NATO leaders have called Russia the “most significant and direct threat” to the alliance’s peace and security, while officially inviting Sweden and Finland to join bloc.
The leaders of the 30-country bloc, in a joint declaration after meeting in Madrid, Spain on Wednesday, endorsed a new strategic framework and launch the largest revamp of its defence and deterrence capabilities since the end of the Cold War, strengthening its forces on its eastern flank and massively ramping up the number of troops it has at high readiness. The declaration also addressed the growing military and economic reach of China.
Read more at:
NATO says Russia poses ‘direct threat’, invites Sweden, Finland | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera
Showing posts with label Membership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Membership. Show all posts
3/3/22
EU: Ukraine’s EU membership: still some way off – by Dorina Baltag
On Sunday, the fourth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, appealed for it to be granted membership of the European Union. On Tuesday, members of the European Parliament overwhelmingly approved—with 637 votes in favour—a resolution which called for a range of measures and seemed to offer a European perspective to the country.
Ukraine expressed its interest in the EU soon after declaring its independence from the collapsing Soviet Union in 1991. This was understood as a foreign-policy reorientation which would open new prospects for co-operation with western countries and bring modernisation and socio-economic development.
It was not however until after the Eastern Partnership was established in 2009 that the EU-Ukraine relationship was institutionalised, through the conclusion in 2014 of the Association Agreement. The agreement is a comprehensive document—circa 2,140 pages, including 46 annexes, three protocols and a joint declaration—published in the Official Journal. The detailed provisions imply alignment of Ukrainian laws and policies with the EU acquis, which requires extensive legislative and regulatory approximation, including sophisticated mechanisms to secure the uniform interpretation and effective implementation of relevant EU legislation.
Read more at: Ukraine’s EU membership: still some way off – Dorina Baltag
Ukraine expressed its interest in the EU soon after declaring its independence from the collapsing Soviet Union in 1991. This was understood as a foreign-policy reorientation which would open new prospects for co-operation with western countries and bring modernisation and socio-economic development.
It was not however until after the Eastern Partnership was established in 2009 that the EU-Ukraine relationship was institutionalised, through the conclusion in 2014 of the Association Agreement. The agreement is a comprehensive document—circa 2,140 pages, including 46 annexes, three protocols and a joint declaration—published in the Official Journal. The detailed provisions imply alignment of Ukrainian laws and policies with the EU acquis, which requires extensive legislative and regulatory approximation, including sophisticated mechanisms to secure the uniform interpretation and effective implementation of relevant EU legislation.
Read more at: Ukraine’s EU membership: still some way off – Dorina Baltag
2/28/22
Ukraine-EU relations: Ukraine applies for European Union membership - by Rachel Treisman
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has officially signed an application for Ukraine's membership in the European Union, according to a post from his verified Facebook page.
"[Zelenskyy] has just signed a historical document — Ukraine's application for European Union membership," tweeted Andrii Sybiha, the deputy head of the president's office. Ukraine's prime minister and head of parliament also signed a joint statement, he added.
Read more at: Ukraine applies for European Union membership : NPR
"[Zelenskyy] has just signed a historical document — Ukraine's application for European Union membership," tweeted Andrii Sybiha, the deputy head of the president's office. Ukraine's prime minister and head of parliament also signed a joint statement, he added.
Read more at: Ukraine applies for European Union membership : NPR
11/23/21
Turkey pushed away from EU by some members: says Deputy FM Kaymakcı
The 40th Turkey-EU Joint Consultative Committee started on Monday in western Turkey’s Izmir and will last until Tuesday. Significant positive transformations are taking place in the EU candidacy process, Kaymakcı said in the opening statement of the committee meeting.
“A positive agenda is something that needs to be worked on. Full membership is an important perspective. We know this won't happen tomorrow. If Turkey is expected to proceed on a reformist path and is expected to act within the Copenhagen criteria, stopping the full membership process is a source of demotivation. Turkey is not actually going away, where it used to be, but Turkey is being pushed away due to the actions of some member states," he said.
Read more at: Turkey pushed away from EU by some members: Deputy FM Kaymakcı | Daily Sabah
“A positive agenda is something that needs to be worked on. Full membership is an important perspective. We know this won't happen tomorrow. If Turkey is expected to proceed on a reformist path and is expected to act within the Copenhagen criteria, stopping the full membership process is a source of demotivation. Turkey is not actually going away, where it used to be, but Turkey is being pushed away due to the actions of some member states," he said.
Read more at: Turkey pushed away from EU by some members: Deputy FM Kaymakcı | Daily Sabah
7/27/21
Serbia: Survey: Almost half of people in Serbia want the county to join EU, think China is Serbia's closest ally
The Belgrade-based EU Info Center said on Monday that more than half the population of Serbia wants the country to become a member of the European Union.
It quoted the results of a poll conducted by the Ninamedia agency for the EU Delegation in Serbia which showed that 52.3 percent of those surveyed want Serbia to join the Union while 32.6 percent are opposed. Another 8.4 percent said they would abstain from any vote on membership, 6.2 percent said they don’t know and 0.5 percent refused to answer.
According to the Ninamedia poll, more than two-thirds of the population, ages 18 to 29, want the country to join the EU.
Read more at: Survey: Almost half of people in Serbia want the county to join EU, think China is Serbia's closest ally - Serbian MonitorSerbian Monitor
It quoted the results of a poll conducted by the Ninamedia agency for the EU Delegation in Serbia which showed that 52.3 percent of those surveyed want Serbia to join the Union while 32.6 percent are opposed. Another 8.4 percent said they would abstain from any vote on membership, 6.2 percent said they don’t know and 0.5 percent refused to answer.
According to the Ninamedia poll, more than two-thirds of the population, ages 18 to 29, want the country to join the EU.
Read more at: Survey: Almost half of people in Serbia want the county to join EU, think China is Serbia's closest ally - Serbian MonitorSerbian Monitor
10/9/19
EU - how to take on a more independent role: Habsburg lessons for Europe's foreign policy - by Caroline de Gruyter
This week, again, EU heads of state and government must decide to start accession talks with Northern Macedonia and Albania - or not.
Leaders of the EU's main institutions emphasised that the two countries "have done what we asked them to do".
Last June a decision was postponed because of internal divisions. Some 14 central and eastern European countries pushed for the start of accession talks.
But France and the Netherlands refused, citing a lack of popular support. Will these two concede this time? Will others, who silently supported them in June?
Eastern EU member states are worried about Russia and Turkey destabilising the Balkans. This happened many times before in history. It rarely ended well.
If the EU fails to offer the Balkans political perspective, these member states argue, the whole region would become unstable. This would weaken the EU.
For western EU countries, however, the Balkans are far away. They prefer to focus on the trade war with the US, Brexit, cyber attacks, Russian and Chinese military activities in the Arctic, or other challenges.
Note EU-Digest: the number one threat facing the EU, which has to be dealt with urgenly, before it falls apart, is the lack of unity among member states to realize that the EU needs to become far more united if it wants to establish itself as a world power in the world of Nations. Taking on new impoverished nations like Albania and Macedonia into the Union, while the EU is unraveling at the seams, precisely because of the lack of unity, is not only unwise, it is pure stupidity.
Read more at: Habsburg lessons for Europe's foreign policy
Leaders of the EU's main institutions emphasised that the two countries "have done what we asked them to do".
Last June a decision was postponed because of internal divisions. Some 14 central and eastern European countries pushed for the start of accession talks.
But France and the Netherlands refused, citing a lack of popular support. Will these two concede this time? Will others, who silently supported them in June?
Eastern EU member states are worried about Russia and Turkey destabilising the Balkans. This happened many times before in history. It rarely ended well.
If the EU fails to offer the Balkans political perspective, these member states argue, the whole region would become unstable. This would weaken the EU.
For western EU countries, however, the Balkans are far away. They prefer to focus on the trade war with the US, Brexit, cyber attacks, Russian and Chinese military activities in the Arctic, or other challenges.
Note EU-Digest: the number one threat facing the EU, which has to be dealt with urgenly, before it falls apart, is the lack of unity among member states to realize that the EU needs to become far more united if it wants to establish itself as a world power in the world of Nations. Taking on new impoverished nations like Albania and Macedonia into the Union, while the EU is unraveling at the seams, precisely because of the lack of unity, is not only unwise, it is pure stupidity.
Read more at: Habsburg lessons for Europe's foreign policy
4/19/19
European Union - the benefits of being a member state of the EU: Ten EU policies that have changed Europeans' day-to-day lives
Eurosceptics frequently lambast the EU by portraying it as a bureaucratic monolith that pays little attention to the concerns of ordinary citizens, as it interferes needlessly in petty affairs. However, the decisions taken in Brussels and the laws passed by the European Parliament in Strasbourg have concrete effects on Europeans’ day-to-day lives.
Here is an overview of ten such EU policies put in place over the past five years making a key difference to the lives of every citizen of its member states. :
Getting rid of plastic bags
In France, single-use plastic shopping bags have been banned since July 2016, whether they are free or paid for. Instead, bags must either be made of paper or reusable and thicker than 50 micrometres. Since the start of 2017, this ban has been extended to “fruit and vegetable bags”. Thus, only biodegradable or paper bags can now be used.
These French laws are a direct product of a 2015 EU directive that imposed new rules to limit the consumption of plastic bags and reduce the amount of packaging on goods. MEPs aim to reduce the average number of lightweight plastic bags used, from 90 per person over the course of the year in 2019 to 40 per person by 2025.
The right to be forgotten
As well as acting on environmental concerns, Brussels is also focused on the protection of personal data. In a 2014 decision, the European Court of Justice ruled that EU data protection law applies to search engines. This means that people can get companies to take down any links that violate their privacy, according to the conditions set out in the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights. So far Google has reviewed 91,000 removal requests, for a total of 328,000 links.
Banning roaming charges
MEPs have taken legal steps to prohibit mobile phone companies from forcing customers to pay extra when they travel from European country to another. This applies to all mobile and landline phone calls, SMS messages and the use of data services abroad.
Cheap flights and compensation for overbooking
By imposing competition laws to stop airlines from restricting fares and schedules, the EU has allowed new companies to spring up and disrupt the industry, with their “low cost” and “no frills” flights undercutting established players and forcing them to reduce prices.
Food safety
The well-known “E numbers” – preservatives, dyes, antioxidants and flavourings listed as part of food products – are subject to strict standards and tightly regulated by the EU. Before being placed on the market, any additive is rigorously scrutinised by the European Food Safety Authority to ensure that it does not present a health hazard.
In addition, the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed has been set up to take any food that constitutes a health risk off the market as quickly as possible. It responds to thousands of alerts every year to deal with immediate risks, often detected in meat and fish.
Sport broadcast free of charge
EU legislation ensures that sport matches considered to be of major importance for society must be broadcast on free TV channels.
Putting more snow on ski slopes
Seeing as it’s quite a prerequisite for skiing, it’s rather a shame that snow is not always abundant on Europe’s ski slopes. The EU’s Horizon 2020 programme is funding research on snow production that includes a new snow gun that uses 15 percent less energy to produce 8 percent more snow and is also less noisy. Brussels is also supporting a project to create a weather forecasting system for the ski industry to predict the amount of snow from a week to several months in advance.
Free wifi in public areas
There are few things more frustrating than being out and about and finding it impossible to connect to the Internet. However, the EU’s WIFI4EU programme provides support to local authorities to help them provide free wifi to people passing through open-air spaces, public buildings, libraries or hospitals.
Protecting online shoppers’ rights
The EU ensures that products can be ordered without customs duties and additional taxes from other European countries and allows customers to return any product they have purchased within 14 days, without justification.
New EU rules should also come into effect over the coming years – for example, prohibiting online vendors from automatically redirecting customers to another site (on which prices are often higher), and the reduction of sometimes hefty delivery costs.
Funding films
Half of all European films were partly financed by the European Union Media Program. In 2014, seven of the 18 films competing for awards at the Cannes Film Festival benefited from this scheme, including “Two Days, One Night” by the Dardennes brothers and Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “Winter Sleep”, winner of the 2014 Palme d’Or.
The EU also has the Creative Europe 2014-2020 programme to support culture across the continent. With a budget of €1.5 billion, this fund will support cinema, TV, music, literature, heritage and the performing arts in 38 countries and will fund 250,000 people in the culture industry.
Ten EU policies that have changed Europeans' day-to-day lives
Here is an overview of ten such EU policies put in place over the past five years making a key difference to the lives of every citizen of its member states. :
Getting rid of plastic bags
In France, single-use plastic shopping bags have been banned since July 2016, whether they are free or paid for. Instead, bags must either be made of paper or reusable and thicker than 50 micrometres. Since the start of 2017, this ban has been extended to “fruit and vegetable bags”. Thus, only biodegradable or paper bags can now be used.
These French laws are a direct product of a 2015 EU directive that imposed new rules to limit the consumption of plastic bags and reduce the amount of packaging on goods. MEPs aim to reduce the average number of lightweight plastic bags used, from 90 per person over the course of the year in 2019 to 40 per person by 2025.
The right to be forgotten
As well as acting on environmental concerns, Brussels is also focused on the protection of personal data. In a 2014 decision, the European Court of Justice ruled that EU data protection law applies to search engines. This means that people can get companies to take down any links that violate their privacy, according to the conditions set out in the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights. So far Google has reviewed 91,000 removal requests, for a total of 328,000 links.
Banning roaming charges
MEPs have taken legal steps to prohibit mobile phone companies from forcing customers to pay extra when they travel from European country to another. This applies to all mobile and landline phone calls, SMS messages and the use of data services abroad.
Cheap flights and compensation for overbooking
By imposing competition laws to stop airlines from restricting fares and schedules, the EU has allowed new companies to spring up and disrupt the industry, with their “low cost” and “no frills” flights undercutting established players and forcing them to reduce prices.
Food safety
The well-known “E numbers” – preservatives, dyes, antioxidants and flavourings listed as part of food products – are subject to strict standards and tightly regulated by the EU. Before being placed on the market, any additive is rigorously scrutinised by the European Food Safety Authority to ensure that it does not present a health hazard.
In addition, the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed has been set up to take any food that constitutes a health risk off the market as quickly as possible. It responds to thousands of alerts every year to deal with immediate risks, often detected in meat and fish.
Sport broadcast free of charge
EU legislation ensures that sport matches considered to be of major importance for society must be broadcast on free TV channels.
Putting more snow on ski slopes
Seeing as it’s quite a prerequisite for skiing, it’s rather a shame that snow is not always abundant on Europe’s ski slopes. The EU’s Horizon 2020 programme is funding research on snow production that includes a new snow gun that uses 15 percent less energy to produce 8 percent more snow and is also less noisy. Brussels is also supporting a project to create a weather forecasting system for the ski industry to predict the amount of snow from a week to several months in advance.
Free wifi in public areas
There are few things more frustrating than being out and about and finding it impossible to connect to the Internet. However, the EU’s WIFI4EU programme provides support to local authorities to help them provide free wifi to people passing through open-air spaces, public buildings, libraries or hospitals.
Protecting online shoppers’ rights
The EU ensures that products can be ordered without customs duties and additional taxes from other European countries and allows customers to return any product they have purchased within 14 days, without justification.
New EU rules should also come into effect over the coming years – for example, prohibiting online vendors from automatically redirecting customers to another site (on which prices are often higher), and the reduction of sometimes hefty delivery costs.
Funding films
Half of all European films were partly financed by the European Union Media Program. In 2014, seven of the 18 films competing for awards at the Cannes Film Festival benefited from this scheme, including “Two Days, One Night” by the Dardennes brothers and Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “Winter Sleep”, winner of the 2014 Palme d’Or.
The EU also has the Creative Europe 2014-2020 programme to support culture across the continent. With a budget of €1.5 billion, this fund will support cinema, TV, music, literature, heritage and the performing arts in 38 countries and will fund 250,000 people in the culture industry.
Ten EU policies that have changed Europeans' day-to-day lives
8/9/16
Norway may block UK return to European Free Trade Association - by Patrick Wintour
Norway could block any UK attempt to rejoin the European Free Trade Association, the small club of nations that has access to the European single market without being part of the EU.
Senior Norwegian government members are to hold talks with David Davis, the Brexit minister, in the next few weeks.
Some Brexit supporters have suggested that Efta would be one way of retaining access to the single market while honouring the referendum mandate to leave the EU.
Norway is not a member of the EU, but it has access to the single market from its membership of the European Economic Area (EEA), which groups all EU members and three of the four Efta members: Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, but not Switzerland.
Norway’s European affairs minister, Elisabeth Vik Aspaker, reflecting a growing debate in the country following the Brexit vote in the UK, told the Aftenposten newspaper: “It’s not certain that it would be a good idea to let a big country into this organisation. It would shift the balance, which is not necessarily in Norway’s interests.”
She also confirmed that the UK could only join if there were unanimous agreement, thereby providing Norway with a veto. Aspaker said she did not know the UK’s plans.
EEA membership requires the four EU freedoms: free movement of persons, services, goods and capital. Norway, in need of extra labour, does not oppose free movement, though the issue of asylum seekers and refugees is controversial.
An EU special summit in Bratislava in September and the Conservative party conference in October may provide greater clarity on the British government’s thinking, Aspaker said.
One concern is that Norway, through Efta, has signed trade agreements with 38 countries, including Mexico, Canada, Colombia, Morocco, Kuwait and Qatar. If the UK joined, those trade agreements might have to be renegotiated and future trade deals would become more complex.
Note EU-Digest: as usual Britain wants the cake and eat it also
Read More: Norway may block UK return to European Free Trade Association | World news | The Guardian
Senior Norwegian government members are to hold talks with David Davis, the Brexit minister, in the next few weeks.
Some Brexit supporters have suggested that Efta would be one way of retaining access to the single market while honouring the referendum mandate to leave the EU.
Norway is not a member of the EU, but it has access to the single market from its membership of the European Economic Area (EEA), which groups all EU members and three of the four Efta members: Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, but not Switzerland.
Norway’s European affairs minister, Elisabeth Vik Aspaker, reflecting a growing debate in the country following the Brexit vote in the UK, told the Aftenposten newspaper: “It’s not certain that it would be a good idea to let a big country into this organisation. It would shift the balance, which is not necessarily in Norway’s interests.”
She also confirmed that the UK could only join if there were unanimous agreement, thereby providing Norway with a veto. Aspaker said she did not know the UK’s plans.
EEA membership requires the four EU freedoms: free movement of persons, services, goods and capital. Norway, in need of extra labour, does not oppose free movement, though the issue of asylum seekers and refugees is controversial.
An EU special summit in Bratislava in September and the Conservative party conference in October may provide greater clarity on the British government’s thinking, Aspaker said.
One concern is that Norway, through Efta, has signed trade agreements with 38 countries, including Mexico, Canada, Colombia, Morocco, Kuwait and Qatar. If the UK joined, those trade agreements might have to be renegotiated and future trade deals would become more complex.
Note EU-Digest: as usual Britain wants the cake and eat it also
Read More: Norway may block UK return to European Free Trade Association | World news | The Guardian
8/4/16
Juncker dismisses calls to halt Turkey membership talks - by Ivo Oliveira
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned Thursday that it would be counterproductive to halt EU membership talks with Turkey.
Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern had said the negotiations were “diplomatic fiction.”
But Juncker told German public broadcaster ARD: “I don’t think it would be helpful if we were to unilaterally end negotiations with Turkey.”
He added that any such decision would need the support of all EU member countries and he doesn’t “see this willingness among all member states at this point in time” to stop the talks.
But the Commission president acknowledged that Turkey has work to do in order to meet membership conditions set by the bloc.
“Turkey cannot be a member of the European Union in its current state, and especially not if it decided, as some have warned, to reinstate the death penalty. That would lead to the immediate breaking off of negotiations,” he warned.
Read more: Juncker dismisses calls to halt Turkey membership talks – POLITI
Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern had said the negotiations were “diplomatic fiction.”
But Juncker told German public broadcaster ARD: “I don’t think it would be helpful if we were to unilaterally end negotiations with Turkey.”
He added that any such decision would need the support of all EU member countries and he doesn’t “see this willingness among all member states at this point in time” to stop the talks.
But the Commission president acknowledged that Turkey has work to do in order to meet membership conditions set by the bloc.
“Turkey cannot be a member of the European Union in its current state, and especially not if it decided, as some have warned, to reinstate the death penalty. That would lead to the immediate breaking off of negotiations,” he warned.
Read more: Juncker dismisses calls to halt Turkey membership talks – POLITI
6/16/14
NATO: Stubb to be Finland's next PM, backs NATO membership - by Jussi Rosendahl and Sakari Suoninen
Finland's EU minister Alexander
Stubb, who wants to cut taxes and take his neutral country into NATO,
won the leadership of his ruling conservative party on Saturday, putting
him on track to become prime minister later this month.
Read more: Stubb to be Finland's next PM, backs NATO membership - Yahoo News
British and U.S. -educated Stubb, 46, a polyglot sportsman, will take
over Finland's five-party governing coalition after Prime Minister Jyrki
Katainen steps down, possibly as early as next Thursday. Finland holds a
general election in April 2015.
"We have to aim at maximising Finland's national security and being
part of decision-making, and that happens best as a NATO member," Stubb
told Reuters after delegates at a congress of his National Coalition
party elected him as their leader.
"It is absolutely clear that we have to have a comprehensive debate
about that," said Stubb. He declined to say whether he favoured a
referundum on joining NATO.
Since the Ukraine crisis erupted, Stubb has stepped up his long-standing
support for joining the NATO alliance, but opinion polls show only one
fifth of Finland's 5.5 million people agree with him.
Read more: Stubb to be Finland's next PM, backs NATO membership - Yahoo News
4/10/14
Turkey Unfit to Join EU, Says Merkel Europe Parliament Candidate - by Arne Delfs
Turkey isn’t politically fit to join the European Union and shouldn’t become a member, the lead candidate of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union for European Parliament elections said.
“The Erdogan Turkey of 2014 has moved further away from the standards of the European Union,” David McAllister, the CDU candidate for the May 25 European Parliament vote, said in an interview on April 8 in Hanover. “The current assault on freedom of expression in no way conforms with European standards.”
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government blocked both Twitter and YouTube amid YouTube postings of alleged voice recordings of senior Turkish officials allegedly engaged in graft, abuse of power and the creation of a pretext for an attack on Syria. The government ended its Twitter ban last week in compliance with a court order. A local Turkish court reinstated a ban on YouTube on April 5. Erdogan said Twitter was threatening Turkish national security.
Read more: Turkey Unfit to Join EU, Says Merkel Europe Parliament Candidate - Bloomberg
“The Erdogan Turkey of 2014 has moved further away from the standards of the European Union,” David McAllister, the CDU candidate for the May 25 European Parliament vote, said in an interview on April 8 in Hanover. “The current assault on freedom of expression in no way conforms with European standards.”
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government blocked both Twitter and YouTube amid YouTube postings of alleged voice recordings of senior Turkish officials allegedly engaged in graft, abuse of power and the creation of a pretext for an attack on Syria. The government ended its Twitter ban last week in compliance with a court order. A local Turkish court reinstated a ban on YouTube on April 5. Erdogan said Twitter was threatening Turkish national security.
Read more: Turkey Unfit to Join EU, Says Merkel Europe Parliament Candidate - Bloomberg
6/26/13
Turkey: EU delays Turkey membership talks delayed for 4 months after German pressure
The EU-Turkey talks had been scheduled to resume this Wednesday. But Germany, Austria and the Netherlands have criticized Turkey's crackdown on anti-government protests.
Turkish police arrested at least 20 people in the capital Ankara on Tuesday, suspected of attacking police during the recent unrest in Istanbul.
Turkish media say the suspects are also accused of belonging to a "terror organisation".
Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle played down tensions with Turkey on Tuesday, saying he had had a "really good, constructive" discussion with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday evening.
Mr Davutoglu was upbeat, saying he saw "no obstacle" to reopening Turkey's talks with the EU eventually.
Read more: BBC News - EU delays Turkey membership talks after German pressure
Turkish police arrested at least 20 people in the capital Ankara on Tuesday, suspected of attacking police during the recent unrest in Istanbul.
Turkish media say the suspects are also accused of belonging to a "terror organisation".
Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle played down tensions with Turkey on Tuesday, saying he had had a "really good, constructive" discussion with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday evening.
Mr Davutoglu was upbeat, saying he saw "no obstacle" to reopening Turkey's talks with the EU eventually.
Read more: BBC News - EU delays Turkey membership talks after German pressure
5/2/13
The EU and Turkey must renew their mutual engagement, EU MEPs say
"We need commitment from both the EU and Turkey," said Ria Oomen-Ruijten (EPP, NL), the EP rapporteur for Turkey. "Turkey needs to step up efforts to guarantee freedom of expression, media freedom and all other fundamental freedoms in line with the values of the EU. The EU must do its utmost to support Turkey in the reform process – renewed efforts for the opening of further negotiation chapters are important," she added.
Reform of Turkey's judiciary is central to its democratic consolidation and modernisation, MEPs stress. They welcome the adoption of the third and fourth judicial reform packages but insist on fully narrowing the broad definition of criminal offences, namely of the act of terrorism, shortening excessively long pre-trial detention periods and curbing the role of special courts in practice.
To accelerate the reform process, MEPs call on the Council to open negotiations on the judiciary and fundamental rights (chapter 23) and justice, freedom and security (chapter 24).
MEPs welcome direct political dialogue between the government and former PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and say this might open the perspective of a historic agreement settling the Kurdish issue peacefully and democratically.
Read more: The EU and Turkey must renew their mutual engagement, MEPs say
4/21/13
Europe's sun rises from Istanbul, Turkish EU minister says - "not so sure" says CPJ and Reporters Without Borders
The sun rises for Europe in Istanbul, Turkish EU Affairs Minister Egemen Bağış said today, addressing the audience at an Erasmus student exchange program meeting in the city.
"A European Union without Turkey is a poor, plain and simple one," Bağış said.
"The sun of Europe rises from Istanbul every morning nowadays," he added, in an indirect reference to the current economic problems of the union.
The minister was speaking at the debut meeting of a project to unite the millions of one-time Erasmus students across the continent, the "Garagerasmus."
Note EU-Digest: Given some of the facts that are available Turkey certainly is not meeting EU standards when it comes to 'freedom of the press'. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) recently reported that Turkey jailed the most journalists in 2012 - ahead of Iran and China. Based on the latest figures there are now some 76 journalists in prison, at least 61 in direct relation to their work. The evidence against the other 15 journalists was less clear
Turkey recently also ranked 154th out of 179 countries - behind Iraq, Afghanistan, and Russia - in the 2013 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders. The group also called Turkey "the world's biggest prison for journalists". Article 301 of the Turkish penal code makes "insulting Turkishness" a criminal offense, though what this law really means, or how it is applied, remains subjective at best.
Read more: POLITICS - Europe's sun rises from Istanbul, Turkish EU minister says
"A European Union without Turkey is a poor, plain and simple one," Bağış said.
"The sun of Europe rises from Istanbul every morning nowadays," he added, in an indirect reference to the current economic problems of the union.
The minister was speaking at the debut meeting of a project to unite the millions of one-time Erasmus students across the continent, the "Garagerasmus."
Note EU-Digest: Given some of the facts that are available Turkey certainly is not meeting EU standards when it comes to 'freedom of the press'. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) recently reported that Turkey jailed the most journalists in 2012 - ahead of Iran and China. Based on the latest figures there are now some 76 journalists in prison, at least 61 in direct relation to their work. The evidence against the other 15 journalists was less clear
Turkey recently also ranked 154th out of 179 countries - behind Iraq, Afghanistan, and Russia - in the 2013 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders. The group also called Turkey "the world's biggest prison for journalists". Article 301 of the Turkish penal code makes "insulting Turkishness" a criminal offense, though what this law really means, or how it is applied, remains subjective at best.
Read more: POLITICS - Europe's sun rises from Istanbul, Turkish EU minister says
4/9/13
Croatian membership into EU also brings undetonated minefields into the bargain
When Croatia joins the EU on July 1, this year there will be uncleared minefields on European soil, reports Deutsche Welle.
Some 680 square kilometers in Croatiaare filled with mines from the war in the early 1990s. The task of clearing them is a brutal one. "We're only allowed to work five hours a day," Stjepan Tadic and Tomislav Ledic told DW, "and we always work outdoors. We move along the former front lines."
The two Croats work for private companies specializing in mine clearance in Croatia. "We are always on the road in Croatia, from town to town, that's the nice thing about our job," they said.
"But every time we leave home we know there's a chance we won't come back. Our work doesn't tolerate mistakes."
A Croatian demolition-miner earns roughly the equivalent of 800 to 900 euros ($1,000-1,150) per month - little more than the nation-wide average.
Read more: Deutsche Welle warns on minefields Croatian brings in EU - General News - Croatian Times Online News - English Newspaper
Some 680 square kilometers in Croatiaare filled with mines from the war in the early 1990s. The task of clearing them is a brutal one. "We're only allowed to work five hours a day," Stjepan Tadic and Tomislav Ledic told DW, "and we always work outdoors. We move along the former front lines."
The two Croats work for private companies specializing in mine clearance in Croatia. "We are always on the road in Croatia, from town to town, that's the nice thing about our job," they said.
"But every time we leave home we know there's a chance we won't come back. Our work doesn't tolerate mistakes."
A Croatian demolition-miner earns roughly the equivalent of 800 to 900 euros ($1,000-1,150) per month - little more than the nation-wide average.
Read more: Deutsche Welle warns on minefields Croatian brings in EU - General News - Croatian Times Online News - English Newspaper
9/23/11
Palestine UN bid spotlights some unlikely kingmakers
With Friday's Palestinian bid for statehood now official, the focus turns to the U.N. Security Council, and an array of unlikely kingmakers.
Gabon, Colombia, Bosnia-Herzogovina — these countries aren't usually associated with Middle East diplomacy, but they happen to be on the U.N. Security Council this year, meaning their votes would determine whether the Palestinian application wins approval.
If it does, the U.S. plans to veto it, but President Barack Obama is anxious to avoid an action likely to inflame the Arab world. The council consists of five permanent members — China, Britain, France, Russia and the U.S. — and 10 rotating, non permanent ones which can expect to be wooed and pressured by both sides as the vote approaches.
For more: Palestine bid spotlights some unlikely kingmakers | ajc.com
Gabon, Colombia, Bosnia-Herzogovina — these countries aren't usually associated with Middle East diplomacy, but they happen to be on the U.N. Security Council this year, meaning their votes would determine whether the Palestinian application wins approval.
If it does, the U.S. plans to veto it, but President Barack Obama is anxious to avoid an action likely to inflame the Arab world. The council consists of five permanent members — China, Britain, France, Russia and the U.S. — and 10 rotating, non permanent ones which can expect to be wooed and pressured by both sides as the vote approaches.
For more: Palestine bid spotlights some unlikely kingmakers | ajc.com
8/14/11
EU sees fast entry talks with Iceland
EU foreign ministers were set on Monday to put Iceland on the road towards the EU by asking the bloc’s executive to assess how well prepared the country is to begin membership negotiations.
"There is no fast-track for Iceland but rather a shorter track because they are already a part of the single market and the Schengen area,“ Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt told reporters ahead of the ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
For more: Europe: EU sees fast entry talks with Iceland - Nachrichten English-News - WELT ONLINE
"There is no fast-track for Iceland but rather a shorter track because they are already a part of the single market and the Schengen area,“ Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt told reporters ahead of the ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
For more: Europe: EU sees fast entry talks with Iceland - Nachrichten English-News - WELT ONLINE
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