EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Despite the EU's headline grabbing efforts at combating climate change, a coalition of ten green pressure groups has given the outgoing commission a failing grade for its efforts on the environment over the past five years. The 'Green 10', a group of the ten main environmental NGOs operating in Brussels, including Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the WWF, say that from 2004 to 2009, though there have been some bright spots, for the most part, the Barroso commission was "worse than the [previous] Prodi commission". The environment commissioner, Greece's Stavros Dimas, emerged as an unlikely hero "The EU is still on the road to environmental degradation," Jorgo Riss of Greenpeace, told reporters on Wednesday (10 June) when presenting the report. In an examination of 12 policy areas including climate, biodiversity, transport, agriculture and health, the groups gave the Barroso commission a rating of 4.4 out of ten.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Despite the EU's headline grabbing efforts at combating climate change, a coalition of ten green pressure groups has given the outgoing commission a failing grade for its efforts on the environment over the past five years.
The 'Green 10', a group of the ten main environmental NGOs operating in Brussels, including Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the WWF, say that from 2004 to 2009, though there have been some bright spots, for the most part, the Barroso commission was "worse than the [previous] Prodi commission".
The environment commissioner, Greece's Stavros Dimas, emerged as an unlikely hero
"The EU is still on the road to environmental degradation," Jorgo Riss of Greenpeace, told reporters on Wednesday (10 June) when presenting the report.
In an examination of 12 policy areas including climate, biodiversity, transport, agriculture and health, the groups gave the Barroso commission a rating of 4.4 out of ten.
France's highest legal authority has blocked the central part of a controversial internet piracy law that would deny offenders web access, in a humiliating blow for President Nicolas Sarkozy. The law, known by the acronym Hadopi, set up a new state agency with the power to cut off internet access for up to a year for people who download music and film illegally.The legislation, one of the toughest in the world to date, won final approval on May 13 after a heated battle in parliament.
The law, known by the acronym Hadopi, set up a new state agency with the power to cut off internet access for up to a year for people who download music and film illegally.
The legislation, one of the toughest in the world to date, won final approval on May 13 after a heated battle in parliament.
The French Constitutional Council has blocked the key provision of an Internet piracy law after ruling that "access to public communication services on line" was a human right, and that a only a judge could cut off an individual's Internet access. AFP - France's highest legal authority on Wednesday struck down a key provision of a contested Internet piracy law that set up a new state agency to cut off offenders from the web. The ruling is an embarrassing setback for President Nicolas Sarkozy, who championed the adoption of the tough new legislation last month. The Constitutional Council ruled that "free access to public communication services on line" was a human right, and that only a judge should have the power to strike an individual from the Internet.
AFP - France's highest legal authority on Wednesday struck down a key provision of a contested Internet piracy law that set up a new state agency to cut off offenders from the web. The ruling is an embarrassing setback for President Nicolas Sarkozy, who championed the adoption of the tough new legislation last month. The Constitutional Council ruled that "free access to public communication services on line" was a human right, and that only a judge should have the power to strike an individual from the Internet.
The point of that law is for Sarkozy to befriend artists, who had traditionally supported the left, and generate yet more infighting in the socialist party (artists are bitterly divided about this law in France).
But it is exceedingly rare for the Conseil Constitutionnel to so thoroughly contradict the government's intent - they will usually comment on very specific points, and require smallish adaptations that do not change the law's intent. In this case, it is the most important measure that has been forbidden.
Sarkozy has wasted a lot of energy and parliamentary time (he already lost a vote on this topic a few weeks ago), but he will not back down.
Pity the opposition is nowhere to be seen to take advantage, in the media, of that mess (they've down the background job of getting recourse to Conseil Constitutionnel, and fighting in parliament as procedure allows, but in the media, not so much). In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
It's impressive the amount of time and energy the right wing is able to spend on something that is of relatively minor importance. But then elections won't be lost or won on Hadopi, and it at least is useful in hiding the other doings of the governement. Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
Who will be Germany's new EU commissioner in Brussels? The grand coalition is divided, with both the CDU and SPD backing their own politicians for the job. Now Chancellor Angela Merkel is throwing her weight behind Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, according to media reports. After their strong showing in the European elections, Germany's conservative Christian Democrats are pushing for a CDU politician to become Germany's new European Commissioner. Now Chancellor Angela Merkel is backing Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble to represent Germany in the EU, according to a report in Thursday's edition of the newspaper Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung. Merkel's man in Europe? Information from sources close to Merkel suggested the chancellor is backing her fellow Christian Democrat in keeping with remarks made after her party's European election win that she wanted a CDU politician to assume the post. The paper dubbed him "the hot candidate." The Chancellery declined to comment on the report, while a spokesman for the Interior Ministry described the report as "pure fiction."
Who will be Germany's new EU commissioner in Brussels? The grand coalition is divided, with both the CDU and SPD backing their own politicians for the job. Now Chancellor Angela Merkel is throwing her weight behind Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, according to media reports.
After their strong showing in the European elections, Germany's conservative Christian Democrats are pushing for a CDU politician to become Germany's new European Commissioner. Now Chancellor Angela Merkel is backing Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble to represent Germany in the EU, according to a report in Thursday's edition of the newspaper Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung.
Merkel's man in Europe? Information from sources close to Merkel suggested the chancellor is backing her fellow Christian Democrat in keeping with remarks made after her party's European election win that she wanted a CDU politician to assume the post. The paper dubbed him "the hot candidate." The Chancellery declined to comment on the report, while a spokesman for the Interior Ministry described the report as "pure fiction."
Britain's highest court has ruled against the government over the use of secret evidence to justify imposing home curfews on people accused of "terrorism". Nine judges unanimously upheld an appeal by three men on Wednesday, who argued it was against their human rights to be subject to "control orders" - a form of house arrest based on secret evidence they are not privy to and cannot challenge in court. The cases of the three men, two foreign nationals and a joint British-Libyan national, will now return to the country's high court, a lower court than the House of Lords which made the ruling, for further consideration. The decision does not overturn the use of control orders, introduced by the government in 2005 and which allow "terrorism" suspects to be kept under curfew for up to 16 hours a day, but it does call into question a central element of the policy.
Britain's highest court has ruled against the government over the use of secret evidence to justify imposing home curfews on people accused of "terrorism".
Nine judges unanimously upheld an appeal by three men on Wednesday, who argued it was against their human rights to be subject to "control orders" - a form of house arrest based on secret evidence they are not privy to and cannot challenge in court.
The cases of the three men, two foreign nationals and a joint British-Libyan national, will now return to the country's high court, a lower court than the House of Lords which made the ruling, for further consideration.
The decision does not overturn the use of control orders, introduced by the government in 2005 and which allow "terrorism" suspects to be kept under curfew for up to 16 hours a day, but it does call into question a central element of the policy.
A positive note to undelrine, for once... In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Britain "obviously" remains committed to joining the euro following the currency's "success" in helping its members to weather the economic crisis, Lord Mandelson said. The newly promoted First Secretary of State, speaking in Berlin, hailed the euro as a saviour that had brought stability to the European Union during financial turmoil. "It is perfectly clear that the euro has been a great success in anchoring its eurozone members during this financial crisis," he said.
The newly promoted First Secretary of State, speaking in Berlin, hailed the euro as a saviour that had brought stability to the European Union during financial turmoil.
"It is perfectly clear that the euro has been a great success in anchoring its eurozone members during this financial crisis," he said.
Does it remain an important objective for Britain to find itself in the same currency as that single market in which it interacts? Obviously yes.
But of course there won't be because noone would rather live in that horrible socialist wasteland of Europe rather than the Beutifully free UK, would they. Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
Die Sache war der Botschaft ernst genug, um bei den SBB direkt zu intervenieren - um nicht zu sagen zu protestieren. «Wir haben der polnischen Botschaft vor einigen Wochen mit einem Brief geantwortet», sagt SBB-Sprecher Roland Binz. Das abgebildete Sujet bezeichnet er als «Wasserball in abstraktem Weltkugel-Design». «Abstrakt» kann man dies gewiss nennen - wenn selbst grosse Länder wie Polen in der Versenkung verschwinden. «Die Produktverantwortlichen haben bei der Sujetauswahl bedauerlicherweise die historischen Hintergründe nicht beachtet», ergänzt SBB-Sprecher Binz: «So war ihnen leider nicht bewusst, dass dieser abstrakte Wasserball die Gefühle polnischer Staatsangehöriger oder solcher anderer Länder verletzten könnte. Das war nie unsere Absicht. Es tut uns sehr leid, wenn dem so war.»
«Die Produktverantwortlichen haben bei der Sujetauswahl bedauerlicherweise die historischen Hintergründe nicht beachtet», ergänzt SBB-Sprecher Binz: «So war ihnen leider nicht bewusst, dass dieser abstrakte Wasserball die Gefühle polnischer Staatsangehöriger oder solcher anderer Länder verletzten könnte. Das war nie unsere Absicht. Es tut uns sehr leid, wenn dem so war.»
S'est Bas Bossiple, Ca Fa Fite! In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
SBB. (Now THAT's a funny slip...) *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
