Jose Manuel Barroso may have the backing of Europe's heavyweights to continue as Commission President, but France, at least, is expected to look for something in return. Both the French and German leaders want Barroso to produce a formal policy programme ahead of a parliamentary vote on a second mandate. Analyst Marco Incerti of the Centre for European Policy Studies said: "I think it is always part of the political game, so there are a lot of negotiations taking place. Mr Sarkozy will no doubt want something in exchange for giving in on small legal details, so I think it may be a case of him raising the stakes so that he can get some concessions, maybe some portfolio which he is interested in for the French commissioner." President Sarkozy has indicated France wants a senior commission post for Michel Barnier, the current French Agriculture Minister. French diplomatic sources Paris is eyeing the strategically important Internal Markets portfolio, presently being occupied by Ireland's Charlie McCreevy. Sarkozy said he and Chancellor Merkel had agreed to back each other's choices for jobs on the Commission.
Jose Manuel Barroso may have the backing of Europe's heavyweights to continue as Commission President, but France, at least, is expected to look for something in return.
Both the French and German leaders want Barroso to produce a formal policy programme ahead of a parliamentary vote on a second mandate.
Analyst Marco Incerti of the Centre for European Policy Studies said: "I think it is always part of the political game, so there are a lot of negotiations taking place. Mr Sarkozy will no doubt want something in exchange for giving in on small legal details, so I think it may be a case of him raising the stakes so that he can get some concessions, maybe some portfolio which he is interested in for the French commissioner."
President Sarkozy has indicated France wants a senior commission post for Michel Barnier, the current French Agriculture Minister. French diplomatic sources Paris is eyeing the strategically important Internal Markets portfolio, presently being occupied by Ireland's Charlie McCreevy.
Sarkozy said he and Chancellor Merkel had agreed to back each other's choices for jobs on the Commission.
President Sarkozy has indicated France wants a senior commission post for Michel Barnier, the current French Agriculture Minister.
Interesting. Especially considering that Mr.Barnier was leading the ruling party's UMP list for the EP elections in the Paris region last Sunday.
And that Mr.Sarkozy made it a semi-official rule that every candidate on the UMP's EP list who would be elected would have to serve in Strasbourg.
What do you know: some are more equals than the others and electoral promises are only biding for the fools who believe them.
To be fair, Mr.Barnier is not alone in his predicament: Brice Hortefeux, a long time ally of N.Sarkozy, who was the first to head the famous "Ministry of Immigration and National Identity", has unexpectedly been elected to the EP as well - he was running in the Auvergne region.
Not to worry: Mr.Hortefeux will be spared the exile to Strasbourg and will be allowed to remain in Paris the French cabinet (Ministry of Labor). Only Ms.Dati - who has incurred the President's displeasure - will end up at the EP, it seems...
No wonder the turnout was so exceptionally low. French people have noticed the EP doesn't matter one bit for our ruling elite. They don't even try to disguise their contempt for Europe's legislative body.
Another show of contempt (among others): the EP has passed a law prohibiting the suspension of a citizen's Internet access if not authorized by a judge. Yet, the UMP majority rammed the infamous HADOPI law into the French parliament that does just that - EP be damned.
Last week, the Constitutional Council (French equivalent of the US Supreme Court for constitutional law), struck it out. You'd think any wise government would let the matter rest, having been censored by both the European Parliament and France's higher court.
You'd be wrong. Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way. Americans think a hundred years is a long time.
TBILISI, June 13 (RIA Novosti) - Georgia is on the verge of civil unrest, an opposition leader said Saturday. This was how former premier Zurab Nogaideli, who leads the Movement for a Just Georgia, commented on Friday's clashes between young opposition members with parliament security guards in Tbilisi, which resulted in the arrest of five opposition members. "In the fall there will either be a serious civil unrest or elections at which the citizens can make their choice. The choice what path the country will follow is to be made by Saakashvili and his entourage," he said. Fourteen leading non-parliamentary opposition parties and political organizations have been protesting in Georgia since April 9 demanding that President Mikheil Saakashvili resign over his failure to carry out democratic reforms and over last August's disastrous war with Russia. However, Nogaideli has refused to join the organizers of mass protest events, saying he will act independently.
TBILISI, June 13 (RIA Novosti) - Georgia is on the verge of civil unrest, an opposition leader said Saturday.
This was how former premier Zurab Nogaideli, who leads the Movement for a Just Georgia, commented on Friday's clashes between young opposition members with parliament security guards in Tbilisi, which resulted in the arrest of five opposition members.
"In the fall there will either be a serious civil unrest or elections at which the citizens can make their choice. The choice what path the country will follow is to be made by Saakashvili and his entourage," he said.
Fourteen leading non-parliamentary opposition parties and political organizations have been protesting in Georgia since April 9 demanding that President Mikheil Saakashvili resign over his failure to carry out democratic reforms and over last August's disastrous war with Russia.
However, Nogaideli has refused to join the organizers of mass protest events, saying he will act independently.
A Rose Revolution? Like the Yellow Rose Revolution in Maria-sama ga Miteru?
That was a bad choice of colour ... the Yellow Rose revolution was not permanent, so why would a Red Rose Revolution be expected to be different? They should have gone with Burnt Umber.
The EU's energy ministers have agreed new rules on oil stocks, but failed to agree on the location of a new energy regulatory agency. At their meeting in Luxembourg today (12 June), ministers agreed to update rules on oil stocks that will require member states to ensure that at least one-third of their stocks are refined petroleum products rather than crude oil so that they can be released quickly in times of crisis. The agreement also covers the rules for releasing stocks in the case of a crisis and a change in the way that the minimum requirements are calculated, based on consumption. Ministers failed to take a decision on where a new Agency for the Co-ordination of Energy Regulators (ACER) should be located, as support was divided among the three cities competing to host the body.
The EU's energy ministers have agreed new rules on oil stocks, but failed to agree on the location of a new energy regulatory agency.
At their meeting in Luxembourg today (12 June), ministers agreed to update rules on oil stocks that will require member states to ensure that at least one-third of their stocks are refined petroleum products rather than crude oil so that they can be released quickly in times of crisis.
The agreement also covers the rules for releasing stocks in the case of a crisis and a change in the way that the minimum requirements are calculated, based on consumption.
Ministers failed to take a decision on where a new Agency for the Co-ordination of Energy Regulators (ACER) should be located, as support was divided among the three cities competing to host the body.
EU ministers have agreed on a framework for improving financial supervision but the 27 member states remain split over what powers new regulators should have.The financial crisis exposed gaps in cross-border supervision, which meant institutional problems in one country had a knock-on effect on neighbours. But next week EU leaders will have to consider how much power they want new EU-wide supervisory bodies to have. The UK is wary of EU regulators encroaching on the City of London.
EU ministers have agreed on a framework for improving financial supervision but the 27 member states remain split over what powers new regulators should have.
The financial crisis exposed gaps in cross-border supervision, which meant institutional problems in one country had a knock-on effect on neighbours.
But next week EU leaders will have to consider how much power they want new EU-wide supervisory bodies to have.
The UK is wary of EU regulators encroaching on the City of London.
Poland may well put a spanner in the works of a German-Russian project to lay a gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea, writes Polska Daily. The European Commission has entrusted Warsaw with a mission to dredge the Baltic sea bed of chemical weapons lost during World War 2. A detailed ecological analysis carried out under Polish supervision suggests that an extremely dangerous arsenal lurks underwater. "According to cautious estimates, about 40,000 tons of chemical weapons are strewn across the Baltic seabed, not to mention some 300,000 tons of rusting regular ammunition," relates Polska. Poland, as well as Stockholm and Helsiniki have been fervent opponents of the German-Russian North Stream project from the very beginning. Should a sea bed pipeline be too hazardous, one alternative could well be envisaged - that the pipeline could take a land route... through Poland.
Italy and The Fundamental Laws of Human Stupidity What we read during these days about Italy and its government is simply appalling as people continue to ask questions here and here, but nobody replies.I would like here to suggest Professor Carlo Maria Cipolla's five fundamental laws of stupidity to analyze the Italian case. Professor Cipolla divided the society in 4 groups of people on the basis of:Benefits and losses that an individual causes to others.Benefits and losses that an individual causes to him or herself.Graphically, the idea is represented by this: * Intelligent people (top right) * Helpless / Naive people (top left) * Bandits (bottom right) * Stupid people (bottom left) Cipolla further refines his definition of "Bandits" (B) and "Helpless People" (H) by noting that members of these groups can either add to or detract from the general welfare, depending on the relative gains (or losses) that they cause themselves and society. A bandit may enrich himself more or less than he impoverishes society, and a helpless person may enrich society more or less than he impoverishes himself. It would appear that in the bottom right quadrant, the B could also stand for Berlusconi-
* Intelligent people (top right) * Helpless / Naive people (top left) * Bandits (bottom right) * Stupid people (bottom left)
Cipolla further refines his definition of "Bandits" (B) and "Helpless People" (H) by noting that members of these groups can either add to or detract from the general welfare, depending on the relative gains (or losses) that they cause themselves and society. A bandit may enrich himself more or less than he impoverishes society, and a helpless person may enrich society more or less than he impoverishes himself.
It would appear that in the bottom right quadrant, the B could also stand for Berlusconi-
"This is how Spain's new 'strategic weapon' destroys"
Words fail me. Is this what Spain's mainstream left newspaper has become? The brainless should not be in banking. — Willem Buiter
