Europe-East articles from September 2006

Europe-East archives from September 2006

EU/ASIA : ASIA-EUROPE PEOPLE'S FORUM CALL FOR A SOCIAL DIMENSION TO ASEM.
September 19, 2006... Prior to the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Helsinki on 10-11 September, representatives of the Asia-Europe People's Forum (AEPF) addressed the Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, calling on Asian and European heads of state and government to...

EU/ASIA : EU-ASIA RESEARCH NETWORK ATTRACTS NEW MEMBERS.
September 19, 2006... Thanks to the high speed Trans-Eurasia Information Network, TEIN2, citizens across Asia and Europe are now benefiting from possibilities for closer research collaboration. TEIN2 was formally launched on 9 September prior to the Asia Europe...

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.
September 19, 2006... Spain, Italy and France expressed their views,ain Helsinki on 10 September, that European solidarity against illegal immigration should be made a priority topic in the next EU summits. 'Common actions include not only common troops but also...

EU/ALBANIA : PARLIAMENT APPROVES EU-ALBANIA SAA DEAL.(Report)(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... During the Strasbourg plenary session on 6 September, the European Parliament gave its overwhelming assent to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) signed on 12 July 2006 between the European Community and Albania. "The SAA...

UKRAINE PM OPPOSES FAST NATO ENTRY.
September 19, 2006... Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych criticised a policy of "accelerated integration" into NATO, saying that it was turning ordinary Ukrainians against the transatlantic alliance. "The negative attitude of the Ukrainian people towards...

ACQUISITION OF BAMESA OTEL.
September 19, 2006... The Commission cleared on 11 September the acquisition of joint control of Bamesa Otel, S.A. (Romania) by Arcelor Flat Carbon Steel Europe (Luxembourg). Arcelor manufactures and sells steel products worldwide. Bamesa is active in steel...

ADJUSTING ON ENLARGEMENT.
September 19, 2006... This new book, one of the first ex post assessments of the European Union's enlargement, provides evidence that the substantial changes in the integration process that had been predicted before the May 2004 enlargement did not materialise. The...

EU/BULGARIA : BARROSO TEMPERS BULGARIAN PRIME MINISTER'S OPTIMISM.
September 19, 2006... Bulgaria's Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev has said he is "very optimistic" about the conclusion of the report due to be presented by the European Commission on 26 September concerning Bulgaria's preparations for accession to the European Union...

ENVIRONMENT : COMMISSION ADOPTS STRATEGY FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN.
September 19, 2006... Helping the countries of the Mediterranean to clean up their sea is the essential aim of the EU's Environment Strategy for the Mediterranean, adopted by the European Commission on 6 September. Despite nearly thirty years of international...

TRANS-EUROPEAN TRANSPORT NETWORK : CROSS-BORDER SECTIONS NAMED AN ABSOLUTE PRIORITY.
September 19, 2006... The six coordinators for priority Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) projects have recommended that the European Commission focus available funding on the cross-border sections of their projects and on a number of major bottlenecks. They...

EU/RUSSIA : DISCUSSIONS ON FUTURE RELATIONS GETTING TOUGH.(Europen Union)(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... Discussions held by the EU's 25 foreign affairs ministers on Russia during their informal Gymnich' meeting in Finland on 2 September failed to produce any progress on the draft mandate which the European Commission is waiting for before being...

EIB/MEDITERRANEAN : EIB PARTICIPATING IN LAUNCH OF EUROMED FUND.
September 19, 2006... Under its Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership (FEMIP), the European Investment Bank (EIB) is participating to the tune of 10 million in the launch of EUROMED-Fondo Comune di Investimento Mobiliare di tipo Chiuso (Euromed...

EU/TURKEY : EP REPORT REBUKES ANKARA ON PACE OF REFORMS.
September 19, 2006... The European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) has approved by 53 votes in favour, six against and eight abstentions the draft report on Turkey's progress towards accession to the EU. Although highly critical, the report, drawn up...

ESTONIA REFUSES BORDER TALKS WITH RUSSIA.(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... Estonia has rejected a proposal from Russia to reopen talks on a stalled border agreement, saying the deal agreed to one year ago should be enforced, officials said on 4 September in Tallinn. aMoscow and Tallinn signed pacts determining their...

EU/RUSSIA : EU HOPING FOR A FORMAL DEAL BY NOVEMBER SUMMIT.(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... Fresh talks between the EU and Russia on flights over Siberia were due to be held on 8 September on during the EU-Russia Permanent PartnershipCouncil (PPC) in Lappeenranta, Finland, focusing entirely on transport issues. The PPC was being...

IMMIGRATION : EU INVITES SPAIN TO USE FUNDS TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
September 19, 2006... 'We are going to call an urgent meeting of European countries bordering the Mediterranean' to seek agreement on maritime border controls to halt illegal immigration from Africa, Spain's First Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la...

EU/RUSSIA : EU PRESIDENCY TO STEP UP CULTURAL COOPERATION WITH MOSCOW.(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... An expert meeting on cultural cooperation between the EU and Russia arranged by the Finnish Ministry of Education took place on 18 and 19 September in Kajaani (Finland) as part of the Finnish EU Presidency's programme. The purpose of the...

EU/UKRAINE : EU TO OPEN FREE TRADE TALKS WITH KIEV IN 2007.
September 19, 2006... After months of stalemate during which the European Union was awaiting the new Ukrainian government to be formed and be fully up and running, the European Commission decided on 13 September to speed up the work on the new enhanced cooperation...

EU URGED TO BETTER COMBAT TERRORISM.
September 19, 2006... The EU's coordinator of anti-terrorist activities, Gijs de Vries, has urged the Union to better equip its police and justice forces with the means to combat terrorism. He told reporters on 7 September that to better fight terrorism, police...

EU/TURKEY : EU WARNS ANKARA TO RATIFY CUSTOMS AGREEMENT.
September 19, 2006... European Union Council President Finland has warned Turkey that it faces at least a partial suspension of its EU membership talks if Ankara fails to ratify a customs agreement with the Union. "The commitment has to be respected," Finnish...

FOOT-AND-MOUTH VACCINEFOR TURKEY.
September 19, 2006... The European Commission has sent 1,660,500 doses of bivalent vaccine against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) to Turkey, as a contribution towards the autumn vaccination campaign against this disease. Foot-and-mouth disease is currently endemic in...

FISHERIES : FRONTLOADING' IN ACTION AS PROPOSALS ADOPTED FOR BALTIC SEA.
September 19, 2006... As an element of its strategy for frontloading' decision-making on the setting of annual Total Allowable Catches and quotas for EU fishermen, the European Commission has adopted its proposals to member states for fishing possibilities in the...

FUTURE OF EUROPE : GROUP OF WISE MEN' MAY COME TO THE CONSTITUTION'S RESCUE.(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... Setting up a group of wise men' to try to bring the EU Constitutional Treaty back to life is an idea apparently being mooted by Italy's Interior Minister Giuliano Amato. The former Convention vice-president was said to have raised the issue...

KOSOVO CONTACT GROUP MEETING.(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... The Contact Group on Kosovo's future status and UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari will meet in Sofia on 11-12 September for talks with regional officials, Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry said. Representatives of the European Union, the North...

EU/BULGARIA : LAW ON DISPOSAL OF ELECTRONIC WASTE CHALLENGED.
September 19, 2006... The law adopted by the Bulgarian government to comply with the European Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is "disproportionate and unrealistic", according to a statement released by the European Committee of Domestic...

TURKISH ECONOMY : LISBON STRATEGY RECOMMENDED AS JOB MARKET PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED.
September 19, 2006... The Turkish government should actively take part in the EU's Lisbon Strategy to become the most competitive economy in the world by 2010 by drafting its own national reform programme of the sort drawn up by EU member states. That is what...

EU/MEDITERRANEAN : MARKET LIBERALISATION IS NOT A CURE-ALL, SAY RESEARCHERS.
September 19, 2006... Market liberalisation in the Mediterranean region is moving slowly and is not producing the results hoped for by the EU in terms of development and regional stability. This is the no frills conclusion drawn during a special hearing organised by...

MEDITERRANEAN TRANSIT MIGRATION.(Book review)
September 19, 2006... This report discusses medium- and long-term issues involved wit tackling irregular flows through development cooperation and better joint management of migratio(including readmission, return and reintegration issues). It consists of six...

IMMIGRATION : MEMBER STATES MUST DO MORE TO INTEGRATE FEMALE IMMIGRANTS.
September 19, 2006... The two-fold discrimination immigrant women suffer based on origin and gender was highlighted in a report adopted on 13 September by the European Parliament's Women's Rights Committee. Drafted by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (EPP-ED, EL), the...

MONTENEGRO ELECTIONS.
September 19, 2006... The first parliamentary elections since Montenegro officially became independent three months ago resulted in a sweeping victory of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic's centre-left coalition comprising the Democratic Union of Socialists (DPS), the...

MOROCCO FISHERIES AGREEMENT.
September 19, 2006... Representatives of Morocco and the EU met in Brussels on 26 July to sign a new Fisheries Partnership Agreement. The last fisheries protocol (setting out the technical details applying to a fisheries agreement, and needed for the agreement to...

EU/UKRAINE : NO MEMBERSHIP PROSPECT FOR UKRAINE FOR NOW, SAYS FERRERO-WALDNER.(European Union)
September 19, 2006... Six weeks after his re-election to the post of Prime Minister of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovitch announced on his first visit to Brussels on 14 September that "the new phase of good relations between Ukraine and the EU leading to ever closer...

TURKISH ECONOMY : "NO PROGRESS" ON TRADE UNION RIGHTS, REPORT FINDS.(Report)
September 19, 2006... Turkey has made no significant progress on trade union rights and there does not seem to be much immediate prospect of it doing so. This is the message from a draft report on the trade union rights situation in Turkey drawn up for the meeting...

ENLARGEMENT : POLL SAYS EU CITIZENS LEAST ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT ALBANIA, TURKEY.
September 19, 2006... Croatia enjoys the support of the majority of the EU25 population for its accession to the bloc once it has met all the membership conditions. A relative majority of Europeans is in favour of the accession of the Former Yugoslav Republic of...

EU/ROMANIA/TURKEY : POTOCNIK HIGHLIGHTS RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR EU HOPEFULS.
September 19, 2006... Recent visits by EU Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik to Romania and Turkey have highlighted that, when it comes to aspiring member states, there is a great deal of work that can be done in terms of preparations to join the EU other than...

PUTTING OFF THE INEVITABLE.(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... The reduction in the size of the Commission will have to wait. After a recent lunch-time meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper), the Finnish Presidency threw in the towel, deciding to drop its exploratory talks with the...

EU/FYROM : REHN URGES MACEDONIANS TO UNITE OVER EUROPEAN INTEGRATION.
September 19, 2006... A month after the new government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) was formed, the Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski visited Brussels to meet Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. Commenting on the meeting held on 12...

REHN URGES TREATY-MAKING POWERS FOR KOSOVO.(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... On 6 September, MEPs in Strasbourg were briefed by Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paula Lehtomaki on the current state of the Kosovo status negotiations. Commissioner Rehn firmly...

WTO : RIO MEETING CALLS FOR RELAUNCH OF DOHA.
September 19, 2006... Delegates attending a meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 10 September - the first since the suspension of the Doha Round - each in turn called for a relaunch of negotiations. However, they did not indicate how a more positive outcome might be...

EU/ROMANIA : ROMANIAN PM CALLS FOR EU TO PRIZE COUNTRY'S EFFORTS.
September 19, 2006... Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu has been on a visit to Helsinki ahead of the forthcoming publication by the Commission of a key progress report on Romania this month. After talks with his Finnish counterpart, Matti Vanhanen,aon...

SAKHAROV PRIZE.(Report)(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... The candidates for the Sakharov Prize were presented on 12 September to the European Parliament's sub-Committee on Human Rights and the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Development. They are: Russian activist Vladimir Kozlov, Lebanese...

SOUTH CAUCASUS CONCERNS.(Report)(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said on 28 August in Slovenia that she was looking forward to celebrating the adoption of European Neighbourhood Policy action plans to boost economic and political links with Armenia,...

TURKEY AND THE EU.
September 19, 2006... Less than a year after the formal start of Turkey's accession talks with the European Union, the two sides seem at loggerheads, squaring up for a hot autumn'. The possibility of a much-heralded train crash' as a result of these factors is...

TURKISH RESEARCH POLICY.(Report)(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... Encouraging better research cooperation between the academic community and businesses is an impetus behind Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik's first official visit to Turkey on 6-9 September. With the Science and Research Chapter...

TURKISH ECONOMY : WOMEN STILL DISADVANTAGED, SAYS REPORT.(Report)
September 19, 2006... Turkey may have made considerable progress in legislative reforms in recent years concerning gender equality but achieving this in practice still seems to be a major challenge. A report, drafted by members* of the EU-Turkey Joint Consultative...

EU/BULGARIA/ROMANIA : WORKERS MAY FACE RESTRICTIONS, REPORT WARNS.
September 19, 2006... Most of the old' EU15 member states could impose transitional measures restricting the access of Bulgarian and Romanian workers to labour markets after their upcoming EU accession. This is according to a recent report from the European Citizen...