Newsletter 2009/11/09 - Hemispheres
BERLIN/MOSCOW (Own report) - The EU should turn away from the USA and "convert to the East" in alliance with Russia. This is being demanded by a publicist in one of Germany's leading newspapers. Europe "is wrong, to think that it is part of the western world," explains the author basing himself on old ideologues of German "geopolitics." In fact, Germany belongs to the "Eurasian energy realm" and must realize that the cooperation with the United States is based on a "false orientation." Germany, "a country in mid-western Eurasia," is "not a galley on the "Transatlantic Ocean" says the article published over the weekend in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. The journal itself is anchored in the western oriented spectrum of the German establishment, but evidently finds that the time has come to use hard anti-American invectives in public debate. This was caused by long term transformations in German economic expansion, which, to a growing degree, are oriented eastward and aimed particularly at Russian energy resources. The "Eurasian" debate is drawing formerly tabooed rightwing extremist ideologues into the focus of public discussion.
more
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/56296
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Warning: German Reunification Will Result in WWIII!
Beyond Babylon, God's final warning...
It is not in Germany's mind today, or its present peaceful people, to wage war against us, but that will all change overnight after a head-on collision with the Islamic leader of a confederation of Muslim states, their mahdi, whetting Europe's appetite for more blood and morphing the EU into THE BEAST. They will destroy all Muslim opposition with a vengeance.
Whereas most Germans are not aware of vile intentions of influential Germans under Jesuit influence to revive the unholy Roman Empire of the German Nation, the Fourth Reich, to embark on a new crusade into the Middle East, Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall bares their grand design before the world: the German-Assyrians will strike again!
The Atlantic Times, regardless of whether or not they believe any of this prophetic scenario possible, owes it to their readers to address this issue that is most serious to a growing number of Bible-believing Christians and many Jews. Can we trust them to deliver?
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
It is not in Germany's mind today, or its present peaceful people, to wage war against us, but that will all change overnight after a head-on collision with the Islamic leader of a confederation of Muslim states, their mahdi, whetting Europe's appetite for more blood and morphing the EU into THE BEAST. They will destroy all Muslim opposition with a vengeance.
Whereas most Germans are not aware of vile intentions of influential Germans under Jesuit influence to revive the unholy Roman Empire of the German Nation, the Fourth Reich, to embark on a new crusade into the Middle East, Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall bares their grand design before the world: the German-Assyrians will strike again!
The Atlantic Times, regardless of whether or not they believe any of this prophetic scenario possible, owes it to their readers to address this issue that is most serious to a growing number of Bible-believing Christians and many Jews. Can we trust them to deliver?
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
The EU is a German Ruse
Bill Cash, MP, questions The German Question [The European Journal, April 2007] "of what and where is Europe?" when "Germany has not even established her own national identity, which remains strikingly unstable even after reunification... let alone found a directing principle which can hold the ramshackle European Union together...".
Mr. Cash proceeds to warn: "Without radical change, the evolution of the EU would lead to a German Europe." He then proposes, challenging German ambitions: "The institutions and treaties reasoned under the terms of the Franco–German partnership need to be unravelled and renegotiated to support a simpler and freer association of nation states with national referendums on all existing treaties. A democratic answer to the German Question at last."
The Germans have created and tolerated the charade of the EU. They have never intended to share power with untermenschen nations but have planned to methodically impose Germany's will, however slowly but surely, upon the continent by stealth.
Even as the irascible Nazi-Muslims, the "Palestinians" - German agents of genocide against the Jews by proxy - patiently pursue their phased destruction of Israel (with collaboration from its purchased oligarchy), Germany will dispense of democracy as soon as it has served its purpose, outlived its exploitation, even as Adolf Hitler did once he consolidated power to himself. The world is in for a rude awakening: The EU is a German ruse.
What will enable Germany to reveal their true colors? To exercise complete dominance over Europe? To gain the consent of the continent to be placed under total German control? An unprecedented crisis of sorts. Will Iran offer Germany this opportunity?
Will Germany find itself fulfilled in its mission from God to save Europe by restoring the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation"? Will the Vatican offer Germany this meaning and purpose and direction it presently lacks - at least publicly? Will the pope strongly promote Germany to rescue the world from Islam, by any means necessary, and get the masses eating out of his hand? Will The Atlantic Times address the German threat or leave it to others to lead?
The German question demands a German answer, and such an answer is destined to take the world by surprise. The United States as world leader is history. Providence has so decreed Germany rules. Will Germany get it right this time? Or will the German-Jesuits require humbling by Asian instruments? And will all mankind demand divine deliverance?
Will The Atlantic Times Address the German Threat?
Congratulations to The Atlantic Times on its first-anniversary issue!
As reported by "This week in Germany," the English-language paper was launched "to stop the drifting apart of Europe and America, and especially Germany and America … and to build on common ground while learning to live with our differences," said the paper's executive editor, the renowned journalist Theo Sommer...the paper has featured scores of articles by prominent leaders and experienced journalists from both sides of the Atlantic..."Our basic message, in print and online, has been, and will be: We are still friends, and we must remain friends," said Sommer. "So let us not confront each other with swollen necks, but let us reason together."
Noble aims that are praiseworthy indeed! Mr. Theo Sommer is definitely to be commended for his efforts. However, based upon the stark testimony of the two witnesses of history and the Bible, Germany and the United States are going to continue to have some very serious disagreements that will ultimately destroy our friendship, alienate our countries and find Germany leading the European Union in a blitzkrieg nuclear attack against the United States!
Before that horrifying "Time of Jacob's Trouble," "the Great Tribulation," the British-Israelites will trust the Assyrian-Germans with their security! Our Anglo-Saxon-Celtic fools will increasingly rely on blind alliances with Germany and Europe that will be broken to pieces like so much shattered crystal!
Hosea 7:11
Ephraim (Anglo-Saxons) also is like a silly dove, without sense— They call to Egypt, They go to Assyria (Germany).
Herbert W. Armstrong, chancellor of Ambassador College and founder of the Worldwide Church of God and editor-in-chief of The Plain Truth magazine and broadcaster of The World Tomorrow radio and television program, warned the world for years that a European combine, driven by Germany, would thresh the nations. He dared to make such bold proclamations when Germany was in rubble after WWII and divided.
Germany is destined to lead the European Union against the American, British and Jewish peoples, a divine instrument to punish us for our intolerable sins that rise up against Heaven (not that they're without sin):
Isaiah 10:5-8
5 Woe to Assyria (Germany), the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hand is My indignation.
6 I will send him against an ungodly nation (the Anglo-Saxon-Celtics and Jews),
And against the people of My wrath
I will give him charge,
To seize the spoil, to take the prey,
And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 Yet he does not mean so,
Nor does his heart think so;
But it is in his heart to destroy,
And cut off not a few nations.
It is not in Germany's mind today, or its present peaceful people, to wage war against us, but that will all change overnight, after a head-on collision with the Islamic leader of a confederation of Muslim states, their mahdi, whetting Europe's appetite for more blood and morphing the EU into THE BEAST. They will destroy all Muslim opposition with a vengeance.
Whereas most Germans are not aware of vile intentions of influential Germans under Jesuit influence to revive the unholy Roman Empire of the German Nation, the Fourth Reich, to embark on a new crusade into the Middle East, Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall bares their grand design before the world: the German-Assyrians will strike again!
The Atlantic Times, regardless of whether or not they believe any of this prophetic scenario possible, owes it to their readers to address this issue that is most serious to a growing number of Bible-believing Christians and many Jews. Can we trust them to deliver?
Originally published in 2006
As reported by "This week in Germany," the English-language paper was launched "to stop the drifting apart of Europe and America, and especially Germany and America … and to build on common ground while learning to live with our differences," said the paper's executive editor, the renowned journalist Theo Sommer...the paper has featured scores of articles by prominent leaders and experienced journalists from both sides of the Atlantic..."Our basic message, in print and online, has been, and will be: We are still friends, and we must remain friends," said Sommer. "So let us not confront each other with swollen necks, but let us reason together."
Noble aims that are praiseworthy indeed! Mr. Theo Sommer is definitely to be commended for his efforts. However, based upon the stark testimony of the two witnesses of history and the Bible, Germany and the United States are going to continue to have some very serious disagreements that will ultimately destroy our friendship, alienate our countries and find Germany leading the European Union in a blitzkrieg nuclear attack against the United States!
Before that horrifying "Time of Jacob's Trouble," "the Great Tribulation," the British-Israelites will trust the Assyrian-Germans with their security! Our Anglo-Saxon-Celtic fools will increasingly rely on blind alliances with Germany and Europe that will be broken to pieces like so much shattered crystal!
Hosea 7:11
Ephraim (Anglo-Saxons) also is like a silly dove, without sense— They call to Egypt, They go to Assyria (Germany).
Herbert W. Armstrong, chancellor of Ambassador College and founder of the Worldwide Church of God and editor-in-chief of The Plain Truth magazine and broadcaster of The World Tomorrow radio and television program, warned the world for years that a European combine, driven by Germany, would thresh the nations. He dared to make such bold proclamations when Germany was in rubble after WWII and divided.
Germany is destined to lead the European Union against the American, British and Jewish peoples, a divine instrument to punish us for our intolerable sins that rise up against Heaven (not that they're without sin):
Isaiah 10:5-8
5 Woe to Assyria (Germany), the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hand is My indignation.
6 I will send him against an ungodly nation (the Anglo-Saxon-Celtics and Jews),
And against the people of My wrath
I will give him charge,
To seize the spoil, to take the prey,
And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 Yet he does not mean so,
Nor does his heart think so;
But it is in his heart to destroy,
And cut off not a few nations.
It is not in Germany's mind today, or its present peaceful people, to wage war against us, but that will all change overnight, after a head-on collision with the Islamic leader of a confederation of Muslim states, their mahdi, whetting Europe's appetite for more blood and morphing the EU into THE BEAST. They will destroy all Muslim opposition with a vengeance.
Whereas most Germans are not aware of vile intentions of influential Germans under Jesuit influence to revive the unholy Roman Empire of the German Nation, the Fourth Reich, to embark on a new crusade into the Middle East, Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall bares their grand design before the world: the German-Assyrians will strike again!
The Atlantic Times, regardless of whether or not they believe any of this prophetic scenario possible, owes it to their readers to address this issue that is most serious to a growing number of Bible-believing Christians and many Jews. Can we trust them to deliver?
Originally published in 2006
Blacks besiege Whites in Zimbabwe
White Zimbabwean farmers call for aid as Mugabe's violent land seizures escalate
Zimbabwe’s white farmers union today announced it needs to raise $1.2million each month to look after the 4,000 plus members it claims have been left impoverished by Robert Mugabe’s land seizures.
The Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU) said violence against white farmers still remaining on farms was escalating and that efforts to engage the government had failed.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1225810/White-Zimbabwean-farmers-aid-Mugabes-violent-land-seizures-escalate.html
************
Africa owes white farmers a debt. Mugabe can rail against colonialism but if it weren't for people of white color in Africa, the pioneers and their descendants, all of Africa would still be living in the Stone Age!
If only the English-speaking nations of white Israelites would form an alliance, an alternative to UN, and liberate the biblical farm lands and inheritances of our fellow white Rhodesian/Zimbabwean brethren, driving the animals off it and clearing the land, restoring proper balance as God has ordained.
All these troubles are the result of the sins of white Israelites, the consequences of disobedience to God, empowering Gentiles to rule over us, pretending we're equal, when our God-given roles are definitely different! Zimbabwe suffers without White Israelite rule. National repentance leads to national restoration, so help us God (2 Chronicles 7:14, Malachi 4:4).
Save Zimbabwe, restore Rhodesia: Mugabe must go!
Why Rhodesia is in Ruins
Zimbabwe's nightmare ... a lesson for us
Cursed: South Africa, Zimbabwe, USA
A Warning for America from South Africa
Aid for Africa?
Zimbabwe Ruins Proves Ian Smith Right
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
Zimbabwe’s white farmers union today announced it needs to raise $1.2million each month to look after the 4,000 plus members it claims have been left impoverished by Robert Mugabe’s land seizures.
The Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU) said violence against white farmers still remaining on farms was escalating and that efforts to engage the government had failed.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1225810/White-Zimbabwean-farmers-aid-Mugabes-violent-land-seizures-escalate.html
************
Africa owes white farmers a debt. Mugabe can rail against colonialism but if it weren't for people of white color in Africa, the pioneers and their descendants, all of Africa would still be living in the Stone Age!
If only the English-speaking nations of white Israelites would form an alliance, an alternative to UN, and liberate the biblical farm lands and inheritances of our fellow white Rhodesian/Zimbabwean brethren, driving the animals off it and clearing the land, restoring proper balance as God has ordained.
All these troubles are the result of the sins of white Israelites, the consequences of disobedience to God, empowering Gentiles to rule over us, pretending we're equal, when our God-given roles are definitely different! Zimbabwe suffers without White Israelite rule. National repentance leads to national restoration, so help us God (2 Chronicles 7:14, Malachi 4:4).
Save Zimbabwe, restore Rhodesia: Mugabe must go!
Why Rhodesia is in Ruins
Zimbabwe's nightmare ... a lesson for us
Cursed: South Africa, Zimbabwe, USA
A Warning for America from South Africa
Aid for Africa?
Zimbabwe Ruins Proves Ian Smith Right
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
Saturday, November 07, 2009
What Do Kitty Genove and Borat Have To Do With The Holocaust?
LESSONS OF THE HOLOCAUST USING POP CULTURE
[The] new book by Jeanette Friedman and David Gold: "Why Should I Care? Lessons from the Holocaust" is so needed. Serving as a layman's guide to the organized destruction of European Jewry, this fantastic book should be in every church library, Christian home and pastor's office (not to mention seminaries).
BY JIM FLETCHER WRITER'S BLOC WORLD NET DAILY
This work provides critical contemporary and historical connections to the Holocaust that foster relevance to teaching and learning about the Holocaust and genocide in today’s world.
Colleen Tambuscio, President, Council of Holocaust Educators
WHY SHOULD I CARE? LESSONS FROM THE HOLOCAUST uses a new approach to Holocaust and Genocide Studies that engages students in their communities and their future--using a frame of reference they understand to help them build the "content of their character."
In addition to conventional Holocaust and Genocide Studies resources listed on the book's companion web site, www.whyshouldicareontheweb.com, there are clips from "Star Trek", "The Twilight Zone," a song from the movie "Borat," Wu Tang Clan'svideo by Remedy, Grammy Award Winner Miri Ben Ari and even one of Edward R. Murrow interviewing Dr. Jonas Salk on CBS and much, much more.
The authors felt that young people couldn't relate to the story of the Holocaust . They believe that the purpose of Holocaust and Genocide studies must focus on how people treat each other in their own neighborhoods—and how they, as individuals, have a profound effect on our global society.
Attached is a flyer with a list of chapter titles and book reviews. Also attached is the first chapter of the book, Silence = Death, that describes the murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964 and also talks about Stephen Colbert's invention of the word Truthiness, a word that aptly describes what Hitler relied on when he differentiated segments of society and turned them into targets of discrimination and destruction.
Why Should I Care? is an ideal solution to a programming/teaching budget problem—time and money budgets. A teachers has just so much time to include these studies in the class room The book covers everything quickly and in simple English. The website is free access and can be projected into a classroom. Students can access it at home and use it to find current events and do reports. Why Should I Care? is inexpensive compared to other programming materials. It's how you solve two problems with one solution!
The book contains appendixes, a bibliography and an index. For bulks inquiries, contact The Wordsmithy, 201-986-0647 or email thewordsmithy@aol.com
Paperback, 224 pages, Publisher: The Wordsmithy, LLC (2009) ISBN-10: 1935110039
THE AUTHORS ARE AVAILABLE FOR CLASSES, TRAINING, BOOK SIGNINGS AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS.
BOOK REVIEWS:
This work provides critical contemporary and historical connections to the Holocaust that foster relevance to teaching and learning about the Holocaust and genocide in today’s world.
Colleen Tambuscio, President, Council of Holocaust Educators
________
THE DEFINITIVE BOOK ON HOLOCAUST STUDY!!!
This is an important book because it is useful, very useful. Holocaust study is common, but insignificant. Now, for the first time, the Holocaust is studied for its fundamental causes in human nature as they apply to the whole world today. Finally, it's for everybody....today. Thank you and Congratulations.
______
I belong to a unique group of men and women who probe the ashes of the murdered not merely to remember the dead and pay homage to their memory. I want to find something from the horror of their deaths and the evil of their murders that can speak to our common humanity and deepen our commitment to human rights. The authors of this work, Jeanette Friedman and David Gold, share that commitment. They want to share it with you. They want you to be their partners in this all important enterprise.
Dr. Michael Berenbaum, Professor of Jewish Studies Director, Sigi Ziering Institute: Former Project Director of the creation of the USHMM
________
...Your book serves as an excellent resource to help both teachers and students grasp the horrors that occurred and most important become cognizant of what must be done to prevent Genocide.... I was especially pleased with your use of applicable quotations, concise history of the Holocaust and notes on using the internet...You have written a timely, relevant book that will appeal to both teachers and students because it is so readable and interesting..."
Ray Gerson, Executive Coordinator, Lower Hudson Council of School Supervisors
_____
Using popular culture and the internet, and written in clear language that engages teenagers, “Why Should I Care? Lessons from the Holocaust” by Jeanette Friedman and David Gold provides information students can use when confronting broader issues of life and suffering. This book stresses the importance of character and virtues. Among other points it makes, the authors respect Catholic contributions to rescuing children during the Holocaust and clearly expresses, in Pope Benedict XVI's own words, the Catholic Church's emphatic rejection of Holocaust denial.
Catholic teachers using this book will be well served to have on hand the guidelines for Catholic Holocaust education put out by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: Catholic Teaching on the Shoah: Implementing the Holy See's We Remember, which can be ordered from the Bishops' Conference website under the keyword: "Shoah":
Dr. Eugene J. Fisher, Church Falls, VA, Retired Associate Director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), recipient of the Anti-Defamation League's Dr. Joseph L. Lichten Award.
_________
BY JIM FLETCHER WRITER'S BLOC WORLD NET DAILY
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=107577
[The] new book by Jeanette Friedman and David Gold: "Why Should I Care? Lessons from the Holocaust" is so needed. Serving as a layman's guide to the organized destruction of European Jewry, this fantastic book should be in every church library, Christian home and pastor's office (not to mention seminaries). Further, Friedman's website is a great online resource. The book itself has five appendices, an index, list of internet resources, and a bibliography. And the text itself is under 200 pages, making the project perfect for students or adults wishing to educate themselves with the basics.
An...outstanding feature of the book is a barely 20-page, concise history of the Holocaust. No longer should Christians (or any gentile) use ignorance as an excuse. Because persecution of ethnic groups is still with us, even in comedy films, books like "Why Should I Care?" are critically important in saving lives.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall: Bible Prophecy and the Hand of God
By William Bowmer | Sabbath, November 07, 2009
Little Angela Kasner, daughter of a Lutheran pastor in Russian-dominated East Germany, was barely two years old when an American radio preacher published in his magazine an astonishing statement: “The way is being prepared for a colossal third force in world politics—a European Federation of Nations more powerful than either Russia or the United States!… We have shown years in advance what would happen to Russia’s ill-fated Empire in Eastern Europe” (Plain Truth, December 1956, p. 3).
Although an occasional daring escapee might pass across it, the Berlin Wall was considered basically unassailable. Even U.S. President John F. Kennedy described the Wall as “a fact of international life.” The notion that the Berlin Wall might come down was simply not in the minds of top politicians and pundits.
That is the world in which Angela Kasner grew up. She was a bright student, eventually earning a doctorate for her work in quantum chemistry. She married and divorced, and as Angela Merkel came onto the world scene as deputy spokesman for East Germany’s short-lived Democratic Awakening Party after the world was shocked by the sudden collapse of the Berlin Wall (and of East Germany soon afterward)—a collapse that few had foreseen, and fewer could fully explain.
Merkel rose quickly through the political ranks in the newly reunified Germany, acquiring the nickname “The Iron Frau” as testimony to her forcefulness. Selected as leader of the Christian Democratic Union in April 2002, she became Chancellor of Germany upon her party’s victory in November 2005.
On November 3, 2009, Chancellor Merkel spoke to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, partly to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, but also to share her vision of a world with Germany’s interests at the helm. She warned: “If there is one lesson the world has learned from last year’s financial crisis, it is that there is no alternative to a global framework for a globalized economy. Without universally binding rules for transparency and supervision there can be no greater freedom, but rather we risk the abuse of freedom and thus instability. In a way this is a second wall that has to fall: A wall standing in the way of a truly global economic order, a wall of regional and exclusively national thinking.”
What lesson has Merkel learned, watching the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall? She wants to tear down another wall—this time, the wall of national sovereignty! Merkel went on to say: “I am convinced that, just as we found the strength in the 20th century to tear down a wall made of barbed wire and concrete, today we have the strength to overcome the walls of the 21st century.”
Was it indeed human strength that tore down the Berlin Wall? Perhaps, but it was also part of God’s foreordained plan for Germany. Scripture reveals that a European power, under German political leadership, will increasingly play the role of world superpower and impose its “global framework” and “universally binding rules” as we approach the end of the age and the United States continues to decline. This is what Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong foretold from Bible prophecy more than 50 years ago, and it is what this Work continues to teach—as Dr. Roderick C. Meredith explains in his article, “America’s Last Days?“ and as Mr. John Ogwyn wrote in his powerful booklet, The Beast of Revelation. Read our literature online, or request your free copies today!
The Fall of the Berlin Wall: Bible Prophecy and the Hand of God
Little Angela Kasner, daughter of a Lutheran pastor in Russian-dominated East Germany, was barely two years old when an American radio preacher published in his magazine an astonishing statement: “The way is being prepared for a colossal third force in world politics—a European Federation of Nations more powerful than either Russia or the United States!… We have shown years in advance what would happen to Russia’s ill-fated Empire in Eastern Europe” (Plain Truth, December 1956, p. 3).
In his Good News magazine, that same pastor—Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong—had written: “Russia may give East Germany back to the Germans and will be forced to relinquish her control over Hungary, Czechoslovakia and parts of Austria to complete the ten nation union. Europe will have a free hand to destroy America and Britain as prophesied” (April 1952, p. 16).
Without this biblical perspective, young Angela saw no reason to doubt that the East German state would endure as part of an ongoing Soviet-led communist expansion around the globe. Even so, many were not content to live under such repressive government. By the time Angela reached age 7, as many as 3.5 million people—20 percent of East Germany’s former population—had fled to the West, mostly through the border at Berlin. To stop the ongoing “brain drain” to the West, communist officials in August 1961 decided to close the border and erect a wall separating East and West Berlin.Although an occasional daring escapee might pass across it, the Berlin Wall was considered basically unassailable. Even U.S. President John F. Kennedy described the Wall as “a fact of international life.” The notion that the Berlin Wall might come down was simply not in the minds of top politicians and pundits.
That is the world in which Angela Kasner grew up. She was a bright student, eventually earning a doctorate for her work in quantum chemistry. She married and divorced, and as Angela Merkel came onto the world scene as deputy spokesman for East Germany’s short-lived Democratic Awakening Party after the world was shocked by the sudden collapse of the Berlin Wall (and of East Germany soon afterward)—a collapse that few had foreseen, and fewer could fully explain.
Merkel rose quickly through the political ranks in the newly reunified Germany, acquiring the nickname “The Iron Frau” as testimony to her forcefulness. Selected as leader of the Christian Democratic Union in April 2002, she became Chancellor of Germany upon her party’s victory in November 2005.
On November 3, 2009, Chancellor Merkel spoke to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, partly to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, but also to share her vision of a world with Germany’s interests at the helm. She warned: “If there is one lesson the world has learned from last year’s financial crisis, it is that there is no alternative to a global framework for a globalized economy. Without universally binding rules for transparency and supervision there can be no greater freedom, but rather we risk the abuse of freedom and thus instability. In a way this is a second wall that has to fall: A wall standing in the way of a truly global economic order, a wall of regional and exclusively national thinking.”
What lesson has Merkel learned, watching the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall? She wants to tear down another wall—this time, the wall of national sovereignty! Merkel went on to say: “I am convinced that, just as we found the strength in the 20th century to tear down a wall made of barbed wire and concrete, today we have the strength to overcome the walls of the 21st century.”
Was it indeed human strength that tore down the Berlin Wall? Perhaps, but it was also part of God’s foreordained plan for Germany. Scripture reveals that a European power, under German political leadership, will increasingly play the role of world superpower and impose its “global framework” and “universally binding rules” as we approach the end of the age and the United States continues to decline. This is what Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong foretold from Bible prophecy more than 50 years ago, and it is what this Work continues to teach—as Dr. Roderick C. Meredith explains in his article, “America’s Last Days?“ and as Mr. John Ogwyn wrote in his powerful booklet, The Beast of Revelation. Read our literature online, or request your free copies today!
The Fall of the Berlin Wall: Bible Prophecy and the Hand of God
Beyond Babylon drops the bomb: EU forging Germany's Fourth Reich!
Setting Sun? / The Digger
A big anniversary is looming. No, nothing to do with east Germans streaming through gaps in the Berlin wall. On 17 November 2009 it will be 40 years since the first edition of Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun newspaper rolled off the presses.
Click here to read more
************
The Sun will rise or sink depending on its appeal, relevance and leadership. Can they keep it up? Time will tell.
Speaking of its ability to cut to the chase, to dare to share the plain truth, I await The Sun headline: Beyond Babylon drops the bomb: EU forging Germany's Fourth!
The EU is a German Ruse
Germany Behind the Mask
Germany's Fourth Reich Spreads Its Wings Over the World
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
A big anniversary is looming. No, nothing to do with east Germans streaming through gaps in the Berlin wall. On 17 November 2009 it will be 40 years since the first edition of Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun newspaper rolled off the presses.
Click here to read more
************
The Sun will rise or sink depending on its appeal, relevance and leadership. Can they keep it up? Time will tell.
Speaking of its ability to cut to the chase, to dare to share the plain truth, I await The Sun headline: Beyond Babylon drops the bomb: EU forging Germany's Fourth!
The EU is a German Ruse
Germany Behind the Mask
Germany's Fourth Reich Spreads Its Wings Over the World
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
If only Ron Paul would uphold the Constitution...
Now if only Ron Paul would uphold the Constitution by demanding to see Obama/Soetoro/Obama’s long form birth certificate. Regardless, president usurper Obama, the fraud and foreigner, is not a natural born citizen of two American parents as our Constitution requires. If the trunk of the tree is the American president isn’t legitimate, all the other issues are twigs.
Emperor Obama has got to go!
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
Emperor Obama has got to go!
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
Friday, November 06, 2009
The Catholic Church is a wolf in sheep's clothing!
Is the Catholic church a force for good in the world ?
The bloody Roman Catholic Cult is a plague politically and spiritually!
The bloody Roman Catholic Cult is the Babylonian Mystery religion in “Christian” drag! Any good they might do is merely meant to disarm and deceive the masses. They were and remain a wolf in sheep’s clothing folks would do well to beware.
Warning Jews
Pope's Evil Eye on Jerusalem!
Jerusalem's Betrayal and Rape
Rome rules the world - not NYC!
Israel must reject Vatican overtures for peace or lose Jerusalem!
Christian-Zionist Response to Shimon Peres' AIPAC speech
Plea to Diehard Catholics & Protestants to Repent
The bloody Roman Catholic Cult is a plague politically and spiritually!
The bloody Roman Catholic Cult is the Babylonian Mystery religion in “Christian” drag! Any good they might do is merely meant to disarm and deceive the masses. They were and remain a wolf in sheep’s clothing folks would do well to beware.
Warning Jews
Pope's Evil Eye on Jerusalem!
Jerusalem's Betrayal and Rape
Rome rules the world - not NYC!
Israel must reject Vatican overtures for peace or lose Jerusalem!
Christian-Zionist Response to Shimon Peres' AIPAC speech
Plea to Diehard Catholics & Protestants to Repent
Lisbon Treaty Ratified with Czech Signing
Czech President Vaclav Klaus signed the Lisbon Treaty making the country the last of the 27 European nations to sign. We monitor reaction to the signing and analyze what it means for the European Union.
The Plain Truth Prevails!
Enemies have attacked http://www.davidbenariel.org/ but the plain truth of the Bible, history and currents events, as shared by David Ben-Ariel in his many articles, can be found in many other places throughout the Internet world. The plain truth prevails!
Jeremiah 15:10-21
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That you have borne me,
A man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth!
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Open Europe press summary: 6 November 2009
Europe
Die Welt's London Correspondent: Many Germans "feel rather sympathetic" to Britain's re-evaluation of the EU
Following David Cameron's speech on the Conservatives' new policy on Europe, there is widespread coverage of the reactions from European politicians. In an interview on the BBC's Newsnight last night, French Foreign Minister Pierre Lellouche attempted to explain his comments that Conservative policy on Europe was "autistic" and would "castrate" UK influence in Europe, saying they had been mistranslated. He said that, in his relations with William Hague, "On Europe it seems like we cannot talk...I've been talking to him over the year and it doesn't make a dent. There's no listening, no exchange on this."
The Guardian notes that Hague dismissed the comments, saying "We won't be put off by one emotional outburst from one minister. I think more senior members of the French government would take a more careful approach." He added, "We will stick up for our national interests, which French ministers never fail to do, by the way."
On the BBC's Today Programme, when asked about Cameron's pledge to repatriate powers in social policy and criminal justice, French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said, "I hope we can convince him that being all together makes us a lot stronger. Today and tomorrow's worlds are vastly different from how they were years ago when it was a matter of national sovereignty." She added, "As far as the past is concerned, we have rules of membership, we are all part of the club."
However, also speaking on Newsnight, Die Welt's London Correspondent Thomas Kielinger said that there had been an over-reaction to Cameron's speech by many European politicians. He added, "There are a lot of eurosceptics in Germany on the ground - people who feel rather sympathetic to the way Britain is trying to re-evaluate what Europe is about, what Brussels should be - who don't speak up because the powers that be in my country are holding such a strong hold over public opinion that they won't let these voices come to the fore."
In a poll of 1,167 adults carried out by PoliticsHome asking "would you or would you not like there to be a referendum on whether the UK's level of engagement with the EU should be renegotiated?" 63% of voters said they would want a referendum and 29% said they would not. 70% backed Cameron's proposed Sovereignty Bill, aimed at ensuring that ultimate power stays in the UK Parliament, and 57% said that the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty was "a negative development", while 27% said it was "a positive development". The poll also found that 52% of voters think that David Cameron's new Europe policy is a "fair adaptation of a policy to fit new circumstances." 42%, however, see Cameron as having broken a promise.
Writing in the Times, Antonia Senior argues that Cameron's proposed Sovereignty Bill, based on the model proposed by Germany's Constitutional Court, will not work in the UK due to the lack of a written constitution.
Today programme Newsnight Independent Express Mail Telegraph Times Guardian: Wheatcroft Economist: Charlemagne notebook BBC Telegraph: Hannan's blog Guardian Guardian 2 The Parliament Guardian 3 BBC: Hewitt blog IHT Politics Home Conservative Home Economist: Bagehot Times: Senior Independent 2 FT FT 2 Mail: Synon blog
Open Europe: Conservatives "must turn off every single tap from which EU social policy flows"
On Conservative Home, Open Europe's Mats Persson looks at the Conservatives' pledge to bring back some powers from the EU on social policy, arguing that the party is right to focus on this area. But, he argues, "in order to give their policy real teeth, the Conservatives must pledge to turn off every single tap from which EU social policy currently flows - once and for all. In practice, this means opting out of all those articles in the Treaties which serve as basis for social legislation - whether existing or future - rather than picking and choosing individual Directives or segments of Directives, as Cameron seems to suggest".
Citing Open Europe's new research that EU social laws will cost the UK economy £71 billion over the next decade, Mats goes on to argue that "contrary to popular belief, the British Conservatives are not the only ones in Europe frustrated about EU employment law. From Stockholm to Stuttgart, the experience of the WTD and other laws has made people seriously uneasy about the merits of centralised, one-size-fits-all rules for all the different labour market models currently co-existing in Europe." Mats concludes, "Repatriating social and employment policy will be hard work, but it's not impossible. The Conservatives should not be afraid to champion this new policy, with the help of allies in Europe. The democratic and economic case for doing so is compelling."
Meanwhile, the European Trade Union Congress has issued a press release saying it looks forward to the Lisbon Treaty strengthening "Europe's social dimension in the new framework of a social market economy, which replaces the open economy of the Nice Treaty." Its General Secretary John Monks said: "Now that the ratification process is finally out of the way, we have to act and open new doors for social rights. The ETUC condemns once more the UK, Polish and Czech reservations to the Charter [of Fundamental Rights] and will continue to work to ensure that all European workers are treated fairly and equally."
Conservative Home-Persson OE blog ETUC Coulisses de Bruxelles Open Europe research Open Europe press release
Miliband emerges as favourite for EU Foreign Minister;
Swedish PM begins informal talks over EU top jobs
DPA quotes a "high ranking EU diplomat" saying that David Milliband is favorite for the post of EU Foreign Minister, with former Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema also a candidate, but likely to be opposed in central and eastern Europe because of his Communist past.
Belgian PM Herman Van Rompuy is the front-runner for the job of EU President, but Dutch daily De Volkskrant notes that Polish Ambassador to the EU Jan Tombinski has revealed that Dutch PM Jan Peter Balkenede is intensely lobbying for the job. The Telegraph reports that Lord Mandelson has launched a final campaign to try and secure the job for Tony Blair. He will deliver a speech in Brussels today, saying "One of Europe's key deficits is leadership. Lisbon is very valuable and certainly gives us a new institutional toolkit. But it is personalities and policies that will make the difference". He has also denied that Miliband is a candidate for the EU Foreign Minister job, adding: "Some people may choose to hallucinate on this subject but I am not going to do so."
The Economist's Charlemagne column looks at the Conservatives' opposition to Blair's candidacy and the demise of his chances and writes, "it is hard to see how Tory interests are advanced by helping a Belgian federalist into a top EU job. An even bigger Tory mistake is the belief that a modest president will mean a modest Europe. It will not. It means, rather, that the bit of the EU machine that directly represents national governments will have a weaker voice, to the advantage of the more federalist institutions: the European Commission and the European Parliament."
Meanwhile the Times reports that Swedish PM Fredrik Reinfeldt yesterday began a first round of 'confessionals': one-to-one talks with EU leaders about the two jobs created by the Lisbon Treaty. An EU summit could be held as early as 12 November to decide on the jobs, following informal talks at the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Monday. The Telegraph quotes one EU official saying: "Berlin is going to [be] make your mind up time for Britain. Is it Blair or Miliband? If Brown dithers he might get neither".
A leader in the Times argues, "Mr Reinfeldt has a clear choice. He could run the process openly and transparently, encouraging all those with a vote to identify two candidates for each post and spell out why they are the right people for the job. Or he could follow the ingrained habit of European Union proceedings and preside over a secret conversation that yields decisions from which the European people are again excluded."
Times Lesechos Mail DPA Economist: Charlemagne FT: Westminster blog Telegraph Times: Leader IHT Times LeMonde ANSA ASCA Volkskrant
European Court of Auditors slams €1 billion EU development aid spent by NGOs
Writing in De Standaard, Belgian MEP Derk-Jan Eppink reports that the European Court of Auditors (ECA) has, in a report, delivered serious criticism of the way NGOs spend almost €1 billion of development aid. He quotes the ECA report saying there is an "enormous gap between the engagements of NGOs and what they realise on the ground". Eppink notes that, a lot of projects are not being executed very well, while "full and reliable figures are lacking". The ECA calls this "extremely regrettable" and concludes that a lot of projects are "not sustainable".
Standaard: Eppink ECA Press Release ECA Report 4/2009
Money Marketing quotes Open Europe's research on the Alternative Investment Funds Managers Directive, saying that "less than 2 per cent of Alternative Investment Management Association members' clients believe that the AIFM directive will work in their favour".
Money Marketing Open Europe press release Open Europe briefing
Addition of new MEPs through Lisbon could be "strong negotiating tool" for David Cameron
Euractiv reports on the uncertainty surrounding the timing of 18 new MEPs taking office - jobs created by the change in the number of representatives under the Lisbon Treaty. The article reports that once the Treaty comes into force on 1 December, the 18 new MEPs will join the EP and receive full pay, but will not have any voting rights. While some countries, such as Spain, are keen to send their MEPs to Brussels immediately, in others such as Britain and France, where the voting process is not so clear cut, there is confusion over the basis on which the new MEP will be selected.
Problems also exist over the timing of the MEPs' transition from observer to full MEP status in the European Parliament, with expert David Earnshaw saying that the complication could give Conservative leader David Cameron a "strong negotiating tool" and lead to "further institutional complications for the post-Lisbon Treaty EU."
EurActiv
French Europe Minister: "Commission should come back to its senses"
Pierre Lellouche, French Europe Minister, declared during an interview with French newspaper Les Echos that "it is written nowhere that the Commission is the government of Europe...when it imposes overly harsh sanctions because of anticompetititve practices such as illegal state aid, I think it should come back to its senses. It is fundamental to impose better competition on the European internal market, but it should not weaken the European industry with respect to foreign giants".
Meanwhile, an article in the Economist argues that EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes "is acting under a generous interpretation of her mandate...the disposals being forced on RBS owe little to competition or viability concerns and quite a bit to the punishment motive."
Economist FrenchForeignMinistry
Commission's proposed changes to regional funding angers regions
The FT reports on the leaked Commission document setting out the future of the EU budget, which proposes that the EU should impose tighter national controls on EU regional funds, which at present go directly to the regions, and extend cuts in agricultural subsidies. It also says the EU should concentrate its regional aid budget, worth almost €50bn a year, on individual member states rather than poor regions within them. In a letter to Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Mercedes Bresso, Governor of Italy's Piedmont region, said the proposal was "a document that is only fit for the dustbin".
FT Open Europe press summary OE blog Leaked Commission Communication
Lord Mandelson: "The EU is a tapdancer with 27 feet. Our challenge is getting that strange animal to dance"
In a speech to the Bruegel think-tank in Brussels today, Lord Mandelson is expected to say that the European Commission's budget is "misaligned" and should be redirected to harness "the cutting edge" of European innovation. He will call for a loosening of EU state aid rules in order to encourage investment in the low-carbon industries of the future, and for increased international leadership, concluding: "The EU is a tapdancer with 27 feet. Our challenge is getting that strange animal to dance".
FT WSJ WSJ 2
Former UKIP MEP Tom Wise has admitted embezzling £36,000 in allowances from the European Parliament. The money was received as a secretarial allowance, however Wise only paid his secretary £500 of the £3000 he was allocated, spending the rest on wine and cars according to the BBC. Wise could face jail by the end of the year.
European Voice BBC Telegraph Times
Irish Foreign Minister: Voters did not vote Yes to the actual Lisbon Treaty
The Irish Times reports that Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin yesterday admitted that the economic downturn was the key factor in the second Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, saying: "The key theme to emerge in the research was the sense of economic vulnerability...In terms of the 'switcher', the person who changed from voting No the last time to Yes this time, the economic crisis was a big factor."
Irish Times
Military chiefs fear Lisbon Treaty could diminish their influence
EUobserver reports that EU military chiefs are nervous that their advice will not carry the same weight once the new Lisbon Treaty is in place, and quotes outgoing EU Military Committee Chair, Henri Bentegeat saying the "very wide open EEAS [diplomatic service]" will include diplomats from member states and staff from the European Commission, as well as the current military planning and operational units, prompting fears that the military dimension will be overshadowed.
EUobserver
There is continued coverage of the Government-funded National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death report, which has found that the impact of the EU's Working Time Directive on hospital rotas has contributed to hospital deaths.
Express Telegraph Open Europe research
EU leaders and officials declared during talks in Barcelona yesterday that they thought it unlikely that an international Treaty on climate change would be achieved for as much as another year.
EUobserver BBC Times Independent
Hungary has nominated Laszlo Andor, an international economist and board member at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as its next EU Commissioner.
EurActiv
Belgian newspaper Le Vif reports that the European Parliament's Environment Commission has approved a list of 164 industry sectors which will be beneficiaries of rights of CO2 free emissions.
Levif
"The vast majority of experts advising the European Commission on greater financial regulation are drawn from the same institutions that helped cause the crisis" says a report by the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation published yesterday.
EUobserver The Parliament EU Business Alter-EU report
EUobserver reports that the European Central Bank left eurozone interest rates unchanged at one percent yesterday, but signalled it will start a gradual exit from its emergency lending measures.
EUobserver Eurointelligence Zeit
Open Europe is an independent think tank campaigning for radical reform of the EU. For information on our research, events and other activities, please visit our website: openeurope.org.uk or call us on 0207 197 2333.
Die Welt's London Correspondent: Many Germans "feel rather sympathetic" to Britain's re-evaluation of the EU
Following David Cameron's speech on the Conservatives' new policy on Europe, there is widespread coverage of the reactions from European politicians. In an interview on the BBC's Newsnight last night, French Foreign Minister Pierre Lellouche attempted to explain his comments that Conservative policy on Europe was "autistic" and would "castrate" UK influence in Europe, saying they had been mistranslated. He said that, in his relations with William Hague, "On Europe it seems like we cannot talk...I've been talking to him over the year and it doesn't make a dent. There's no listening, no exchange on this."
The Guardian notes that Hague dismissed the comments, saying "We won't be put off by one emotional outburst from one minister. I think more senior members of the French government would take a more careful approach." He added, "We will stick up for our national interests, which French ministers never fail to do, by the way."
On the BBC's Today Programme, when asked about Cameron's pledge to repatriate powers in social policy and criminal justice, French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said, "I hope we can convince him that being all together makes us a lot stronger. Today and tomorrow's worlds are vastly different from how they were years ago when it was a matter of national sovereignty." She added, "As far as the past is concerned, we have rules of membership, we are all part of the club."
However, also speaking on Newsnight, Die Welt's London Correspondent Thomas Kielinger said that there had been an over-reaction to Cameron's speech by many European politicians. He added, "There are a lot of eurosceptics in Germany on the ground - people who feel rather sympathetic to the way Britain is trying to re-evaluate what Europe is about, what Brussels should be - who don't speak up because the powers that be in my country are holding such a strong hold over public opinion that they won't let these voices come to the fore."
In a poll of 1,167 adults carried out by PoliticsHome asking "would you or would you not like there to be a referendum on whether the UK's level of engagement with the EU should be renegotiated?" 63% of voters said they would want a referendum and 29% said they would not. 70% backed Cameron's proposed Sovereignty Bill, aimed at ensuring that ultimate power stays in the UK Parliament, and 57% said that the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty was "a negative development", while 27% said it was "a positive development". The poll also found that 52% of voters think that David Cameron's new Europe policy is a "fair adaptation of a policy to fit new circumstances." 42%, however, see Cameron as having broken a promise.
Writing in the Times, Antonia Senior argues that Cameron's proposed Sovereignty Bill, based on the model proposed by Germany's Constitutional Court, will not work in the UK due to the lack of a written constitution.
Today programme Newsnight Independent Express Mail Telegraph Times Guardian: Wheatcroft Economist: Charlemagne notebook BBC Telegraph: Hannan's blog Guardian Guardian 2 The Parliament Guardian 3 BBC: Hewitt blog IHT Politics Home Conservative Home Economist: Bagehot Times: Senior Independent 2 FT FT 2 Mail: Synon blog
Open Europe: Conservatives "must turn off every single tap from which EU social policy flows"
On Conservative Home, Open Europe's Mats Persson looks at the Conservatives' pledge to bring back some powers from the EU on social policy, arguing that the party is right to focus on this area. But, he argues, "in order to give their policy real teeth, the Conservatives must pledge to turn off every single tap from which EU social policy currently flows - once and for all. In practice, this means opting out of all those articles in the Treaties which serve as basis for social legislation - whether existing or future - rather than picking and choosing individual Directives or segments of Directives, as Cameron seems to suggest".
Citing Open Europe's new research that EU social laws will cost the UK economy £71 billion over the next decade, Mats goes on to argue that "contrary to popular belief, the British Conservatives are not the only ones in Europe frustrated about EU employment law. From Stockholm to Stuttgart, the experience of the WTD and other laws has made people seriously uneasy about the merits of centralised, one-size-fits-all rules for all the different labour market models currently co-existing in Europe." Mats concludes, "Repatriating social and employment policy will be hard work, but it's not impossible. The Conservatives should not be afraid to champion this new policy, with the help of allies in Europe. The democratic and economic case for doing so is compelling."
Meanwhile, the European Trade Union Congress has issued a press release saying it looks forward to the Lisbon Treaty strengthening "Europe's social dimension in the new framework of a social market economy, which replaces the open economy of the Nice Treaty." Its General Secretary John Monks said: "Now that the ratification process is finally out of the way, we have to act and open new doors for social rights. The ETUC condemns once more the UK, Polish and Czech reservations to the Charter [of Fundamental Rights] and will continue to work to ensure that all European workers are treated fairly and equally."
Conservative Home-Persson OE blog ETUC Coulisses de Bruxelles Open Europe research Open Europe press release
Miliband emerges as favourite for EU Foreign Minister;
Swedish PM begins informal talks over EU top jobs
DPA quotes a "high ranking EU diplomat" saying that David Milliband is favorite for the post of EU Foreign Minister, with former Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema also a candidate, but likely to be opposed in central and eastern Europe because of his Communist past.
Belgian PM Herman Van Rompuy is the front-runner for the job of EU President, but Dutch daily De Volkskrant notes that Polish Ambassador to the EU Jan Tombinski has revealed that Dutch PM Jan Peter Balkenede is intensely lobbying for the job. The Telegraph reports that Lord Mandelson has launched a final campaign to try and secure the job for Tony Blair. He will deliver a speech in Brussels today, saying "One of Europe's key deficits is leadership. Lisbon is very valuable and certainly gives us a new institutional toolkit. But it is personalities and policies that will make the difference". He has also denied that Miliband is a candidate for the EU Foreign Minister job, adding: "Some people may choose to hallucinate on this subject but I am not going to do so."
The Economist's Charlemagne column looks at the Conservatives' opposition to Blair's candidacy and the demise of his chances and writes, "it is hard to see how Tory interests are advanced by helping a Belgian federalist into a top EU job. An even bigger Tory mistake is the belief that a modest president will mean a modest Europe. It will not. It means, rather, that the bit of the EU machine that directly represents national governments will have a weaker voice, to the advantage of the more federalist institutions: the European Commission and the European Parliament."
Meanwhile the Times reports that Swedish PM Fredrik Reinfeldt yesterday began a first round of 'confessionals': one-to-one talks with EU leaders about the two jobs created by the Lisbon Treaty. An EU summit could be held as early as 12 November to decide on the jobs, following informal talks at the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Monday. The Telegraph quotes one EU official saying: "Berlin is going to [be] make your mind up time for Britain. Is it Blair or Miliband? If Brown dithers he might get neither".
A leader in the Times argues, "Mr Reinfeldt has a clear choice. He could run the process openly and transparently, encouraging all those with a vote to identify two candidates for each post and spell out why they are the right people for the job. Or he could follow the ingrained habit of European Union proceedings and preside over a secret conversation that yields decisions from which the European people are again excluded."
Times Lesechos Mail DPA Economist: Charlemagne FT: Westminster blog Telegraph Times: Leader IHT Times LeMonde ANSA ASCA Volkskrant
European Court of Auditors slams €1 billion EU development aid spent by NGOs
Writing in De Standaard, Belgian MEP Derk-Jan Eppink reports that the European Court of Auditors (ECA) has, in a report, delivered serious criticism of the way NGOs spend almost €1 billion of development aid. He quotes the ECA report saying there is an "enormous gap between the engagements of NGOs and what they realise on the ground". Eppink notes that, a lot of projects are not being executed very well, while "full and reliable figures are lacking". The ECA calls this "extremely regrettable" and concludes that a lot of projects are "not sustainable".
Standaard: Eppink ECA Press Release ECA Report 4/2009
Money Marketing quotes Open Europe's research on the Alternative Investment Funds Managers Directive, saying that "less than 2 per cent of Alternative Investment Management Association members' clients believe that the AIFM directive will work in their favour".
Money Marketing Open Europe press release Open Europe briefing
Addition of new MEPs through Lisbon could be "strong negotiating tool" for David Cameron
Euractiv reports on the uncertainty surrounding the timing of 18 new MEPs taking office - jobs created by the change in the number of representatives under the Lisbon Treaty. The article reports that once the Treaty comes into force on 1 December, the 18 new MEPs will join the EP and receive full pay, but will not have any voting rights. While some countries, such as Spain, are keen to send their MEPs to Brussels immediately, in others such as Britain and France, where the voting process is not so clear cut, there is confusion over the basis on which the new MEP will be selected.
Problems also exist over the timing of the MEPs' transition from observer to full MEP status in the European Parliament, with expert David Earnshaw saying that the complication could give Conservative leader David Cameron a "strong negotiating tool" and lead to "further institutional complications for the post-Lisbon Treaty EU."
EurActiv
French Europe Minister: "Commission should come back to its senses"
Pierre Lellouche, French Europe Minister, declared during an interview with French newspaper Les Echos that "it is written nowhere that the Commission is the government of Europe...when it imposes overly harsh sanctions because of anticompetititve practices such as illegal state aid, I think it should come back to its senses. It is fundamental to impose better competition on the European internal market, but it should not weaken the European industry with respect to foreign giants".
Meanwhile, an article in the Economist argues that EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes "is acting under a generous interpretation of her mandate...the disposals being forced on RBS owe little to competition or viability concerns and quite a bit to the punishment motive."
Economist FrenchForeignMinistry
Commission's proposed changes to regional funding angers regions
The FT reports on the leaked Commission document setting out the future of the EU budget, which proposes that the EU should impose tighter national controls on EU regional funds, which at present go directly to the regions, and extend cuts in agricultural subsidies. It also says the EU should concentrate its regional aid budget, worth almost €50bn a year, on individual member states rather than poor regions within them. In a letter to Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Mercedes Bresso, Governor of Italy's Piedmont region, said the proposal was "a document that is only fit for the dustbin".
FT Open Europe press summary OE blog Leaked Commission Communication
Lord Mandelson: "The EU is a tapdancer with 27 feet. Our challenge is getting that strange animal to dance"
In a speech to the Bruegel think-tank in Brussels today, Lord Mandelson is expected to say that the European Commission's budget is "misaligned" and should be redirected to harness "the cutting edge" of European innovation. He will call for a loosening of EU state aid rules in order to encourage investment in the low-carbon industries of the future, and for increased international leadership, concluding: "The EU is a tapdancer with 27 feet. Our challenge is getting that strange animal to dance".
FT WSJ WSJ 2
Former UKIP MEP Tom Wise has admitted embezzling £36,000 in allowances from the European Parliament. The money was received as a secretarial allowance, however Wise only paid his secretary £500 of the £3000 he was allocated, spending the rest on wine and cars according to the BBC. Wise could face jail by the end of the year.
European Voice BBC Telegraph Times
Irish Foreign Minister: Voters did not vote Yes to the actual Lisbon Treaty
The Irish Times reports that Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin yesterday admitted that the economic downturn was the key factor in the second Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, saying: "The key theme to emerge in the research was the sense of economic vulnerability...In terms of the 'switcher', the person who changed from voting No the last time to Yes this time, the economic crisis was a big factor."
Irish Times
Military chiefs fear Lisbon Treaty could diminish their influence
EUobserver reports that EU military chiefs are nervous that their advice will not carry the same weight once the new Lisbon Treaty is in place, and quotes outgoing EU Military Committee Chair, Henri Bentegeat saying the "very wide open EEAS [diplomatic service]" will include diplomats from member states and staff from the European Commission, as well as the current military planning and operational units, prompting fears that the military dimension will be overshadowed.
EUobserver
There is continued coverage of the Government-funded National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death report, which has found that the impact of the EU's Working Time Directive on hospital rotas has contributed to hospital deaths.
Express Telegraph Open Europe research
EU leaders and officials declared during talks in Barcelona yesterday that they thought it unlikely that an international Treaty on climate change would be achieved for as much as another year.
EUobserver BBC Times Independent
Hungary has nominated Laszlo Andor, an international economist and board member at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as its next EU Commissioner.
EurActiv
Belgian newspaper Le Vif reports that the European Parliament's Environment Commission has approved a list of 164 industry sectors which will be beneficiaries of rights of CO2 free emissions.
Levif
"The vast majority of experts advising the European Commission on greater financial regulation are drawn from the same institutions that helped cause the crisis" says a report by the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation published yesterday.
EUobserver The Parliament EU Business Alter-EU report
EUobserver reports that the European Central Bank left eurozone interest rates unchanged at one percent yesterday, but signalled it will start a gradual exit from its emergency lending measures.
EUobserver Eurointelligence Zeit
Open Europe is an independent think tank campaigning for radical reform of the EU. For information on our research, events and other activities, please visit our website: openeurope.org.uk or call us on 0207 197 2333.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Newsletter 2009/11/04 - Total Loss (Afghanistan)
Newsletter 2009/11/04 - Total Loss
KABUL/BERLIN/WASHINGTON (Own report) - German-American negotiations on the occupation strategy for Afghanistan are being flanked by growing tensions in the north of the country. While German Chancellor Angela
Merkel was discussing the situation in Afghanistan, Tuesday with US
President Barack Obama, one of the most notorious Afghan warlords was
positioning himself in the north of the country. Abdul Rashid Dostum, a current ally of Hamid Karzai, only recently returned from exile. He is a rival to the Governor of Mazar-e-Sharif, where the German Bundeswehr maintains a large base. An escalation is not to be excluded. The situation is being made more difficult through Washington's contemplations of downgrading the pact with Hamid Karzai and cooperating directly with individual warlords - a plan that accepts the possibility of the total disintegration of Afghanistan. In Berlin one hears more admissions of the defeat of the West. For example the Heinrich Boell Foundation, affiliated to the German Green Party, which up to now has had not problem in supporting the occupation policy, has declared that "with the warlords of the North Alliance, [the west] has installed a corrupt and undemocratic new leadership in the country." A disgruntled media is reporting that parallel to the withdrawal of the west, looming on the horizon, China is strengthening its standing in Afghanistan.
more
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/56295
KABUL/BERLIN/WASHINGTON (Own report) - German-American negotiations on the occupation strategy for Afghanistan are being flanked by growing tensions in the north of the country. While German Chancellor Angela
Merkel was discussing the situation in Afghanistan, Tuesday with US
President Barack Obama, one of the most notorious Afghan warlords was
positioning himself in the north of the country. Abdul Rashid Dostum, a current ally of Hamid Karzai, only recently returned from exile. He is a rival to the Governor of Mazar-e-Sharif, where the German Bundeswehr maintains a large base. An escalation is not to be excluded. The situation is being made more difficult through Washington's contemplations of downgrading the pact with Hamid Karzai and cooperating directly with individual warlords - a plan that accepts the possibility of the total disintegration of Afghanistan. In Berlin one hears more admissions of the defeat of the West. For example the Heinrich Boell Foundation, affiliated to the German Green Party, which up to now has had not problem in supporting the occupation policy, has declared that "with the warlords of the North Alliance, [the west] has installed a corrupt and undemocratic new leadership in the country." A disgruntled media is reporting that parallel to the withdrawal of the west, looming on the horizon, China is strengthening its standing in Afghanistan.
more
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/56295
Britain’s Iron Lady Was Right
From the Nov/Dec 2009 Trumpet Print Edition »
A voice of warning from 1989 is about to prove especially farsighted.
By Brad Macdonald
British newspapers jumped on the story when documents were released in September disclosing Margaret Thatcher’s vigorous opposition to German unification in 1989.
http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=6588.0.119.0
************
Germany Behind the Mask
The EU is a German Ruse
Is Germany in Danger of Backsliding?
Germany's Fourth Reich Spreads Its Wings Over the World
Will The Atlantic Times address the German threat?
Arnold's Office Refuses to Comment
The Intelligence Summit Misses the Mark: the German-Jesuit Threat to World Peace
www.davidbenariel.org
A voice of warning from 1989 is about to prove especially farsighted.
By Brad Macdonald
British newspapers jumped on the story when documents were released in September disclosing Margaret Thatcher’s vigorous opposition to German unification in 1989.
In one Kremlin transcript, the former prime minister was revealed as telling Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in off-the-record meetings in September 1989 that the “reunification of Germany is not in the interests of Britain and Western Europe.” While that might appear different from public pronouncements, she stated, Britain does “not want a united Germany.”
It’s not hard to justify the release of these documents as headline news. They shine added light on what was a turning point in modern European history when the Berlin Wall collapsed in November 1989. But the British media and government opted not to report on the most important angle: how Margaret Thatcher’s sober forecasts are actually being fulfilled.
Lampooned!
Among the nuggets the Times latched onto was Mrs. Thatcher’s “bombshell” off-the-record admission to Mr. Gorbachev that while she supported German unification in public, privately she held “deep concerns” about the “big changes” afoot. “Even 20 years later, her remarks are likely to cause an uproar,” wrote the Times.
“Mrs. Thatcher (as she then was) was wrong,” the Times haughtily blurted. “As Germany reaches two decades as a reunited country, its unshakable place within the Western family of democratic nations is cause for celebration. Apprehensions about a united Germany were misguided and have clearly been refuted” (September 11; emphasis mine throughout).
They have? Says who?
The Financial Times reported that the decision by Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office to publish the documents was perceived as an “attempt by Britain to set the record straight and show that its diplomats were positive about reunification early on—in spite of Mrs. Thatcher’s personal misgivings” (September 10). This perception wasn’t inaccurate, as Patrick Salmon, chief historian at the British Foreign Office, confirmed: “What they do is they correct the impression that was around at the time, and later, that Britain was negative toward [German unification],” he said.
Such shallow and misleading representation of these revelatory papers in the British media, as well as by the British government, was a tremendous disservice to the British people, many of whom are upset and disturbed by the German-led EU’s growing impingement on British sovereignty.
The release of these documents provided British politicians and journalists an opportunity to investigate why Thatcher opposed German unification, if her reticence was justified, and whether or not her fears are coming to fruition. However, they used them to court Germany, even though it meant turning their back on their former stalwart leader.
German media picked up the same story line. Germany’s Spiegel Online reported that the “new documents reveal that [British] Foreign Ministry diplomats were considerably more far-sighted than Thatcher, who was led by her gut reaction against Germany” (September 11).
“The long-secret papers show that the British government played a far more constructive role in German reunification than had been previously thought,” Spiegel wrote. “Only one person had serious doubts about the change: Margaret Thatcher.” This is pure revisionist history that belies the concern shared by the most astute observers of Germany’s intentions to dominate Europe by using the European Union.
Thatcher’s Apprehensions
Before we prove whether or not Thatcher’s concerns were justified, we must first understand just what they were. And while the Times and its ilk reported on these documents as if Thatcher’s opposition to German reunification was blockbuster news, history shows it was no state secret.
Mrs. Thatcher openly, eloquently and extensively explained her viewpoint in her 1993 autobiography, The Downing Street Years. Written shortly after the Berlin Wall’s fall, the book gives context to her recently disclosed remarks, which were made in meetings that occurred between 1986 and 1990. Reading Thatcher’s explanation, it’s evident she was not the naive rogue, plagued by a lurking hatred of Germans and totally wrong in her views about German reunification, that some have spun her to be.
Throughout her illustrious political career, 11 years of which she stood tall as Britain’s prime minister, Mrs. Thatcher proved herself an avid student of human nature and an eager disciple of history. Mrs. Thatcher’s viewpoint on the “German question,” as it was known then, was informed by a firm grasp on both history and the human mind.
“I do not believe in collective guilt,” she explained in The Downing Street Years, “it is individuals who are morally accountable for their actions.” Contrary to what some believe, Mrs. Thatcher blamed Hitler primarily for World War II, not the collective German people. “But I do believe in national character,” she continued, “which is molded by a range of complex factors, [and] the fact that national caricatures are often absurd and inaccurate does not detract from that.”
Mrs. Thatcher opposed German reunification because she understood German history and the national character of the German people. “Since the unification of Germany under Bismarck,” she wrote, “Germany has veered unpredictably between aggression and self-doubt.” Study German history since the mid-19th century; it’s impossible to argue with the facts on this point.
The documents released in September also recount remarks Mrs. Thatcher made during meetings with French President François Mitterrand. Mrs. Thatcher had already recalled some of these meetings (and remarks) in her 1993 book. In one meeting in France in 1989, she writes, Mitterrand was “more concerned” about German reunification than she was. The reason for his concern?
“He observed that in history the Germans were a people in constant movement and flux.” Mitterrand’s concern, as well as Thatcher’s—as well as the recorded concerns of other historians, politicians and journalists—shows that, at the time, astute observers were leery of a repeat of German dominance in Europe.
Now notice Thatcher’s reaction to Mitterrand’s anxiety. At that moment, she writes, “I produced from my handbag a map showing the various configurations of Germany in the past, which were not altogether reassuring about the future.” Thatcher was so devoted to history as her tutor, she actually carried it around with her in her purse.
That’s what informed her opposition to German reunification!
Because she was familiar with Germany’s historical proclivity to dominate Europe, Mrs. Thatcher warned often that it would be dangerous to lock a reunited Germany into a federal Europe. “Germany is more rather than less likely to dominate within that framework,” she explained, “for a reunited Germany is simply too big and powerful to be just another player with Europe.”
Thatcher feared German reunification because she knew it would wreak havoc on Europe’s political landscape. “Germany is … by its very nature a destabilizing rather than a stabilizing force in Europe,” she wrote. This reasoning underpinned Thatcher’s remark to Gorbachev that “Britain did not want a united Germany.”
In her book, Mrs. Thatcher explains the apprehensions she had about German unification in three succinct points. First, a united Germany would rush Europe toward becoming a dominant federalist power. Second, although Europe might at first be led by a Franco-German axis, Germany would in time marginalize French leadership and become the unchecked leader of Europe. Third, a united Germany would facilitate the decline of America’s presence and influence in Europe.
The British press failed to do this in reporting this story, but you can: Consider the past 20 years of European history, and specifically that of the EU. Has Germany emerged at the vanguard of efforts to forge the European Union as a federalist superpower? Indisputably. Has Germany overpowered and outmaneuvered France to become the predominant, unbridled leader of Europe? Without doubt. And has America’s presence and influence in Europe deteriorated in the shadow of Germany’s mounting and formidable presence? Undeniably.
Historical fact refutes the Times’ assertion that Thatcher’s “apprehensions about a united Germany were misguided and have clearly been refuted.” In fact, Britain’s “Iron Lady” was spot on!
Vindication
If we view them objectively, the documents released in September vindicate more than condemn Mrs. Thatcher. That vindication, at least partially, comes with the knowledge that fellow world leaders had similar fears and opinions about German reunification.
The documents reveal President Mitterrand telling Thatcher that a united Germany could “make even more ground than had Hitler.” If Germany expanded, he said, then Europe would be in the same position that it had been in before World War I. He also said that reunification could turn Germans into the “bad” people they used to be.
They also show Nikolai Ryzhkov, the premier of the Soviet Union, telling Gorbachev that if Germany was allowed to reunify on its own terms, “then in 20 or 30 years Germany will start another world war.”
Jacques Attali, adviser to the French president, was equally concerned. He told a Gorbachev aide that French leaders questioned whether Russia’s lack of interference in the fall of the Berlin Wall meant that “the ussr has made peace with the prospect of a united Germany and will not take any steps to prevent it.” He said, “This has caused a fear approaching panic.” Attali later told Mitterrand that he was so fearful of a united Germany that, should it come to pass, he would “fly off to live on Mars.”
These documents reveal that Mrs. Thatcher was far from alone in her apprehensions; they actually justify her concerns as legitimate. It is true that these leaders mostly gave up their concerns after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Courageously, Britain’s Iron Lady didn’t. “You have not anchored Germany to Europe,” she warned America during a conference in Colorado Springs in October 1995. “You have anchored Europe to a newly dominant, unified Germany. In the end, my friends, you’ll find it will not work.”
As the Trumpet has explained extensively in recent issues, the “end” that Mrs. Thatcher mentioned is very nearly here. Germany is united and strong, and has cemented itself as the most powerful and dominant force, politically, economically and militarily, on the Continent. Soon, perhaps in a matter of months, Germany will impose its authority and power over Europe beyond what most people can readily imagine.
Prophecies in Daniel chapters 8 and 11 reveal that, in addition to revolving around Germany, end-time events in Europe will be heavily dominated by a single individual, and a man of German descent. This man will have a “fierce countenance,” which means he will be unyielding and merciless. The Bible says he will understand “dark sentences,” which, most commentaries agree, means he will conceal his true motives.
He will be skilled in intrigues, deceit, double-talk and double-dealing. He will rule with terrifying cruelty, just like his predecessor Antiochus Epiphanies, the second-century b.c. Greek king who slashed and slaughtered his way into Jerusalem before ransacking the Jewish temple and murdering Jews.
“Through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand,” Daniel writes, “and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand” (Daniel 8:25). The word craft means fraud. The expression “by peace he shall destroy many,” wrote Gerald Flurry, “means he is pretending ‘peace’ and friendship. Then suddenly comes the malignant shock! He destroys suddenly while his enemy is in this state of mind. This illustrates the deceitful malice practiced by this political tyrant” (Trumpet, June 1999).
Don’t be too quick to discount that forecast. It is rooted in historical fact and biblical prophecy. It will—together with Margaret Thatcher’s spirited warnings—be vindicated by the blood, sweat and tears caused by the soon-coming emergence of a German-led European empire. •
************
Germany Behind the Mask
The EU is a German Ruse
Is Germany in Danger of Backsliding?
Germany's Fourth Reich Spreads Its Wings Over the World
Will The Atlantic Times address the German threat?
Arnold's Office Refuses to Comment
The Intelligence Summit Misses the Mark: the German-Jesuit Threat to World Peace
www.davidbenariel.org
EUobserver News
THE NEWS
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05.11.2009 - 17:32
EU military chiefs nervous about Lisbon Treaty implications
http://euobserver.com/9/28941/?rk=1
05.11.2009 - 17:43
Commission finance experts same bankers that caused crisis, says report
http://euobserver.com/9/28947/?rk=1
05.11.2009 - 17:32
'Spice' and other 'legal drugs' on the rise in Europe
http://euobserver.com/9/28945/?rk=1
05.11.2009 - 17:28
Controversial Russia pipeline clears EU hurdles
http://euobserver.com/9/28946/?rk=1
05.11.2009 - 09:31
'Right to internet' dies quietly in Brussels back room
http://euobserver.com/9/28944/?rk=1
05.11.2009 - 09:33
EU launches WTO action over Chinese mineral restrictions
http://euobserver.com/9/28943/?rk=1
LATEST BLOG POSTS
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Reporting forbidden? / Watchdog
http://blogs.euobserver.com/alfter/?p=62
Grybauskaite for President / Brussels and beyond
http://blogs.euobserver.com/ryborg/?p=67
Barcelona: de la prostitucion a la videovigilancia / Safer Cities
http://blogs.euobserver.com/galdon/?p=4
************
05.11.2009 - 17:32
EU military chiefs nervous about Lisbon Treaty implications
http://euobserver.com/9/28941/?rk=1
05.11.2009 - 17:43
Commission finance experts same bankers that caused crisis, says report
http://euobserver.com/9/28947/?rk=1
05.11.2009 - 17:32
'Spice' and other 'legal drugs' on the rise in Europe
http://euobserver.com/9/28945/?rk=1
05.11.2009 - 17:28
Controversial Russia pipeline clears EU hurdles
http://euobserver.com/9/28946/?rk=1
05.11.2009 - 09:31
'Right to internet' dies quietly in Brussels back room
http://euobserver.com/9/28944/?rk=1
05.11.2009 - 09:33
EU launches WTO action over Chinese mineral restrictions
http://euobserver.com/9/28943/?rk=1
LATEST BLOG POSTS
**********************
Reporting forbidden? / Watchdog
http://blogs.euobserver.com/alfter/?p=62
Grybauskaite for President / Brussels and beyond
http://blogs.euobserver.com/ryborg/?p=67
Barcelona: de la prostitucion a la videovigilancia / Safer Cities
http://blogs.euobserver.com/galdon/?p=4
The War Against the U.S. Constitution
When Robert Bork was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1987, it created a firestorm in Congress, and he failed to get confirmed. Shortly thereafter, he wrote The Tempting of America, which I believe is the best book about constitutional law in a century—perhaps ever.
Mr. Bork said he believes we are more than halfway along in the destruction of our Constitution. If he is right, our republic is in grave danger.
He made that statement about two decades ago. Surely he would think the Constitution is 60 to 75 percent destroyed today.
So you could make the case that the problem is too far gone to even correct. At least, this danger should terrify every American citizen!
In a 2001 radio interview, Barack Obama revealed some of his shocking ideas about how the government should run.
Here is what he said about the 1953-1969 Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, which was a very activist court: “To that extent, as radical as I think people tried to characterize the Warren court, it wasn’t that radical.” Notice this! “It didn’t break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution”.
- The War Against the U.S. Constitution
by Gerald Flurry
************
The president usurper, the fraud and foreigner, has failed to be transparent with We The People and bring to light revealing documents he pays expensive lawyers to keep in the dark, including his long form birth certificate, contemptuous of our Constitution and Republic. Regardless of whether or not the bastard shows us his birth certificate, we know Obama is not a natural born citizen - as required by our Constitution - since a natural born citizen is born of two American parents.
Emperor Obama
President Usurper Obama
Obama's African Coup in America
President Barack Obama sound good to you?
BLACK DAY IN AMERICA: Obama Wins, America Loses
Open Europe press summary: 5 November 2009
Europe
Cameron unveils new Europe policy
Conservative leader David Cameron yesterday unveiled the Conservatives' policy on Europe. He said there would be no referendum on the EU, and that he would instead seek a mandate for his new position through the General Election. He said an incoming Conservative government would introduce an "Irish-style referendum lock" on any future Treaty handing over further powers from Britain to the EU, and that there would be "full parliamentary control" over the self-amending and 'ratchet' clauses in the Lisbon Treaty.
He also announced a UK Sovereignty Bill, saying, "as well as making sure that further power cannot be handed to the EU without a referendum, we will also introduce a new law, in the form of a United Kingdom Sovereignty Bill, to make it clear that ultimate authority stays in this country, in our Parliament. This is not about Westminster striking down individual items of EU legislation. It is about an assurance that the final word on our laws is here in Britain. It would simply put Britain on a par with Germany, where the German Constitutional Court has consistently upheld - including most recently on the Lisbon treaty - that ultimate authority lies with the bodies established by the German Constitution."
Cameron pledged a "full opt-out" from the Charter of Fundamental Rights, "broader protection" against "EU encroachment into the UK's criminal justice system", including ensuring that only British authorities can initiate criminal investigations in Britain, and the "restoration of control over social and employment legislation." He said: "we want to restore national control over those parts of social and employment legislation which have proved most damaging to the British economy. For instance we would seek guarantees over the application of the Working Time Directive in our public services such as the fire service and the NHS."
Cameron announced the establishment of a European Policy Committee of the Shadow Cabinet, chaired by William Hague, to work on the detail of the proposals. He said the measures would be given legal effect by adding them to a future accession Treaty. He said the Conservatives would aim to implement the measures over the course of the next Parliament.
Conservatives' press release Cameron's speech
Open Europe: Conservatives must go further and seek comprehensive opt-out from EU Treaty articles on social policy
Several papers report on the "ambiguity" of Cameron's proposal to repatriate powers over social and employment policy. An analysis piece for the Times notes, "Mr Cameron's answer yesterday was vague -- he promised to restore national control over EU regulations that have proved most damaging to the British economy. The only specific policy mentioned by the Conservatives was the working time directive, from which Britain has already negotiated an opt-out....What was missing from Mr Cameron's proposal was a blanket pledge to restore social and employment powers, a recognition that the social chapter...has now become a part of the treaties of the EU and binding on Britain."
In the FT George Parker notes, "Mr Cameron struggles to explain exactly which European workers' rights he would seek to repeal. He cited the working time directive, but this is already covered by a British opt-out. In any case, the increasingly liberal European Commission long ago ceased to be an engine for a tide of new employment laws, a result of the convergence of ideology and the economic reality of rising Asian Âcompetition.
Comment: Open Europe yesterday published a briefing, arguing that the Cameron government should go for a blanket opt-out from the articles in the EU Treaties which have given rise to burdensome employment regulations (notably articles 151 to 161 as amended by the Lisbon Treaty), such as the Working Time and the Temporary Agency Workers Directives.
According to the UK Government's own Impact Assessments, EU social legislation will cost the UK economy £71 billion between 2010 and 2020, meaning that EU-derived social legislation will have a massive impact on the UK economy for years to come. EU laws in this area also continue to evolve in the European Court of Justice. The scope of the Working Time Directive has been extended eight times since its introduction in 1998. The latest ruling came in September this year when the ECJ ruled that holidays taken when sick, can be claimed back at a later date - an interpretation no one anticipated. To claim that EU social policy no longer has much impact on the UK or has ceased to evolve is incorrect.
Importantly, the UK does not have an opt-out from the Working Time Directive, as claimed by both the FT and the Times today. The UK has an opt-out only from the provisions within the Directive which cap the working week at 48 hours. All the other rules entailed in the WTD apply to the UK, such as rules for on-call time and compensatory rest, which alongside other provisions in the WTD, have caused massive problems for the NHS - as a new report published today shows (see below).
In addition, as the German Constitutional Court argued in its forceful ruling on the Lisbon Treaty earlier in the year, social policy is an area that is particularly sensitive for the ability a country "to democratically shape itself", and an area where the EU has incrementally extended its own powers over the last decades.
The Conservatives are therefore absolutely right to focus on social policy when thinking about EU reform. However, only a comprehensive opt-out from all the key "social" articles in the Treaties will enable the Conservatives to cut down regulatory costs, stop social legislation from evolving in the EU courts, and cease the unhealthy creep of powers in this area. Restoring national control only "over those parts of social and employment legislation which have proved most damaging to the British economy", as announced by David Cameron yesterday, will therefore not be enough. In addition, it is very hard to see how such a selective approach would work in practice.
Open Europe briefing Open Europe press release FT Guardian: Milne Times: Analysis FT Guardian: Leader Telegraph: Brogan blog BBC: Hewitt blog
Government-funded report: EU's working time rules contributing to hospital deaths;
Commission to begin new talks on Working Time Directive in weeks
The Guardian notes that a 116-page investigation of more than 4,500 fatalities, published by the Government-funded National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death, will reinforce anger among surgeons over the impact of the EU's Working Time Directive (WTD) on medical rotas. The final stage of the Directive came into force on 1 August, significantly reducing junior doctors and surgeons' hours.
The report suggests the shorter working week is responsible for a lack of continuity in out-of-hours care and a reduction in training opportunities for operating theatre staff. "Not only were trainees less frequently in theatres, but when they were, they were not receiving direct supervision at the operating table. This raised concerns that trainees are not getting quality training in emergency surgery," the report says.
Meanwhile, European Voice reports that the European Commission will in the coming weeks begin its second attempt to overhaul EU rules on working time. Discussions between Parliament and the Council of Ministers became deadlocked last year over whether national governments should relinquish their opt-outs from the 48-hour week in exchange for concessions on on-call time, which has a huge impact on doctors' rotas. The European Parliament called for an end to opt-outs, but this was opposed by the UK, with support from other member states.
Guardian Independent European Voice Open Euorope research
French Europe Minister says Conservatives have "a very bizarre sense of autism" and threatens to reduce UK rebate;
Lord Tebbit calls for referendum to strengthen EU negotiating position
The front page of the Guardian reports that the French Europe Minister Pierre Lellouche has described as "pathetic" the Conservatives' EU plans, warning they would not succeed "for a minute". Lellouche - who said he was reflecting Nicolas Sarkozy's "sadness and regret" - said "They have one line and they just repeat one line. It is a very bizarre sense of autism." He added that the Conservatives were "castrating" Britain's position within the EU and that they would take Britain off the radar.
Lellouche said that any Conservative plans for a Treaty change were unlikely: "It's not going to happen for a minute. Nobody is going to indulge in rewriting [treaties for] many, many years. Nobody is going to play with the institutions again. It's going to be take it or leave it and they should be honest and say that".
Lellouche also warned that France would attempt to reduce Britain's EU budget rebate which will be up for negotiation during the next Parliament. He said, "If we get a government that is ferociously anti European that will vote down this kind of legislation then I think the relationship is going to be very difficult. As we enter the next phase one of the issues we have to discuss midterm is of course finances. France is a net contributor to the tune of €5bn a year, of which €1.5bn is the same as British rebate. That should tell you quite a bit huh?"
In response to Lellouche's comments, William Hague told Newsnight, "I don't think you will find that's representative of the reaction in Paris or other European capitals".
Speaking to the Today programme, Sir Stephen Wall, former EU advisor to Tony Blair, described the comments as "typical French negotiating tactics."
Also speaking to the Today programme, Lord Tebbit said: "when he [Cameron] turns up in Europe, somebody like that French Minister will say 'Mr Cameron you're Prime Minister because you have a curious electoral system but you don't have the support of the British people in what you're asking', and that will be his problem and we've got to help him overcome that, and the way to overcome it is to have a referendum, not on the Treaty, but on what is his negotiating brief for Europe."
Guardian IHT Mail Telegraph: Gardiner BBC BBC 2 El Mundo Today programme
Two Conservative MEPs quit frontbench in protest over new EU policy
Two Conservative MEPs have resigned their positions in the European Parliament in protest at the new policy on Europe. Dan Hannan quit as legal spokesman for the Party and wrote on his blog that he would return to the back benches to campaign for "a broad movement within the Conservative Party that will push for referendums, citizens'initiatives and the rest of the paraphernalia of direct democracy". Roger Helmer resigned as the employment spokesman because he could "neither justify nor support" the party's new EU policy, writing on Conservative Home that "What we have is an essentially cosmetic policy".
Independent: Brok FT: Brussels blog BBC Guardian 2 Telegraph: Hannan blog Mail: Synon blog Telegraph Conservative Home: Helmer FT:Brussels Blog
Other reaction to Conservatives' policy
A leader in the Mail writes, "Put simply, this paper cannot understand why we can't have a referendum, even now that Lisbon has been ratified. As former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis argued so powerfully in yesterday's Mail, it would greatly strengthen Britain's hand at the negotiating table if our Prime Minister could claim a popular mandate...And of course the worst aspect of Lisbon is that it obviates the need for future treaties, since it gives the EU authority to change its own constitution." Writing in the paper, Stephen Glover argues, "Without a referendum it is difficult to see Mr Cameron making much headway in repatriating those powers he mentioned yesterday. With a referendum he would have a far better chance."
In the Guardian Tim Montgomerie, Editor of Conservative Home writes, "I can't pretend I'm enthusiastic about what David Cameron has announced this afternoon: no referendum of any kind. Given that Lisbon is a self-amending treaty, full of ratchet clauses, the promise of future referendums on transfers of power is a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted."
Open Europe's Lorraine Mullally took part in a debate on the Conservatives' referendum policy on BBC Radio 5 Live last night, and appeared on BBC News this morning. Lorraine argued that while the pledges to repatriate aspects of EU law are welcome, the Conservatives could have strengthened their hand at the negotiating table by getting a mandate for the reforms from the people through a referendum, and making a firmer commitment about using the EU budget as a negotiating tool. She argued that, while welcome, the pledge to hold a referendum on future transfers of powers to the EU level is not a sufficient substitute for this since the Lisbon Treaty enables EU integration to happen without the need for future treaties, and there is unlikely to be another treaty like Lisbon again. Lorraine welcomed the Conservative pledge to repatriate EU social and employment policy, which, according to a new paper by Open Europe, is responsible for 25 percent of the cost of all regulation introduced in the UK. She argued it is wrong to believe that British voters are alone in wanting to see reform of the EU, and that a Conservative government could find allies for repatriating EU powers. Lorraine was also quoted by the Evening Standard, and German newspaper Handelsblatt.
A leader in the Spectator argues that, "What the new Tory package amounts to is a promise to ask the EU very nicely if it will consider handing back a few powers over employment and justice. The answer will be 'no'...The threat that would really terrify Brussels is a referendum on whether Britain should remain in the EU at all...The only way Mr Cameron will extract any concessions from Brussels is to threaten to stand aside and let the British public decide if they like what they see."
The Times reports that EU legal experts say that the chances of success of a 'Sovereignty Bill' are unclear, largely because the notional supremacy claimed by the German system has never been tested in specific cases. Speaking to Newsnight, European Minister Chris Bryant argued: "his new bill won't make the blindest bit of difference to the European Court of Justice."
The FT notes that Mr Cameron suggested that one option might be to amend the next EU Treaty - probably the Croatian Accession Treaty in 2011 - to strengthen Britain's 'opt-outs', for example on the Charter of Fundamental Rights. However, the article suggests that the prospect of Mr Cameron potentially holding hostage the Croatian accession seems to contradict his pledge to "keep open the doors of the European Union to new member states", especially in the western Balkans.
Mr Cameron also said that he did not want to "rush into some massive euro bust-up", and would instead negotiate over the next Parliament with other EU leaders. A leader in Guardian paper argues, "he still wants something that other EU states have no reason to offer. At some point there will be trouble. For the Tories, this a Europe crisis postponed, not averted for good."
Writing in the Independent German MEP Elmar Brok states: "The Conservative leader's new warning, however, that he will seek to 'repatriate' powers from Brussels to London is no more realistic than the referendum he has just given up on." He added that any change in the division of legal competences between the EU and member states would require a Treaty change and agreement by 27 member states, and Mr Brok writes: "Unfortunately for Mr Cameron and his election campaign, I do not see any chance of passing even the very first step of such a process."
Handelsblatt Gulf Times Times Times: Letters WSJ City AM Evening Standard Evening Standard 2 Express Express: Leader Telegraph Telegraph: Brogan Telegraph 2 FT Coulisses de Bruxelles Mirror Mirror: Leader Irish Times Guido Fawkes blog EUobserver Guardian Guardian 2 Independent Independent: Leader Sun El Mundo El PaÃs El PaÃs 2 La Razon ABC.es ABC.es Euractiv.com Mail Guardian: Milne Independent: Hamilton Mail: Leader Mail: Glover Guardian: Montgomerie Telegraph: Leader
Lord Myners: New EU super-regulator could have "chilling consequence" for the City
Treasury Minister Lord Myners yesterday told the Commons' Treasury Select Committee that the European Commission is over-reaching itself as it draws up plans for a pan-European system of financial regulation, saying that the proposals could have a "chilling consequence" for the City, the Mail reports. The Commission's plans will see the establishment of a European Systemic Risk Board to watch for risks in the financial sector, and three supervisory bodies which will monitor banks, insurers and securities firms, with the power to overrule national regulators. Lord Myners said that, "The Commission has gone rather further than the (European) Council contemplated." The Committee's Chairman John McFall warned that "There seems to be an awful lot of muddle here, and there are dangers lurking on this issue."
Mail Open Europe press release
AIFM directive redraft scraps leverage limits;
Ban on non-EU managers still unresolved
The WSJ looks at a redraft of the EU's controversial AIFM Directive, submitted by the Swedish Presidency on Tuesday. As previously reported, the redraft has scrapped the proposal for a general limit on how much hedge fund managers are allowed to borrow - which was one of the most contentious provisions in the original draft. However, the Swedish redraft still has not addressed two other contentious issues: the ban on EU investors from investing in funds managed by non-EU managers; and the requirement for custodians to take on the liability for situations when subcustodians, to whom they have delegated a service, fail to deliver securities owned by investors.
WSJ Open Europe research Open Europe press release
EU President to be narrowed to one or two candidates at Monday's Berlin Wall celebrations
According to one EU diplomat quoted in the Times, Swedish PM Fredrik Reinfeldt is set to use the 20 year anniversary of fall of the Berlin Wall to narrow the field of candidates for EU President to one or two before calling a summit, which is unlikely to be held until he has "a clear sense of the outcome". Bookmaker Paddy Power has placed Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as favourite and Le Monde notes that he has been subject to "solicitations". According to the Times, Tony Blair's chances have been thwarted by the "seven dwarfs", a group of leaders from smaller EU countries who favour a President from a smaller EU country, with Le Monde quoting a Council official saying they have "practically buried the idea of Blair".
The position of Foreign Minister is also expected to be discussed on Monday, with the Times reporting on speculation in the French press over the possible candidacy of Lord Patten, the former European Commissioner.
Times LeMonde New Statesman: Macintyre El Mundo Irish Times Irish Times 2 European Voice
MEPs water down protection for internet users from member states wishing to cut access
Euractiv reports that law enforcement agencies will be able to cut off the connections of internet users suspected of illegally downloading films and music, after an agreement between MEPs and EU ministers reached last night. MEPs sent the EU's Telecoms Package back to the Council in May amid concerns that the proposed legislation would not adequately protect the rights of Iiternet users, after France proposed a national law that would allow authorities to cut off internet access without a judicial hearing. The article notes that the most recent text from the Parliament made substantial concessions to the Council and deleted references to a "prior" ruling at a "judicial authority".
Euractiv.fr El Mundo Euractiv.com Cinco DÃas ANSA Knack
The German government has reacted angrily to General Motors' announcement that it is pulling out of a deal to sell its European operations to Canadian firm Magna.
Times WSJ FT FT2 Guardian Independent IHT Sun BBC BBC 2 AP El Mundo Euractiv.com
El Mundo reports that the President of the European Military Committee, Henri Bentégeat, has said that he will negotiate with the next Spanish President of the EU to analyse how the idea of a "Schengen area" for EU defence could be implemented.
El Mundo
The Independent reports that former UKIP MEP Tom Wise is facing jail after confessing to channelling £36,000 of European Parliament expenses into a bank account he secretly controlled. According to the paper, had it not been discovered, his scam could have lasted five years and cost the taxpayer £180,000.
Independent
The Express' Hickey column reports that recently appointed Europe Minister Chris Bryant has quickly succeeded in rubbing up some officials in the Foreign Office the wrong way. It quotes one source saying, "He's not exactly the most popular person to have held this job in recent times."
No link
Polish daily Gazeta notes that, following German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to the US, the Washington Post described her as the new quiet "leader of Europe". Adding, "Even when the European Union chooses later this year its new president, it will be extremely difficult for him (and most it be will be a he) to do anything contrary to Merkel's wishes".
Gazeta.pl
Czech President Vaclav Klaus' goal might be for the Czech Republic to regain its 'lost sovereignty' by leaving the EU, Petr Hajek, the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office, said yesterday.
Hospodarskie Noviny Prague Monitor
Euractiv reports that European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek yesterday identified the creation of a European Energy Community as the next big vision for Europe.
Euractiv
In a new report, Friends of the Earth has criticised the EU's emissions trading scheme, saying that to date "cap and trade" carbon markets have done almost nothing to reduce emissions but have been plagued by inefficiency and corruption that render them unfit for purpose.
Guardian
The new European Commission will start work at the beginning of next year on a revision of EU energy taxation, potentially obliging member states to levy a carbon tax on heating and motor fuels that do not feature in carbon trading.
Euractiv
French Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner has declared that the EU's controversial cross-border healthcare proposal is a "priority" for the Swedish EU Presidency.
French Foreign Office
The US and the European Union have filed a formal complaint at the World Trade Organisation over China's steep export tariffs on strategic raw materials.
EUobserver WSJ
Open Europe is an independent think tank campaigning for radical reform of the EU. For information on our research, events and other activities, please visit our website: openeurope.org.uk or call us on 0207 197 2333.
Cameron unveils new Europe policy
Conservative leader David Cameron yesterday unveiled the Conservatives' policy on Europe. He said there would be no referendum on the EU, and that he would instead seek a mandate for his new position through the General Election. He said an incoming Conservative government would introduce an "Irish-style referendum lock" on any future Treaty handing over further powers from Britain to the EU, and that there would be "full parliamentary control" over the self-amending and 'ratchet' clauses in the Lisbon Treaty.
He also announced a UK Sovereignty Bill, saying, "as well as making sure that further power cannot be handed to the EU without a referendum, we will also introduce a new law, in the form of a United Kingdom Sovereignty Bill, to make it clear that ultimate authority stays in this country, in our Parliament. This is not about Westminster striking down individual items of EU legislation. It is about an assurance that the final word on our laws is here in Britain. It would simply put Britain on a par with Germany, where the German Constitutional Court has consistently upheld - including most recently on the Lisbon treaty - that ultimate authority lies with the bodies established by the German Constitution."
Cameron pledged a "full opt-out" from the Charter of Fundamental Rights, "broader protection" against "EU encroachment into the UK's criminal justice system", including ensuring that only British authorities can initiate criminal investigations in Britain, and the "restoration of control over social and employment legislation." He said: "we want to restore national control over those parts of social and employment legislation which have proved most damaging to the British economy. For instance we would seek guarantees over the application of the Working Time Directive in our public services such as the fire service and the NHS."
Cameron announced the establishment of a European Policy Committee of the Shadow Cabinet, chaired by William Hague, to work on the detail of the proposals. He said the measures would be given legal effect by adding them to a future accession Treaty. He said the Conservatives would aim to implement the measures over the course of the next Parliament.
Conservatives' press release Cameron's speech
Open Europe: Conservatives must go further and seek comprehensive opt-out from EU Treaty articles on social policy
Several papers report on the "ambiguity" of Cameron's proposal to repatriate powers over social and employment policy. An analysis piece for the Times notes, "Mr Cameron's answer yesterday was vague -- he promised to restore national control over EU regulations that have proved most damaging to the British economy. The only specific policy mentioned by the Conservatives was the working time directive, from which Britain has already negotiated an opt-out....What was missing from Mr Cameron's proposal was a blanket pledge to restore social and employment powers, a recognition that the social chapter...has now become a part of the treaties of the EU and binding on Britain."
In the FT George Parker notes, "Mr Cameron struggles to explain exactly which European workers' rights he would seek to repeal. He cited the working time directive, but this is already covered by a British opt-out. In any case, the increasingly liberal European Commission long ago ceased to be an engine for a tide of new employment laws, a result of the convergence of ideology and the economic reality of rising Asian Âcompetition.
Comment: Open Europe yesterday published a briefing, arguing that the Cameron government should go for a blanket opt-out from the articles in the EU Treaties which have given rise to burdensome employment regulations (notably articles 151 to 161 as amended by the Lisbon Treaty), such as the Working Time and the Temporary Agency Workers Directives.
According to the UK Government's own Impact Assessments, EU social legislation will cost the UK economy £71 billion between 2010 and 2020, meaning that EU-derived social legislation will have a massive impact on the UK economy for years to come. EU laws in this area also continue to evolve in the European Court of Justice. The scope of the Working Time Directive has been extended eight times since its introduction in 1998. The latest ruling came in September this year when the ECJ ruled that holidays taken when sick, can be claimed back at a later date - an interpretation no one anticipated. To claim that EU social policy no longer has much impact on the UK or has ceased to evolve is incorrect.
Importantly, the UK does not have an opt-out from the Working Time Directive, as claimed by both the FT and the Times today. The UK has an opt-out only from the provisions within the Directive which cap the working week at 48 hours. All the other rules entailed in the WTD apply to the UK, such as rules for on-call time and compensatory rest, which alongside other provisions in the WTD, have caused massive problems for the NHS - as a new report published today shows (see below).
In addition, as the German Constitutional Court argued in its forceful ruling on the Lisbon Treaty earlier in the year, social policy is an area that is particularly sensitive for the ability a country "to democratically shape itself", and an area where the EU has incrementally extended its own powers over the last decades.
The Conservatives are therefore absolutely right to focus on social policy when thinking about EU reform. However, only a comprehensive opt-out from all the key "social" articles in the Treaties will enable the Conservatives to cut down regulatory costs, stop social legislation from evolving in the EU courts, and cease the unhealthy creep of powers in this area. Restoring national control only "over those parts of social and employment legislation which have proved most damaging to the British economy", as announced by David Cameron yesterday, will therefore not be enough. In addition, it is very hard to see how such a selective approach would work in practice.
Open Europe briefing Open Europe press release FT Guardian: Milne Times: Analysis FT Guardian: Leader Telegraph: Brogan blog BBC: Hewitt blog
Government-funded report: EU's working time rules contributing to hospital deaths;
Commission to begin new talks on Working Time Directive in weeks
The Guardian notes that a 116-page investigation of more than 4,500 fatalities, published by the Government-funded National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death, will reinforce anger among surgeons over the impact of the EU's Working Time Directive (WTD) on medical rotas. The final stage of the Directive came into force on 1 August, significantly reducing junior doctors and surgeons' hours.
The report suggests the shorter working week is responsible for a lack of continuity in out-of-hours care and a reduction in training opportunities for operating theatre staff. "Not only were trainees less frequently in theatres, but when they were, they were not receiving direct supervision at the operating table. This raised concerns that trainees are not getting quality training in emergency surgery," the report says.
Meanwhile, European Voice reports that the European Commission will in the coming weeks begin its second attempt to overhaul EU rules on working time. Discussions between Parliament and the Council of Ministers became deadlocked last year over whether national governments should relinquish their opt-outs from the 48-hour week in exchange for concessions on on-call time, which has a huge impact on doctors' rotas. The European Parliament called for an end to opt-outs, but this was opposed by the UK, with support from other member states.
Guardian Independent European Voice Open Euorope research
French Europe Minister says Conservatives have "a very bizarre sense of autism" and threatens to reduce UK rebate;
Lord Tebbit calls for referendum to strengthen EU negotiating position
The front page of the Guardian reports that the French Europe Minister Pierre Lellouche has described as "pathetic" the Conservatives' EU plans, warning they would not succeed "for a minute". Lellouche - who said he was reflecting Nicolas Sarkozy's "sadness and regret" - said "They have one line and they just repeat one line. It is a very bizarre sense of autism." He added that the Conservatives were "castrating" Britain's position within the EU and that they would take Britain off the radar.
Lellouche said that any Conservative plans for a Treaty change were unlikely: "It's not going to happen for a minute. Nobody is going to indulge in rewriting [treaties for] many, many years. Nobody is going to play with the institutions again. It's going to be take it or leave it and they should be honest and say that".
Lellouche also warned that France would attempt to reduce Britain's EU budget rebate which will be up for negotiation during the next Parliament. He said, "If we get a government that is ferociously anti European that will vote down this kind of legislation then I think the relationship is going to be very difficult. As we enter the next phase one of the issues we have to discuss midterm is of course finances. France is a net contributor to the tune of €5bn a year, of which €1.5bn is the same as British rebate. That should tell you quite a bit huh?"
In response to Lellouche's comments, William Hague told Newsnight, "I don't think you will find that's representative of the reaction in Paris or other European capitals".
Speaking to the Today programme, Sir Stephen Wall, former EU advisor to Tony Blair, described the comments as "typical French negotiating tactics."
Also speaking to the Today programme, Lord Tebbit said: "when he [Cameron] turns up in Europe, somebody like that French Minister will say 'Mr Cameron you're Prime Minister because you have a curious electoral system but you don't have the support of the British people in what you're asking', and that will be his problem and we've got to help him overcome that, and the way to overcome it is to have a referendum, not on the Treaty, but on what is his negotiating brief for Europe."
Guardian IHT Mail Telegraph: Gardiner BBC BBC 2 El Mundo Today programme
Two Conservative MEPs quit frontbench in protest over new EU policy
Two Conservative MEPs have resigned their positions in the European Parliament in protest at the new policy on Europe. Dan Hannan quit as legal spokesman for the Party and wrote on his blog that he would return to the back benches to campaign for "a broad movement within the Conservative Party that will push for referendums, citizens'initiatives and the rest of the paraphernalia of direct democracy". Roger Helmer resigned as the employment spokesman because he could "neither justify nor support" the party's new EU policy, writing on Conservative Home that "What we have is an essentially cosmetic policy".
Independent: Brok FT: Brussels blog BBC Guardian 2 Telegraph: Hannan blog Mail: Synon blog Telegraph Conservative Home: Helmer FT:Brussels Blog
Other reaction to Conservatives' policy
A leader in the Mail writes, "Put simply, this paper cannot understand why we can't have a referendum, even now that Lisbon has been ratified. As former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis argued so powerfully in yesterday's Mail, it would greatly strengthen Britain's hand at the negotiating table if our Prime Minister could claim a popular mandate...And of course the worst aspect of Lisbon is that it obviates the need for future treaties, since it gives the EU authority to change its own constitution." Writing in the paper, Stephen Glover argues, "Without a referendum it is difficult to see Mr Cameron making much headway in repatriating those powers he mentioned yesterday. With a referendum he would have a far better chance."
In the Guardian Tim Montgomerie, Editor of Conservative Home writes, "I can't pretend I'm enthusiastic about what David Cameron has announced this afternoon: no referendum of any kind. Given that Lisbon is a self-amending treaty, full of ratchet clauses, the promise of future referendums on transfers of power is a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted."
Open Europe's Lorraine Mullally took part in a debate on the Conservatives' referendum policy on BBC Radio 5 Live last night, and appeared on BBC News this morning. Lorraine argued that while the pledges to repatriate aspects of EU law are welcome, the Conservatives could have strengthened their hand at the negotiating table by getting a mandate for the reforms from the people through a referendum, and making a firmer commitment about using the EU budget as a negotiating tool. She argued that, while welcome, the pledge to hold a referendum on future transfers of powers to the EU level is not a sufficient substitute for this since the Lisbon Treaty enables EU integration to happen without the need for future treaties, and there is unlikely to be another treaty like Lisbon again. Lorraine welcomed the Conservative pledge to repatriate EU social and employment policy, which, according to a new paper by Open Europe, is responsible for 25 percent of the cost of all regulation introduced in the UK. She argued it is wrong to believe that British voters are alone in wanting to see reform of the EU, and that a Conservative government could find allies for repatriating EU powers. Lorraine was also quoted by the Evening Standard, and German newspaper Handelsblatt.
A leader in the Spectator argues that, "What the new Tory package amounts to is a promise to ask the EU very nicely if it will consider handing back a few powers over employment and justice. The answer will be 'no'...The threat that would really terrify Brussels is a referendum on whether Britain should remain in the EU at all...The only way Mr Cameron will extract any concessions from Brussels is to threaten to stand aside and let the British public decide if they like what they see."
The Times reports that EU legal experts say that the chances of success of a 'Sovereignty Bill' are unclear, largely because the notional supremacy claimed by the German system has never been tested in specific cases. Speaking to Newsnight, European Minister Chris Bryant argued: "his new bill won't make the blindest bit of difference to the European Court of Justice."
The FT notes that Mr Cameron suggested that one option might be to amend the next EU Treaty - probably the Croatian Accession Treaty in 2011 - to strengthen Britain's 'opt-outs', for example on the Charter of Fundamental Rights. However, the article suggests that the prospect of Mr Cameron potentially holding hostage the Croatian accession seems to contradict his pledge to "keep open the doors of the European Union to new member states", especially in the western Balkans.
Mr Cameron also said that he did not want to "rush into some massive euro bust-up", and would instead negotiate over the next Parliament with other EU leaders. A leader in Guardian paper argues, "he still wants something that other EU states have no reason to offer. At some point there will be trouble. For the Tories, this a Europe crisis postponed, not averted for good."
Writing in the Independent German MEP Elmar Brok states: "The Conservative leader's new warning, however, that he will seek to 'repatriate' powers from Brussels to London is no more realistic than the referendum he has just given up on." He added that any change in the division of legal competences between the EU and member states would require a Treaty change and agreement by 27 member states, and Mr Brok writes: "Unfortunately for Mr Cameron and his election campaign, I do not see any chance of passing even the very first step of such a process."
Handelsblatt Gulf Times Times Times: Letters WSJ City AM Evening Standard Evening Standard 2 Express Express: Leader Telegraph Telegraph: Brogan Telegraph 2 FT Coulisses de Bruxelles Mirror Mirror: Leader Irish Times Guido Fawkes blog EUobserver Guardian Guardian 2 Independent Independent: Leader Sun El Mundo El PaÃs El PaÃs 2 La Razon ABC.es ABC.es Euractiv.com Mail Guardian: Milne Independent: Hamilton Mail: Leader Mail: Glover Guardian: Montgomerie Telegraph: Leader
Lord Myners: New EU super-regulator could have "chilling consequence" for the City
Treasury Minister Lord Myners yesterday told the Commons' Treasury Select Committee that the European Commission is over-reaching itself as it draws up plans for a pan-European system of financial regulation, saying that the proposals could have a "chilling consequence" for the City, the Mail reports. The Commission's plans will see the establishment of a European Systemic Risk Board to watch for risks in the financial sector, and three supervisory bodies which will monitor banks, insurers and securities firms, with the power to overrule national regulators. Lord Myners said that, "The Commission has gone rather further than the (European) Council contemplated." The Committee's Chairman John McFall warned that "There seems to be an awful lot of muddle here, and there are dangers lurking on this issue."
Mail Open Europe press release
AIFM directive redraft scraps leverage limits;
Ban on non-EU managers still unresolved
The WSJ looks at a redraft of the EU's controversial AIFM Directive, submitted by the Swedish Presidency on Tuesday. As previously reported, the redraft has scrapped the proposal for a general limit on how much hedge fund managers are allowed to borrow - which was one of the most contentious provisions in the original draft. However, the Swedish redraft still has not addressed two other contentious issues: the ban on EU investors from investing in funds managed by non-EU managers; and the requirement for custodians to take on the liability for situations when subcustodians, to whom they have delegated a service, fail to deliver securities owned by investors.
WSJ Open Europe research Open Europe press release
EU President to be narrowed to one or two candidates at Monday's Berlin Wall celebrations
According to one EU diplomat quoted in the Times, Swedish PM Fredrik Reinfeldt is set to use the 20 year anniversary of fall of the Berlin Wall to narrow the field of candidates for EU President to one or two before calling a summit, which is unlikely to be held until he has "a clear sense of the outcome". Bookmaker Paddy Power has placed Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as favourite and Le Monde notes that he has been subject to "solicitations". According to the Times, Tony Blair's chances have been thwarted by the "seven dwarfs", a group of leaders from smaller EU countries who favour a President from a smaller EU country, with Le Monde quoting a Council official saying they have "practically buried the idea of Blair".
The position of Foreign Minister is also expected to be discussed on Monday, with the Times reporting on speculation in the French press over the possible candidacy of Lord Patten, the former European Commissioner.
Times LeMonde New Statesman: Macintyre El Mundo Irish Times Irish Times 2 European Voice
MEPs water down protection for internet users from member states wishing to cut access
Euractiv reports that law enforcement agencies will be able to cut off the connections of internet users suspected of illegally downloading films and music, after an agreement between MEPs and EU ministers reached last night. MEPs sent the EU's Telecoms Package back to the Council in May amid concerns that the proposed legislation would not adequately protect the rights of Iiternet users, after France proposed a national law that would allow authorities to cut off internet access without a judicial hearing. The article notes that the most recent text from the Parliament made substantial concessions to the Council and deleted references to a "prior" ruling at a "judicial authority".
Euractiv.fr El Mundo Euractiv.com Cinco DÃas ANSA Knack
The German government has reacted angrily to General Motors' announcement that it is pulling out of a deal to sell its European operations to Canadian firm Magna.
Times WSJ FT FT2 Guardian Independent IHT Sun BBC BBC 2 AP El Mundo Euractiv.com
El Mundo reports that the President of the European Military Committee, Henri Bentégeat, has said that he will negotiate with the next Spanish President of the EU to analyse how the idea of a "Schengen area" for EU defence could be implemented.
El Mundo
The Independent reports that former UKIP MEP Tom Wise is facing jail after confessing to channelling £36,000 of European Parliament expenses into a bank account he secretly controlled. According to the paper, had it not been discovered, his scam could have lasted five years and cost the taxpayer £180,000.
Independent
The Express' Hickey column reports that recently appointed Europe Minister Chris Bryant has quickly succeeded in rubbing up some officials in the Foreign Office the wrong way. It quotes one source saying, "He's not exactly the most popular person to have held this job in recent times."
No link
Polish daily Gazeta notes that, following German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to the US, the Washington Post described her as the new quiet "leader of Europe". Adding, "Even when the European Union chooses later this year its new president, it will be extremely difficult for him (and most it be will be a he) to do anything contrary to Merkel's wishes".
Gazeta.pl
Czech President Vaclav Klaus' goal might be for the Czech Republic to regain its 'lost sovereignty' by leaving the EU, Petr Hajek, the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office, said yesterday.
Hospodarskie Noviny Prague Monitor
Euractiv reports that European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek yesterday identified the creation of a European Energy Community as the next big vision for Europe.
Euractiv
In a new report, Friends of the Earth has criticised the EU's emissions trading scheme, saying that to date "cap and trade" carbon markets have done almost nothing to reduce emissions but have been plagued by inefficiency and corruption that render them unfit for purpose.
Guardian
The new European Commission will start work at the beginning of next year on a revision of EU energy taxation, potentially obliging member states to levy a carbon tax on heating and motor fuels that do not feature in carbon trading.
Euractiv
French Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner has declared that the EU's controversial cross-border healthcare proposal is a "priority" for the Swedish EU Presidency.
French Foreign Office
The US and the European Union have filed a formal complaint at the World Trade Organisation over China's steep export tariffs on strategic raw materials.
EUobserver WSJ
Open Europe is an independent think tank campaigning for radical reform of the EU. For information on our research, events and other activities, please visit our website: openeurope.org.uk or call us on 0207 197 2333.
Speaking of Science
Christianity, Judaism, and Science
1 Timothy 6:20 (King James Version)Legitimate science is not opposed by true Christianity or Judaism, as evident by books like these:
20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called...
The Hidden Face of God: Science Reveals the Ultimate Truth
by Gerald L. Schroeder
The Science of God: The Convergence of Scientific and Biblical Wisdom
by Gerald L. Schroeder
And articles:
Does The Bible Teach There Were Human Prototypes? by David Ben-Ariel
And booklets:
What Science Can’t Discover About the Human Mind by Herbert W. Armstrong.
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Open Europe press summary: 4 November 2009
Europe
Czech President completes ratification of the Lisbon Treaty
Yesterday Czech President Vaclav Klaus signed the Lisbon Treaty, completing ratification and paving way for its implementation across the EU by 1 December. The Sun and the Express look at the loss of powers from Britain to the EU as a result of ratification of the Treaty, with the Express quoting Open Europe's Lorraine Mullally saying, "Unelected EU judges will see their powers bolstered and more and more decisions affecting our everyday lives will be taken by bureaucrats behind closed doors in Brussels." In a speech in Brussels yesterday, Vice-President of the German Constitutional Court Andreas Vosskuhle said that "the European Court of Justice can be considered to be the motor of European integration".
Express Sun Telegraph FT Irish Times Irish Times: Leader IHT Telegraph: Hannan blog EUobserver EurActiv BBC BBC: Hewitt blog Figaro Correio da Manha Coulisses de Bruxelles AP La Razon Le Monde El País El Mundo ABC.es El País El Mundo Corriere della Sera WSJ Mail Independent Irish Independent European Parliament press release Diario de Noticias Klaus' Statement CZ Court Decision
Open Europe calls on Conservatives to hold a referendum on reform;
New briefing shows EU social and employment policy is exactly the right place to start
There is wide coverage of Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague's announcement yesterday that the Conservatives will not pledge a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty if they win power at the next election. David Cameron is expected to make a speech this afternoon in which he will announce a new Conservative policy on Europe. The Times reports that Cameron is likely to say that he will seek to claw back powers from the EU in three areas: foreign policy, employment legislation, and justice and home affairs. The details on the measures and the timing of their "repatriation" are unlikely to be spelt out. PA reports that Cameron is expected to announce that a referendum will be held on any future transfer of powers from Britain to the EU.
Open Europe Director Lorraine Mullally appeared on Newsnight and on BBC Breakfast to argue that the Conservatives should announce a referendum on a list of reforms, and use the vote as a negotiating tool in Brussels. She is quoted on PA saying, "If there is not going to be a vote on the Lisbon Treaty, the Conservatives must promise a referendum on an EU Reform Package. We can then have a constructive debate about what goes in that Reform Package - be it opts-outs from social and employment legislation, a repatriation of regional policy, or a complete renegotiation of the EU budget. A 'manifesto mandate' for these things is simply not enough - people want to have the long overdue say."
In an article in the Telegraph, Lorraine argues that the Conservatives could link demands for reform to the upcoming EU budget negotiations, asking people in a referendum: "Are you in favour or against withholding agreement to the EU budget until the European Reform Package has been adopted?" She argues that "If a Conservative government is serious about repatriating policies that have a real impact in Britain, social and employment policy is exactly the right place to start. Laws of this nature have had a massive impact on the UK economy - in fact, they are the most significant driver of regulatory costs in the UK".
Open Europe today publishes the first in a series of papers which looks at what the Conservatives should prioritise in Europe. It argues that, if the Conservatives are serious about repatriating powers to member states, then social and employment policy is exactly the right place to start.
However, in order to achieve a strong negotiating mandate and fully address the current problems with EU social policy, the Conservatives must announce a referendum on reform of the status quo. A referendum on future transfers of power will do nothing to address the substantial costs already arising from EU legislation, nor the lack of democratic accountability in this area.
The briefing notes that EU social and employment laws have had a massive impact on the UK economy, accounting for 25 percent of the total cost of regulation in the UK over the past decade. Looking ahead, UK laws derived from EU social legislation will cost the British economy more than £71 billion between 2010 and 2020, even if no new laws are passed in that time.
Telegraph: Mullally Open Europe press release Open Europe press release 2 Open Europe briefing
David Davis calls on Cameron to announce referendum on reform
In an article in the Mail, former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis issues a direct challenge to David Cameron, arguing he should announce a referendum on "the negotiating mandate that the British Government takes to the European Union", and hold it within three months of the election. He says "This has many virtues. It allows the British people to express their view on the future of their nation. Most of all, it gives the Government a formidable negotiating weapon. Referendums terrify the European Commission and the political elites who run Europe. They are clear statements of the popular will. They force issues to be stated in clear and unambiguous terms. They are impossible to ignore."
He says: "The question should contain four or five specific strategic aims which clearly summarise our objectives. The sort of things we might include are: recovering control over our criminal justice, asylum and immigration policies; a robust opt-out of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights; serious exemptions to the seemingly endless flood of European regulations which cost the UK economy billions of pounds each year; a recovery of our rights to negotiate on trade; exemption from European interference into trade in services and foreign direct investment rules; and an exemption from any restrictions on our foreign policy." He says that if it is not possible to achieve everything we want, "we should give the British people the right to accept or reject it in a further referendum."
Open Europe Director Lorraine Mullally is quoted by PA saying, "David Davis is absolutely right. The Conservatives must not follow in the footsteps of Labour and the Lib Dems and deny people their long-overdue say on the future of the EU."
Meanwhile, Dan Hannan MEP added his voice to those calling for a referendum on reform, and Conservative MP for Shipley Phil Davies said: "It is important to have a referendum so that David Cameron can go to Brussels and say, 'This isn't something I'm demanding, this is something that the British public is demanding'."
Times Mail - Davis Guardian
Speculation grows about Conservatives' new policy on Lisbon and EU;
French Europe Minister "relieved" the EU has "avoided the worst, notably a referendum"
There is widespread speculation about what policy the Conservatives will unveil this afternoon regarding the EU and potential repatriation of powers. The Spectator's Coffee House blog argues that the "referendum question" is "turning into one of trust". Writing in the Times Daniel Finkelstein suggests that the Conservatives think they can "put a stop to what they term 'the European ratchet'. Their policy will insist upon it. But they want to avoid issuing ultimatums with immediate deadlines. There is plenty of time. And many moments where there will be leverage. Europe has to agree a new budget in 2013, for instance."
French Europe Minister Pierre Lellouche is quoted in Le Monde declaring he had heaved a "great sigh of relief", with the ratification of the Treaty, adding: "we have avoided the worst, notably a referendum which the British Conservatives were promising us".
On his Telegraph blog, Benedict Brogan writes: "Worse for those who will find this difficult to swallow, there is little hope that Mr Cameron will be able to offer any realistic prospect of repatriating powers, as we have been writing about. I'm told lawyers have looked at it for Mr Cameron and have reported back that 'it's very difficult, don't hold your breath'".
The Guardian quotes Europe Minister Chris Bryant saying: "The Foreign Office has given me official legal advice that it will be impossible to repatriate powers without changing the treaty. Cameron's difficulty about treaty negotiations is that it will first require the unanimous agreement of the council of ministers, then there has to be an inter-governmental agreement that also has to come to an unanimous view, and then under a new provision of the Lisbon treaty the European parliament can summon a convention that can take years."
The FT's Westminster blog suggests that Cameron will not try to trigger an immediate Treaty renegotiation and notes, "these [European] diplomats expect Cameron to play a longer game and try to fit in with the flow of European Union business. He will say he wants UK opt-outs on the social chapter and some other areas. But he may wait until the next treaty comes up, which is likely to be the one paving the way for Croatian accession in 2011."
Meanwhile, a poll of Conservative Party members by Conservative Home shows that 51% agree that "There is no point having a referendum on Lisbon once it has been ratified", with 46% disagreeing. On whether "Cameron should offer some kind of referendum on Europe to the British people whether or not Lisbon is ratified", 66% agreed and 29% disagreed. Tim Montgomerie, Editor of Conservative Home, told the FT, "The mood of the grassroots is they're willing to accept that there isn't any point in having a referendum on Lisbon but they still want some kind of referendum. However, they equally don't want a big fight...There's a demand for Cameron to get it right but not to have a war over it."
Le Monde Sun Sun: Leader Mirror Times Times: Leader Express: Leader Express Telegraph 2 Telegraph: Leader Telegraph 3 Irish Times European Voice BBC Figaro Telegraph: Brogan blog Guardian Coulisses de Bruxelles Guardian Conservative Home BBC FT Spectator: Coffee House blog FT: Westminster blog Telegraph Times: Finkelstein Economist: Charlemagne notebook
Gordon Brown to "hit the phones" to campaign for Blair EU Presidency
The Times notes that the horse-trading over the jobs created by the Lisbon Treaty will now continue with haste and the Mail reports that Tony Blair and his allies will launch a last-ditch bid this week to gain him the job of European President. Downing Street sources said Gordon Brown would be "hitting the phones and speaking to member states" to campaign for Mr Blair. However the Telegraph notes that there is a growing consensus around Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy.
Meanwhile, the Times reports that Lord Turner of Ecchinswell, the Chairman of the Financial Services Authority, is a candidate to become Britain's next EU Commissioner. He could be proposed as Internal Market Commissioner if Britain secures neither the EU President nor the Foreign Minister roles, according to senior Government sources.
Times Mail Times Telegraph Euractiv Euronews Le Figaro Euractiv El Mundo Times
Union says 25,000 jobs at risk as EU insists Lloyds and RBS sell branches;
RBS Chief Executive warns EU restructuring plan could delay repayment to taxpayer
The Guardian reports that more than 900 branches, representing 10% of the high street banking network, are to be put up for sale in the next four years under the restructuring demanded by the EU in return for almost £40bn of Government aid for Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland. Finance union Unite has warned that 25,000 branch jobs are at risk as a result of the sales.
The Telegraph reports that RBS Chief Executive Stephen Hester has warned that the EU's state-aid demands on the bank may delay the time it takes to pay back the taxpayer for its bailout. He is quoted saying, "The settlement with the European Union makes it harder. The disposals don't improve our ability to pay back the taxpayer. It adds to the difficulty of the job." The article notes that the EU's conditions on the bank, to divest itself of Churchill, Direct Line and Green Flag among others, will reduce the bank's profitability. Mr Hester added that dealing with the EU had been "bruising".
FT Guardian City AM
GM scraps sale of Opel and Vauxhall
The Independent reports that the board of General Motors last night scrapped the sale of its European operations, which include Vauxhall in the UK, after months of negotiations with national governments and the European Union. The sale to the Canadian car parts manufacturer Magna International, which had won the backing of the German and British governments, was no longer in the best interests of GM, now that the environment for car sales has started to improve, the board decided.
Independent Sun Times City AM Telegraph FT IHT BBC EUobserver European Voice
German court's ruling on Lisbon Treaty will be put to the test in 'Mangold' case
On the EUobserver blog, Stephen Gardner, editor of Euro-correspondent.com, notes that the German Constitutional Court's recent judgment on the Lisbon Treaty means that "the German court may overturn rulings of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), potentially putting a serious brake on further EU integration. A test case relating to employment law is working its way through the system in Germany. The case - the Mangold case - concerns a finding against Germany by the ECJ over age discrimination. Should the German court decide the ECJ went too far and reverse the Mangold decision, it could change the balance of power between the EU and member states. I'm not sure the implications of this have so far sunk in in Brussels. The German judges are due to pronounce by the end of the year."
CEP Mangold analysis EUobserver blog
Slovak newspaper Hospodarske Noviny quotes Open Europe's Stephen Booth in an article discussing the future EU President.
Hospodarske Noviny
The Business Times reporst on Open Europe's demonstration in Brussels last Friday supporting friends from around Europe in urging Vaclav Klaus not to give in to pressure and to withhold his signature from the Lisbon Treaty.
Business Times
Government extends working restrictions on Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants
The Mail reports that immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria will be denied open door access to Britain for at least another two years, the Government said yesterday. A maximum of 21,250 agricultural workers from Romania and Bulgaria will be allowed to enter Britain each year, plus a further 3,500 people to fill food processing jobs.
Mail
UN Secretary General: EU's proposed climate fund needs to be "scaled up"
The Independent reports that, on a visit to London, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said that the package agreed by the EU on Friday, which envisaged a total annual climate fund of €100bn, the public finance element of which should be €22bn to €50bn, "could be a good start". But he added: "It needs to be scaled up as we go."
Independent
Euractiv reports that the EU has started "major preparations" for a successful introduction of their new specialists on sport and the development of a sporting programme suitable for the EU. Under the Lisbon Treaty the EU has power and influence over sporting policy. New powers could affect the protection of intellectual property, the fight against match fixing and international cooperation.
Euractiv
EUobserver reports that audit officials announced yesterday that the EU's 36 regulatory agencies are prone to financial errors. Last year it was discovered that one of the agencies, the European Police College, had used EU money to buy personal cars, furniture and mobile phones for its staff.
EUobserver
Serbia's President Boris Tadíc has indicated that Serbia is likely to apply for EU membership by the end of the year.
EurActiv
Open Europe is an independent think tank campaigning for radical reform of the EU. For information on our research, events and other activities, please visit our website: openeurope.org.uk or call us on 0207 197 2333.
Czech President completes ratification of the Lisbon Treaty
Yesterday Czech President Vaclav Klaus signed the Lisbon Treaty, completing ratification and paving way for its implementation across the EU by 1 December. The Sun and the Express look at the loss of powers from Britain to the EU as a result of ratification of the Treaty, with the Express quoting Open Europe's Lorraine Mullally saying, "Unelected EU judges will see their powers bolstered and more and more decisions affecting our everyday lives will be taken by bureaucrats behind closed doors in Brussels." In a speech in Brussels yesterday, Vice-President of the German Constitutional Court Andreas Vosskuhle said that "the European Court of Justice can be considered to be the motor of European integration".
Express Sun Telegraph FT Irish Times Irish Times: Leader IHT Telegraph: Hannan blog EUobserver EurActiv BBC BBC: Hewitt blog Figaro Correio da Manha Coulisses de Bruxelles AP La Razon Le Monde El País El Mundo ABC.es El País El Mundo Corriere della Sera WSJ Mail Independent Irish Independent European Parliament press release Diario de Noticias Klaus' Statement CZ Court Decision
Open Europe calls on Conservatives to hold a referendum on reform;
New briefing shows EU social and employment policy is exactly the right place to start
There is wide coverage of Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague's announcement yesterday that the Conservatives will not pledge a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty if they win power at the next election. David Cameron is expected to make a speech this afternoon in which he will announce a new Conservative policy on Europe. The Times reports that Cameron is likely to say that he will seek to claw back powers from the EU in three areas: foreign policy, employment legislation, and justice and home affairs. The details on the measures and the timing of their "repatriation" are unlikely to be spelt out. PA reports that Cameron is expected to announce that a referendum will be held on any future transfer of powers from Britain to the EU.
Open Europe Director Lorraine Mullally appeared on Newsnight and on BBC Breakfast to argue that the Conservatives should announce a referendum on a list of reforms, and use the vote as a negotiating tool in Brussels. She is quoted on PA saying, "If there is not going to be a vote on the Lisbon Treaty, the Conservatives must promise a referendum on an EU Reform Package. We can then have a constructive debate about what goes in that Reform Package - be it opts-outs from social and employment legislation, a repatriation of regional policy, or a complete renegotiation of the EU budget. A 'manifesto mandate' for these things is simply not enough - people want to have the long overdue say."
In an article in the Telegraph, Lorraine argues that the Conservatives could link demands for reform to the upcoming EU budget negotiations, asking people in a referendum: "Are you in favour or against withholding agreement to the EU budget until the European Reform Package has been adopted?" She argues that "If a Conservative government is serious about repatriating policies that have a real impact in Britain, social and employment policy is exactly the right place to start. Laws of this nature have had a massive impact on the UK economy - in fact, they are the most significant driver of regulatory costs in the UK".
Open Europe today publishes the first in a series of papers which looks at what the Conservatives should prioritise in Europe. It argues that, if the Conservatives are serious about repatriating powers to member states, then social and employment policy is exactly the right place to start.
However, in order to achieve a strong negotiating mandate and fully address the current problems with EU social policy, the Conservatives must announce a referendum on reform of the status quo. A referendum on future transfers of power will do nothing to address the substantial costs already arising from EU legislation, nor the lack of democratic accountability in this area.
The briefing notes that EU social and employment laws have had a massive impact on the UK economy, accounting for 25 percent of the total cost of regulation in the UK over the past decade. Looking ahead, UK laws derived from EU social legislation will cost the British economy more than £71 billion between 2010 and 2020, even if no new laws are passed in that time.
Telegraph: Mullally Open Europe press release Open Europe press release 2 Open Europe briefing
David Davis calls on Cameron to announce referendum on reform
In an article in the Mail, former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis issues a direct challenge to David Cameron, arguing he should announce a referendum on "the negotiating mandate that the British Government takes to the European Union", and hold it within three months of the election. He says "This has many virtues. It allows the British people to express their view on the future of their nation. Most of all, it gives the Government a formidable negotiating weapon. Referendums terrify the European Commission and the political elites who run Europe. They are clear statements of the popular will. They force issues to be stated in clear and unambiguous terms. They are impossible to ignore."
He says: "The question should contain four or five specific strategic aims which clearly summarise our objectives. The sort of things we might include are: recovering control over our criminal justice, asylum and immigration policies; a robust opt-out of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights; serious exemptions to the seemingly endless flood of European regulations which cost the UK economy billions of pounds each year; a recovery of our rights to negotiate on trade; exemption from European interference into trade in services and foreign direct investment rules; and an exemption from any restrictions on our foreign policy." He says that if it is not possible to achieve everything we want, "we should give the British people the right to accept or reject it in a further referendum."
Open Europe Director Lorraine Mullally is quoted by PA saying, "David Davis is absolutely right. The Conservatives must not follow in the footsteps of Labour and the Lib Dems and deny people their long-overdue say on the future of the EU."
Meanwhile, Dan Hannan MEP added his voice to those calling for a referendum on reform, and Conservative MP for Shipley Phil Davies said: "It is important to have a referendum so that David Cameron can go to Brussels and say, 'This isn't something I'm demanding, this is something that the British public is demanding'."
Times Mail - Davis Guardian
Speculation grows about Conservatives' new policy on Lisbon and EU;
French Europe Minister "relieved" the EU has "avoided the worst, notably a referendum"
There is widespread speculation about what policy the Conservatives will unveil this afternoon regarding the EU and potential repatriation of powers. The Spectator's Coffee House blog argues that the "referendum question" is "turning into one of trust". Writing in the Times Daniel Finkelstein suggests that the Conservatives think they can "put a stop to what they term 'the European ratchet'. Their policy will insist upon it. But they want to avoid issuing ultimatums with immediate deadlines. There is plenty of time. And many moments where there will be leverage. Europe has to agree a new budget in 2013, for instance."
French Europe Minister Pierre Lellouche is quoted in Le Monde declaring he had heaved a "great sigh of relief", with the ratification of the Treaty, adding: "we have avoided the worst, notably a referendum which the British Conservatives were promising us".
On his Telegraph blog, Benedict Brogan writes: "Worse for those who will find this difficult to swallow, there is little hope that Mr Cameron will be able to offer any realistic prospect of repatriating powers, as we have been writing about. I'm told lawyers have looked at it for Mr Cameron and have reported back that 'it's very difficult, don't hold your breath'".
The Guardian quotes Europe Minister Chris Bryant saying: "The Foreign Office has given me official legal advice that it will be impossible to repatriate powers without changing the treaty. Cameron's difficulty about treaty negotiations is that it will first require the unanimous agreement of the council of ministers, then there has to be an inter-governmental agreement that also has to come to an unanimous view, and then under a new provision of the Lisbon treaty the European parliament can summon a convention that can take years."
The FT's Westminster blog suggests that Cameron will not try to trigger an immediate Treaty renegotiation and notes, "these [European] diplomats expect Cameron to play a longer game and try to fit in with the flow of European Union business. He will say he wants UK opt-outs on the social chapter and some other areas. But he may wait until the next treaty comes up, which is likely to be the one paving the way for Croatian accession in 2011."
Meanwhile, a poll of Conservative Party members by Conservative Home shows that 51% agree that "There is no point having a referendum on Lisbon once it has been ratified", with 46% disagreeing. On whether "Cameron should offer some kind of referendum on Europe to the British people whether or not Lisbon is ratified", 66% agreed and 29% disagreed. Tim Montgomerie, Editor of Conservative Home, told the FT, "The mood of the grassroots is they're willing to accept that there isn't any point in having a referendum on Lisbon but they still want some kind of referendum. However, they equally don't want a big fight...There's a demand for Cameron to get it right but not to have a war over it."
Le Monde Sun Sun: Leader Mirror Times Times: Leader Express: Leader Express Telegraph 2 Telegraph: Leader Telegraph 3 Irish Times European Voice BBC Figaro Telegraph: Brogan blog Guardian Coulisses de Bruxelles Guardian Conservative Home BBC FT Spectator: Coffee House blog FT: Westminster blog Telegraph Times: Finkelstein Economist: Charlemagne notebook
Gordon Brown to "hit the phones" to campaign for Blair EU Presidency
The Times notes that the horse-trading over the jobs created by the Lisbon Treaty will now continue with haste and the Mail reports that Tony Blair and his allies will launch a last-ditch bid this week to gain him the job of European President. Downing Street sources said Gordon Brown would be "hitting the phones and speaking to member states" to campaign for Mr Blair. However the Telegraph notes that there is a growing consensus around Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy.
Meanwhile, the Times reports that Lord Turner of Ecchinswell, the Chairman of the Financial Services Authority, is a candidate to become Britain's next EU Commissioner. He could be proposed as Internal Market Commissioner if Britain secures neither the EU President nor the Foreign Minister roles, according to senior Government sources.
Times Mail Times Telegraph Euractiv Euronews Le Figaro Euractiv El Mundo Times
Union says 25,000 jobs at risk as EU insists Lloyds and RBS sell branches;
RBS Chief Executive warns EU restructuring plan could delay repayment to taxpayer
The Guardian reports that more than 900 branches, representing 10% of the high street banking network, are to be put up for sale in the next four years under the restructuring demanded by the EU in return for almost £40bn of Government aid for Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland. Finance union Unite has warned that 25,000 branch jobs are at risk as a result of the sales.
The Telegraph reports that RBS Chief Executive Stephen Hester has warned that the EU's state-aid demands on the bank may delay the time it takes to pay back the taxpayer for its bailout. He is quoted saying, "The settlement with the European Union makes it harder. The disposals don't improve our ability to pay back the taxpayer. It adds to the difficulty of the job." The article notes that the EU's conditions on the bank, to divest itself of Churchill, Direct Line and Green Flag among others, will reduce the bank's profitability. Mr Hester added that dealing with the EU had been "bruising".
FT Guardian City AM
GM scraps sale of Opel and Vauxhall
The Independent reports that the board of General Motors last night scrapped the sale of its European operations, which include Vauxhall in the UK, after months of negotiations with national governments and the European Union. The sale to the Canadian car parts manufacturer Magna International, which had won the backing of the German and British governments, was no longer in the best interests of GM, now that the environment for car sales has started to improve, the board decided.
Independent Sun Times City AM Telegraph FT IHT BBC EUobserver European Voice
German court's ruling on Lisbon Treaty will be put to the test in 'Mangold' case
On the EUobserver blog, Stephen Gardner, editor of Euro-correspondent.com, notes that the German Constitutional Court's recent judgment on the Lisbon Treaty means that "the German court may overturn rulings of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), potentially putting a serious brake on further EU integration. A test case relating to employment law is working its way through the system in Germany. The case - the Mangold case - concerns a finding against Germany by the ECJ over age discrimination. Should the German court decide the ECJ went too far and reverse the Mangold decision, it could change the balance of power between the EU and member states. I'm not sure the implications of this have so far sunk in in Brussels. The German judges are due to pronounce by the end of the year."
CEP Mangold analysis EUobserver blog
Slovak newspaper Hospodarske Noviny quotes Open Europe's Stephen Booth in an article discussing the future EU President.
Hospodarske Noviny
The Business Times reporst on Open Europe's demonstration in Brussels last Friday supporting friends from around Europe in urging Vaclav Klaus not to give in to pressure and to withhold his signature from the Lisbon Treaty.
Business Times
Government extends working restrictions on Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants
The Mail reports that immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria will be denied open door access to Britain for at least another two years, the Government said yesterday. A maximum of 21,250 agricultural workers from Romania and Bulgaria will be allowed to enter Britain each year, plus a further 3,500 people to fill food processing jobs.
UN Secretary General: EU's proposed climate fund needs to be "scaled up"
The Independent reports that, on a visit to London, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said that the package agreed by the EU on Friday, which envisaged a total annual climate fund of €100bn, the public finance element of which should be €22bn to €50bn, "could be a good start". But he added: "It needs to be scaled up as we go."
Independent
Euractiv reports that the EU has started "major preparations" for a successful introduction of their new specialists on sport and the development of a sporting programme suitable for the EU. Under the Lisbon Treaty the EU has power and influence over sporting policy. New powers could affect the protection of intellectual property, the fight against match fixing and international cooperation.
Euractiv
EUobserver reports that audit officials announced yesterday that the EU's 36 regulatory agencies are prone to financial errors. Last year it was discovered that one of the agencies, the European Police College, had used EU money to buy personal cars, furniture and mobile phones for its staff.
EUobserver
Serbia's President Boris Tadíc has indicated that Serbia is likely to apply for EU membership by the end of the year.
EurActiv
Open Europe is an independent think tank campaigning for radical reform of the EU. For information on our research, events and other activities, please visit our website: openeurope.org.uk or call us on 0207 197 2333.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
The Train to Independence (II) (Secessionism in Southern Sudan)
Newsletter 2009/10/30 - The Train to Independence (II)
JUBA/KHARTUM/BERLIN (Own report) - South Sudanese secessionist efforts are being refurbished by newly revived German plans for an East African railroad. The local separatist regime, whose peace agreement with the Sudanese central government is being monitored by soldiers also from the German Bundeswehr, is preparing a referendum on the founding of the state of "New Sudan". To establish the necessary financial basis for independent statehood, the separatists have announced the implementation of older German plans for a railroad line to the Kenyan coast. This would facilitate the post-secession transport and sale of the voluminous South Sudanese natural resources, without having to cross the hostile territory of the rest of Sudan. The plans, advanced by German companies, are being revived at a moment
when several East African nations are pressing ahead with major infrastructure projects - some with German financing. This is occurring in the context of discoveries of extensive oil deposits in Uganda, which has also awakened the appetites of German companies. According to the East African press, these measures could "redefine the cultural, geographical and political boundaries of the region for the next century."
more
http://www.german-foreign%20policy.com/en/fulltext/56294
JUBA/KHARTUM/BERLIN (Own report) - South Sudanese secessionist efforts are being refurbished by newly revived German plans for an East African railroad. The local separatist regime, whose peace agreement with the Sudanese central government is being monitored by soldiers also from the German Bundeswehr, is preparing a referendum on the founding of the state of "New Sudan". To establish the necessary financial basis for independent statehood, the separatists have announced the implementation of older German plans for a railroad line to the Kenyan coast. This would facilitate the post-secession transport and sale of the voluminous South Sudanese natural resources, without having to cross the hostile territory of the rest of Sudan. The plans, advanced by German companies, are being revived at a moment
when several East African nations are pressing ahead with major infrastructure projects - some with German financing. This is occurring in the context of discoveries of extensive oil deposits in Uganda, which has also awakened the appetites of German companies. According to the East African press, these measures could "redefine the cultural, geographical and political boundaries of the region for the next century."
more
http://www.german-foreign%20policy.com/en/fulltext/56294
Open Europe press summary: 3 November 2009
Europe
Czech Constitutional Court clears Lisbon Treaty;
Cameron to announce this week what the Conservatives' position is on Lisbon
The FT reports that the Czech Constitutional Court has ruled that the Lisbon Treaty does not violate the country's constitution, opening the way for President Vaclav Klaus to sign the pact. Die Presse reports that Czech Senator Jiri Oberfalzer has said he now wants to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
The BBC reports that David Cameron has said he is "disappointed" by the decision and said he would decide "later this week" what to do about the Conservative position on a referendum on the Treaty, should Cameron form the next Government. The Telegraph reports that the announcement could come as early as today.
The front page of the paper reports that Mr Cameron said that once the Treaty is endorsed by all 27 EU members and comes into force, it will "not be a treaty" and will instead be part of European law. It also quotes David Heathcoat Amory MP, saying: "You cannot have a referendum on something that doesn't exist. I accept that and I shall wait to see what my leader proposes next."
Senior Conservatives are now saying that instead of a referendum on Lisbon, they will seek to renegotiate several of the changes it implements. The paper quotes a Conservative source saying: "It is clear that a post-ratification referendum is simply not possible. We will look at the parts of the treaty that are not acceptable and seek to renegotiate them."
The Times reports that David Cameron will also pledge to write into law that no British Government will ever again be able to push through a European Treaty without a referendum. The paper also suggests that, by seeking a mandate in the next election manifesto to "repatriate" powers in areas of employment, justice and home affairs, Mr Cameron will be able to avoid a "pre-negotiation" referendum if he is elected.
PA quotes Europe Minister Chris Bryant saying: "Now he is clearly saying that there is not going to be a referendum so his cast iron is already rusting pretty badly. I think this is a matter of trust, whether you can really trust David Cameron with the British interest."
A leader in the Telegraph argues, "The favoured option appears to be a binding 'manifesto mandate' empowering him [Cameron] to renegotiate important aspects of our relationship with the EU. Such a plan has some merit but is a poor second-best to the referendum, so solemnly promised by both main parties, that might now never be called. For the majority of voters...this is a scandalous state of affairs."
Writing in the Telegraph David Chalmers, Professor of European Union Law at LSE, argues that, instead of focusing Conservative EU policy on repatriating powers in social and employment policy, the Conservatives should do what the Germans did with the Constitutional Court's ruling. He writes, "This stated that even where the EU was acting within its extensive competencies, there were certain lines it could not cross. Education, law and order, defence, cultural policy and, above all, social policy were to be predominantly a matter for national law not EU law. In British terms, this would simply mean amending the European Communities Act so that where the EU passes laws that violate things that mean a lot to us we reserve the right not to apply the law... This would not require negotiation with the other governments."
Meanwhile, the FT reports that the EEF industry body has warned that a Conservative government's negotiations on the repatriation of powers could be complicated by the resurgence of the issue of Britain's opt-out from the EU's Working Time Directive. A Commission report this month - ostensibly about how employees on call are dealt with under the law - could reopen the wider question of how the opt-out works.
Times Telegraph Telegraph: Analysis Telegraph: Leader Conservative Home Spectator: Coffee House blog El Mundo Telegraph: Chalmers Express Mirror Mirror: Leader FT Independent EurActiv Telegraph: Brogan blog BBC Guardian Guardian Telegraph 2 FT EUobserver BBC 2 European Voice Le Monde AP Reuters El Mundo El Mundo 2 El País La Razon ABC.es AFP Coulisses de Bruxelles Publico Die Presse Aktualne OE blog
Belgian PM emerges as candidate for EU President
Herman Van Rompuy, Belgian Prime Minister, has emerged as a possible consensus candidate for the first permanent European President. While Rompuy insists that he is not an official candidate, diplomatic sources commented "there is a consensus over his name, a rarity among the 27 EU member states." El Pais reports that Sarkozy has "subtly indicated" his support for Van Rompuy, which is significant given France and Germany's earlier announcement that they will support the same Presidential candidate.
Meanwhile, the Times notes that, when referring to Tony Blair's Presidential bid, David Cameron said to Gordon Brown in Parliament yesterday, "It is completely unacceptable to see an unelected Prime Minister pushing for an unelected president under a treaty no one was allowed to vote for!" There is also speculation that Nick Clegg has got his eye on the Foreign Minister post after he asked Brown to "look beyond his party ranks at other good candidates" other than David Miliband.
Jornal de Noticias El Mundo EFE Figaro Times: Parliamentary Sketch Telegraph: Heaven's blog FT: Rachman blog EUobserver Euractiv.fr Coulisses de Bruxelles El Pais
Stephen Booth: "The defence of our civil liberties is now a war on two fronts"
Writing for the Guardian's Comment is Free, Open Europe's Stephen Booth argues that, "While the UK government pushes ahead with new ways to stockpile our personal data and watch us at every street corner, the European Union is quietly getting on with establishing its very own Europe-wide version of the surveillance state."
He writes that "Once [the] Lisbon [Treaty] is finally ratified, it will be full steam ahead. Plans are already underway for a fledgling EU 'Home Office' which has been dubbed the committee on internal security. It will decide how national police, border, immigration and criminal justice authorities should deal with cross-border issues throughout the EU."
He adds, "When the treaty was being negotiated, the UK government insisted it would be able to pick and choose which EU justice and home affairs policies it opts into, presenting this as a victory for the British 'national interest' in negotiations with our dastardly EU neighbours. But in practice, the UK has been all too happy to drive controversial policies through at the EU level, safe in the knowledge they will avoid proper attention in parliament and the media."
Comment is Free: Booth Open Europe press release Open Europe research
RBS to shed 3,700 jobs in plan to appease EU state aid rules
The BBC reports that RBS and Lloyds are to sell off branches in a major shake-up of the UK banking industry. The sales have been demanded by the European Commission amid competition concerns after the two were bailed out by the Government. The Independent notes that RBS' restructuring plan will lead to 3,700 job losses.
Meanwhile, the Irish Independent reports that shares in Allied Irish bank slumped again yesterday as investors worried that the European Commission may force the bank to sell units and prevent it from raising equity until the outcome of talks with Brussels on state aid is decided.
WSJ City AM City AM: Editor's letter FT Independent BBC Guardian El Mundo El País La Vanguardia Irish Independent
Sarkozy wants Internal Market Commission portfolio for France
The FTDeutschland reports that French President Nicolas Sarkozy wants current MEP Michel Barnier to succeed Charlie McCreevy as EU Internal Market Commissioner. A British diplomat is quoted saying the nightmare scenario would be David Milliband as EU Foreign Minister, and a French Commissioner in charge of Finance, where he would counteract the interests of the City of London. A leader in the newspaper comments that "Europe doesn't need a Commissioner who is only concerned with enforcing its own national financial centre. The suspicion is that is what Sarkozy wants". German Chanceller Angela Merkel also reportedly wants Gunter Oettinger to succeed Gunter Verheugen as Industry Commissioner, "to protect German industry against an onslaught from Brussels", notes Eurointelligence.
Meanwhile, the Irish Independent reports that former Fianna Fail minister and current member of the European Court of Auditors Maire Geoghegan-Quinn is "hotly tipped" to become Ireland's next EU Commissioner, in charge of budgets - even though the government would prefer the agriculture portfolio.
European Voice describes the current EU Commission as a "lame-duck" since its five year mandate expired on Sunday. As a successor Commission has not been approved the current Commission is obliged to continue only in a "caretaker capacity".
European Voice El Mundo Irish Independent Irish Times Eurointelligence FTD French Foreign Ministry
EU's big six to discuss counter-terrorism in "undemocratic" talks with the US
European Voice reports on a meeting between the interior ministers of the EU's six biggest states (UK, Germany, France, Spain, Poland and Italy) and the US's top security official this Thursday in which they will discuss organised crime, exchange of data and how to increase public support for anti-terrorism measures. While the head of MI5 and the head of US homeland security are attending the meeting, neither Jacques Barrot, the European Commissioner for Freedom, Justice and Security, nor Gilles de Kerchove, the EU's counter-terrorism co-ordinator are scheduled to attend. Lib Dem MEP Sarah Ludford is quoted saying "Six governments cutting themselves off from mainstream EU work is inefficient as well as undemocratic".
European Voice Open Europe research
Council on Foreign Relations warns that Washington sees EU governments' attention seeking as "infantile"
The FT's Brussels blog notes that today is the first formal EU-US summit under the Obama administration and writes, "Even Europeans know that their inability or reluctance to put a sensible limit on the number of people who represent them is a weakness... Will the situation improve once the EU has its first full-time president, one of whose tasks will be to represent the EU in external relations? Unlikely."
Meanwhile, the Times notes that a new report from the European Council on Foreign Relations argues that, "Europe has the US President it wished for, but Barack Obama lacks the strong transatlantic partner he wants. Seen from Washington, there is something almost infantile about how European governments behave towards them -- a combination of attention seeking and responsibility shirking".
Guardian Le Figaro Times Spectator: Coffee House blog FT: Brussels blog BBC: Hewitt blog Economist: Charlemagne notebook
Zapatero calls for more solidarity for communal repatriation of illegal immigrants
In a joint press conference with Lawrence Gonzi, Malta's Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spain's Prime Minister, appealed to the "solidarity principle" and to the necessity of a common EU immigration policy, reports El Mundo. Zapatero, who will hold the EU's next rotating presidency, advocated a strengthening of Frontex, the EU border control agency, and for greater "political and diplomatic" involvement by EU member states related to joint repatriations of immigrants.
The Parliament quotes Open Europe's Mats Persson discussing the implications of the EU's proposed Consumer Rights Directive, which would threaten the right of shoppers to get their money back for faulty goods.
Russia has warned the European Union that a new gas conflict is brewing with Ukraine.
Belgian daily De Standaard reports that MEPs receive €4,202 per month for "office expenses", which they receive whether they spend it or not and without having to present any proof. This is on top of their €7,000 per month wage, the article adds.
Standaard Open Europe research
The Chief Executive of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Michael Izza has accused the EU of "political interference" in and damaging the image of the International Accounting Standards Board.
Open Europe is an independent think tank campaigning for radical reform of the EU. For information on our research, events and other activities, please visit our website: openeurope.org.uk or call us on 0207 197 2333.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Instrument of Repudiation
Important Notice for America's Future
From Bob Webster
The draft Treaty of Copenhagen, to be signed in mid-December 2009, would create an unelected world government with direct power over all financial and trading markets, and direct power to intervene over the heads of elected governments in the economic and environmental affairs of all nations that sign the Treaty. The word "government" actually appears in the Treaty as the first of three purposes of a huge, new, supranational bureaucratic entity that will have the power to require wealthier nations to redistribute up to 2% of their annual gross domestic product to third-world countries in imagined reparation for imaginary "climate debt" - and all this just as final scientific proof that CO2 has a tiny and harmless warming effect is available. Please read and sign the Instrument of Repudiation, and urge at least five of your friends to sign it too, and urge each of them to find five more to sign it. The Instrument will be tabled during the Copenhagen Conference this December. So sign now, and save America's freedom, democracy, and prosperity.
Click image above to Read and Sign Instrument of Repudiation of Proposed Treaty of Copenhagen
From Bob Webster
The draft Treaty of Copenhagen, to be signed in mid-December 2009, would create an unelected world government with direct power over all financial and trading markets, and direct power to intervene over the heads of elected governments in the economic and environmental affairs of all nations that sign the Treaty. The word "government" actually appears in the Treaty as the first of three purposes of a huge, new, supranational bureaucratic entity that will have the power to require wealthier nations to redistribute up to 2% of their annual gross domestic product to third-world countries in imagined reparation for imaginary "climate debt" - and all this just as final scientific proof that CO2 has a tiny and harmless warming effect is available. Please read and sign the Instrument of Repudiation, and urge at least five of your friends to sign it too, and urge each of them to find five more to sign it. The Instrument will be tabled during the Copenhagen Conference this December. So sign now, and save America's freedom, democracy, and prosperity.
Click image above to Read and Sign Instrument of Repudiation of Proposed Treaty of Copenhagen
Shimon Peres & Rabin's assassination
Shimon Peres Came to Power Over Rabin's Dead Body
I met Yitzhak Rabin in the Israeli Parliament in 1982 during Hanukkah. I was able to talk with him briefly and mention I was associated with Ambassador College in Pasadena, California.
Avishai Raviv, Eyal, and Yitzhak Rabin
Avishai Raviv was an Israeli government agent provocateur (whose code name was "Champagne" for the bubbles of incitement he created to tarnish the right-wing Israelis) who goaded Yigal Amir to assassinate Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (although this is hotly disputed by investigative reporters like Barry Chamish)...
Shimon Peres Charged with the Murder of Yitzhak Rabin?
We, the undersigned, leaders of major Jewish groups and organizations, hereby sorrowfully acknowledge our lack of leadership in pursuit of justice for slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Vatican Linked to the Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin?
The dark powers of the European Union, under evil influence of the very real German-Jesuit cabal, are intent on ripping out the heart of Israel and sacrificing Israeli sovereignty to their wannabe divine emperor about to take the world by storm, pimped by the sorcerer-pope.
I met Yitzhak Rabin in the Israeli Parliament in 1982 during Hanukkah. I was able to talk with him briefly and mention I was associated with Ambassador College in Pasadena, California.
Avishai Raviv, Eyal, and Yitzhak Rabin
Avishai Raviv was an Israeli government agent provocateur (whose code name was "Champagne" for the bubbles of incitement he created to tarnish the right-wing Israelis) who goaded Yigal Amir to assassinate Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (although this is hotly disputed by investigative reporters like Barry Chamish)...
Shimon Peres Charged with the Murder of Yitzhak Rabin?
We, the undersigned, leaders of major Jewish groups and organizations, hereby sorrowfully acknowledge our lack of leadership in pursuit of justice for slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Vatican Linked to the Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin?
The dark powers of the European Union, under evil influence of the very real German-Jesuit cabal, are intent on ripping out the heart of Israel and sacrificing Israeli sovereignty to their wannabe divine emperor about to take the world by storm, pimped by the sorcerer-pope.
Steamrolling Socialism!
"If pigs could vote, the man with the slop bucket would be elected swineherd every time, no matter how much slaughtering he did on the side."
-- Orson Scott Card
(1951- ) Novelist
http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/Orson.Scott.Card.Quote.24EC
************
Sounds like the former creeping Communism and the present steamrolling Socialism in these United States of America, especially under the president usurper, the fraud and foreigner, Obama/Soetoro/Obama! Emperor Obama has got to go or our Republic is history!
The Modern Romans [PDF] makes reference to such bread and circuses acts of deception. The Modern Romans is the first booklet I read from the Worldwide Church of God.
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
-- Orson Scott Card
(1951- ) Novelist
http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/Orson.Scott.Card.Quote.24EC
************
Sounds like the former creeping Communism and the present steamrolling Socialism in these United States of America, especially under the president usurper, the fraud and foreigner, Obama/Soetoro/Obama! Emperor Obama has got to go or our Republic is history!
The Modern Romans [PDF] makes reference to such bread and circuses acts of deception. The Modern Romans is the first booklet I read from the Worldwide Church of God.
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
Open Europe press summary: 2 November 2009
Europe
Conservative Home: Conservatives will seek a "manifesto mandate" to renegotiate Britain's relationship with the EU
Following "conversations with a dozen good sources", Conservative Home reports that when the Lisbon Treaty is ratified, the Conservative leadership will say that, if elected, there will be no attempt to 'unratify it' via a referendum, and there will instead be a manifesto commitment to a repatriation of "key powers from Brussels."
Editor Tim Montgomerie writes: "One of the options for David Cameron is to hold a referendum that will give a new Conservative government the authority to begin a wide renegotiation of Britain's relationship with Europe. This was the favoured option of MOST Tory members when ConservativeHome polled them just before the Manchester Party Conference. Only 16% wanted to vote on Lisbon if it has been ratified. 55% wanted a new referendum process in order to give the government a mandate for a wider renegotiation. I'm told to expect a 'muscular' response to Lisbon's ratification and a manifesto commitment to fight for repatriation of key powers from Brussels. One member of the shadow cabinet told me that 'we don't need a mandate to renegotiate from a referendum... A manifesto mandate will be just as good'."
On his Telegraph blog Benedict Brogan argues that David Cameron "calculates that the EU will be so relieved to discover that the new British government is willing to live with Lisbon that it will happily grant his demand to repatriation, in itself a significant victory." The Mail on Sunday reported that a Conservative government would fight to regain control over social and employment laws, and would stop any further transfer of British powers to Brussels.
However, writing in the Observer Peter Oborne suggests that the Conservatives will instead pledge to hold a referendum on any future EU Treaty. He writes: "When Klaus succumbs, Cameron will not step into the breach. He will come up with a new guarantee - a pledge that will force the government to hold a referendum on any future European treaty. This is a cop-out and a betrayal...This is exactly the kind of post-democratic politics which defined, debased, and finally destroyed, the Blair premiership."
Meanwhile, Saturday's Guardian reported that Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel and José Luiz Rodríguez Zapatero are understood to have privately criticised David Cameron after he sent a handwritten letter to the Czech President, Vaclav Klaus, regarding the Treaty.
Guardian Guardian: Leader Guardian Welt Conservative Home Independent on Sunday-Bryant Observer-Oborne Mail on Sunday Telegraph: Brogan blog EU Referendum blog Standard: Waugh blog Telegraph: Moore El Mundo
EU leaders expect Klaus' signature on the Lisbon Treaty this week
EUobserver reports that the Lisbon Treaty may come into force on 1 December, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy saying after last week's EU summit that "The Lisbon Treaty will enter into force doubtless as early as December 1." The WSJ reports that Czech President Vaclav Klaus was satisfied with assurances offered to him on parts of the Treaty, quoting him saying, "I'm not inclined to raise any further conditions for ratification of the Lisbon Treaty."
The Treaty is still subject to a court challenge by 17 Czech Senators but EUobserver notes that the ruling is widely expected to come out in favour of the Treaty. Klaus could therefore sign the Treaty as early this week.
WSJ EUobserver EUobserver 2
Proposed EU Directive to ban money back guarantees for shoppers
The front page of the Sunday Express reported that the European Commission's proposed Consumer Rights Directive will end the right of shoppers to get their money back for unwanted or faulty goods. The legislation, which would also cover goods bought over the phone or the internet, is designed to ensure the same level of consumer protection if shoppers buy goods in any EU member state. But instead of money-back guarantees, the Directive would allow traders to offer only the repair or replacement of faulty goods.
The article noted that traders' liability for replacement or repair would also be cut from six years to two, even though such products as cars, boilers and double glazing should reasonably be expected to last longer. Crucially, the proposed Directive does not allow the UK Government or retailers to offer consumer safeguards beyond the EU legislation.
Open Europe's Mats Persson was quoted saying, "This watering-down of British consumer rights laws represents a significant power grab by Brussels and British consumers will be rightly horrified that Europe wants to denude the UK's national safeguards. Worse still, new EU rules mean the UK Government cannot continue to offer British consumers extra safeguards if it wants to. British shoppers are getting short-changed by Brussels."
Ministers have vowed to fight the Consumer Rights Directive but the UK Government has no power to stop the change if it is backed by a 'qualified majority' of EU states, as there is no UK veto.
Sunday Express Sunday Express: Leader
New poll shows 53% oppose Blair EU Presidency and 48% oppose Miliband as EU Foreign Minister
A new ICM poll for the Sunday Telegraph has found that 53 percent of respondents think Tony Blair is the wrong person to be the EU's first permanent President once the Lisbon Treaty comes into force, with 36 percent backing him. 48 percent of respondents do not want Mr Miliband to become the EU's first Foreign Minister, while 29 percent support him. It comes following comments over the weekend from Lord Mandelson that Mr Blair "would like to do the job" but added that it was not a "matter of life or death for him".
A leader in the Sunday Times argued, "If Mr Blair fails to get the job, it can only be a good thing. Although he would bring to it attractive traits, Europe is not ready for a charismatic president. This role is unelected and indeed unwanted by many Europeans and Mr Blair would make the job more significant than it merits."
El Mundo reports that French President Nicolas Sarkozy said at the end of last week's summit that, "France and Germany will support the same candidate when the time comes. We do not have a specific preference and it is not the right moment to talk about it."
The Observer reported that Tony Blair is expected to bow out of the race by the end of next week if he fails in a last-ditch effort to win public support from the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. Writing in the Sun, Trevor Kavanagh argues that "If Mr Blair's last-gasp charm offensive fails, it will be because faceless EU power brokers have turned shiftily against him. We will have been saved from Emperor Blair because it suits their interests, not ours."
FT: Letters Sunday Telegraph Sunday Times Sunday Times-leader Independent on Sunday-Watkins Observer Express Express: Flynn Sun Weekend FT Weekend FT 2 Weekend FT: Peel Mail: Oborne Mirror: Parsons Independent Independent: Morris and Mock Independent: Dejevsky Telegraph Spectator: Coffee House blog Mail Telegraph Mail on Sunday El Mundo
Miliband holds secret talks with European Socialists about EU Foreign Minister job;
Downing Street denies it is lobbying for Miliband
The Sunday Times reported that Gordon Brown is secretly backing David Miliband for the post of EU Foreign Minister, to clear the field for one of the Prime Minister's close allies, possibly Ed Balls or Ed Miliband, to win a leadership contest if Labour is defeated at the General Election. A Downing Street staffer was quoted saying: "This is being taken very seriously. Diplomatic channels in the Foreign Office are working behind the scenes on David's behalf."
However, PA reports that Downing Street has dismissed suggestions that Gordon Brown is promoting Miliband for the job. The Times reports that Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman, discussing speculation that David Miliband might get the job, told the Andrew Marr Show: "I can see why this rumour is around, because he is a politician of international standing, so I suppose it is complimentary, but we can't spare him. He is our Foreign Secretary. I don't think he wants to go."
The Sunday Times also reported that Miliband has secretly held a number of discussions with the Socialist faction in the European Parliament about running for the job, with Socialist leader Martin Schulz saying only that Miliband would make a "superb candidate", refusing to elaborate on the private talks. "I will not say anything that could [put] any of my British colleagues in a difficult position," he said.
Italian newswire ANSA reports that Franco Frattini, Italy's Foreign Minister, has declared that the Italian government supports former centre-left Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema's candidacy for the EU Foreign Minister job.
Saturday's Sun reported that the EU Foreign Minister will likely earn £275,000-a-year, and will come with lavish perks including a luxury grace-and-favour residence in Brussels, a chauffeur-driven limo and huge staff.
The Independent on Sunday reported that Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is also backing Miliband for the job and suggested that a by-election in Miliband's South Shields constituency could offer the prospect of Lord Mandelson standing for Parliament. Writing in the paper, John Rentoul said: "Having spoken to well-placed sources, I can reveal that David Miliband's preferences for his next job are in this order: 1. Prime minister before the election, 2. European foreign affairs high representative from January, 3. Leader of the opposition after the election."
Writing in the Times, William Rees-Mogg argues that "David Miliband for Brussels, Peter Mandelson for the Labour Party, and David Cameron for Downing Street might well be the best team."
Times Sunday Telegraph-Dancona Sun Times Mail Sunday Times Independent on Sunday-Rentoul Independent on Sunday FT Weekend FT 3 Mail Guardian CoulissesDeBruxelles BBC: Hewitt blog ANSA ANSA2 ANSA3 LeMonde
Households face £541 increase in energy bills under planned EU 'eco tax'
The Express reports that UK households could face a £541-a-year rise in energy bills under EU plans to fund its budget through 'green taxes'. Research from the Taxpayers' Alliance has found that the cost of the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), introduced to reduce greenhouse gases, already costs every family in Britain £117. However, according to leaked EU Commission documents seen by the Express, there are plans to turn the ETS into a direct tax to fund the EU's £110 billion-a-year budget. To raise the UK's current £16.4billion contribution to the EU budget through the ETS would mean increasing the burden on British families from £117 to £658 - an increase of £541.
Express
Commission takes UK Government to court over internet privacy
Saturday's Independent reported that ministers face an embarrassing showdown in the European Court of Justice after the European Commission accused Britain of failing to protect its citizens from secret surveillance on the internet. The legal action is being brought over the use of controversial behavioural advertising services which were tested on BT's internet customers without their consent to gather commercial information about their web-shopping habits.
EU Information Commissioner Viviane Reding said that the aim of the Commission was to bring about a change in UK law. "People's privacy and the integrity of their personal data in the digital world is not only an important matter: it is a fundamental right, protected by European law," she said. The Commission said the UK had failed to comply with both the European e-Privacy Directive and the Data Protection Directive.
Independent Open Europe press release Open Europe research AFP
US alternative investment industry steps up fight against EU's AIFM Directive
The FT reports that the US alternative investment industry is taking a 'behind-the-scenes' approach to lobby for changes to the EUs' proposed directive regulating fund managers. If passed without amendment, the proposed Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive would bar US along with other non-EU managers from pitching their funds in the EU or managing delegated portfolios for EU investors. John Gaine, President of the Managed Funds Association (MFA), the US hedge fund trade group, said, "In its current form, the directive is far more restrictive and invasive than anyone had anticipated."
FT Open Europe press release Open Europe research
EU plans black box recorders to monitor vehicles
The Sunday Times reported that black box recorders could be installed in all new cars under an EU proposal, and could cost up to £500 each. The Telegraph reports that the Commission has spent £2.4 million on Project Veronica, a study on how the boxes would work. The boxes, known as an Event Data Recorders (EDR), could monitor vehicles' speed and the actions of the driver - when and how often the brakes, indicators and horn were applied.
Telegraph Sunday Times
British taxpayers fund up to £20 million in benefits for Polish children
The Sunday Telegraph reported that Treasury figures show that British taxpayers are funding child benefit payments of over £20 million for 37,900 children who live in Poland, while one or both of their parents live and work in the UK. The payouts come despite assurances given by ministers that migrants from new EU member states would not immediately be eligible for most benefits.
Mail Sunday Telegraph Sunday Telegraph-leader
Merkel: It is 'unrealistic' to expect climate change agreement at Copenhagen;
EU fails to agree its share of climate financing for developing world
Saturday's Times reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has written off chances of achieving a successor to the Kyoto protocol this year, suggesting that only a broad political framework is now possible from the global climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December. "It is realistic to say that in Copenhagen we will not be able to conclude a treaty but it is important to lay down a political framework which will be the basis of the treaty," she said at the end of last week's EU summit in Brussels.
Merkel's statement came after EU leaders yet again failed to agree how much Europe would offer the developing world to help meet its climate targets or how the cost of the funding would be divided between EU member states. The EU said only that it would seek to persuade others to share a €22bn to €50bn bill and that Europe would pay its "fair share".
Meanwhile, EUobserver notes that climate change will feature heavily at tomorrow's EU-US summit.
Times Weekend FT Guardian Guardian: Adam Independent Independent: Leader Independent: Juniper Sunday Telegraph: Booker BBC BBC: Hewitt blog Observer
EUobserver European Voice
EU regulations set to force the break up of bailed-out British banks
A proposed restructuring of the Royal Bank of Scotland by the European Commission could see shares in the British bank plummet. There are concerns that the restructuring, which could see RBS forced to sell off 300 branches in England and Natwest branches in Scotland in order to increase competition, could damage the bank's recovery.
Alistair Darling announced the moves to break up many of the leading banks, as a way to inject new competition into the sector. However the Conservative Party claims he has been forced into it by the EU. Shadow City Minister, Mark Hoban said "when we called for smaller banks six months ago the Treasury dismissed our calls as being on the wrong side of the argument. Now they are being forced into it by the EU".
Telegraph City AM Guardian Guardian 2 WSJ Times Telegraph Sunday Telegraph
French Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo writes in French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche that his 'justice-climate' plan of aid for developing states will not involve new taxes but that "we are pondering over innovative sources of finance, an example being a tax on financial transactions."
LeMonde
Le Monde reports that the EU is examining the possibility of organising communal chartered flights to return illegal immigrants to their home country. The move comes after an official request from French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
CoulissesDeBruxelles LeMonde
The FT reports that a new report from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development says that central and eastern Europe must get rid of its "addiction to foreign currency debt".
FT EurActiv
In the Independent Sean O'Grady writes, "although we occupy such a tiny corner of the globe, trading so much with one another, we Europeans have far less in common than we might think. We are very structurally divergent, and it has taken this crisis to show us quite how much."
Independent: O'Grady
Writing in the Mail on Sunday Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague argued that David Miliband has carried out a "ruthless smear campaign against the Conservative Party's allies in the European Parliament."
Mail on Sunday Telegraph
On his Telegraph blog Conservative MEP Dan Hannan notes that, from midnight last night, the European Commission became illegal because only the Commission President has been re-appointed, and the old Commission's mandate has expired.
Telegraph: Hannan blog
The BBC reports that the Smos satellite, part of the European Space Agency's Earth Explorer programme has set off, with the aim of providing major new insights into how water is cycled around the Earth, and is part of an eight-spacecraft series to acquire data on issues of environmental concern.
BBC
Saturday's Independent had a feature looking at EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes, asking is she "the most powerful woman in Europe?"
Independent
The Weekend FT reported that the EU's Payment Services Directive has come into force, with the aim of making it simpler and faster to pay bills abroad.
Weekend FT
Sueddeutsche reports that the nomination of Günther Oettinger as next EU Commissioner was only the third choice of Chancellor Merkel. The first two preferences were the CDU chief whip, Norbert Röttgen, and the leader of the German Federal State of Hessen, Roland Koch.
Sueddeutsche Netzeitung
German online newspaper Saarländische Online-Zeitung writes that a report from the Research Service of the German Bundestag questions the legality of introducing the Tobin tax on the basis of the Lisbon Treaty.
Saarländische Online-Zeitung
Open Europe is an independent think tank campaigning for radical reform of the EU. For information on our research, events and other activities, please visit our website: openeurope.org.uk or call us on 0207 197 2333.
Conservative Home: Conservatives will seek a "manifesto mandate" to renegotiate Britain's relationship with the EU
Following "conversations with a dozen good sources", Conservative Home reports that when the Lisbon Treaty is ratified, the Conservative leadership will say that, if elected, there will be no attempt to 'unratify it' via a referendum, and there will instead be a manifesto commitment to a repatriation of "key powers from Brussels."
Editor Tim Montgomerie writes: "One of the options for David Cameron is to hold a referendum that will give a new Conservative government the authority to begin a wide renegotiation of Britain's relationship with Europe. This was the favoured option of MOST Tory members when ConservativeHome polled them just before the Manchester Party Conference. Only 16% wanted to vote on Lisbon if it has been ratified. 55% wanted a new referendum process in order to give the government a mandate for a wider renegotiation. I'm told to expect a 'muscular' response to Lisbon's ratification and a manifesto commitment to fight for repatriation of key powers from Brussels. One member of the shadow cabinet told me that 'we don't need a mandate to renegotiate from a referendum... A manifesto mandate will be just as good'."
On his Telegraph blog Benedict Brogan argues that David Cameron "calculates that the EU will be so relieved to discover that the new British government is willing to live with Lisbon that it will happily grant his demand to repatriation, in itself a significant victory." The Mail on Sunday reported that a Conservative government would fight to regain control over social and employment laws, and would stop any further transfer of British powers to Brussels.
However, writing in the Observer Peter Oborne suggests that the Conservatives will instead pledge to hold a referendum on any future EU Treaty. He writes: "When Klaus succumbs, Cameron will not step into the breach. He will come up with a new guarantee - a pledge that will force the government to hold a referendum on any future European treaty. This is a cop-out and a betrayal...This is exactly the kind of post-democratic politics which defined, debased, and finally destroyed, the Blair premiership."
Meanwhile, Saturday's Guardian reported that Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel and José Luiz Rodríguez Zapatero are understood to have privately criticised David Cameron after he sent a handwritten letter to the Czech President, Vaclav Klaus, regarding the Treaty.
Guardian Guardian: Leader Guardian Welt Conservative Home Independent on Sunday-Bryant Observer-Oborne Mail on Sunday Telegraph: Brogan blog EU Referendum blog Standard: Waugh blog Telegraph: Moore El Mundo
EU leaders expect Klaus' signature on the Lisbon Treaty this week
EUobserver reports that the Lisbon Treaty may come into force on 1 December, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy saying after last week's EU summit that "The Lisbon Treaty will enter into force doubtless as early as December 1." The WSJ reports that Czech President Vaclav Klaus was satisfied with assurances offered to him on parts of the Treaty, quoting him saying, "I'm not inclined to raise any further conditions for ratification of the Lisbon Treaty."
The Treaty is still subject to a court challenge by 17 Czech Senators but EUobserver notes that the ruling is widely expected to come out in favour of the Treaty. Klaus could therefore sign the Treaty as early this week.
WSJ EUobserver EUobserver 2
Proposed EU Directive to ban money back guarantees for shoppers
The front page of the Sunday Express reported that the European Commission's proposed Consumer Rights Directive will end the right of shoppers to get their money back for unwanted or faulty goods. The legislation, which would also cover goods bought over the phone or the internet, is designed to ensure the same level of consumer protection if shoppers buy goods in any EU member state. But instead of money-back guarantees, the Directive would allow traders to offer only the repair or replacement of faulty goods.
The article noted that traders' liability for replacement or repair would also be cut from six years to two, even though such products as cars, boilers and double glazing should reasonably be expected to last longer. Crucially, the proposed Directive does not allow the UK Government or retailers to offer consumer safeguards beyond the EU legislation.
Open Europe's Mats Persson was quoted saying, "This watering-down of British consumer rights laws represents a significant power grab by Brussels and British consumers will be rightly horrified that Europe wants to denude the UK's national safeguards. Worse still, new EU rules mean the UK Government cannot continue to offer British consumers extra safeguards if it wants to. British shoppers are getting short-changed by Brussels."
Ministers have vowed to fight the Consumer Rights Directive but the UK Government has no power to stop the change if it is backed by a 'qualified majority' of EU states, as there is no UK veto.
Sunday Express Sunday Express: Leader
New poll shows 53% oppose Blair EU Presidency and 48% oppose Miliband as EU Foreign Minister
A new ICM poll for the Sunday Telegraph has found that 53 percent of respondents think Tony Blair is the wrong person to be the EU's first permanent President once the Lisbon Treaty comes into force, with 36 percent backing him. 48 percent of respondents do not want Mr Miliband to become the EU's first Foreign Minister, while 29 percent support him. It comes following comments over the weekend from Lord Mandelson that Mr Blair "would like to do the job" but added that it was not a "matter of life or death for him".
A leader in the Sunday Times argued, "If Mr Blair fails to get the job, it can only be a good thing. Although he would bring to it attractive traits, Europe is not ready for a charismatic president. This role is unelected and indeed unwanted by many Europeans and Mr Blair would make the job more significant than it merits."
El Mundo reports that French President Nicolas Sarkozy said at the end of last week's summit that, "France and Germany will support the same candidate when the time comes. We do not have a specific preference and it is not the right moment to talk about it."
The Observer reported that Tony Blair is expected to bow out of the race by the end of next week if he fails in a last-ditch effort to win public support from the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. Writing in the Sun, Trevor Kavanagh argues that "If Mr Blair's last-gasp charm offensive fails, it will be because faceless EU power brokers have turned shiftily against him. We will have been saved from Emperor Blair because it suits their interests, not ours."
FT: Letters Sunday Telegraph Sunday Times Sunday Times-leader Independent on Sunday-Watkins Observer Express Express: Flynn Sun Weekend FT Weekend FT 2 Weekend FT: Peel Mail: Oborne Mirror: Parsons Independent Independent: Morris and Mock Independent: Dejevsky Telegraph Spectator: Coffee House blog Mail Telegraph Mail on Sunday El Mundo
Miliband holds secret talks with European Socialists about EU Foreign Minister job;
Downing Street denies it is lobbying for Miliband
The Sunday Times reported that Gordon Brown is secretly backing David Miliband for the post of EU Foreign Minister, to clear the field for one of the Prime Minister's close allies, possibly Ed Balls or Ed Miliband, to win a leadership contest if Labour is defeated at the General Election. A Downing Street staffer was quoted saying: "This is being taken very seriously. Diplomatic channels in the Foreign Office are working behind the scenes on David's behalf."
However, PA reports that Downing Street has dismissed suggestions that Gordon Brown is promoting Miliband for the job. The Times reports that Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman, discussing speculation that David Miliband might get the job, told the Andrew Marr Show: "I can see why this rumour is around, because he is a politician of international standing, so I suppose it is complimentary, but we can't spare him. He is our Foreign Secretary. I don't think he wants to go."
The Sunday Times also reported that Miliband has secretly held a number of discussions with the Socialist faction in the European Parliament about running for the job, with Socialist leader Martin Schulz saying only that Miliband would make a "superb candidate", refusing to elaborate on the private talks. "I will not say anything that could [put] any of my British colleagues in a difficult position," he said.
Italian newswire ANSA reports that Franco Frattini, Italy's Foreign Minister, has declared that the Italian government supports former centre-left Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema's candidacy for the EU Foreign Minister job.
Saturday's Sun reported that the EU Foreign Minister will likely earn £275,000-a-year, and will come with lavish perks including a luxury grace-and-favour residence in Brussels, a chauffeur-driven limo and huge staff.
The Independent on Sunday reported that Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is also backing Miliband for the job and suggested that a by-election in Miliband's South Shields constituency could offer the prospect of Lord Mandelson standing for Parliament. Writing in the paper, John Rentoul said: "Having spoken to well-placed sources, I can reveal that David Miliband's preferences for his next job are in this order: 1. Prime minister before the election, 2. European foreign affairs high representative from January, 3. Leader of the opposition after the election."
Writing in the Times, William Rees-Mogg argues that "David Miliband for Brussels, Peter Mandelson for the Labour Party, and David Cameron for Downing Street might well be the best team."
Times Sunday Telegraph-Dancona Sun Times Mail Sunday Times Independent on Sunday-Rentoul Independent on Sunday FT Weekend FT 3 Mail Guardian CoulissesDeBruxelles BBC: Hewitt blog ANSA ANSA2 ANSA3 LeMonde
Households face £541 increase in energy bills under planned EU 'eco tax'
The Express reports that UK households could face a £541-a-year rise in energy bills under EU plans to fund its budget through 'green taxes'. Research from the Taxpayers' Alliance has found that the cost of the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), introduced to reduce greenhouse gases, already costs every family in Britain £117. However, according to leaked EU Commission documents seen by the Express, there are plans to turn the ETS into a direct tax to fund the EU's £110 billion-a-year budget. To raise the UK's current £16.4billion contribution to the EU budget through the ETS would mean increasing the burden on British families from £117 to £658 - an increase of £541.
Express
Commission takes UK Government to court over internet privacy
Saturday's Independent reported that ministers face an embarrassing showdown in the European Court of Justice after the European Commission accused Britain of failing to protect its citizens from secret surveillance on the internet. The legal action is being brought over the use of controversial behavioural advertising services which were tested on BT's internet customers without their consent to gather commercial information about their web-shopping habits.
EU Information Commissioner Viviane Reding said that the aim of the Commission was to bring about a change in UK law. "People's privacy and the integrity of their personal data in the digital world is not only an important matter: it is a fundamental right, protected by European law," she said. The Commission said the UK had failed to comply with both the European e-Privacy Directive and the Data Protection Directive.
Independent Open Europe press release Open Europe research AFP
US alternative investment industry steps up fight against EU's AIFM Directive
The FT reports that the US alternative investment industry is taking a 'behind-the-scenes' approach to lobby for changes to the EUs' proposed directive regulating fund managers. If passed without amendment, the proposed Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive would bar US along with other non-EU managers from pitching their funds in the EU or managing delegated portfolios for EU investors. John Gaine, President of the Managed Funds Association (MFA), the US hedge fund trade group, said, "In its current form, the directive is far more restrictive and invasive than anyone had anticipated."
FT Open Europe press release Open Europe research
EU plans black box recorders to monitor vehicles
The Sunday Times reported that black box recorders could be installed in all new cars under an EU proposal, and could cost up to £500 each. The Telegraph reports that the Commission has spent £2.4 million on Project Veronica, a study on how the boxes would work. The boxes, known as an Event Data Recorders (EDR), could monitor vehicles' speed and the actions of the driver - when and how often the brakes, indicators and horn were applied.
Telegraph Sunday Times
British taxpayers fund up to £20 million in benefits for Polish children
The Sunday Telegraph reported that Treasury figures show that British taxpayers are funding child benefit payments of over £20 million for 37,900 children who live in Poland, while one or both of their parents live and work in the UK. The payouts come despite assurances given by ministers that migrants from new EU member states would not immediately be eligible for most benefits.
Mail Sunday Telegraph Sunday Telegraph-leader
Merkel: It is 'unrealistic' to expect climate change agreement at Copenhagen;
EU fails to agree its share of climate financing for developing world
Saturday's Times reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has written off chances of achieving a successor to the Kyoto protocol this year, suggesting that only a broad political framework is now possible from the global climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December. "It is realistic to say that in Copenhagen we will not be able to conclude a treaty but it is important to lay down a political framework which will be the basis of the treaty," she said at the end of last week's EU summit in Brussels.
Merkel's statement came after EU leaders yet again failed to agree how much Europe would offer the developing world to help meet its climate targets or how the cost of the funding would be divided between EU member states. The EU said only that it would seek to persuade others to share a €22bn to €50bn bill and that Europe would pay its "fair share".
Meanwhile, EUobserver notes that climate change will feature heavily at tomorrow's EU-US summit.
Times Weekend FT Guardian Guardian: Adam Independent Independent: Leader Independent: Juniper Sunday Telegraph: Booker BBC BBC: Hewitt blog Observer
EUobserver European Voice
EU regulations set to force the break up of bailed-out British banks
A proposed restructuring of the Royal Bank of Scotland by the European Commission could see shares in the British bank plummet. There are concerns that the restructuring, which could see RBS forced to sell off 300 branches in England and Natwest branches in Scotland in order to increase competition, could damage the bank's recovery.
Alistair Darling announced the moves to break up many of the leading banks, as a way to inject new competition into the sector. However the Conservative Party claims he has been forced into it by the EU. Shadow City Minister, Mark Hoban said "when we called for smaller banks six months ago the Treasury dismissed our calls as being on the wrong side of the argument. Now they are being forced into it by the EU".
Telegraph City AM Guardian Guardian 2 WSJ Times Telegraph Sunday Telegraph
French Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo writes in French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche that his 'justice-climate' plan of aid for developing states will not involve new taxes but that "we are pondering over innovative sources of finance, an example being a tax on financial transactions."
LeMonde
Le Monde reports that the EU is examining the possibility of organising communal chartered flights to return illegal immigrants to their home country. The move comes after an official request from French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
CoulissesDeBruxelles LeMonde
The FT reports that a new report from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development says that central and eastern Europe must get rid of its "addiction to foreign currency debt".
FT EurActiv
In the Independent Sean O'Grady writes, "although we occupy such a tiny corner of the globe, trading so much with one another, we Europeans have far less in common than we might think. We are very structurally divergent, and it has taken this crisis to show us quite how much."
Independent: O'Grady
Writing in the Mail on Sunday Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague argued that David Miliband has carried out a "ruthless smear campaign against the Conservative Party's allies in the European Parliament."
Mail on Sunday Telegraph
On his Telegraph blog Conservative MEP Dan Hannan notes that, from midnight last night, the European Commission became illegal because only the Commission President has been re-appointed, and the old Commission's mandate has expired.
Telegraph: Hannan blog
The BBC reports that the Smos satellite, part of the European Space Agency's Earth Explorer programme has set off, with the aim of providing major new insights into how water is cycled around the Earth, and is part of an eight-spacecraft series to acquire data on issues of environmental concern.
BBC
Saturday's Independent had a feature looking at EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes, asking is she "the most powerful woman in Europe?"
Independent
The Weekend FT reported that the EU's Payment Services Directive has come into force, with the aim of making it simpler and faster to pay bills abroad.
Weekend FT
Sueddeutsche reports that the nomination of Günther Oettinger as next EU Commissioner was only the third choice of Chancellor Merkel. The first two preferences were the CDU chief whip, Norbert Röttgen, and the leader of the German Federal State of Hessen, Roland Koch.
Sueddeutsche Netzeitung
German online newspaper Saarländische Online-Zeitung writes that a report from the Research Service of the German Bundestag questions the legality of introducing the Tobin tax on the basis of the Lisbon Treaty.
Saarländische Online-Zeitung
Open Europe is an independent think tank campaigning for radical reform of the EU. For information on our research, events and other activities, please visit our website: openeurope.org.uk or call us on 0207 197 2333.
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