Europe-East articles from June 2008

Europe-East archives from June 2008

ALBANIAN PARTICIPATION IN EUFOR CHAD.(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... To convince the Albanians to participate in the EUFOR Chad operation, the EU has drafted a tailor-made statute, rejecting certain damages. According to a draft decision adopted by EU ambassadors, on 28 May, member states participating in the...

LAJCAK: EU SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY IN BIH.(European Union)
June 23, 2008... With the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), on 16 June, the EU will move a step closer towards taking over from the international community full responsibility for overseeing the...

ROAD MAP ON VISA EXEMPTIONS FOR BOSNIA.(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... The European Commission handed over to Bosnia Herzegovina's Foreign Affairs Minister Sven Alkalaj the road map for relaxing the visa scheme, on 5 June in Sarajevo. This road map clearly indicates to Bosnia Herzegovina's authorities the measures...

ENLARGEMENT : TURKISH ACCESSION TALKS TO RECEIVE CONDITIONAL GO-AHEAD.
June 23, 2008... France says that it does not want to block Turkey's accession talks during its EU Presidency. "Negotiations will go on," French officials confirm, indicating that two or three chapters could be opened in the second half of the year. However,...

EU/SERBIA : BELGRADE WANTS CANDIDATE STATUS BY END 2008.(european union)
June 23, 2008... Bozidar Djelic, Serbia's deputy prime minister and a close aide of President Boris Tadic - whose Democratic Party won the early parliamentary elections last montha- declared, on 11 June, that his country's new government, which is now being...

EU/BIH : BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA SIGNS PRE-ACCESSION DEAL WITH UNION.(European Union)(Bosnia and Herzegovina)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... The European Union signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 16 June, paving its way to full membership of the EU. "It is the second most important day for Bosnia after the Dayton Peace Agreement was...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : COMMISSION AIMS TO REFORM EUROPE'S ASYLUM SYSTEM.
June 23, 2008... The European Commission is toying with the idea to allow a temporary suspension of the so-called Dublin system, which determines which member state is responsible for processing an application for asylum. In a proposal to overhaul the current...

EU/KOSOVO : COMMISSION TO HOST KOSOVO DONORS' CONFERENCE.(Conference news)
June 23, 2008... The European Commission will hold a donors' conference, on 11 July, to raise extra founding to support Kosovo's institution-building efforts and enhance its socio-economic development. Meanwhile, "substantial resources from the EU budget will...

EU/CYPRUS : DIRECT TALKS ON CYPRUS REUNIFICATION LIKELY AFTER SUMMER.(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... Although Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias is willing to relaunch direct talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat "as soon as possible," he admitted that the negotiations are not likely to commence before the summer break. "I...

INTERVIEW WITH ELMAR BROK, MEMBER OF THE EP'S FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE : DO NOT TALK ABOUT CRISIS, CONTINUE RATIFICATION.(Interview)
June 23, 2008... On the eve of the EU summit, where one key issue will be the consequences of the Irish no' vote to the Lisbon Treaty, MEP Elmar Brok (EPP-ED, Germany), former chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, called on the EU leaders to calm their...

EUROPEAN COUNCIL : EASTERN PARTNERSHIP TO KICK OFF IN SPRING 2009.(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... The Polish-Swedish proposal for an Eastern Partnership will be put on hold for almost a year, according to the European Council's draft conclusions on the European Neighbourhood Policy, seen by Europolitics New Neighbours. The document, which...

EU/CROATIA : EMPLOYMENT MEASURES REMAIN A PRIORITY.
June 23, 2008... Promoting social dialogue and improving the employment rates for women, older workers and youths are among the priorities of Croatia's employment policy. These priorities are set out in the Joint Assessment of Employment Priorities (JAP),...

ENLARGEMENT : ENLARGEMENT PROCESS NOT THREATENED BY IRISH NO', SAYS REHN.
June 23, 2008... The EU's enlargement policy will stay on track despite the Irish no' vote on the Lisbon Treaty, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said, on 16 June, ahead of the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg, dismissing speculations that the...

ENLARGEMENT : EP VOTE ON ENLARGEMENT REPORT DELAYED AMID CONTROVERSY.(European Union. European Parliament)
June 23, 2008... Several controversies still surround the own-initiative report of Elmar Brok (EPP-ED, Germany) on the European Commission's 2007 enlargement strategy, despite a long period of consideration already devoted by the MEPs to this document. Between...

ENERGY : EU AND TURKMENISTAN STRENGTHEN COOPERATION.(European Union)
June 23, 2008... The EU and Turkmenistan signed, on 26 May, a memorandum of understanding on reinforcing mutual cooperation in the field of energy. The EU was represented by Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, with Turkmen President Gurbankuly Berdymuhammedov...

EU/ENP : EU HAILS EASTERN PARTNERSHIP BLUEPRINT.
June 23, 2008... The Polish-Swedish initiative, which is seeking to reinforce the EU's ties with its eastern neighbours, with a view to enhancing the chances for at least some of them for membership of the Union, was applauded by EU foreign ministers and the...

EULEX KOSOVO SET FOR DEPLOYMENT.(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... The deployment of the European Union's EULEX (rule of law) mission to Kosovo could get under way following the full entry into force of the Kosovar Constitution, on 15 June. After weeks of hesitation, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent a...

ESDP RULE OF LAW MISSION : EULEX MAKING LITTLE HEADWAY IN KOSOVO.(European Security and Defense Policy)
June 23, 2008... It has now been officially confirmed. Although the Slovenian Defence Minister, Karl Erjavec, in his capacity as EU Council president, denies that the question was addressed in particular, the 27 member states have been warned that the EULEX...

EU/BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA : EULEX SHOULD NOT SHY AWAY FROM USING EXECUTIVE POWERS, SAY EXPERTS.
June 23, 2008... The lessons learned from the five-year EU Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUPM) prove that the EULEX mission is able to achieve positive results within its mandate, initially foreseen for 16 months, only by exercising its full...

INTERVIEW WITH BRIG-GEN VINCENZO COPPOLA, HEAD OF EUPM IN BIH : EUPM SCALES DOWN PRO-REFORM ACTIVITIES IN BOSNIA.(European Union Police Mission)(Interview)
June 23, 2008... After its efforts to facilitate a full unification on the Bosnian police forces turned into a fiasco, the EU Police Mission (EUPM) had to scale down its reformist aspirations and adopt a new approach. It decided to focus its activities on...

EU/WESTERN BALKANS : EUROCHAMBRES BOOSTS COOPERATION IN BALKANS REGION.
June 23, 2008... Eurochambres, which brings together around 2,000 regional and local chambers operating in the EU, launched, on 9 June, a new programme aimed at boosting cooperation with their Western Balkan counterparts. The new programme called PARTNERS for...

EU/CYPRUS : EU SEEKS TO FACILITATE TRADE BETWEEN CYPRIOT COMMUNITIES.(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... In an attempt to improve relations between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities ahead of a new round of negotiations on the reunification of the divided island, the EU has decided to amend the Green Line Regulation to further facilitate...

EU/RUSSIA/GEORGIA : EU "SERIOUSLY CONCERNED" ABOUT GEORGIA-RUSSIA TENSIONS.
June 23, 2008... The European Union's foreign ministers expressed, on 26 May, "serious concern about the recent series of events that have raised tensions between Georgia and Russia". They underlined the Union's full commitment to Georgia's sovereignty and...

EU-WESTERN BALKANS TRANSPORT TREATY.(European Union)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... On 13 June in Luxembourg, the EU Council of Ministers adopted a decision authorising the European Commission to begin negotiations with the Western Balkans for the conclusion of a treaty establishing a Transport Community with the Western...

EU/RUSSIA : FERRERO-WALDNER BACKS BINDING ENERGY AGREEMENT.(European Union)
June 23, 2008... The new partnership agreement between the European Union and Russia must include a "legally binding" energy chapter based on "transparency," declared European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, on 3 June, on a two-day...

EU/RUSSIA : FERRERO-WALDNER WARNS MOSCOW ON GEORGIA.(Benita Ferrero-Waldner)
June 23, 2008... The EU has sent another warning signal to Russia, saying that its recent actions in Georgia's breakaway territory of Abkhazia could further undermine stability in the region. Speaking in front of the members of Duma, the lower house of the...

EUROPEAN COUNCIL : FUTURE ENLARGEMENT: SUMMIT REVEALS RIFTS AMONG MEMBER STATES.(Conference news)
June 23, 2008... The European Council meeting, on 19-20 June, has exposed deep rifts among the Union's member states over how to proceed with further enlargement in case the Lisbon Treaty does not enter into force. While no member state wants to put on hold the...

INTERVIEW WITHaALEXEY MILLER, CEO OF GAZPROM : GAZPROM CLAUSE PREVENTS KEY SECURITY OF SUPPLY INVESTMENTS.
June 23, 2008... Speaking on 10 June at the European Business Congress in Deauville, France, Alexey Miller, chair of Gazprom, outlined plans to push forward with vertical integration, also in Europe. Gazprom is the world's leading gas company with proven gas...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : HEAVY JHA AGENDA FOCUSES ON TOUGH APPROACH TO MIGRATION.
June 23, 2008... In all probability, the French Presidency will have an even bigger impact on the future of the European Union's Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) policies than could until recently be foreseen. The reason is the extraordinary time at which Paris...

EU/RUSSIA : IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO.(European Union)
June 23, 2008... The European Union is finally ready to start negotiations on a new comprehensive cooperation agreement with Russia. France, a close political and economic partner of Moscow's, is first in line among member states to steer the EU-Russia talks...

JOUYET: TURKEY REFERENDUM "AN INSULT".
June 23, 2008... France's Europe Minister Jean-Pierre Jouyet said, on 6 June, that the French parliament's plans to submit Turkey's bid to join the EU to a referendum is an "insult" for Ankara. According to Jouyet, the parliamentary initiative could spark a...

EU/KOSOVO : KOSOVO TO FEATURE HIGH ON FRENCH WESTERN BALKANS AGENDA.
June 23, 2008... The Western Balkans do not feature high on the French Presidency's list of priorities, but the lion's share of Paris' diplomatic activates is nevertheless likely to be concentrated on this region, and Kosovo in particular. The Slovenian EU...

EU/MEDITERRANEAN : MED UNION PLAN HAS HURDLES TO CLEAR.(European Union)(Union for the Mediterranean)
June 23, 2008... The launch of the Union for the Mediterranean (MU) tops the agenda of Nicolas Sarkozy's EU Presidency but it will take more than political goodwill to turn it into a success. The extraordinary summit, on 13 July in Paris, which heads of state...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS COUNCIL : MEMBER STATES AGREE TO GIVE FREE LEGAL AID TO ILLEGAL MIGRANTS.
June 23, 2008... The European Union's member states have agreed to provide free legal aid to illegal migrants in case they appeal against their own detention and deportation. However, they gave their final nod only after the European Commission sweetened the...

EU/RUSSIA : MINISTERS FORMALLY APPROVE MANDATE FOR RUSSIA TALKS.(European Union)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... There was no last-minute surprise this time. The EU's foreign ministers rubber-stamped without any discussion the mandate for negotiations with Russia on a new enhanced agreement, at their meeting held on 26 May in Brussels. Following an...

EU/RUSSIA : MOSCOW EYEING ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP IN FP7.(European Union)(7th Framework Programme)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... The EU and Russia have made another step towards forging better cooperation in the area of science and research, including the possibility for Moscow to join the EU's 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7) as...

EU/ENP : NEXT TRIO PRESIDENCY INTENT ON UPGRADING ENP TIES.(European Neighbourhood Policy )(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... France, the Czech Republic and Sweden, the next trio of Presidencies, intend to further enhance the eastern and southern dimensions of the Union's Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). The goal is to make concrete progress in upgrading current ties with...

EU/CYPRUS : NICOSIA WITHDRAWS APPEAL AGAINST AID FOR NORTH.(European Union. European Commission)
June 23, 2008... The Cypriot government, led by Demetris Christofias, has decided to withdraw legal action taken by its predecessor against the European Commission over the funding of projects in the northern part of the divided island. The decision is expected...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : PRESIDENCY TRIO PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS MIGRATION.
June 23, 2008... An agenda heavily focused on migration, asylum policy and integration of immigrants is expected by the next trio of EU Presidencies, according to its draft 18-month programme in the area of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA). The programme is a...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : SARKOZY AIMS TO DISCOURAGE MIGRANTS TO EU ELDORADO'.
June 23, 2008... Few priorities of the French Presidency of the European Union are expected with so much interest as the plan for tougher control over the flow of immigrants into Europe. President Nicolas Sarkozy's controversial proposal could now sow the seeds...

EU/FYROM : SKOPJE MUST SOLVE NAME ROW FOR MEMBERSHIP TALKS TO START.(European Union)
June 23, 2008... Despite strong diplomatic efforts by the Slovenian EU Presidency, it remains uncertain whether accession talks with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) could be opened by the end of this year, as the start of talks was directly...

EU/FYROM : SKOPJE READY FOR ACCESSION TALKS THIS YEAR, SAYS MILOSOSKI.
June 23, 2008... The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is still eyeing the opening of accession talks with the EU by the end of this year, despite ethnic-related political tensions which erupted during the recent parliamentary elections held on 1...

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY : SOCIALIST MEPS PROPOSE UNION FOR THE BLACK SEA.
June 23, 2008... A new proposal by the Socialist group of the European Parliament to create a Union for the Black Sea' - fully encompassing two "key partners": Russia and Turkeya- is emerging as a challenge to the EU's Neighbourhood Policy and is expected to...

ENLARGEMENT : TURKEY EXPECTS ACCESSION PROGRESS DURING FRENCH PRESIDENCY.
June 23, 2008... Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan is optimistic about the outcome of the French EU Presidency, as he has received assurances from Paris that new accession negotiation chapters will be opened with Ankara in the second half of the year....

ENLARGEMENT : TURKEY VENTS ANGER AT FRENCH PLAN FOR REFERENDUM.
June 23, 2008... Ankara has reacted with anger to the French lower house's approval of a constitutional amendment, which could block Turkey's eventual accession to the EU. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said, on 3 June, that it was "irked by efforts to...

EU/TURKEY : TWO NEW CHAPTERS OPENED IN ANKARA'S EU TALKS.(European Union)
June 23, 2008... The European Union opened, on 17 June, two new chapters for negotiations with Turkey, bringing the number of policy areas Ankara has been negotiating since it began accession talks in 2005 to eight. Both chapters, namely company law (6) and...

EU/CROATIA : UNION MAY LIMIT FREE MOVEMENT OF CROATIAN WORKERS.(European Union)
June 23, 2008... Croatia's accession negotiations moved forward, on 17 June, after the Council agreed to launch talks with Zagreb on two new chapters: freedom of movement of workers (2) and social policy and employment (19). In the case of both chapters, the EU...

EU/BOSNIA : UNION OPENS VISA TALKS WITH SARAJEVO.(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina welcomed the opening of a dialogue on a visa-free regime with the European Union and pledged to meet "as soon as possible" all related requirements. "I would like to say that this is a good day for my...

VISA-FREE DIALOGUE WITH ALBANIA.(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... On 3 June in Brussels, Albanian Foreign Affairs Minister Lulzim Basha received the road map on visa liberalisation from Michael Leigh, director-general of DG Enlargement at the European Commission, and Immigration Director Jean-Louis De...

EU/UKRAINE : WIND OF CHANGE IN UNION'S TIES WITH KIEV.(European Union)
June 23, 2008... An "ambitious partnership"- this is how France's President Nicolas Sarkozy has recently described the proposal Paris is planning to offer Ukraine in September. Kiev expects that under this catchy title there will be substance which will pave...