THE NEWS
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30.10.2009 - 17:08
EU leaders aim to put treaty in place by 1 December
http://euobserver.com/9/28918/?rk=1
LATEST BLOG POSTS
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Imagine that! / Behind the Scenes
http://blogs.euobserver.com/mahony/?p=516
The problems with Lisbon / The Digger
http://blogs.euobserver.com/gardner/?p=38
Parliament Flunks Press Freedom / A View from the Outfield
http://blogs.euobserver.com/berry/?p=167
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Alternative to UN (YouTube Video)
An Alternative to the UN
The hypocritical UN, that diseased body of the dysfunctional family of nations, is worthless except as a polluted podium for the sworn enemies of freedom, righteousness and democracy.
(read more ...)
UN
An Alternative to the UN
The hypocritical UN, that diseased body of the dysfunctional family of nations, is worthless except as a polluted podium for the sworn enemies of freedom, righteousness and democracy.
It would have been well for the United States to have expelled the accursed UN from off our sacred soil of liberty years ago rather than empower them with a voice and credibility they clearly do not deserve.
The affirmative action UN has dumbed down and endangered the world and we have aided and abetted their terrorism against Judeo-Christian civilization.
The UN is an assault against those biblical values we hold dear, an insult to the ideals we championed: In the words of Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, …”the Charter of the United Nations reflected our national optimism and our predilection for faith in good works. It was idealistic to the point of utopianism. …And it was doomed from the start.”
Remember when Chuck Lichenstein, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and deputy to Ambassador Kirkpatrick soundly remarked: “If, in the judicious determination of the members of the United Nations, they feel they are not welcome and treated with the hostly consideration that is their due, the United States strongly encourages member states to consider seriously removing themselves and this organization from the soil of the United States. We will put no impediment in your way, and we will be at the dockside bidding you farewell as you set off into the sunset"?
I disagree they were due anything but utmost contempt, abusing the good graces and naive hospitality of We The People of these United States.
Even as many are recognizing the desperate need for an alternative to the highly discredited Nobel Peace Prize, irreparably tarnished by leftists, proposing the Reagan Prize - it is imperative for the English-speaking nations of white Israelites to forge a more perfect union than the Gentile-dominated UN to advance our cause and secure our rights.
Cecil Rhodes was correct when he stated: "I contend that we are the first race in the world and that the more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race." Of course, inspired men like Rhodes were instrumental in fulfilling prophecies about British-Israelites (Ephraim), the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples, inheriting the ends of the Earth. Israel in the Isles was driven by Manifest Destiny to settle and colonize our God-given inheritances, as the American people (Manasseh) claimed our God-given inheritance from sea to shining sea.
Rhodes' ideal of an English-speaking union of nations has been corrupted by godless globalists, his plans perverted, nevertheless it stands as a springboard for ideas we must seriously consider, so help us God.
Whether our white Israelite nations, including our Jewish brethren, amend our ways and work together for our common good, remembering our Hebrew roots and biblical responsibilities, we are reassured by the words of the Prophets that we shall ultimately, collectively, serve as One Nation Under God: a truly United Kingdom.
It would have been well for the United States to have expelled the accursed UN from off our sacred soil of liberty years ago rather than empower them with a voice and credibility they clearly do not deserve.
The affirmative action UN has dumbed down and endangered the world and we have aided and abetted their terrorism against Judeo-Christian civilization.
The UN is an assault against those biblical values we hold dear, an insult to the ideals we championed: In the words of Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, …”the Charter of the United Nations reflected our national optimism and our predilection for faith in good works. It was idealistic to the point of utopianism. …And it was doomed from the start.”
Remember when Chuck Lichenstein, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and deputy to Ambassador Kirkpatrick soundly remarked: “If, in the judicious determination of the members of the United Nations, they feel they are not welcome and treated with the hostly consideration that is their due, the United States strongly encourages member states to consider seriously removing themselves and this organization from the soil of the United States. We will put no impediment in your way, and we will be at the dockside bidding you farewell as you set off into the sunset"?
I disagree they were due anything but utmost contempt, abusing the good graces and naive hospitality of We The People of these United States.
Even as many are recognizing the desperate need for an alternative to the highly discredited Nobel Peace Prize, irreparably tarnished by leftists, proposing the Reagan Prize - it is imperative for the English-speaking nations of white Israelites to forge a more perfect union than the Gentile-dominated UN to advance our cause and secure our rights.
Cecil Rhodes was correct when he stated: "I contend that we are the first race in the world and that the more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race." Of course, inspired men like Rhodes were instrumental in fulfilling prophecies about British-Israelites (Ephraim), the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples, inheriting the ends of the Earth. Israel in the Isles was driven by Manifest Destiny to settle and colonize our God-given inheritances, as the American people (Manasseh) claimed our God-given inheritance from sea to shining sea.
Rhodes' ideal of an English-speaking union of nations has been corrupted by godless globalists, his plans perverted, nevertheless it stands as a springboard for ideas we must seriously consider, so help us God.
Whether our white Israelite nations, including our Jewish brethren, amend our ways and work together for our common good, remembering our Hebrew roots and biblical responsibilities, we are reassured by the words of the Prophets that we shall ultimately, collectively, serve as One Nation Under God: a truly United Kingdom.
Open Europe press summary: 30 October 2009
Europe
Blair's chances of becoming EU President dwindle following backroom deal between Sarkozy and Merkel
Media reports across Europe note that Tony Blair's prospects of becoming President of the European Council are diminishing, after German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy during a dinner on Wednesday appear to have decided that the post should go to a centre-right politician. This seems to be part of a deal between Europe's political leaders, in which the Left would nominate a candidate for the post of EU Foreign Minister, while the group of centre-right governments would nominate the President -- effectively ruling out Mr Blair. FT Deutschland writes: "one thing seems certain: the British Prime Minister is out of the game".
Jean-David Levitte, Sarkozy's foreign policy adviser, said last night that it was unlikely that France would support a presidential candidate from the UK - despite Sarkozy having previously announced his support for Blair. Levitte said: "The UK is not in the eurozone, nor in the Schengen and it has a number of opt outs. These are not advantageous in this search for a candidate."
Spanish newspapers report that Prime Minister Jose Zapetero, who also was expected to back Blair, has said that European centre-left leaders have "a preference for the high representative. That is rather reasonable." The Times notes that Zapatero also appeared to be echoing French concerns over a British candidate. "I want a real European president who wants to strengthen the union. He has to be in favour of the union and of the common policies," he said.
Meanwhile, several smaller member states still favour a low-profile "chairman" candidate for the post, rather than a high-profile figure. Matti Vanhanen, the Finnish Prime Minister, said yesterday: "The role of the permanent president -- he or she is really the chairman of the European Council, not the President of Europe. The job is to prepare items for the European Council." The Irish media notes that Irish PM Brian Cowen has withdrawn his support for Blair in favour of the country's former PM John Bruton.
Gordon Brown yesterday came out strongly backing Tony Blair's candidacy, saying that he would become "an excellent President" and that having him in the position "is in the British national interest." Brown yesterday met with European socialist leaders from across Europe, with Sueddeutsche Zeitung noting that Brown and Martin Schultz, head of the European Socialists in the European Parliament, had a "heated clash". The British PM urged the participants at the meeting to "get real" about the advantages of Blair becoming President. However, Schulz is quoted in the German press saying: "The holder of the office must come from a country which embraces all the political institutions of the union, such as the Schengen agreement or the euro. Britain does not meet those criteria."
A YouGov poll for the Telegraph showed that fewer than one in three British voters want Blair to become the first president of the EU. In a poll of 50 Labour backbenchers by the Guardian, 35 said they backed the former prime minster for the role and 15 did not.
Other candidates for the post include Jan Peter Balkenende, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Jean-Claude Juncker, the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, and Wolfgang Schüssel, the former Chancellor of Austria.
The apparent unlikelihood of Blair becoming President has boosted the chances of a Briton taking on the Foreign Minister role. Foreign Secretary David Miliband has been shortlisted by the socialist grouping in the European Parliament but Miliband and Gordon Brown were quick to disqualify him from the running. The Guardian quotes him saying, "Not available, as the prime minister said." The Economist's Charlemagne writes "He insists that he is not 'available' for the High Rep post but, tellingly, he earned praise from EU types for a speech on October 26th, calling for Europe to get its act together or become 'spectators in a G2 world' shaped by China and America."
According to Swedish media, the Swedish Presidency could call an extra EU Council meeting around 12-13 November to decide on the names for EU President and Foreign Minister.
Mail Sun Sun 2 Telegraph Telegraph-Randall IHT Sydsvenskan Europaportalen Jyllands-Posten Irish Times: Waters Independent: Richards Guardian Times Times: Analysis Economist BBC: Gavin Hewitt's blog FT FT 2 Irish Independent Independent ABC.es Guardian Irish Times Irish Times 2 Irish Times Opinion Irish Independent EUobserver Guardian Economist: Charlemagne FT: Stephens Guardian Economist: Charlemagne FT: Stephens LeMonde El Mundo El Mundo 2 La Razon
Conservatives to promise a "referendum guarantee" on future transfer of power to EU
The Mail reports that the Conservatives are preparing to promise a "referendum guarantee" on all future transfers of power to Brussels. The paper notes that senior members of the party accept it would be futile to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty if it has already been ratified across the EU by the time they hope to win power next spring.
The article notes that the next Conservative government will amend the 1972 European Communities Act, which first allowed EU law to be incorporated into the British legal system. If a future government tries to transfer further competences from Britain to the EU, a national referendum before it could be ratified would be required by law.
Speaking on the BBC's Newsnight programme about what a Conservative government would do if the Lisbon Treaty was in force, former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, said that in his view, "a Conservative government will want to negotiate for a repatriation of powers - it will take some time to do that - and at the end of that process I have no doubt that the Conservative government would want to have a referendum of the British public to see whether it was satisfied with what had been done."
The Economist's Bagehot argues that, by leaving the EPP grouping in the European Parliament, the Conservatives "have alienated and baffled other European conservatives. By abdicating the centre of European politics for the fringe, the Tories have convinced many in Europe that they can legitimately be ignored."
Mail BBC: Newsnight Independent: Hamilton Etoile Economist: Bagehot
EU leaders grant Vaclav Klaus' demand on Lisbon Treaty
Several newspapers report that EU leaders agreed to grant the Czech Republic assurances on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in order to ensure the final ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. EUobserver quotes Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt saying: "The European Council has been able to take a decision and agree on what has been asked for by the Czech Republic". The article notes that the 'opt-out' will be ratified after the Lisbon Treaty has gone into place and probably as part of a future EU accession treaty.
Slovakia was granted a declaration that simply confirmed that the Charter is "addressed...to the member states only when they are implementing Union law." The article notes that the deal satisfied both Slovakia and Hungary that the Charter would not affect the current Benes Decrees on property rights in the countries.
DPA notes that if the Czech Constitutional Court rejects legal complaints against the Lisbon Treaty next Tuesday, Czech President Vaclav Klaus will give his signature in November. The article says that the Lisbon Treaty shall then come into force on 1 December, according to French delegates at the EU summit.
Stern Kurier FAZ Die Presse Handelsblatt Sueddeutsche ORF Ad Hoc News DPA LeMonde EUobserver FT Irish Times El País La Razon ABC.es Guardian
EU to charter flights to deport illegal immigrants
The Telegraph reports that the EU is drawing up plans to charter its own flights to return illegal immigrants to their home countries. Under the plan, individual member states would be able to claim seats on flights for rejected asylum seekers they wish to remove, funded and operated by Frontex, the EU's external border agency. The article notes that the plan is set to be approved at today's EU summit.
Telegraph
In an interview with Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet, Open Europe's Pieter Cleppe questioned the independence of think tanks working on EU policy while being funded by the EU. He said, "A lot of think tanks are financed by the European Union. How then can they assess EU policies in an independent way?"
No link
Le Figaro reports that EU member states gave the go-ahead to the creation of the European External Action Service during yesterday's EU Council summit, thus creating a powerful diplomatic service comprising the external relations portfolios of the Commission and the Council, which will be headed by the new EU Foreign Minister.
Le Figaro Open Europe blog
Eastern European states say they cannot afford current EU climate change proposal
EU ministers failed to reach any agreement over climate change action yesterday, as disputes over funding continued. The Guardian reports that Poland and other eastern European member states threatened to block agreement on a financial package for the developing world. "In its current form, the burden sharing is not acceptable," said Gordon Bajnai, the Hungarian Prime Minister, a view shared by many members from Eastern Europe. In addition, contrary to assertions by Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt that "we need a figure", France and Germany continue to argue that specific budgetary commitments should not be made until the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen this December.
Guardian Independent AP El País Le Figaro Le Monde EUobserver
French Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner has sent a letter of congratulations to Guido Westervelle on his appointment as Germany's Foreign Affairs Minister, writing: "the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty will allow us [France and Germany] to play an even more active role on the European and international scenes...Our governments will have to continue...developing together new initiatives in favour of European integration and a controlled globalisation."
French Foreign Ministry
Miliband asked to apologise for 'anti-Semite' accusations against Conservative ally
PA reports that Foreign Secretary David Miliband has been asked to apologise for his criticism of MEP Michal Kaminski as an anti-Semite after the Chief Rabbi of Poland condemned such comments as a "painful and false" stereotype of Poles. Kaminski is the leader of the Conservatives' new group in the European Parliament.
Conservative Home Iain Dale's Diary
Commission criticises Sarkozy's plan for more aid to the French agricultural sector
Le Figaro reports that the EU Commission did not appreciate discovering French President Nicolas Sarkozy's new agricultural intervention plan "on the TV" and that "it is normal procedure and a right [of the Commission] that such plans should not be put into place before having specified...the eligibility criteria [and] how many farmers will benefit [from aid]."
Le Figaro
Barroso puts German in key position within the EU Commission
FTD reports that the current spokesman for the Commission, Johannes Laitenberger, will become the new Head of Cabinet in November and thus one of the most powerful officials in the EU Commission. An expert of the Commission is quoted saying: "The Head of Cabinet has often more powers than many Commissioners".
FTD
Government set to shelve £23bn Severn Barrage tidal project
The Times reports that plans to build a ten-mile tidal barrage across the River Severn that could generate up to 5 per cent of Britain's electricity are likely to be shelved under a government cost-cutting drive. Advocates of the scheme, including the Sustainable Development Commission argue that it would help Britain to meet its ambitious EU targets of generating 30 per cent of UK electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Government figures show that the cost of generating electricity from a barrage across the Severn or from a tidal lagoon could be as high as £317 per megawatt hour, compared with £38 for nuclear power and no more than £85 for offshore wind.
Times Open Europe research
As Lloyds outlined plans to sidestep the Government's toxic loan insurance scheme, the group insisted that the European Commission isn't going to force huge asset sales on the firm as it has done with Dutch firm ING. Shares rose by 8 percent on the news.
WSJ WSJ: Analysis Mail Guardian
Moody's Investor Services warned the Greek and Portuguese governments of possible future downgrades of their sovereign debt.
WSJ
On Conservative Home's Centre Right blog, Matthew Sinclair writes that the EU's emissions trading scheme will cost British consumers £3bn in 2008.
Conservative Home: Sinclair Open Europe research
UK
In an analysis in Le Monde, Virginie Maingre describes David Cameron as a future Prime Minister "in search of charisma", pointing to the fact that most of the people that would vote for him would do so as a protest against Gordon Brown.
Le Monde
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.
Blair's chances of becoming EU President dwindle following backroom deal between Sarkozy and Merkel
Media reports across Europe note that Tony Blair's prospects of becoming President of the European Council are diminishing, after German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy during a dinner on Wednesday appear to have decided that the post should go to a centre-right politician. This seems to be part of a deal between Europe's political leaders, in which the Left would nominate a candidate for the post of EU Foreign Minister, while the group of centre-right governments would nominate the President -- effectively ruling out Mr Blair. FT Deutschland writes: "one thing seems certain: the British Prime Minister is out of the game".
Jean-David Levitte, Sarkozy's foreign policy adviser, said last night that it was unlikely that France would support a presidential candidate from the UK - despite Sarkozy having previously announced his support for Blair. Levitte said: "The UK is not in the eurozone, nor in the Schengen and it has a number of opt outs. These are not advantageous in this search for a candidate."
Spanish newspapers report that Prime Minister Jose Zapetero, who also was expected to back Blair, has said that European centre-left leaders have "a preference for the high representative. That is rather reasonable." The Times notes that Zapatero also appeared to be echoing French concerns over a British candidate. "I want a real European president who wants to strengthen the union. He has to be in favour of the union and of the common policies," he said.
Meanwhile, several smaller member states still favour a low-profile "chairman" candidate for the post, rather than a high-profile figure. Matti Vanhanen, the Finnish Prime Minister, said yesterday: "The role of the permanent president -- he or she is really the chairman of the European Council, not the President of Europe. The job is to prepare items for the European Council." The Irish media notes that Irish PM Brian Cowen has withdrawn his support for Blair in favour of the country's former PM John Bruton.
Gordon Brown yesterday came out strongly backing Tony Blair's candidacy, saying that he would become "an excellent President" and that having him in the position "is in the British national interest." Brown yesterday met with European socialist leaders from across Europe, with Sueddeutsche Zeitung noting that Brown and Martin Schultz, head of the European Socialists in the European Parliament, had a "heated clash". The British PM urged the participants at the meeting to "get real" about the advantages of Blair becoming President. However, Schulz is quoted in the German press saying: "The holder of the office must come from a country which embraces all the political institutions of the union, such as the Schengen agreement or the euro. Britain does not meet those criteria."
A YouGov poll for the Telegraph showed that fewer than one in three British voters want Blair to become the first president of the EU. In a poll of 50 Labour backbenchers by the Guardian, 35 said they backed the former prime minster for the role and 15 did not.
Other candidates for the post include Jan Peter Balkenende, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Jean-Claude Juncker, the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, and Wolfgang Schüssel, the former Chancellor of Austria.
The apparent unlikelihood of Blair becoming President has boosted the chances of a Briton taking on the Foreign Minister role. Foreign Secretary David Miliband has been shortlisted by the socialist grouping in the European Parliament but Miliband and Gordon Brown were quick to disqualify him from the running. The Guardian quotes him saying, "Not available, as the prime minister said." The Economist's Charlemagne writes "He insists that he is not 'available' for the High Rep post but, tellingly, he earned praise from EU types for a speech on October 26th, calling for Europe to get its act together or become 'spectators in a G2 world' shaped by China and America."
According to Swedish media, the Swedish Presidency could call an extra EU Council meeting around 12-13 November to decide on the names for EU President and Foreign Minister.
Mail Sun Sun 2 Telegraph Telegraph-Randall IHT Sydsvenskan Europaportalen Jyllands-Posten Irish Times: Waters Independent: Richards Guardian Times Times: Analysis Economist BBC: Gavin Hewitt's blog FT FT 2 Irish Independent Independent ABC.es Guardian Irish Times Irish Times 2 Irish Times Opinion Irish Independent EUobserver Guardian Economist: Charlemagne FT: Stephens Guardian Economist: Charlemagne FT: Stephens LeMonde El Mundo El Mundo 2 La Razon
Conservatives to promise a "referendum guarantee" on future transfer of power to EU
The Mail reports that the Conservatives are preparing to promise a "referendum guarantee" on all future transfers of power to Brussels. The paper notes that senior members of the party accept it would be futile to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty if it has already been ratified across the EU by the time they hope to win power next spring.
The article notes that the next Conservative government will amend the 1972 European Communities Act, which first allowed EU law to be incorporated into the British legal system. If a future government tries to transfer further competences from Britain to the EU, a national referendum before it could be ratified would be required by law.
Speaking on the BBC's Newsnight programme about what a Conservative government would do if the Lisbon Treaty was in force, former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, said that in his view, "a Conservative government will want to negotiate for a repatriation of powers - it will take some time to do that - and at the end of that process I have no doubt that the Conservative government would want to have a referendum of the British public to see whether it was satisfied with what had been done."
The Economist's Bagehot argues that, by leaving the EPP grouping in the European Parliament, the Conservatives "have alienated and baffled other European conservatives. By abdicating the centre of European politics for the fringe, the Tories have convinced many in Europe that they can legitimately be ignored."
Mail BBC: Newsnight Independent: Hamilton Etoile Economist: Bagehot
EU leaders grant Vaclav Klaus' demand on Lisbon Treaty
Several newspapers report that EU leaders agreed to grant the Czech Republic assurances on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in order to ensure the final ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. EUobserver quotes Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt saying: "The European Council has been able to take a decision and agree on what has been asked for by the Czech Republic". The article notes that the 'opt-out' will be ratified after the Lisbon Treaty has gone into place and probably as part of a future EU accession treaty.
Slovakia was granted a declaration that simply confirmed that the Charter is "addressed...to the member states only when they are implementing Union law." The article notes that the deal satisfied both Slovakia and Hungary that the Charter would not affect the current Benes Decrees on property rights in the countries.
DPA notes that if the Czech Constitutional Court rejects legal complaints against the Lisbon Treaty next Tuesday, Czech President Vaclav Klaus will give his signature in November. The article says that the Lisbon Treaty shall then come into force on 1 December, according to French delegates at the EU summit.
Stern Kurier FAZ Die Presse Handelsblatt Sueddeutsche ORF Ad Hoc News DPA LeMonde EUobserver FT Irish Times El País La Razon ABC.es Guardian
EU to charter flights to deport illegal immigrants
The Telegraph reports that the EU is drawing up plans to charter its own flights to return illegal immigrants to their home countries. Under the plan, individual member states would be able to claim seats on flights for rejected asylum seekers they wish to remove, funded and operated by Frontex, the EU's external border agency. The article notes that the plan is set to be approved at today's EU summit.
Telegraph
In an interview with Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet, Open Europe's Pieter Cleppe questioned the independence of think tanks working on EU policy while being funded by the EU. He said, "A lot of think tanks are financed by the European Union. How then can they assess EU policies in an independent way?"
No link
Le Figaro reports that EU member states gave the go-ahead to the creation of the European External Action Service during yesterday's EU Council summit, thus creating a powerful diplomatic service comprising the external relations portfolios of the Commission and the Council, which will be headed by the new EU Foreign Minister.
Le Figaro Open Europe blog
Eastern European states say they cannot afford current EU climate change proposal
EU ministers failed to reach any agreement over climate change action yesterday, as disputes over funding continued. The Guardian reports that Poland and other eastern European member states threatened to block agreement on a financial package for the developing world. "In its current form, the burden sharing is not acceptable," said Gordon Bajnai, the Hungarian Prime Minister, a view shared by many members from Eastern Europe. In addition, contrary to assertions by Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt that "we need a figure", France and Germany continue to argue that specific budgetary commitments should not be made until the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen this December.
Guardian Independent AP El País Le Figaro Le Monde EUobserver
French Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner has sent a letter of congratulations to Guido Westervelle on his appointment as Germany's Foreign Affairs Minister, writing: "the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty will allow us [France and Germany] to play an even more active role on the European and international scenes...Our governments will have to continue...developing together new initiatives in favour of European integration and a controlled globalisation."
French Foreign Ministry
Miliband asked to apologise for 'anti-Semite' accusations against Conservative ally
PA reports that Foreign Secretary David Miliband has been asked to apologise for his criticism of MEP Michal Kaminski as an anti-Semite after the Chief Rabbi of Poland condemned such comments as a "painful and false" stereotype of Poles. Kaminski is the leader of the Conservatives' new group in the European Parliament.
Conservative Home Iain Dale's Diary
Commission criticises Sarkozy's plan for more aid to the French agricultural sector
Le Figaro reports that the EU Commission did not appreciate discovering French President Nicolas Sarkozy's new agricultural intervention plan "on the TV" and that "it is normal procedure and a right [of the Commission] that such plans should not be put into place before having specified...the eligibility criteria [and] how many farmers will benefit [from aid]."
Le Figaro
Barroso puts German in key position within the EU Commission
FTD reports that the current spokesman for the Commission, Johannes Laitenberger, will become the new Head of Cabinet in November and thus one of the most powerful officials in the EU Commission. An expert of the Commission is quoted saying: "The Head of Cabinet has often more powers than many Commissioners".
FTD
Government set to shelve £23bn Severn Barrage tidal project
The Times reports that plans to build a ten-mile tidal barrage across the River Severn that could generate up to 5 per cent of Britain's electricity are likely to be shelved under a government cost-cutting drive. Advocates of the scheme, including the Sustainable Development Commission argue that it would help Britain to meet its ambitious EU targets of generating 30 per cent of UK electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Government figures show that the cost of generating electricity from a barrage across the Severn or from a tidal lagoon could be as high as £317 per megawatt hour, compared with £38 for nuclear power and no more than £85 for offshore wind.
Times Open Europe research
As Lloyds outlined plans to sidestep the Government's toxic loan insurance scheme, the group insisted that the European Commission isn't going to force huge asset sales on the firm as it has done with Dutch firm ING. Shares rose by 8 percent on the news.
WSJ WSJ: Analysis Mail Guardian
Moody's Investor Services warned the Greek and Portuguese governments of possible future downgrades of their sovereign debt.
WSJ
On Conservative Home's Centre Right blog, Matthew Sinclair writes that the EU's emissions trading scheme will cost British consumers £3bn in 2008.
Conservative Home: Sinclair Open Europe research
UK
In an analysis in Le Monde, Virginie Maingre describes David Cameron as a future Prime Minister "in search of charisma", pointing to the fact that most of the people that would vote for him would do so as a protest against Gordon Brown.
Le Monde
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, October 29, 2009
Investigate Muslim disturbances upon Temple Mount
Rabbi’s Reply to Goldstone: Probe Arab Violence at Temple Mount
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
(IsraelNN.com) The proper response to the Goldstone Report, alleging Israel with committing war crimes in its battle against terrorism, is for an international panel to probe Muslim Arab violence on the Temple Mount, according to Rabbi Yisrael Rosen.
Writing in this Sabbath’s edition of a popular leaflet on Torah, Rabbi Rosen wrote, “I suggest an international panel…to investigate the events on the Temple Mount, including Muslim disturbances and their archaeological crimes, incitement and lies in the name of history."
Click here to continue
************
I can testify about the Nazi Muslim occupation of Judaism's holiest site - the Temple Mount - and their flagrant discrimination against Jews and Christians daily, aided and abetted by Israeli police.
A House of Prayer For All Peoples?
Jewish guards prevent Christians and Jews from exercising their religious right to pray on the Temple Mount? That's right! Only Muslims have unlimited access to Judaism's most holy site. Only the Koran is permitted within. The Tanach (Jewish Scripture, known to much of the world as the "Old Testament") and Christian Scriptures (the New Testament) are forbidden. Yet Israel claims to respect the religious rights of all people.
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
(IsraelNN.com) The proper response to the Goldstone Report, alleging Israel with committing war crimes in its battle against terrorism, is for an international panel to probe Muslim Arab violence on the Temple Mount, according to Rabbi Yisrael Rosen.
Writing in this Sabbath’s edition of a popular leaflet on Torah, Rabbi Rosen wrote, “I suggest an international panel…to investigate the events on the Temple Mount, including Muslim disturbances and their archaeological crimes, incitement and lies in the name of history."
Click here to continue
************
I can testify about the Nazi Muslim occupation of Judaism's holiest site - the Temple Mount - and their flagrant discrimination against Jews and Christians daily, aided and abetted by Israeli police.
A House of Prayer For All Peoples?
Jewish guards prevent Christians and Jews from exercising their religious right to pray on the Temple Mount? That's right! Only Muslims have unlimited access to Judaism's most holy site. Only the Koran is permitted within. The Tanach (Jewish Scripture, known to much of the world as the "Old Testament") and Christian Scriptures (the New Testament) are forbidden. Yet Israel claims to respect the religious rights of all people.
The Beneš Decrees and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights
by Professor Steve Peers
Since the Charter contains a ‘right to property’, it cannot seriously be argued that it ‘will not affect property rights’ in any Member State. It would make more sense to confirm that it does not affect property disputes which date before a Member State joined the EU (which it clearly does not). That would cover both the Czech and Slovak situations, and a lot more besides.
See my detailed analysis at: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2009/oct/lisbon-benes-decree.pdf
Since the Charter contains a ‘right to property’, it cannot seriously be argued that it ‘will not affect property rights’ in any Member State. It would make more sense to confirm that it does not affect property disputes which date before a Member State joined the EU (which it clearly does not). That would cover both the Czech and Slovak situations, and a lot more besides.
See my detailed analysis at: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2009/oct/lisbon-benes-decree.pdf
EU juggernaut rolls over Euroskeptics
Oettinger - step back / Europa-Transparent
************
Euroskeptics continue to be rolled over by the German-Jesuit EU juggernaut. It’s clear the “little people” don’t count (so much for referendums and transparency) when the elitists in the Tower of Brussels have already made up their mind for them – whether or not they realize it or want to face this harsh reality.
Bible Prophecy States EU to Form Core Group
The Intelligence Summit Misses the Mark: the German-Jesuit Threat to World Peace
Will The Atlantic Times address the German threat?
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
************
Euroskeptics continue to be rolled over by the German-Jesuit EU juggernaut. It’s clear the “little people” don’t count (so much for referendums and transparency) when the elitists in the Tower of Brussels have already made up their mind for them – whether or not they realize it or want to face this harsh reality.
Bible Prophecy States EU to Form Core Group
The Intelligence Summit Misses the Mark: the German-Jesuit Threat to World Peace
Will The Atlantic Times address the German threat?
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
Europe wallows in mire
Germany's choice / Behind the Scenes
************
Why do the Europeans wallow in such mire? As they're increasingly stripped of national sovereignty, won't they wonder why they started down such a dark alley? Do they really expect the elitists in Brussels to become more down to earth when they're building their Tower of Babel and await Nimrod to lead them?
Pope seeks privileged status for the RCC in Europe
The Lisbon Treaty forges an empire, an emperor and an anvil for war!
The Rape of Europe: "No Means No"
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
************
Why do the Europeans wallow in such mire? As they're increasingly stripped of national sovereignty, won't they wonder why they started down such a dark alley? Do they really expect the elitists in Brussels to become more down to earth when they're building their Tower of Babel and await Nimrod to lead them?
Pope seeks privileged status for the RCC in Europe
The Lisbon Treaty forges an empire, an emperor and an anvil for war!
The Rape of Europe: "No Means No"
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
Open Europe press summary: 29 October 2009
Europe
Conservatives warn EU of "five year war" with Britain if Blair is appointed President;
Miliband declares "I'm not a candidate" for EU Foreign Minister
EU leaders are meeting in Brussels today for a two day summit at which climate change, ratification and implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, and the new roles of President and Foreign Minister created by the Treaty will be at the top of the agenda. Le Monde reports that France and Germany are seeking to "reassert their alliance", noting that President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel met over dinner at the Elysée Palace yesterday, to discuss their priorities for the summit.
Under the headline, "I'm your man", the Times reports that Tony Blair will stand for the Presidency of the European Union if its leaders agree that the role is a substantial one requiring clout on the world stage. In what the paper describes as "the clearest indication so far" that Mr Blair wants the job, allies acknowledged last night that he would be a "highly interested spectator" as European heads of government meet tonight and tomorrow in Brussels.
The FT notes however that no announcements are expected at the summit, and the formal selection process is likely to be put off for a special meeting of the EU's 27 national leaders, perhaps in the second half of next month after the Czech Republic has completed ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. On his BBC blog, Gavin Hewitt writes "There can't be many campaigns like this. There is a job out there with a great title, but no-one has yet decided what it means, and there is a fierce argument being fought over a man who is not yet a candidate."
The Mail reports that Conservative sources have warned Europe it will face a "five-year war" with Britain if Mr Blair is installed as President. The paper notes that one shadow Cabinet minister said there was no question of a Conservative government working happily with a President Blair. "The message is clear: you can have President Blair and five years of internecine warfare with Britain over Europe; or you can have another president and a good working relationship," he said.
Writing in the Telegraph, Timothy Kirkhope, leader of the Conservatives in the EP, argues "By his very nature, Tony Blair will turn the post of President of the European Council into something that the overwhelming majority of Britons do not want and have been denied the opportunity to vote for."
In the Spectator, Charles Moore argues that a Tony Blair candidacy would be excellent news from the point of view of the Conservatives, because "if they succeeded in blocking it, by indicating to European leaders that a new Tory government would find it very hard to work with Mr Blair, that would show their power. If they failed, they would at last unite their own party against the European bureaucracy. Even the few remaining Eurofanatics in the party would be galvinised to oppose whatever President Tony wanted."
The BBC reports that Germany has "cooled" on Blair, with the chief whip of Germany's Free Democrats - the junior partner in the country's new coalition - saying he would prefer someone from a smaller country. The Evening Standard reports that a German diplomat said that Chancellor Angela Merkel does not like the idea of "having to listen to Mr Flash all the time".
Open Europe's Sarah Gaskell was quoted by Slovak paper HN on the prospect of Blair being appointed EU President.
Meanwhile, on his FT Brussels blog, Tony Barber notes that, despite having no power over the decision, the European Parliament's socialist group has drawn up a list of six candidates to become the EU's new Foreign Minister, which includes Foreign Secretary David Miliband. However, asked by the FT about the possibility of him taking on the EU Foreign Minister role, Foreign Secretary David Miliband responded saying, "I'll be very clear - I'm not a candidate."
On his Die Zeit blog, Jochen Bittner describes the appointment of the EU top jobs as being as transparent as political appointments in Pyongyang.
Times Times: Poirier Independent Conservative Home: Centre right BBC: Gavin Hewitt's blog Times 2 Le Monde Mail Telegraph 2 Telegraph: Kirkhope Telegraph: Gardiner BBC Express Independent: Clarke Guardian: Garton Ash Evening Standard: McElvoy Irish Times FT FT: Leader Spectator Evening Standard HN FT: Brussels blog El País FT 2 WSJ BBC: Gavin Hewitt's blog 2 IHT Le Figaro AP Zeit Blog
EU leaders prepare to give Czechs Irish-style 'guarantees' on Lisbon Treaty;
French Europe Minister offers to take Klaus a "magnum of champagne" if he signs
The Irish Times reports that Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer has said that President Vaclav Klaus has promised to sign the Lisbon Treaty if EU leaders give his country an 'opt-out' from the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Fischer said: "Yes I have this guarantee, I have this assurance from the president, from our meeting late yesterday afternoon. I have no reason not to trust him." European Voice says he will sign it if he gets the 'opt-out' and the Czech Constitutional Court rules in favour of Lisbon next week.
The Irish Times reports that Swedish diplomats will table a solution that closely follows the model of the 'Irish guarantees', which Taoiseach Brian Cowen was given in June. Under this scenario EU leaders will take a political decision to offer the 'opt-out', which will later be enshrined in the EU treaties when the next country joins the union in 2011 or 2012. However a separate article notes that "EU diplomats said yesterday that a deal on an opt-out was being negotiated but that it was still not certain given the extremely sensitive issues being discussed."
European Voice reports that Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that Slovakia will not insist on an opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights if one is granted to the Czech Republic. However, in the Irish Times Jamie Smyth writes that "Hungary is anxious about any opt-out that refers to property rights because some of its citizens were expelled from Czechoslovakia after the war. The fear in Brussels is that discussing opt-outs relating to sensitive historical issues will raise emotions and block a deal."
Meanwhile, in a speech in Ljubljana, French Europe Minister Pierre Lellouche said: "Everyone is committed to this Treaty being in place by 1 December... I hope we will have good news in the coming days and that in November we will get the President's signature. If the Czech President signs, I am supposed to be going to Prague anyway in mid-November, and I hope to take him a bottle of champagne. A magnum of champagne."
EU ministers will also discuss the establishment of an EU External Action Service, on the basis of a paper put forward by the Swedish EU Presidency last week.
Irish Times Irish Times European Voice Le Figaro WSJ French Foreign Office Euractiv
Germany and Poland the biggest obstacles to EU commitment to finance UN climate agreement
EU Ministers are set to face difficult discussions at the EU summit today over the financing of the fight against climate change. Euractiv reports that as the Copenhagen climate summit, to be held in December, draws nearer it seems less and less likely that the heads of state and government are going to be capable of presenting concrete sums to help finance emission reductions and climate adaption measures in developing countries.
AP quotes Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt saying "emerging economies are searching for the finances and without these they cannot take on the required engagements for emissions reductions". Whilst the UK argues that the EU should be spending €10 billion a year to help less developed countries go green, Germany does not want to commit to figures before Copenhagen. The Times notes that a group of nine eastern European countries led by Poland are also blocking the move, demanding to know exactly how much it will cost each nation before they sign up.
El País La Razon Lesechos Euractiv AP FT Times: Analysis
Senior EU Commission officials working for Mandeslon given tickets to rugby match by sportswear firm
European Voice reports that the European Commission has admitted that it should not have allowed two senior officials working for Peter Mandelson, the then EU Trade Commissioner, to accept VIP tickets from sportswear maker Nike to watch a rugby match in Paris. In September 2007, Nike offered two officials working in Mandelson's private office VIP tickets to see the opening game of the rugby world cup in Paris. The officials informed Simon Fraser, the head of Mandelson's office, who allowed the two to accept the offer. The two officials also travelled in a car provided by Nike staff from Brussels to Paris.
Environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth brought a complaint to the European Ombudsman, saying that the two officials could be involved in a conflict of interest because they had been working on anti-dumping duty cases involving sports shoes made in China and Vietnam. Friends of the Earth pointed out that the Commission's own guidance for staff states that "as a general rule of thumb you decline all such offers that have more than merely symbolic value". The Ombudsman found that while there was no actual conflict of interest, there was an "apparent conflict of interest", and offered the Commission, as an alternative to a verdict of maladministration, a "friendly solution" that involved the Commission admitting that it should not have allowed the two officials to accept the invitation.
European Voice
EU Commission approves Northern Rock split
The European Commission has approved the restructuring and increased government support for Northern Rock, which will allow the bank to split off its toxic assets into a bad bank. But British taxpayers will have to inject a further £8bn to achieve the separation, the Independent reports.
Meanwhile, the Commission is expected to announce in the next couple of days what penalties it will impose on the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group for the state support these banks have received. Both RBS' and Lloyds' shares have dropped in the last week, amid fears that the Commission will land a tougher verdict than expected, following the penalties it imposed on ING which were widely regarded as unexpectedly harsh.
Times Express Guardian Independent Telegraph-Osborne FT FT 2
ECB's former chief economist: "The challenges facing the ECB are tremendous"
In the Telegraph, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard looks at the contraction in the supply of so-called M3 broad money and the decline in loans to the private sector within the eurozone. He quotes Otmar Issing, the ECB's former chief economist, who told an Open Europe debate in London on Tuesday that "Nobody can be sure that we have a self-sustaining recovery. The challenges facing the ECB are tremendous. Money multipliers have collapsed everywhere. What M3 is telling us is that confidence is missing. I don't see any way to stabilise M3 in such circumstances," he said. At the same debate, Professor Tim Congdon from International Monetary Research called on the ECB to buy state bonds to insure against a 'double-dip' recession. However, Ambrose notes that "any move to purchase EMU state debt would erode ECB independence and be viewed in Berlin as a monetary bail-out of Club Med countries."
Telegraph: Evans-Pritchard Open Europe events
A communication by the French Immigration Ministry reports that Eric Besson, France's Immigration Minister, met with his British counterpart Phil Woolas on Tuesday to inaugurate the creation of a joint French-British operational intelligence centre in Folkstone, UK.
French Foreign Ministry
The EU and the US have adopted a "statement" which signals a common will to deepen cooperation between the USA and the EU for "strengthened freedom, security and justice", with particular emphasis on cooperation between each other's law enforcement agencies, according to the Swedish Presidency.
Swedish Presidency Open Europe press release Open Europe research
Head of the EPP: Cameron should quit new group in the European Parliament
Commenting in the Guardian, Wilfried Martens, Chair of the European People's Party says David Cameron's decision to switch political groupings had left the Conservatives working "with a weak and very marginal group that has no influence". Meanwhile, reporting on the BBC's Today Programme, Political Editor Nick Robinson predicted disappointment for Conservative 'eurosceptics' as, once in power, Cameron will be forced to work with the EU to get anything done.
Guardian BBC Today Irish Times
MEPs try to block free EU carbon permits to heavy industry
European Voice reports that a group of MEPs is making a last-ditch attempt to block the special help that is being offered to heavy-polluting industries under the EU's emissions trading scheme (ETS). Free permits to pollute under the ETS are envisaged for manufacturers of chemicals, iron and steel, cement, and lime. National governments, fearful that Europe's climate policy will damage competitiveness, asked the Commission to draw up the list of beneficiaries. The article notes that a majority of MEPs is required to overturn the list, which seems unlikely.
Meanwhile, the IHT reports that the European Commission yesterday proposed emissions limits for light trucks and vans, saying that that carmakers would not be permitted to use them as loopholes to increase production of sport utility vehicles as has happened in the US.
IHT European Voice Irish Times EUobserver
On her Mail blog, Mary Ellen Synon reports that according to accounts from the European Court of Auditors, the 26-week French Presidency of the EU cost £154 million, or £900,000 a day. The French Foreign Office has defended the spending, saying it was necessary to "bring the European Union closer to French citizens".
Mail: Synon French Foreign Office
The Austrian Press Agency reports that the Austrian State Secretary of Finance, Andreas Schieder, said that the EU Commission's plans for the new European Supervisory Authorities (ESA) do not go far enough.
APA
Der Spiegel reports that German EU Commissioner Günter Verheugen has described the nomination of Günther Oettinger as next the German EU Commissioner as an act of "disposal".
Spiegel Reuters
European Voice reports that Michael Izza, Chief Executive of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales has warned the EU that it risks scuppering attempts to create a single, global set of accounting rules. It said "political interference" from some of the EU's national governments in the work of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) risked alienating the US, Japan, Australia and China.
European Voice
UK
The Telegraph reports that the Constitutional Reform Bill will make it possible - and plausible, say his supporters - for Lord Mandelson to one day become Prime Minister.
Telegraph
Lord Mandelson said yesterday that he intends to press ahead with controversial measures to cut off the internet connections of people caught downloading pirated music, films or television programmes.
Times
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.
Conservatives warn EU of "five year war" with Britain if Blair is appointed President;
Miliband declares "I'm not a candidate" for EU Foreign Minister
EU leaders are meeting in Brussels today for a two day summit at which climate change, ratification and implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, and the new roles of President and Foreign Minister created by the Treaty will be at the top of the agenda. Le Monde reports that France and Germany are seeking to "reassert their alliance", noting that President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel met over dinner at the Elysée Palace yesterday, to discuss their priorities for the summit.
Under the headline, "I'm your man", the Times reports that Tony Blair will stand for the Presidency of the European Union if its leaders agree that the role is a substantial one requiring clout on the world stage. In what the paper describes as "the clearest indication so far" that Mr Blair wants the job, allies acknowledged last night that he would be a "highly interested spectator" as European heads of government meet tonight and tomorrow in Brussels.
The FT notes however that no announcements are expected at the summit, and the formal selection process is likely to be put off for a special meeting of the EU's 27 national leaders, perhaps in the second half of next month after the Czech Republic has completed ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. On his BBC blog, Gavin Hewitt writes "There can't be many campaigns like this. There is a job out there with a great title, but no-one has yet decided what it means, and there is a fierce argument being fought over a man who is not yet a candidate."
The Mail reports that Conservative sources have warned Europe it will face a "five-year war" with Britain if Mr Blair is installed as President. The paper notes that one shadow Cabinet minister said there was no question of a Conservative government working happily with a President Blair. "The message is clear: you can have President Blair and five years of internecine warfare with Britain over Europe; or you can have another president and a good working relationship," he said.
Writing in the Telegraph, Timothy Kirkhope, leader of the Conservatives in the EP, argues "By his very nature, Tony Blair will turn the post of President of the European Council into something that the overwhelming majority of Britons do not want and have been denied the opportunity to vote for."
In the Spectator, Charles Moore argues that a Tony Blair candidacy would be excellent news from the point of view of the Conservatives, because "if they succeeded in blocking it, by indicating to European leaders that a new Tory government would find it very hard to work with Mr Blair, that would show their power. If they failed, they would at last unite their own party against the European bureaucracy. Even the few remaining Eurofanatics in the party would be galvinised to oppose whatever President Tony wanted."
The BBC reports that Germany has "cooled" on Blair, with the chief whip of Germany's Free Democrats - the junior partner in the country's new coalition - saying he would prefer someone from a smaller country. The Evening Standard reports that a German diplomat said that Chancellor Angela Merkel does not like the idea of "having to listen to Mr Flash all the time".
Open Europe's Sarah Gaskell was quoted by Slovak paper HN on the prospect of Blair being appointed EU President.
Meanwhile, on his FT Brussels blog, Tony Barber notes that, despite having no power over the decision, the European Parliament's socialist group has drawn up a list of six candidates to become the EU's new Foreign Minister, which includes Foreign Secretary David Miliband. However, asked by the FT about the possibility of him taking on the EU Foreign Minister role, Foreign Secretary David Miliband responded saying, "I'll be very clear - I'm not a candidate."
On his Die Zeit blog, Jochen Bittner describes the appointment of the EU top jobs as being as transparent as political appointments in Pyongyang.
Times Times: Poirier Independent Conservative Home: Centre right BBC: Gavin Hewitt's blog Times 2 Le Monde Mail Telegraph 2 Telegraph: Kirkhope Telegraph: Gardiner BBC Express Independent: Clarke Guardian: Garton Ash Evening Standard: McElvoy Irish Times FT FT: Leader Spectator Evening Standard HN FT: Brussels blog El País FT 2 WSJ BBC: Gavin Hewitt's blog 2 IHT Le Figaro AP Zeit Blog
EU leaders prepare to give Czechs Irish-style 'guarantees' on Lisbon Treaty;
French Europe Minister offers to take Klaus a "magnum of champagne" if he signs
The Irish Times reports that Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer has said that President Vaclav Klaus has promised to sign the Lisbon Treaty if EU leaders give his country an 'opt-out' from the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Fischer said: "Yes I have this guarantee, I have this assurance from the president, from our meeting late yesterday afternoon. I have no reason not to trust him." European Voice says he will sign it if he gets the 'opt-out' and the Czech Constitutional Court rules in favour of Lisbon next week.
The Irish Times reports that Swedish diplomats will table a solution that closely follows the model of the 'Irish guarantees', which Taoiseach Brian Cowen was given in June. Under this scenario EU leaders will take a political decision to offer the 'opt-out', which will later be enshrined in the EU treaties when the next country joins the union in 2011 or 2012. However a separate article notes that "EU diplomats said yesterday that a deal on an opt-out was being negotiated but that it was still not certain given the extremely sensitive issues being discussed."
European Voice reports that Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that Slovakia will not insist on an opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights if one is granted to the Czech Republic. However, in the Irish Times Jamie Smyth writes that "Hungary is anxious about any opt-out that refers to property rights because some of its citizens were expelled from Czechoslovakia after the war. The fear in Brussels is that discussing opt-outs relating to sensitive historical issues will raise emotions and block a deal."
Meanwhile, in a speech in Ljubljana, French Europe Minister Pierre Lellouche said: "Everyone is committed to this Treaty being in place by 1 December... I hope we will have good news in the coming days and that in November we will get the President's signature. If the Czech President signs, I am supposed to be going to Prague anyway in mid-November, and I hope to take him a bottle of champagne. A magnum of champagne."
EU ministers will also discuss the establishment of an EU External Action Service, on the basis of a paper put forward by the Swedish EU Presidency last week.
Irish Times Irish Times European Voice Le Figaro WSJ French Foreign Office Euractiv
Germany and Poland the biggest obstacles to EU commitment to finance UN climate agreement
EU Ministers are set to face difficult discussions at the EU summit today over the financing of the fight against climate change. Euractiv reports that as the Copenhagen climate summit, to be held in December, draws nearer it seems less and less likely that the heads of state and government are going to be capable of presenting concrete sums to help finance emission reductions and climate adaption measures in developing countries.
AP quotes Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt saying "emerging economies are searching for the finances and without these they cannot take on the required engagements for emissions reductions". Whilst the UK argues that the EU should be spending €10 billion a year to help less developed countries go green, Germany does not want to commit to figures before Copenhagen. The Times notes that a group of nine eastern European countries led by Poland are also blocking the move, demanding to know exactly how much it will cost each nation before they sign up.
El País La Razon Lesechos Euractiv AP FT Times: Analysis
Senior EU Commission officials working for Mandeslon given tickets to rugby match by sportswear firm
European Voice reports that the European Commission has admitted that it should not have allowed two senior officials working for Peter Mandelson, the then EU Trade Commissioner, to accept VIP tickets from sportswear maker Nike to watch a rugby match in Paris. In September 2007, Nike offered two officials working in Mandelson's private office VIP tickets to see the opening game of the rugby world cup in Paris. The officials informed Simon Fraser, the head of Mandelson's office, who allowed the two to accept the offer. The two officials also travelled in a car provided by Nike staff from Brussels to Paris.
Environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth brought a complaint to the European Ombudsman, saying that the two officials could be involved in a conflict of interest because they had been working on anti-dumping duty cases involving sports shoes made in China and Vietnam. Friends of the Earth pointed out that the Commission's own guidance for staff states that "as a general rule of thumb you decline all such offers that have more than merely symbolic value". The Ombudsman found that while there was no actual conflict of interest, there was an "apparent conflict of interest", and offered the Commission, as an alternative to a verdict of maladministration, a "friendly solution" that involved the Commission admitting that it should not have allowed the two officials to accept the invitation.
European Voice
EU Commission approves Northern Rock split
The European Commission has approved the restructuring and increased government support for Northern Rock, which will allow the bank to split off its toxic assets into a bad bank. But British taxpayers will have to inject a further £8bn to achieve the separation, the Independent reports.
Meanwhile, the Commission is expected to announce in the next couple of days what penalties it will impose on the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group for the state support these banks have received. Both RBS' and Lloyds' shares have dropped in the last week, amid fears that the Commission will land a tougher verdict than expected, following the penalties it imposed on ING which were widely regarded as unexpectedly harsh.
Times Express Guardian Independent Telegraph-Osborne FT FT 2
ECB's former chief economist: "The challenges facing the ECB are tremendous"
In the Telegraph, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard looks at the contraction in the supply of so-called M3 broad money and the decline in loans to the private sector within the eurozone. He quotes Otmar Issing, the ECB's former chief economist, who told an Open Europe debate in London on Tuesday that "Nobody can be sure that we have a self-sustaining recovery. The challenges facing the ECB are tremendous. Money multipliers have collapsed everywhere. What M3 is telling us is that confidence is missing. I don't see any way to stabilise M3 in such circumstances," he said. At the same debate, Professor Tim Congdon from International Monetary Research called on the ECB to buy state bonds to insure against a 'double-dip' recession. However, Ambrose notes that "any move to purchase EMU state debt would erode ECB independence and be viewed in Berlin as a monetary bail-out of Club Med countries."
Telegraph: Evans-Pritchard Open Europe events
A communication by the French Immigration Ministry reports that Eric Besson, France's Immigration Minister, met with his British counterpart Phil Woolas on Tuesday to inaugurate the creation of a joint French-British operational intelligence centre in Folkstone, UK.
French Foreign Ministry
The EU and the US have adopted a "statement" which signals a common will to deepen cooperation between the USA and the EU for "strengthened freedom, security and justice", with particular emphasis on cooperation between each other's law enforcement agencies, according to the Swedish Presidency.
Swedish Presidency Open Europe press release Open Europe research
Head of the EPP: Cameron should quit new group in the European Parliament
Commenting in the Guardian, Wilfried Martens, Chair of the European People's Party says David Cameron's decision to switch political groupings had left the Conservatives working "with a weak and very marginal group that has no influence". Meanwhile, reporting on the BBC's Today Programme, Political Editor Nick Robinson predicted disappointment for Conservative 'eurosceptics' as, once in power, Cameron will be forced to work with the EU to get anything done.
Guardian BBC Today Irish Times
MEPs try to block free EU carbon permits to heavy industry
European Voice reports that a group of MEPs is making a last-ditch attempt to block the special help that is being offered to heavy-polluting industries under the EU's emissions trading scheme (ETS). Free permits to pollute under the ETS are envisaged for manufacturers of chemicals, iron and steel, cement, and lime. National governments, fearful that Europe's climate policy will damage competitiveness, asked the Commission to draw up the list of beneficiaries. The article notes that a majority of MEPs is required to overturn the list, which seems unlikely.
Meanwhile, the IHT reports that the European Commission yesterday proposed emissions limits for light trucks and vans, saying that that carmakers would not be permitted to use them as loopholes to increase production of sport utility vehicles as has happened in the US.
IHT European Voice Irish Times EUobserver
On her Mail blog, Mary Ellen Synon reports that according to accounts from the European Court of Auditors, the 26-week French Presidency of the EU cost £154 million, or £900,000 a day. The French Foreign Office has defended the spending, saying it was necessary to "bring the European Union closer to French citizens".
Mail: Synon French Foreign Office
The Austrian Press Agency reports that the Austrian State Secretary of Finance, Andreas Schieder, said that the EU Commission's plans for the new European Supervisory Authorities (ESA) do not go far enough.
APA
Der Spiegel reports that German EU Commissioner Günter Verheugen has described the nomination of Günther Oettinger as next the German EU Commissioner as an act of "disposal".
Spiegel Reuters
European Voice reports that Michael Izza, Chief Executive of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales has warned the EU that it risks scuppering attempts to create a single, global set of accounting rules. It said "political interference" from some of the EU's national governments in the work of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) risked alienating the US, Japan, Australia and China.
European Voice
UK
The Telegraph reports that the Constitutional Reform Bill will make it possible - and plausible, say his supporters - for Lord Mandelson to one day become Prime Minister.
Telegraph
Lord Mandelson said yesterday that he intends to press ahead with controversial measures to cut off the internet connections of people caught downloading pirated music, films or television programmes.
Times
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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