Europe-East articles from July 2004

Europe-East archives from July 2004

EU WIDENS ITS HORIZONS.(European Union)
July 1, 2004... EU leaders have overcome deep - and deeplyfelt - divergences to arrive at a compromise on Europe's first Constitutional Treaty. There will no doubt be debate over the merits and demerits of the text, but the June 17-18 Summit delivered proof...

EU/RUSSIA: NEW EU-FUNDED SUPPORT FOR ECONOMIC REFORM AND REDUCING WATER POLLUTION.
July 1, 2004... Economic deregulation. The budget for the 20-month economic and administrative reform support project is Euro 2.8 million. Head of the Department of the State Regulation of the Economy, Larisa Larionova, on behalf of the Russian Ministry...

DRUG TRAFFICKING ON THE UP, WORLD CUSTOMS ORGANISATION CONFIRMS.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The number of drugs seizures by customs authorities worldwide increased by almost 15% between 2002 and 2003, according to a new report from the World Customs Organisation (WCO), "2003 Customs and Drugs", issued on June 25. WCO Secretary General...

TURKEY CERTAINLY ON THE MENU THIS DECEMBER.(accession to EU)
July 16, 2004... Whatever the other priorities of the EU's new Dutch Presidency, it is clear that the geo-political decision looming largest in its six-month term at the Union helm concerns Turkey, and the decision that will come in December about whether to...

WESTERN BALKANS: NEW UNDERSTANDING REACHED ON MIGRATION ISSUES.(Brief Article)
July 16, 2004... Five Western Balkans countries - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), and Serbia and Montenegro - signed on July 2 in Tirana, Albania, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reaffirming the...

EU/RUSSIA: CULTURAL AND POLITICAL TIES EXAMINED AT LATEST STUDENTS' CONFERENCE.(Brief Article)
July 16, 2004... Students, diplomats and international relations experts gathered in Moscow and St Petersburg between July 2 and July 11 to discuss cultural and political ties between the European Union and Russia. The conference was the latest in a series of...

EU/ROMANIA: SAVINGS BANK PRIVATISATION MOVES AHEAD.(Romanian Savings Bank (CEC))(Brief Article)
July 16, 2004... The sale of the Romanian Savings Bank (CEC), the last large Romanian bank to be privatized, is expected to be completed by the end of 2005, earlier than previously agreed with the IMF and World Bank, Minister of Public Finance Mihai Tanasescu...

BRIDGING THE DIVIDE.
July 28, 2004... "Minister Bot concerned about situation in Kosovo", was the pointed title of the brief statement issued by the Dutch EU Presidency following the Foreign Minister's visit to the Western Balkans. Kosovo is still the key fault-line in the region,...

ROMANIA: COUNCIL OF EUROPE IDENTIFIES PROGRESS IN FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION.(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... The Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has adopted a report* finding that Romania has implemented satisfactorily 12 out of 13 anti-corruption recommendations GRECO made two years ago. One recommendation was found to...

EU/UZBEKISTAN: UNION CALLED ON TO BE TOUGHER ON HUMAN RIGHTS.(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... The European Union should become "more vocal" on human rights in Uzbekistan, the US-based organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) said as it welcomed the July 13 announcement by the US State Department that it was not certifying the Central Asian...

EU/RUSSIA/BALTIC: PROJECT TO COMBAT OIL SPILLS LAUNCHED.
July 28, 2004... A new EU-funded project aimed at improving the ability to detect and react to oil spills in the Baltic Sea has been launched, the European Commission's delegation to Russia announced on July 15. The two-year, Euro 2 million project will be...

BULGARIA: PRIVATISATION OF TOBACCO GIANT STARTS.(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... Bulgaria has begun to privatise the country's tobacco giant Bulgartabac, announcing the sale of the monopoly's four most profitable plants in two 'pools'. Blagoevgrad BT and Stara Zagora BT will form one pool, and Sofia BT and Plovdiv BT the...