Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  February 26, 2009February 26, 2009  ---------

SARKOZY CALLS ON EU TO PROTECT OWN INDUSTRY

French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday (24 February) called on the EU to protect its industry in the face of US protectionism, and said France and Italy would insist on this during a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Sunday.

‘There must be competition, but competition to build big European groups, not to make the totalities of our industries de-localize. France and Italy will as soon as Sunday [at an emergency EU summit] speak with one voice to ask Europe to take decisions, strong decisions,’ Mr. Sarkozy told the press following a meeting with Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi in Rome.

‘You know how much I cherish the friendship with the United States, but if the United States defends its farmers as it does, maybe we can do the same in Europe. If the United States defends its industry, as it does - and they are right - maybe in Europe we can do the same,’ he added.

The French president's comments come as the US earlier this month adopted a $787 billion (€617 billion) package to boost its economy. The bill contains ‘Buy American’ provisions prohibiting foreign steel companies bidding for US infrastructure contracts financed by the plan. The European Commission has already raised concerns about the clause.

France itself has been accused of protectionism after earlier this month unblocking €6.5 billion for its car industry, and Mr. Sarkozy speaking out against de-localization of French factories, notably to eastern Europe.

Later on, Spain and Italy also adopted state aid schemes for their ailing car industries, with Germany also considering a bailout of car maker Opel.

The French president defended the moves, arguing that member states were forced to take such measures because of the lack of a common EU policy

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  February 24, 2009  ---------

EU WORRIED OVER NETANYAHU COMMITMENT TO PEACE

European Union officials have raised concerns over the commitment of Israel's hardline Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu to pursue genuine peace talks with Palestinians.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt says he is worried Netanyahu's talks with other hard-line parties to form a coalition could halt peace talks with Palestinians.

Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra says he expects a ‘rough start’ once a new Israeli government takes office, warning a two-state peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians is narrowing now that Netanyahu is likely to form a government.

Asked whether Netanyahu's nomination would be good for the peace process with the Palestinians, Vondra said: ‘That remains to be seen.’

‘I think we can have a bit of a rough start, but we need to move ahead with the peace process because the two-state solution road is narrowing,’ Vondra said on arrival at a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

The EU's 27 foreign ministers were discussing peace efforts in the Middle East at talks held in Brussels Monday. They insisted that a two-state solution was the only option

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  February 2, 2009  ---------

Iceland could be EU member by 2011

The small North Atlantic state of Iceland could become a member of the EU within the next two years if it takes the step of formally applying for membership of the 27-nation bloc.

EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn has indicated that the EU would look favourably upon a membership application and would be prepared to make it an EU member within record time, probably at the same time as Croatia in 2011.

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009 January 26, 2009  ---------

TOP EU OFFICIAL: HAMAS BEARS FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR GAZA WAR

Hamas bears full responsibility for the war in Gaza, a top EU official said Monday in the Strip, calling the group ‘a terrorist movement.’

‘At this time we have to also recall the overwhelming responsibility of Hamas,’ Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, told reporters.

‘I intentionally say this here - Hamas is a terrorist movement and it has to be denounced as such,’ Michel said as he visited the town of Jabalya in northern Gaza.

‘Public opinion is fed up to see that we are paying over and over again - be it the (European) commission, the member states or the major donors - for infrastructure that will be systematically destroyed,’ he said

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

EU, ARAB COUNTRIES CALL ON PALESTINIANS TO UNITE

European Union foreign ministers meeting with their Arab counterparts in Brussels on Sunday called for the two rival Palestinian factions to unite to negotiate a lasting peace with Israel.

The European Union foreign ministers said it was critical that the rival Hamas and Fatah political factions reconcile, so the border crossings of the Gaza Strip can be opened for humanitarian and other assistance after three weeks of conflict with Israel.

European politicians said it is essential for the Palestinians to speak with a single voice.

Gaza medics say some 1,300 Palestinians were killed and more than 5,000 were wounded during the Israeli offensive on Gaza that also killed more than a dozen Israelis, most of them soldiers. Thousands of Palestinian homes were destroyed.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana leaves on Monday for the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Israel to help push for a peace in the region.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Solana said the EU supported Egyptian mediation efforts to cobble a cease-fire between the warring sides

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009 January 20, 2009   ---------

EU TO JOIN STRUGGLE AGAINST GAZA ARMS SMUGGLING

The 27-member European Union is joining the effort to prevent arms smuggling to Gaza. EU foreign ministers are expected to announce Wednesday their intention to contribute units, vessels, and technological means in order to curb weapon transfers from Iran to Hamas.

The intense efforts of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, in coordination with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, reportedly prompted the six European leaders who attended meetings in Egypt and Israel Sunday to undertake concrete actions.

Senior officials in Jerusalem say that according to the agreement that was formulated, EU countries will come onboard the deal signed between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and FM Livni over the weekend.

The move would see the EU directing its members to undertake actions that would contribute to the anti-smuggling efforts. Each European country will then earmark some resources in order to fight the smuggling

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  January 19, 2009 ---------

EU TO LAUNCH BIOMETRIC PASSPORTS BY SUMMER

MEPs on Wednesday (14 January) backed new rules on the introduction of biometric passports throughout the EU later this year, while exempting children under 12 years from having fingerprints included in their passports.

The rules were approved at a first reading by an overwhelming majority of MEPs – 594 against 51, while 37 abstained.

The parliamentarians underlined the need to improve document security in the EU by introducing ‘more reliable biometric data, namely fingerprints,’ and highlighted the different criteria member states currently apply when checking the passport applicants' identity.

‘Many countries require that the citizen applying for a passport actually present him or herself in person, together with their documents and photographs, and in these cases the officials at the passport-issuing office can see if that person bears a resemblance to the photo presented,’ Polish Christian Democrat Urszula Gacek said during a plenary debate on the issue in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

But in some states, in particular the UK, ‘applications by post are the norm, and the authenticity of the photo is only confirmed by a so-called 'professional person' who has known the applicant for at least two years,’ she indicated.

The new rules stipulate that all EU countries, as well as in Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, should start issuing passports containing biometric elements - such as facial images and fingerprints - as of 29 June this year.

States have until 2012 to fully implement the rules and current passports will remain valid for travelling for most countries until then.

Meanwhile, some member states - such as Germany, France and the Netherlands - have started issuing the new passports before the June deadline

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  December 3, 2008December 3, 2008 ---------

EU PUSHES FOR CUTS IN GLOBAL NUCLEAR ARSENAL

The 27-nation European Union - including two nuclear powers, France and the UK - is set to become a leading force behind global nuclear disarmament efforts. It is estimated that there are some 2,000 active nuclear weapons in the world, while Iran is believed to be trying to make it into the nine-strong nuclear club.

Earlier this month (5 December), French leader Nicolas Sarkozy wrote a letter to UN chief Ban Ki-Moon floating a number of ideas in the area of nuclear arms control. The letter, written on behalf of the entire EU bloc, was made public on Monday (8 December).

Among other things, the EU is calling on the international community to sign up to a ‘comprehensive test ban treaty’ and to promptly ‘dismantle all nuclear test installations.’

It is also suggesting to introduce an immediate and unconditional ban on production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons, to reduce the global stock of such weapons as well as to kick off talks on a treaty banning surface-to-surface, short and medium range missiles.

According to media reports, Mr Sarkozy said he hoped the international community would join the EU in giving life to its plan of action.

‘We are convinced of the necessity to work for general disarmament ...Europe has already done a lot for disarmament [and] is ready to do more,’ the French president was cited as saying by AP.

Currently, the global nuclear club officially consists of eight states - the US, Russia, France, the UK, China, India, Pakistan and North Korea - while Israel is also believed to be a nuclear power. Tel Aviv has never admitted nor denied possession of a nuclear arsenal

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  December 3, 2008 ---------

EU AND RUSSIA RESUME TREATY TALKS

Senior EU and Russian officials will on Tuesday (2 December) resume talks on a new treaty in Brussels, with the simmering conflict in Georgia low on the agenda.

Russian ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov will meet the European Commission's top external relations official, Eneko Landaburu, for a ‘plenary’ session of negotiations on a new ‘Strategic Partnership Treaty.’

The treaty talks are set to take years, with Tuesday's event to debate banal issues and coming after more than 20 EU-Russia meetings in other formats under the French EU presidency.

‘The talks will pick up where they left off in July, which is setting the long term agenda for the future [negotiations],’ European Commission spokesperson Christiane Hohmann said.

‘It's not business as usual. Let's hope it's better than business as usual,’ Russia's Vladimir Chizhov told EUobserver. ‘Russia and the EU are so interdependent that they cannot afford to stop business at any moment. Business goes on even at times of crisis.’

Tuesday's meeting also marks a new chapter in EU-Russia relations after the Georgia war, however.

The EU froze the talks in reaction to Russia's invasion of Georgia and is re-starting them despite Russia's non-compliance with an EU-brokered peace accord, in what Lithuania has called an ‘historic mistake.’

Around 10,000 Russian forces remain in Georgia, some as close as 40 km from the capital Tbilisi. EU and OSCE monitors are denied access to the rebel-held Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions, with 11 Georgian policemen having been killed and nine wounded since hostilities officially ended.

‘My government was of the opinion that restarting the talks was not the best idea,’ Georgia's EU ambassador, Salome Samadashvili, told this website.

‘But what's important is that the EU remains committed to implementing the ceasefire agreement and to getting international access to these regions, as these are the only ways to ensure security. If the EU backed off from these promises, it would be a betrayal.’

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  December 2, 2008 ---------

BRITAIN THINKING OF JOINING EURO

Britain is considering joining the eurozone as a direct consequence of global financial turmoil, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Sunday.

‘We are now closer than ever before. I'm not going to break the confidentiality of certain conversations, but some British politicians have already told me: 'If we had the euro, we would have been better off',’ Barroso told a weekly French news program, referring to the fall in the pound's value since markets and liquidity meltdown earlier this year.

‘The British have an enormous quality, one of many, that is they are pragmatic,’ he said on the panel of a joint RTL-LCI radio and television broadcast. ‘This crisis has emphasised the importance of the euro, and also of Britain,’ he added.

‘I don't mean this will happen tomorrow, I know that the majority (of British people) are still opposed, but there is a period of consideration underway and the people which matter in Britain are currently thinking about it,’ the former Portuguese prime minister said

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  November 10, 2008 ---------

EU HOLDS FINANCIAL REFORM SUMMIT

EU leaders will meet in Brussels shortly to co-ordinate their approach to the financial crisis ahead of a global summit in Washington next week.

The leaders believe there needs to be serious reform of the international financial architecture, the BBC's Jonny Dymond reports from Brussels.

Smaller EU states, whose leaders will not go to Washington, will have a chance to air their concerns on Friday.

There are some strong disagreements about the degree of regulation needed.

Some countries would like to see, in effect, a rewriting of the rules of the free market, while others think there is a risk of rushed regulation strangling future growth, our correspondent says.

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, chairing the Brussels meeting, says the 15 November Washington summit needs to be ‘a new Bretton Woods’ - referring to the 1944 meeting which led to the creation of the International Monetary Fund and other global institutions.

He wants fundamental reform of the international financial system to ensure there can be no repeat of the global banking crisis - widely held to be the worst since the 1929 Wall Street crash.

France is keen for the EU to demand a 100-day deadline for action - a timescale that could involve US President-elect Barack Obama in the proposed reforms

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  October 10, 2008 ---------

UK CALLS FOR EU-WIDE RESCUE PLAN

In a sharp about face, UK Prime Minister Gordon has written to EU leaders encouraging the creation of a ‘Europe-wide funding plan’ to tackle the worsening financial crisis.

As recently as last week, Mr Brown said his country was opposed to any EU-wide rescue package.

Writing to French President Nicholas Sarkozy on Wednesday (8 October), the British leader gave details on the UK's own £500 billion (€630 billion) plan announced yesterday morning and added that a ‘concerted international approach’ was needed. The letter was also copied to other EU government leaders.

Speaking to reporters after announcing the UK plan, Mr Brown said he had also spoken to the French leader.

‘We have invited other European countries to consider proposals we have put to them this morning on medium term funding and are in active consultation about how we can adopt a European-wide funding plan,’ he said.

The UK plan that part-nationalises the country's banking sector will deploy £50 billion to buy preference shares in banks, £200 billion in short-term loans and an additional £250 billion to guarantee loans between banks.

Meanwhile, Mr Sarkozy, whose country currently chairs the bloc's six-month rotating presidency, has suggested fresh EU actions will soon be taken.

‘France and the European presidency are working on this global, co-ordinated response and in the hours ahead we will have concrete results,’ he said during a conference in the southeast of the country.

The French president gave no details on the response and also seemed to suggest that the Brown plan was not a model for EU-wide planning, saying the UK bail-out was ‘perfectly adapted to the situation his country is in.’

Separately, the French prime minister, Francois Fillon, told his country's parliament that France had set up its own fund to support banks, but that institutions would continue to be aided on an ad-hoc basis

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  October 6, 2008 ---------

RUSSIA EXPECTS TO RESTART EU TALKS THIS MONTH

Moscow has expressed confidence that talks on a new EU-Russia partnership treaty - temporarily put on ice due to Russia's military presence in Georgia - could be resumed in October.

‘We are certainly looking forward to the resumption of negotiations ... I see no reason why this should not happen before the end of this month,’ Russian ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov said.

EU leaders agreed on 1 September to postpone talks on an EU-Russia strategic deal until Russian troops withdraw from Georgia's territory to lines held before the short war over South Ossetia erupted in August.

According to Mr. Chizhov, the condition, part of an EU-brokered peace plan, is being ‘successfully implemented’ and all Russian troops will return to previous positions before 10 October.

‘There should be no doubt about that,’ he said. The ambassador confirmed that Moscow is set to keep some 7,600 ‘regular’ troops within South Ossetia and Abkhazia as requested by ‘the governments of those two independent countries,’ however.

Russia has recognised the two rebel regions as independent states, with Mr. Chizhov advocating their representatives should be present when international community starts debating the future security in the South Caucasus, including Georgian refugees' right of return.

The international talks are to be held in Geneva on 15 October

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  October 2, 2008 ---------

EU MONITORS BEGIN GEORGIA PATROLS

The first European Union observers have entered the buffer zone around South Ossetia, as they begin monitoring a ceasefire between Georgia and Russia.

However, some monitoring teams were turned back by Russian troops for what were called ‘security reasons’.

More than 200 observers are to oversee a Russian troop pullout from the buffer zones near South Ossetia and Georgia's other breakaway region of Abkhazia.

Russia has kept troops there since ousting Georgian forces in August.

Moscow says it will complete its troops pullout from the buffer zones by 10 October.

On Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he was ‘optimistic that all the parties will comply’ with a French-brokered peace plan between Moscow and Tbilisi.

Under the peace plan, the EU monitors were meant to have taken up position inside the buffer zones by 1 October.

Unarmed observers from the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) entered the buffer zone at a Russian military checkpoint near the village of Kvenatkotsa, some 20km (12 miles) west of the Georgian town of Gori

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  September 29September 29, 2008 ---------

EU Monitors Arrive in Georgia

About 70 European Union monitors have arrived in Georgia on a mission aimed at easing tensions in the war-torn Caucasus country.

They are the first contingent of an expected 300-strong unarmed EU force being sent to Georgia as part of a peace deal between Russia and the former Soviet republic, following their recent war over the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

EU officials say 22 countries are expected to participate in the force, which is made up largely of police and security officials.

The observers are due to be fully deployed in Georgia by October 1

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  September 9, 2008 ---------

EU SECURES DEAL ON RUSSIA WITHDRAWAL

Following four-hour talks between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and French leader Nicolas Sarkozy, Moscow has agreed to pull out its troops ‘from the zones adjacent to South Ossetia and Abkhazia to the line preceding the start of hostilities’ by mid-October.

‘This withdrawal will be implemented within 10 days of the deployment of international mechanisms in these zones, including no fewer than 200 observers from the European Union, which must take place no later than 1 October 2008,’ Mr. Medvedev said on Monday (8 September).

Moscow refuses to bow to pressure when it comes to its decision to recognise South Ossetia and Abkhasia as independent states. (Photo: Presidential Press and Information Office)

He promised to dismantle a security checkpoint near the Black Sea port of Poti deep in Georgian territory within seven days - stressing, however, that all depends on Georgia's commitment not to regain control over its two breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by force.

Under the deal, the new EU monitors will become guarantors of Georgian non-aggression. OSCE and UN monitors will also be allowed to return to South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but it remains unclear how many Russian soldiers will stay in the two rebel enclaves for now.

Tbillisi, for its part, welcomed the EU-brokered deal, with President Mikheil Saakashvili describing it on Monday (8 September) as a ‘step forward.’

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was frank in his description of the agreement ‘Honestly, it's not over yet. We are not at the end of the road ... We are advancing step by step.’

Should the Kremlin fall short of fulfilling its commitments ‘Europe will draw the conclusions,’ he added.

Moscow refuses to bow to pressure when it comes to its decision to recognise South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states however, calling the move ‘a final and irreversible choice.’

International talks in Geneva on 15 October will debate the future security in the breakaway regions and Georgian refugees' right of return, but will not discuss their future status, according to the 8 September EU-Russia agreement.

The Kremlin also continues to accuse the United States of ‘actively helping’ Georgia to ‘restore its military potential’ - a claim that Washington denies

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  September 2, 2008 ---------

EU WILL SEND MONITORS TO GEORGIA

The EU's foreign policy chief has said it is planning to send hundreds of civilian monitors to Georgia to check Russia is abiding by a ceasefire deal.

Javier Solana made the announcement as European leaders began an emergency summit on the crisis in Brussels.

Divisions have emerged on how to react to Russia's military action, with the UK calling for a review of EU relations with Moscow and France urging dialogue.

Russia has warned further support for Georgia would be a ‘historic’ mistake.

Speaking at the EU's headquarters, Mr. Solana said he hoped its members would approve the plan to send monitors to Georgia over the coming weeks, and that they could be in place by mid-October.

‘It will be a mission in the hundreds, not a huge one,’ he said, adding that no decisions on imposing sanctions on Russia would be taken at Monday's summit.

Earlier, the Russian foreign ministry said Moscow was ready to consider participating in an international police force in Georgia, allowing peace monitors in all areas of the country

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

EU PRESIDENT RULES OUT SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA

In an interview on French public radio Monday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said the European Union did not foresee sanctions against Russia, even though Moscow continues to have troops in Georgia.

Kouchner said the worst had been avoided in Georgia and the majority of Russian troops had retreated from Georgian territory.

Kouchner spoke a week before European leaders meet in Russia to decide how to deal with the Georgian crisis that flared up over the breakaway region of South Ossetia. France currently holds the rotating presidency of the 27-member European Union. Acting on behalf of the bloc, French President Nicolas Sarkozy flew to Russia and to Georgia earlier this month to negotiate a cease-fire after clashes between the two over South Ossetia.

The EU divided over how to deal with Russia, with some members wanting a tougher position against Russia than others.

Moscow has refused to fully retreat from Georgia, arguing the cease-fire deal gives it the right to keep some forces there. On Monday, Russia's lower house of parliament vowed to back independence for South Ossetia and another breakaway region in Georgia

========================

FRANCE CALLS SUMMIT ON EU-RUSSIA RELATIONS

The French EU presidency has called an emergency summit on EU-Russia relations for 1 September, as Russian troops continue to occupy parts of Georgia despite EU pressure.

The Brussels summit will take place ‘following the demands of many member states’ and will be devoted to EU ‘aid to Georgia and the future of its relations with Russia,’ a French communiqué said on Sunday.

The move follows a telephone call between French president Nicolas Sarkozy and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday, in which Mr. Sarkozy fruitlessly urged Russia to withdraw from the Georgian towns of Poti and Senaki.

On Sunday, German chancellor Angela Merkel said on national TV that ‘Russia has not yet fulfilled its commitment to the six-point peace plan [on withdrawal to pre-conflict positions],’ adding ‘Russia's credibility is at stake.’

The Russian army began to pull back from Georgia on Friday at a ‘snail's pace’ in the words of one US general, with armed Russian checkpoints still controlling access to key parts of western and northern Georgia on Sunday evening.

Moscow plans to station 2,600 troops in ‘security zones’ around the borders of breakaway Georgian regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia, with the Russian parliament on Monday to consider recognizing the two territories as independent states.

Russia has also indicated that EU calls to replace Russian ‘peacekeepers’ with OSCE or EU-hatted monitors in future must first gain Abkhaz and South Ossetian approval, with the rebel leaders preferring Russian soldiers instead

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  August 11, 2008 ---------

EU BEGINS ENFORCEMENT OF NEW IRAN SANCTIONS

In a statement published Friday by the bloc's current president France, the European Union announced it had begun to apply new measures against Tehran, including closely scrutinizing financial groups doing business with Iranian banks, and holding back on loans for companies trading with Iran. The EU's 27 members will also inspect airplanes and ships traveling to and from Iran to insure they are not carrying illegal materials.

The sanctions make good an agreement by EU ambassadors last month and go further than existing United Nations trade sanctions. But they do not impose sanctions on Iran's oil and gas trade.

Tehran insists its nuclear program is for the peaceful purpose of providing energy and not an effort to build nuclear weapons, as western nations fear. Earlier this week, France and the United States criticized as insufficient Iran's response to a package of incentives offered in exchange for Iran's freezing its nuclear program.

In recent remarks to reporters in Brussels, the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana laid out the stakes for each side.

‘For us, to refrain from any further sanctions in the [UN] Security Council. For them, to refrain from any other nuclear activity...That is what we are asking - which we call freeze for freeze,’ said Solana. ‘It's something very sensible to engage in the process of negotiation. It's as simple as that.’

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  August 5, 2008 ---------

EU'S SOLANA HOLDS TALKS WITH IRAN ON NUCLEAR ROW

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Monday spoke by phone on the standoff over Tehran's nuclear program, officials from both sides said.

‘The conversation took place and Solana will report on it to the representatives of the group of six,’ powers involved in the talks -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- a Solana spokesman told AFP in Brussels.

The spokesman for Solana, who is negotiating on behalf of the six world powers, gave no details on the conversation or how long the two men talked.

Iranian state-run television reported that in the telephone conversation, ‘both sides agreed to continue talks.’

‘They also emphasized that preserving this path (talks) needs positive and constructive atmosphere,’ the television report said without elaborating.

The United States had demanded that Iran meet a deadline of last weekend to respond to an international package of incentives aimed at persuading Tehran to freeze uranium enrichment amid warnings of new sanctions.

But an EU diplomat said on Friday: ‘If it's in 16 days instead of 14 it's not a problem. We are not obsessed with a date.’

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  August 4, 2008 ---------

European businesses back Blair for EU council president

Tony Blair would make the best EU president for European businesses, according to a poll by the financial news channel CNBC Europe. Blair was by far the most popular choice by those who took part in the poll, receiving 37% of the vote.

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, came second, with the backing of 23% of respondents, and the other frontrunner being mentioned for the job, Luxembourg's prime minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, won 12% of CNBC Europe's poll.

The current EU commission president, José Manuel Barroso, was fourth place, with 10%. The role of EU council president will come into being next year, if the organisation's member states ratify the Lisbon treaty.

But the exact nature and status of the role is yet to be decided - some countries want a high-profile figure to represent the EU at a global level, while others would prefer a more low-key, bureaucratic figure.

Blair outlined his vision for a full-time EU president back in 2003, saying a dedicated figurehead would give the union a more powerful voice on the world stage. He said he believed the enlarged EU needed a full-time president, rather than the current rotating leadership.

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  JULY 15, 2008 ---------

EU THREATENS US WITH NEW VISA RESTRICTIONS

The European Commission is threatening to retaliate against the United States in January, unless Washington grants citizens of all EU member-countries visa-free entry to the United States.

A commission statement Wednesday said there has been ‘no tangible progress’ on the issue with U.S. negotiators. Citizens of 12 EU countries are still required to obtain visas when entering U.S. territory.

The statement said the commission will propose restoring visa requirements January 1 for U.S. citizens holding diplomatic or other official passports.

Most older EU states remain a part of the current U.S. waiver program. But citizens of newer states, most of them former communist countries, and those of Greece, still must obtain visas before entering the United States.

Earlier this year, top EU leaders complained that U.S. officials are circumventing the EU by attempting to reach separate visa deals with individual EU countries

...........................................

MILITARY STRIKE NOT AN OPTION ON IRAN, EU MINISTERS SAY

European Union foreign ministers on Tuesday (22 July) called for further diplomacy in dealing with concerns over Iran's nuclear program and ruled out a military strike as an option.

UK foreign secretary David Miliband said following the meeting: ‘We are 100 percent focused on a diplomatic resolution to the Iranian issue.’

The EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said there was ‘no other route’ apart from diplomacy.

‘The position of the European Union is clear,’ said Mr. Solana according to the AP. ‘We want to find a diplomatic solution to this, in particular to clarify to the fullest the nature of their nuclear program.’

Mr. Solana outlined for the ministers the results of a meeting on Saturday between Iran and diplomats from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, and Russia, where Tehran was encouraged to halt its uranium enrichment in return for a package of economic and political carrots.

With the US for the first time sending a high-ranking diplomat to the meeting, expectations were high that better relations between the two main antagonists would bear fruit. However, Iran maintained that its nuclear program had only peaceful purposes.

American secretary of state Condoleezza Rice described Iran's negotiations following the meeting as ‘not serious.’

Mr. Solana on Tuesday however said he hoped to have ‘to have clear and simple answers’ from Tehran within two weeks' time

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  JULY 14, 2008 ---------

PALESTINIAN, ISRAELI LEADERS CALL FOR LARGER EU ROLE IN PEACE PROCESS

Flanked by Israeli and Palestinian leaders, French President Nicolas Sarkozy described Sunday's euro-Mediterranean summit in Paris as an historic event because it gathered almost all the Arab heads of state along with the Israeli Prime Minister.

Mr. Sarkozy told reporters that obviously did not mean all the problems in the Middle East were resolved. But the gathering mirrored the objectives of the new Mediterranean partnership - in which members could learn to like each other rather than to make war.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas scheduled discussions before the afternoon summit, in which more than 40 heads of state launched a new pact between the European Union and non-European Mediterranean states.

Although there have been few developments in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations in recent months, both leaders said they were committed to peace.

Olmert described the talks as very serious. Never had the two sides been so close to an accord, he said. Both Israeli and Arab leaders have called for the European Union to play a larger role in the Middle East peace process

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  JULY 10, 2008 ---------

"Club Med" to include 44 nations

The European Commission has unveiled its proposals to give renewed vitality and visibility to the EU’s relations with its partners in the Mediterranean region.

This new forum, called "Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean," will unite 44 countries.

They include the 27 EU states and 13 partners: Albania, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Tunisia, Syria and Turkey -- plus Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro and Monaco.

The forum would be managed by a co-presidency involving one European and one partner nation, but all 27 EU countries will be eligible under the commission's plans, not just those around the Mediterranean as France had hoped

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  JULY 2, 2008 ---------

FRENCH HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR EU PRESIDENCY

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has laid down ambitious objectives for the European Union over the next six months under the French presidency. He wants to create more unified and tougher European immigration and asylum policies toward foreigners by harmonizing EU legislation and tightening border controls. He also wants a stronger European defense - a goal that goes hand in hand with plans for France's return to NATO's military wing.

Mr. Sarkozy also hopes Europe will agree to a new EU climate change agreement and to open debate on the future of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy.

During an interview Monday night on France 3 television, the French president said it was important that the European Union protect its citizens.

A case in point, Mr. Sarkozy said was his call to cut European gas taxes, to help European drivers bear the cost of rising oil prices.

Mr. Sarkozy predicted that forging a European agreement on climate change would be the toughest goal of the French presidency.

Mr. Sarkozy said that Europe must set an example to get other countries, like the United States, China, Brazil and India, to cut their greenhouse emissions. He laid out the EU's particular goals, to cut by 20 percent Europe's energy consumption, its greenhouse gas emissions, while increasing alternative energy use by a fifth, all by the year 2020, and without sacrificing Europe's industrial competitiveness.

The French presidency comes at a time when the EU faces a crisis after Irish voters rejected the so-called Lisbon treaty in a June referendum. Ireland has been given four months to figure out its next step. Of the EU's 27 members, Ireland is the only one so far to have rejected the document, which aims to forge a closer and stronger bloc. The worst case scenario is that the treaty might be scuttled, just like the more ambitious charter that preceded it

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  JUNE 24, 2008 ---------

EU NATIONS TO INCREASE SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN

European Union states agreed on a new round of sanctions against Iran on Monday over its refusal to meet international demands to curb its nuclear program, an EU official said.

The Iran sanctions were on a list of policy proposals put to EU ministers at a meeting in Luxembourg. EU diplomats have said the new sanctions include measures to target Iran's biggest bank, Bank Melli, with an asset and funds freeze.

The measures will notably stop the operations of the bank's offices in London, Hamburg and Paris.

The new sanctions also add more names of people and organizations to the EU's visa-ban and assets-freeze lists, according to one of the sources.

The EU move stems from a strict interpretation of UN sanctions against Iran which have been adopted since 2006 aimed at persuading Tehran to suspend its uranium enrichment activities, which the international community fears are part of a nuclear weapons building program.

Tehran insists it wants atomic energy only for a growing population whose fossil fuels will eventually run out.

The UN sanctions include a clause calling for ‘vigilance’ by member states over the movement in their territories of people directly associated with or supporting Iran's nuclear activities.

The EU has decided to interpret this clause in the strictest fashion, one European diplomat said.

Washington has been waiting for Europe to take such measures for months. Indeed the matter became a theme of US President George W. Bush's recent European tour

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  JUNE 16, 2008 ---------

EU URGES DEFIANT IRAN TO ACCEPT NUCLEAR OFFER

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Saturday urged Iran to give a positive response to a new offer on ending a six-year standoff with the international community over its nuclear drive.

Solana, who presented the offer on behalf of world powers, stressed the need to restore trust in ‘the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program’, even after Tehran rejected a key condition of halting uranium enrichment.

‘I hope that the answer will be soon and positive,’ he told a press conference at the end of a mission to Tehran.

The package, drawn up by permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany, offers Iran economic and trade incentives in a bid to resolve a crisis that has raised fears of regional conflict, pushed up oil prices and seen Iran hit by UN sanctions.

Solana said the offer was ‘full of opportunities for Iran’ and he hoped it would be the ‘starting point for the real negotiations.’

Just hours into Solana's visit, Iran's government spokesman rejected the apparent main condition of the offer -- that Tehran suspends uranium enrichment, a process that can be used to make a nuclear bomb.

‘Iran's stance is clear. The precondition of a halt and suspension of nuclear activities cannot be brought up,’ Gholam Hossein Elham said.

But Solana said ‘we continue to ask for a suspension during the time of negotiations and we will see the outcome of negotiations. The negotiations will take months.’

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  JUNE 13, 2008 ---------

EU looks to enter 'new era' as player on world stage, enforce foreign policy with EU Army

The European Parliament is seeking to bolster its role in the bloc's common foreign and security policy (CFSP), with senior MEPs saying it is time for Europe to become a "player and not just a payer" on the world stage.

Polish center-right MEP and head of the foreign affairs committee, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, says that EU foreign is moving "from one era to another" with the new Lisbon Treaty, due to kick in next year.

The proposed new EU foreign minister and diplomatic service as well as the possibility for a group of member states to move ahead in defense cooperation mean foreign policy is "one of the most innovative parts of the treaty."

Mr Saryusz-Wolski, who believes the union will gradually develop its own army, says it is no longer enough that the bloc exercises its traditional role as a soft power. "Too often we spend money without any conditions being attached. I am against Europe being a payer and not a player," he said.

But he admits there is a "fear" in the parliament that the foreign minister and the new permanent president of the European Council may add to the trill of voices of on the EU stage all claiming to speak for Europe and may not turn Europe into a player.

The potential for overlap between the two posts – starting in January - and for rivalry with the European Commission president is high..

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  MAY 14, 2008 ---------

EU MINISTERS IN GEORGIA FOR CRISIS TALKS

Five European Union foreign ministers are in Georgia to show support for its pro-Western government, as a Georgian-Russian dispute over Moscow's backing for Georgian separatists continues.

The foreign ministers of Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden are meeting Monday with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and other top officials. The delegation told reporters Sunday the European delegation would express solidarity with the Tbilisi government and voice support for Georgian sovereignty.

Tensions between Moscow and Tbilisi escalated last month, when then-Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his government to establish closer ties with separatists in two Georgian breakaway border regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Within days of that order, Georgia accused the Russian military of shooting down one of its unmanned intelligence aircraft over the breakaway republic of Abkhazia.

Moscow also moved to boost its military presence in Abkhazia.

Since then, Abkhazian authorities claimed six more shoot downs, including two downings today. Russia has denied involvement. Georgia denied losing any drones Monday

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  MAY 9, 2008 ---------

EU delays ruling on GM products

The European Commission on Wednesday ordered more tests on whether several genetically modified products should be allowed in Europe, putting back a decision on whether to give approval.

Commission spokesman Johannes Laitenberger put the new delay down to divisions within the European Union's executive arm, pitting environmentalists against the biotech industry.

The European Commission, which has not authorized a GM crop in the EU since 1998, faces growing pressure to resolve the matter

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  MAY 8, 2008 ---------

The European Union Election

While the US is getting ready to vote for a new president, the European Union is also making plans to elect a president.

He will be known as the “President of Europe” and the extent of the job description is not fully known or set in place.

Tony Blair was favored for the job, but a new hopeful is quietly emerging, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the liberal Prime Minister of Denmark.

So far, there are at least eight contenders vying for the job. Elections to the European Parliament will be held from 11 June to 14 June 2009 in the 27 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom.

496 million Union citizens will elect 736 MEPs by proportional representation, topping the 2004 election which was the biggest trans-national election in history.

It could potentially be the first election to take place under the expected Treaty of Lisbon, increasing the power of the Parliament and relevance of the election.

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  MAY 2, 2008 ---------

EU WARNS RUSSIA AGAINST BOOSTING TROOPS IN GEORGIAN BREAKAWAY REGIONS

In a sharp escalation of tensions in the South Caucasus, Russia has claimed that Georgia is set to invade its breakaway region of Abkhazia and is increasing the number of Russian troops there and in South Ossetia in response. The EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, has warned Russia against such a move.

‘Even if the increase in peacekeepers is within limits, if we want to diminish the perception of tensions, I don't think it is a wise measure to increase now,’ EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Tuesday (29 April), adding that the union continues to defend the territorial integrity of Georgia.

The statement came only hours after Russia had accused Georgia, a part of the Soviet Union between 1922 and 1991, of attempting to invade Abkhazia, something that Tbillisi denies.

‘If Georgia puts in place the threat it has made on a number of occasions about the use of force in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, we would be forced to take retaliatory measures to protect the lives of our citizens,’ Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told press, after talking to his European counterparts in Luxembourg on Tuesday.

The Russian foreign ministry has accused Georgia of sending 1,500 of its own troops and police in the upper Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia, which is still under Tblisi's control.

‘A bridgehead is being prepared for the start of military operations against Abkhazia,’ reads a ministry statement.

Georgia has denied any plans or troop build-up, and regarded the Russian move and accusations as provocative.

Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze said: ‘From now on, we consider every [Russian] soldier or any unit of military equipment coming in [to Abkhazia and South Ossetia] as illegal, potential aggressors and potential generators of destabilization.’

‘We consider this to be an utterly irresponsible step. We think this step will utterly destabilize this region,’ he added

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  APRIL 17, 2008 ---------

EUROZONE COUNTRIES SHOULD SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE, JUNCKER SAYS

Countries using the euro should speak with one voice and be represented by one seat in the International Monetary Fund in order to be more credible, the president of the eurogroup, Jean-Claude Juncker, said on Tuesday (15 April).

Referring to an idea raised by French president Nicolas Sarkozy that the eurozone – the 15 countries that have adopted the single currency – should be represented by one single voice internationally, Mr Juncker said he too thought this was ‘the only way to go.’

‘It is absurd for those 15 countries not to agree to have a single representation at the IMF. It makes us look absolutely ridiculous. We are regarded as buffoons on the international scene,’ the group's president said at a conference in Brussels.

EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner Joaquin Almunia said eurozone countries should first adopt the same political agenda before thinking about common representation.

‘Once the policy agenda is defined, it's easier to have a single voice and then it's easier to advance to a single representation,’ Mr Almunia told a news conference on Tuesday

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  APRIL 10, 2008 ---------

EU EXPECTED TO CALL FOR BOYCOTT OF OLYMPIC OPENING CEREMONIES

The European Union is expected to pass a motion Wednesday urging European countries to boycott the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Beijing unless Chinese authorities begin talks with the Dalai Lama.

The motion, which is non-binding, stems from China's crackdown in Tibet after violent protests against Chinese rule broke out last month.

‘There is this growing momentum to send some sort of signal to China,’ CBC's David Common said.

The resolution by the 27-member union obtained by Reuters says:

‘The European Parliament calls on the EU presidency in office to strive to find a common EU position with regard to attendance at the Olympic Games opening ceremony with the option of non-attendance in the event if there is no resumption of dialogue between the Chinese authorities and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.’

Common said the motion is expected to pass.

China has blamed the ‘Dalai clique’ for orchestrating the protests in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. But the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader has denied claims he instigated the violence.

He has said he would be willing to meet with Chinese leaders, including Chinese President Hu Jintao. China has said the door is open to talks but only if the Dalai Lama recognizes Tibet as part of China and gives up his separatist activities.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Tuesday that he would consider boycotting the ceremonies unless Chinese authorities began speaking to the Dali Lama.

U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown plan to attend the ceremonies, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she will skip the opening.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said he will not attend but that he never planned to and that Ottawa will send a high-level delegation to the ceremonies

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

***WATCHMAN... Looks like I have been forgetting to ARCHIVE the EU material here - It has been posted on this page though... CLICH HERE for NEWS & VIEWS

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  February 19, 2008 ---------

TONY BLAIR POPULAR CHOICE AS EU PRESIDENT

Tony Blair is a popular choice to become the first president of the European Union, according to a pan-Europe opinion poll.

The Financial Times Harris poll, carried out in five countries, showed that most Europeans would like to see a prominent political figure as EU president.

The post, created under the Lisbon Treaty, comes into effect next year.

Fifty per cent of Britons backed a high-profile figure, rising to around 80 per cent in France, Italy and Spain. Only the Germans were less enthusiastic, with 45 per cent favoring a political star.

Mr. Blair scored well inside and outside his own country. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, was the only other figure to enjoy the same widespread popularity, and she is not a candidate

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

EU'S SOLANA HOPEFUL OF NEW NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Sunday that he hoped to meet Iran's top nuclear negotiator within the next three months, a day after Iran ruled out further talks with major world powers.

‘I hope to be able to meet soon’ with Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili, he said at the Brussels Forum conference in the Belgian capital.

Solana, who has led talks aimed at persuading Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, said he did not expect a meeting in coming days because ‘nothing dramatic is going to happen’ in the wake of last week's elections there.

He said a possible time frame might be in ‘30 days to 90 days’.

‘Let's see what is the response’ from Tehran, he said.

The UN Security Council two weeks ago tightened sanctions against Tehran for a third time over its refusal to heed the world body's calls to freeze uranium enrichment, a potential weapons-making process.

A review is scheduled 90 days after they were imposed.

Solana has, for almost two years, been trying to persuade the Islamic republic to suspend uranium enrichment in exchange for a vast package of political, trade and economic incentives

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  February 13, 2008 ---------

EU PLANS BIOMETRIC BORDER CHECKS

Visitors to the EU could face digital fingerprinting at airports under plans to beef up border security, EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini has said.

He said travelers from outside the EU could face a biometric test as part of their visa while those not needing a permit would be checked on arrival.

There are also plans to improve border surveillance and land and sea patrols.

Rights group Privacy International said the move could create a ‘fortress Europe’ for foreigners.

The proposals for a radical shake-up of the EU's border security were unveiled by Mr. Frattini in Brussels.

The commissioner said the 27-member bloc had to use ‘the most advanced technology to reach the highest level of security’ to stop visitors overstaying their welcome in Europe and to prevent terrorists from coming in.

The plans would also allow for a Registered Traveler Program to enable EU citizens to pass through customs with only random checks.

That could be extended to include non-EU citizens on multiple visas

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  February 6, 2008 ---------

BRUSSELS TO TIGHTEN EU EXTERNAL BORDERS

The European Commission is working on a new set of measures aimed at strengthening the EU's external borders in order to monitor migrants and track down criminals.

Next Wednesday (13 February), EU home affairs commissioner Franco Frattini is expected to table a border control package, consisting of three proposals.

The package suggests setting up an entry/exit register of non-European visitors to the EU, and a European Border Surveillance System designed to detect those who enter the bloc between border crossing points.

In addition, Brussels is set to push for better use of the EU's border control agency, Frontex, particularly via ‘intensified’ joint operations between member states at sea borders.

‘It is now time to look ahead and develop the next generation of border management tools’, Mr. Frattini's paper says, while suggesting the package should become part of a priority list of the current Slovenian EU presidency.

All proposed measures could then enter into force between 2012 and 2015

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  January 11, 2008 ---------

Tony Blair to become EU President in 2009?

Former UK prime minister Tony Blair will attend a conference of French president Nicolas Sarkozy's center-right party UMP on Saturday, in what is said to be his first intervention for a party other than his own.

The move is fuelling speculation that Mr. Blair, who belongs to the UK's center-left Labor party, is in the running for EU president – a new high-profile job that can be held for up to five years starting in 2009.

The two men will debate Europe and Mr. Blair may get clear backing from Mr. Sarkozy in exchange of his participation at the conference, according to media reports. The UMP meeting marks the launch of its pre-electoral campaign before the municipal elections in France on 9 and 16 March – but there is set to be much speculation around Mr. Blair's attendance.

The president of the socialist group in the French national assembly, Jean-Marc Ayrault, has accused Mr. Sarkozy of preparing the ground for Mr Blair's candidacy for the EU top job with Saturday's event.

"I see something emerging from the UMP's side and from the president of the republic…, which is preparing Tony Blair's candidacy for EU president", Mr. Ayrault was reported as saying by French news agency AFP on Tuesday.

"This candidacy is not acceptable, because it is not acceptable that the first EU president is a man who supported and participated in the war in Iraq", he added.

Other politicians who have already expressed interest in what is to set to be one of the EU's top jobs include Luxembourg's prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker and his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern.

Two more positions are also up for grabs next year – president of the European Commission and EU foreign minister. Haggling over the nominations for the post is set to start in earnest in the second half of this year when France takes over the EU presidency.

...........................

France is ready to champion larger EU

France is to become a champion of further enlargement of the European Union, according to the French minister for Europe, in a change of approach likely to ease the accession of new members to the bloc.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Jean-Pierre Jouyet said the French government under Nicolas Sarkozy, the president, had ditched its longstanding skepticism about enlargement and now saw a bigger EU as a stronger force in the world.

Mr. Jouyet said there had been a sea change in the government’s approach to Europe since French voters rejected the EU constitution in a referendum in 2005. “We have crossed a very important Rubicon in the last two years in terms of European integration.

We used to believe that a federal Europe was necessary for a more deeply integrated union and that enlargement would counter this and prevent Europe from working effectively. We have now overcome this contradiction.

“The thing that has most struck me since I took up this job seven months ago is precisely the capacity of an EU of 27 members, and more one day, to take decisions.” Mr. Jouyet said further extending the EU’s borders “does not make me worried”.

France would push for the eventual integration of the Balkan countries, including Serbia, which he described as a “pole of stability” for the region. However, there are limits to how far Paris wants the EU to grow.

Mr. Sarkozy opposes Turkish membership of the EU. And Mr. Jouyet admitted that “in France we have not done enough to make the case for enlargement”. With France due to take over the EU’s rotating six-month presidency in July, Mr. Jouyet said his government’s ambitions were that “Europe gets moving once again and that France regains its role”.

France’s priorities are a bigger role for the EU in defense and security, energy and the environment, an EU-wide pact on immigration and integration of foreigners and new regulation of financial markets following the credit squeeze.

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  December 31, 2007 - January 1, 2008---------

EUROPE SHOCKED AND ANGRY OVER BHUTTO KILLING

European politicians joined their counterparts from all over the world in expressing anger and regret over the murder of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, while urging the Muslim and nuclear power-holding country to keep on the path to democracy and refrain from violence.

‘I learned with dismay of the assassination of Mrs. Benazir Bhutto, Chair of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), today in Rawalpindi,’ stated European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso on Thursday (27 January), referring to it as a ‘callous terrorist attack.’

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the act was ‘clearly aimed at destabilizing the country and it shows that there are forces and people who are trying to undermine reconciliation and the democratization process in Pakistan.’

Mrs. Bhutto, 54, Pakistan's prime minister from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996, was shot by a man who then blew himself up and killed around 20 others at an election rally in Rawalpindi…

Several European leaders highlighted Mrs. Bhutto's courage for participating in a campaign ahead of the 8 January parliamentary election, in which her PPP party was tipped to win with clear majority.

In a letter to Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf, French president Nicolas Sarkozy said the murdered politician had paid ‘with her life for her commitment to the service of her fellow citizens and to Pakistan's political life.’

Italian leader Romano Prodi referred to the murdered politician as ‘a woman who chose to fight her battle until the end with a single weapon — the one of dialogue and political debate.’

In Britain, where Mrs. Bhutto had attended Oxford University, prime minister Gordon Brown called her murderers ‘cowards who are afraid of democracy,’ adding ‘this atrocity strengthens our resolve that the terrorists will not win there, here, or anywhere in the world.’

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also stressed that the attack ‘targets the stability and democratic process of Pakistan’ and along with her European counterparts urged the country's leadership to prevent further violence and political instability

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  Dec7, 2007 ---------

EU MARKS 'HISTORICAL' ENLARGEMENT OF BORDERLESS ZONE

The EU's borderless zone expanded to nine mostly eastern European countries at midnight on Friday (21 December) in its biggest enlargement so far.

Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic - which all joined the EU in 2004 - are part of this enlargement to the so-called Schengen area.

Land and sea border checks between them and the other Schengen countries are now abolished, while air borders are set to follow on 30 March 2008.

Practically it means that as of today, ‘people can travel hassle-free between 24 countries of the Schengen area without internal land and sea border controls- from Portugal to Poland and from Greece to Finland’, EU justice commissioner Franco Frattini said in a statement.

‘An area of 24 countries without internal borders is a unique and historical achievement. I feel very proud and privileged to have been involved in making it happen’, he added

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page  December 20, 2007 ---------

Expansion of the EU's borderless area

Eu slowly retuning to Old Roman Empire boundaries

A minute after midnight on Thursday, the European Union will lift border checks with nine of its newest members. Here are key facts about the expansion of its border-free area:

- The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia will join the border-free "Schengen" zone on December 21. Border posts will be dismantled, people will travel without showing passports. The end of checks will be extended to airports in March.

- Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Greece and non-EU members Norway and Iceland are already part of the borderless area. EU members Britain and Ireland have chosen not to take part.

- The expanded zone will be 3.6 million sq km (1.4 million sq miles), with more than 400 million inhabitants. It is named the Schengen area, after a village in Luxembourg where a first agreement to cut border checks was signed in 1985 between the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and France.

- The Schengen area has been gradually expanding, but Thursday's extension will be the biggest so far.

- The nine new Schengen entrants joined the EU in 2004. Cyprus, which also joined the EU in 2004, has asked for one year's delay. Romania and Bulgaria, which joined the EU this year, need more work to meet security criteria, officials say.

- Schengen countries use an EU-wide database storing names of criminal suspects and stolen cars, for checks at the bloc's external borders. New entrants have had to step up security and undergo checks by the old Schengen states.

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page November 20, 2007 --------------

EU 'SHOULD EXPAND BEYOND EUROPE'

Foreign Secretary David Miliband has suggested the European Union should work towards including Russia, Middle Eastern and North African countries.

He said enlargement was ‘our most powerful tool’ for extending stability.

In his first major speech on the UK's relationship with Europe, he said the EU would not become a ‘superpower’ but should be a ‘role model’ for the world.

It could be a ‘model power of regional co-operation’ dedicated to free trade, the environment and tackling extremism.

He said the EU must ‘keep our promises to Turkey’, adding: ‘If we fail.... it will signal a deep and dangerous divide between east and west.

‘Beyond that we must keep the door open, retaining the incentive for change and the prospect of membership provides.’

Mr. Miliband made his address at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, where Baroness Thatcher delivered her famous warning against ‘some sort of identikit European personality’ almost exactly two decades ago in September 1988

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page November 16-18, 2007 --------------

MILIBAND: EU 'MUST TACKLE GLOBAL CONFLICTS'

European countries should be more willing to launch military interventions in trouble-spots around the world, David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, will say today.

Mr. Miliband will use a speech in Bruges to warn the European Union it faces becoming irrelevant if it is unwilling to deploy ‘hard power’ to promote democracy and tackle conflict beyond its borders.

His remarks reflect simmering anger in the UK government that EU members like France and Germany have refused to deploy large numbers of troops in Afghanistan, leaving British forces bearing a disproportionate military burden there.

‘There is a clear fork in the road,’ Mr. Miliband will say, telling European leaders that if they ‘focus on internal not external challenges; institutions rather than ideals’ then the consequence will be ‘losing our hard power by not being prepared to intervene’.

Mr. Miliband will also call for Europe to work together to tackle environmental concerns and propose that the free trade zone be extended into north Africa by 2030.

The Foreign Secretary will argue that the EU can fill a vacuum in modern politics

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page November 9-11, 2007November 9-11, 2007 --------------

EU SPLIT INTO SEVERAL CAMPS ON RUSSIA STRATEGY, SAYS REPORT

Within the European Union there are a least five camps when it comes to dealing with Russia, ranging from the 'Trojan horse' countries to the 'new Cold warriors', says a new study analyzing the bloc's divided approach to its giant neighbor to the east.

According to a fresh analysis by new thinktank European Council on Foreign Relations, the EU ‘has begun to behave as if it were subordinate to an increasingly assertive Russia’ largely due to its own disunity.

The report points out that Russia is ‘picking off’ single member states to make long term energy deals, that Moscow has ‘shut the Union out’ of Caucasus and Central Asia, and is blocking an agreement on the status of Kosovo in the UN.

‘Russia is emerging as an ideological alternative to the EU (...) Whereas the EU stands for an idea of order based on consensus, interdependence and the rule of law, Russian foreign policy is motivated by a quest for power, independence and control.’

The report notes that Russia is able to do this even though the EU's combined economy is 15 times the size of Russia's, its military budget is seven times higher, and its population three times the size of Russia.

The analysis also dismisses the idea that the disunity on Russia - an issue it says is the most ‘contentious’ for the EU since the Iraq war - has become worse since eastern European states joined in 2004.

‘EU divisions on Russia are more complex and surprising than a simple cleavage between old and new member states.’

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page November 8, 2007 --------------

EU TO PROPOSE COLLECTING DATA ON AIR PASSENGERS

As part of a new EU counter-terrorism strategy, Brussels is to propose that member states collect 19 pieces of air passenger data, with the possibility to store it for up to thirteen years.

On Tuesday (6 November), EU home affairs commissioner Franco Frattini will kick off a lengthy legislative process, which at the end should see an EU-wide air passengers name recording scheme (PNR) similar to the controversial US database on European air travelers.

Mr. Frattini argues in his paper that ‘the collection and analysis of PNR data allows the law enforcement authorities to identify high risk passengers and to take appropriate measures’ such as secondary screening upon their arrival or a refusal of entry in the destination country.

‘Almost all terrorist campaigns are trans-national’, he points out.

However, the commission proposal does not foresee a centralized pan-European database, as run the risk of failure due to the vast amount of data received from the 27 individual member states.

Instead, it suggests that each member state sets up a passenger information unit responsible for collecting as well as analyzing the PNR data from all carriers operating flights into or from the EU territory.

Member states' law enforcement authorities, entitled to receive and further process the information, should share them if ‘necessary’ for the prevention and fight against terrorist offences and organized crime

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

Archived from NEWS+VIEWS page November 6, 2007 --------------

The European Union is the most popular great power - more people across all continents want to see its power increase

The results of the 2007 edition of Voice of the People - the world's largest survey of public opinion in 2007, based on interviews with 57,000 people from fifty-two countries - show that more world citizens want to see an increase in the power of the European Union than any other great power.

In the survey, which asked people if the global influence of various major international powers (Brazil, China, the European Union, India, Iran, Russia, South Africa and the United States) should increase or decrease to make the world a better place, the EU received the highest number of positive answers.

More than a third of respondents (35 percent) said they wanted to see an increase in EU power while only 20% want it to decline. Just over one in four respondents believe that India and South Africa should have greater influence (27 percent and 26 percent, respectively), whereas two in ten declare the opposite (20 percent and 18 percent).

Almost a quarter (23 percent) think Brazil should be more influential while 17 percent believe the contrary. Russia and China provoke more negative than positive reactions. While 23 percent and 24 percent of respondents respectively want to see the power of these countries increase, 29 percent and 32 percent believe the world would benefit from a decline in their power.

Respondents are most hostile to the influence of Iran and the United States. Although 26 percent of respondents believe an increase in US power would make the world a better place, 37 percent think the opposite.

In the case of Iran, 39 percent would like to see its power decline, while only 14 percent want it to have more influence in the world. The EU is unique among the big four powers (the other three being the US, China and Russia) in that no one wants to balance its rise.

It is striking that a continent with a military budget second only to the United States, and the biggest number of serving peacekeeping forces, is perceived as a force for good. This suggests that EU policy-makers' attempts to achieve greater visibility for EU power may well be misguided.

The fact that European peacekeepers tend to operate under a NATO or a national flag rather than a European one probably helps to make the EU seem less threatening. The fragmentation of European power among twenty-seven member-states endows the EU with a stealthy quality on the world stage.

The Last Days Signs - The End Times - Are Upon The Earth!

                        --------------------------------------------------------------------

 

           Hits to this page since 4/19/02 

 

                               Green Counters NOT WORKING

 

            

THIS COUNTER IS WORKING: