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Old 20-04-2007, 15:35   #221
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That's why EU doesnt seem to get Turkey in,not the protecting human rights or reforms or someting.
I'm happy to hear that.
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Old 20-04-2007, 15:49   #222
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I'm happy to hear that.
I know Turkey is still developing both in economical and democratical way,but the reasons to not let Turkey in are not in a supportive way,just building up unbreakable walls,they'll be funnier in a further time,saying we dont have enough ground on Europe,and we dont own them culturally.
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Old 26-04-2007, 18:00   #223
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Poland urged to halt 'homophobia'

The European Parliament has called on Poland to stop public leaders inciting discrimination against homosexuals.


The resolution follows a statement by a deputy education minister that Poland was drafting a law to punish teachers who "promoted" homosexuality.

Poland's PM later said there would be no discrimination against gay teachers.

But MEPs repeated an appeal to EU anti-racism experts to look into "the emerging climate of racist, xenophobic and homophobic intolerance in Poland".

They asked the Polish authorities to "publicly condemn and take measures against declarations by public leaders inciting discrimination and hatred based on sexual orientation" and called on European Parliament leaders to send a fact-finding mission.

In a debate on the resolution on Wednesday, British gay MEP Michael Cashman said a country that had lived under repression should know the value of fundamental human rights.

Walk-out

"You should be teaching us about fundamental values and that is why we will not hesitate to defend human rights and human rights' defenders wherever they are," he said.

But Polish MEP Witold Tomczak said homosexuality was against the law of nature, and called on "so-called defenders of human rights" to tackle "discrimination against normal families".

"Every person has a right to life and deserves respect and help, including one who - lost and scarred - has given into homosexual tendencies.

"The solution is to help those who suffer and to provide them with the cure that they expect us to deliver."

Several Polish MEPs walked out of the chamber when attempts to prevent the debate failed.

Poland's deputy education minister, Miroslaw Orzechowski, said last month that a law banning the promotion of homosexuality in schools would be finished within weeks.

Human rights organisations said it would prevent lessons promoting tolerance towards homosexuals, and the dissemination of lifesaving information about Aids.

'Biologically useless'

"It was not just any person who made this dreadful statement, it was a member of the government, helping to contribute to a climate in which hatred is regarded as normal," said Dutch MEP Sophia in't Veld.

Employment and Equal Opportunities commissioner Vladimir Spidla warned that any measures banning discussion of homosexuality in schools would violate European law.

Mr Orzechowski is a member of the League of Polish Families, a junior partner in the coalition led by Mr Kaczynski's Law and Justice Party.

The AFP news agency reports that an MEP from the League of Polish Families, Maciej Giertych, has published a pamphlet stating that homosexuality is "biologically useless" and "reversible" as long as there is "the desire to become heterosexual and the spiritual motivation".

BBC

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MEPs rally round Geremek in war on Warsaw

MEPs from the major political groups rallied round Polish liberal deputy Bronislaw Geremek on Wednesday (25 April), after Polish authorities threatened to strip his MEP mandate in a spat over lustration - Warsaw's hunt for Communist-era collaborators.


MEPs from the conservative, socialist, liberal, green and far-left parties reacted with noisy applause in Strasbourg plenary after liberal group leader Graham Watson called on parliament to use "all legal means possible" to protect Mr Geremek, with the legal affairs committee set to look into the case in the coming weeks.

The events - described as "a rare moment of life in the chamber" by one liberal group official - come after Poland's National Elections Committee wrote to Mr Geremek, saying it will take away his MEP mandate if he does not submit a fresh lustration declaration in line with a new Polish law.

"To this imperative demand that urges me to subordinate to a humiliating procedure I have only one answer - I refuse," Mr Geremek fired back in a public statement, saying the law violates the Polish constitution on "respect for human dignity."

"[Lustration] threatens the freedom of speech, media freedom and the autonomy of the universities. It creates a kind of ministry of truth, or a police of memory," he added, calling for Poland's "democratic forces" to rally for the "protection of Poland's good name."

Poland's name has certainly taken a bashing in EU circles since the rightist-coalition government of the Kaczynski twins came to power in late 2005, with MEPs from the Kaczynskis' Law and Justice party heckling Mr Geremek's supporters in Strasbourg on Wednesday.

The Kaczynskis' lustration campaign is designed to usher in a Polish "Fourth Republic" by purging society and the post-Communist administration of collaborators with the old regime, recently targeting ex-Polish president, Wojciech Jaruzelski, on criminal charges.

Polish prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski defended his policy in Brussels last week by saying that Spanish or Italian media which have called lustration a "witch-hunt" or a new "inquisition" do so "on the basis of a total lack of knowledge about Poland."

The lustration law is a hot topic inside Poland as well, with some popular support for exposing the hypocrisy of senior Roman Catholic clergy who passed information to secret police and for the Jaruzelski move - the ex-president is arguably responsible for up to 90 killings in the 1980s.

But Law and Justice's suggestion there is some kind of ex-Communist cabal secretly running the country and the extension of lustration to teachers and journalists is seen as ugly populism by others. "The 'Fourth Republic' idea is absurd," one senior Polish official told EUobserver.

Gambit could damage Kaczynskis
Mr Geremek's attack on lustration has the potential to further damage the Kaczynskis' reputation in the EU: as an ex-Polish foreign minister with strong Solidarnosc credentials, he has friends in high places. The professional historian is widely-respected in Brussels and was once tipped to be parliament president.

His attack also comes in the context of the Kaczynskis' ruling coalition partners, the League of Polish Families party, publishing anti-Semitic literature and tabling legislation to throw gay schoolteachers out of work or tighten further Poland's strict abortion laws.

But the Geremek gambit also takes him into uncharted legal territory, with one parliament contact saying the Polish lustration law works via an "automatism" that dictates Mr Geremek's mandate must be taken away. "We just don't know what will happen," the source said.

"It's a very complex, very delicate matter and it's too early to say anything," another European Parliament official said. "We've had cases before where national legislatures have withdrawn members, but never for such a reason. We'll have to see what the legal affairs committee says."

EU Observer

************

How can a country go from communism to borderline fascism in only 15 years? And who put twins in power, i mean seriously wtf? I can only hope that Polish people are going to wake up and realize that the country is engaged on a very dangerous road.
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Old 26-04-2007, 23:28   #224
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Originally Posted by haku View Post
How can a country go from communism to borderline fascism in only 15 years? And who put twins in power, i mean seriously wtf? I can only hope that Polish people are going to wake up and realize that the country is engaged on a very dangerous road.
Lol, I first heard of the Kaczynski Twins on the Daily Show, the American version of a fake news show. I swear to God I thought it was a joke at the time.
But seriously, that's some massive regression going there.

Quote:
The AFP news agency reports that an MEP from the League of Polish Families, Maciej Giertych, has published a pamphlet stating that homosexuality is "biologically useless" and "reversible" as long as there is "the desire to become heterosexual and the spiritual motivation".
Now I personally think the "gay gene" theory is dubious but you can totally see the line of reasoning with this shit. Removing any evidence pertaining to the belief that LGBTs are "born that way" hate crimes committed towards them wouldn't be considered as bad as say, anti-Semitism. Fault could then be placed on non-hetersexual people for "voluntarily" participating in acts that would get them hurt, thus it would be their fault for not getting the help, or "spiritual motivation," to become heterosexual.

Assholes, fucking assholes.
I'm sorry these kind of people get to me. If it were sooo easy to switch your sexuality then how about they lead by example and become homosexual.
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Old 27-04-2007, 18:22   #225
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Originally Posted by PowerPuff Grrl View Post
Now I personally think the "gay gene" theory is dubious but you can totally see the line of reasoning with this shit. Removing any evidence pertaining to the belief that LGBTs are "born that way" hate crimes committed towards them wouldn't be considered as bad as say, anti-Semitism. Fault could then be placed on non-hetersexual people for "voluntarily" participating in acts that would get them hurt, thus it would be their fault for not getting the help, or "spiritual motivation," to become heterosexual.
The political agenda of the League of Polish Families is very similar to that of the National Socialist party in Germany before WWII, it's pure fascism full of hate and intolerance toward anything that is not a good christian heterosexual ethnic polish. They even proposed an EU-wide ban of homosexuality and that Christianity be declared the official religion of the EU, that shows how delusional they are, they are even worse than the French National Front, it's complete madness that such a party is in a ruling government.
The worst for Poland is that the extremist positions of the current government has completely discredited Polish representatives in EU institutions, few people listen to their intolerant rantings. Anyway, those new Polish laws, if they are voted and enforced, will violate many EU regulations and there will be consequences for Poland.

**********

Dollar falls to record euro low

The dollar has fallen to a new all-time low against the euro after data showed that US economic growth disappointed in the first three months of the year.


The 1.3% first quarter economic expansion - the slowest pace for four years - pushed the greenback down 45 cents to $1.3658 in Friday trade.

Analysts predict the US currency will fall further on renewed expectations of interest rate cuts to support growth.

The pound strengthened against the dollar, still trading above $2.

Tainted

US GDP figures were tainted by lower exports and widespread problems in the world's biggest economy's housing market.

"I think we're going to see 1.38 [euros to the dollar] without too much trouble here," said Joe Trevisani, chief market analyst at FX Solutions, in Saddle River, New Jersey.

On the other hand, the upward momentum in the European single currency is being bolstered by strong economic growth in the 13-member eurozone.

The euro also reached a record peak against the Japanese yen, hitting 162.88 after the data was released.

BBC
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Old 30-04-2007, 23:53   #226
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US and EU agree 'single market'

The United States and the European Union have signed up to a new transatlantic economic partnership at a summit in Washington.


The pact is designed to boost trade and investment by harmonising regulatory standards, laying the basis for a US-EU single market.

The two sides also signed an Open Skies deal, designed to reduce fares and boost traffic on transatlantic flights.

But little of substance was agreed on climate change.

However, EU leaders were pleased the US acknowledged human activity was a major cause.

Richest regions

Economics rather than the environment or politics was the focus of the summit, says the BBC's Europe correspondent, Jonny Dymond, from Washington.

The two sides agreed to set up an "economic council" to push ahead with regulatory convergence in nearly 40 areas, including intellectual property, financial services, business takeovers and the motor industry.

The aim is to increase trade and lower costs.

Some reports suggest that incompatible regulations in the world's two richest regions add 10% to the cost of developing and producing new cars.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, said last month that if the US and EU could set business norms today, they would "secure the markets of tomorrow".

She has made repairing damaged relations with the US a top priority, since she came to office 18 months ago.

Emission cuts

The Europeans said they were pleased that the US now officially acknowledges that climate change is happening and that human activity is a major cause of it.

"We agree there's a threat, there's a very serious global threat," said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

"We agree that there is a need to reduce emissions. We agree that we should work together."

But behind the scenes, says our Europe correspondent, officials were saying that not much had changed.

Ms Merkel will try to nudge the US towards a global approach to climate change before a G8 summit Germany is chairing in six weeks' time, says our correspondent.

But the US has consistently rejected the European approach of imposing national limits on greenhouse gas emissions, saying they would harm the international economy.

Visa hope

The Open Skies agreement will take effect on 30 March 2008 and will allow EU carriers to fly to anywhere in the US and vice versa.

The deal promises to lower airfares and widen choice for passengers on both sides of the Atlantic.

The EU hopes to go further and create an "Open Aviation Area" between the two sides "in which investment can flow freely and in which European and US airlines can provide air services without any restriction," said a EU statement.

The EU is also hoping that the US will agree to withdraw its visa requirement for travellers from a number of EU states.

BBC
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Old 04-05-2007, 01:43   #227
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So... President Bush is thinking of vetoing sexual orientation hate crimes legislation...

That upsets me, as an American, and definitely as a Rhode Islander. If he vetoes that legislation, there's only one mode of recourse left to my state.

We're joining the European Union.

Really. We have just over a million people in RI, I promise it won't unbalance the powers that be in the EU. And we're just as liberal as you guys across the Atlantic are. Think of us as a colony (Just give us our voting rights and promise not to meddle in our affairs).

Seriously, my American pride is so strained at the moment... it's getting to the point where RI just needs to secede from the Union.
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Old 04-05-2007, 01:47   #228
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ace of Order View Post
So... President Bush is thinking of vetoing sexual orientation hate crimes legislation...

That upsets me, as an American, and definitely as a Rhode Islander. If he vetoes that legislation, there's only one mode of recourse left to my state.

We're joining the European Union.

Really. We have just over a million people in RI, I promise it won't unbalance the powers that be in the EU. And we're just as liberal as you guys across the Atlantic are. Think of us as a colony (Just give us our voting rights and promise not to meddle in our affairs).

Seriously, my American pride is so strained at the moment... it's getting to the point where RI just needs to secede from the Union.
Yeah I second that except... I would say Save the Northeast!!, except for Conneticut... they gave us Bush in the first place... Please???? We won't cause any problems...
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Old 04-05-2007, 14:20   #229
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A US state asking for EU membership, that would cause quite a stir. I guess New England states would fit in alright, they would just need to generalize the metric system and allow women to be topless on beaches to comply with EU regulations.

Rhode Island could also try to join the Canadian federation, it's closer, and if you took Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine with you, you would even have territorial continuity.


************
Poland's ban of gay parade ruled illegal

Poland has lost its case against a group of gay parade organisers, with the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights ruling unanimously that Warsaw's ban on a 2005 rally - which took place anyway - was illegal.

In a verdict announced on Thursday (3 May), the court said Poland broke several principles covered by the European human rights conventions, such as freedom of assembly and prohibition of discrimination.

Back in 2005 - after the organisers filed their request for a permission to hold a tolerance march in May and a rally in June - the Mayor of Warsaw said in a newspaper interview that in his view, "propaganda about homosexuality is not tantamount to exercising one's freedom of assembly."

He then went on to refuse to give the green light to organisers. But the June parade went ahead anyway and was attended by around 3000 people.

The group of European judges, including one from Poland, suggested that without official authorisation for the 2005 event, people could have been discouraged from participating in it as "no official protection could be ensured by the authorities against potentially hostile demonstrators."

Warsaw also proved discriminatory against the gay march organisers, according to the Strasbourg court, as it explained its decision to refuse allowing the event by referring to the applicants' failure to submit a 'traffic organisation plan' – something it had not requested from organisers of other rallies.

The verdict comes just a week after MEPs adopted a resolution calling for a fact-finding parliamentary mission to be sent to Poland to look into the issue of homophobia and potential discrimination against gays and lesbians in the country.

Prior to last week's debate on the topic, the parliament's legal service confirmed it had not found any proof of Poland breaking the EU's rules on anti-discrimination in terms of legislation already in place.

But MEPs voiced their concerns over plans by the country's education minister, Roman Giertych, to introduce a new law stating that "promotion of sexuality" by school directors, teachers and pupils should be punished.

Also, the deputies criticised the suggestion by the Polish Ombudsman for Children to set up a list of jobs for which homosexuals are unfit.

But parliamentarians praised the fact that gay pride events are no longer systematically banned in Poland.

EU Observer
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Old 07-05-2007, 22:31   #230
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^^ Omg, I didn't know that!
But I just have to say that I'm so fuck**g glad that Europe united, and I hope wars won't destroy it anymore. I wait for the day when Serbia is gonna join EU! lol

About Turkey...Hmm...I'm not so sure about leting Turkey in, but who asks me?! lol
Not that I have something against Turkey or something it's just...I don't know, they're not even on Europe continent for real, if you ask me. Just one small part of it is on Europe's territory...
But, if Turkey shows a real will to join EU and EU also shows will for Turkey, than it would be perfect.
As I said, I'm not sure about Turkey, what I wanna say - I don't have strong posture so...xD
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Old 08-05-2007, 17:25   #231
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Porsche to become a European company

On 26 June, the German company Porsche AG will be legally transformed into a European company under the name Porsche Automobil Holding SE, the new status will allow the company to work as a single legal entity in all 27 EU states.
In the same move, Volkswagen AG (and therefore all its subsidiaries) will be placed under the direct control of Porsche SE.
Porsche SE headquarters should remain in Stuttgart but this has yet to be confirmed (a SE company can easily move its headquarters to any EU state).
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Old 08-05-2007, 20:26   #232
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But... we like Europe better!

You have Amsterdam. 'nuf said.

And if we joined the EU (Or Canada, I suppose), we'd have federal mandates that prod us to legalize gay marriage.

... Not that I'm ever happy with anything federal, but as long as your not taking rights away, I'll survive.
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Old 08-05-2007, 20:46   #233
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The political agenda of the League of Polish Families is very similar to that of the National Socialist party in Germany before WWII, it's pure fascism full of hate and intolerance toward anything that is not a good christian heterosexual ethnic polish. They even proposed an EU-wide ban of homosexuality and that Christianity be declared the official religion of the EU, that shows how delusional they are, they are even worse than the French National Front, it's complete madness that such a party is in a ruling government.
The worst for Poland is that the extremist positions of the current government has completely discredited Polish representatives in EU institutions, few people listen to their intolerant rantings. Anyway, those new Polish laws, if they are voted and enforced, will violate many EU regulations and there will be consequences for Poland.
I couldn't agree more. One of my closest friends is a Polish girl. She's from Warsaw, and she's had several gay friends actually *leaving* the country because of the anti-gay political climate there that's just getting worse and worse every day.

The League of Polish families has often quite publicly shown it's admiration for National Socialism; at a meeting of its youth wing, the All-Polish Youth, party members were seen celebrating around a large, burning swastika. The youth wing in particular, is also known for using political violence, and in their official party statements they apparently refer to homosexuals as faggots and perverts.

There's a lot of evil stuff happening in Poland atm, and the League, and Radio Maryja are just two examples of these things.

What that country needs is....QueenBee to take over!
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Old 09-05-2007, 16:39   #234
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Some interesting GDP stats for 2007 published a few days ago by the EU (Eurostats agency).

EU combined GDP : 12.1 trillion euros
EU per capita GDP : 24700 euros

Here's a state by state break down, the first number is the per capita GDP (in euros), the number in brackets is the "GDP Index" (EU per capita average = 100), the GDP Index is a useful tool to quickly visualize the gap between the EU average and a given state.
In black are the 15 older sates, in red the states that joined in 2004, in purple those that joined in 2007.

Luxembourg : 66900 (259)
Ireland : 35900 (139)
Netherlands : 32300 (125)
Austria : 31500 (122)
Denmark : 31200 (121)
Belgium : 30100 (117)
Sweden : 30000 (116)
United Kingdom : 30000 (116)
Finland : 29100 (113)
Germany : 28300 (110)
France : 27200 (106)
Italy : 25300 (98)
Spain : 25100 (97)
Cyprus : 22500 (87)
Greece : 22000 (85)
Slovenia : 21800 (84)
Czechia : 19900 (77)
Malta : 18300 (71)

Portugal : 17900 (69)
Estonia : 17700 (69)
Hungary : 16300 (63)
Slovakia : 16300 (63)
Lithuania : 14800 (57)
Latvia : 14700 (57)
Poland : 13600 (53)

Romania : 9600 (37)
Bulgaria : 9300 (36)


The general idea is that no state should have a per capita GDP below 2 thirds of the EU average (a GDP Index below 66 in other words), the 'less rich' older state, Portugal, being just above that threshold with a GDP Index of 69.
The main focus of the EU since 2004 has been to bring new member states up to speed and within EU standards of wealth.

Out of the 10 new member states that joined in 2004,
5 states - Cyprus, Slovenia, Czechia, Malta, Estonia - are above the 66 threshold and are now considered within EU standards,
2 states - Hungary, Slovakia - are almost there and will reach the 66 threshold within a couple of years,
2 states - Lithuania, Latvia - are a bit lower but should easily reach the 66 threshold within 5 years,
1 state - Poland - is further behind and will need a lot of efforts, the 66 threshold should be reached within 10 years if everything goes well

The 2 new member states that joined in 2007 are understandably much lower and will need even more efforts, the 66 threshold is reachable within 15 years though.

Most of those states, especially Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria, will see a major influx of EU structural funds during the 2007-2012 period, which should give a significant boost to their economies.
All in all, things are progressing relatively well and all EU states should be within EU standards of wealth by 2020.
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Old 09-05-2007, 17:41   #235
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What that country needs is....QueenBee to take over!
Well, that's just about the smartest thing I've ever read.
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Old 09-05-2007, 22:02   #236
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All in all, things are progressing relatively well and all EU states should be within EU standards of wealth by 2020.
I'm glad to hear that. But I belive they'll make it maybe a bit sooner.
I think that EU will be more powerful than America or Japan in about..hm..let's say 5 to 10 years [if it isn't already].
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Old 10-05-2007, 18:55   #237
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German rebuke sets up tense EU-Russia summit

The German EU presidency and the European Commission have rebuked Russia for upholding its ban on Polish food imports days ahead of the EU-Russia summit in Samara, with Moscow also facing criticism for "attacks" on Estonia and anti-democratic backsliding at home.

"The time has come for Russia to give a date for when the [Polish] embargo will be lifted," German Europe minister Günter Gloser said at the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday (9 May), adding "it [the EU-Russia summit] shouldn't fail on a technicality."

Russia's 18-month long food ban last year saw Poland veto the launch of negotiations on a new EU-Russia treaty, saying Moscow was using trade as a political weapon. The Polish position has since been backed up by commission experts, who say there are no safety grounds for the embargo.

Mr Gloser also referred to Russia's recent actions against Estonia as "an attack on the sovereignty of an EU member state" and pledged Berlin's "full support" for Tallinn, after mobs besieged the Estonian embassy in Moscow and Russian MPs called on the Estonian president to resign.

The row - sparked by Tallinn's decision to remove a Soviet-era WWII statue from its city centre - continues to rumble on, with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday condemning people who "desecrate memorials to war heroes" and with Russia blocking road and rail traffic to Estonia.

In an uncharacteristic tone for a member of the German socialist party - which is traditionally Russia-friendly - Mr Gloser also said "We are concerned about freedom of the media and civil society. The way demonstrators were recently dealt with in Moscow, St Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod has not gone down well."

'Spiral of mistrust'
"Everything must be done to avoid a spiral of mistrust [in EU-Russia relations]," the minister went on. "The modernisation of Russia will only be possible if rule of law and democracy are respected."

"There are many points of tension between the EU and Russia, we disagree on many points," European Commission vice-president Günter Verheugen added, mentioning the future status of Kosovo, Moscow's threat to enter a new conventional arms race and its wobbly energy supplies to Europe as other lines of division.

The commissioner called Russia's food ban on Poland "disproportionate and unjustified" and said "never again will we allow anybody to drive a wedge, or try to drive a wedge between the EU and one of its member states" on Russia's approach to Estonia.

In terms of the agenda for the 17 and 18 May summit in Samara, on the eastern bank of the Volga river, Brussels hopes Moscow will agree to set up an early-warning system for potential gas and oil supply shocks and come on board with the EU's new CO2 emissions cut targets.

Prickly summit agenda
The two sides will also talk about sending OSCE observers to Russian presidential elections next year, Moscow's crackdown on free media and NGOs, human rights abuses in Chechnya and Russia's role in the so-called "frozen conflicts" in Moldova and the South Caucasus.

The EU's criticism on Wednesday of its giant eastern neighbour was offset by references to Russia as Europe's "strategic partner" and mutual "interdependence." Germany's Mr Gloser also talked about "realism" and "strategic patience" in terms of prospects for EU values in Russia.

The European Parliament discussion fell on Russia's VE day, which saw celebrations on the Red Square in Moscow where Mr Putin gave a speech about Russia's defeat of the Third Reich. Afterwards, 7,000 soldiers - 1,000 more than in 2006 - marched by and nine jet fighters flew overhead, the BBC reports.

EU Observer
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Old 11-05-2007, 06:58   #238
PowerPuff Grrl PowerPuff Grrl is offline
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Originally Posted by haku View Post
Mr Gloser also referred to Russia's recent actions against Estonia as "an attack on the sovereignty of an EU member state" and pledged Berlin's "full support" for Tallinn, after mobs besieged the Estonian embassy in Moscow and Russian MPs called on the Estonian president to resign.
God, finally somebody in the EU said something!
I'm aware that relations with Russia are... "delicate" to say the least, but to abandon an EU member in a pretty volatile situation is pretty shitty, IMHO.

And to a lesser extent, this also applies to the States; if they can meddle in European affairs and denounce the reluctance of the EU to embrace Turkey then surely they could've said something about this.

Not to say Estonia shouldn't fight their own battles (I mean Goddamn, at least fight in instances where you know you can have a chance at winning), but come on, a little solidarity people!
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Old 11-05-2007, 09:31   #239
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Originally Posted by PowerPuff Grrl View Post
God, finally somebody in the EU said something!
I'm aware that relations with Russia are... "delicate" to say the least, but to abandon an EU member in a pretty volatile situation is pretty shitty, IMHO.

Not to say Estonia shouldn't fight their own battles (I mean Goddamn, at least fight in instances where you know you can have a chance at winning), but come on, a little solidarity people!
They got too much support as it is. The reason they didn't get more was because public opinion in most EU countries strongly disagrees with Estonia in the Bronze soldier case. The Estonian government is strongly anti-Russian, and will gladly accept any oppertunity to express this sentiment; even at the cost of their national stability. It's a trend in Europe I guess, making one group the scapegoat, heating up the situation with your actions, and creating a political platform out of the situation you've just worsened.

I don't know if you've ever been in Estonia, but it's quite shocking to see how the government of an EU memberstate treats 30% of its population as second class citizens.

Then again, the EU-label doesn't mean anything when it allows memberstates to outlaw political youth organisations because they hold the opinion that private ownership should be replaced with collective ownership of the means of production (Czech Republic; what happened to freedom of speech?). Then again, no legal action against this organisation (KSM) was taken, until its mother-party was receiving 25% in the polls, whereas the governing Social Democrats were under 9%, so there were probably some ulterior motives
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Old 11-05-2007, 17:54   #240
haku haku is offline
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Originally Posted by PowerPuff Grrl View Post
God, finally somebody in the EU said something!
The EU did react from the very beginning, Angela Merkel, acting as EU president, called Vladimir Putin several times, and the German ambassador in Moscow (accompanied by the Portuguese ambassador if i'm not mistaken), acting as EU ambassador, handed a letter of formal prostest to the Kremlin on 3 May, they were received by a Russian minister who expressed his "bewilderment" at the EU's attitude. You have to imagine a "bewildered" Russian minister venting his theatrical outrage to a couple of bored European ambassadors mostly thinking "Wtf is his problem, who gives a shit if a freaking statue is moved?", except in more diplomatic terms.

The reactions from the EU and its member states were publicly relatively restrained (except for the Polish twins who vented quite a lot on TV, but Poland is planning to remove all Soviet memorials this summer so they are bracing themselves) but you can be sure that the reactions through diplomatic channels were quite firm.
One sign of that is the fact that Vladimir Putin congratulated the new French president 2 days after everybody else, in diplomatic language that's a sign of great discontent.

More generally, the problem is that the EU is not a real federation yet and that the EU has no legal mandate in foreign affairs, it's a member states reserve at the moment, and the EU must be sure to have the backing of all member states before saying anything in that area.
When the EU has a president and a foreign affairs minister, such conflicts with a third party will be dealt with much more strongly and quickly. Going toward more European integration and a truly federal structure will be the most efficient way for EU member sates to resist to bullying tactics from third parties.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunrider
I don't know if you've ever been in Estonia, but it's quite shocking to see how the government of an EU memberstate treats 30% of its population as second class citizens.
It's a thorny issue for Estonia, the Russian minority makes no secret that it sees Estonia pretty much as a Russian oblast, it's difficult for a country to give citizenship to people who think the country should not exist. And we have to remember that those Russians were brought there by the USSR in a process of forced russification of the area and the locals, it's difficult for Russians to claim that they are an oppressed minority when they had themselves no regards for the Estonian minority in the USSR to begin with.
Forced russification is a process that has been going on from the Baltic to the Pacific since the old days of the Russian empire, the Komi republic is a good example of that, 92% Komi in 1926, 60% Russian now, a slow but effective process, the same thing was happening in Estonia until it broke away from the USSR.

It's no secret that many Russian politicians would want Russia to go back to its historical imperial borders, the LDPR (with which our own Tatu girls are good friends) even has it written in its platform, and that Russian minorities in neighboring countries are used as an excuse for a potential territorial expansion. Even though the ruling party United Russia doesn't go as far as the LDPR in terms of territorial claims, it does favor a return to the former USSR borders (with possibly Finland as an added bonus), and it is particularly irritated with the loss of the Baltic states since it has caused the Kaliningrad oblast to become detached from Russia proper, the Baltic states joining the EU has even reinforced that seperation since the free movements of goods and people within the EU implies a reinforced border around non-EU Kaliningrad.
The Baltic states and Kaliningrad have become to Russia what the Danzig corridor and East Prussia was to Germany between the 2 Word Wars (the Allied should have never agreed to Kaliningrad becoming Russian, the land should have been given to Poland or Lithuania, but not Russia, big mistake).
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