Europe-East articles from November 2006

Europe-East archives from November 2006

EUROPEAN CAPITALS OF CULTURE 2010 : CYPRUS SOUNDS NOTE OF CAUTION OVER SELECTION OF ISTANBUL.(Brief article)
November 21, 2006... Essen, Pecs and Istanbul are to be the three European Capitals of Culture for 2010, following the unanimous endorsement of their candidacies by the Council of Ministers on 13 November. Aside from the statements of thanks from Germany and...

AGREEMENT ON TEXTILES WITH UKRAINE.
November 21, 2006... The EU Council of Ministers voted without a debate on 23 October to adopt a decision authorising the European Commission to open negotiations with Ukraine with a view to renewing the agreement between the two parties on trade in textile...

EU/RUSSIA : ALDE LETTER TO PUTIN DENOUNCES OBSTACLES TO DEMOCRACY IN RUSSIA.(Brief article)
November 21, 2006... Europeans are concerned at the rapid curtailing of civil liberties and democracy in Russia. This is the message contained in an open letter sent by the President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ADLE), Graham Watson, to...

EU/TURKEY : COMMISSION GIVES ANKARA UNTIL DECEMBER TO MOVE ON CYPRUS.
November 21, 2006... The European Commission has decided to give Turkey a strong warning over its stance towards the implementation of the Ankara Protocol but did not recommend the accession negotiations to be suspended. Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn made...

EU/GEORGIA : COMMISSION NAMES EIGHT PRIORITIES FOR FUTURE ACTION PLAN.
November 21, 2006... "Strengthening the rule of law, especially through reform of the judicial system, including the penitentiary system, and through rebuilding state institutions," is the first priority in the proposal for an EU-Georgia Action Plan presented by...

EU/BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA : COMMISSION URGES POLITICAL REFORMS.
November 21, 2006... Presenting the progress reports for the potential candidate countries (see separate articles) on 8 November, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn announced that Bosnia and Herzegovina has made some progress on European standards and that talks on...

EU/CROATIA/FYROM : CROATIA AND FYROM ON THE RIGHT TRACK FOR ACCESSION.(European Union)
November 21, 2006... "Croatia made a good start in the accession negotiations. However, further efforts are needed, in particular as regards judiciary reform, fight against corruption and economic reform. The road towards EU accession goes really through...

OLAF/BULGARIA : DIALOGUE BETWEEN JOURNALISTS AND ANTIFRAUD SERVICES IN BULGARIA.
November 21, 2006... Dialogue between journalists and anitfraud services may help combat corruption that is affecting EU financial interests, particularly in Bulgaria, one of the future EU accession countries. An initiative to this effect was launched during a...

LAHTI EUROPEAN SUMMIT : DINNER TALKS WITH PUTIN WERE VERY FRANK BUT SETTLED NOTHING.(Vladimir Putin)
November 21, 2006... In addition to talks on social matters, energy and immigration (see separate articles), the informal European Summit in Lahti on 20 October also offered an opportunity for a review at the highest level of relations between the EU and its...

FREE MOVEMENT OF WORKERS : ECJ GIVES GUIDANCE ON TURKISH IMMIGRANT'S RIGHTS.
November 21, 2006... A judgement clarifying the rights of Turkish workers in the EU was delivered by the EU Court of Justice on 26 October. The preliminary ruling (Case C-4/05) highlights the complex legal situation Turkish workers face, bound both by a 1963...

ECONOMIC SURVEY OF TURKEY 2006.(Survey)(Brief article)
November 21, 2006... This report, recently published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), provides an assessment and recommendations on the main economic challenges faced by Turkey. The first chapter identifies the challenges, for...

EIB LOAN FOR EDUCATION IN ALBANIA.
November 21, 2006... The European Investment Bank (EIB) is to award Albania a loan of 12.5 million to finance phase one (2007-2013) of its strategic national education plan 2004-2015. The financing will cover the following elements: strengthening leadership,...

EIB LOAN IN ROMANIA.(European Union. European Investment Bank)(Bancpost SA)(Brief article)
November 21, 2006... The European Investment Bank (EIB) is to provide a 20 million global loan to Bancpost SA for the indirect funding of investment projects of small and medium-sized enterprises and municipalities in Romania.aThe loan will serve to co-finance...

EIB-MOLDOVA AGREEMENT.(European Union. European Investment Bank)(Brief article)
November 21, 2006... Sauli Niinisto, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), and Zinaida Grecianii, First Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova, have signed a framework agreement providing a basis for EIB's activities in Moldova. The signature will allow...

EU/AZERBAIJAN : ENERGY BEFORE HUMAN RIGHTS.
November 21, 2006... A memorandum of understanding was signed on 7 November by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev. The document should lead to an energy partnership and follows on from the Commission's recent...

EU/RUSSIA : ENERGY DIALOGUE TACKLES TRANSPARENCY ISSUES.
November 21, 2006... The EU wants detailed figures on gas supplies from Gazprom to help it define its energy strategy. Speaking at the EU-Russia Energy Dialogue in Moscow on 30 October, Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs made public the contents of the messages...

EU/SOUTH CAUCASUS : EP DEBATE - MORE EU INVOLVEMENT IN GEORGIA "UNREALISTIC".(European parliament)
November 21, 2006... The European Parliament's discussion on the conflicts in Transnistria and South Ossetia on 25 October sent two distinct messages to Moldova and Georgia. MEPs and EU officials reaffirmed the EU's support for Moldova's reform efforts and...

EU/KOSOVO : EU ACKNOWLEDGES DELAY IN KOSOVO STATUS DECISION.(European Union)
November 21, 2006... "We are not afraid that the postponement of a decision on the final status of Kosovo will destabilise Serbia or the whole Balkan region," said Javier Solana, Secretary-General of the European Council, commenting on 13 November on the External...

EU AID TO TURKISH CYPRIOT COMMUNITY.(European Union)(Brief article)
November 21, 2006... The European Commission has adopted a financing decision for a total of 38.1 million to encourage the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community. In February 2006, the EU member states adopted an aid regulation of 259 million. The...

EU/UKRAINE SUMMIT : EU AND UKRAINE CONCLUDE VISA AND IMMIGRATION PACTS.
November 21, 2006... During the EU-Ukraine Summit in Helsinki on 27 October, the EU and Ukraine completed negotiations on the EC-Ukraine visa facilitation and readmission agreements. Both parties welcomed progress made on the EU-Ukraine Action Plan, and agreed on...

EU/RUSSIA : EU CHANGES TACK ON ENERGY CHARTER.
November 21, 2006... It is now clear following the Lahti informal Summit that the EU has shifted its stance on the ratification of the Energy Charter Treaty by Russia. Faced with Moscow's intransigence, the EU has decided to adopt a different approach in its...

EU/GEORGIA : EU CONDEMNS REFERENDUM IN SOUTH OSSETIA.
November 21, 2006... The European Union has made clear that it does not intend to recognise the referendum which took place in the South Ossetian region of Georgia on 12 November. The EU decided not to recognise either the outcome of the presidential elections...

EU EXPANDS BELARUS BAN LIST.(European Union)(Brief article)
November 21, 2006... The Council of Ministers decided on 23 October to extend the EU's list of prominent Belarusian officials banned from entering the European Union's territory and affected by asset freeze measures (Alexei Rybakov, judge; Sergei Aleksandrovich...

EU/SERBIA : EU EXPECTS FULL COOPERATION WITH THE ICTY.(European Union)
November 21, 2006... There have been some encouraging developments in Serbia, announced Olli Rehn, the European Enlargement Commissioner, while presenting the progress reports of the possible candidate countries (see separate articles) on 8 November. These include...

ENLARGEMENT : EU HAS WORKED OUTNEW CONSENSUS ON ENLARGEMENT.
November 21, 2006... The European Union has achieved a new consensus on the further approach to its enlargement. The strategy on enlargement, published by the European Commission on 8 November, confirms that the European Union intends first to pursue its...

EU/MIDDLE EAST : EU MINISTERS ACKNOWLEDGE FAILURE TO RELAUNCH THE PEACE PROCESS.
November 21, 2006... A little more than a month after the end of the crisis in Lebanon, which was accompanied by hopes that the peace process would be relaunched, the dream has been shattered within the EU. The deterioration of the situation and the mounting...

EU/SERBIA : EU REBUKES SERBIA FOR LACK OF COOPERATION WITH HAGUE TRIBUNAL.
November 21, 2006... Serbia is not making enough progress in implementing the action plan designed to achieve full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), said Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn after the Serbia-EU...

EU-RUSSIA PARTNERSHIP.(Brief article)
November 21, 2006... At the meeting of the EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council (PPC) on 29-30 October, the parties discussed future measures regarding cooperation on justice and home affairs and implementation of the joint road map for freedom, security and...

PRE-ACCESSION AID : EU TO SPEND OVER 5.74BN ON PRE-ACCESSION AID FROM 2007 TO 2010.(European Union)
November 21, 2006... The European Union has earmarked over 5.74 billion to spend on pre-accession assistance to Turkey, six countries of the western Balkans and Kosovo. On 8 November, the European Commission is scheduled to present the Multi-Annual Indicative...

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR KOSOVO.(Brief article)
November 21, 2006... The European Parliament has approved a report drawn up by Erika Mann (PES, Germany) including a proposal for an exceptional Community macro-financial assistance to Kosovo of 50 million. The approval came at the EP's mini-plenary session on 12...

EU/WESTERN BALKANS : FURTHER ENLARGEMENT BY 2010 OR 2020?(European Union)
November 21, 2006... The enlargement of the European Union will not stop with the accession of Romania and Bulgaria in 2007. The next group to which the EU has promised the possibility of accession is the countries of the western Balkans. On 8 November, the...

EU/BULGARIA-ROMANIA : FURTHER EU PRECAUTIONS ON FOOD SAFETY.
November 21, 2006... The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health approved a series of veterinary and food safety measures on 8 November ahead of the accession of Romania and Bulgaria on 1 January 2007. Three hundred and eighty seven Romanian...

EU/SOUTH CAUCASUS : GEORGIA WANTS TO LAUNCH A DIALOGUE WITH RUSSIA WITH EU SUPPORT.(European Union)
November 21, 2006... Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili is appealing to Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg for solidarity with Georgia in its conflict with Russia. In his statement on 14 November, Saakashvili made it clear that, without tangible...

EU/WESTERN BALKANS : GREEN LIGHT FOR VISA FACILITATION NEGOTIATIONS.
November 21, 2006... Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini will now start negotiations with all western Balkan countries for a visa facilitation agreement. A provisional first meeting may take place as soon as on 30 November in Brussels. Negotiations could possibly...

JAN TRUSZCZYNSKI/COMMISSION.
November 21, 2006... The European Commission appointed on 24 October Jan Truszczynski Deputy-Director General of DG Enlargement. Truszczynski, a 56-year-old Polish national, is currently Managing Director of the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation in Warsaw....

MACEDONIA PUSHES FOR EU ENTRY TIMETABLE.(European Union)(Brief article)
November 21, 2006... Macedonia seeks to join NATO by 2009 and the EU by 2013, said Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski during his first official foreign visit to Germany at the beginning of this week. 'We are very dedicated to continuing the process of EU integration...

ENLARGEMENT : MINISTERS LAUNCH DISCUSSION ON KEY ENLARGEMENT ISSUES.(Brief article)
November 21, 2006... The EU's foreign ministers, meeting at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 13 November in Brussels, have launched intensive negotiations on how to deal with the Cyprus problem'. In the coming weeks before the 14-15 December...

EU/KAZAKHSTAN : NUCLEAR COOPERATION WITH KAZAKHSTAN MOVES A STEP CLOSER.
November 21, 2006... Following the conclusion in September 2006 of negotiations between Euratom and Kazakhstan, the European Commission adopted a recommendation on 24 October (COM(2006) 617) inviting the Council to conclude a cooperation agreement on the peaceful...

EU NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY : OVER 11 BILLION EURO FOR EU NEIGBOURS IN 2007-2013.(Brief article)
November 21, 2006... Meeting in Luxembourg on 17 October, the Council has approved a decision to establish a financing instrument to provide more than 11 billion for European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). The regulation lays down general provisions for the new...

EU/POLAND/RUSSIA : POLAND UPHOLDING VETO ON EU NEGOTIATION MANDATE WITH RUSSIA.
November 21, 2006... There was no breakthrough in the EU talks on the EU's mandate for EU-Russia talks on a new strategic partnership treaty at the Permanent Representatives Committee meeting (COREPER) on 15 November. Warsaw is still firmly defending its set of...

EU/ALBANIA : PRIORITY GIVEN TO IMPLEMENTING THE ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT.(European Union)
November 21, 2006... Albania's main task at the moment is to successfully implement the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) signed with the EU on 12 June 2006, said Olli Rehn, the Enlargement Commissioner, on 8 November when presenting the progress...

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT : REFORMING THE EU BEFORE ANY FURTHER ENLARGEMENT.
November 21, 2006... With the European Commission having just adopted its new strategy for the EU policy on enlargement, the European Parliament has also started to examine the question from the angle of which reforms should be implemented before any further...

EU/MONTENEGRO : REHN CALLS FOR FURTHER POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC EFFORT.(European Union)
November 21, 2006... Montenegro achieved independence in June 2006 after a referendum, but the new state has much to do to build up its institutional capacity to implement the Stabilisation and Association Agreement currently being negotiated, according to...

ROMANIAN PM HAS NO FEARS OFaHARD WORK AHEAD.
November 21, 2006... Commenting on his country's preparations for EU membership,a Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanum said that "we are not frightened by the amount of work it supposes! We don't see problems; we see challenges and a gateway to new...

EU/ROMANIA : ROMANIA TO RECEIVE 1 BILLION EURO PER YEAR FROM EIB.(European Union)(Brief article)
November 21, 2006... The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a framework agreement with Romania to provide some 1 billion per year of finance for a range of specific projects in Romania. The move follows the recent decision by Bulgaria to extend its agreement...

GERMAN PRESIDENCY : SPD PREPARES FOR THE CHALLENGES FACING THE GERMAN PRESIDENCY.(Social Democrat party)(Discussion)
November 21, 2006... Meeting in Berlin on 6 November for an unprecedented public debate organised by the Group of European Socialists (PES) several German social democrats debated the priorities for the future German Presidency of the EU. The Germans start their...

EU/RUSSIA : STAND-OFF OVER SIBERIAN OVERFLIGHTS RUMBLES ON.(Brief article)
November 21, 2006... 'Serious difficulties' remain, according to European Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot, regarding ongoing negotiations with Russia on duties paid by European airlines flying over Siberia. He was speaking at a press conference following a...

SUGAR FROM CROATIA.(Brief article)
November 21, 2006... The EU Council has approved without debate the conclusion of a protocol amending the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Croatia as regards tariff quotas for sugar and sugar products. The protocol replaces the current duty-free access...

EU/UKRAINE : TALKS ON DEVELOPING CLOSER TIES HIT A ROCKY PATCH.(European Union)
November 21, 2006... "The summit must create a favorable political atmosphere for the start of negotiations between Ukraine and the European Union regarding a new basic agreement to replace the existing agreement on partnership and cooperation," said Andriy...

TURKISH RIPOSTE.
November 21, 2006... Turkey rejected any link between the Cyprus problem' and its accession talks, saying that the responsibility for keeping Ankara's membership bid on track "falls more on the EU". "The Cyprus problem is a political problem and it does not...

EU/BULGARIA/ROMANIA : UK AND IRELAND CLOSED FOR WORKERS FROM ROMANIA AND BULGARIA.(European Union)
November 21, 2006... The British and Irish governments decided on 24 October to shift from the open-door policy they adopted in 2004 towards eight eastern European countries and introduce certain restrictions to the free movement of workers from Bulgaria and...

UKRAINE'S WTO ENTRY PREPARATIONS DELAYED.
November 21, 2006... The Verkhovna Rada [parliament] on October 17 decided to postpone until 1 November parliamentary hearings on Ukraine's prospects for and problems regarding its entry to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The hearings were originally planned...

EUROPEAN COMMISSION : WORK PROGRAMME 2007 PUTS THE ACCENT ON BETTER LEGISLATION'.
November 21, 2006... Twenty-one strategic initiatives' and 60 priority initiatives' to be adopted in the next 18 months are on the agenda for 2007, as seen in the European Commission's work programme published on 24 October (1). The document aims to be...