Europe-East articles from February 2008

Europe-East archives from February 2008

ANTI-MISSILE SHIELD : MEPS IRKED BY WHAT THEY SEE AS COUNCIL'S DIPLOMATIC CAUTION.
February 19, 2008... The diplomatic caution displayed by the European Council on the issue of the installation of a part of the US's anti-missile shield in Poland and in the Czech Republic is irritating MEPs. They made that clear in a debate in plenary on 30...

ALBANIA OFFERS EUFOR REINFORCEMENTS.(European Union)(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... Albania has offered a contingent of 50 to 60 men to reinforce the EU military operation (EUFOR) in Chad and the Central African Republic. This is the first specific offer to contribute from the non-EU country, specifies one of the dossier's...

ANKARA MOVES TO LIFT HEADSCARF BAN.(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... Turkey's Foreign Minister, Ali Babacan, confirmed, on 2 February, that the government in Ankara is strongly in favour of easing the headscarf ban' in the universities. He explained that by this controversial move, strongly criticised by the...

SECURITY & DEFENCE : ANTI-MISSILE DEBATE SHOWS NO SIGN OF LETTING UP.
February 19, 2008... The installation of a radar base and anti-missile shields, eagerly wanted by the USA, in the Czech Republic and Poland, continues to arouse debate in Europe and is the subject of a Council and Commission declaration to the parliamentary...

INTERVIEW WITH BRIG-GEN OLIVIER JUMELET, COMMANDER OF MNTF-N IN KOSOVO : "ANYTHING CAN TRIGGER A SURGE IN VIOLENCE".(Multi-National Task Force North )(Interview)
February 19, 2008... Brigadier-General Olivier Jumelet, 51, has served as military governor of Nancy, commanding the 4th Aeromobile Brigade, since August 2007. In October 2007, he took over from Brigadier-General Eric Arnaud at the head of the Multi-National Task...

BELARUS TALKS ON ENERGY AND TRANSPORT.(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... The EU's External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner welcomed the holding of 'technical meetings' between Belarus and EU experts that 'could' lay the ground for 'substantial' cooperation in the field of energy transport and...

EU/SERBIA : BELGRADE HESITANT ON EU ACCORD.
February 19, 2008... Serbia's Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica made it clear, on 5 February, that his government might not accept an invitation to sign, on 7 February, an interim political agreement on cooperation with the European Union. Kostunica and his...

EU/SERBIA : BELGRADE REFUSES TO SIGN EU ACCORD.
February 19, 2008... The signature of the political agreement between Serbia and the EU has been postponed "indefinitely" due to a political disagreement within the ruling coalition in Belgrade over Kosovo. "We understand on the basis of our recent contacts that...

ENERGY : COMMISSION APPROVES AUSTRIAN REGIME FOR NABUCCO PIPELINE.
February 19, 2008... The European Commission approved, on 8 February, an exemption of the Austrian section of the Nabucco natural gas pipeline from regulated third-party access in line with Article 22 of Gas Directive 2003/55/EC. However, it has requested the...

ENLARGEMENT : COUNCIL APPROVES REVISED PRIORITIES FOR TURKEY'S ACCESSION.
February 19, 2008... The Council adopted, on 18 February, the revised versions of the Accession Partnerships with Turkey and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) as well as the updates of the European Partnerships with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina...

LOG BOOK : DEFENSE SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRMAN KARL VON WOGAU IN KOSOVO.(overall economic development )
February 19, 2008... Europolitics has decided to hand the pen to European leaders during their missions or displacements. The first log book' comes from a delegation of the European Parliament's Defence Subcommittee, which visited Kosovo between 6 and 8 February....

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS COUNCIL : EU ASYLUM OFFICE RECEIVES BROAD BACKING.
February 19, 2008... The EU's interior ministers expressed broad support for the creation of a European support office for asylum policy at their informal meeting in Slovenia on 25 January. Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini, present at the meeting,...

ENLARGEMENT : EU DENIES PRESSURING TURKEY TO LIFT HEADSCARF BAN.
February 19, 2008... The European Commission denied, on 7 February, that it had ever put pressure on Turkey to lift its decades-old constitutional ban on the wearing of the Muslim headscarf at public universities. "The EU has never had any position on this issue,"...

EU/SERBIA : EU HAILS TADIC VICTORY IN SERBIA VOTE.(Boris Tadic candidate for presidential elections)
February 19, 2008... The European Union welcomed with relief the victory of pro-reformist Boris Tadic in Serbia's presidential elections on 3 February. Tadic beat his ultra-nationalist rival, Tomislav Nikolic. Immediately after the first results of the vote were...

EU/SERBIA : EU IN LAST DITCH EFFORT TO AVOID NATIONALIST ELECTORAL BACKLASH.
February 19, 2008... The EU has offered Serbia a political agreement on cooperation in a last ditch attempt to secure the victory of the pro-European candidate Boris Tadic in the second round of Serbia's presidential election to be held on 3 February. After failing...

EULEX KOSOVO MISSION CLEARED FOR LAUNCH.(military deployment )(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... The EULEX (rule of law) Kosovo mission is ready to be deployed, following publication in the EU Official Journal of 16 February of the Joint Action and decision appointing Yves de Kermabon as head of mission. Publication of those acts...

ESDP : EULEX KOSOVO TO HAVE BROAD INTERVENTION MANDATE.(economic and national deveklopmet)
February 19, 2008... The mandate for the EU's rule of law mission to Kosovo (dubbed EULEX Kosovo), as set by Council joint action (of which Europolitics New Neighbours obtained a copy), turns out to be very broad. Explicitly based on UN Resolution 1244 (Paragraphs...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : EU PLANS TO FINGERPRINT VISITORS BY 2015.
February 19, 2008... The creation of an entry-exit system, under which all foreigners entering the European Union would have to submit biometric data such as fingerprints, is the cornerstone of a new border management strategy proposed by the European Commission on...

EU/RUSSIA/KOSOVO : EU PREPARING FOR KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION.(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... In a last-ditch attempt to block Kosovo's declaration of independence, which is expected to be issued by Pristina on 17 February, Russia and Serbia have requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council for 14 February to assess the...

EU REGRETS MOSCOW'S RESTRICTIONS.(European Union manages presidential elections in russia)(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... The EU has expressed its concern about the cancellation of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observation mission to the presidential elections in Russia, scheduled for 2 March. "The Presidency regrets that, due to...

EU/RUSSIA/POLAND : EU-RUSSIA PARTNERSHIP TALKS STILL IN LIMBO.
February 19, 2008... The high-level meeting between Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Russia's President Vladimir Putin, on 8 February, failed to break a prolonged stalemate over the start of EU-Russia talks on a new partnership agreement. Despite recent...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : FRATTINI'S PLANS SPARK ACCUSATIONS OF BIG BROTHER' REGIME IN EU.
February 19, 2008... The European Commission's sweeping plans to beef up the security of the EU's external borders, unveiled on 13 February, have led Liberal MEPs, civil rights advocates and privacy protection groups to accuse the EU executive of trying to impose a...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : FRATTINI UNVEILS PLANS TO BEEF UP THE UNION'S BORDERS.(antiterrorism measures for managing border security)
February 19, 2008... The external borders of European Union could be massively fortified with satellite surveillance keeping illegal migrants out and all legal visitors being fingerprinted at airports and other border crossings, if proposals put forward on 13...

EU/UKRAINE : FREE TRADE TALKS OPEN.
February 19, 2008... Ukraine and the European Union launched, on 18 February, negotiations on a free trade area as part of a broader agreement aimed at forging closer political and economic relations currently being negotiated between the EU executive and Kiev. ...

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY : GIVE SCHENGEN A FRIENDLIER FACE, UKRAINE SAYS.(Ukrainians wants Schengen visas for trade)
February 19, 2008... Ukrainians face huge difficulties when trying to obtain Schengen visas, and are regularly turned away at the European Union's border. Cross-border traffic and trade have declined dramatically since the beginning of this year. The EU's public...

INTERVIEW WITH JACEK SARYUSZ-WOLSKI, CHAIRMAN OF THE EP'S COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS : "INDEPENDENT KOSOVO HAS TO BE RECOGNISED".(Interview)
February 19, 2008... Just a few days before Kosovo is expected to declare independence, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs tells Europolitics New Neighbours how the EU is going to react to this move....

INDEPENDENT KOSOVO: NEVER IN THE EU?(Serbia tries to negiotiate with Kosovo on it's independence)(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... In Serbia, the pro-European camp claimed victory, but this does not relieve the concerns within the EU regarding Kosovo, to judge by the scenario under discussion in the EU's inner circles. What are the Serbs trying to negotiate? Certainly not...

KOSOVO ESDP MISSION.(European Security and Defence Policy )(defence contract for generating military force)(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... The Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) formally approved, on 1 February, the joint action and the concept of operations (Conops) of the ESDP police and justice mission in Kosovo. The documents will be approved without debate at a...

KOSOVO HAS EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE.(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... Following prolonged discussions, the EU adopted, late on 18 February, a compromise declaration on Kosovo's independence, which confirms that each member state has a right to "decide, in accordance with national practice and international law,...

EU/ALBANIA : KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE DAYS OR WEEKS AWAY, SAYS TIRANA.(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... "UDI day is coming," Albania's Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha has said, referring to the imminent unilateral declaration of independence of neighbouring Kosovo from Serbia. "The date has assumed a rather trivial value. It is days away or weeks...

EU/KOSOVO : KOSOVO RECOGNITION LIST CONTINUES TO GROW.
February 19, 2008... Following the adoption, on 18 February, by the EU's foreign ministers of a common position on Kosovo's independence, which confirmed that each member state is entitled to decide on its future relations with Kosovo in accordance with its own...

EU/KOSOVO : MEMBER STATES REMAIN SPLIT OVER KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE.
February 19, 2008... The question of whether to recognise Kosovo, which declared independence on 17 February, has split the European Union into two camps. The majority of member states are in favour of Kosovo's internationally supervised independence, while a...

MONTENEGRO IN FP7.(Montenegro has signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Commission)(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... Montenegro has signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Commission which will allow it full access to the EU's 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7) from 2007 to 2013. This associated status' will allow Montenegro to participate...

EU/GREECE/FYROM : NEW TALKS FAIL TO RESOLVE MACEDONIA' NAME DISPUTE.(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... The first round of the recently resumed UN-sponsored negotiations between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on the name issue' failed to make any headway on 21 January. According to UN special envoy Matthew Nimetz,...

KOSOVO : ONE EYE ON BELGRADE, THE OTHER ON PRISTINA.
February 19, 2008... This is the second and final part of our report on the KFOR forces in Kosovo's northern zone. "Do not trust the apparent calm, it's the main difficulty of this mission," says Captain Ucheida from the Franco-German brigade, who is ending...

EU/KOSOVO : RECOGNITION OF KOSOVO RESTS ON INDIVIDUAL MEMBER STATES.
February 19, 2008... Although the EU capitals are still consulting on how they are going to react to Kosovo's declaration of independence, which is expected to be issued by Pristina on 17 February, it is clear that the EU as such will not issue any statement on the...

ROMANIAN POLICEMEN DUE TO BE SENT TO KOSOVO.
February 19, 2008... The Romanian Supreme Defence Council'sadecision to send 175 policemen to Kosovo is due to be approved this week by the defence committees before being examined by the national parliament. For the representatives of the supreme council, quoted...

EU/GEORGIA : RUPEL: NO LINK BETWEEN KOSOVO AND FROZEN CONFLICTS.(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... The European Union has dismissed any links between the potential independence of Kosovo and the frozen conflicts in Georgia-Abkhazia and Georgia-Ossetia. "The Kosovo case is a unique one [...] and I don't really see any connection between...

EU/RUSSIA/KOSOVO : RUSSIA IN LAST-DITCH BID TO BLOCK KOSOVO MISSION.(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... In a strongly-worded statement, Russia has reiterated its opposition to the EU's plan to send an ESDP rule of law mission to Kosovo, saying that such a move would set a dangerous precedent in international law and harm the authority of the...

CONVENTIONAL FORCES EUROPE (CFE) TREATY : RUSSIA'S SUSPENSION OF ITS PART IN CFE TREATY 'WORRISOME'.(North Atlantic Treaty Organization)(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... Speaking to MEPs on 23 January, Michael Miggins, Head of the Arms Control and Coordination Section of NATO, has underlined the historic success of the Conventional Forces Europe Treaty (CFE) and warned that Russia's recent decision to suspend...

ENLARGEMENT : SLOVENIA PRESSES FOR ULTIMATUM FOR CROATIA OVER ZERP.
February 19, 2008... In an apparent attempt to increase pressure on Croatia, Slovenia, holder of the EU Presidency, has decided to put a discussion on the ongoing dispute over the Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (ZERP) on the agenda of the forthcoming 18...

TURKEY JOINS EU COMPETITIVENESS PROGRAMME.(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... Turkey has joined the EU's Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP), under which the European Commission promotes innovation, entrepreneurship and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises. On 12 February, the European Commission's...

ENLARGEMENT : TURKEY'S PARLIAMENT LIFTS HEADSCARF BAN.(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... The Turkish parliament adopted, in a second vote on 9 February, a constitutional amendment sponsored by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which lifts a decades-old ban on headscarf in universities, a move seen by the opposition as...

UKRAINE JOINS THE WTO.
February 19, 2008... The World Trade Organisation's general council approved, on 5 February, Ukraine's membership bid. The Ukrainian parliament now has six months to ratify the decision, which is expected to open new export markets for the former Soviet republic's...

EU/CROATIA : UNION TIGHTENS CONDITIONS FOR ZAGREB'S MEMBERSHIP.
February 19, 2008... The European Union approved, on 12 February, a revised version of the Accession Partnership with Croatia, which stipulate more strict conditions for Zagreb's future membership of the Union. The catalogue of key priorities' listed in the...

INTERVIEW WITH FABRIZIO TASSINARI, EXPERT ON THE BLACK SEA REGION : VIEWS COMPETE ON HOW THE REGION SHOULD DEVELOP.(Interview)
February 19, 2008... Talking to Europolitics New Neighbours, Fabrizio Tassinari, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Copenhagen, assesses the first results and the potential impact of the European Commission's Black Sea strategy, which...

WARSAW NOT READY TO LIFT VETOJUST YET.(Brief article)
February 19, 2008... On the eve of his first visit to Russia scheduled for 8 February, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Warsaw would give its assent to opening EU-Russia negotiations on a new partnership agreement only after practical results from the...

ENERGY : WEEKEND TALKS SCHEDULED ON UKRAINE'S GAZPROM DEBTS.
February 19, 2008... Russia's gas giant, Gazprom OAO(1), once again threatened to cut supplies to Ukraine from 11 February in a continuing dispute over payment, estimated by Gazprom, of an outstanding US$1.5 billion. This new threat raised the specter again of a...