Europe-East articles from May 2003

Europe-East archives from May 2003

A FOOT IN THE DOOR.( Full membership of the EU for the ten countries concerned is but a year away now)
May 8, 2003... They're in. Well, almost. Full membership of the EU for the ten countries concerned is but a year away now, all things (notably referendums and ratifications) going to plan. But the acceding states are already getting a first hand taste of what...

NEW MEMBER STATES JOIN AS OBSERVERS.
May 8, 2003... Representatives of the ten future Member States joining the European Union next May have officially taken up their places as observers in the EU institutions. The countries' Ambassadors took part in their first meeting of the Committee of...

EUROPE DAY IN THE NEW MEMBER STATES.
May 8, 2003... A hot-air balloon with an EU logo will float over the ancient caves of Cappadocia in central Turkey to celebrate "Europe Day" this year. This is just one of the many events to mark the 9 May celebration of the European Union in the aspiring EU...

PLANS FOR EUROPE DAY FESTIVITIES IN UKRAINE.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... Ukraine has been invited to join in the celebrations for the May 9 Europe Day - the day in 1950 marking the first move towards the creation of the what is now the EU, as French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman read to the international press a...

"AZERBAIJAN NEEDS EUROPE AND EUROPE NEEDS AZERBAIJAN" - PCC.(Te EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... "The people of Azerbaijan share a common destiny with other peoples of Europe, and the integration of the Azerbaijani people and their national institutions into European structures is in the mutual interest of both the EU and Azerbaijan",...

NEW REPORT ON INVESTMENT IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE.
May 8, 2003... All EU accession countries, especially those in the top end of the income bracket, can generally expect their GDP to increase as a result of EU membership. They may also attract an increasing concentration of foreign direct investment (FDI) in...

FISCAL CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR EU CANDIDATES, SAYS IMF.
May 8, 2003... The historic agreement on EU enlargement reached at the Copenhagen Summit last December highlights both the progress made over the past decade in transforming the countries concerned into well-functioning market economies, and the challenges...

CENTRAL ASIA THE FOCUS OF EBRD ANNUAL MEETING.(European Bank for Reconstruction and Development)
May 8, 2003... Central Asia and Uzbekistan in particular were the focus of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's (EBRD's) 12th annual meeting on May 2-4 in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan. The gathering was attended by government, business...

WARNING OVER PREPARATIONS BY CANDIDATES' BUSINESSES.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... The level of preparation among the Central European business community for EU enlargement in May 2004 is still far too low, and SMEs in particular need more information and support. This is according to Christoph Leitl, President of...

AGRICULTURE CAN BOOST THE BALTICS, SAYS MEP.(Karl Erik Olsson , Member of the European Partliament)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... The agriculture and food industries can make a significant contribution to economic growth in the Baltic countries, but only if they are prepared to tackle tougher competition and the EU's demanding quality requirements. This is according to...

UK GOVERNMENT INTRODUCES ACCESSION BILL.(The accession of ten new EU members in May 2004)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... The UK government was planning to introduce its EU (Accessions) Bill in the House of Commons (Parliament) on April 30, legislation that will formally ratify the accession of ten new EU members in May 2004. The Bill, once enacted, will...

ACCESSION REFERENDUMS: HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?(Brief Article)
May 22, 2003... More than half the acceding states have now voted to join the EU next May. And more than half the voters in these countries took the trouble to go and vote. On paper, it looks good, at the halfway stage. A consistent pattern of support for...

HOPES FOR SUCCESSFUL CZECH REFERENDUM.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2003... Given "the extraordinary efforts made by the Czech Republic and its citizens to progress towards meeting all the criteria for accession", the EU-Czech Republic Joint Consultative Committee says "it hopes that the citizens of the Czech Republic...

BALKANS: ARMS CONTROL BODIES SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.
May 22, 2003... Two organisations involved in controlling arms in the Balkans have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that looks to establish effective co-operation between them with a view to enhancing international efforts to reduce the proliferation...

EU/RUSSIA: GERMAN MEP SLAMS PUTIN FOR NOT CELEBRATING KALININGRAD'S 'REAL BIRTHDAY'.(Member of the European Parliament critical of Vladimir Putin)
May 22, 2003... A German Member of the European Parliament (MEP) on the EP's delegation for relations with Russia has launched a withering attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin for allegedly switching the festivities for the birthday of Russian "exclave"...