Europe-East articles from July 2005

Europe-East archives from July 2005

A V-SIGN FOR EUROPE.
July 7, 2005... As the UK takes over the Presidency of the turbulent European Union, there are more pressing matters on the agenda than the significance of the Presidency's logo. But the UK has been keen to point out that the V-formation of flying swans it has...

BLAIR WARNS EUROPE WILL FAIL IF IT DOESN'T REFORM.(Tony Blair)
July 7, 2005... Mr Blair largely focused on the reasons behind the failure of the European Council on June 16-17 to reach a deal on the 2007-13 budget, insisting that the EU had to look ahead and modernise itself to avoid falling into irrelevance. oWhatever...

UK OUTLINES PRESIDENCY PRIORITIES.
July 7, 2005... Europe's role in the world. Under this heading, the brochure lists the Doha Development Agenda, saying that the Presidency wants to get the "best possible result" at the WTO Hong Kong ministerial in December. The outcome of the round...

STRAW SAYS EU MUST REACT TO CITIZENS' CONCERNS.(Jack Straw)
July 7, 2005... But, Mr Straw said, the EU must "adapt to survive and prosper in a world changed from when it was founded 50 years ago". It needed to "respond better to the sense among European citizens that the EU is remote from the concerns of their daily...

UK PRESIDENCY PLANS INFORMAL SUMMIT ON FUTURE OF EUROPE.(Tony Blair)(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced he will hold an informal summit during the UK Presidency to look at the future of the EU, focusing on the European social model and how it might need changing to adapt to new competitive challenges....

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: POETTERING SETS OUT IDEAS TO DIG EU OUT OF "CRISIS".
July 7, 2005... The letter says that a "well-functioning European Union" is needed to continue to preserve peace on the continent. There would be "no future for coming generations" if the EU fell back on the limitations of national policy, he warns. Only a...

POLAND ADJOURNS REFERENDUM ON THE CONSTITUTION WITHOUT SETTING A DATE.(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... The Polish President, Aleksander Kwasniewski, announced on June 21 that Poland, which until recently was expected to ratify the European constitution in a referendum in October, had decided to postpone the referendum indefinitely. "A referendum...

CYPRUS BECOMES 11TH COUNTRY TO RATIFY EU CONSTITUTIONAL TREATY.
July 7, 2005... Cyprus has ratified the EU Constitution, making it the eleventh member state to have done so. The country's parliament voted on June 30 in favour of the document by 32 for, with 19 against and one abstention.

EU BUDGET: BARROSO SAYS REVIEW CLAUSE COULD BREAK BUDGET DEADLOCK.
July 7, 2005... Mr Barroso said that the Commission believed there was ourgency about getting an agreement on the financial perspectiveo, warning that there was a orisk of paralysis if we don't get an agreement as soon as possibleo. Failure to reach a decision...

EU BUDGET: JUNCKER ON DEFENSIVE OVER BUDGET NEGOTIATING TACTICS.
July 7, 2005... Opening the debate on the outcome of the European Council in the European Parliament's plenary session in Brussels on June 23, Mr Juncker said that the failure to reach agreement on the 2007-13 Financial Perspective had thrown the EU into odeep...

BLAIR HINTS AT CONFINANCING TO BREAK BUDGET DEADLOCK.(Tony Blair opposes the EU budget)
July 7, 2005... The issue of whether there could be a reform of the CAP before the end of the 2013 budget period has become the key stumbling block in efforts to agree a new budgetary framework. Last week's summit failed to get a deal after Mr Blair rejected a...

CZECH AMBASSADOR SEES NO BUDGET DEAL BEFORE MARCH 2006.
July 7, 2005... In terms of how to break the deadlock among the member states, the ambassador said that a solution had to be found among the net payers and suggested that co-financing of agricultural payments could be an option. He ruled out the new member...

BUDGET: HUNGARY CALLS FOR THREE YEAR BUDGET TO SAFEGUARD FUNDING.(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... The eight new member states from central and eastern Europe were so concerned about the impact of a late deal on their revenues that they made a last minute offer to accept a cut in the amount of money they would receive under the cohesion...

BUDGET: HUNGARY EXPANDS ON PLANS FOR A THREE-YEAR EU BUDGET.
July 7, 2005... This means the overall figure for spending would be 1.06% of gross national income, or euro 373 billion for the three year period. It would include a range of measures to reduce the net contributions of member states like Germany, Sweden and...

EU/TURKEY: TOUGH FRAMEWORK PROPOSED FOR TALKS WITH ANKARA.
July 7, 2005... No alternative. The Commission's proposed negotiating framework is based on the principles laid down by EU leaders in the Conclusions of their December 2004 summit. The seven-page text sets out the guiding principles and procedures for EU...

EURO-MPS DIGEST EU/TURKEY NEGOTIATING FRAMEWORK WITH REHN.(Olli Rehn)(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... MEPs on the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee were said to be supportive in general of the negotiating framework for the accession talks with Turkey just proposed by the European Commission as they held discussions with EU...

EU/ROMANIA: SOCIAL PARTNERS URGE FARM CHANGE.(European Union, Romania Joint Consultative Committee )(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... Investment and restructuring is needed in the Romanian agri-food sector in order to create stable and sustainable jobs, according to recommendations issuing from the 11th meeting of the EU-Romania Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), held in...

EU/BULGARIA: SPEEDY FORMATION OF NEW GOVERNMENT URGED IN WAKE OF ELECTIONS.(European Union)(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... Political forces in Bulgaria were advised by the European Commission in the wake of the country's June 25 general elections to form a new government as swiftly as possible to stay on track to join the EU in January 2007. The opposition...

EU/ROMANIA: KOVACS UNDERLINES IMPORTANCE OF FIGHTING CORRUPTION.(European Union)(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... "The fight against corruption is the priority of priorities, in the sense that corruption undermines the whole system, from police, to courts and to tax and customs administration," the Commissioner remarked in his June 24 address. "To fight...

EU/ROMANIA: TRADE IN PROCESSED FARM GOODS TO BE FREED UP.(European Union)(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... Improved terms for trade in processed agricultural products between the EU and Romania are in the offing under an agreement reached by EU member states without debate at the June 27 EU Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council....

ROMANIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY QUITS SOCIALIST GROUP, APPLIES TO EPP.(European People's Party)(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... The Romanian Democratic Party (PD) has decided to leave the Party of European Socialists and apply to become an associate member of the European People's Party (EPP). The application was made on June 28 and the EPP political bureau will...

EU URGES FYROM TO SORT OUT ECONOMY.(European Union)
July 7, 2005... EU aspirant the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) says it wants to be named an EU candidate by the end of 2005 and to start accession talks with the EU in 2006. At least that was the message from the country's Foreign Minister...

SKOPJE EYES DECEMBER DECISION ON EU CANDIDATE STATUS.(European Union)(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is hoping that EU leaders make it a candidate for EU membership at their December 15-16 summit at the end of this year. Skopje tabled a membership bid in March 2004 and in May that year EU...

'LET BOSNIA STAND ON OWN TWO FEET', SAYS MINISTER.(Mladen Ivanic )(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... Bosnia should be allowed to take on greater responsibility for running its own affairs as it moves closer towards potential EU membership, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Foreign Minister Mladen Ivanic told a conference in Brussels on June 30. BiH...

EU/ALBANIA: EURO-INTEGRATION HOPES TURN ON ELECTIONS AND REFORM RESOLVE.(European Union)(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... Albania was told that it must conduct its July 3 general elections well if it was to make headway towards potential EU membership. EU Enlargement/Western Balkans Commissioner Olli Rehn has made clear that he is keeping a close eye on...

OBSERVERS POINT TO ALBANIAN ELECTORAL FAILINGS.
July 7, 2005... Parliamentary elections in Albania on July 3 were competitive but only partially met international standards, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said on July 4. It was unveiling the preliminary conclusions* of an...

EU/RUSSIA: ESTONIAN BORDER DEAL UNRAVELS AMID MUTUAL RECRIMINATIONS.(European Union)(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... Russia is pulling out of an agreement it signed in May demarcating its border with EU member state Estonia. The accord took a decade to reach, and was welcomed by the EU as good news for EU-Russia relations. But on June 27 Moscow said that it...

EU/RUSSIA: STEEL DEAL FOR 2005 AND 2006 BACKED.(European Union)(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... An agreement between the EU and Russia on trade in certain steel products for 2005 and 2006 got the backing of EU member states on June 27. The new deal defines the quantitative limits for imports into the EU of flat and long products. It is...

EU/MOLDOVA: COMMISSION SOON TO OPEN DELEGATION OFFICE IN CHISINAU.(European Union)(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... The European Commission is aiming to boost its presence in Moldova by opening a delegation office in the country. The Commission said on June 28 that the plan was to open it in Chisinau in "early autumn". An agreement paving the way for the...

EU/CENTRAL ASIA: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO BE NAMED SHORTLY.(European Union)(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... Officials meet. A second meeting between officials from the EU Commission, Council and Presidency and the five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) took place on June 29 in Brussels. The...

EU/IRAQ: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE APPLIES PRESSURE ON SYRIA AND IRAN.(European Union)
July 7, 2005... "We are perfectly aware of what is going on along the Iraqi-Syrian frontier," said Condoleezza Rice, referring to the transit of arms and combatants making Syria the principal supply source for guerrillas operating in Iraq. "The Syrian...

EU/IRAQ: EUJUST LEX MISSION BECOMES OPERATIONAL.(European Union)
July 7, 2005... The mission will give priority to senior public officials to complement the training already given to junior officers by other groups. Mr White explained that the aim is to "reach a sufficient number of senior officials" while insisting on the...

EU/IRAN: CAUTION AFTER VICTORY OF ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.
July 7, 2005... Mahmoud Ahmadinejad confirmed Iran's right to a civil nuclear power programme. "Nuclear energy is a macro-political affair which doesn't change with a change of government", explained Hamid Reza Assefi, the spokesman for the Foreign Affairs...

EU/LIBYA: FRATTINI PLEASED WITH PROGRESS ON MIGRATION CO-OPERATION.
July 7, 2005... Commissioner Frattini said a joint action plan for rescuing immigrants in life-threatening situations at sea or in the desert would be unveiled "before the summer break". There will be joint analyses on illegal immigration - both to Libya and...

EU/LIBYA DIALOGUE ON MIGRATION GETS GOING.(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... An important milestone in EU-Libya relations was reached when EU Justice, Freedom and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini met with the Head of the Libyan Mission to the EU on June 21 to discuss co-operation on migration. The meeting between...

EU/JORDAN ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE AGREES ACTION PLAN IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMME.(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... The implementation programme for the first year of the EU/Jordan action plan within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) was decided on during the Association Committee's meeting in Brussels on June 23. The European...

EU/MEDITERRANEAN: COMMISSION ADOPTS PROPOSAL FOR SERVICE AND INVESTMENT NEGOTIATIONS.(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... A negotiation proposal with the aim of liberalising services and investments between the EU and its Mediterranean partners was adopted by the European Commission on June 24. The proposal will be debated by the Council in the following months...

TERRORISM: PLANS TO PROTECT 'CRITICAL' INFRASTRUCTURES OUTLINED BY COMMISSION.
July 7, 2005... Seeds of EU programme sown. The New Defence Agenda think-tank organised the hearing on critical infrastructure protection, a subject that was catapulted up the EU's priority list following the March 11, 2004 Madrid train bombings. Magnus...

EU/EFTA: MINISTERS DISCUSS BUDGET, TRADE PACTS, IMPLEMENTATION.
July 7, 2005... The four EFTA nations have watched closely as the EUs budget talks become ever more politically charged. The EU plans will have direct budgetary implications for the three EFTA States in the European Economic Area Norway, Liechtenstein and...

TRANSPORT COUNCIL: ROADMAP ON EXTERNAL RELATIONS IN THE AIR TRANSPORT SECTOR.(European Union aviation policy)
July 7, 2005... These conclusions should, according to the Council, constitute the basis for better co-operation between member states and the Commission at a time when the EU is launching the next phase of its external aviation policy. The conclusions...

ITER WILL BE BUILT ON THE FRENCH SITE AT CADARACHE.(International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor)(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... After two years of difficult negotiations, the ministers of the six partners (EU, Russia, China, Japan, US and South Korea) in the experimental thermonuclear fusion reactor (ITER) decided on June 28 to build the reactor at Cadarache, in...

FRATTINI INAUGURATES EU BORDER AGENCY IN WARSAW.(Franco Frattini)(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... The EU border management agency (Frontex) was formally inaugurated in Warsaw on June 30 by EU Justice, Freedom and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini and Luxembourg Justice Minister Luc Frieden for the EU Presidency. In Poland for an...

CIVIL LIBERTIES LOBBY STATEWATCH ATTACKS EU'S USE OF TERRORIST BLACKLISTS.
July 7, 2005... Since 2001, the EU has been adopting common lists of terrorists whose assets must be frozen or against whom police and judicial authorities must co-operate in fighting. The civil liberties organisation Statewatch has strongly criticised this...

AMNESTY URGES EU TO CONDEMN ITALY OVER LAMPEDUSA.(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... Italy's treatment of immigrants on the island of Lampedusa has been fiercely attacked by the human rights watchdog Amnesty International, which has called on the EU to condemn Rome. Amnesty claims 45 people were forcibly returned to Libya on...

ENERGY COUNCIL: SUPPORT FOR COOPERATION WITH RUSSIA AND OPEC.(Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries)
July 7, 2005... Ministers approved the work programme for energy included in the road maps for four common spaces adopted at the 15th EU-Russia Summit on May 10. They called for the rapid implementation of actions in the energy sector and wish to be involved...

EMU: STABILITY AND GROWTH PACT REFORM REGULATIONS ADOPTED.
July 7, 2005... The approval came at the beginning of the Telecommunications Council after the European Parliament, last week, gave its second opinion on the modification of Regulation 1466/97/EC on the strengthening of budgetary surveillance and coordination...

SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT IN ECONOMIC CLIMATE IN THE EU.(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... Business and consumer surveys for June suggest a bottoming out of economic sentiment which has been falling sharply since October 2004. Surveys for June published by the European Commission on June 30 show that the decline in the economic...

UNEMPLOYMENT: JOBLESS RATE STATIC IN EURO-ZONE COUNTRIES, SLIGHTLY DOWN IN EU25.(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... In May this year, the lowest rates were registered in Ireland (4.2%), Austria (4.6%), the United Kingdom (4.6% in March), Luxembourg (4.7%) and Denmark (4.9% in April). Unemployment rates were highest in Poland (17.8%), Slovakia (15.5%), Greece...

EU/WTO: GLOBAL TRADE GROWTH RISES IN 2004, BUT EU STILL STUTTERING.(World Trade Organization)
July 7, 2005... The pick-up in Europes merchandise trade played an important part in the recovery of world merchandise trade, as the region accounts for about 46% of global trade (exports and imports of merchandise and commercial services combined), the report...

EU LAUNCHES ROMANIAN SILICON CARBIDE DUMPING PROBE.(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... The European Commission has launched an anti-dumping investigation into imports of silicon carbide from Romania. The investigation was prompted by a complaint from the European chemical industry lobby, CEFIC, which says the compound is being...

EXTERNAL RELATIONS IN BRIEF.(Brief article)
July 7, 2005... Michael Matthiessen, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana's personal representative on human rights issues, was dispatched for Kyrgyzstan late on June 26 with Mr Solana expressing concerns about the safety of Uzbek refugees in the country and...

THE MEDIUM IS NOT THE MESSAGE.
July 29, 2005... The European Commission's action plan to improve communication with Europe's citizens is welcome. But against a background of wide disenchantment with the EU, this much-vaunted and long-awaited plan appears to be a case of too little, too late....

EU CONSTITUTION: LUXEMBOURG VOTES IN FAVOUR OF NEW EU TREATY.(European union)
July 29, 2005... The result was greeted by a large number of European political leaders. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that the Commission welcomed the result with ogreat satisfactiono. Pointing out that Luxembourg was the thirteenth...

MALTA IS 12TH MEMBER STATE TO RATIFY BELEAGUERED EU CONSTITUTION.(European Union)(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... Malta has ratified the EU Constitution, becoming the 12th member state to do so. The Maltese Parliament voted unanimously on July 6 to approve the Treaty, the only member state parliament so far to do so. Malta's Labour Party, which has been...

FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE: DALIA GRYBAUSKAITE CRITICISES BRITISH PRESIDENCY APPROACH.(Common Agricultural Policy)
July 29, 2005... The European Commissioner believes that if the UK continues to demand cuts in farm spending, then the current "political divide" between member states will simply get worse. She recalled that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was last...

NO NEW PRESIDENCY COMPROMISE ON THE BUDGET BEFORE SUMMER.(financial perspective)(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... The UK Presidency of the European Union has said it will not present a new compromise deal on the 2007-13 financing framework before the summer break. Briefing journalists on July 11, the UK ambassador to the EU, Sir John Grant, said that the...

BUDGET: COMMISSION, PRESIDENCY AND PARLIAMENT BATTLE OVER SPENDING PLANS.(Lisbon focus)
July 29, 2005... At the meeting on July 15, the Council agreed its position in first reading on the draft 2006 budget of euro 111.4 billion (in terms of commitments), a cut of 1.1 billion compared to the Commissions April proposal. The UK Presidency minister...

FOUR CENTRAL EUROPEAN STATES CALL FOR BUDGET DEAL THIS YEAR.(agriculture budget)(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... The four Visegrad group countries - Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary - are calling on the UK Presidency of the European Union to reach a deal on the 2007-13 budget before the end of the year. The Czech and Polish Prime...

EUROPEAN COMMISSION: WALLSTROM UNVEILS NEW COMMUNICATIONS PLAN.
July 29, 2005... The "Action Plan to Improve Communicating Europe by the Commission" proposed by Vice-President for Institutional Affairs and Communications Strategy Margot Wallstrom got the blessing of her fellow Commissioners on July 20. It mainly deals with...

EUROPEAN UNION: LATEST OPINION POLL MAKES GRIM READING FOR PRO-EUROPEANS.(Survey)
July 29, 2005... Interest in EU membership dwindling. According to the first results of the Eurobarometer poll carried out between May and June 2005, the percentage of citizens polled who believe that membership of the EU is a good thing has fallen by two...

COMMISSION ADMITS THERE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN TRANSLATION SERVICE.(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... Fifteen months after launching an action plan for its translation services, the European Commission adopted on July 20 a new Communication assessing progress to date and drawing lessons for the future. The Commission affirms that it has been...

ENLARGEMENT: PROBLEMS FOR TURKEY AS FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET.
July 29, 2005... The intention on July 18 was not to have a fully-fledged discussion about enlargement issues. But Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn's presentation of the European Commission's recent proposal for a framework for the accession negotiations with...

EU/TURKEY: CHIEF NEGOTIATOR PROMISES PROTOCOL SIGNING, INSISTS ON FULL MEMBERSHIP.
July 29, 2005... Protocol. The protocol to update the Association/Customs Union Agreement between the EU and Turkey must be signed before the start of the EU accession negotiations scheduled for October 3. Mr Babacan, who is also Turkey's Economy Minister,...

CIVIL SOCIETY REPRESENTATIVES ISSUE TURKISH ACCESSION RECOMMENDATIONS.(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... Turkey has made progress in reforms but further improvements are needed. That, according to the European Economic and Social Committee, was the message to emerge from the 19th meeting of the EU-Turkey Joint Consultative Committee on July 7/8 in...

ENLARGEMENT: GERMAN CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS CONFIRM OPPOSITION TO TURKISH EU MEMBERSHIP.
July 29, 2005... Germany's opposition Christian Democrats, who according to opinion polls are set to win prospective early elections in September, confirmed on July 11 that they oppose full EU membership for Turkey and back instead a 'privileged partnership'...

EU/TURKEY: ANKARA URGED TO ENFORCE WOMEN'S RIGHTS.
July 29, 2005... EP view. The European Parliament's report pointed to various issues that have posed concerns regarding the situation of women in Turkey. These include violence against women (particularly domestic violence and crimes of honour and...

ROMANIAN PRIME MINISTER ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION U-TURN.(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... The Romanian Prime Minister declared that he would not be resigning after all, having said that he would do so to prompt early elections. Calin Popescu-Tariceanu announced on July 19 that priority had to be given to recovering from the...

EU/ROMANIA: FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS GOVERNMENT RESIGNATION WOULDN'T AFFECT MEMBERSHIP PLANS.
July 29, 2005... Mr Ungureanu explained that domestic political developments should not stop Romanian civil servants from getting on with implementation of the reforms. "Elections would certainly not affect in my opinion the administrative capacity of the...

HEADWAY NEEDED IN ROMANIA'S REGIONAL POLICY PREPARATIONS, SAYS HUBNER.(Danuta Hubner)(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... Romania needs to make real progress on control systems, public procurement and staffing if it is to be able to benefit fully from EU funds for less well-off areas when it joins the European Union. That was the message from Danuta Hubner, EU...

EU REPRESENTATION FOR ROMANIA'S HUNEDOARA COUNTY.(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... The EU representation of Romania's Hunedoara County was officially inaugurated on July 12 at an event staged at the European Parliament's Brussels headquarters and attended by President of Hunedoara County Mircea Ioan Molo and Dutch MEP Sophie...

SOCIAL PARTNERS URGE FARM CHANGE IN ROMANIA.(European Union Romania Joint Consultative Committee)(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... Investment and restructuring is needed in the Romanian agri-food sector in order to create stable and sustainable jobs, according to recommendations issuing from the 11th meeting of the EU-Romania Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), held in...

EU/BULGARIA/ROMANIA: PARLIAMENTARY OBSERVERS TO ARRIVE IN SEPTEMBER DESPITE SQUABBLES.
July 29, 2005... The EP adopted a resolution (by 360 votes in favour to 79 against with 125 abstentions) confirming the June 9 decision by its Conference of Presidents to take in 18 observers from Bulgaria and 35 from Romania as of September 26. It was decided...

EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK PROVIDES EURO 60 MILLION ROAD LOAN FOR CROATIA.(Croatian Roads Ltd.)(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... The European Investment Bank announced on July 20 that it is lending euro 60 million to Croatian Roads Ltd for the construction of a 36-kilometre by-pass near the city of Split. The by-pass should ease traffic congestion around Split and the...

EU/SERBIA & MONTENEGRO: MANDATE FOR TALKS ON NEW AGREEMENT PROPOSED.(European Union)(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... The proposed negotiating directives look to set up a formal framework for political dialogue. Economic and trade relations should also be promoted, ultimately with a view to establishing WTO-compatible free trade areas. The Stabilisation and...

INDEPENDENCE HINTED AT FOR KOSOVO AND MONTENEGRO.
July 29, 2005... Both Kosovo and Montenegro could soon break with Serbia, MEPs heard on July 6 in Strasbourg. The UK's Minister of State for Europe, Douglas Alexander, told them that the time was fast approaching when the thorny issue of Kosovos future status...

ASHDOWN WELCOMES POSITIVE POLICE REFORM MOVE IN BOSNIA.(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... The High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Paddy Ashdown, welcomed on July 8 what he said was a commitment from the government of the Republika Srpska (RS) entity to re-start the country's stalled talks on police reform. RS...

EU AND CHILE SIGN AGREEMENT ON PARTICIPATION IN BOSNIA MILITARY OPERATION.(European Union)(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... An agreement on Chile's participation in the EU's military operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Althea, was signed on July 25 in Brussels by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Chilean Ambassador to the EU Alberto Van Klaveren....

FYROM'S FUTURE LIES WITHIN EU, SAYS STABILISATION AND ASSOCIATION COUNCIL.(European union)(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... The Stabilisation and Association Council between the European Union and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) met for the second time on July 18. It reviewed progress within the Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP) and...

COMMISSIONER MOVES TO ASSUAGE POPULAR FEARS IN WESTERN BALKANS.(european union)(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said he had learned from a July 13 'web chat' with people in the Western Balkans that they were "concerned about the political crisis in which Europe is for the moment". But, speaking with journalists at...

INTERVIEW: GEORGIA-TYPE ADVISORY MISSION COULD SUIT OTHER COUNTRIES, SAYS SYLVIE PANTZ.(European Security and Defence Policy's EUJUST THEMIS mission in Georgia)(Interview)
July 29, 2005... Mission accomplished. The EUJUST THEMIS mission in Georgia was the first such 'rule of law' mission launched by the EU under its European Security and Defence Policy. With a mission headquarters in the capital Tbilisi, a number of EU...

EU/BELARUS: SUPPORT FOR RADIO SCHEME UNSURE AS POLITICAL CLIMATE WORSENS.
July 29, 2005... MEPs adopted a resolution on the political situation in Belarus condemning affronts to media freedom - including arbitrary arrests, ill-treatment of detainees, disappearances, politically-motivated persecution - and "other acts of repression...

SOLANA PLEDGES MOLDOVA-UKRAINE BORDER SUPPORT.(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... The EU is promising to help control and monitor the Moldova-Ukraine border as part of wider efforts to solve the conflict over Moldova's breakaway Transdnistria region. The Moldovan and Ukrainian Presidents asked for such help in June. EU...

EU MINISTERS MAINTAIN THREATS OVER VIOLENCE IN UZBEKISTAN.(European Union bans arms transfers)(Brief article)
July 29, 2005... EU Foreign Ministers threatened on July 18 to impose an arms embargo on Uzbekistan in view of the authorities' continuing refusal to allow an independent international enquiry into the recent bloody break-up of protests in the eastern Uzbek...

EU/KAZAKHSTAN: UNION PRESSES ASTANA ON AVIATION, OSCE STANDARDS.(European Union and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on trade)(Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe)
July 29, 2005... WTO. EU officials emphasised that they were looking for a satisfactory outcome to the airport issue under existing bilateral aviation agreements with EU member states before talks on Kazakhstan's accession to the World Trade Organisation...