Europe-East articles from October 2006

Europe-East archives from October 2006

EU/SOUTHERN CAUCASUS : BENITA FERRERO-WALDNER PUSHING TO CONCLUDE ACTION PLANS.(European Union. European Commission)(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... After ten months of negotiations, the EU Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, is hoping to reach agreement with the Southern Caucasus countries within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy, when she visits...

EUROPEAN COMMISSION : COMMISSION HOSTS BRAINSTORMING MEETING ON FUTURE PRIORITIES.
October 24, 2006... "Discussing priorities and key questions for the coming months and years" - this is the aim of a seminar due to be staged by the European Commission on 19 September in Profondval, in Belgium's Brabant Walloon Province. The EU executive has...

EU/RUSSIA : VLADIMIR PUTIN CENTRE STAGE IN LAHTI.
October 24, 2006... The European Council in Lahti on 20 October will make Vladimir Putin the centre of media attention because of subjects which are never officially on the agenda of these meetings, such as human rights. But how much attention will be paid to the...

EU/RUSSIA : MEP CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL ENQUIRY INTO POLITKOVSKAIA KILLING.(member of parliament)(dialogue with Helene Flautre of European Parliament)(Interview)
October 24, 2006... Helene Flautre (Greens, France) is president of the European Parliament's sub-committee for Human Rights. - Anna Politkovskaia's assassination in Moscow on Saturday, a death like the others ? Helene Flautre - No. Its not just a...

EU/GEORGIA COOPERATION.(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... The European Union and Georgia reached an agreement in principle on 3 October on extending their relations, an agreement which may be formalised in November. A joint statement published following a troika-type meeting between the Commission,...

AGRICULTURAL TRADE WITH TURKEY.
October 24, 2006... The EU Council of Ministers approved without debate a draft EU position on the amendment of Protocols 1 and 2 to the 1998 EU-Turkey Association Council on the trade regime for agricultural products. The decision will be adopted by the EU-Turkey...

ENLARGEMENT : ALL BALKAN STATES SHOULD JOIN EU, SAYS GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER.
October 24, 2006... "We must work to push all the Balkan countries towards the EU," Greece's Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis has said, while at the same time criticising the "slowdown" of reforms in EU candidate country Turkey. Acknowledging that enlargement...

GERMAN EU PRESIDENCY/ENLARGEMENT : ANGELA MERKEL ANNOUNCES HER 2007 PRIORITIES ON THE WEB.(www.bundeskanzlerin.de)(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... The German chancellor has revealed her priorities for the German EU Presidency, which will begin on 1 January 2007, for six months. She did that in a very discrete manner - by addressing her fellow countrymen via her internet site...

BARROSO CALLS FOR A TIME-OUT'.(Jose Manuel Barroso)(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has officially made public his opposition to any further enlargement of the EU until the institutional crisis had been resolved. French Prime MinisteraDominique de Villepin's visit on 25...

EU/BULGARIA/ROMANIA : BROAD WELCOME FOR BULGARIA AND ROMANIA'S EU ENTRY.
October 24, 2006... The Commission's 26 September decision to allow Bulgaria and Romania into the EU on 1 January 2007, subject to ratification by three member states, has gone down well throughout the EU and especially in Sofia and Bucharest. Bulgaria's Prime...

EU/BULGARIA/ROMANIA : BULGARIA & ROMANIA STILL HAVE WORK TO DO AHEAD OF 2007 ACCESSION.
October 24, 2006... The Commission concluded on 26 September that Bulgaria and Romania are ready to join the EU on 1 January 2007. It stressed, however, that both countries need to make further progress in tackling various outstanding problems in the months...

BULGARIAN AND ROMANIAN COMMISSIONERS.(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... The European Parliament's vote endorsing the European commissioners proposed by Bulgaria and Romania will take place at an extraordinary plenary session on 4 January in Brussels. MEPs from the two new member states, who currently hold the...

EU/BULGARIA/ROMANIA : BULGARIA, ROMANIA TO JOIN EU IN 2007 UNDER CLOSE SURVEILLANCE.
October 24, 2006... Eleven years after Bulgaria and Romania submitted their applications for membership of the EU, the European Commission finally confirmed on 26 September that both countries are ready to join the Community on 1 January 2007. "Our conclusion is...

EU/CROATIA : CROATIA WILL BE READY BY 2009, SAYS FOREIGN MINISTER.
October 24, 2006... "I hope there will be no delay and the negotiations will proceed in parallel to the institutional reform of the European Union," said Karolina Grabar-Kitarovic, Croatia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, on 5 October in...

CYPRUS: A CHALLENGE FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION.(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... This paper highlights the key points in the island's history and shows how the difficulties in establishing dialogue between the Greek and Turkish communities seem to have led the matter to be mired. Several major crises have affected Cyprus...

EU/BULGARIA : EIB OPENS CREDIT LINE TO BOOST BULGARIA'S SMES.
October 24, 2006... The European Investment Bank (EIB), the EU's finance institution, signed on 5 October a memorandum of understanding with Bulgaria which sets a support framework worth 5-7 million per year in the time period 2007-2013. The amount in question...

EU/MONTENEGRO : EP COMMITTEE ADOPTS DRAFT RESOLUTION ON MONTENEGRO.
October 24, 2006... The European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee has adopted a draft motion for a resolution on Montenegro's EU prospects. The resolution urges further reforms in the country, while also reaffirming that it is on track towards a...

EP MAY KICK OUT BULGARIAN OBSERVER.(European Parliament)(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... "We call upon the relevant Bulgarian authorities to make every effort to recall Mr Stoyanov from the European Parliament, as there is no place for him among European politicians," declared Hans-Gert Pottering (EPP-ED, DE). This was the EPP-ED...

EPP: CROATIA SHOULD JOINEU IN 2009.(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... Hans-Gert Pottering, President of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament, raised the issue of Croatia's accession to the EU at a press conference at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 26 September: "Our group defends the idea that...

EU/TURKEY : EPP GENTLY CLOSES DOOR ON TURKEY.(European people's party)
October 24, 2006... Turkey's prospects of joining the EU have receded just a little following aaEuropean People's Party (EPP) annual conference in Lyon at the weekend. The rejection of Turkey's candidacy is not an official position of the leading group in the...

EU/TURKEY : EP REPORT ON TURKEY TOUGH BUT FAIR, SAYS EURLINGS.
October 24, 2006... The European Parliament approved the report on Turkey's progress towards EU accession on 27 September by a large majority (429 in favour, 71 against and 125 abstentions) The final version of this document is "still tough but more balanced",...

EUROPEAN COMMISSION : EP TO VOTE ON THE TWO COMMISSIONERS, NOT THE COLLEGE.(European Union. European Parliament)
October 24, 2006... The European Parliament is likely to hold hearings only for the two future Romanian and Bulgarian commissioners, unless the Commission decides to re-shuffle portfolios among existing commissioners. In this event, the commissioners concerned...

EU-BELARUS BORDER DEMARCATION COMPLETED.(European Union)(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... Belarus completed on 3 October the demarcation of its border with the European Union, one of the longest of the EU's external frontiers. The demarcation was announced complete at a ceremony held at the point where the Belarusian, Latvian and...

EU/WESTERN BALKANS : EU FOREIGN MINISTERS ASSESS REFORMS IN WESTERN BALKANS.
October 24, 2006... The EU member states' foreign ministers have expressed their growing concerns regarding recent developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as well as in Serbia. In the conclusions of the External Relations Council, on 14-15 September, they...

ENLARGEMENT : EU IMPLEMENTS CYPRUS AID REGULATION.
October 24, 2006... The European Commission has started to implement the aid regulation proposed in July 2004, aimed at facilitating the reunification of Cyprus and thereby ending the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community. The late approval of the...

EU/BIH : EU INTEGRATION PROSPECTS CRUCIAL FOR BIH AND THE WHOLE REGION.(Bosnia and Herzegovina)(European Union)
October 24, 2006... "It is very important to keep the EU integration prospects of Bosnia and Herzegovina realistic. This will help to solve problems of the country and the whole region of Western Balkans," said Dr Christian Schwarz-Schilling, High Representative...

EU-KAZAKHSTAN-KYRGYZSTAN.
October 24, 2006... The EU Council of Ministers adopted without debate on 25 September the decisions approving the conclusion of protocols to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreements signed with Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic, to take account of the...

EU/BULGARIA/ROMANIA : EU PREPARES FOR POST-ENLARGEMENT PORK EMBARGO.
October 24, 2006... A Commission proposal to approve Romania's eradication plan and emergency vaccination programme for classical swine fever was endorsed by the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health on 4 October. The Bulgarian eradication plan...

EU/MOLDOVA : EU REFUSES TO RECOGNISE REFERENDUM IN TRANSNISTRIA.
October 24, 2006... The EU has stated that it does not recognise either the referendum which took place on 17 September in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova, or its outcome. It expressed its full support for the territorial integrity of Moldova...

ENLARGEMENT : EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SET TO GIVE ROMANIA THEaGREEN LIGHT.
October 24, 2006... Before the publication of Commission report on Romania's progress towards accession on 26 September, the Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu arrived in Brussels to convince MEPs that his government is working at full tilt to...

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY : EUROPEANS IN FAVOUR OF CLOSER RELATIONS WITH THEIR NEIGHBOURS.
October 24, 2006... The overwhelming majority of EU citizens (82%) admit to being unfamiliar with the concept of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). Less than one in five Europeans (18%) claim to know what the ENP is. The Eurobarometer special report on...

EUROPEAN SOCIAL MODEL IN BULGARIA.(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... A conference on The European Social Model and the Challenges Facing Bulgaria, organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the Economic and Social Council of Bulgaria, was held in Sofia (National Palace of Culture) on 2...

EU-RUSSIA HUMAN RIGHTS COOPERATION.
October 24, 2006... This publication aims to explain the mismatch between the results and the intensity of human rights cooperation between Russia and Europe's inter-governmental organisations. This is done by revisiting the basic assumptions of international...

EU-RUSSIA PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL.(European Union)(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... The first session of the Partnership Council between the European Union and the Russian Federation, devoted to the environment, was held in Helsinki on 10 October. The EU Council of Ministers met in Brussels on 25 September and granted the...

EU SETS UP KOSOVO TEAM.(European Union)(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... The Council of the European Union has set up an EU team to contribute to the preparations for a possible international civilian mission in Kosovo. The EU preparatory team will work together with the international community and the Kosovo...

EU/SOUTH CAUCASUS : EU TO DEVELOP CLOSER RELATIONS WITH SOUTH CAUCASUS.(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... The EU is to formally endorse European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plans with three South Caucasian countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, in November. The final agreement on the ENP Action Plan texts was reached by the Ministerial Troika...

EU/BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA : EU URGES LEADERS OF BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA TO ROLL THEIR SLEEVES UP.(European Union)
October 24, 2006... The Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina's (BiH) elections, held on 1 October, which were run and managed entirely by domestic institutions for the first time,awere broadly in line with international standards for democratic elections, says an...

NORTHERN DIMENSION : FINLAND TO BEEF UP NEW NORTHERN TREATY.(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... Finland's Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja pledged in June 2006 to give a new boost to Northern Dimension cooperation and to transform it into a common policy between the European Union, Iceland, Norway and Russia. The recent meeting (on 22...

ENLARGEMENT : FINNISH PRESIDENCY OPPOSED TO EU ENLARGEMENT BREATHER.(European union)(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... "We need to maintain a policy that keeps the EU open to countries that are willing and able [to join it]," Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, whose country currently holds the EU Presidency, said on 28 September, addressing Finland's...

EU/LEBANON : FOUAD SINIORA URGES EU TO WORK FOR PEACE IN LEBANON.(European Union. European Parliament)
October 24, 2006... Addressing the Conference of Presidents of Political Groups at the European Parliament on 27 September, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called on MEPs to work for peace in the Arab world. He indicated that the Lebanese army has a clear...

FRANCE-TURKEY ROW OVER ARMENIAN GENOCIDE.
October 24, 2006... The National Assembly in Paris adopted on 12 October a bill calling for five years in jail to anyone who denies the alleged genocide of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire at the turn of the 20th century. This controversial piece of...

FRENCH GIVE GREEN LIGHT TO ENLARGEMENT.(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... The French Senate, on 3 October, adopted the draft bill authorising the ratification of the treaty on Romania and Bulgaria's accession to the European Union, thereby giving the approval of the French government to the text, which was voted by...

EU/KOSOVO : KOSOVO NEGOTIATIONS TO CONCLUDE IN 2006, SAYS UN MEDIATOR.(Martti Ahtisaari)
October 24, 2006... A proposal to settle the status of Serbia's UN-administered province of Kosovo is still expected to be submitted by next month, UN-appointed mediator Martti Ahtisaari confirmed on 9 October in Helsinki, according to Reuters. He stressed that...

MEP CALLS FOR NO CONFIDENCE VOTE ON BARROSO.(Marco Cappato)(member of european parliment)
October 24, 2006... Radical Party MEP Marco Cappato called on the European Parliament on 26 September to "censure and table a motion of no confidence against President Barroso" with regard to his statement on the further enlargement of the European Union. Barroso...

MONTENEGRO JOINS WHO.
October 24, 2006... The Republic of Montenegro (formerly part of Serbia and Montenegro) became on 15 September the 193rd member country of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The country's accession to the WHO follows Montenegro's admission to the United Nations...

EU/US/TURKEY : PRESIDENT BUSH BACKS TURKEY'S BID TO JOIN EU.(United States President George Bush)(European Union)(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... As opposition within Europe to Turkey joining the EU continues to strengthen, United States President George Bush has given a much-needed boost to Ankara's accession bid. "I think it is in the US' interests that Turkey join the EU," Bush said...

EU/MIDDLE EAST : QUARTET PROLONGS AID MECHANISM FOR PALESTINIANS.
October 24, 2006... With a view to supporting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's efforts to rally Hamas to the principles laid down by the international community, the Quartet (EU, United States, Russia and the United Nations) agreed on 20 September in New York...

REHN IN TURKEY TO PREVENT A TRAIN CRASH'.
October 24, 2006... Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said on arrival in Ankara on 3 October that he had come to Turkey both to attend a symposium held by the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Turk-Is) and to prevent a "train crash" from occurring. "As a...

EU/TURKEY : ROW OVER CYPRUS CASTS SHADOW OVER EU-TURKEY TALKS.
October 24, 2006... A year on from the start of EU-Turkey accession talks, both parties say that it has been one of the most difficult periods in the 40-year long history of EU-Turkey relations. The accession negotiations are proving to be more complicated than...

SERBIA CLAIMS SOVEREIGNTY OVER KOSOVO.(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... The Serbian parliament voted unanimously on 30 September to adopt a new constitution that describes Kosovo as an integral part of Serbia, although with substantial autonomy. The new constitution also provides a form of self-rule for Vojvodina....

SERBIA: REFERENDUM DATE SET.
October 24, 2006... The Serbian parliament's speaker, Predrag Markovic, sealed a decree on 1 October, formally setting the date of the constitutional referendum for 28-29 October. Markovic's move came a day after the legislators unanimously adopted a new...

EU/SERBIA : SIX MEMBER STATES CALL FOR SUPPORT FOR BELGRADE.
October 24, 2006... At a time when relations between the EU and Serbia are at an all time low, a group of countries within the Council are concerned about Belgrade's isolation and the line being pursued by Europe by calling for a more tolerant policy. Six EU...

EU/TURKEY : TALAT: FINNISH PROPOSAL ON CYPRUS IS NOT COMPREHENSIVE.
October 24, 2006... "We try to be constructive on the Finnish Presidency's proposal. However, Northern Cyprus is still very much committed to the Annan plan, which is more comprehensive," said Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on 10 October in Brussels. ...

EU/TURKEY : TURKEY SEEKS FURTHER REFORMS BUT EU REMAINS UNCONVINCED.
October 24, 2006... The extraordinary session of the Turkish parliament, which was opened on 19 September, was due to adopt a new package of EU-inspired reforms. In a bid to speed up reforms and blunt growing EU criticism, the new legislative year was opened two...

EU/NATO/UKRAINE : UKRAINE EYEING EU BUT NOT READY FOR NATO, SAYS PREMIER.
October 24, 2006... During his one-day visit to Brussels on 14 September, Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich confirmed his solid commitment to step up efforts to bring Ukraine closer to the EU. The new head of the Ukrainian government clearly stated,...

WASHINGTON CALLS FOR FURTHER ENLARGEMENT.(Brief article)
October 24, 2006... The United States "certainly would encourage the EU to continue to keep open a European horizon for a number of states, including those in the Balkans and Turkey as well," said US Department ofaState spokesman Sean McCormack, commenting on...

FREE MOVEMENT OF WORKERS : WHAT TRANSITIONAL MEASURES FOR ROMANIANS AND BULGARIANS?
October 24, 2006... The freedom of movement of Romanian and Bulgarian workers will be subject to the same transitional measures as those applied to the eight east European member states from the previous enlargement wave. There is, nevertheless, one difference -...