Ad astra per aspera
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Union has taken the first step on the path to signing up to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), a move that supporters say will mark the completion of human rights protection in the EU. All member states have signed up to the ECHR, a 1950 international treaty guaranteeing a series of rights, including freedom of thought, speech, assembly and religion and governed by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Union has taken the first step on the path to signing up to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), a move that supporters say will mark the completion of human rights protection in the EU.
All member states have signed up to the ECHR, a 1950 international treaty guaranteeing a series of rights, including freedom of thought, speech, assembly and religion and governed by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Shaken by a sharp drop in the size of the Brussels press corps in the last few months after years of steady attrition, the European capital's foreign press association is anxious that action be taken to stem the decline. From a high point of 1,031 journalists in 2005, making it the biggest foreign press corps in the world, the number of reporters has steadily dropped down to between 860 and 935 today.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Shaken by a sharp drop in the size of the Brussels press corps in the last few months after years of steady attrition, the European capital's foreign press association is anxious that action be taken to stem the decline.
From a high point of 1,031 journalists in 2005, making it the biggest foreign press corps in the world, the number of reporters has steadily dropped down to between 860 and 935 today.
The EU court in Luxembourg has ruled that peepshow booths cannot benefit from reduced VAT rules designed for cinemas. The ruling, in a case brought by the Erotic Center in Belgium, said the VAT breaks cannot be applied to viewing "films, or extracts from films, in private cubicles."
EU commission chief Barroso urged Georgia's government to avoid exacerbating regional tensions after a Georgian television station caused panic by airing a fake news report about Russian forces heading for the capital Tbilisi."I am concerned by recent reports of a hoax news item in Tbilisi," he said
ECB chief Jean-Claude Trichet has rejected the idea of a country leaving the eurozone, an idea floated by Germany. "I have always said that I do not comment on absurd hypotheses." "Entering the eurozone is a major decision. It is not an a-la-carte membership," he told Le Point magazine on Monday.
AFP- France on Thursday vowed a "merciless" campaign to stamp out ETA on its soil after a member of the Basque separatist group was accused of shooting dead a French policeman. "The mobilisation of the French police and gendarmes against this terrorist organisation will be total and merciless," Sarkozy said after meeting the family of the 52-year-old officer who was gunned down on Tuesday. "Let no one imagine that the territory of the French republic is a quiet rear-base for the terrorists and assassins who kill, as ETA has shown it can for decades," he said in Damarie-les-Lys, scene of the shooting southeast of Paris.
March 18, 1990, saw the first free elections to the East German parliament. After its foundation 40 years earlier, the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) for the first time gave its people the opportunity to express their opinions at the ballot box. The result was overwhelming support for a quick road to reunification - and an end to East Germany as a state. "The March 18 elections in effect were a referendum on German reunification," said historian Andreas Apelt. As soon as the result was in, it was clear that East Germany would soon cease to exist." "The vote determined the path the country would embark on. And that path clearly led towards a united Germany," said Apelt, who was an East German civil rights activist in 1990 and ran in the elections himself. "It was this day that marked the end of the so-called 'dictatorship of the proletariat'," German Chancellor Angela Merkel recalled. "It was the final victory of the peaceful revolution."
March 18, 1990, saw the first free elections to the East German parliament. After its foundation 40 years earlier, the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) for the first time gave its people the opportunity to express their opinions at the ballot box. The result was overwhelming support for a quick road to reunification - and an end to East Germany as a state.
"The March 18 elections in effect were a referendum on German reunification," said historian Andreas Apelt. As soon as the result was in, it was clear that East Germany would soon cease to exist."
"The vote determined the path the country would embark on. And that path clearly led towards a united Germany," said Apelt, who was an East German civil rights activist in 1990 and ran in the elections himself.
"It was this day that marked the end of the so-called 'dictatorship of the proletariat'," German Chancellor Angela Merkel recalled. "It was the final victory of the peaceful revolution."
A Polish court has convicted three of the five men who stole the "Arbeit Macht Frei" from the Auschwitz memorial site in December. The three Polish men, two of whom are brothers, were sentenced to prison terms from 18 months to two and a half years. They were also each fined 10,000 zloty (2,580 euros, $3,530). Two other men, said to have established contact with the Swedish alleged mastermind of the plot, are still waiting for their trial to begin.
A Polish court has convicted three of the five men who stole the "Arbeit Macht Frei" from the Auschwitz memorial site in December.
The three Polish men, two of whom are brothers, were sentenced to prison terms from 18 months to two and a half years. They were also each fined 10,000 zloty (2,580 euros, $3,530).
Two other men, said to have established contact with the Swedish alleged mastermind of the plot, are still waiting for their trial to begin.
Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan threatened the future of thousands of Armenian illegal immigrants currently living in Turkey on Tuesday. "There are currently 170,000 Armenians living in our country. Only 70,000 of them are Turkish citizens, but we are tolerating the remaining 100,000," Erdogan said while speaking on the BBC Turkish service on Tuesday. "If necessary, I may have to tell these 100,000 to go back to their country because they are not my citizens. I don't have to keep them in my country," he added.
Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan threatened the future of thousands of Armenian illegal immigrants currently living in Turkey on Tuesday.
"There are currently 170,000 Armenians living in our country. Only 70,000 of them are Turkish citizens, but we are tolerating the remaining 100,000," Erdogan said while speaking on the BBC Turkish service on Tuesday.
"If necessary, I may have to tell these 100,000 to go back to their country because they are not my citizens. I don't have to keep them in my country," he added.
The government is locked in a serious and bitter dispute with the parliamentary body set up to monitor MI5 and MI6 over the guidelines covering the torture and abuse of detainees held abroad, the Guardian has learned.The dispute, compounded by a row about plans for more effective overall scrutiny of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, has added significance since it has been sparked by a group of senior MPs and peers handpicked by the prime minister.
The government is locked in a serious and bitter dispute with the parliamentary body set up to monitor MI5 and MI6 over the guidelines covering the torture and abuse of detainees held abroad, the Guardian has learned.
The dispute, compounded by a row about plans for more effective overall scrutiny of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, has added significance since it has been sparked by a group of senior MPs and peers handpicked by the prime minister.
France must bring back the brothel to protect its prostitutes from exploitation, trafficking and aggression in the street, an MP from Nicolas Sarkozy's rightwing party has said.Chantal Brunel, a member of the ruling UMP, called on French authorities to study the possibility of legalising centres where sex workers could serve clients within a regulated and protected framework.It was time, she said, to move away from attempts to stamp out prostitution and instead focus on making the sex trade more safe and transparent.
France must bring back the brothel to protect its prostitutes from exploitation, trafficking and aggression in the street, an MP from Nicolas Sarkozy's rightwing party has said.
Chantal Brunel, a member of the ruling UMP, called on French authorities to study the possibility of legalising centres where sex workers could serve clients within a regulated and protected framework.
It was time, she said, to move away from attempts to stamp out prostitution and instead focus on making the sex trade more safe and transparent.
In NZ, prostitution has been legal, and as a result, safe, for around five years. Our biggest problem is moralistic city councils trying to abuse planning law to prevent people running brothels - something they have fortunately failed at. See wikipedia for details.
Trafficking, and illegal prostitution, will occur even when prostitution is legal.
The difference in legal prostitution is that it will offer protection from the state and will reduce, but not stop, sex trafficking. There is increasing EU-wide cooperation between police forces on this subject, but it is a fairly new type of crime fighting. But at least efforts and time can be increasingly concentrated on this subject when prostitution is legalised, instead of wasting time on the ideological pursuit of eradicating sex workers altogether...
William Hague was said to be aware 10 years ago of a deal struck by senior Tories that eventually resulted in Lord Ashcroft secretly remaining a non-dom after obtaining his peerage, according to official documents released today.Hague, the former leader of the Conservative party who had been lobbying for the billionaire to secure a seat in the House of Lords, has repeatedly insisted that he was only told earlier this year that Ashcroft was a non-dom, and therefore not paying full UK tax on all his earnings.But previously confidential parliamentary correspondence published today showed that Hague's chief whip, James Arbuthnot, was instrumental in lobbying for Ashcroft not to have to give up tax privileges on his massive overseas earnings - despite assurances given by Hague that he would pay "tens of millions" to the Treasury.The papers also include a letter from Arbuthnot which suggests that Hague was fully aware of the deal between the Cabinet Office and Ashcroft.
William Hague was said to be aware 10 years ago of a deal struck by senior Tories that eventually resulted in Lord Ashcroft secretly remaining a non-dom after obtaining his peerage, according to official documents released today.
Hague, the former leader of the Conservative party who had been lobbying for the billionaire to secure a seat in the House of Lords, has repeatedly insisted that he was only told earlier this year that Ashcroft was a non-dom, and therefore not paying full UK tax on all his earnings.
But previously confidential parliamentary correspondence published today showed that Hague's chief whip, James Arbuthnot, was instrumental in lobbying for Ashcroft not to have to give up tax privileges on his massive overseas earnings - despite assurances given by Hague that he would pay "tens of millions" to the Treasury.
The papers also include a letter from Arbuthnot which suggests that Hague was fully aware of the deal between the Cabinet Office and Ashcroft.
PASOK ―today under the leadership of George Papandreou (offspring of the Papandreou dynasty of the centre-"Left") was the "perfect" choice for the elites, as this party has governed Greece, in turns with the Karamanlis dynasty of the centre-Right, during the entire post-junta period that followed the fall of the military dictatorship in 1974. In fact, these two dynasties, initially under the tutelage of the British and then of the US elite, and, lately, under that of the transnational elite, have been the main players of the Greek political scene for the entire post-war period, which began with the end of the Greek Civil War in the late 1940's. However, the very fact that PASOK managed to gain a comfortable parliamentary majority (thanks to an electoral system that blatantly favours the first party in number of votes), in reality, sowed winds which, most likely, will, soon, reap whirlwinds. This is because the bipartisan system in Greece is not based on any solid foundations. An indication of this is the fact that, while in Europe, neo-liberal parties alternate with social-liberal ones (which have, long ago, abandoned even the socialist rhetoric) on the basis of a clear agenda that summarises the demands of neo-liberal globalisation, in Greece, both parties, and especially the social-liberals, systematically hide their true identity! When therefore, the true identity of PASOK is being revealed today, following the harsh measures it is introducing to deal with the crisis, its electoral base is in fact being dismantled and the result may well be the future dissolution not just of PASOK but of the entire bipartisan system in Greece. It is clear that the same, more or less policies, with perhaps small variations on the actual fiscal measures to be introduced, would have been adopted by whatever party was elected, given the main goal imposed by the European Monetary Union (EMU) on all member-states for the reduction of the public debt to meet the Maastricht Treaty criteria. The "choice" given by the elites to the Greek people was clear: either to re-elect the previous governing party (New Democracy) with an explicit new mandate to implement the savage cuts in social spending suggested by the EU commission and international organisations, or to elect a party (PASOK) which was in fact deceiving the electorate that it could somehow avoid the suggested savage cuts ―in other words, a party that was, in fact, relying on its socialist name and its control of trade union bureaucracies to pass exactly the same policies! The method has been, after all, successfully tested for many years by the British Labour party, with the full support of the elites in Britain. It is therefore obvious that PASOK aspires to play exactly the same role now, with the full support of the local elites, which played a crucial role in its rise to power.
PASOK ―today under the leadership of George Papandreou (offspring of the Papandreou dynasty of the centre-"Left") was the "perfect" choice for the elites, as this party has governed Greece, in turns with the Karamanlis dynasty of the centre-Right, during the entire post-junta period that followed the fall of the military dictatorship in 1974. In fact, these two dynasties, initially under the tutelage of the British and then of the US elite, and, lately, under that of the transnational elite, have been the main players of the Greek political scene for the entire post-war period, which began with the end of the Greek Civil War in the late 1940's. However, the very fact that PASOK managed to gain a comfortable parliamentary majority (thanks to an electoral system that blatantly favours the first party in number of votes), in reality, sowed winds which, most likely, will, soon, reap whirlwinds. This is because the bipartisan system in Greece is not based on any solid foundations. An indication of this is the fact that, while in Europe, neo-liberal parties alternate with social-liberal ones (which have, long ago, abandoned even the socialist rhetoric) on the basis of a clear agenda that summarises the demands of neo-liberal globalisation, in Greece, both parties, and especially the social-liberals, systematically hide their true identity! When therefore, the true identity of PASOK is being revealed today, following the harsh measures it is introducing to deal with the crisis, its electoral base is in fact being dismantled and the result may well be the future dissolution not just of PASOK but of the entire bipartisan system in Greece.
It is clear that the same, more or less policies, with perhaps small variations on the actual fiscal measures to be introduced, would have been adopted by whatever party was elected, given the main goal imposed by the European Monetary Union (EMU) on all member-states for the reduction of the public debt to meet the Maastricht Treaty criteria. The "choice" given by the elites to the Greek people was clear: either to re-elect the previous governing party (New Democracy) with an explicit new mandate to implement the savage cuts in social spending suggested by the EU commission and international organisations, or to elect a party (PASOK) which was in fact deceiving the electorate that it could somehow avoid the suggested savage cuts ―in other words, a party that was, in fact, relying on its socialist name and its control of trade union bureaucracies to pass exactly the same policies! The method has been, after all, successfully tested for many years by the British Labour party, with the full support of the elites in Britain. It is therefore obvious that PASOK aspires to play exactly the same role now, with the full support of the local elites, which played a crucial role in its rise to power.
Countries all over the world are still struggling to emerge from the worst global recession since the 1930s. Yet this crisis should be seen as an "opportunity for deep changes to make the economy we both, Greeks as well as Europeans, can be proud of," George Papandreou told Parliament's Special Committee on the Economic, Financial and Social Crisis (CRIS) on Thursday. Addressing a public hearing on European economic governance and EU tools for economic and social recovery, the Greek prime minister explained that Greece, in the throes of an "acute crisis", was introducing the "most difficult measures since World War II to put our house in order". Despite this, Greece was not asking the EU for help, pointed out CRIS chair Wolf Klinz (ALDE, DE), who referred to the EU finance ministers' decision last Tuesday to back the "very challenging austerity measures" put forward by Athens. "We are not looking for a scapegoat nor asking for help to live from the wealth of others but what we do need is strong political support to make all these reforms and to make sure we will not have to pay more than is necessary," said Mr Papandreou. He added that Greece needed "to be able to borrow at rates which are normal". Calling for an end to "opportunistic speculation", he also warned that if the Greek government kept borrowing at such high interest rates, it would not be able to sustain the deficit reduction. "We are really shocked that those who had to be bailed out with taxpayers' money used the first opportunity to speculate against the euro to make a profit," said Wolf Klinz to wide applause. "We need more Europe rather than less Europe," stressed Papandreou. The time had come "to put the loaded gun on the table", to make sure the markets would respond positively. In this context, Greece could provide an opportunity to deal with the issue of speculation in the EU and also at global level. Agreeing with a reported statement by Dominique Strauss-Kahn during his visit to the European Parliament the previous day, Mr Papandreou insisted "we must not lose the opportunity to fix the global financial system". All of the measures Greece had taken reflected its commitment to protect the stability of the common European currency, said the prime minister. But Europe needed to recognise that the measures put in place, and those still to come, would need a certain time to take effect. "Change cannot be executed as swiftly as credit default swaps," said Mr Papandreou. Changes needed in EU policy? Among MEPs who spoke, Theodoros Skylakakis (EPP, EL) and Pascal Canfin (Greens/EFA, FR) asked about reforms to the Stability and Growth Pact and whether it should be made stricter or more flexible. Mr Papandreou replied that the EU should look at the "institutions which are missing in this project". He urged "more coordination and supervision" to ensure that countries with problems also received support, not just punishment. Otherwise there would be a failure not only of the country concerned but of the system as a whole. "We all say that there are plenty of instruments but nobody respects them because there is nobody at the helm" of the EU, said CRIS rapporteur Pervenche Berès (S&D, FR), who believed the measures put forward by Greece "merit admiration". Nikolaos Chountis (GUE/NGl, EL) asked the prime minister whether there was a specific support plan being prepared by the EU to assist Greece and whether such a plan would also help the EU pull out of recession. "I would prefer a European solution to be able to show to the world that Europe can act together," said Mr Papandreou, "rather than turning us to International Monetary Fund". According to Mario Borghezio (EFD, IT), the "excessively draconian measures contribute to agony" of Greece. He asked if the Greek government had considered the option of devaluation. Papandreou rejected this idea as it would in his view send the wrong signals. Calls for more economic policy coordination and a "system of conditional assistance" Several academics also took part in the discussions. According to Loukas Tsoukalis, Jean Monnet Professor of Integration at the University of Athens, and President of Eliamep (Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy), the Stability and Growth Pact "has become more and more flexible, to put it diplomatically". He called for the European dimension of European Monetary Union to be strengthened, partly by "closer and increasingly binding coordination of national economic policies with incentives and sanctions". Speaking of lessons to be learned from the crisis, Jean Pisani-Ferry, Professor of Economics at the University of Paris-Dauphine and fellow of the Bruegel institute, pointed to the lack of a crisis management regime in the eurozone. "Greece is doing the IMF programme without IMF money", he said, adding that due to the "principle of no co-responsibility for public debt" and "no assistance principle", the EU could not provide help within the eurozone. But as there is room for assistance, the EU should put in place a "system of conditional assistance," he argued. Next steps The experts' input will feed into further discussion among MEPs and the report by Special Committee rapporteur Pervenche Berès. The draft report is to be presented on 17 May, with the deadline for amendments set for 1 June. The vote on the report in committee is scheduled for 13 July, with a plenary vote to follow in September II.
Addressing a public hearing on European economic governance and EU tools for economic and social recovery, the Greek prime minister explained that Greece, in the throes of an "acute crisis", was introducing the "most difficult measures since World War II to put our house in order". Despite this, Greece was not asking the EU for help, pointed out CRIS chair Wolf Klinz (ALDE, DE), who referred to the EU finance ministers' decision last Tuesday to back the "very challenging austerity measures" put forward by Athens.
"We are not looking for a scapegoat nor asking for help to live from the wealth of others but what we do need is strong political support to make all these reforms and to make sure we will not have to pay more than is necessary," said Mr Papandreou. He added that Greece needed "to be able to borrow at rates which are normal". Calling for an end to "opportunistic speculation", he also warned that if the Greek government kept borrowing at such high interest rates, it would not be able to sustain the deficit reduction.
"We are really shocked that those who had to be bailed out with taxpayers' money used the first opportunity to speculate against the euro to make a profit," said Wolf Klinz to wide applause. "We need more Europe rather than less Europe," stressed Papandreou. The time had come "to put the loaded gun on the table", to make sure the markets would respond positively. In this context, Greece could provide an opportunity to deal with the issue of speculation in the EU and also at global level. Agreeing with a reported statement by Dominique Strauss-Kahn during his visit to the European Parliament the previous day, Mr Papandreou insisted "we must not lose the opportunity to fix the global financial system".
All of the measures Greece had taken reflected its commitment to protect the stability of the common European currency, said the prime minister. But Europe needed to recognise that the measures put in place, and those still to come, would need a certain time to take effect. "Change cannot be executed as swiftly as credit default swaps," said Mr Papandreou.
Changes needed in EU policy?
Among MEPs who spoke, Theodoros Skylakakis (EPP, EL) and Pascal Canfin (Greens/EFA, FR) asked about reforms to the Stability and Growth Pact and whether it should be made stricter or more flexible. Mr Papandreou replied that the EU should look at the "institutions which are missing in this project". He urged "more coordination and supervision" to ensure that countries with problems also received support, not just punishment. Otherwise there would be a failure not only of the country concerned but of the system as a whole.
"We all say that there are plenty of instruments but nobody respects them because there is nobody at the helm" of the EU, said CRIS rapporteur Pervenche Berès (S&D, FR), who believed the measures put forward by Greece "merit admiration".
Nikolaos Chountis (GUE/NGl, EL) asked the prime minister whether there was a specific support plan being prepared by the EU to assist Greece and whether such a plan would also help the EU pull out of recession. "I would prefer a European solution to be able to show to the world that Europe can act together," said Mr Papandreou, "rather than turning us to International Monetary Fund".
According to Mario Borghezio (EFD, IT), the "excessively draconian measures contribute to agony" of Greece. He asked if the Greek government had considered the option of devaluation. Papandreou rejected this idea as it would in his view send the wrong signals.
Calls for more economic policy coordination and a "system of conditional assistance"
Several academics also took part in the discussions. According to Loukas Tsoukalis, Jean Monnet Professor of Integration at the University of Athens, and President of Eliamep (Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy), the Stability and Growth Pact "has become more and more flexible, to put it diplomatically". He called for the European dimension of European Monetary Union to be strengthened, partly by "closer and increasingly binding coordination of national economic policies with incentives and sanctions".
Speaking of lessons to be learned from the crisis, Jean Pisani-Ferry, Professor of Economics at the University of Paris-Dauphine and fellow of the Bruegel institute, pointed to the lack of a crisis management regime in the eurozone. "Greece is doing the IMF programme without IMF money", he said, adding that due to the "principle of no co-responsibility for public debt" and "no assistance principle", the EU could not provide help within the eurozone. But as there is room for assistance, the EU should put in place a "system of conditional assistance," he argued.
Next steps
The experts' input will feed into further discussion among MEPs and the report by Special Committee rapporteur Pervenche Berès. The draft report is to be presented on 17 May, with the deadline for amendments set for 1 June. The vote on the report in committee is scheduled for 13 July, with a plenary vote to follow in September II.
Gen Sheehan had been speaking at a US Senate hearing on allowing gay people to serve openly in the US military. He said Dutch leaders had told him that the presence of gay soldiers had contributed to the Bosnian massacre. [...] Gen Sheehan said the former chief of staff of the Dutch army had told him that the presence of openly gay soldiers in the Dutch peacekeeping force were seen as "part of the problem" which contributed to the fall of Srebrenica.
[...]
Gen Sheehan said the former chief of staff of the Dutch army had told him that the presence of openly gay soldiers in the Dutch peacekeeping force were seen as "part of the problem" which contributed to the fall of Srebrenica.
In einem der vermutlich größten Steuerskandale der Republik müssen in den nächsten Wochen etwa 1100 Verdächtige mit Hausdurchsuchungen rechnen. Die nach dem Ankauf einer CD mit Bankdaten der Schweizer Credit Suisse zuständigen Ermittlungsbehörden in Nordrhein-Westfalen haben alle Akten zusammengestellt und einen Großteil der Unterlagen an die Steuerbehörden anderer Bundesländer verschickt. Die meisten Verfahren werden sich nach einer ersten Sichtung vor allem gegen Steuerbetrüger aus Bayern, Baden-Württemberg, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessen und Rheinland-Pfalz richten. In internen Schätzungen kamen Beamte vor Wochen zu dem Ergebnis, dass bis zu 400 Millionen Euro Nachsteuern fällig werden.
Die meisten Verfahren werden sich nach einer ersten Sichtung vor allem gegen Steuerbetrüger aus Bayern, Baden-Württemberg, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessen und Rheinland-Pfalz richten. In internen Schätzungen kamen Beamte vor Wochen zu dem Ergebnis, dass bis zu 400 Millionen Euro Nachsteuern fällig werden.
