Europe
Irish officials meet Danish counterparts to get advice on how to push through Lisbon Treaty;
Irish PM admits second Lisbon referendum will be considered
The Irish Independent reports that Taoiseach Brian Cowen has conceded the government will have to consider a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. He said: "I'm saying it's simply a matter the Government have to consider in due course. But we're not at that point in our discussions at all yet. The point we're at in our discussions is examining the outcome of the referendum and obviously there will be a number of meetings with EU colleagues between now and the end of the year when it will be discussed further with them." Mr Cowen's comments follow those of European Affairs Minister Dick Roche, who said at the weekend he felt a second referendum would ultimately be needed to solve the current impasse. Although Mr Cowen said that there had been much "idle speculation" on the matter, he did not admonish Mr Roche for his comments.
The Irish Times reports that Irish officials met with their Danish counterparts earlier this month to get advice on how Ireland could opt out of crucial aspects of the Lisbon Treaty, in a similar arrangement to the one the Danes opted for following the 'No' to the Maastricht Treaty in a referendum. In 1992, the Danish government responded to the rejection of the Maastricht Treaty by coming up with a proposal to opt out of four key areas of EU activity - the euro, defence, justice and common EU citizenship. The proposals were then approved in a second Danish referendum in 1993.
The article notes that if Ireland were to similarly seek opt-outs from the Lisbon Treaty on issues such as defence and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the approval of all other 26 EU member states would be required and another referendum in Ireland would be necessary. The meeting was first reported in Jyllands-Posten and diplomatic sources in Dublin have reportedly confirmed the meeting took place.
The Irish Independent reports that a spokeswoman for opposition party Fine Gael said that talk of a second referendum was unhelpful, and only served to highlight the "arrogance and lack of respect" the government has for voters. A spokesman for the Labour Party reiterated the party's belief that there can be no question of simply putting the same proposition to the people again. He said comments about holding a second referendum were "not helpful".
The leader of Fianna Fail's Progressive Democrat partners said: "One way or another, we will have to return to the Irish people to consult them on the way forward with the European Union. I believe we must fully analyse why it was that the recent referendum was rejected and we must construct a fresh proposition, with the help of the European Union, which will find the clear support of the Irish people."
Green Party leader and Environment Minister John Gormley said it was too early to offer up ideas on what to do, but said the issue was bound to be discussed when Taoiseach Brian Cowen goes to Brussels next week, ostensibly for talks about the crisis in Georgia.
Irish Independent Irish Times Open Europe blog Irish Independent leader Irish Independent 2 Irish Independent 3
Danish government vouches to defend Denmark's immigration laws against ECJ ruling - "no one imagined that the EU would go as far as it has''
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said he will defend his country's immigration laws, following an ECJ ruling which struck down restrictions on the residency of foreign spouses of EU citizens. Bloomberg quotes Rasmussen as saying, "Denmark's immigration policy is not going to change; the voters need to know that the law holds. We're trying to change the set of rules inside the EU so that we can get things as we want them."
The ruling has stirred controversy in Denmark, with the government being accused of misinforming Danish citizens that the EU's rules on free movement do not apply in these instances. Integration Minister Birth Roenn Hornbech is quoted as saying, "We've agreed to free movement of labor in the EU but not the consequences of this principle. When we passed our immigration law in 2002, no one imagined that the EU would go as far as it has.''
Russia wins deepwater port in Abkazia - Crimea could be next on the list
UK Foreign Minister David Miliband warned Moscow to prepare for "hard-headed engagement" yesterday. However, De Tijd reports that Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson has said "the support of the EU for Russia entering the World Trade Organisation remains intact... obstacles still exist, but can be overcome if there is enough political will".
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Hryhoriy Nemyria told the BBC Today Programme that his country was committed to holding a referendum on Nato membership. Bernard Kouchner, the French Foreign Minister, warned that "There are other objectives that one can suppose are objectives for Russia, in particular the Crimea, Ukraine and Moldova."
The Guardian reports that Ukrainian officials say Russia has been distributing passports to ethnic Russians living in Crimea, in a similar manner to Moscow's actions in South Ossetia. The IHT notes however that Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said he would open negotiations with the authorities in Moscow to raise the rent on the Russian naval base at Sevastopol. The paper also reports that the leader of the separatist region of Abkhazia said he would invite Russia to establish a naval base at the deep-water port of Sukhumi.
According to El Pais, Russian President Dmitri Medvédev has already warned Moldova not to commit "the same mistake as Georgia" in regard to the separatist region of Transdniester. The Telegraph notes that Moscow backs separatist rebels in Moldova's region of Transdniester in much the same way that the Kremlin supported South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The Telegraph notes that so far, only the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, has followed Russia and recognised the independence of the two regions.
BBC Europe Correspondent Mark Mardell notes on his blog that President Sarkozy's suggestion that having the Lisbon Treaty in force would have made dealing with Russia is "rather an odd red herring of an argument". He argues that "institutional arrangements would have little impact on a fundamental truth of EU foreign policy: the huge difficulty in agreeing anything beyond bland platitudes."
Le Monde Le Monde FT FT 2 FT 3 FT Saakashvili EUobserver Telegraph Telegraph Times IHT Daily Mail BBC Today BBC Today 2 El Pais Independent Guardian European Voice European Voice Guérot De Tijd BBC Mardell Volkskrant The Guardian
Wind farms in "£6 billion rip-off"
The new wind farms required in the UK in order to meet EU renewable energy targets have been labelled "subsidy farms" by the EU Referendum blog. The blog notes that a single wind farm could receive up to £43 million in subsidies over twenty-five years. The article estimates that by 2020, wind farms could add £6 billion a year to consumers' energy bills, adding 25% more to the current cost of domestic electricity. Business Secretary John Hutton has said in an interview with the Telegraph that new energy investments could top £100 billion over the next decade.
Telegraph EU Referendum EU Referendum 2
Prospect: Mandelson "won the battle of spin" at Doha talks
Prospect's 'Brussels Diary' notes that Mandelson's time as EU Trade Commissioner has been "wasted" as a result of the failure of the Doha trade talks. However, it notes that "at least he won the battle of spin" by placing the blame on the US and India. It notes that Mandelson used his "famed media skills" to present the EU offer as new and generous, when in fact it was "really an update of the old one".
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EU announces funding for film projects
The EU has announced 2 million euros worth of funding for international film projects. The funds will go towards EU and international training for "film professionals", film promotion activities and the running of the existing 'Europa' cinema chain.
Commission: EU fisheries fleet needs to be reduced
European Voice reports that Joe Borg, the EU Fisheries Commissioner, is to urge the Commission to speed up the process of Fisheries reform, although specific proposals are unlikely to emerge before the end of the Commission's term in October next year. Borg is expected to call for a reduction of the current fishing fleet size, something which he has called for previously, at a meeting of Commissioners next week. Last year the European Court of Auditors slammed the current fisheries policy in a report that highlighted unreliable catch data, weak punishments for over fishing and poor inspection systems.
Romania is to build the EU's largest onshore wind farm to meet its EU renewable energy targets.
EU directive orders musicians to keep volume down at Proms
Under an EU directive passed in April this year, the BBC is required to make sure that performers at this year's Proms are not exposed to excessive levels of noise. The directive limits noise levels to 140 decibels, which has subjected the BBC to extra costs and bureaucracy, although a spokesman insisted that the changes would not alter the audience's experience.
UK
TPA: Green taxes cost families £800 a year more than necessary
In a report published by the Taxpayer's Alliance it was calculated that UK households are paying around £800 too much in green taxes. According to the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, UK emissions caused £4.6 billion of damage in 2007, which means, the TPA claim, that the Treasury made a £20 billion in "excess" revenue from green taxes. These findings strengthen suspicions that ministers are using the environment as a cover for revenue-raising measures.
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