Europe-East articles from February 2007

Europe-East archives from February 2007

EU/KOSOVO : EU STEPS UP EFFORTS TO HELP SERBIA & KOSOVO TO FIND COMPROMISE.
February 22, 2007... The European Union is urging Belgrade and Pristina that, together with UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari, they get actively engaged in finding a realistic compromise solution on Kosovo. 'I strongly encourage both Belgrade and Pristina to engage...

EU URGES FURTHER TALKS ON KOSOVO.(Brief article)
February 22, 2007... The German EU Presidency urged Serbian and Albanian leaders in Kosovo on 2 February to accept the UN special envoy's proposal of a new round of talks to forge a compromise over the status of the province. "The Presidency of the European Union...

L'EUROPE, SORTIR DU DOUTE.
February 22, 2007... Jean-Victor Louis, Professor at Free University of Brussels (ULB) and Editor-in-Chief of Cahiers de droit europeen, presents his views on the future of Europe. He argues for continuing the European integration process. The draft Constitutional...

NEW COMMISSIONERS TAKE OATH.(Meglena Kuneva, Leonard Orban appointed as a commissioners by the European Union. European Commission)(Brief article)
February 22, 2007... The Court of Justice of the European Communities, on 22 January, held a formal sitting at which the two new members of the European Commission gave their solemn undertaking in accordance with the Treaties. Following the accession of Bulgaria...

EU/KOSOVO : US AND KEY EU STATES AT ODDS WITH RUSSIA OVER AHTISAARI'S PLAN.(Martti Ahtisaari )
February 22, 2007... A proposal to grant Kosovo virtual independence has immediately created a split between Russia and other members of the contact group, namely the US, the UK, France, Germany and Italy. The plan, presented by the UN special envoy Martti...

500 MILLION EURO FOR LEBANON.(European Union. European Commission's a new assistance package)(Brief article)
February 22, 2007... During the International Donor Conference on Support to Lebanon on 25 January in Paris,athe President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, and Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner will present a new assistance...

ALBANIA SET TO JOIN EUROPOL.(European Union. European Police Office)(Brief article)
February 22, 2007... Albania signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Europol on 5 February that enables both parties to exchange strategic and technical information required to fight organised crime and terrorism. Albania has become notorious as a conduit for...

ENVIRONMENT : CLIMATE, INNOVATION AND EMPLOYMENT ARE PRESIDENCY'S PRIORITIES.
February 22, 2007... The top environmental priority of the German Presidency of the EU is the Energy-Climate Package, announced German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel, speaking to the European Parliament's Environment Committee on 23 January in Brussels. Like...

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY : COMMISSION SET TO DEVELOP CLOSER EU RELATIONS WITH BLACK SEA REGION.
February 22, 2007... A new proposal on further developing the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) will focus on strengthening regional cooperation in the Black Sea region, comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia. This was the...

DOHA ROUND : DAVOS FORUM GIVES NEW IMPETUS TO STALLED TRADE TALKS.
February 22, 2007... International efforts to rekindle the Doha Round trade talks, stalled since July 2006, are being confirmed. The ministers of 23 World Trade Organisation member countries made a commitment, on 27 January at the World Economic Forum in Davos...

INTERVIEW WITH CROATIA'S FOREIGN MINISTER KOLINDA GRABAR-KITAROVIC : ENLARGEMENT FATIGUE' WILL NOT STOP CROATIA FROM JOINING THE EU.
February 22, 2007... Croatia's Foreign Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic gives her views to Europolitics on a range of issues, from Croatia's EU prospects, the resumption of EU-Serbia Stability and Association Agreement (SAA) negotiations and talks on the future...

EPP-ED CALLS ON BELARUS TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP.(Brief article)
February 22, 2007... Belarus and the state of current relations between the EU and the Belarusian regime was a main subject of EPP-ED Group's discussion, which took place in the European Parliament on 8 February. 'The Lukashenko regime in Minsk is now at a...

EU/MONTENEGRO : ETHNIC ROW RAGES OVER NEW CONSTITUTION.(European Union)
February 22, 2007... The relatively smooth path to independence of Europe's newest nation, Montenegro, is suddenly looking a lot bumpier. The pro-Serb leader of the main opposition party Andrija Mandic has accused the government of flouting EU standards on the...

EU CALLS ON MINSK TO RESPECT RIGHTS OF NGOS.
February 22, 2007... Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Commissioner for External Relations , has strongly condemned the Belarusian government's recent actions against the Minsk office of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC). "I learnt with great sadness that...

EU/SERBIA/KOSOVO : EU FOREIGN MINISTERS GIVE BELGRADE A SECOND CHANCE.
February 22, 2007... With the Kosovo status talks entering a critical stage, the EU's foreign ministers, meeting at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 12 February, decided to soften their stance on Serbia while at the same time reiterating their...

INTERVIEW WITH DORIS PACK, MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT : EU SHOULD ADMIT BALKAN STATES AND THEN STOP ENLARGING.(dialogue with Doris Pack )(Interview)
February 22, 2007... Doris Pack a(EPP-ED, DE) is the Chairwoman of the EP Delegation for relations with the countries of south-east Europe. She strongly supports Balkan states in their bid to join the EU but does not shy away from pointing out areas where the...

INTERVIEW WITH MEP JACEK SARYUSZ-WOLSKI : "EU SHOULDN'T LET ITSELF BE BLACKMAILED BY ANY ENERGY SUPPLIER".(dialogue with Jacek Saryusz-Wolski)(Interview)
February 22, 2007... The security of energy supplies and strong value-based policy towards Russia are the key priorities for Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, (EPP-ED, Poland), the new Chairman of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET). In an interview with...

EU SOFTENS STANCE ON SERBIA.(European Union)(Brief article)
February 22, 2007... After hours of tough discussions, EU foreign ministers have decided to soften their stance on Serbia. At the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 12 February in Brussels, EU member states said they were ready to resume negotiations...

EU/RUSSIA : FOTYGA: "PUTIN'S ADDRESS REINFORCED EU'S UNITY TOWARDS RUSSIA".(European Union)(Brief article)
February 22, 2007... "Vladimir Putin's address to an international security conference in Munich on 10 February exacerbated Russia's political relations with the West," said Polish Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga at a press conference following the EU foreign...

INTERVIEW WITH AMBASSADOR VOLKAN BOZK R, TURKEY'S PERMANENTE DELEGATE TO THE EU : FULL STEAM AHEAD FORaTURKEY IN ITS PREPARATIONS TO JOIN THE EU.
February 22, 2007... The EU has taken a decision to carry out a partial suspension of Turkey's accession negotiations. How is your government responding to this decision? In a bid to maintain the current pace of preparations for Turkey's accession to the EU,...

ENERGY : GERMAN INDUSTRY MINISTER CLARIFIES PRESIDENCY'S INTENTIONS.
February 22, 2007... German Economy and Technology Minister Michael Glos set out in greater detail his intentions during the German EU Presidency while speaking to MEPs from the Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Committee on 30 January. Glos began by pointing to...

TRADE DEFENCE INSTRUMENTS : GERMAN PRESIDENCY CAUTIOUS ABOUT RAPID REFORM.
February 22, 2007... With Commissioner Peter Mandelson having launched a broad consultation on the future of the trade defence instruments (TDI) in the EU member states, the German EU Presidency is being cautious by showing itself to be open to debate but...

EU/CENTRAL ASIA : GERMAN PRESIDENCY SET TO BOOST EU RELATIONS WITH CENTRAL ASIA.(European Union)
February 22, 2007... Following EU foreign ministers' discussions on the main items of the German EU Presidency's external relations agenda, members of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee were next in line to do likewise. During their first committee...

EU/KOSOVO : MEP: INDEPENDENCE WITH CONDITIONS IS ONLY SOLUTION FOR KOSOVO.(member of parliment)(European Union)
February 22, 2007... With the UN negotiation process on the future status of Kosovo speeding up following the presentation of Martti Ahtisaari's plan to the contact group on 26 January, the European Parliament decided to express its views on this hot topic. "Kosovo...

IMMIGRATION : MEPS CRITICAL OF CIRCULAR MIGRATION' CONCEPT.
February 22, 2007... The fashionable concept of circular migration', which is one of the three cornerstones of the EU's immigration strategy, was criticised on 30 January during a public hearing at the European Parliament. At first sight, the idea of allowing...

EU/US : MEPS SLAM EUROPE'S COMPLICITY IN ILLICIT CIA RENDITIONS.
February 22, 2007... European governments have been lambasted by a European Parliament investigating committee for "turning a blind eye" to a CIA programme that involved abducting, transporting and possibly detaining terror suspects on European soil. Keen to ward...

EU/MONTENEGRO : MONTENEGRO TO CONCLUDE SAA TALKS SOON.(Brief article)
February 22, 2007... The newly established Balkan state ofaMontenegro is "on the right track" to sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union under the German Presidency, which began on 1 January. At the EU-Montenegro troika meeting,...

TRANSPORT : NEW POLICY ON TRANSPORT LINKS WITH NEIGHBOURING REGIONS.
February 22, 2007... The five most important transport axes for international trade between the EU and neighbouring countries - those with a chance of obtaining aid and financing facilities from European institutions and international banks - have been officially...

EU BUDGET : OLAF-LED INVESTIGATION REVEALS 7.5 MILLION EURO FRAUD.
February 22, 2007... An international crime ring involving EU pre-accession funds has beenauncovered byathe competent prosecutor's offices of Bulgaria, Germany and Switzerland and their respective national authorities inaclose cooperation with the European...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : POLICE COOPERATION, FRONTEX TOP PRESIDENCY'S AGENDA.
February 22, 2007... The traditional exchange of views between the incoming EU Council Presidency and MEPs on policy priorities took place in the European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee on 24 January. Boosting police cooperation and making the EU's...

EU/RUSSIA : RUSSIA PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR GERMAN PRESIDENCY.
February 22, 2007... Russia is determined to assist Germany during its presidency of the European Union and the G8. "From our side, we are ready to grant Germany full support," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov when opening the EU-Russia troika meeting in...

EU/UKRAINE : STEINMEIER: UKRAINE SHOULD HAVE REALISTIC EU EXPECTATIONS.
February 22, 2007... Negotiations on a new agreement between the EU and Ukraine will kick off on 5 March, said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier after the EU troika meeting with Ukrainian leaders on 6 February in Kiev. Ukraine hopes to conclude...

THE EASTERN ENLARGEMENT OF THE EU.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 22, 2007... In May 2004, ten former Communist states in Central and Eastern Europe acceded to the EU. This book examines the eastern expansion of the EU through a tripartite structure, developing an empirical, conceptual and institutional analysis to...

EU/UKRAINE : UKRAINE CLAIMS TO BE "MOST RELIABLE" ENERGY TRANSIT COUNTRY.(Brief article)
February 22, 2007... Following up on efforts by Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week to calm EU fears as to energy transit security, Deputy Prime Minister Andriy Klyuyev is leading a delegation to Brussels. The...