequivocal refusal (EurActiv 09/11/09), the EU centre-left has now turned its attention to its remaining "shortlist" of candidates for the job of High Representative for foreign policy, to be created by the Lisbon Treaty. Some socialists, speaking off the record to EurActiv, believe the battle is now effectively a two-horse race between Romanian MEP Adrian Severin and former Italian foreign minister Massimo D'Alema.
Following UK foreign minister David Miliband's unequivocal refusal (EurActiv 09/11/09), the EU centre-left has now turned its attention to its remaining "shortlist" of candidates for the job of High Representative for foreign policy, to be created by the Lisbon Treaty.
Some socialists, speaking off the record to EurActiv, believe the battle is now effectively a two-horse race between Romanian MEP Adrian Severin and former Italian foreign minister Massimo D'Alema.
Massimo D'Alema (born April 20, 1949[1]) is an Italian politician. He is also a journalist and a former national secretary of the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS). He was Prime Minister from 1998 to 2000, and later he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2008.
Adrian Severin:
Adrian Severin (born 28 March 1954 in Bucharest) is a Romanian politician and Member of the European Parliament. A former member of the National Salvation Front and the Democratic Party (which he left in April 1999), Severin was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania between 12 December 1996 and 29 December 1997, as part of the Victor Ciorbea cabinet. He sat in the Chamber of Deputies in June-July 1990 before resigning, and again was a member of that body from 1992 until December 2007, when he resigned. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party, part of the Group of the Party of European Socialists, and became an MEP on 1 January 2007 with the accession of Romania to the European Union. Severin served as the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Belarus from 2005 to 2006. He was member of PACE from 1993 till 1997 and from 2003 till 2007.[1]
A former member of the National Salvation Front and the Democratic Party (which he left in April 1999), Severin was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania between 12 December 1996 and 29 December 1997, as part of the Victor Ciorbea cabinet. He sat in the Chamber of Deputies in June-July 1990 before resigning, and again was a member of that body from 1992 until December 2007, when he resigned.
He is a member of the Social Democratic Party, part of the Group of the Party of European Socialists, and became an MEP on 1 January 2007 with the accession of Romania to the European Union.
Severin served as the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Belarus from 2005 to 2006. He was member of PACE from 1993 till 1997 and from 2003 till 2007.[1]
The European Union is calling a special summit on Nov. 19 to choose the bloc's first president, a foreign policy chief and secretary general, the Swedish government said. "It is hoped that at the summit, agreement can be reached on the appointment of the three new EU posts regulated in the Treaty of Lisbon," said a statement on the Web site of the Swedish EU presidency. The statement didn't name any candidates for the posts to be discussed at the summit in Brussels. "There are quite a few names," Roberta Alenius, a Swedish government spokeswoman said in an interview. "There's no self- evident consensus around one name." She said Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, will hold a second round of consultations with the 27-nation bloc's leaders on filling the posts before the summit.
The European Union is calling a special summit on Nov. 19 to choose the bloc's first president, a foreign policy chief and secretary general, the Swedish government said.
"It is hoped that at the summit, agreement can be reached on the appointment of the three new EU posts regulated in the Treaty of Lisbon," said a statement on the Web site of the Swedish EU presidency. The statement didn't name any candidates for the posts to be discussed at the summit in Brussels.
"There are quite a few names," Roberta Alenius, a Swedish government spokeswoman said in an interview. "There's no self- evident consensus around one name." She said Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, will hold a second round of consultations with the 27-nation bloc's leaders on filling the posts before the summit.
Ideally we'd send some photogenic people to Brussels to hand in the list to someone appropriate. Don't know if that's possible.
The number of errors in EU spending fell again in 2008, but the level of errors remains high in some areas, especially cohesion policy, according to a report published today by the European Court of Auditors. Vitor Caldeira, the court's president, told members of the European Parliament's budgetary control committee that the overall level of irregular payments "has decreased in recent years, due to the improvements in the management of the budget, but it is still too high in some areas". Siim Kallas, the European commissioner responsible for auditing, said that the auditors' report was the "the best report so far". He pointed out that the proportion of the EU budget that falls under areas where the level of error was over 5% has been halved since 2004, to around 30%. Caldeira stressed that the error rate was not the same as fraud. Where the court found cases of fraud, it referred them to the EU's anti-fraud unit OLAF, he said.
Vitor Caldeira, the court's president, told members of the European Parliament's budgetary control committee that the overall level of irregular payments "has decreased in recent years, due to the improvements in the management of the budget, but it is still too high in some areas".
Siim Kallas, the European commissioner responsible for auditing, said that the auditors' report was the "the best report so far". He pointed out that the proportion of the EU budget that falls under areas where the level of error was over 5% has been halved since 2004, to around 30%.
Caldeira stressed that the error rate was not the same as fraud. Where the court found cases of fraud, it referred them to the EU's anti-fraud unit OLAF, he said.
Spain, Italy and Portugal are responsible for the bulk of the financial errors detected by European auditors in the field of regional policy, where some €2.7 billion should not have been paid out in 2008. The European Court of Auditors on Tuesday was for the 15th year in a row unable to sign off the EU accounts, due to a high level of errors in the areas of regional and rural development aid, which account for over a third of the community budget. But the report notes improvements in the management of agriculture payments, which takes the lion's share of the EU budget (€55 billion). The sector has for the first time been given a green light, having an error rate of below two percent.
The European Court of Auditors on Tuesday was for the 15th year in a row unable to sign off the EU accounts, due to a high level of errors in the areas of regional and rural development aid, which account for over a third of the community budget.
But the report notes improvements in the management of agriculture payments, which takes the lion's share of the EU budget (€55 billion). The sector has for the first time been given a green light, having an error rate of below two percent.
Health minister Ab Klink is now advising that children from six months to four years old get vaccinated for swine flu, or Mexican flu as it is referred to in the Netherlands. In doing so he is following the advice of the director of the health council, J.A. Knottnerus. But the authorities are increasingly up against scare stories about the alleged danger of the flu vaccine that are rampant on the internet. Klink on Tuesday launched a counter-attack against the rumour mill. "The vaccine is safe," he said, "in the sense that the possible damage outweighs any risk. The stories on the internet are devoid of any scientific basis, while the vaccine has been scientifically tested." Health council director Knottnerus said his decision to recommend vaccination for young children is based on the risk they might develop serious pneumonia. He expects deaths among small children from swine flu to remain very low. Knottnerus also said the swine flu pandemic "will probably be less serious than we thought a couple a months ago".
But the authorities are increasingly up against scare stories about the alleged danger of the flu vaccine that are rampant on the internet. Klink on Tuesday launched a counter-attack against the rumour mill. "The vaccine is safe," he said, "in the sense that the possible damage outweighs any risk. The stories on the internet are devoid of any scientific basis, while the vaccine has been scientifically tested."
Health council director Knottnerus said his decision to recommend vaccination for young children is based on the risk they might develop serious pneumonia. He expects deaths among small children from swine flu to remain very low.
Knottnerus also said the swine flu pandemic "will probably be less serious than we thought a couple a months ago".
Opposition parties in Turkey have delayed the government's announcement of its plan to end a conflict in the mainly Kurdish south-east. Interior Minister Besir Atalay ran out of time to present the measures in parliament as nationalist MPs jeered. The plans are thought to include some Kurdish language education, restoring Kurdish place names and more freedom to use Kurdish in election campaigns. The announcement is now expected on Thursday.
Interior Minister Besir Atalay ran out of time to present the measures in parliament as nationalist MPs jeered.
The plans are thought to include some Kurdish language education, restoring Kurdish place names and more freedom to use Kurdish in election campaigns.
The announcement is now expected on Thursday.
The speaker of the lower house of the Italian parliament, Gianfranco Fini, said on Tuesday after meeting Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that a draft law putting time limits on trials - one of Berlusconi's key demands in his fight against judges who he says are biased against him - would be presented soon. Fini said the draft law would impose a six year limit on the three stages of court cases - initial trial, first appeal, and final appeal. He said this could be ready in a matter of days but did not comment on whether the law would impact cases against Berlusconi. Trials in Italy can last for more than a decade. Observers say the law could apply to some of the prime minister's trials, depending on when it comes into effect and its retroactivity.
Fini said the draft law would impose a six year limit on the three stages of court cases - initial trial, first appeal, and final appeal. He said this could be ready in a matter of days but did not comment on whether the law would impact cases against Berlusconi. Trials in Italy can last for more than a decade.
Observers say the law could apply to some of the prime minister's trials, depending on when it comes into effect and its retroactivity.
The days of taxed-to-the-hilt smokers bulk-buying cigarettes in cheap eastern European countries could be numbered following an agreement between European Union finance ministers on Tuesday. Smokers in a many northern and western European countries have long complained of relatively high prices for their tobacco fix, in some cases such as Britain nearly doubled once excise rates are added in. That in turn has triggered huge legal and black-market overseas trade amid an explosion in budget travel over the past decade. However, ministers finally brokered a compromise deal in Brussels that will see minimum excise rates increased across the 27 EU member states by January 1, 2014, from 64 euros (96 dollars) per 1,000 cigarettes to 90 euros.
Smokers in a many northern and western European countries have long complained of relatively high prices for their tobacco fix, in some cases such as Britain nearly doubled once excise rates are added in.
That in turn has triggered huge legal and black-market overseas trade amid an explosion in budget travel over the past decade.
However, ministers finally brokered a compromise deal in Brussels that will see minimum excise rates increased across the 27 EU member states by January 1, 2014, from 64 euros (96 dollars) per 1,000 cigarettes to 90 euros.
After basking for days in the limelight of Germany's reunification celebrations, Chancellor Angela Merkel returned to the political fray Tuesday when she presented her government's priorities, warning that the worst effects of the global financial crisis would hit Germany next year. Making her first policy speech since being sworn in for a second four-year term two weeks ago, Mrs. Merkel gave a pessimistic assessment of the German economy, something she rarely did when the global financial crisis began to pummel Germany earlier this year. Back then, Mrs. Merkel, who was facing re-election, said Germany might even weather the storm. But her hour-long speech to legislators in the Bundestag, or lower house of Parliament, was often blunt as she hammered home the point that Germany had some way to go before emerging from the economic crisis.
Making her first policy speech since being sworn in for a second four-year term two weeks ago, Mrs. Merkel gave a pessimistic assessment of the German economy, something she rarely did when the global financial crisis began to pummel Germany earlier this year. Back then, Mrs. Merkel, who was facing re-election, said Germany might even weather the storm.
But her hour-long speech to legislators in the Bundestag, or lower house of Parliament, was often blunt as she hammered home the point that Germany had some way to go before emerging from the economic crisis.
Britain has offered to hand over half of its sovereign land in Cyprus in an effort to broker a peace deal between Greek and Turkish cypriots, the UN has said. The offer "would be conditional on a comprehensive agreement being agreed by the leaders of the two communities and then accepted by a majority of their populations," the UN said in a statement on Tuesday. The deal, which would see 45 square miles handed over, would then be formally ratified by both sides, it continued. Britain retains three per cent of territory on Cyprus, which was a colony until 1960.
Britain has offered to hand over half of its sovereign land in Cyprus in an effort to broker a peace deal between Greek and Turkish cypriots, the UN has said.
The offer "would be conditional on a comprehensive agreement being agreed by the leaders of the two communities and then accepted by a majority of their populations," the UN said in a statement on Tuesday.
The deal, which would see 45 square miles handed over, would then be formally ratified by both sides, it continued.
Britain retains three per cent of territory on Cyprus, which was a colony until 1960.
When will the colonial mentality die?
