European Siesta

EU launches Erasmus Mundus Program for 2009-13

2009-02-17T00:49:00.002+01:00

Brussels, 18 February (9am to 5.30pm): Info day (open to all)
Registration online / Live webstreaming at:
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/static/en/mundus/infoday_2009_en.htm

EU Commissioner for education, and culture, Jan Figel, launched here
Monday evening the new EU scholarship programme for non-EU countries,
Erasmus Mundus II, for the period 2009-2013.

The Earsmus Mundus programme offers the opportunity to third-country
students to obtain a degree in Europe, and to academics to share
know-how and to contribute to study programmes through teaching or
research activities whilst avoiding the brain drain and favouring
vulnerable groups

In 2009-13, the EU will increase its support to the most
highly-talented students and professors from countries outside the EU
with grants to take part in joint programmes in Europe.

It will also extend the scope of the programme to the doctoral level
and give more financial support to European students.

The expected budget for Erasmus Mundus II will be an indicative amount
of 950 million Euro.

The Erasmus Mundus I from 2004 - 2008 offered more than 10,000
scholarships to students and academics from all over the world, with a
combined budget of 609 million Euro.

It contributed 33 million Euro (2005-2009) for scholarships to Indian
post-graduate students .

Erasmus Mundus 2009-2013 is a cooperation and mobility programme in
the field of higher education that aims to enhance the quality of
European higher education and to promote dialogue and understanding
between people and cultures through cooperation with third countries.

The Erasmus Mundus programmes provides support to:

higher education institutions that wish to implement joint programmes
at postgraduate level (Action 1) or to set-up inter-institutional
cooperation partnerships between universities from Europe and targeted
Third-Countries;

individual students, researchers and university staff who wish to
spend a study / research / teaching period in the context of one of
the above mentioned joint programmes or cooperation partnerships;

any organisation active in the field of higher education that wishes
to develop projects aiming at enhancing the attractiveness, profile,
visibility and image of European higher education worldwide.

The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Agency Executive Agency (EACEA)
is responsible for the management of all actions of Erasmus Mundus
2009 - 2013, under the supervision of the Directorate-General for
Education and Culture (DG EAC of the European Commission) and
EuropeAid - Co-operation Office (DG AIDCO of the European Commission).
Information and guidance at national level can be obtained from the
Erasmus Mundus National Structures.

Shocking Taliban style 'moral police" attack in Indian city of Mangalore

2009-01-25T19:22:00.004+01:00

"Taliban" in Afghanistan and in some parts of Pakistan are infamous for the kind of behavior which occurred in Mangalore, the educational hub in South Karnataka, a couple of days before the observation of Republic Day of “Mera Bharat Mahan” India.

In the name of upholding the “culture” of India, more than 40 people belonging to a particular nationalist party attacked, dragged, molested and beat up girls and women who were having lunch at the ‘Amnesia” pub in the centre of Mangalore, the city in the South Indian state of Karnataka, whose colleges attract international students.

Walking into the “Amnesia” pub today 24 hours after the attack, I found that there was no physical evidence of violence except that the usually bustling place was empty and the staff was in a sombre mood.

Asked to confirm if an incident of attack on women customers took place there yesterday, Krishna, the waiter attending nodded in affirmative but had a blank look when asked to elaborate.

According to another staff member who did not want to be identified, confided that it all started around 4 p.m. when dozens of men entered the premises and demanded to know what was going on. Soon they started manhandling and assaulting women customers, physically beating them. The men who were with their partners or friends were not spared when they tried to protest and were beaten up.

Today the TV footage repeatedly showed girls falling and being shoved around and beaten openly. Even with all that evidence available against more than 40 men there were no reports of wide-spread arrests or official confirmation of the incident by the police.

In another shameful act that followed, there was the TV footage showing today one of the leaders of “Sriram Sena” claiming responsibility saying it was a “spontaneous reaction against women who flouted traditional Indian norms of decency.”

As if not to be outdone, another right-wing nationalist Hindu outfit, the Bajarang Dal also claimed responsibility and insisted that the attack was carried out by his outfit.

There was talk of the political games in the name of saving culture (define it) and brutal Taliban style attacks on young persons as attack happened during lunch period with two women in hospital and Sriram Sena goes on air to defend the Taliban style attack

Every nation has an army, Pakistani army has a nation

2008-12-17T15:41:00.003+01:00

Author: Tejinder Singh
16 December 2008 - Issue : 813

Pakistani establishments have acquired great tenacity to strongly believe their own bluffs even in the face of unquestionable proof. President Asif Ali Zardari's first statement that the sole surviving Mumbai terrorist is not a Pakistani to another statement of Foreign Minister that there is no proof against Jamaat ud Dawa proves the point.

The unmasking came in the form of an interview to the Pakistani Dawn newspaper by Amir Kasab, the father of Ajmal Amir Iman alias Ajmal Qasab, the lone Pakistani gunman arrested for the Mumbai terror attacks. The old man, a father of three sons and two daughters, from Faridkot in Okara district of Punjab in Pakistan, has unequivocally admitted that the captured terrorist, whose pictures were beamed across the world, was indeed his son.

Earlier, Britain's Observer correspondent had located Iman's home in Faridkot, Pakistan and got hold of the voters' roll which had the names of his parents Amir Kasab and Noor as well as the numbers on the national identity cards. BBC had also reported that Iman is indeed belonged to Faridkot and had joined the Lashkar-e-Taiba sometime ago.

Iman also revealed to Indian security personnel the identity of his nine other slain gunmen and their addresses in Pakistan. Despite all the accumulated evidence, Pakistani leaders, its expert commentators on electronic media and its diplomatic staff around the globe went to the town to prove that the terrorists are not Pakistanis but Indians. They shamelessly called the heinous terrorist attack as the handiwork of Hindu extremists or Indian Muslims or could be RAW or CIA.

Now, the UN Security Council has succeeded in placing not only Jamaat ud Dawa, the front organization of the Lashkar-e-Taiba on the list of terrorist groups but also four of its top leadership, including its chief Hafiz ul Mohammed Saeed. The earlier attempts by the UNSC to do so for the past three years failed as China conveniently came to the rescue of this terrorist organization by putting a "hold" on the resolution.

Hafiz ul Saeed demanded proof for he ever heading the Lashkar-e-Taiba or he ever promoting terrorism and jehadism. Had he cared to re-read the publications of the organization he is heading he would have got all the proof he needed.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore on December 24, 2001, Hafiz Saeed announced his resignation and the appointment of Maulana Abdul Wahid Kashmiri as the new LeT chief, stated the magazine, Jamaat ud Dawa. He made this announcement soon after the US State Departent had designated the Lashkar-e-Taiba a foreign terrorist organization, and a few weeks before the then President Musharraf was forced to ban the group on January 13, 2002.

Jamaat-ud-Dawa published in its April 10 edition an address by Hafiz ul Sayeed to convocation of students, where he proudly announced that his organization has sacrificed 4500 youth for the Jihadi cause and that preparation for Jihad was a must. He urged students to pray to God so that they could have a chance to sacrifice their lives for Jihad.

According the US Treasury Department, Hafiz Saeed "in 2005, personally determined where graduates of an LeT camp in Pakistan should be sent to fight and personally organised the infiltration of LET militants into Iraq during a trip to Saudi Arabia."

Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, who was one of the four Lashkar leaders placed on UN Security Council list of terrorists, was the supreme commander who had coordinated the Mumbai terrorist attacks and guided the gunmen on the action to be taken while they were holding the hostages. As Lashkar's chief of operations. Lakhvi has directed LeT military operations including in Chechnya, Bosnia, Iraq and southeast Asia. Lakhvi was born to Hafiz Aziz-ur-Rahman, a cleric linked to the neoconservative Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadis, on December 30, 1960. He lives in Chika 18L of the village of Rinala Khurd, in Okara—the same south Punjab district from where Mohammad Ajmal Amir Iman, the terrorist arrested in the course of last month's massacre in Mumbai, grew up.

Mahmoud Bahaziq, another Lashkar leader to be declared a terrorist, is a Saudi citizen of Indian origin. He is considered the main financier of the LeT and its activities in the 1980s and 1990s and coordinated LeT's fundraising activities with Saudi non-governmental organisations and Saudi businessmen. He is allegedly the brain behind recruiting Indian expatriate Muslims in Arab countries, particularly in Saudi Arabia, and sending them to Pakistan for training and subsequently launching them into terrorist activities in India.

Haji Mohammad Ashraf has assisted the expansion of the LeT in Saudi Arabia and Iraq and coordinating the terror activities there. Ashraf was born on March 1, 1965, and holds Pakistani passport.

Producing evidence to prove the culpability of Pakistan-based terrorist groups and their handlers in the military establishment is not an issue. There is enough now on Mumbai attacks. There was enough evidence of the involvement of Pak military establishment and Lashkar elements in the attack on Indian mission in Kabul in which two senior diplomats were killed besides several others.

The problem is that Pakistani military leadership views the Jehadi groups as their first line of offence and defence and the most effective weapon to bleed India, while maintaining its deniability. The 1999 Kargil war, designed and executed by the former Army chief and President Musharraf, clearly established this strategy. The Northern Areas Scouts, a wing of the Pakistani army, were sent as part of the jehadi groups. President Zardari himself is a victim of the jehadi outfits that the Pakistani army and ISI gave birth and nourished to an uncontrollable giant.

Enjoying "tea" at a Pakistani restaurant in Brussels, Belgium, this journalist, Tejinder Singh was told by Cheema Saheb, Head Chef citing something he heard on a TV talk-show: "Every nation has an army while Pakistani army has a nation."

The day the political leadership tames the army, that day augurs well for Pakistani people and their status in the international community. Until that happens, the world community will have to do the dirty work of corking up these "middle age" mammals.

UN bans Pakistani outfit but logical follow-up action should speed up

2008-12-17T15:35:00.003+01:00

Author: Tejinder Singh
16 December 2008 - Issue : 813

Pakistani melodrama failed to stop the international community from acting recently as the UN Security Council swiftly placed the Lashkar-front "Jamaat ud Dawa" and four of its top leadership on the list of terrorists. Pakistan's feeble attempts to draw the linkage to Kashmir had no takers. Its ally, China, which had helped Pakistan using its veto-powers in preventing similar action by the Security Council in 2006, choose to keep distance with the problematic client.

An editorial in "The Daily Times," a leading Pakistani media outlet wrote on December 13, "It is the Chinese "message" that has changed our mind. The Chinese did not veto the banning of Dawa on Wednesday, and they had reportedly told Islamabad as much beforehand, compelling our permanent representative at the UN to assert that Pakistan would accept the ban if it came."
The Pakistani economy has reached near bankruptcy stage, while the political stability remains a far cry. Provoking India and a roll-back in the peace process is a time-tested strategy to re-gain Army's pre-eminent position. The memory of Kargil has not faded yet.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a Western political pundit summed it up: "Army's policy to maintain its pre-eminence has three key features, namely the power monopoly under a sham democracy, anti-India orientation modulated by deniable terrorist cadres, and a client regime in Afghanistan."

While the Pakistan Army succeeded in provoking India with the Mumbai attacks, international community has seen through its strategy and refused to buy its Kashmir-tilt. Even President-elect Obama's innocent remark on finding a solution to Kashmir issue was played up and words were put into his mouth on the prospect of former President Clinton being chosen as his man-Friday for the purpose.

However, the situation was getting untenable with the Army increasingly getting sucked into the tribal quagmire and incessant American drone attacks challenging the sovereignty of the country.

It is not difficult to see through the unfolding strategy of the Army/ISI to wriggle out of its reluctant partnership to fight against terrorism on the western frontier and get the international focus turned to eastern border. They have long been waiting for an opportunity for this "U" turn. Despite the assurance given by the then President Musharraf to the world community not to allow its territory for terrorist activities in India, terror infrastructure remained intact.

Musharraf cleverly played a hide and seek game with gullible President George W. Bush, convincing him of his sincerity in fighting Taliban and Al Qaida and making him to cough over USD 10 billion in military aid. For eight years, American field commanders have been constantly complaining of Pakistan ISI/Army double game but to no avail.

The fine balance that Musharraf succeeded in creating got upset with some Army elements, eager to have a quick "U" turn, encouraged Taliban-Jaish elements to make an attempt on his life which finally culminated in Lal Masjid confrontation. With Musharraf's departure imminent, the option of Benazir did not fit in the Army-ISI strategy for a "U-turn" and therefore she also had to go.

The intricate entwining of Pakistani jihadis and Al Qaeda-Taliban is best portrayed in the Dec 13 editorial in "The Daily Times" stating: "Pakistan will need to cooperate with the international community in the coming days. The trend among our jihadi outfits so far is not to surrender to bans but to make a beeline for the Kohat Road pockets of terrorism and join the Al Qaeda-Taliban combine to kill our soldiers. Our army discovered all the banned jihadis when it confronted the militants at Darra Adam Khel. If Jaish was let off the hook after it attacked General Musharraf in 2004, it should now be confronted for providing the bulk of suicide-bombers to the Taliban and Al Qaeda."

There has always been alleged proof in plenty for every single incident of terrorist action in India, designed and choreographed by Pakistani Army and its "rogue" agency. The sole surviving terrorist called the Pakistani bluff and denial. He not only revealed his identity, and place of origin, which have been confirmed by the BBC and Los Angeles Times, but also exposed the details of all other nine terrorists and the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba commanders that trained them.

Pakistan's Army has again mis-read the mood of the international community against terrorism. Commenting on the UN move, a respectable political observer in Washington urged that the world rage against the terror attack by elements in Pakistan should not rest with the UN resolution and this has to be taken to its logical conclusion, adding on condition of anonymity, "The terror infrastructure in that should be eliminated to its last vestige. While this may not serve its army, it will perhaps lead the way for a peaceful and prosperous country serving the welfare of its people."

The editorial in "The Daily TImes," reconfirmed the expert view concluding: "Last but not least, Pakistan should act not because an "unfair international system" compels it to act; it should act out of conviction. Some commentators are already suggesting the kind of double-faced strategy adopted by Musharraf. It has been exposed as self-damaging and should not be embraced again."

The Dalai Lama blames “greed” for financial crisis

2008-12-08T14:05:00.003+01:00

Author: Tejinder Singh
8 December 2008 - Issue : 811

A fter addressing an overflowing house of European Parliament December 4, the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, appeared at a joint press conference with Hans-Gert Poettering, the President of the only directly elected European institution, the European Parliament. Wit, humour, serenity and positive vibes were present in the packed environs of the Anna Politkovskaya European Parliament press room, named after the slain Russian journalist, as the Dalai Lama was at ease with international journalists.

Answering a question about economic crisis, the spiritual leader explained the ongoing market crisis around the world. Saying, “Market itself is a creation of human beings,” the Buddhist leader asked, “What is the real cause of this sort of economic crisis?” Citing answers from his business friends, the Dalai Lama told journalists: “Too much speculation and ultimately greed,” adding, “The pot - ential to help is: reduce greed and (increase) self-discipline. “Economic crisis is something urgent so it will be helpful to reduce some other conflict (that are going on) in the name of faith and nationality.”

Going down memory lane, the Dalai Lama listed the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia, and Burma and North Korea as some of the instances that could not have happened or are still happening without China nodding its approval. Citing the “uncomfortable people of Hong Kong,” “reunification of Taiwan,” and the separatist factions in the southwestern Chinese province of Xinjiang as areas where such a moral authority should be displayed, the Buddhist leader insisted he only wants meaningful autonomy for Tibet under Chinese rule.

The leader from Tibet told journalists, “actually the whole world knows we are not separatists and also many Chinese writers and thinkers and many Chinese students if they have the opportunity to know the reality really support it and are in fact very critical of their government policy. “If Chinese government still accuse us of being splitists, we ourselves are confused. We are not ‘splittists,’ but the Chinese government still accuses us of being ‘splittists,’” he said.

China cancelled the annual EU-China Summit slated for December 1 when French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced he would meet the Dalai Lama in Poland. Sarkozy also represents the EU Presidency as France holds the rotating EU Presidency till the end of the year before handing it over to the Czech Republic for next six months.

When asked to comment on his meeting with Sarkozy, the Dalai Lama, with a cheerful smile said, “I have met the wife (Mrs. Sarkozy) and will be meeting the husband.” Praising the Chinese people for their diligence and perseverance and citing “manpower, economic and military power” as positive desired contributors for China to becomes “a superpower,” the Dalai Lama pointed out, “Now one important factor is moral authority and that is lacking. “Because of its very poor record on human rights and religious freedom and freedom of expression and freedom of the press — too much censorship — the image of China in the field of moral authority is very, very poor,” he said.

“The sensible Chinese realise China should now give more attention to this field to get more respectability in world affairs,” the Nobel peace laureate said, adding, “My faith in Chinese people has never shaken,” while the top echelons of Chinese leadership is divided into hard liners and soft approach advocates.

The Dalai Lama called the Chinese regime a “capitalist totalitarian regime,” and urged the importance of trust and transparency telling journalists, “trust is the key factor and for that transparency (is) really very much needed.” Calling upon the Chinese authorities to “adjust to new reality,” the Buddhist leader suggested that the Chinese authorities also can change to fit into the changing world scenario. Earlier, he addressed the European Parliament during his second day in the Belgian capital, where he was greeted by loud applause and Tibetan flags.

President Poettering, assured that the parliament would “continue to defend the rights of the Tibetan people to their cultural and religious identity.” He called on Chinese leaders to hold meaningful talks with representatives of the exiled Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India, and has sought “meaningful autonomy” for Tibet since he had to leave his homeland following a failed uprising in 1959 against Chinese rule, nine years after Chinese troops invaded the region. Ruled by China since the 18th Century, Tibet became independent in 1911, but the new Communist regime in China reasserted control in 1951, and installed a Communist government in 1953.

Pharma package seen for Dec 10

2008-12-05T17:01:00.002+01:00

The European Commission will present the much-delayed “pharma package” on December 10 at a press conference.

Ton van Liero, spokesman for Gunter Verheugen, European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, told me, “We foresee a press conference on Wednesday on the pharma package.”

Moreover, the Commission announced that the College of Commissioners (27 Commissioners) will be presented with it next Wednesday.

Commission spokesman Amadeu Altafaj Tardio told journalists: “On the agenda of the Commission meeting next Wednesday, will be a major pharmaceutical package. It has been subject of many draft directives, amendments, existing directives and Commission communications by Mr. (Gunter) Verheugen and various proposals and drafts and regulations, so the whole package that is for pharmaceutical industry.”

Earlier today addressing a joint press conference with health ministers from G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, US), Mexico and the World Health Organisation, European Health Commissioner Andrroulla Vassiiou also had expressed hope that the pharma package will come out soon.

The Commissioner was hosting Global Health Security Initiative (GHSI) to forge stronger global collaboration on health security.

VASSILIOU ADDRESSES DIFFERENCES

Replying to a question about disagreements within the Commission, Commissioner Vassliou said, “It (Pharma package) is one of the most difficult packages and it is natural that all cabinets are very interested about it and there is a lot of discussion so that our purpose is to reach a final agreement on a package which will be in agreement with everybody,” adding, “I am hopeful that it will come up with something which will be satisfactory to everybody and useful to everybody.”

The European Commission has repeatedly delayed since October 21, the publishing draft regulations which could overhaul the pharmaceutical sector, amid rumours that divisions within the Commission are leading to the delays.

VERHEUGEN STAYS CONFIDENT

European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry Gunter Verheugen had denied that his package of proposed new regulations for the pharmaceutical industry will be substantially altered despite its publication being delayed but APM understands there are disagreements within the College over such subjects as banning the repackaging of medicines, which is widely practiced by parallel traders.

The pharma industry has been pushing to ban repackaging of medicines saying it is the only way to stop trade in counterfeit products.

But supporters of parallel trade believe it could damage the legitimate practice of traders buying low-price drugs in markets such as Greece and selling them at a profit in other countries where they can command a higher price.

A report published recently on the website of the Commission's directorate general for Enterprise and Industry said that repackaging and relabelling medicines posed an inherent risk to patients but banning the practice would result in a dramatic reduction in the level of parallel trade and in the loss or redeployment of some 10,000 jobs across Europe.

The sources recently told me that a revamped package is now being prepared that will not ban repackaging. "Those proposals are history," said one.

This is in line with comments from a Commission spokesman earlier. "There is no ban foreseen on repackaging or relabelling ... Parallel trade is a legal economic activity in the European Union (and) the commission does not intend to change that."

INFORMATION TO CONSUMERS FACTOR

But other measures in the pharmaceuticals package are also controversial, such as a proposal to allow companies to provide information on their drugs to patients, which some commentators believe is tantamount to permitting direct-to-consumer advertising.

The Association Internationale de la Mutualité, Health Action International (HAI) Europe and Medicines in Europe Forum today in an open letter to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said: “The proposals on “information to patients” represent yet another tactic to delay generic competition by enabling the pharmaceutical companies to communicate directly to the public on their respective prescription-only medicines, thereby building "brand loyalty" and market share for their own originator products at the expense of affordable medicines for the public.”

Greg Perry, Director General, European Generic Medicines Association (EGA) had told me: "We understand the reason for the delay is due to lack of agreement on ITP (information to patients virtual network) proposal."

Perry said the EGA's main concern was now that the proposed legislation will not make it through this session of the European Parliament, particularly the pharmacovigilance package which is "a good proposal in terms of improving patients safety, harmonisation and better regulation."

Zardari faults on promises, terrorism crisis brews on

2008-12-04T21:18:00.004+01:00

Author: Tejinder Singh, tsingh@neurope.eu
3 December 2008 - Issue : 810

Will relations between India and Pakistan deteriorate again in the wake of Mumbai mayhem, just like when Pak militants attacked Indian Parliament in December 2001? President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan holds the key to the question but he must remember: "Half measures avail us nothing," a warning from a Western diplomat in Brussels on condition of anonymity.
If the first interview of President Zardari on CNN Larry King Live on December 2 is an indicator, then the Pakistani politician fell flat on his face as he even denied that the person arrested was a Pakistani, saying, "I very much doubt, Larry, that he's a Pakistani."

On the other hand, world Vox Populi is demanding accountability with people of India seething with anger on "live" TV while the Westerners are too shocked to react yet. Like many countries around the globe, this is an election year in India and the present incumbent Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government can not afford to ignore public mood beyond a point, said a political commentator adding, "Restraint has a limit. That too in the face of mounting evidence of Lashkar-e- Taiba and al Qaeda in the attack on the country's iconic hotel, 105–year-old Taj in Mumbai."

"The siege of Taj, the adjoining Oberoi Trident hotel and Nariman House (a Jewish centre) lasted 48 hours. Live TV coverage delivered the threat of urban terrorism globally especially to every Indian home in real time," another Western political analyst told Tejinder Singh in Brussels on condition of anonymity.

President Zardari had earlier told Karan Thapar in the Devil's Advocate programme on CNN-IBN (Nov 29): "Let me assure you ... if any evidence points to any individual or group in my part of the country, I shall take the strictest of action in the light of the evidence and in front of the world."

Even as he was giving the interview "live," the TV channels were beaming the confessions of Lashkar terrorist Amjad Amir Kamaal, the lone survivor of the 10-man Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) fidayeen (suicide) squad which sieged Mumbai. Every media outlet in the world has by now carried his "song."

EVIDENCE SCREAMS

A class four drop out, Amjad Amir Kamaal hails from a small village of Faridkot in the Okara district of Pakistan's Punjab province. Top Lashkar commander Zakir-ur-Rehman allegedly promised to pay his family more than 2,500 Euro for participating in the fidayeen attack.

The sources familiar with the investigation point to the evidence: "There are the records of phone calls made by the fidayeen from a satellite phone, which was recovered after the attacks. These calls were made to LeT operations chief, who is known by code-names Muzammil, Yusuf and Abu Hurrera. Also to Zaki-ur-Rahman, whom the gang addressed as Chachu (Uncle), amongst others. There were at least three calls to 'Amir,' who frantically instructed the militants to take a hostage (at Nariman House) to 'make a point'."

Yusuf talked to his killer squad even during the bloodbath. The Sunday Express, Mumbai, reported (Nov 30) that each conversation lasted two to three minutes and the terrorists were given instructions in "Punjabi Hindi" with heavy use of military terminology. "Use cover fire," "use single burst fire," and "use your rounds sparingly" are some of Yusuf's instructions, for instance.

The sources divulged, "an intercept shows, on Nov 27 morning, when the Taj fight was on, his direction was: "Hotel mein aag laga do. Jab public bhaage gi, tum escape kar lena (burn the hotel down and in the pandemonium, you can escape)."

Calling it another give away proof, the reliable sources within the intelligence point to the GPS device that the Jehadis had used to navigate their way to Mumbai from Karachi's Azizabad is another give away, if President Zardari wants any more tell-tale proof.

There are also several other items, to wet his curiosity, like Namaz cap from a shop with the phone code of Multan, packet of wheat flour from a Karachi shop, an empty diesel can of a petrol filling station with a Karachi address, Made in Pakistan dental gel, medicam, Touchme shaving cream and Nestle milk packet, and Toilet paper packet of Zik brothers, Karachi.

PAKISTANI EXPERT TALKS

Ahmad Rashid, one of Pakistan's sane voices, and an authority on al-Qaeda and Jihad, sees a pattern between the attack on Indian Parliament and Mumbai icons. In an interview to the Forbes Network 18, he said: "I think the attacks were strategically planned by al-Qaeda through LeT militants they train. It is trying to work out space for itself in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, FATA. If tensions between India and Pakistan escalate, the (Pak) army will be moved to the Indian borders, as happened in 2002. This will buy a few months to al-Qaeda before the new US administration sends 20,000 more troops to Afghanistan."

This "relocation" plan is in the works, Geo News, a private Pak TV reported Nov 29 quoting a briefing of Pakistan's military and intelligence sources to a select group of journalists.

Geo News also reported (Nov 29) the military establishment decided not to send the ISI chief Lt Gen Shuja Pasha to India. Only a day earlier President Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani promised to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that Pasha would visit Delhi as requested by him. Gilani's Press Secretary Zahid Bashir told a news agency: "Initially, Indian Prime Minister made a request to our PM that he should send the ISI chief to help in investigations and further intelligence sharing. The PM of Pakistan responded positively."

Nirupama Subramanian in The Hindu (Nov 30) also attributed the "roll back" to the army. "That there could be a change in the government's decision was evident when the military spokesman distanced the army from the announcement by the Prime Minister's office that ISI chief would go to India," she said in her despatch from Islamabad. The "new" decision was taken at 1.30 am on Saturday Nov 29 at a meeting of the troika – President, PM and army chief, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, according to The Nation of Lahore.

"Our hands are clean," Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a press conference in Islamabad on Nov 29 evening. "We have nothing to hide, we have nothing to be abashed of," he went on to say, and, like President Zardari, asked India to "come up with evidence to take strictest action."

TIME FOR ACTION

Now that there is clinching evidence with India, and American intelligence, and counter-intelligence officials, as reported by the New York Times, are "convinced of the mounting evidence" of LeT responsibility for the brutal attack on Mumbai, Pakistan must come out of denial mode.

President Zardari must end talking his way out of trouble. And deliver on his promise. Not for avoiding trouble on the borders with India but to assert his authority as the head of the state, and to rein in his country's intelligence agency, ISI, which has been allowed to "go out- of –control" by his predecessors as a matter of deliberate state policy and as an insurance against American pressures.

Even Zardari could not deny it on the CNN Larry King Live show. On the question of the support of the Pakistani intelligence apparatus for militant movements, President said: "In the past, lots of mistakes have been made, I cannot deny that. But the present government does not support any such action."

A historic opportunity for not only Zardari, but also for Pakistan, to undo the past and to undo the designs of Islamists at home and thus abroad tarnishing the image and reputation of Pakistan on the global canvass. Instead Zardari is singing the old favourite song of Pakistani military asking for evidence, then denying it and the show goes on but the question is till when?

Lashkar-E-Taiba`s audacious siege of Mumbai

2008-12-02T09:46:00.003+01:00

Author: Tejinder Singh, tsingh@neurope.eu
1 December 2008 - Issue : 810, New Europe

The Indian sub-continent is up in flames again and the alleged hand of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) with the blessings of al Qaeda is there to see in the siege of Mumbai's iconic hotels, the Taj and the Oberoi Trident, and the lone Jewish centre, the Nariman House among other targets.

Operation Black Tornado may have lasted more than forty hours trying to end the siege and to eliminate the dozen or so militants in their twenties but it made crystal clear to what great lengths the alleged LeT operatives and their handlers have gone to plan, coordinate and mount their attack on the symbols of resurgent India in its very financial capital.

Audacity? Yes, in a way.

So far the LeT has been content with IEDs and RDX induced blasts in crowded market places and railway stations to inflict maximum damage and to incite a flare up, though without success between the Hindus and Muslims.

INTERROGATION

The ongoing interrogation of alleged LeT operative Ismail alias Zakiruallah, a Punjabi from Faridkot in Pakistan, shows that the Murdike, Lahore headquartered outfit with pan-South Asia network and presence in some 18 countries, had fine tuned the Mumbai attack plan over several months.

According to sources familiar with the ongoing investigation, the final go ahead came recently at a conference in Murdike. On the conditions of anonymity, the sources confided that Prof Hafiz Saeed, the LeT founder with direct access to GHQ and to political masters launched a frontal verbal attack on India at the meeting and declared that India ought to be punished for its activities in Afghanistan. Ismail was arrested by the Mumbai police on Nov 26 night during the terror attacks.

DETAILS

The reliable sources told this journalist that Ismail divulged some chilling details of the attack by the hitherto unknown marine wing of the Lashkar –e-Taiba. They have been trained for months at Karachi, he told the police.

Another LeT operative, Ajmal Amir Kamal, who was nabbed as he was injured during the fighting at the Taj hotel, has corroborated Ismail evidence. Two other Pakistani nationals had also been held in the course of intense fighting on Nov 27 and their interrogation shows that at least 12 terrorists reached Mumbai; the key man has been identified as Imran Babbar.

According to details provided by sources close to interrogations, Lashkar operatives left Karachi in a merchant ship early on Wednesday, Nov 26. Late that night, the fidayeen left the ship in an India fishing trawler which was hijacked off Gujarat coast earlier, and rowed some 10 nautical miles to Mumbai's Gateway of India area. Once they reached close to the alighting point near Colaba, where heritage Taj hotel is located, they had lowered themselves into a smaller inflatable boat with a 20 HP engine and split into two groups for their raid.

Based on their interrogation, Mumbai police believe that the fidayeen unit of which Kamal was a part then split up into at least six groups, each focussing on a separate target: Mumbai's Nariman House, which is home to a large number of Israeli families and a Jewish prayer house; the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus rail station; the Cama hospital –a 500-bed hospital specialising in pre and postnatal care, the Girgaum seafront; and the Taj and Oberoi Trident hotels.

HINDSIGHT CLARIFICATIONS

Police across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Kashmir working in close coordination have since traced the LeT plans to do something as daring as attacking Indian stock exchange in Mumbai in February itself. These reports were initially not given much credence though. Now after the Mumbai seize, the February interrogation of Uttar Pradesh resident Fahim Ahmed Ansar is being seen in a fresh light.

Ansari was arrested in February along with seven other suspects. A one-time activist of banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), he became a LeT man during a visit to Dubai in 2003. His front is a small enterprise of making paper-envelopes in Rampur in Uttar Pradesh.

Ansari has confessed to the police that he had carried out reconnaissance operations at the Oberoi Hotel — one of the targets in the Mumbai siege. The idea of strike at the Mumbai hotels and Bombay (Mumbai) stock exchange (BSE) was a sequel to a fidayeen attack on a police camp and training centre at Rampur on December 31, 2007.

Two specially-trained Pakistani nationals - Imran Shehzad from Bhimber in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Mohammad Farooq Bhatti from Gujranwala in Punjab carried out the attack though unsuccessfully. Both are being tried in an Uttar Pradesh court.

The sources told Tejinder Singh that Ansari disclosed that Imran and Bhatti have been asked to undertake the Mumbai mission. "I and my superiors entrusted the task of attacking the stock exchange to them. In all, we formed three assault teams," said he, the sources quoted from his interrogation report.

The Uttar Pradesh police records show Ansari returned to India through Kathmandu in late 2007. He stayed at the Sunlight Guest House in Mumbai from November 28 to December 10 before renting a room off Falkland Road. He became Samir Sheikh to secure a driving license, and enrolled himself as a student in a computer institute near the BSE.

All three BSE assault-team volunteers held Pakistani passports, which they hoped would enable them to escape by catching flights through Nepal. Shehzad carried a passport (number EK5149331), issued on March 14, 2007, while Bhatti used a passport with the number AW3177021, issued a day earlier. Ansari's Pakistani passport, BM 6809341, issued on November 1, 2007, bears the pseudonym Hammad Hassan.

Moreover the sources alleged that these fidayeens, like all other suicide squads of Lashkar-e-Taiba, have received special training to storm the gates of premises using grenades, following it up with indiscriminate assault rifle fire — tactics used with effect at Rampur police camp, and in dozens of similar operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

GLOBAL REACH

LeT has been active in India and most dastardly attacks in Indian cities in the past seven-eight years have been traced to LeT, which has re-invented itself in December 2001 to duck the American eyes as Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD). Global Jihad is the goal of LeT and its parent, MDI and its pamphlets preaching virtues of jihad have been found from Kashmir to Palestine, Chechnya, Kosovo, and Eriteria.

LeT, which is closely aligned with Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, has the most extensive network in Pakistan with estimated 2, 200 cells across the country and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). Its cells have been discovered in more than 18 countries including US, UK, France and Bangladesh. According to sources in the Afghan intelligence the LeT is facilitating the movement of suicide operatives, fabricating improvised explosive devices, both independently and in conjunction with the Taliban.

US DILEMMA

Focus on westerners in the Mumbai siege suggests al-Qaeda is pulling strings of the LeT, which is known for its trade mark suicide attacks.

LeT has denied any involvement in the Mumbai siege. It has always denied any role in the fidayeen attacks in India over the past five-six years and has, in fact, been inventing outfits which are neither here nor there, like, for instance, the Indian Mujahideen, and Deccan Mujahideen. This is an ingenious attempt to create more plausible deniability for Islamabad. And also deflect attention of the United States away from its activities and thus avoid more pressure on Islamabad.

LeT's involvement is bound to cloud the US strategy for South Asia, as Jane Perlez says in his despatch from Islamabad to the New York Times on November 28 saying: "Reconciliation between India and Pakistan has emerged as a basic tenet in the approaches to foreign policy of President-elect Barack Obama, and the new leader of Central Command, Gen. David H. Petraeus. The point is to persuade Pakistan to focus less of its military effort on India, and more on the militants in its lawless tribal regions who are ripping at the soul of Pakistan."Put bluntly, the United States wants Pakistan to move its military's focus away from India to an all-out effort against the Taliban and their associates in Al Qaeda. This is to weaken the militants who are fiercely battling American and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

ISI FACTOR

Hard-liners in and outside the Pakistan army and ISI, which is an extension of army, appear determined to foil the American plan. According to Western defence experts in Brussels, ISI is an agency dominated by officers, particularly in the middle level, and other ranks who subscribe to Islamist hard-line. It acts independent of the political executive with an agenda of its own in entire South Asia, and answerable only to the army headquarters. The agency also undermines the authority of President Asif Zardari, who is willing to reach out to India. He has already called for a visa-free travel between India and Pakistan. How much turf space he has even otherwise is doubtful since his plate is full – what with the meltdown of the economy and Islamists spreading their tentacles across the country.

Stratfor has put the issues in perspective. "The shape of the crisis will consist of demands that the Pakistanis take immediate steps to suppress Islamist radicals across the board, but particularly in Kashmir. New Delhi will demand that this action be immediate and public. This demand will come parallel to US demands for the same actions, and threats by incoming US President Barack Obama to force greater cooperation from Pakistan," it said in a commentary even as the Mumbai events were unfolding in their full terrorist fury.

Journalists denied visas for India after critical reporting

2008-11-24T15:36:00.004+01:00

European journalists in Sweden are complaining that Indian diplomats are refusing visas for visits to India to a “blacklist” of journalists who have been identified as writing negative stories about the country. Freelance journalist Ulrika Nandra and a foreign correspondent of the daily newspaper Goteborgs- Posten, Marina Malmgren, are two of the Swedish journalists whose visa applications have been rejected. After journalists were denied visas in the wake of writing critical reports about the country, Reporters Without Borders (reporters sans frontieres - RSF) condemned actions of the Indian embassy in Sweden.

Jesper Bengtsson, chairman of the Swedish section of Reporters Without Borders said, “in both cases, the rejections appear to be linked to articles they wrote about social problems in India, according to Swedish radio programme, The Media. Journalists are blacklisted if their reports about India are seen as too negative, according to sources quoted by the programme. This has happened to several other Swedish journalists.

This points to a lack of understanding of the basis of press freedom which is deeply worrying. If there is also a blacklist of inconvenient journalists, it is in fact outrageous. It means India has a lot of work to do on respecting press freedom.” Bengtsson told New Europe over the phone, “There was no response to our request to the Indian embassy in Stockholm to clarify the subject but the Swedish foreign ministry has confirmed that they had discussion with (the Indian) embassy in Stockholm,” adding, “still there is no public response (from the Indian embassy).”

Other Indian embassies around the world have also rejected visa applications from journalists, said Vincent Brossel, head of the Asia desk at Reporters Without Borders’ head office in Paris. He confirmed that foreign journalists have also had difficulty returning to India, usually after reporting on sensitive social issues. Reporters Without Borders cited Nandra as saying “I am sincerely shocked that a democracy should tell journalists what to write.”

According to information provided by RSF, Nandra’s problems began in autumn 2007 when she was about to make a second visit to India as a freelance journalist. She submitted a visa application in September but more than one year later had still received no response. Representatives of the media for which Nandra worked, state-run Sveriges Television and daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, held a meeting with the Indian embassy in February 2008 at which the embassy said they were displeased with her reports, including one about the sex trafficking in Bombay and a series of articles about changing gender roles in India, carried by Svenska Dagbladet in the summer of 2007.

“India is going through a sensitive phase at the moment and I think they are nervous that negative reports will frighten potential investors. Also, writing about sexuality is very much a taboo in India. Moreover, there may be expectations of me because I am half-Indian that I should be more loyal to India than other journalists,” Nandra said. Reliable sources had told Nandra that it is uncertain that she will ever be able to return to the country, even on a tourist visa. Apart from working in India as a journalist, Nandra also has relatives there, making the visa rejection a strong personal blow as well.

The SAJA (South Asian Journalists Association, www.saja.org) posted the item on its website adding that the SAJA would also like to hear from the Indian embassy in Stockholm about this issue but there was no response to the SAJA or to an email request from Tejinder Singh (a member of SAJA) till going to press. Moreover, as the public service Swedish radio is preparing an investigation about denial of journalist visas by Indian embassies and the undersigned is also interested to investigate further, please do not hesitate to contact the following if you are interested to tell publicly or anonymously your story.

Migrants now under open skies in chilly Brussels

2008-11-17T13:49:00.003+01:00

The media frenzy generated in Belgium with major media outlets carrying the story of a dawn raid on a Gurdwara (a worshipping place for Sikhs) obscured the real cause “human smuggling,” behind the police action in Brussels.

The police found in different houses nearly 200 people who are in Belgium illegally and living in inhuman conditions. In one house in Brussels 24 people were packed into a room of 12 meters-squares, according to Information provided by the government sources.

Culminating an investigation of almost a year, the Belgian authorities had found that a network of traffickers in humans have been operating in Belgium for the past year and a half. Hundreds of illegal immigrants from India and Pakistan have allegedly been smuggled through Belgium into the UK. The investigation into the network started after a couple of human traffickers operating from India were arrested.

Belgium authorities in keeping with usual practice, released all the detained migrants except marked human smugglers, who were arrested after raids last month by the Belgian federal police on 19 houses in Brussels’s Vilvoorde regions including one gurdwara (Sikh Temple) and Tubize (just outside Brussels).

After taking their finger-prints and delivering a written order to leave the country, the illegals without any legal documents were released within eight to 12 hours after the initial arrests. With the safe houses raided and agents behind bars, the illegals were left to fend for themselves for now.

GREEN PARKS, OPEN SKIES

Catching up with them in many green local parks on the benches under the open skies, Tejinder Singh interviewed dozens of them finding a heart-rendering story of tears, desperation and clinging to survival with hope to move onto greener pastures in United Kingdom. With his hands in his jeans pockets and wearing all the clothes that he owns, Bittu from Indian Northern state of Haryana says in Haryanavi Hindi, “Now I regret leaving home. There was food and shelter there and love of parents.”

The open environs of Brussels parks have equated all and the sad expressions in the eyes say it all as Sukha from neighbouring state of Punjab nods in agreement adding in Punjabi, “These agents are to be blamed. They go and spread all these stories of how the legalisation papers have opened and how it’s very easy to get legal once one lands in England.” Contrary to earlier press reports, some of the migrants have been arrested more than once but released within a few hours after the usual procedure of finger-printing and issuance of written orders to leave the country.

ELUSIVE ROUTE TO UK

Moreover, there are two ways the migrants are trying to cross into the UK:

First and more costly one is when the agents on the main land Europe talk to a few drivers who take the risk and take one or two boys ready to pay up to 6000 Euro across the English Channel by hiding them in specially designed cabins around the driver’s cabin.

The other cheaper method is run by Albanian and Kurdish gangs who scout the highway rest places for trucks and are experts in opening the back of trucks to put migrants in without the knowledge of the resting drivers. These gangs charge anything between 1000 Euro to 2000 Euro on arrival at destination and the illegal migrants talked of the ruthlessness of smugglers in extracting money and professionalism in operating the hide and seek game with the drivers.

After the raids and arrests, Brussels assistant prosecutor Tim de Wolf had told journalists that two of those arrested were “the brains behind the trafficking operations ... They controlled a whole series of little groups. We hope we have broken up the core of the network.”

Kaka from Punjab told this journalist, “The main kingpin called Pahlwan, a jat from Punjab, was arrested a week before the raids and he along with another person named Baja are the master-minds of these operations.” “Pahlwan came to Belgium more than a year ago and is still illegal but operated this clandestine smuggling ring, successfully ferrying thousands across to England,” Kaka added in his Punjabi punctuated with English words.

ASIA TO EUROPE

The migrants, mostly from Punjab, had been brought to Belgium through Moscow, De Wolf said. “We found 24 people crammed inside one windowless room, measuring around 12 sq m,” he said. Most of the migrants, I spoke to have come through the route Delhi (India) - Moscow (Russia) - Kiev (Ukraine) - Slovakia - Italy - Belgium. After arriving in Moscow on visas - about which they hardly want to talk, the migrants were moved by trucks most of the time in connivance of the drivers and agents, they disclosed. For this purpose, the well-organised smuggling rings provide seaman’s book for around Indian Rs 60,000 (about 900 Euro) and the person flies to a port city to join the ship as “crew.”

Sometimes there is no ship and the person is routed along the land routes. And if there is a ship, it is usually the ones operating with not much of sea-worthiness left in them and which transport illegal aliens to somewhere along the thousands of kilometres of unmanned Greek and Italian coastline. In all cases, the passports which have the airport stamps of departure from India and arrival at some transit destination are destroyed by the human smugglers as soon as the person finishes legal part of the journey.

NO DOCUMENTS, NO NATIONALITY

The documents are destroyed to make sure that the authorities cannot tie a person down to the country of his origin and in that case the authorities cannot immediately deport him. They need to establish his nationality, which is a time-consuming process.

Indian embassy in Brussels refused to comment on the fate of the migrants as embassy official R K Goel (First Secretary, Education and Culture with the responsibility to handle media) had told this journalist over the phone, “The ministry (Indian Foreign ministry) is looking into the matter so we can not comment on the subject.”

Resham Singh, President of Gurdwara Guru Nanak Sahib, Vilvorde said, “There should be cooperation and programmes to educate people in Punjab about the futility to take these risks,” adding, “May be European Union and the European governments can cooperate with Punjab and Indian governments to take the message to masses there.”

Sunil Prasad, President of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin said, “One of the main reasons why economic mi gr ants from India want to migrate to UK is because UK is more fri endly than many countries in Europe with respect to giving asylum.”

“Also, because of a large Indian community in UK, it is natural that these immigrants want to come to UK and seek better life,” Prasad, who is also the Secretary General of the Brussels Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC) added.

The dream lives on as is evident when speaking to Sucha, who was one of the few lucky ones to survive the clutches of law and order authorities. He shares an unhygienic dwelling with seven more. His eyes sparkle when questioned if he would make a dash to more promising lands. He replies, “I am looking for a good opportunity to go to England or maybe Canada.” (Names changed to hide identities)

New EU countries getting US Visa Waiver Programme

2008-11-16T01:35:00.003+01:00

The European Union citizens from more EU countries will be able to travel to the US under the Visa Waiver Programme according to officials in Brussels.

“Beginning Jan. 12, 2009, eligible citizens or nationals from all Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries must obtain approval through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) prior to traveling to the United States under the VWP, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a November 13 statement.

According to the US mission to the EU in Brussels, the DHS is scheduled to announce on November 17 its decision to add “seven allies to the list of countries authorized to participate in the VWP.”

The seven countries are the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, the Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovakia. “We are especially pleased to welcome these allies into the Visa Waiver Program,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. “Expanding the number of countries whose citizens can travel to the U.S. without a visa increases business and social ties between our countries and at the same time deepens cooperation on required security measures.”

“Beginning Nov. 17, eligible citizens or nationals from the new VWP countries may travel to the United States under the program provided they have an e-passport and an approved authorization via ESTA, a web-based system that determines the preliminary eligibility of visitors to travel under the VWP prior to boarding a carrier to the United States,” the statement from US mission added..

Commissioner Borg tries to clear murky waters of EU fishing industry

2008-11-16T01:29:00.003+01:00

The European Commission proposed today (Nov 14) tougher measures including crackdown on illegal fishing with a penalty point system to restore threatened fish stocks.

Launching the Commission plans, European Fisheries Commissioner told journalists in Brussels, “Control and enforcement should be the cornerstone of the Common Fisheries Policy. Instead it is our Achille's heel,” adding, “the proposed framework we have adopted today will provide effective deterrence, reduce the administrative burden and costs, and ensure we have a system in place which is simple, transparent, and fair.”

Expanding the range of powers of EU inspections, the Commissioner said: “The new control regulation will ensure that inspection activities are no longer almost only focused on operations at sea, where the chances of detecting a breach of the rules are often remote, but are present at every link of the chain - in port, during transport and whilst marketing.”

Calling on all the stakeholders in the sector to give their inputs and then respect the rules, Borg said, “the rules we make are seen to be fair and for the common good,” adding, “we need to ensure that there is a genuine level playing field for all operators.”

Reiterating the importance of the role of member states in the implementation of the rules, Commissioner Borg also proposed, “to give the Commission itself the power it needs to do the job.”

The Commission has pointed that even after spending 400 million Euro a year on fishing controls, there is no reliable data on fish catches. Commissioner Borg told journalists, “without accurate data on catches and landings, the very scientific advice on which we depend becomes unreliable.”

Under the new tough system, the holders of fishing permits face losing their basic right to fish if suspended for six and then 12 months. The point system will govern EU vessels even outside EU waters and non-EU vessels in EU waters and it will be applicable to the fishing vessel, and to the crew's master and officers.

Expanding the present system of “only own country” inspections, Borg proposals will give power to each EU country to inspect other country vessels, if or when needed.

The points register will be maintained in the vessel’s flag country with the EU countries asked for mandatory inspection of fish landings, processing, transport and marketing, as well as to monitor criteria such as a vessel's fishing capacity and its engine power.
Toughening the stand against lenient EU countries, the Commission threatened to cut or suspend the EU subsidies, cut quotas or in an extreme case forbidding fishing in the EU waters, Commissioner Borg said.

The Commissioner concluded, “Control is not the solution to all fisheries management problems. But there can be no sustainable fisheries, without a fair, effective and transparent control system.” The proposals still await agreement from fisheries ministers from all 27 member states.

European Parliament launches voice for Sikh causes

2008-11-16T01:23:00.002+01:00

Liz Lynne, British member of European Parliament today (November 10) launched the All- Party Sikh Interest Group in the European Parliament amid controversy of whether to allow “Kirpan” (small dagger) wearing Sikhs to access the main parliament building.

In a press statement, the European Parliamentarian said, “This new Parliamentary group is intended to look in particular at how Sikhs are treated within Europe. Unfortunately it would seem that we do not have to go very far to find examples of the discrimination that many Sikh’s face everyday.”

MEP Lynne, who is also a member of the European Parliament’s Sub- Committee on Human Rights said, “I am deeply disappointed that the European Parliamentary authorities refuse to recognise the right of Sikh people to wear the Kirpan. The Kirpan is not a weapon, it is a religious symbol. This is not a question of security but one of religious freedom.”

Citing the case of United Kingdom, one of the 27 member states of the European Union, MEP said, “In the UK the right to wear the Kirpan is enshrined in law. This includes allowing Sikh’s wearing the Kirpan to enter the Palace of Westminster. Therefore I do not see why the rules should be different in the European Parliament.”

MEP Lynne, whose initiative it was to launch the new interest group lamented that they had hoped to hold the first meeting within the parliament but parliamentary authorities refused to allow Sikh members entry, adding, "I very much hope that now we have this all party interest group on Sikh issues that a number of problems facing this community across the EU can be addressed."

This is the third time that leading Sikhs have been denied entry to the Parliament due to wearing the ceremonial Kirpan (the dagger).

Court of Auditors have hiccups as EU budget shadows lengthen

2008-11-14T00:45:00.004+01:00

Time is running out for the European Commission’s vice-president Siim Kallas, responsible for administration, audit and fight against fraud, as the Commissioner had sworn to get the EU accounts a clean bill of health by the time the Commission’s mandate ended in 2009.

Presenting the report to the Budgetary Control Committee of the European Parliament, the European Court of Auditors said on Monday (Nov 10) that although the accounts themselves have been approved without qualification, the same cannot be said of the "transactions underlying the accounts." The Court said that for the 14th year in a row it was not able to issue a "statement of assurance" that the EU money had been spent well and according to the rules in all policy areas.

The damaging report provided an indication of things to come as the budget moved through the labyrinth of the EU decision making process. The auditors concluded the accounts were a “fair presentation” of the Commission’s financial position but added there were unacceptable spending errors in all but two of the seven policy areas covered under the 114 billion Euro EU budget.

Commissioner Kallas said in a statement: “The Commission welcomes the auditors' constructive analysis and will continue efforts to improve its financial management to address the weaknesses identified. I do hope the report will also mobilise member states to do their job better so that errors on the ground are prevented and corrected.”

WHAT WILL ANDREASEN SAY NOW

On the other hand, financial experts and political pundits went down the memory lane to express sympathy for the former chief accountant Marta Andreasen, sacked by Kallas’ predecessor British Commissioner Neil Kinnock for going public with the Commission’s lax accounting in 2002.

Last week the Commission statement called the report, “a clean bill of health,” adding, “the Court also found that the majority of EU payments it checked were regular, though errors were still too frequent in some areas, particularly in spending on EU regions and to boost employment (cohesion policy), where grants are managed by national authorities.”

HUBNER CLARIFIES

EU Commissioner for Regional Policy Danita Hubner said her department which covers structural and cohesion funds, had reclaimed 843 million Euro in irregular payments this year, with 1.5 billion Euro more in the pipeline for recovery.

Commenting on the audit report, Hubner said, “Errors do not mean fraud. When the Court and the Commission's auditors talk about errors, they mean non-compliance with conditions for receiving EU funds. Where there are problems, in 99 percent of cases they are the result of errors which can be fixed and not a result of fraud,” adding, “and in all cases, the Commission always takes action to recover funds which have been misused.”

Citing that the report had found “the highest rates of error in structural funds, which are managed by the member states,” Commissioner Kallas said, “the Commission shall not hesitate to take a tough stance and suspend payments until all member states implement adequate corrective measures. And where errors have financial impact, we shall recover the money.”

Some examples are not only simple but glaring in nature as found in the Puglia region of southern Italy, certified organic olives were found to be growing in a waste dumpy while the owners of a charitable horse-riding school received 400,000 Euro in EU funds from the Lombardy region of Italy by providing inflated numbers.

CALDEIRA TALKS

Court of Auditors President Vítor Manuel Da Silva Caldeira told European Parliament’s Budget Control Committee that the Court is not a judicial authority and can only notify others, i.e. the EU fraud-fighting office OLAF, when it finds clear indications of possible fraud. This year, the Court had done so nine times. He also stressed that 80 percent of the EU budget is managed at the final beneficiary level by the member states.

Asked for suggestions to improve the situation, Caldeira advocated more on-the-spot checks, although it should be considered, he added, whether the cost of making such checks would outweigh the benefits. The budgetary authority - Parliament and the Council - should take a political decision on what would be a level of "appropriate tolerable risk.” Caldeira also called for a simplification of the regulatory framework.

MEPs CONTEMPLATE

Conservative budgetary control spokesman in Brussels, James Elles MEP, said the ongoing inability for national governments to take urgent and rigorous action to achieve a clean opinion from the Court of Auditors is unacceptable, and the European Commission should now 'name and shame' those countries failing to live up to their commitments.

Chris Davies MEP, a Liberal Democrat member of the European Parliament’s Budget Control Committee, commented: "This report is very disappointing for the European Union, but we shouldn't forget that national governments are responsible for 80% of EU spending ... The public will again assume that fraud is widespread and the Brussels bureaucracy incompetent but in fact the EU administration is now subjected to greater scrutiny than that of any government in Europe."

POSITIVE FLASHES

Although the European Union last year paid out six billion Euro wrongfully, in the highest ever overclaims being reviewed by the European Court of Auditors, there were also some positive points to cheer for like expenditure on administration and for economic and financial affairs (enterprise, internal market, etc.) got a clean bill of health, as did the revenue side of the EU budget. There were improvements in internal policies and external actions, though not enough to affect the overall judgement.

However, the Court of Auditors was unable to state whether the EU accounts were clean for ''most spending areas.'' ''The court still finds that payments made to financial beneficiaries, such as farmers and project promoters running EU-funded projects, have a too high level of error,'' they said.

The Budgetary Control Committee of the European Parliament will now proceed to have a series of hearings of Commissioners while the final vote on the 2007 discharge is scheduled to take place at the April 2009 plenary session of the Parliament.

Afghanistan set to benefit from Obamania in Europe

2008-11-08T19:31:00.003+01:00

Afghanistan will stay on top of the list of priorities of US President-elect Barack Obama as he taps into the post-US election euphoria in Europe, reaching out to grass root level European sentiments to coax Europe to do more to help defeat the Afghanistan insurgency, political pundits observed in Brussels last week.

David Ignatius, associate editor and columnist for the Washington Post said, “Obama has to deliver on his promise to end war in Iraq along with, to move early on Arab-Israeli conflict so as not to lose momentum,” adding, “intensity of enthusiasm of Obama supporters can be tapped into to get much needed support for Afghanistan policies.”

Addressing a select audience of journalists, diplomats and civil society representatives, Ignatius said, “The essence of Obama’s style is that he is Mr. Cool to an unusual level and is not yet knocked off from center point ... I have never seen a campaign better run than this one.”

“Depending on the recommendations of US General (David) Petraeus coming later, I have the impression from Obama’s advisors at this moment that the policy will be go for a surge and then negotiations,” Ignatius told an event titled, “Transatlantic Relations after the US elections: What now?” organised by the German Marshall Fund of the United States on November 7 in Brussels.

IRAN

On relations with militants and Iran, he said, “Saudi Arabia is trying to meditate with Taliban and it seem there will be talks with reconcilable elements of Taliban. There can also be broad dialogue with Iran but on the assumption that Iran may not be ready for yes yet,” adding, “Obama has an unusually gifted sense of timing.”

Warning, “The clock is ticking,” Ignatius asked Europeans to be prepared to impose tough sanctions if diplomatic efforts fail, saying, “We need to make tougher sanctions - much to what really hurts.”

Citing the upcoming “renewal of NPT (nuclear non-proliferation treaty),” Robert Cooper, Director General for External and Politico-Military Affairs at the Council of the European Union said, “If we wish to maintain it, its not just about dealing with Iran but its also about providing all countries with nuclear options for peaceful uses.”

CHINA, RUSSIA

“With Russia and China,” there is a “need to have a fundamental relationship,” Ignatius stressed.

Cooper called the events in Georgia, “a profound shock,” saying, “that changed the context of relations with Russia.” He, however, ruled out the military solutions saying, “solutions to problems are always political and that involves talking to people.”

CLIMATE CHANGE

On the issue of fight against climate change the speakers agreed that the US will be able to take the lead as the recent falling apart of the EU consensus on the issue was pointed out.

In a lighter tone, Cooper said, “Europe is always divided on something then agrees and then gets divided on something else but in Europe being divided means Europe is in the process of making a decision.”

Ignatius pointed at the “intensity of enthusiasm of young supporters of Obama,” with their passion and suggested that this can be involved both in the US and Europe,” along with Asian giants China and India, to address the climate change on a global scale.

Commission announces plans for sale of Polish shipyards

2008-11-08T18:18:00.001+01:00

European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes today (Nov 6) announced plans for sale of the Polish yards saying, "Clearly, today's decision is not the one which the shipyard workers would have liked. This is without a doubt one of the hardest proposals to the Commission that I have had to make as Competition Commissioner."

Blaming the Polish authorities for the present state of affairs the competition commissioner said, "The sad reality is that the very large subsidies received were consistently used for day to day operations, to keep the yards going in the short term rather than invested to make the yards viable in the long term," adding, "...even though shipbuilding has been booming worldwide and prices for new ships rising, the yards in Gdynia and Szczecin were still making a loss on every ship they produced."

"In particular, despite further large amounts of state aid and substantial job losses, the plans would not ensure the yards' commercial viability," the Commissioner lamented.

Asked if she will go to Poland to fulfill the promise of delivering the plans to the Polish shipyard workers in person, Commissioner told journalists, "I am planning to go to Poland and visit three shipyards as soon as possible (to present the plans as promised by me)," adding, "It will be in early December but earlier the better."

SALE CONDITIONS

Outlining the sale procedures, the Commissioner said, "The assets have to be sold at market price to the highest bidder. The tenders must be non-discriminatory, ensuring access to all types of potential buyers, irrespective of the purpose of their investment. No conditions can be attached to the tenders (for example, a requirement that a bidder purchases all the assets of a given yard)."

"The sole award criterion for the selection of the winning bid will be revenue maximisation for the benefit of the yard's creditors," said the Commissioner adding that investment companies and real estate developers will also be allowed to bid in these tenders.

ALTERNATE EMPLOYMENT

Trying to sooth the frayed nerves of shipyard workers, Commissioner Kroes told journalists, "The Commission can help workers at these yards to find alternative employment. My colleagues Commissioners Vladimir Spidla and Danuta Huebner have offered assistance in devising flanking measures under existing EU programmes to find solutions for the shipyards' workers and these regions that will help them through the potentially difficult times ahead."

GDANSK: A DIFFERENT STORY

Regarding the Gdansk shipyard, the Commissioner said, "we have not yet taken a decision. Gdansk is in a slightly different situation than the two other yards because it is smaller, it is already privatised and the level of subsidies received is considerably lower than in the case of Gdynia and Szczecin. Moreover, the new owner has already invested considerable sums in the Gdansk yard."

Throwing the ball back into the court of Warsaw, Kroes said, "The Polish authorities now have an opportunity to submit a restructuring plan for Gdansk alone for the Commission to examine."

WARSAW TO GET MONEY BACK

Since 2002, Gdynia Shipyard benefited from various aid measures (in particular capital injections, loans and tax write-offs) amounting to 700 million Euro and from production guarantees of 916 million Euro, the Commission stated, adding, "Szczecin Shipyard received aid of one billion Euro as well as production guarantees of 697 million Euro."

The Commission concluded, "the decisions require that Poland recovers from the yards all state aid unlawfully granted since May 2004."

Adding his voice to the decision, Commission President José Manuel Barroso said in a statement, "We have worked long and hard to find a solution that is fair and sustainable. For the workers and businesses in Poland, but also for people working and doing business elsewhere. The solution that we have agreed with the Polish authorities offers the best possible prospects for future jobs and viable activities at these historic sites."

NO COMPARISON WITH BANK RESCUE

Comparing the decision with the approvals that the Commission has given to rescue aid in the banking sector, the Commissioner said, "we have been authorising rescue aid for banks whose failure could have had catastrophic knock-on effects on Member States' financial sectors, and in turn Member States' economies as a whole, potentially harming seriously every citizen and every business in Europe."

"The rescue aid for banks has been authorised for relatively short periods. If the banks concerned receive aid going beyond pure rescue, they too will have to undergo restructuring to restore their viability, just as the shipyards were supposed to do," Kroes, the competition Commissioner concluded.

Opportunity to air opinions on state funding for public service broadcasting

2008-11-08T18:14:00.000+01:00

The European Commission today (Nov 4) opened public consultations on a draft Communication laying down the rules that it intends to apply to state funding of public service broadcasting.

Announcing the proposals, Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in a statement: "I am pleased to submit the draft Broadcasting Communication for public consultation. My goal is to help stakeholders in the broadcasting sector to meet the challenges of the new media environment, allowing a high quality and modern public service, while at the same time maintaining a fair level playing field between the different actors."

Putting the deadline of submissions at January 15, 2009, the Commission invited member states and stakeholders to submit their views on the proposed text, listing the key issues for discussion as, "more flexibility for public broadcasters to meet the challenges of the new media environment, the principles underpinning the definition of the public service remit by the member states as well as supervision of public service activities at national level."

On the basis of the comments received, the Commission is expected to adopt a modernised Broadcasting Communication in the first half of 2009.

According to the submitted draft there would be "increased flexibility for public service broadcasters to build up reserves to help them deliver on their public service mission and to withstand cost fluctuations." "At the same time, the suggested rules would require reinforced control mechanisms at the national level to avoid overcompensation and cross-subsidisation of commercial activities," the draft added.

Citing that the media sector is an important area for the Commission's state aid policy, the Commission stated, "Public broadcasters receive more than 22 billion Euro annually from license fees or direct government aid, placing them third, after agriculture and transport companies, among recipients of state aid."

Based on an earlier public consultation between January and March 2008, on the general principles of the Broadcasting Communication, Commissioner Kroes announced in July her intention to modernise the current Communication, which dates back to 2001.

Commission proposals outline raw material policy

2008-11-08T18:09:00.000+01:00

The European Commission today (Nov 4) launched a "long term sustained" approach to make sure that the raw material supplies to Europe do not suffer for different reasons.

Stressing that the EU industrial sector is facing a decline in the global supply of raw materials, Gunter Verheugen, the European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry said, "We must act, to ensure that access to raw materials for enterprises will not be hampered. We need fair play on external markets, a good framework to foster sustainable raw materials supply from EU sources as well as improved resource efficiency and more use of recycling."

Presenting the proposals to journalists in Brussels, Verheugen, Vice President of the European Commission said, "It is our aim to make sure that Europe's industry will be able to continue to play a leading role in new technologies and innovation."

Talking to New Europe later after the press conference, Commissioner Verheugen said, "I stressed integrated approach from the beginning. As the there are two groups of the European Commission involved: External Relations group and Competitive group, we will need co-ordination structure."

Commissioner further said, "As the instruments needed to are not in my hands, there is a strong support I have from the other commissioners on the subject."

"I have agreed with my colleagues, notably Cathy Ashton, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Louis Michel and Stavros Dimas, to closely cooperate to implement the proposed strategy," Verheugen earlier told the press conference.

In his presentations, Commissioner Verheugen said, "Americans and Japanese have a stockpiling policy," adding that the Europeans, who lack such a policy, will have to develop it over the coming years. "We are committed to improve the conditions of access to raw materials, be it within Europe or by creating a level playing field in accessing such materials from abroad," the Commissioner said.

Moreover, the importance of recycling got due attention as the Commission said, "Recycling presents a huge opportunity to reduce import dependency for raw materials," lamenting that many end-of-life products are "illegally shipped outside the EU and are hence not recycled within the EU."

Outlining the three major pillars for its policy development, the Commission listed:

"Access to raw materials on world markets at undistorted conditions;

The right framework to foster sustainable supply of raw materials from EU sources;

Increase resource efficiency and promoting recycling in the EU."

Earlier presentation by the Commission of a "European strategy for the sustainable use of natural resources" had met with strong criticism in the European parliament and now the Commission, the executive arm of the EU, has the mandate from the Competitiveness Council of the EU to develop a "coherent political approach" to address the raw material problems in different sectors.

http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90399.php

EU leaders call for international financial reform

2008-11-08T18:01:00.002+01:00

By Tejinder Singh

Brussels, Nov 8 (IANS) European Union leaders have agreed that next week's emergency summit in Washington must lead to a reformed international financial system, declaring: "We cannot fail'.

Meeting ahead of the Nov 15 summit, leaders of the 27-nation EU agreed to "defend the common vision for restructuring the financial system", French President Nicolas Sarkozy, current holder of the rotating EU Presidency, told journalists.

Leaders of 20 of the world's richest nations and biggest emerging economies, including India, are set to attend the summit in Washington DC to discuss how to prevent a financial crisis happening again.

Addressing a joint press conference with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso Friday, Sarkozy said: 'We should be able to come up with answers to the crisis. The international summit must pave the way for reform of the international financial system."

Barroso added: 'We cannot fail. It has to be a historic meeting."

"Apart from financial issues, global challenges also should be integrated,' he said, listing them as food shortages, the fight against poverty, climate change, and the relaunch of Doha Round of world trade negotiations.

'We have to look beyond the financial crisis, to the economic crisis. We need specific measures to cope with the slowdown and maintain growth and employment,' Barroso said.

The EU leaders agreed to four guiding principles:

- No financial institution, market segment and/or jurisdiction must escape proportionate and adequate regulation or at least supervision;

- The new international financial system must be based on principles of accountability and transparency;

- The new international financial system must allow risks to be assessed so as to prevent crises;

- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) must be given a central role in a more efficient financial architecture.

Sarkozy said he had discussed the summit with US President-elect Barack Obama Thursday, when he apprised him of European leaders' view that since the transition in the US government will take time there needs to be a strong follow-up.

EU leaders say a period of 100 days starting Nov 15 'should be used for drawing up measures to implement the principles' before holding a follow-up summit.

Obama loses grandmother on the eve of elections

2008-11-03T23:10:00.002+01:00

Madelyn Dunham, grandmother of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, died today after a battle with cancer. She was 86.

Dunham, who lived in Hawaii, died on the eve of an election in which her grandson was leading in the race to become president.

"She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility," Obama said in a statement released by his campaign. "She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring."

Obama flew to Hawaii for two days in the final stretch of the campaign to be with the woman he called "Toot," short for "tutu," the Hawaiian word for grandmother. He has credited her with his success in life, saying she "poured everything she had into me."

Gurdwara raid casts shadow on Belgian king's visit to India

2008-11-02T17:43:00.004+01:00

By Tejinder Singh

Brussels, Nov 2 (IANS) King Albert II of Belgium arrives in India on a nine-day visit Monday amid a row in his country over a raid on a gurdwara by police seeking to bust an illegal immigration racket.

The Belgian monarch, accompanied by Queen Paola, leads a high-powered delegation, including Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, top business leaders and academics.

The royal visit comes shortly after police raids last month on 19 properties, including a gurdwara, in the Brussels suburbs of Vilvorde and Tubize in connection with an investigation into an illegal immigration racket.

The 5,000-6,000-strong Sikh community in Belgium expressed outrage at the raid on the Vilvorde gurdwara, alleging police went in with their shoes on and forced a priest to stop the continual recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib held to mark 300 years of the Sikh holy book.

Mejindarpal Kaur, legal director of United Sikhs, an international coalition of organisations and individuals, told IANS: 'United Sikhs is writing to the Belgian prime minister, seeking a full investigation of the incident, an apology from Belgian police and changes to the police procedures when handling places of worship of all communities.'

Avtaar Singh, president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) in Amritsar, has written to the United Sikhs extending his support.

'The Belgian government should seek an explanation and apology from the police department for the action inside the gurdwara. I will write a memorandum to the Indian prime minister and the government of Belgium to investigate the police action in the gurdwara when the 300 years celebrations were going on in Belgium,' he wrote.

Said Resham Singh, president of the Vilvorde gurdwara: 'Our gurdwara is a place of worship open to all. We do not inquire about the immigration status of the people coming to worship at the gurdwara.'

He added: 'Every year on Nov 11, at Ypres (Belgium), we participate in the commemorations for the 35,000 Sikhs who shed their blood here during the two World Wars. How can you expect us to understand the way the police has treated us?'

Ines Wouters, a Brussels-based lawyer who is investigating the matter on behalf of the United Sikhs, said: 'The same result could have been reached in a different way by respecting the feelings and dignity of the Sikh community. A society which does not respect religious belief and sensitivity is losing its fundamental values.'

The Indian embassy in Brussels refused to comment on the incident.

'The (external affairs) ministry in New Delhi is looking into the matter, so we cannot comment on the subject,' embassy spokesman R.K. Goel told IANS.

The mayor of Vilvorde, accompanied by the local police chief and other officials, has visited the gurdwara to meet the management.

The Oct 18 dawn raids led to the arrest of 18 people from properties other than the gurdwara. Police also found 200 illegal Indian immigrants, mostly Punjabis, who were being hidden in safe houses on their way to Britain.

Assistant prosecutor Tim de Wolf told journalists that two of those arrested were 'the brains behind the trafficking operations... They controlled a whole series of little groups. We hope we have broken up the core of the network'.

MEP in Seoul predicts EU Trade Agreement possible in 2008

2008-10-31T21:32:00.002+01:00

South Korea and the European Union are ready to sign the free trade agreement (FTA) according to visiting European lawmakers in Seoul. The Chairman of the European Parliament's Korea delegation, Austrian conservative Member of European Parliamnet (MEP) Hubert Pirker said in a statement from Seoul, “The trade agreement between the European Union and South Korea is practically ready for signing.”

After a range of meetings in Seoul, Pirker said, “In our meetings and negotiations with the South Korean Prime Minister, the ministers for foreign affairs and trade as well as with the responsible Korean negotiators for the trade agreement, we were able to come to an agreement on concluding the negotiations. Some fine points will have to be ironed out over the next month, but I expect a final agreement ready for signature before the end of this year.”

The statement from the MEP came as a surprise to business observers in Seoul and Brussels as during the FTA talks in August, South Korean Trade Ministry sources had hinted at differences on those “sticky issues,” while EU negotiator Ignacio Garcia Bercero told New Europe on August 30 in Seoul, “We had a very fruitful discussion and we agreed to continue talks.”

South Korean Deputy Trade Minister Hye-min Lee and Deputy chief negotiator in August told New Europe about the “sticky” issues and expectations on both sides, lamenting, “On the services sector, the EU expects we should give more than what we have given to the US - but when we negotiated with the US - we already had EU FTA in mind.” “What we have agreed with the US is not just for the US but also for the EU. The Europeans are asking for more than that which is very difficult,” he said. “We will be obliged to change our regulations but European will not change anything while Europeans are set to gain from the FTA,” the Korean negotiator added.

According to business sources speaking to New Europe the EU had during talks in August flatly rejected the demand of South Korea with a booming auto-industry, to drop tariffs on South Korean cars within three years after the bilateral talks take effect.

Another major obstacle to the FTA negotiations is the legal sector as Doo-Sik Kim, an international trade lawyer told journalists at a lunch organised by the Korea Press Foundation on August 25. Addressing the fear of Korean legal sector about the take-over and expansion of the European law firms in the Korean market, Kim said it was one of the least highlighted subjects but there is a strong opposition from the concerned lawyer lobbies.

After meeting with Korean Prime Minister Dr. Han Seung-soo and the Speaker of the National Assembly, Kim Hyeong-o, responsible for the ratification of the agreement, all involved ministers of President Lee Myung-bak's government, Pirker, “In view of the international financial crisis and the regional and global security implications, this visit of the EU delegation is of high importance, also in the eyes of our South Korean counterparts.”

The EU is South Korea’s second largest trade partner after China. In 2007, the bilateral trade volume between South Korea and the EU amounted to USD 89.8 billion.

EU sets out ambitious plans to tackle financial crisis

2008-10-30T01:45:00.004+01:00

The European Commission announced on Wednesday (October 29) it will outline late November an economic recovery plan for the European Union to guide it from the present “financial crisis” to the “sustainable development” to avoid the prospect of recession.

“We will bring forward on November 26, a comprehensive EU recovery plan, based on the framework we have approved today,” Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told journalists, adding, “that recovery plan will include targeted short-term actions to add to the medium-term reform agenda.”

Outlining a four-pronged framework as the basis of the plan, Barroso highlighted pragmatic measures to help families and households across Europe, coordination and solidarity among member states, full use of flexibility allowed by EU rules and global governance.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

"Our top priority is to minimise the impact on jobs, purchasing power and prosperity of our citizens," he said. “We must keep unemployment to the absolute minimum and support those who have lost their jobs," Barroso added.

In a commission communication relating to the financial crisis, released after the press conference, the Commission stressed the need for social solidarity, saying that households and employees need to be cushioned from the full effects of the economic downturn.

The communication stated the chances for reviewing the terms for releasing money from the European Social Fund, which aims to provide educational opportunities and improve job skills, and review the effectiveness of the Global Adjustment Fund, which was established in 2007 to help workers laid off by companies that have moved their operations outside Europe.

Addressing a joint press conference with Barroso, European Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said, “We are now facing not only a financial crisis but a serious slowdown in our economies that is hitting households, businesses and jobs.”

FLEXIBILITY IN APPLICATION OF RULES

Calling on member states to use flexibility provided in European fiscal rules in the case of sharp slowdowns, Almunia said, “They should use the room for manoeuvre they have to cushion the impact," adding, “we have red lines, we cannot put an excessive burden on the next generation.”

Almunia said: "Given that inflationary pressures are now easing, monetary and fiscal policy can contribute to supporting demand ... member states can now use the room for maneuver they have created.”

Almunia insisted that the Stability and Growth Pact is the appropriate policy framework for the EU, adding that in case of extra-ordinary condition like present, the pact will be interpreted flexibly, allowing budget deficits to exceed three percent of gross domestic production provided the deviation is small and temporary.

“The pact is about peer support in a difficult situation as the one we are living in and not only about peer pressure,” he said.

Echoing Almunia, Barroso said EU countries should use to its full potential the flexibility that exists within the EU fiscal discipline, as well as within the competition, state aids and internal market rules.

Warning, “We need to swim together or else we will sink together,” Barroso also acknowledged that the member states held the "main instruments" for reviving growth and not the European Union adding, “Europe must confront the economic downturn with the same robust and coordinated approach we have taken on the financial crisis.”

Commission President Barroso, however, cautioned against using the financial crisis to bring in protectionism saying, “Trade barriers shut out prosperity and open the gates instead to short-term, economic populism. So yes to pro-activism, but no to protectionism.”

ENHANCING ROLE OF EIB, EBRD

Barroso and Almunia also urged the member states to look at the possibility of strengthening supranational financial institutions. Barroso said governments should also consider giving more money to the European Investment Bank that could direct funding to infrastructure projects or provide loans for small businesses hit by the credit crunch.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) could also receive more capital. The commission communication stated, “The EBRD has been playing a key role in financial sector reform and in financing the private sector in our newer member states. In the current financing environment its activities in these countries could be strengthened.

FINANCIAL SOLIDARITY

In the spirit of solidarity, EU governments agreed late Tuesday (October 28) to lend Hungary 6.5 billion Euro in a joint bid with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help the country deal with the financial crisis.

Barroso said the EU stands ready to provide substantial medium-term financial assistance to other member states experiencing balance of payments pressures or serious financial stability risks saying, “we need to be prudent but also vigilant.”

Amid fears that several new EU member states and other countries might eventually need assistance, Commissioner Almunia confirmed that no other country has asked for a rescue package similar to one provided to Hungary.

Hinting at the crisis-situation in Ukraine and others, Commission President Barroso said, “neighbours are under stress but EU institutions are ready to provide.”

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Barroso promised EU support to improve cooperation and coherence at international level saying, “When you have global interdependence, you need global governance.”

Commenting on the Summit of Group of 20 in Washington on November 15 to reform the global financial system, Barroso said the summit must deliver the first results so as to rebuild a climate of confidence, which is part of the solution to the current crisis.

Urging China to be part of the solution, Barroso said, “China has been benefiting from this globalisation and has made big financial reserves and its time to show that they can help in this time of crisis.”

Barroso called on the IMF to be prepared to intervene with emergency financing as there were signs that the crisis is spreading to emerging markets. China and the Gulf countries could do more to help the IMF support countries hit by the financial crisis, Barroso said adding, “The idea put forward by (British) Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and I completely agree with him, is that China and others could help more the IMF ... Not only China but also the Gulf countries could maybe give a concrete demonstration of their sense of responsibility.”

On the subject of overhaul of the relevant financial institutions, the commission communication stated, “Europe is well placed to play an active role in designing the new global architecture and making it work effectively,” based on key principles of efficiency, transparency plus accountability and representation.

LACK OF CONFIDENCE

Commenting on the plunging stock markets even with the pumping of liquidity in the banking system, Barroso blamed it on lack of confidence in the economy, Barroso said, “People are expecting the negative effects on the so-called real economy and that's why it's important ... that we are acting in a coordinated way to address the problems of the real economy.” Barroso sounded positive as he declared, “Europe will come through this financial storm and will emerge stronger.”

Almunia said that he had made a proposal to raise the maximum EU aid to member states facing financing troubles to 25 billion Euro as according to a 2002 rule, the EU can provide up to 12 billion Euro in total financial assistance to member states that do not use the Euro when they run into a balance of payments crisis.

"We sent to the council (of member states) proposals for increasing this ceiling to 25 billion Euro," Almunia told journalists. EU officials later said that it will be on the agenda of the meeting of the EU finance ministers on Tuesday (November 4) in Brussels.

European leaders to meet ahead of financial summit

2008-10-29T22:06:00.001+01:00

European leaders are set to gather in Brussels Nov 7 to try and agree to a consensus ahead of a global financial summit to address reforms to international financial institutions.

France, which holds the rotating European Union presidency this year, said in a brief statement Friday that the informal meeting of EU heads of state and government will prepare the EU's 27 member-states for an upcoming financial summit Nov 15 in Washington on the global financial crisis.

The summit was announced by the White House after a meeting last weekend between US President George W. Bush, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

The White House said President Bush would host leaders of 20 of the world's richest nations and biggest emerging economies, including India and China.

At an emergency EU Summit Oct 15-16 here, EU leaders had agreed that a massive overhaul of the world's financial system is needed to prevent another financial crisis and asked Sarkozy and Barroso to hold further discussions with the US administration.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, however, failed to answer questions from journalists over what preparations were in place for the Nov 7 summit.

Commission spokesperson Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen said European Commission members are to meet Oct 29 to prepare for the upcoming global summit in the US.

The US-hosted talks are expected to draw leaders from the Group of 20: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, Britain, the US, and the European Union.

European managers learn 'good guanxi' in China

2008-10-29T21:58:00.002+01:00

The European Union (EU) has teamed up with China in a two-way partnership for training professionals and managers. The programme offers high-level training for EU managers and professionals interested in gaining China expertise, as well as Chinese managers with an ambition to train in Europe.

According to a survey published recently by the human resource consultancy Hewitt Associates, 55 percent of corporations with a presence in China plan to hire new staff in 2008.

For the EU-based companies, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the EU-China Managers Exchange and Training Programme (METP), financed by the EU and China, offers the possibility to train their employees to become qualified experts in the Chinese market.

Stefan Hell, team leader in Beijing said: 'Despite the strong coverage China has received through the Beijing Olympics, the country and its business culture remain unknown to most European managers.'

"To be successful in China, one needs a profound knowledge of economy, culture and business ethics. And this is what METP offers applicants. At the same time, the programme functions as a platform where Europeans and Chinese meet and build long-term relationships - the basic foundation for successful business in China,' he added.

Julius Daujotas from Lithuania, who has already travelled to China and participated in the programme, told IANS: 'The company I am working for (Umega AB) manufactures heating equipment for industrial and laboratory purposes. Mainly it's heating furnaces up to 1,800 degrees Celcius.'

'Our company is selling quite a lot in Asian markets, for example Pakistan, India, Indonesia, but the Chinese market was still unexplored for us. So, one of the main objectives was to enter China with our production. To do that is a lot easier when you are able to speak Chinese, when you are familiar with local traditions and customs,' Daujotas explained.

'During the cultural training, we had a chance to meet each other more closely. For doing business in China, to have good 'guanxi' (relations) is very important,' he said.

'The most interesting experience during my stay was seeing the bargaining in markets - and the way salesmen try to attract your attention. Initially I was shocked, but then I understood the way of doing this and it became fun. Also it's a really good practice for your Chinese language,' Daujotas added.

Belgian regulator told to streamline market

2008-10-28T23:53:00.002+01:00

The European Commission has given the green light to Belgium’s telecoms watchdog the Institut Belge des Services Postaux et des Telecommunications (BIPT,) to do the needful to bring down fixedline prices charged to the European citizens in the country. “BIPT has sought to force Belgium’s incumbent telecoms operator and the dominant player on the fixed-line market to comply with EU demands since 2000, but has failed to cut the costs that consumers have to foot,” the Commission said in a statement.

Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media said, “Although the Belgian retail calls markets have all the conditions to be competitive, leading to choice and affordable prices for Belgian consumers, the overall retail prices for fixed telephony in Belgium are one of the highest in the EU.” The Commissioner, who has come to symbolise EU citizens’ interests, warned the Belgian telecom industry: “This is simply not acceptable for Belgian consumers.

The European Commission will keep a very close eye on the Belgian market We ask the Belgian telecoms regulator to come back to us on this issue within a year’s time.” “BIPT should also revise its price control obligation imposed on Belgacom, the telecoms incumbent, to allow Belgian customers to make cheaper calls as soon as possible,” the Commission said in a statement. In a letter sent to BIPT, the Commission “endorsed BIPT’s finding that Belgacom is still dominant on the Belgian fixed line calls markets.”

Commenting on the letter sent to BIPT, a Commission spokesman told journalists, “For a three-minute local call in Belgium you pay 21.2 Euro cents. On an average in the EU you pay substantially below 10 Euro cents.” According to European laws the Commission can ask national regulators to enforce national rules to guarantee competition in their national markets but the Commission can not establish caps for local calls as it did for cross-border mobile services.

Noting that all national telecom regulators have the possibility to use tools such as a price cap on retail tariffs, the Commission spokesman added, “We recommend that the Belgian regulator makes full use of the instruments available to them under EU telecom rules.” The Commission asked BIPT to ensure complete enforcement of the existing wholesale measures and to let the Commission know of the results of a new market analysis within the next year.

Explaining the one year time period, the Commission spokesman told journalists that usually the national regulators submit their reports every two years but in this case the Commission has asked for an early assessment report. The spokesman lamented the fact that even though all the regulatory measures needed are in place in Belgium, the prices are still highest in the EU. The Commission identified the non-implementation of the wholesale line rental obligation imposed on Belgacom in 2006 and asked the national regulator for a better implementation, stating, “the wholesale line rental obligation, which was imposed on Belgacom by BIPT in 2006 and which allows alternative operators to use Belgacom’s networks, has not been implemented so far.”

Answering questions from the journalists, the spokesman clarified that the action against Belgium was not the first such move as there have been similar cases the latest was concerning Italy.

Moreover, the carrier pre-select system, launched in 2000 along with high broadband penetration is yet to have a significant effect on the fixed line telephony market in Belgium.

“The carrier (pre-)selection obligation, which allows consumers in Belgium to choose their preferred provider to supply their telecoms services, was imposed as early as 2000 and should have led, together with Belgium’s high broadband penetration, to effective competition in the fixed telephony market,” the Commission stated, adding, “in particular, the remedies should ensure that consumers benefit from cost reductions resulting from decreased wholesale interconnection charges.”

Market observers pointed that the present intervention under the leadership of Commissioner Reding is set to lower interconnection prices and usher in an era of tighter price controls on Belgacom’s retail offers thus benefiting the European citizens.

EU’s Blue Card visa scheme gets green light

2008-10-28T23:46:00.001+01:00

The European Union Council of Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs slated to meet on November 27-28 in Bru ssels is expected to rubber stamp the Blue Card, a fast-track work visa, a decision made at the ambassadors’ level. “As the decision was agreed at the ambassadors’ level, it’s not yet official but we do not foresee any further debates and the decision will be ratified by the EU ministers next month,” an EU official said. France holds the rotating EU Presidency for the second half of 2008 till the end of December. In addition, the EU leaders en dorsed an EU immigration package and put on hold the restart of frozen trade and partnership talks with Russia.

With major countries like Germany and United Kingdom pushing for competition to get the best talents, the EU states significantly weakened the Commission’s original plans by insisting that it is up to national governments to decide how many migrants should enter their countries and what qualifications they should have. With a fast track application process along with making it easier for workers to bring families along and get housing the Blue Card, with validity of four years falls way short of original proposal.

Moreover, the Blue Card would only be issued under strict income conditions, with migrants expected to be earning at least one- and-ahalf times the gross national average wage. The Blue Card, a brain child of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, was designed to be on par with Green Card system of the USA, the final version has lost much of its shine according to EU sources in Brussels.

Barroso had told journalists on September 29 in Marseille, France after the EU-India Summit: “We have made a proposal precisely to make it easier for qualified professionals to come to Europe because we want to remain open and in fact we want more people coming to Europe namely some migrants, qualified migrants and sometimes we find it’s difficult for them to come so we made a proposal and that proposal is being negotiated by the Council of member states and I think the final outcome will be a good one.”

Addressing a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and current EU Presidency holder French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Barroso had said, “I think it will a good outcome, a balanced proposals especially for the Indians to come to Europe and cooperate inside our member states.”

Asked to comment on the diluting of his proposals, Barroso told journalists, “of course sometimes we want more ambitious results but this is the way we work in the EU we have to understand we are 27 countries so at the end it has to be a compromise between all the countries because thats very much linked to their national sovereignty.”

Commenting on the upcoming proposals, Umesh Shenoy, an Indian software consultant working in Brussels, Belgium said, “Blue Card will greatly alleviate the problem of restrictive movement for non- EU employees within the EU countries. Hopefully will bring stability to otherwise chaotic procedure that comes with applying for work permit and residence cards. This will be useful for Multinational institutions which require workforce to be mobile and It is a win-win situation for both employer and employees alike in the longer term.”

European Parliament puts China in tight corner with Sakharov Prize for dissident

2008-10-24T10:20:00.001+02:00

The European Parliament (EP)’s prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought was awarded to a jailed Chinese human rights activist and political dissident, Hu Jia whose field of work ranges from environmental causes to HIV/AIDS advocacy and a prominent voice calling for an official enquiry into the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

The European Parliament every year since 1988 awards the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, in honour of the Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov. Individuals or global organisations are eligible if they have made a mark in the field of the fight for human rights or democracy.

Announced on October 23, on the eve of the 7th ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting), hosted by Beijing on October 24-25, the award is an open snub to the Chinese officials who had warned that they would consider it an affront.

Hu Jia is in prison and is stated to be in poor health with stomach problems. “To present this type of prize to a criminal amounts to interference with China's judicial sovereignty, and also shows disrespect towards human rights,” spokesman Qin Gang of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was cited as saying before the award announcement was made in Strasbourg at the Plenary session of the European Parliament, the only directly elected European institution.

With the formal acceptance of six new members, Bulgaria, India, Mongolia, Pakistan, Romania and the ASEAN (Association of the Southeast Asian Nations) Secretariat, the gathering is set to swell the membership to 45.

According to political pundits, the Summit will be more a testing ground for the new arrivals with agenda being overshadowed by ongoing global financial events.

Yeo Lay Hwee, senior research fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Relations and Associate Director of the EU Centre based in Singapore warned, “we must not expect too much or we will be disappointed,” as ASEM is “not a venue for negotiations,” but “an ideal platform for testing new and evolving ideas.”

She was addressing a select gathering of diplomats, academics and journalists at a Brussels event titled, “Injecting new momentum into ASEM, an uphill struggle?” organised by Brussels based think-tank “European Policy Centre,” (EPC).

Addressing the audience Geoffrey Barret, senior advisor for Asia at the European Commission said, “ASEM is based entirely on political will,” and outlined four building blocks of the ASEM platform: Climate negotiations, Development co-operation on Millienuium Development Goals, Labour employment and social cohesion, Human rights.

With Hu Jia being bestowed with European prize, “human rights,” are set to be a thorny issue even if global financial crisis is supposed to hog the limelight.

European Parliament approves new trade commissioner

2008-10-23T20:29:00.001+02:00

The European parliament on Wednesday (Oct 22) overwhelmingly approved the appointment of British Baroness Catherine Ashton as the European Commissioner in charge of trade. In a plenary session in Strasbourg, 538 MEPs voted for the new Commissioner for European trade policies. There were 40 votes against her appointment and 63 abstentions.

Ashton was nominated earlier this month by the British government to succeed Peter Mandelson, following his appointment to the British government.

The President of the European Commission and the Council - the institution that regroups the Member states - having already given the green light for the appointment of the first woman commissioner for trade, it remained only for parliament to vote.

On Tuesday (Oct 21), Ashton had a three-hour hearing in parliament during which she was tested on trade. She is now a member of the European Commission in her own right till the European elections due in June 2009 when a new Commission will be appointed.

During the hearing in parliament, MEPs posed questions to the commissioner-designate and she showed good knowledge of her new trade portfolio. In particular, Ashton, who is an economist by training, was asked about the ongoing financial crisis, future of the Doha Round and its overtaking by the bilateral trade negotiations.

With a short time to prepare as a result of the fast-tracking of the approval process, the Commissioner got praise from the European law-makers. Spanish MEP Ignasi Guardans, vice-President of the parliament trade committee said, "in her responses to some tough and often highly politicised questioning, she demonstrated strong political skills and composure which is evidence of good negotiating skills."

“The committee had some natural concerns about her lack of direct experience of international commerce or foreign affairs but with such a short time to prepare, she persuaded the committee that she understood the link between trade and the impact on the European small and medium sized business sector and jobs,” Guardans added.

After the approval by the parliament, she said she would pay her first visit to WTO director general Pascal Lamy in Geneva later this week to assure him that pursuing a successful Doha Round remains absolutely central to Europe’s trade policy.

Responding to the confirmation of Ashton as new trade commissioner, Benedict Southworth, Director of the World Development Movement, said: “The European Commission needs to radically overhaul its trade policy and Baroness Ashton is now in a unique position to do so. The business-as-usual approach of wholesale deregulation and trade liberalisation is out of step with today’s climate of global financial, food and energy crises.”

“Instead, sustainable development and tackling poverty must be at the heart of European trade policy. Baroness Ashton now has an excellent opportunity to draw a line under the past and Commissioner Mandelson’s legacy of unfair trade deals that hit the poorest hardest,” Southworth added.

EU looks forward to taming Asian giants at ASEM Beijing Summit

2008-10-21T21:41:00.004+02:00

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the current holder of rotating EU Presidency on Tuesday (October 21) announced his intentions to bring China and India to the international negotiating table slated for next month to streamline global financial reforms aimed at international financial institutions including International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Addressing the Plenary Session of the European Parliament at its Strasbourg seat, Sarkozy said, “With (European Commission) President (Jose Manuel) Barroso, we are going to visit China, the aim being also to convince China and India to take part in this summit.”

Reiterating, “This is a global crisis so the response can only be global,’’ the EU Council President asked, “Who will take part in this summit?”

“There are a lot of different schools. I believe the most straightforward thing would be the G8, obviously with Russia. We need to add the G5 to that, obviously with China and India,’’ Sarkozy said answering his own question.

Beijing is hosting the 7th ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) on October 24-25 and with the formal acceptance of six new members, Bulgaria, India, Mongolia, Pakistan, Romania and the ASEAN (Association of the Southeast Asian Nations) Secretariat, the gathering is set to swell the membership to 45.

According to political pundits, with the presence of Asian economic heavy weights China and India along with arch-rivals Pakistan and India, the Summit will be more a testing ground for the new arrivals with agenda being overshadowed by ongoing global financial events.

Yeo Lay Hwee, senior research fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Relations and Associate Director of the EU Centre in Singapore warned, “we must not expect too much or we will be disappointed,” as ASEM is “not a venue for negotiations,” but “an ideal platform for testing new and evolving ideas.”

Addressing a select gathering of diplomats, academics and journalists at an event titled, “Injecting new momentum into ASEM, an uphill struggle?” organised by Brussels based think-tank “European Policy Centre,” (EPC) on Monday (October 20), Lay Hwee pointed that there was no doubt that China will deliver “a superbly organised and executed meeting.”

Quoting the theme of the Summit, “Vision and Action --Towards a Win-Win Solution,” she said, “Taking ASEM for what it is, an informal dialogue form, one should be realistic and not expect anything beyond a talk fest, the outcome of which will be more declarations noting the challenges ahead and stating common positions on some of the issues.”

Going down the memory lane, Lay Hwee said, “Ten years ago, the EU agreed to help (Asian) member states affected by the Asian financial crisis and today we have another financial crisis.” Citing, “crisis brings opportunity,” she added, “ASEM, not to look irrelevant, must make an impact.”

“We expect to consolidate progress made at the Helsinki (Summit) in 2006,” hoped Geoffrey Barret, senior advisor for Asia at the European Commission. Addressing the audience Barret said, “ASEM is based entirely on political will,” and outlined four building blocks of the ASEM platform:

Climate negotiations, Development co-operation on Millienuium Development Goals, Labour employment and social cohesion, Human rights.

BURMA IN, NO NORTH KOREA

On the question of Burma, Lay Hwee said, “the EU changed attitude saying better to engage than to leave them alone.”

Professor Xing Hua, senior researcher and director, Centre for EU studies, CIIS, added, “If we are patient and skillful, we can help Burma to seek solutions to their internal problems.”

No speaker on the panel responded to the question of participation of North Korea in ASEM as China, the mentor of North Korea was holding the Summit.

FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE

Moreover, Barret said he expected another declaration on international financial development adding that ASEM 7 will be the largest event ever hosted by the Chinese after the Olympic games representing 60 percent of the world population and 60 percent of global trade.

Founded in 1996, with 27 members, ASEM is going to be 45 members strong at Beijing and is looked at as the main multilateral channel for communication between Asia and Europe and six summits have taken place till date.

According to figures released on Monday (October 20) by the European Union’s statistics bureau Eurostat, the EU exports between 2000 and 2007, to the 16 Asian countries in ASEM rose from 146 billion Euro to 228 billion, while imports increased from 285 billion to 459 billion Euro.

The Asian countries accounted for more than a quarter of the EU's total external trade in goods in 2007. However, their trade with EU showed very different patterns between 2000 and 2007.

Among the 16 Asian countries, China was not only the leading destination for EU exports in 2007, accounting for 31 percent of the total, but also the leading source of EU imports, according to Eurostat.

Indian diplomatic presence in Brussels needs boost

2008-10-21T01:43:00.004+02:00

The European Union and India at the recently concluded EU-India Summit (September 29) in Marseille, France failed to finalise the ongoing trade negotiations over Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the two sides remaining at loggerheads on key issues in the Doha talks on liberalising world trade. Political ties can not go far without financial bonds and a look at the trade figures from recent past show that its time to inject much needed momentum into an uninspiring trade relationship.

Reiterating the importance of trade and economic ties, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told journalists at a joint press conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso: “We have agreed to achieve an annual bilateral trade turnover of 100 billion Euro within the next five years and to work towards the conclusion of the India- EU Broad- Based Trade and Investment Agreement by end-2009.” The 27-nation bloc’s trade with India amounted to just less than 56 billion Euro last year. Earlier, the trade statistics showed a jump from a meagre less than five billion Euro in 1980 to a respectable more than 45 billion Euro in 2006. Although trade with the EU is 20 percent of India’s import-export business, making the EU India’s largest trading partner in 2006, India’s share is only 1.8 percent of total EU trade. In the context of the ongoing negotiations in the EU-India Free Trade Agreement, there are some stumbling blocks that need to be addressed on both sides. According to reliable sources, the major hurdle is in the fields of agriculture which is a protected sector in the EU which earmarks 40 percent of its total budget to this sector where there are subsidies galore.

NO TIME TABLE

In May, Peter Power, spokesperson for EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson had told journalists in Brussels: “I can confirm that we have received the document from India. I can confirm that it is certainly a useful and worthwhile opening bid for negotiations will have to go further and deeper,” lamenting that the time-frame for the talks to conclude is “not solely in our hands.” “We would like to see this particular negotiation making progress as rapidly as possible. I think the opening bid is not bad, but a lot of work remains to be done to have an agreement that would be worthy of support by both sides,” he noted.

“I think at this stage it would be unwise of me to put a timetable, but certainly we should hope to see substantial movement in the next year to 18 months,” added Power. India formally launched negotiations in June 2007 with the EU for a comprehensive FTA aimed at removing barriers across all sectors including investment and services.

The EU has, in recent times, accepted the fact that Indian import tariffs have been substantially reduced but it complains they are still high by international standards. The EU calls it a “complex and non-transparent” system as it points at additional duties, taxes, and charges that are levied on top of the basic customs duties. Pointing to the “non-tariff” barriers, the EU lists quantitative restrictions, mandatory testing, import licensing, certification for a large number of products and a complicated procedural modus operandi as the major speed breakers for a smooth trade relationship.

SLUGGISH INDIAN MISSION

With Indians finding the EU institutions bewildering and complex, India has its own set of complaints, foremost being in recent times the frequent use of anti-dumping duties on its exports including footwear. This is the arena where the diplomatic mission in Brussels is failing Delhi in the Indian government’s renewed efforts to shift into higher gears cooperation in different fields with the European Union. India’s outgoing ambassador to the European Union, Dipak Chatterjee, last month was cited by EuAsiaNews as saying, “I don’t think India has fully woken up to the fact that the EU is more than an economic and trading partner. The EU is trying to build a political identity for itself. I think it will take some time for India to come to understand that.” “But India is realising that the EU is a force to reckon with. There is interest on both sides to develop relations,” he had added.

All the European journalists attending the Marseille Summit agreed that there was a complete lack of information from the Indian mission in Brussels where the EU is seated.

European journalists pointed to “no press release,” “no media briefing,” “no pertinent information on the Embassy website,” nor a “call back to provide information from the Indian Ambassador’s office in Brussels.”

Add to the fact that with more than a month of arrival in Brussels, the new ambassador is yet to let the Brussels press corps know of his presence through either a press release or otherwise. According to political pundits here, its time for Delhi to rethink the Brussels diplomatic strategy to pump in a new impetus into EU-India relationship.

Brussels sees dawn raids to break human smuggling ring

2008-10-18T21:12:00.001+02:00

The police raided 19 houses in Brussels's Vilvoorde region including Gurudwara (Sikh Temple) and Tubize (just outside Brussels).

The Sikh community expressed outrage at the handling of the affair at the Sikh Temple, alleging that the police went in with shoes on and forced the reader of the Holy Book to abandon the continued recital that was going on to observe 300 years anniversary of the Holy Book.

On the other hand, at other places the raids yielded some major suspects according to reliable sources.

The police also found at least 200 people who are in Belgium illegally and living in inhuman conditions. They were shacked up in safe houses, used as places of hiding for many illegals. In one house in Brussels 24 people were packed into a room of 12 meters-squared according to Information received by VRT television.

Today's roundup is the result of an investigation of almost a year. A network of traffickers in humans is thought to have been operating in Belgium for the past year and a half. Hundreds of illegal immigrants from India and Pakistan have allegedly been smuggled through Belgium into the UK. The traffickers allegedly made hundreds of thousands of Euro so far. The investigation into the network started after a couple of human traffickers operating from India were arrested. It became clear that there is a huge demand for illegal immigration from Asia.

People are willing to pay enormous amounts of money to the smugglers: and it ranges from 5000 Euro to 8000 Euro. The gangs in Belgium are operating from parking lots along the motorways.The candidate refugees are loaded on to lorries going into the UK. The lorry drivers are reportedly offered huge amounts of money to take the illegal migrants across the borders into the UK.

Europe gears up for global financial overhaul at Brussels Summit

2008-10-17T20:00:00.004+02:00

European Union leaders last week stayed on track of the expected policy of agreeing to nod the financial package through but postponed the final agreement on climate change policy to the December Summit.

With the global economic slowdown feeding the gathering clouds of recession over national finances, French President Nicolas Sarkozy goaded the EU leaders not only to endorse the emergency measures for now but also got the mandate to address the long-term reforms for the international financial institutions. France holds the rotating EU Presidency for the second half of 2008 till the end of December.

In addition, the EU leaders endorsed a EU immigration package and put on hold the restart of frozen trade and partnership talks with Russia.

FINANCIAL DEAL

The Council conclusions called for “rigorous implementation by financial institutions of recommendations on the transparency of their commitments and risks,” to maintain “confidence in the financial and banking system and protecting the interests of depositors and investors.”

After the Summit, Sarkozy told journalists that all 27 EU leaders had agreed to back a plan to shore up the banking sector agreed to earlier by non-Eurozone EU member United Kingdom and the 15 Eurozone EU countries that use the Euro. The measures include increasing a guarantee on European bank deposits to be implemented within the next 12 months.

Coming down heavily on the company executives in the financial system, “particularly the banking sector,” the Council emphasised, "The real performance of company executives should be reflected in their remuneration including their severance pay (“golden parachutes”), which should be in line with their actual contribution to the success of the company.”

The Council reiterated the call to save the common citizen, “(The European Council) calls for speedy decisions on the development of European rules on the security of deposits to ensure that savers are protected,” adding that the European Commission’s forthcoming legislative proposal are in the need for a “speedy examination.”

Making an explicit mention of the European car industry to be given EU support to develop cleaner technology, Sarkozy called on EU governments to forge a common economic policy, saying: "If we can find a coordinated response to the financial crisis, why not find a coordinated economic policy?"

Addressing journalists Sarkozy asked: “Does economic policy need the same coordination as the financial crisis? From this presidency’s point of view: yes, yes, yes. Is that unanimous? For the moment: No, no, no.” 

His observations were reflected in the final conclusions as the EU leaders asked the European Commission to “make appropriate proposals by the end of the year, in particular to preserve the international competitiveness of European industry,” adding, “continued structural reform is more important than eve, to help restore growth and improve employment in Europe.”

WORLD FINANCIAL REFORMS

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown pushed the Council to shift gears to the second stage of overhauling the global financial institutions and French President as the Chair got bestowed with admiration as Sarkozy was handed an EU mandate to press for a complete overhaul.

"We do not have the right to miss this opportunity for reconstructing our system of finance in the 21st century," Sarkozy said. "We have a mandate now to discuss this with the President of the United States."

Europe's proposed solutions will be discussed with US President George W Bush on Saturday (October 18) and with Group of Eight and Asian leaders in a special summit which Sarkozy said he hoped would take place some time in November.

IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM BLUES

The Summit formally approved a European Pact on Immigration and Asylum which was earlier adopted by the Justice and Home Affairs Council of Ministers on September 25. The commitment came with the worsening situation in the Mediterranean Sea belt area especially on the shores of Malta, a small EU island member state where there is a regular influx of migrants from North Africa.

Defining the aim of the Pact, the conclusions said, “The Pact will henceforth form the basis, for the Union and its Member States, of a common immigration and asylum policy, guided by a spirit of solidarity between Member States and cooperation with third countries.”

Acknowledging that the burden of asylum-seekers entering the bloc should be shared out among member states, the EU leaders said in an annex to the Pact, “For those (EU) member states which are faced with specific and disproportionate pressures on their national asylum systems, due in particular to their geographical or demographic situation, solidarity shall also aim to promote, on a voluntary and coordinated basis, better reallocation of beneficiaries of international protection from such member states to others.”

"In accordance with those principles, the (European) Commission, in consultation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ... will facilitate such voluntary and coordinated reallocation," they added.  

RUSSIAN TIES REMAIN FROZEN

British Premier Brown with the help of Poland, Sweden, Denmark, the Baltic states and the Czech Republic kept the lid on the frozen negotiations with Moscow on a the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA). The EU had suspended talks in September after Russian military engagement with Georgia in August caused deep unease in some of the EU capitals especially ones that are former Soviet Union states.

"All 27 EU member states welcome the withdrawals, while recognizing that they do not completely finish Russia's commitment under the peace plan of August 12," said British Foreign Minister David Miliband.

The official conclusion document read, “The European Council is asking the Commission and the Council to continue a full in-depth evaluation of EU-Russia relations with a view to the forthcoming summit, scheduled to take place in Nice on 14 November,” adding, “it will be taken into account in the further negotiations for a new Partnership Agreement with Russia.”

According to French sources, Paris along with the tacit support of Rome and Berlin had hoped to announce the resumption of the talks at the Brussels Summit.

LISBON TREATY

The lingering question of Lisbon Treaty again came up for discussions. Speaking to journalists, Sarkozy announced a need for him to make another trip to Dublin adding that in December "I should be able to put on the table a proposal concerning Ireland."

As the Council took note of analysis presented by Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen over the rejection of the EU's reforming Lisbon Treaty, Cowen told journalists that EU legal experts have now been drafted to help break the deadlock, saying, “The presidency has asked the (European) Council legal services to engage with us to see what can be achieved.”

Asked whether Dublin would eventually hold a second referendum on the ratification of the Treaty, Cowen replied, "you are asking me to anticipate the process that we are now engaged in." Recalling that Irish voters needed two referendums before finally approving the EU's preceding Nice Treaty in 2002, Cowen said, “We had a referendum on the last occasion obviously.”
In its conclusion, the Council, “agreed to return to this matter at its meeting in December 2008 with a view to defining the elements of a solution and a common path to be followed.”

REFLECTION GROUP

Last but not the least, the Council approved the composition of a twelve-member group with Chairman Felip Gonzalez Marquez, former Spanish Prime Minister and two vice-chair, Varika Vike-Freiberga and Jorma Ollila. Other nine members of the group are Lykke Friis, Rem Koolhaas, Richard Lambert, Mario Monti, Rainer Munz, Kalypso Nicolaidis, Nicole Notat, Wolfgang Schuster and Lech Walesa.

Conceived by Sarkozy, the reflection group is assigned the task to look into the EU future in the time zone of 2020-30 and is expected to submit its report in 2010, starting work in early 2009.

Polish President Kaczynski gate-crashes at Brussels EU Summit

2008-10-16T16:29:00.001+02:00

Poland was in the news at Brussels European Union Summit on Wednesday-Thursday (October 15-16) but for wrong reasons as the journalists waiting for press conferences (which were delayed as usual) were amused by Polish leaders doing their pranks abroad.

“Prime Minister Donald Tusk went to Brussels to defend important Polish interests while President Lech Kaczynski - as a troublemaker,” Polish media summed it all in one line.

There was serious discussion about future of capitalism at the emergency EU Summit while the former Communist regime of Poland was immersed in petty squabble of who will “officially” hijack “official aircraft” to Brussels.

Round one went to Premier Tusk as he commandeered the Government's sole available executive jet and then refused to let the aircraft fly back to Warsaw where President Kaczynski, the President, was waiting for a ride to Brussels.

Kaczynski, never easy to give up in his pursuits, chartered another aircraft, landed in Brussels but was aghast to find that the official chair was already occupied by arch-rival Tusk. Before the situation could boil down to fists in grand order, Jacek Rostowski, Polish finance minister, official occupant of second seat, acted in a gentleman way, giving his seat to the angry and tired President.

“We are gentlemen, we will not have a scuffle,” he said, conceding that the situation had become “serious and dangerous”.

Till last year, this was not a major issue as then the President's identical twin with near-identical conservative views, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, was Prime Minister.

Finally came the blame game as Radoslaw Sikorski, Polish Foreign Minister called it an “unprecedented situation,” lamenting, “The President has made our task much more difficult as our partners now have no clarity about our position.”

Kosovo precedent: Barroso dismisses, Saakashvili calls it an excuse

2008-10-15T11:56:00.001+02:00

Kosovo’s independence was called as a special case by the Western powers while Russia had warned it as a dangerous “precedent” earlier this year but European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Tuesday (October 14) dismissed Moscow’s “Kosovo” comparison with the “South Ossetia and Abkazia,” as baseless.

Addressing a joint press conference in Brussels, along with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Commission President Barroso said, “From the start, we’ve said that Kosovo cannot create a precedent. We don’t believe that any parallels should be drawn between the situation in Kosovo and the Georgian regions.”

Answering a question from New Europe on the subject, the Commission President said, “Developments have confirmed this. Kosovo has been recognised by a large number of countries in the world, the overwhelming majority of EU member-states, many outside Europe ... while no-one important in the world has recognised the Georgian regions.” Barroso added that the EU would not allow the “red line“ to be crossed, which was full respect for Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty

Stressing the difference between the two cases, Georgian President Saakashvili told journalists, “NATO came to Kosovo to prevent ethnic cleansing while Russia came to Georgia to commit ethnic cleansing.”

Russia launched an offensive against Georgia on August 8 to push back a Georgian offensive to retake South Ossetia from Moscow-backed separatists and Moscow recognised the regions as independent states following the five-day war.

Moscow said it was protecting Russian citizens in the region from Georgian aggression, but Tbilisi accused Moscow of “ethnic cleansing” of the region to cement control over the disputed parts.

Commenting on their first face-to-face talks slated for Wednesday, since Russia invaded Georgia in early August, Saakashvili said, “First Russia has to get out of there, they have no right to be there with tanks and troops,” adding, “We would be more than happy to cooperate with any community, any representative but not in this kind of situation.” He accused Russia of “setting up illegal bases, illegal checkpoints and they are basically making fun of international law and international justice.”

President Saakashvili branded representatives of Georgia’s rebel regions “ethnic cleansers” and casting doubt over whether international talks with Russia would be successful. “We don’t think these people are politicians, we think they are ethnic cleansers and we think they are criminals,” he said.

EU needs Russia

On the question of restarting negotiations with Moscow on a new partnership deal, President Barroso said that it was not "a gift for Russia" from the EU, adding that for the EU, there were financial, investment and economic interests to negotiate with Russia on a new Cooperation and Partnership Agreement.

Citing sectors like fighting climate change and maintaining energy security as major points of cooperation, Commission President said, “I think it is in the interest of the EU to keep the dialogue with Russia to promote stability in Europe.”

Since the unilateral declaration of independence in February this year, the EU has tried to avoid parallels between Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkazia, saying Kosovo is "unique" with 20 out of 27 EU states recognised the unilateral declaration without an EU mandate.

Although Russia has withdrawn from most of Georgia in line with an EU-brokered ceasefire, Tbilisi is furious at the continuing presence of 7,600 Russian troops in the Georgian rebel regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Europeans say No to cloning for food

2008-10-13T23:31:00.000+02:00

Europeans are against animal cloning for food production revealed a survey on Thursday (Oct 9) in Brussels. The study presented by the European Commission found that more than 58 percent Europeans across the European Union are against the animal cloning for food production but 44 percent gave a nod to cloning to preserve rare animal species while 41 percent thought that it may be justified to improve the robustness of animals against diseases.

With 86 percent of respondents sharing the opinion that the food industry would ultimately benefit if animal cloning for food production purposes was allowed while more than 40 percent stated they are "not at all likely" to buy food derived from cloned animals (43 percent) or from offspring of cloned animals (41 percent).

Amongst other issues, almost four out of 10 of those asked (38 percent) believe that none of the potential benefits presented to them (health or economic) would justify breeding cloned animals for food production. Out of those believing that there are benefits to animal cloning, 54 percent expressed the opinion that the procedure might help solve the worldwide food problems. However, 54 percent and 44 percent of the respondent felt that animal cloning would ultimately not benefit either consumers or farmers.

European Commissioner for Health Androulla Vassiliou commented: "The survey provides us with valuable insights into the attitudes of EU citizens toward the use of animal cloning technology for food production. The European Commission has now before it the opinions of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Group of Ethics (EGE) and also the Eurobarometer survey.”

In July, the European Commission received the scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on cloning and earlier this year, the European Group of Ethics (EGE) delivered its opinion on the same subject. EFSA's report gave rise to increased concerns on aspects of animal health and welfare and the EGE raised ethical concerns.

PARLIAMENT CALLED FOR BAN

Replying to a European Parliament call last month, “to submit proposals prohibiting (cloning of animals) for food supply purposes,” the Health Commissioner said, “The Commission will now proceed with the analysis of these elements before considering whether and what action may be necessary."

In a debate the European Parliament last month called for a ban in the EU on the cloning of animals for food supply. MEPs also urged an embargo on imports of cloned animals, their offspring and products derived from these sources.

"Not only is it a case of food safety, we in Europe believe that we are producing food quality products", EP Agriculture Committee Chairman British MEP Neil Parish said. "It is also a question of animal welfare and consumer confidence" and there is a "risk of producing less strong and healthy animals.”

Parish said: "Cloning entails serious health and welfare problems for clones and their surrogate dams; animal health problems come from invasive techniques required to produce a clone; there is the suffering of surrogate dams which carry cloned foetuses, and high levels of ill health and mortality in early life for cloned animals. I call on the Commission to submit proposals prohibiting the cloning of animals in the food supply and the placing of cloned animals on the market in meat and dairy products."

EU, CoE join hands against death penalty

2008-10-13T23:23:00.002+02:00

The European continent got together on October 10 to reiterate its commitment to work towards the universal abolition of the “Death Penalty” punishment. On the occasion of the World and European day against the death penalty, European Commission Vice President Jacques Barrot, Commissioner responsible for freedom, justice and security stated, “Europe has created a ‘de facto’ death penalty-free zone stretching from Iceland in the west to Vladivostok in the east and from Norway in the north to the south-east of Turkey – this is one of Europe's greatest achievements.”

"Nevertheless,” the Vice-President continued, "public debates within our societies demonstrate the need to reiterate, time and time again, that the abolition of the death penalty is an essential achievement for the respect for human dignity. This is the reason the European Commission works side by side with NGOs that are active in this field and supports abolitionist actions.”

European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner commented: "I am proud of the EU's leading role in the international efforts to abolish the death penalty. Although over half the countries in the world have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, the global figures for its use remain much too high.”

Recognising the “plight of victims of violent crime,” the Commissioner observed that the “death penalty is not the solution,” adding, “on the contrary, it only serves to aggravate a culture of violence and retribution. The Commission is determined to work towards the universal abolition of the death penalty through all available diplomatic channels and as a leading donor in this field.”

The President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering said: "The European Day against the death penalty is the day on which we remember that the defence of human rights and the necessity of a justice system which is based on the respect of human rights and the dignity of the human being, is an essential part of our common values.”

The death penalty is a breach of fundamental human rights and failure to respect the dignity of the human being and the right to life. The European Parliament will fight against the death penalty under any circumstances everywhere in the world."

Signing a Joint Declaration with the Presidents of the European Parliament, of the Council and of the European Commission, on the EU side, and by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig said, "To die by order of the state, decreed by a judge or a politician as punishment for a crime, is thankfully a thing of the past in Europe.”

"But human dignity demands that we put our arguments to those who still carry out this practice. Once a year, we join with others across the world to press for a global moratorium on executions. The tide is turning and one day, I am sure, the death penalty will pass into history," PACE President added.

Abolition of the death penalty is a condition of membership in the 47-nation Council of Europe, where no executions have taken place since 1997, the statement noted.

During 2007, at least 1,252 people were executed in 24 countries, and at least 3,347 people were sentenced to death in 51 countries. 88 percent of all known executions took place in five countries: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the US.

First hand glimpse into North Korea

2008-10-11T13:21:00.001+02:00

During my first visit to North Korea, the commonly used short name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK), I fully agreed with the statement that North Korea is the closest thing the world has to a hermetically sealed society.

With “no connection” for my BlackBerry, my laptop and other accessories which connect me to the rest of the world and which form an essential part of my everyday existence, I was face to face with skinny North Korean soldiers, wearing old Soviet-style uniforms at a North Korean customs and immigration centre. Under North Korean law of military first, every male must spend 10 years in the military. Women spend seven.

As I had followed the advice at the South Korean side of “Rules in North Korea are made to be followed,” with special emphasis on “no outside newspapers,” “no communication devices” and “no cameras with telescopic or long lenses,” the clearance came fast but with a stern warning to wear “the identity badge” all the time and “not to take” pictures of ordinary North Koreans.

The bus ride to Kaesong, the North Korean city was itself an experience. The buses being led by military escorts through a countryside with hardly any visible human presence except North Korean soldiers standing guard on empty roads along the route. When I asked about the presence of these soldiers, the North Korean guide emphatically pointed that those soldiers were there for our safety. But we could not take any pictures from the bus nor were allowed to take pictures anywhere except where we were designated to use the cameras.

Arriving in the city the downtown appeared like a post-card picture from the past, North Koreans hurrying to nowhere either walking or riding bikes. The bicycle riding lanes on both sides of the broad streets reminded me of North Europe but there were hardly any automobiles on the streets. Our buses and unmarked military vehicles were the only competitors for road space with bikes and pedestrians.

Everyone has their lapels adorned with pictures of late Kim II Sung and his son Kim Jung II. I had been warned earlier by the South Koreans not to but I still ask why do they (North Koreans) wear those. I escape only with a look and an explanation that these are signs of their loyalty and commitment to their country and people.

The most ironic part of the day is the lunch where a feast is provided: bowl of rice with 14 side dishes, served in heavy brass wares. After having read hundreds of reports about recent famine killing millions and there being a constant food scarcity, I feel nauseated at all this food.

The historic places in the city are quite well maintained and at every point there is more than one traditionally dressed North Korean girl giving out historic background punctuated with praise of the present regime.

Most of the public squares have a huge bust or a statue of the North Korean leader with inscriptions in the local language saying propaganda slogans like, “We are winning.” In a way that is true, as the North Korea uses its nuclear card with shrewd expertise of a gambler, the global forces including US have to keep changing its approach.

Tejinder Singh
in North Korea

(more in coming days)

Commissioner Kuneva proposes rights across EU for consumers

2008-10-09T23:45:00.002+02:00

European shoppers were promised a new set of European Union (EU) wide rights with the European Commission's adoption on Wednesday (Oct 8) of the proposal for a directive on contractual rights for consumers.

The Commission proposals will empower European shoppers with a single, simple EU-wide set of rights. This will allow consumers to seek best value for their money anywhere in the EU without falling victim to diverging national rules and archaic European measures. The proposals confer rights to information before purchase, EU-wide protection against late delivery and non-delivery and a new 14-day cooling off period for distance and pressure sales. Consumers could also rely on EU-wide rules for returns, repairs, refunds and guarantees.

Meglena Kuneva, European Commissioner for consumer protection told journalists, “It is the most far reaching overhaul of consumer rights in 30 years,” adding, “At the same time, it will significantly reduce the burden on Europe's hard pressed business community.”

According to the Commission’s October Eurobarometer, the number of traders selling cross-border has declined from 29 percent to 21 percent since 2006 and although consumer confidence in cross-border shopping in another EU-country has improved, there is still a great potential for further internal market integration.

BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS

The proposals were welcomed by business organisations across Europe with EuroCommerce Secretary General, Xavier R. Durieu saying, “By tackling the legal divergences which stemmed from the old 'minimum-requirements' approach, both consumers and businesses will benefit from a clearer and therefore more predictable legal framework for EU consumer protection rules.”

Ernest-Antoine Seillière, President of BUSINESSEUROPE warned the European parliament saying, “it is essential that EU legislators avoid its dilution during the legislative process. In particular, we hope that the principle of mutual recognition will be fully integrated in the future debate on the proposal.”

EUROPEAN LAWMAKERS

The proposals will have to pass through the European parliament scrutiny before being adopted by the Member States. There was immediate welcome from the European parliament as European Liberal Democrat Leader Graham Watson said, “This is the start of a consumer protection revolution which will transform Europe's fragmented retail market into the level playing field it ought to be,” adding, “Thanks to modern technology better priced products are only a few clicks away but even in this virtual market real life barriers exist. It is time we give consumers better protection wherever they choose to take their custom.”

Toine Manders (VVD, the Netherlands), ALDE Coordinator on the IMCO Committee said in a statement: "A single market requires clear and common rules for consumers and businesses. The current patchwork of consumer legislation is a barrier for creating a real business to consumer internal market."

Alexander Graf Lambsdorff (FDP, Germany), Vice-Chairman of the IMCO Committee added: "This directive is an important step towards improving the trust of consumers in thesingle market. Markets cannot function properly without the trust of consumers. Because of this, consumers have not yet been able to fully benefit from the Single Market. I hope that this directive will enable consumers to be better informed, buy at better prices and have more choice."

PROPOSALS

Presenting the proposals, Commissioner Kuneva listed 12 priority areas as thus:

Tough rules on delivery within 30 days everywhere in the EU with insurance against damages, late delivery or non-delivery plus a money back in seven days,

No hidden charges with transparency rules made simple,

EU wide 14-day "cooling off" period and right of withdrawal for consumers,

New ban on default pre-ticked boxes – for example, for travel insurance, priority boarding and baggage,

A new "see through clause" to tackle the problem of omissions and National courts to be able to decide on the sanction depending on the scale of the omission– from refunds, to replacement or declaring a contract void,

No to pressure selling,

Distance clause covers all distances - closing all existing loopholes,

New transparent obligations like credit card blocking and the consumer must be told if you are dealing with an intermediary - as consumer rights will not apply,

EU consumer rights will be applied to mobile-commerce and tele-commerce,

A new EU Black list and Grey list of unfair and abusive contract terms,

EU-wide protection for online auctions,

At the point of sale, the consumer must be given all information about their rights.

Commissioner Kuneva concluded, “My job is to be consumer watchdog and i take it very seriously,” adding, “issues have been studied in detail for every country and for every item.”

Obama takes it all

2008-10-08T04:41:00.008+02:00

Hello readers!

I am not sure if this American Debate between McCain and Obama is worth any mention but as I watched it became more and more lopsided. Very badly moderated also, if I may add.

Loved the blog updating at CNN with Jonathan Mann inviting everyone like always and then doing the vanishing trick.

From experience with politicians, I thought Mc who is trailing, will come out and try some freshness but then as some followers of the debate pointed at the body language he did it in a strange "old" way and in the process looked empty in substance.

Knowing the position of Russia with its energy (gas to Europe and oil to globe) and its readiness to use strong arm-tactics as shown in Georgia who was egged on by the West but had to face the Big Bear hug alone :-) Georgia was promised NATO membership but never given at Bucharest Summit and today Mc again talked of seeing KGB in Putin's eyes.

Will Americans fall for that kind of fear mongering? I hope not.

Not knowing one thing about Islam, the Bush administration has watered with American blood the fertile lands of Islamic society especially in Iraq to produce more jihadis.

And now Pakistan is going haywire and all that after pumping millions of American taxpayers' money there. As one Pakistani politician who is famous for taking more wickets in the cricket world then polling votes in elections (yes, you guessed fast bowler of yesteryears: Imran Khan) told me in a recent press conference at the European parliament that the focus has shifted. He said that the al-Qaeda is the real enemy and its time to get back the focus on al-Qaeda and Afghanistan. (More about Imran's views in an earlier post).

More next time. Please feel free to post your comments.

Cheer,

Tejinder Singh

otitos@gmail.com

EU proposes a month addition to maternity leave

2008-10-05T00:00:00.001+02:00

The European Commission proposed last week to extend EU-wide mandatory maternity leave from 14 weeks to 18 weeks giving women “longer and better” maternity leave with full salary benefits. Today, maternity leave currently varies from 14 weeks in Germany to 18 months in Sweden, with many countries offering less than 18 weeks.

Aimed at improving the “work-life balance” of the Europeans, the proposals called for stronger protection against threat of dismissal and safeguards to make sure the person returns to the same job or an equivalent one after the maternity leave.

Presenting his social package in Brussels, Vladimir Spidla, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities told journalists, “Our proposals to improve maternity leave will help women to combine work and family life, improving their and their family's quality of life.”

“Juggling work, family and private life is a huge challenge for millions of Europeans, men and women,” noted Spidla, adding, “But having children too often costs women their income and their job prospects. Only 65.5 percent of women with dependent children are in work, compared to 91.7 percent of men.”

Philip Bushill-Matthews MEP, Conservative leader in the European Parliament, argued, “The best social policy for Europe is one that creates opportunities and jobs. Member states have a primary responsibility to address social issues, where what we need is more delivery and less rhetoric.” 

Critics have said small businesses will struggle to meet the costs and that national governments should decide on such matters, not the EU.

Germany and the Czech Republic, the home state of Commissioner Spidla already issued statements undermining the proposals.

Media reports quoted German Family Affairs Minister Ursula von der Leyen as saying they (the proposals) would "increase financial risks for employers who hire young women." She added the conditions would have a "boomerang" effect and prove to be a handicap for young women looking for jobs.

CTK news agency in a report cited Petr Necas, Czech Labour Minister as saying, "I'm strongly convinced that it is an unrealistic attempt and it does not respect differing conditions in various member states.”

British MEP Bushill-Matthews said, “Small businesses will struggle to afford this extra cost,” warning, “Ultimately some of the smallest businesses may think twice about employing young women through fear of them going on maternity leave.”

“The EU cannot solve all the ills of society with more one-size-fits-all legislation as determined by big business and big Trade Unions,” the Conservative European lawmaker added.

Commissioner Spidla, however had the opinion, “(The proposals) should also help increase women’s participation in the labour market and help face up to the challenges of demographic ageing: indeed countries with more women in employment also have higher birth rates.”

In a separate report “Childcare services in the EU,” the Commission reported that only five Member States -- Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Spain, -- had reached 33 percent of coverage for kids aged under three, as providing the minimum number of certified daycare spaces for children. There were five more Member States - Portugal, United Kingdom, France, Luxembourg, Slovenia - approaching this target, it added.

While seven Member States (Finland, Italy, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Latvia) had reached a coverage level of 16 to 26 percent, there were eight Member States (Greece, Hungary, Malta, Slovakia, Lithuania, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland) had less than 10 percent coverage.

The report concluded that with the ongoing “huge imbalance between men and women in the sharing of domestics and family responsibilities, leaving women - much more so than men - to opt for flexible working arrangements or even give up work altogether.”

At the end of the press conference, Katharina von Schnurbein, spokesperson for Commissioner Spidla announced that she was going on maternity leave from this Monday.

(Published in www.neurope.eu)

NATO, UN sign deal; Afghanistan, Kosovo in the focus

2008-10-04T23:53:00.004+02:00

The United Nations and NATO signed an agreement formalising the existing political cooperation between two bodies, NATO spokesman James Appathurai said in Brussels last Wednesday.

Addressing journalists during a press briefing, Appathurai said that the paper was signed recently on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York by the secretary generals of both organisations, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer for NATO and Ban Ki Moon for the UN.

The agreement did not bring about any "dramatic changes" for the cooperation in crisis regions like Afghanistan or Kosovo, where NATO acted on behalf of the UN, he added. It was a "pragmatic agreement" recognising existing cooperation which was much appreciated, he said.

AFGHANISTAN

NATO and Afghanistan agreed they needed to coordinate more closely to avoid civilian casualties in operations against militants, Appathurai told journalists.

Pointing to a "a general shared view" between NATO ambassadors and Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak that there needed to be closer coordination between Afghan and NATO forces, Appathurai said that there was consensus on the need to give "a much more important role to Afghan forces in the conduct of searches, which are sensitive in Afghanistan, but also with regard to planning of offensive operations.”

The two sides also agreed on the need for closer coordination, including with the United Nations, when it came to investigating civilian casualties so discrepancies in numbers did not occur, Appathurai said.

The ambassadors and Wardak also discussed Afghan proposals to almost double the size of the Afghan army to 122,000 and NATO would probably back the plan if it were approved, Appathurai said.

SERBIA

NATO and Serbia last Wednesday signed a security agreement that allows for exchange of classified information with the two, said the alliance. The agreement, a standard document between NATO and Partnership for Peace (PfP) countries, was signed at the NATO headquarters by Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

The agreement will facilitate military-to military cooperation between Serbia and the alliance, Appathurai told journalists. He said the signing of the agreement was a "substantial step" in the relationship between Serbia and NATO.

Serbia joined NATO's PfP program in November 2006, together with Montenegro and Bosnia. Unlike the other two Balkan states, Serbia had been reluctant to move forward in its relationship with the alliance. The step of the new Serbian government was strongly welcomed by NATO allies, said Appathurai.

Sutanovac, who was visiting the NATO headquarters, also addressed the North Atlantic Council, composed of ambassadors from NATO countries. He was told by the ambassadors that a democratic Serbia in Euroatlantic structures is good for regional security and stability, said Appathurai. Serbia was also asked to fully cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), he said.

Serbia arrested former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and handed him over to the ICTY in July. Serbia is yet to arrest to transfer former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic.

GEORGIA

NATO's recently established Georgia committee will have its next session - to be its second - in Budapest, on the sidelines of an informal meeting of defence ministers of the organisation this week (October 10), Appathurai told journalists. The committee was set up following the Russia-Georgia conflict this summer, to demonstrate NATO's support to Georgia.

TRANSPORT PLANES INITIATIVE

Twelve countries including two non-NATO nations signed a deal last Wednesday to jointly buy and operate three giant transport planes to fill a shortfall that has dogged international missions from Afghanistan to Sudan.

Under the agreement, reached after two years of negotiations, they will jointly acquire three Boeing C-17s and place them at Papa, a new operating base in Hungary early next year under the command of a US officer with multinational crews, said Appathurai. The planes will be available for NATO, European Union and United Nations missions, he added.

NATO has long suffered a shortage of large transport aircraft, and the deal reached by 10 of its members and two non-NATO members - Sweden and Finland - is aimed at addressing that problem.

Appathurai said the arrival of the planes will provide an "important new capability" for the alliance and is a model for how smaller countries can pool resources to acquire equipment beyond the reach of their individual defence budgets.

The 10 NATO members that took part in Wednesday's deal are Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and the United States. Britain and Canada have separately acquired a total of 10 of the planes.
Two non-NATO countries — Sweden and Finland — also signed on.

(Published in www.neurope.eu)

Missed opportunities at the EU India Summit

2008-10-04T23:47:00.002+02:00

September 29, the sunny environs of Marseille in Southern France were the perfect setting to provide a strong impetus to the lackluster Europe-India relations but half a day of talks were overshadowed by French focus on Franco-Indian bilateral Summit the next day. The latter did culminate in France with India signing a nuclear co-operation deal.

Rising from the ashes of two World Wars and expanding to include 27 Member States with more in the waiting, the EU today is a bastion of peace, harmony and prosperity. On the other hand, India, with 28 States and seven Union Territories, has emerged over last six decades in a buoyant mood thanks to its democratic principles, freedom of speech and its new found economic strengths.

Fresh from the historic nuclear deal with the US, India is in a bargaining mood while the EU is still far from making the necessary efforts needed to shift its continuing bridge building with China to India as an important global and regional democratic player.

Political ties can not go far without financial bonds and a look at the trade figures from recent past show that its time to inject much needed momentum into an uninspiring trade relationship. At the Marseille Summit, the EU and India were unable to conclude a trade accord by the end of this year, as once hoped, and remain at loggerheads on key issues in the Doha talks on liberalising world trade.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told journalists, at the joint press conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, "We have agreed to achieve an annual bilateral trade turnover of 100 billion Euro within the next five years and to work towards the conclusion of the India-EU Broad-Based Trade and Investment Agreement by end-2009."

The 27 nation bloc’s trade with India amounted to just less than 56 billion Euro last year. Earlier the trade statistics shifted a gear from a meagre less than five billion Euro in 1980 to a respectable more than 45 billion Euro in 2006. Although trade with the EU is 20 percent of India’s import-export business, making the EU India’s largest trading partner in 2006, India’s share is only 1.8 percent of total EU trade.

In the context of the ongoing negotiations in the EU-India Free Trade Agreement, there are some stumbling blocks that need to be addressed on both sides. According to reliable sources, the major hurdle is in the fields of agriculture which is a protected sector in the EU which earmarks 40 percent of its total budget to this sector where there are subsidies galore.

COMMISSION HOPES

In May, Peter Power, spokesperson for EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson had told journalists in Brussels, “I can confirm that we have received the document from India. I can confirm that it is certainly a useful and worthwhile opening bid for negotiations will have to go further and deeper,” lamenting that the time-frame for the talks to conclude is “not solely in our hands.” “We would like to see this particular negotiation making progress as rapidly as possible. I think the opening bid is not bad, but a lot of work remains to be done to have an agreement that would be worthy of support by both sides,” he noted. “I think at this stage it would be unwise of me to put a timetable, but certainly we should hope to see substantial movement in the next year to 18 months,” added Power.

India formally launched negotiations in June 2007 with the EU for a comprehensive FTA aimed at removing barriers across all sectors including investment and services.

The EU has, in recent times, accepted the fact that Indian import tariffs have been substantially reduced but it complains they are still high by international standards. The EU calls it a “complex and non-transparent” system as it points at additional duties, taxes, and charges that are levied on top of the basic customs duties.

Pointing to the “non-tariff” barriers, the EU lists quantitative restrictions, mandatory testing, import licensing, certification for a large number of products and a complicated procedural modus operandi as the major speed breakers for a smooth trade relationship. With Indians finding the EU institutions bewildering and complex, India has its own set of complaints, foremost being in recent times the frequent use of anti-dumping duties on its exports including footwear.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change is another major sticking factor in the relationship equation, as India negates EU calls for a stricter binding commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emission, while Delhi argues that as a developing country it can not be expected to slow down its pace of industrialisation.

The EU has allotted 470 million Euro between 2007-2013 to tackle cooperation in the energy sector and environmental concerns while making efforts to reach its Millennium Development Goals.

Indian Premier Singh, noting that the EU-India summit had produced agreement on co-operation in clean coal technologies and solar energy, told journalists: “I am extremely satisfied . . . The holding of annual summits reflects the great importance both sides place on this strategic relationship.”

NUCLEAR INITIATIVE

The best bet of all was the EU-Indian nuclear initiative taking shape as the US House of Representatives and the US Senate cleared the way for India to buy nuclear power plants, technology and fuel in the US.

India, officially a nuclear weapons power since 1998, has been denied access to civilian nuclear technology for more than 30 years because of its test of a nuclear device in 1974 and its refusal to sign the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Like the US administration, the EU views now India, as a friendly democracy sharing many common values and argues Delhi should not be ostracised but encouraged to develop civilian nuclear energy and to assume its responsibilities as one of the world’s nuclear powers. “France has confidence in India,” Sarkozy said.

France, current holder of the EU presidency, is the member state with the most extensive experience of civilian nuclear power. It is keen to exploit the commercial opportunities presented by India’s need for new sources of energy to fuel its rapid economic expansion.

OTHER SECTORS

The EU and India said they planned to boost their joint work in the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) project, a French-based scheme to test environment-friendly, electricity-producing fusion power plants. They also said they would sign a separate agreement between Delhi and Euratom, the EU’s atomic energy agency, on fusion energy research.

On the question of EU aspirations to issue work permits to skilled professionals, the Commission President Barroso told journalists that the EU is aware of the difficulties faced by skilled professionals from India and other non-EU countries to come to the continent and was working on the “Blue Card” initiative on the lines of the more famous “Green Card” system of the US.

With the EU-India Free Trade Agreement in the pipeline along with other fields of cooperation being explored, both India and the EU are ready for taking a qualitative leap forward in relations, but the political leaderships on both sides have to transform all the talk of shared values of democracy, diversity and multilateralism into concrete pragmatic actions, thus making an effective and cohesive EU-India Strategic Partnership out of the present patchwork of sectoral cooperation.

Last but not the least, there was a complete lack of information from the Indian mission in Brussels where the EU is seated. European journalists pointed to “no press release,” “no media briefing,” “no pertinent information on the Embassy website,” nor a “call back to provide information from the Indian Ambassador’s office in Brussels.”

(Published in www.neurope.eu)

Silence (not reacting) can be a strong tool of censorship

2008-10-04T23:33:00.001+02:00

Getting reactions and comments from friends (who prefer to call me or email rather posting comments on the blog, thanks for choosing whatever way you choose to express your views and comments)!

A strange not very unexpected thing happened - that may come as a surprise - to readers who are NOT journalists or not yet in the positions of decision making or who have not yet crossed the threshold to get a peep into how media world decisions are made.

I posted my comments “about one Indian journalist’s coverage of Indian Prime Minister’s face expression when he spoke to French President Nicolas Sarkozy about Sikhs’ demands to wear turbans,” on the website of most of Indian mainstream newspapers including this journalist’s who was on board the plane carrying the Indian Prime Minister. (The answer to the question who paid for these accompanying journalists is known to all journalists).

But I was not surprised to find that NONE of these newspapers’ comment scan mechanisms let those Strong Comments to pass along to readers.

There was no bad/vulgar language nor was there any other criteria violated (myself being a journalist) but that did show how far the Indian media field is free and frank.

These are the latest ways of Modern Media Censorship as Silence is the best tool used by modern day media giants and one, who wants to go far in the herd mentality dominated sector, tries best to fit into the system.

I will sign out on one point that was told decades ago by an ex-Professor TS Lamba at IIT Kharagpur, “You should fit into the system and by finding fault in the system you cannot be successful.” The learned Professor was so right as I dropped out without a degree from Indian Institute of Technology but was invited to speak at a function/conference at a sister institute, IIT Kanpur this year.

More on that experience tomorrow!

Manmohan Singh with Turban, Nicolas Sarkozy with Nuke technology

2008-10-03T01:49:00.008+02:00

Hello readers,

As October 3, 2008 tiptoes in, I am breaking my blog silence to start blogging in the true sense of regular daily real life experiences.

The reason is the treatment meted out to the Sikh cause in France by respected Professor turned Politician Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India while he was visiting that country.

Standing right next to President Nicolas Sarkozy, Indian PM Singh was face to face with me when I asked the French President the question about the "ban on Sikhs wearing turbans."

Sardar Singh did not blink even an eye-lid, leave alone asking the French President in front of world cameras to support my question as the French leader was lambasting Indians about Christian killings in India.

One thing that Sarkozy did not know then is that I am a Christian (although my surname comes from my Sikh paternal lineage) and I, like other secular citizens of the world, understand the meaning of secular.

And then I see Indian newspapers, especially one in Punjab, The Tribune running the report (appended below as it appeared on the newspaper's website) and it made me wonder "was it the same face that showed no emotion," in Marseille and the question, "How did the respected journalist see 'Pain was writ large on the face of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as he explained...' as the journalist was not present at the episode where the PM was talking to the President?"

One explanation that comes to mind is related to the Professor becoming a seasoned Politician as I have always believed Politics is made of two words: (made indoors) Policy and (then applied in public with) Tricks.

I will leave it to you readers to comment on what happened in Marseille, France where the question was asked in front of world cameras and what transpired in Paris. France where no journalist was present behind the closed doors.

------------------------------

APPENDED REPORT FROM THE TRIBUNE:

When PM expressed anguish on turban ban
Ashok Tuteja
On board PM's special aircraft

Pain was writ large on the face of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as he explained to French President Nicolas Sarkozy the anguish of the Sikh community over the ban on wearing turban in schools in France.

''I said to him (Sarkozy) that the turban is an essential part of the Sikh way of life because the Sikhs are not allowed to cut their hair. And this is one way to keep their hair tidy,” he disclosed to reporters who accompanied him on his 10-day trip to the US and France.

Singh met Sarkozy in Paris yesterday. He told the French leader that Sikhs were facing problems in France. ''When Sikh children go to school, they are discouraged from wearing turbans. And when seeking identity cards, they are asked to remove their turbans.”

The Prime Minister recalled that he had raised the turban issue with Sarkozy during the latter's visit to New Delhi in January also. (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20081002/main2.htm)

Brussels journalists unhappy with French organisational setup

2008-10-03T00:07:00.003+02:00

The French presidency of the European Union last week informed the API/IPA (The International Press Association represents foreign journalists accredited in Brussels to the European Union, NATO and Belgium) of its willingness to reimburse costs incurred by journalists following a change to the Paris of the EU-Ukraine summit in Evian scheduled on, September 9.

Paris informed via telephone API/IPA President Lorenzo Consoli that the Quai d’ Orsay will reimburse the costs sustained by all journalists who went to Evian for the summit, which was moved at the last minute to Paris. The API/IPA on its website (http://www.api-ipa.eu) requested the affected journalists, “to keep your bills and expense notes,” adding, “Many thanks to all those who have submitted their complaints to us.”

There were quite a few episodes of journalists suffering in more than one case in the hands of organisational skills of Paris. In the words of Dominic Hughes, a BBC journalist at Evian, “The BBC sent Steve Sidebottom (producer) and myself (reporter) to cover the Evian EU/Ukraine summit. We flew to Geneva, hired a car and drove for an hour to the hotel, arriving at around 1900.

As I walked into reception and announced myself the poor manager said, “But Mr Hughes, have you not heard? The summit is cancelled!” I asked when, and he said five minutes ago - so clearly the hotel had only found out right at the last minute as well. The poor man looked really crestfallen as the hotel itself was losing thousands he said.

I phoned London who said the Paris bureau could cover. So I filed a radio and TV piece as a preview and then was left with little option but to have dinner and head back to Brussels the next day - all at a cost of at least 350 Euro, plus hire car, plus return flights for two people to Evian. Not to mention the time wasted getting there and back!” The conditions were worst in Lille where the GMES (Kopernikus) conference was held and to which 30 journalists from all over Europe were present.

According to attending journalists, there was chaos as many journalists were given the wrong badge in spite of a very lengthy registration procedure (over one hour in spite of having already registered by mail several times) and therefore were barred from all press conferences with Gunter Verheugen, European Commissioner for Industry and Enterprise and experts since they had the wrong badge.

The attending journalists alleged that the whole conference was managed from Paris and the organisers in Paris had no idea of what the press room was like! Three tables, no computers, no wi-fi and no room for a quiet interview with the many experts present. According to journalists, there was also alleged intimidation because when the journalists complained, Paris reacted demanding names and phone numbers of the people who had complained. “I have never seen anything so badly organised!,” one journalist quipped.

According to Brussels-based journalists the list of problems is long and repetitive at major events with API/IPA listing some of them as: repeated failures to the system connection to the Internet, lack of space, lack of lines and telephones and ISDN, schedules inadequate facilities Press, logistical problems, interventions of security and local technical staff.” “These are serious obstacles to practicing the profession of journalism,” API/IPA said in a letter to French Presidency.

In a letter sent on September 22 to the French Presidency, the API/IPA regretted that despite promises of improvement made following our various complaints, these problems without precedent have not been solved so far. “From an organisational point of view, the informal ministerial meetings of the French presidency have been substandard until now,”said API/IPA President Consoli.

In addition, the API/IPA decided to request of the Secretariat General Council of the EU to establish, by common agreement, a list of standards as a minimum for all rotating presidencies guaranteeing in future the necessary infrastructure for working journalists at meetings outside Brussels.

EuroparlTV for the citizens, but Not by the citizens

2008-10-03T00:02:00.002+02:00

The European Parliament launched its own media outlet EuroparlTV last week with much fanfare on its premises with its Editorial Charter promising, “The channel shall ensure that the plurality of opinion in the European Parliament is reflected, with due respect to the relative strengths of the political groups, in accordance with a neutral, nonpartisan editorial policy.”

Brussels-based journalists who know the propaganda tuned talents of European politicians were not convinced as was evident in the Council meeting of the API (International Press Association, representing Brussels based journalists) the very next day, commenting on the Editorial Charter, the unanimous decision was to “wait and see.”

Even the local journalists were unconvinced about the unbiased productivity as Rob Heirbaut, EU-correspondent for VRT (Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep - Belgian TV) said: “I have my doubts about the editorial charter. How will they decide if every group has had its speaking time on Europarltv? Will they use chronometers? And will Eurosceptics or far right independent MEP’s also be given a platform? And if not, why?”

Journalists at the launch were sceptical of the “speech” by an unknown identity, a so called, “Irish Journalist,” a young woman, never seen earlier in Brussels, by any of the colleagues I asked to identify her. There was also optimism as Deanne Lehman (editor of Flandernews.be- of the Flemish Radio and Television station VRT), at the launch, commented: “A European Parliament web TV channel - in over 20 languages.

This embodies the very essence of the pParliament. Bringing the institution closer to the people who actually live in this laboratory is a lofty ideal, but I think it’s quintessentially European really. It’s an exciting, and challenging project!” But a day later, the Belgian journalist Heirbaut already had his doubts saying, “The Europarltv looks very attractive, I still have a lot to discover. I am a bit disappointed by the content though. I would have suspected a daily update of what’s happening in parliament, but they are still showing the story about the collapse of the roof in Strasbourg.”

Launching the project, European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pottering, declared: “As we approach the European elections of June 2009, EuroparlTV should be an excellent Internet tool for citizens, especially young people, to keep themselves informed about the activities and decisions of the directly-elected European Parliament - decisions which have an impact on the everyday lives of almost 500 million European Union citizens.”

Echoing the sentiments but doubting the citizens’ participation, José-María Siles, Director of (a) news, The Correspondent Agency said, “Europarl TV is a great chance for MEPs to connect with the citizens. Are the Europeans going to poke their representatives? Hard to say,” adding, “I actively participated in the preparation of the Europarl TV last year, making four months of pilot productions.”

On the content, VRT journalist Heirbaut said, “For journalists, I don’t think it is a useful tool, at the moment. But maybe next week or next year I will have to change my view. For schools on the other hand, it is very useful: it ‘ll make teaching about the EU and parliament a lot easier and more attractive. But will the broad public find its way to the website? I doubt it.”

Pharmaceutical companies pay for drug authentication service at dispensing point

2008-10-02T23:58:00.002+02:00

Pharmaceutical companies are paying an annual subscription for registration and maintenance of their unique product codes into the Aegate database to protect the consumers against counterfeit or substandard pharmaceuticals according to Aegate sources.

The pharmaceutical companies have access to add additional safety or security information into the database about their products at any time. Pharmacies are provided with Aegate's authentication service free of charge to ensure that for patient safety reasons cost is not a barrier to use, added Aegate.

The system was brought into focus with the presentation of an independent report at the European Parliament premises recently by Françoise Grossetête, MEP.

The report corroborated that Aegate's drug authentication service is 100 percent reliable and effective and keeps consumers fully protected against counterfeit or substandard pharmaceuticals when their pharmacist authenticates their medicines at the point of dispensing.

Speaking at the occasion, Professor Dr. Steven Simoens, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, confirmed: "Our findings verify that Aegate's patient safety communications service is 100 percent effective in ensuring that the drugs pharmacists dispense to patients are fit for purpose and safe."

The independent market analysis of "The reliability and impact of drug authentication at the point of dispensing" was carried out by Professor Simoens, The Research Centre for Pharmaceutical Care and Pharmaco-economics at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.

According to the study details provided, the retrospective analysis included 114 pharmacies in Greece and 658 in Belgium. In day to day operation approximately 20 percent of pharmacies in Belgium and Greece are using the system with another 20 percent waiting to receive the technical upgrade to their software.

On the question of conflict of interest, the University of Leuven said in comments on the commercial contract, "the authors have no conflicts on interest that are directly relevant to the content of this manuscript." Moreover, the study carried out under a non disclosable commercial agreement with the University of Athens took two months to complete, the statement added.

SUPPLY CHAIN SECURITY

According to experts present at the presentation there are two approaches to supply chain security:

- authentication (such as Aegate system)

- track and trace

There are many companies in the US preparing to develop a track and trace system but the US does not yet have unique bar-coding so it is impossible to install. A decision on this approach by the FDA is being continually put back and is now expected by 2011 but it was confirmed by Aegate that with regards to authentication approach, "there is no other operating authentication system in the world today."

Dr. Guido Hoogewijs, General Manager of The Association of Belgium Pharmacists (APB), said: "The Aegate system is allowing us to strengthen our efforts by providing additional tools to filter out packs that are not authentic, that have just been recalled, just expired or are about to expire."

Hoogewils reiterated the concern of the Belgian pharmacists to only deliver pharmaceuticals of impeccable quality to their patients saying, "They have been financing and operating a Medicines Control Laboratory for the past 50 years in order to filter out substandard products from the market,"

Asked to comment on why the study was conducted only in Belgium and Greece, while Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) has 30 European members, PGEU in a statement explained, "Belgium, Greece and Italy (the three countries in which Aegate is operating) are the only three EU countries where by law all reimbursable pharmaceutical prescription items must contain a unique number on the individual drug package. (Similar to a passport number but on medicines). It is this number that creates the security."

John Chave, Secretary General, PGEU said: "Pharmaceutical safety is of fundamental importance for PGEU members and is a critical issue on the EU health agenda. Initiatives that have the potential to reduce the risk of counterfeits and promote patient safety are welcome."

HOW IT WORKS

Aegate explained that it provides drug manufacturers, pharmacists and their patients with a real time communication system that operates at an individual item level. Each pack of medicine is given a unique machine-readable identification number, known as unique serialisation. Using one of a number of technologies, including RFID, 1D or 2D barcodes, items are scanned as they are dispensed.

Allowing the pharmacist to check expiry dates and recall information, and provide updated patient care advice, the system ensures pharmacists receive product safety information more rapidly added Aegate. Currently, communications are achieved by fax or post and can reach pharmacies after drugs have been dispensed. The system also allows the authentication of the origins of medicines, thereby protecting against stolen and fake drugs.

PAN-EUROPEAN COVERAGE

With patient safety becoming an increasingly important issue and counterfeit drug sales forecast to hit USD 75 billion by 2010, Professor Simoens concluded: "The full impact of authentication processes will only be realised if such systems are applied fully within and across countries. We believe policy makers on a European and global scale should consider these findings and enact the necessary legislation to introduce drug authentication processes based on mass serialisation technology in community pharmacies."

Aegate has commenced roll-out in a new country every eight months since the technology completed development in 2006 and the next country will be announced shortly Aegate said. Currently in operation in Belgium, Greece and Italy, the system has so far this year scanned more than 24.5 million packs of drugs across Europe according to Aegate.

Urging others to follow the role of Belgium and Greece, Gary Noon, CEO of Aegate, said: "Industry and Governmental organisations now need to step up and demonstrate a similar level of commitment to patient safety."

Sarkozy welcomes Sikhs sans turbans

2008-09-30T04:08:00.001+02:00

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, at the concluding press conference of the European Union/India Summit in Marseille, France, stood next to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a Sikh wearing a light blue turban, as he answered this reporter’s (Tejinder Singh) question about the wearing of turbans by Sikhs in France. Regarding the required Sikh head covering, an integral part of their religious identity, Sarkozy, replied curtly, “Sir, we respect Sikhs. We respect their customs, their traditions. They are most welcome to France.”

Visibly irritated, Sarkozy continued, “But sir, we have rules, rules concerning the neutrality of civil servants, rules concerning secularism, and these rules don't apply only to Sikhs, they apply to Muslims or others. They apply to all on the territory of the French Republic."

The practice by Sikhs of allowing one’s hair to grow naturally is a symbol of respect, the most important of the five outward symbols required of all Sikhs, and the turban is worn to cover the uncut hair. Sarkozy explained that the banning of turbans is not discrimination, that, “These rules apply to everybody, to everybody with no exception. There is no discrimination whatsoever.”

Making it clear to the Sikh community in France that they have no option other than to conform to the rules, Sarkozy made the paradoxical statement, “We respect their traditions and their customs and we are convinced that they too respect the laws, traditions and customs of the French Republic.”

Discrimination begins early in France

In 2004, three Sikh boys, Jasvir Singh, Bikramjit Singh and Ranjit Singh, were expelled from French schools for wearing turbans. These students were the first victims of the ban instituted which prohibits Sikh students from covering their hair at school, a decision that has prompted world-wide protest from the Sikh community.

Commenting on the discrimination and its impact on children, Mejindarpal Kaur, the Director of United Sikhs, a worldwide Sikh organisation, stated in a press release that a preliminary survey of Sikh children affected by the French law found that 84 percent of the students interviewed were prevented from wearing head coverings to school. The survey also revealed that students had been expelled from French schools for refusing to remove their turbans, and many more suffered from alienation by their peers.

Also in 2004, Shingara Singh Mann, a French Sikh, reported he was prohibited from renewing his driver’s license after it was lost in a theft because he was wearing a turban to cover his uncut hair.

On December 5, 2005 the French High Court ruled in favour of Shingara Singh Mann, giving him the right to wear his turban for his driving license identity photo, overturning an earlier decision by the French Ministry of Transport. But within 24 hours of the court decision, the Ministry issued a circular expressly forbidding turbans to be worn in driver’s license photographs.

Kudrat Singh, Director of United Sikhs in France, said, “This is an example of oppression and discrimination which has not been seen in France for decades, and calls into question whether one can be both Sikh and French.” According to legal opinions, the ban is a violation of Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) which provides for right to freedom of religion.

MEP Gill urges EU action

Asked to comment, Neena Gill, a member of the European Parliament had said, “I am astounded by the level of discrimination that is in fact growing … it is not confined to France … it is in Belgium, in Germany and it really smacks against all these initiatives that the European Commission is constantly launching.”

However, solutions aimed at nurturing “unity in diversity,” the European Union’s frequently appearing slogan, are already working in the United Kingdom, one of the member states of the European Union, and across the Atlantic in the United States.

Highlighting the integration and diversity that prevails across the English Channel, Gill, who was born in Punjab, India, said, “If you look at the United Kingdom, you can wear a turban not only in mainstream jobs but also in the police, the army, the air force or the navy. There is no restriction. In fact, the army has special days when they try and recruit people from the Sikh community and the Dastar (turban) is not a problem for them, so I really think we do need to raise awareness, especially from the European Commission in these particular years of Equality and Intercultural Dialogue. We have to target the resources at these issues to ensure that there is greater awareness across the EU in accepting people of different appearances.”

US efforts to embrace Sikhs

Discriminatory incidents involving Sikhs increased dramatically as a consequence of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. There were numerous cases of discriminatory attacks on Sikhs as they were misunderstood as allies of Osama bin Laden due to their appearance.

While the US is making the effort to remove misunderstanding and give Sikhs their legitimate place in society, in some member states of the European Union, comparable progress and acceptance has flowed in reverse.

US lawmaker speaks out

US Congressman Mike Honda (Democrat-California), who represents Silicon Valley and who is involved in this issue in his capacity as Chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, told this correspondent, “I don’t believe in sacrificing freedom in order to protect freedom. Turbans are part of the religious identity of Sikhs and we must strive to respect their freedom of religious expression. A balance can be struck between national security and religious liberties, but that balance can only be reached by consulting all the parties involved, in this case the Sikh community.”

“It would be ironic that many Sikhs, who fled their homeland seeking religious freedom, would find that America curtailed their religious freedoms when they arrived upon our shores,” Honda had added.

The root cause of the discrimination and a pragmatic solution to root it out was aptly summed up by Jennifer Handshew, a seasoned public relations professional in New York who had told this journalist, “I feel that ignorance and fear are the primary factors that fuel this discrimination and believe that education and awareness will help people better understand what the turban means to the Sikhs.”

What Handshew and others suggest provide a succinct analysis and a solution, but for now, the door to a respectable life in France for Sikhs has been slammed shut by the French President Sarkozy, in the presence of Indian Premier Manmohan Singh, himself a member of the Sikh community.

Tejinder Singh at the EU-India Summit in Marseille, France

EU, India ink pending civil-aviation deal on the eve of Summit

2008-09-29T10:22:00.000+02:00

The European Union and India signed late evening September 28, a much awaited “legal” agreement in the civil aviation sector on the eve of the annual Summit on September 29 (Monday). “The deal amends 26 agreements that India has with EU member states in one go and opens other avenues for co-operation like traffic management,” according to an EU official who did not want to be named.

The deal was signed by Jamini Bhagwati, India's ambassador to the EU and officials representing French presidency of the European Union even before Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the current holder of the EU's rotating presidency had a meeting in the French port city of Marseille.

The aviation deal brings to an end ongoing six years of legal uncertainty which began when the European Court in November 2002 decided that bilateral deals on civil aviation services between EU member states and third countries discriminated against airlines from other EU states.

This “legal” agreement, without affecting the flights frequencies between the EU and India, will encourage more airlines to offer services between the continents, according to officials familiar with the deal.

Three Presidencies agree on broad programme

2008-09-07T13:07:00.001+02:00

Brussels, September 2 - The 18 month three consecutive presidency programme was addressed by French, Czech and Swedish ministers today (September 2) at the European Parliament in Brussels. Speaking to journalists, the three ministers highlighted the continuity of the efforts of the presidencies to address issues of vital interest to the European Union.

The Czech Republic during its first six months of 2009, will observe the 20 years of fall of Iron Curtain and five years of the big European enlargement, according to Alexandr Vondra, the Czech Deputy Prime Minister.

The two main issues that his government will pursue will be energy security and building the eastern partnerships. Noting that the US elections will be over then, the Czech presidency will be "looking forward to energising trans-Atlantic co-operation in all areas." "Balkans seems to be somehow forgotten but we along with Sweden will move forward at least with Croatia," the minister said adding, "We expect to move to the final stage the talks with at least Croatia."

Cecilla Malmstrom, Swedish foreign minister called her upcoming second half of 2009 presidency as "most exciting" as it follows the completion of the European parliament elections and the formation of a new European Commission.

Answering a question from New Europe about what the three presidencies are planning to do about the EU's foreign policy which is nothing but a "reconstruction policy," nowadays, the French Europe Minister, Jean-Pierre Jouyet agreed saying, "We can not have a foreign policy just specialised in reconstruction. We need to do some deep thinking about European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) before the end of the year. Europe's response should represent both civilian and military stand points."

Swedish foreign minister lamented the lack of Lisbon Treaty provisions in force saying, "If we had the Treaty, we would have had better machinery and we could have done better," adding, "We have to work on finding and working on specific neighbourhood policy with a very pro-active European policy."

"Political will and commitment are required to do that," she added.

South Korea, EU fail to resolve FTA differences

2008-09-07T12:28:00.002+02:00

Seoul, September 1 - South Korea and the European Union failed to narrow their gap in their free trade agreement (FTA) talks, South Korean Trade Ministry sources said on August 29, but European Union negotiator Ignacio Garcia Bercero told New Europe on August 30 in Seoul, “We had a very fruitful discussion and we agreed to continue talks.”

About the ministerial level meeting before the end of the year, the EU negotiator told New Europe, “We expect to have the meeting sometime in October this year.”

South Korean Deputy Trade Minister Hye-min Lee joined his European counterpart Bercero in the eighth round of talks held in the framework of FTA negotiations since April last year.

During a three-day negotiations in Seoul, South Korean capital, the two sides decided to go ahead and seek a package solution on “sticky” issues like auto trade with a meeting proposed in mid-September, Korean sources told New Europe.

According to business sources speaking to New Europe the EU had flatly rejected the demand of South Korea with a booming auto-industry, to drop tariffs on South Korean cars within three years after the bilateral talks take effect.

Earlier on the eve of the talks, Deputy Minister and Deputy chief negotiator Lee spoke to New Europe on the “sticky” issues and expectations on both sides. “On the services sector, the EU expects we should give more than what we have given to the US - but when we negotiated with the US - we already had EU FTA in mind.” “What we have agreed with the US is not just for the US but also for the EU. The Europeans are asking for more than that which is very difficult,” he said.

“We will be obliged to change our regulations but European will not change anything while Europeans are set to gain from the FTA,” the Korean negotiator added.

On the general relationship with the EU, Minister Lee lamented, “If all the countries are place in order of relation with the EU, Korea will be placed last,” asking, “Please name any country that has less relations with the EU.”

The Minister Lee was, however, hopeful in saying, “FTA can be a backbone for future relationships with the EU and Korea. Privileged relationship originating from FTA can give rise to more generalised relationship development between two sides.” Min-soon Song, assemblyman of the opposition Democratic Party and former Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade till 2007 told New Europe, “These negotiations started when I was the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Korean government is eager to have the FTA.”

Pointing to already finalised US Korea FTA, he said, “The successful record of negotiations with the US for the FTA can be a good analogy and personally I support these negotiations.” Another major obstacle to the FTA negotiations is the legal sector as Doo-Sik Kim, an international trade lawyer told journalists at a lunch organised by the Korea Press Foundation on August 25.

Addressing the fear of Korean legal sector about the take-over and expansion of the European law firms in the Korean market, Kim said it was one of the least highlighted subjects but there is a strong opposition from the concerned lawyer lobbies. The EU is South Korea’s second largest trade partner after China. In 2007, the bilateral trade volume between South Korea and the EU amounted to USD 89.8 billion.

Canada reacts as EU moves to ban seal products

2008-09-06T22:21:00.001+02:00

Brussels, July 28 - The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union last week floated proposals for EU wide ban on seal products from countries that fail to meet high animal welfare standards. Calling for a ban on all seal products obtained through “cruel hunting methods,” European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas labelled them as “repugnant.”

In the EU, sealhunting is practised in Sweden, Finland, the Danish territory of Greenland and in the UK while in Canada it is the biggest hunt in the world with thousands killed annually off its east coast. Commenting on the EU proposed regulations to ban seal products, Loyola Hearn, Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, reiterated in a statement, “Once again, we would like to caution European decision-makers: adopting broad regulations to ban products from a responsible, sustainable and well-regulated hunt is a slippery slope. To bow to misinformation and emotional rhetoric in restricting the trade of humanely harvested animals would set a dangerous precedent for all wild hunts.”

While announcing the total allowable catch (TAC) and other management measure for the 2008 Atlantic seal hunt, Hearn said in early March, “The seal hunt is an economic mainstay for numerous rural communities in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and the North.” The minister had stressed, “The government has taken further steps to ensure the hunt continues to be conducted in a humane manner, adopting recommendations of the Independent Veterinarians Working Group.”

The European Commission explained that it is just addressing concerns expressed by the European Parliament and the general public, “that seals are being killed and skinned using practices that unnecessarily inflict pain and suffering.” Neil Parish, Conservative MEP and President of the European Parliament’s Animal Welfare intergroup had earlier this year urged the Commission to take action: “As the culling season gets underway, the time has come for the Commission to take action. The slaughter of seals in Canada, including seals that are just a few weeks old, is barbaric and the EU should not condone it.”

The Commission also cited the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) scientific opinion as saying, “that seals can be killed rapidly and effectively by a number of methods without causing avoidable pain, distress and suffering, but evidence shows that effective killing does not always happen in practice.”

Clarifying this EFSA point, one reliable Canadian government source familiar with the hunt told New Europe, “Canada’s seal hunt is humane, sustainable and responsible. The recommendations made in the recent report by the European Food Safety Authority (published in December 2007) uphold the legitimacy and humaneness of the hunting practices and techniques that are used, regulated and enforced in Canada’s annual commercial seal hunt. Canada has also supplied information to the authors of a study commissioned by the European Commission on the socio-economic and animal welfare aspects of seal hunting.”

Warning that the Canadian government will “continue to stand up for sealers to protect the Canadian sealing industry and our markets,” the Canadian minister said, “While we are encouraged that the hard work of the Prime Minister, Fisheries Conservation Ambassador Sullivan, and the international team from the provinces and territories has led us to successfully secure exemptions from the proposed ban, our position remains that any ban on a humanely conducted hunt, such as Canada’s, is without cause.” “In the weeks and months ahead, the federal government - along with our provincial and territorial governments and sealing industry leaders - will be reviewing how the proposed regulations and any exemptions would apply to Canada. Canada expects the EU to quickly begin discussions on the conditions for exemption from the draft regulations so that any trade restriction would have no impact on market access for products from Canada’s humane, regulated and responsible hunt,” Hearn added.

Canada’s annual culling of seals attracts the ire of international environmental campaigners and animal protection groups. With Belgium and the Netherlands already banning the import of seal-derived products while Germany and Austria are considering closing their markets too, the industry pundits predict that proposed EU wide ban will devastate the seal product industry as one-third of the products head for the EU. The EU proposals still need to be debated and cleared by the European parliament and then Council of Ministers made of 27 Member States.

Politicians step in as ECB fights inflation

2008-09-06T22:13:00.004+02:00

Brussels, July 21 - Inflation took central stage on the European Continent with European lawmakers joining the fray with calls to the European Central Bank to reconsider its fiscal policies. In a non-binding parliamentary report, Member of European Parliament suggested the ECB should reconsider its inflation ceiling, upping political pressure on the ECB while it struggles to damp rising inflation amid signs of slowing economic growth.

The ECB, which makes monetary policy for the 15 countries that share the Euro currency, has fixed the target to keep Eurozone inflation just under two percent. The draft report by Werner Langen, a German member of the EP, and Pervenche Beres, head of the EP’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee urged the ECB saying that level “should be examined in the context of a new age of globalization characterised by rising energy and food prices.”

Reiterating the European Parliament’s “strong commitment to the independence of the ECB,” the report supported, “the de m a - n d for a stronger public debate on the fut ure common monetary and currency policies.’’ The draft report also recommended that the ECB’s six-member Executive Board be enlarged to nine saying, “...(its) important that a variety of backgrounds be represented among executive board members.”

With no official EP jurisdiction over the ECB, the final report — which will be put to a parliamentary vote in October — will be nonbinding but the financial pundits commented that the timing of the report is sensitive as the ECB raised its key interest rate to a seven-year high of 4.25 percent earlier this month. There has been political pressure also from several Eurozone politicians suggesting that the bank’s inflation focus jeopardises economic growth.

Earlier on the eve of Eurozone finance ministers’ meeting, German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck said inflation is a matter of ‘deep concern’, adding a joint effort beyond the scope of the European Union is needed to safeguard citizens’ waning purchasing power.

Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean- Claude Juncker, head the Eurozone echoed the German sentiments saying, “Inflation is a serious concern, both for the ECB and Euro governments.’’ With the present Eurozone inflation rate hovering around four percent which is double the target rate, there are signs that the Eurozone economy is also slowing amid global market turmoil.

Commenting on the subject, European Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said, “The future (of inflation) depends solely on what happens on the global markets. It is anyhow possible that next year inflation could be close to the ECB target level.”

Quoted in the Finnish daily Kauppalehti last Friday, Almunia said, “Although there is a risk of stagflation and I am worried about it, I hope we can avoid the difficult situation,” adding that economic growth in the EU had weakened in the second quarter and that inflation and market uncertainty had an impact on growth.

Although the ECB did not issue official comment on the EP report, ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet said policy makers must prevent the commodity-price shock from pushing up other prices, telling Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that, “the latest rise in unit labour costs is a piece of data that we need to take into account.”

Moreover, the policy makers were not ready to yield to political pressure became evident as ECB Governing Council member Nout Wellink was cited in the Dutch weekly magazine Elsevier last Thursday as saying that slowing growth may not damp inflation. Wellink added, “if you fail to halt inflation before it increases further ... you will have high inflation at a time of low growth.”

Across the Atlantic also the inflation got the focus with the stark warning from the US Central Bank chief Ben Bernanke last week. Addressing the US Congress, Bernanke minced no words declaring that inflation could continue to threaten the economy and rocketing petrol prices gave impetus to his words as the US inflation in June hit the largest year-over-year increase since 1991. There is, however, a marked difference as the US Federal Reserve aims to promote growth and control inflation while the ECB’s single mandate is keeping prices steady.

Credit Rating agencies look for credit in the EU

2008-09-06T21:58:00.002+02:00

Brussels, July 14 - The European Union is set to take off the credit cloak of credit agencies with a mandatory registration procedure and dress them in a code to be monitored by a pan-European watchdog, according to conclusion reached by the EU finance ministers in Brussels. “There is an agreement on rating agencies,” French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, whose country holds the EU rotating presidency, told journalists after chairing a meeting with her EU counterparts. “There is an agreement in principle on registering rating agencies and there is an agreement on monitoring credit rating agencies,” she added.

The announcement was music to the ears of EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy, who has been an ardent advocate of such measures much on the lines practiced in the US where credit ratings agencies have to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC.)

He has been quoted as saying that a voluntary code for agencies is a “toothless wonder” that failed to “sniff out the rot” in the US mortgage-backed structured products that lost all the shine even with high credit ratings intact. With the Commissioner set to launch proposals later this year and the European ministers already giving the go-ahead, there was another factor represented by the European Parliament, the only-directly elected European institution, which, through one of the members gave an encouraging input last month.

MEP Pervenche Beres of France, chairwoman of the Parliament’s Economics Committee, endorsed the idea, saying that credit agencies should have to register as they do in the United States and come under accountable financial supervision. Beres was quoted in a media report as saying: “The best solution would be that the Committee of European Securities Regulators (CESR,) made up of national market watchdogs from the 27 EU states, is the place where the rating agencies should be registered. “Supervision should be under CESR. If you have national supervisors doing their own supervision without doing any coordinated approach, you will be creating a non-level playing field,” Beres added.

Controversy was kick started last year when a crisis in the US market for poorlysecured mortgages pushed global financial institutions, including banks and building societies, to the verge of collapse. The accusing finger pointed to credit agencies like Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch who failed to warn of such disasters even though their credibility depends on analysing and churning out creditworthiness reports of countries represented by their respective governments and financial institutions.

With the EU ministers agreeing to give a go-head, McCreevy said that the European Commission would make a legal proposal in October on how to deal with rating agencies in the future. “We have now come to the conclusion that a regulatory response is necessary,” he concluded.

EU shows unity, Thaci gets another dole of billions for Kosovo

2008-09-06T21:54:00.001+02:00

Brussels, July 14 - The European Union maintained its facade of unity towards Kosovo at a donor’s conference held in Brussels on July 11 as the seven EU countries, which have not recognised Kosovo, also participated in the conference. Speaking to journalists on the conditions of anonymity, their representatives said that they must maintain silence and observer status.

Confirming to journalists, Pierre Mirrel, Director for the Western Balkans in the enlargement section of the European Commission said that none of those countries pledged any financial assistance, adding he expected “the pledges from those countries in coming period.” Trying to allay concerns raised by journalists, Mirrel said, “The Member States (which) even have not recognised, have agreed with other 20 Member States, with the EU willingness, to support economic and financial development of Kosovo.” “Kosovo has a European perspective,” he stressed. Out of a total pledge of 1.2 billion Euro to Kosovo’s socioeconomic development, 508 million Euro came from the EU.

Addressing the audience, EU enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said, “I am proud that by pledging half a billion Euro, the EU today clearly demonstrates its commitment to Kosovo and to the stability of the Western Balkans.” “I am also thankful to our international partners for their contribution and engagement. The 1.2 billion Euro pledged today will help to bring about a better future for all living in Kosovo,” added Rehn.

Thaci happy

A visibly happy Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said: “This is a great success for my country and its citizens. The conference marks a new chapter for the economic development of Kosovo.” On the question of rampant corruption, staggering unemployment figures and earlier embezzlement episodes, Thaci told the audience, “We will start and implement the projects in shortest possible time - by providing good governance we will succeed in implementing this investment.” “This kind of support would not have come if donors were not convinced that good governance had been established,” he added.

On the subject of democratic reforms in the country and state of minorities, Thaci was upbeat saying he was proud to lead a multiethnic, European and democratic state. “We are well aware of our responsibilities,” said Thaci. “We will never disappoint you,” he added. Thanking the European Union, the US and other donor countries, Thaci said, “Kosovo’s vision is very clear: Integration into EU and NATO.”

Watching the money flow

Replying to a question on the financial mechanisms to alleviate concerns about the absorption capacity and corruption, Mirrel listed three delivery modes:

- Through agreed budget support but does not mean funds are sent to the government, there are conditions attached

- A trust fund which was launched by the World Bank last week and welcomed by donors and pledged to be used

- Classical Project Support: Pre-accession programmes

Part of the dole (1.1 billion Euro) will be used for investing in the infrastructure to connect Kosovo with the rest of the region, improving the conditions for education of Kosovo’s extremely young population, and developing Kosovo’s institutions to consolidate democracy and rule of law in a multi-ethnic society. Another “100 million that have been pledged will be used to build up a contingency reserve,” explained Mirrel. To the question of debt obligations, he said this reserve may be used to service those.

Uncertain future

Moreover, Kosovo under UN administration since 1999, when NATO bombing ended Serbian ethnic-cleansing in the region, is now at a crossroads. The EU is in a dilemma as it now aims to take on a leading role in helping rebuild its administration and judiciary through its EULEX mission which has run into legality problems. Kosovo, with a predominantly ethnic-Albanian population of two million, declared unilateral independence from Serbia in February and adopted a new constitution in June.

Serbia, along with its strong allies like Russia, is not letting Kosovo take baby steps toward nation-building as the tiny nation struggles to survive on dole-outs and prop-ups from the US and fractured EU. According to International Monetary Fund data, there was a meagre economic growth of three percent between 2003 and 2007 and the IMF found it much below the average for the region.

Wahhabism on the rise

With unemployment running at around 50 percent and rampant corruption coupled with organised crime networks mushrooming all over, the region is one of the poorest and most dangerous to live in Europe. As reported earlier in New Europe Issue 749 (http://www.neurope.eu/articles/7 8326.php), the grip of Wahhabism, a fundamentalist form of Islam being exported out of Saudi Arabia and alleged booster of terrorism is tightening its vicious grip on Kosovo population at an alarming rate as money is allegedly being offered to families depending on the way the women use veils to cover in orthodox Islamic traditions.

Thaci did not have time to comment on the subject, his spokesman told New Europe at the end of the press conference. The donors’ conference was called at the behest of the European Commission which explained that it was responding to the European Council statement of December 2007 when it called for EU’s readiness to assist Kosovo on the road towards sustainable stability.

Among the participants were representatives from all EU Member States, members of the European Parliament, international donors such as the US, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, Canada, Israel, Kuwait, Korea, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, as well as international financial institutions, UN agencies and regional organisations such as OSCE, NATO, and the OECD.

Europe’s future safe with cohesion policy

2008-09-06T21:43:00.003+02:00

Hubner wants regional approach to local demands

Brussels, July 7 - There is hope stemming from the ongoing experience of a strong economic growth in the poorer European regions than the rest of the European Union as cohesion policy gets implemented, top EU official told a distinguished audience last week.

Addressing an EPC (European Policy Centre, a Brussels based think-tank) Breakfast Briefing on the EU Regional Policy Post-2013: More of the Same or a New Beginning?, European Commissioner for Regional Policy Danuta Hubner, said that the Commission’s “Fifth Progress Report on Economic and Social Cohesion” showed that structural change, and strong growth in knowledge- intensive, high-tech manufacturing sectors, had reduced the difference between the rich “old” EU Member States and the poorer “convergence” regions over the last five years.

“Per capita GDP growth was 50 percent faster in the convergence regions than in the rest of the EU, and unemployment there has dropped by three percent,” she added. “In order to shape future cohesion policy, we need to understand the reasons for the current social, economic and territorial inequalities,” argued the Commissioner, adding, “research suggests that EU integration and globalisation are producing different concentrations of winners and losers.”

Citing some scholars as saying that is the “price to pay” for high economic growth at the macro-economic level, Hubner sided with “more with scholars who argue that uneven regional growth stems from endogenous factors, such as the lack of natural resources, inadequate skills, poor accessibility, or poor capacity to innovate or to assimilate innovation.”

Recalling that she used to say that not even “a square kilometre,” should be wasted, the Commissioner said, “Realising how small Europe’s landmass is in global terms, we can not waste even a square centimetre.” “The aim of a modern cohesion policy is to provide ‘public goods’ aimed at improving skills, innovation capacity, entrepreneurship, sustainability, employment and accessibility, to enable all European territories to realise their full potential.

“The new policy for 2007- 2013 is designed to meet these challenges, and emphasises a place-based approach to growth and jobs, using local knowledge and responding to local demands.” “The new budget provides three times more funding for research and innovation than the previous allocation,” said the Commissioner.

“There are now 450 programmes that use socio-economic and territorial aspects to develop local and regional capacities: 30 percent are geared to environmental projects, 25 percent to innovation and 14 percent to human-capital related activities. All include a strong focus on developing a knowledge-based economy,” the Polish-born Commissioner said.

Saying, “Globalisation is not an abstract process, but has concrete impacts on European territories,” Hubner pointed out that it generated “pressures which have an asymmetrical impact on regions, especially those dominated by particular sectoral activities. “We need both continuity and change,” she said, so the new policies emphasise partnership and multi-level governance, since - ironically, in an increasingly globalised world - regional and local levels are best placed to take advantage of global processes,” she concluded.

Giving the example of a successful network of cities in Bavaria where there is ongoing work on science based activities, Hubner said, “Europe needs more ‘place-based’ responses that not only involve big cities with industrial activities and universities, but also small communities and businesses.” Reflecting on future cohesion policy, the Commissioner said that stakeholder responses to the Fourth Cohesion Report showed strong support for an ambitious and strong cohesion policy and gave an emphatic “No” to re-nationalising it. “Instead, stakeholders supported a coordinated policy for all EU regions, with a strong focus on the poorest areas, and a shift towards focusing on the Lisbon Strategy’s objectives of innovation, skills and education, sustainable development and developing Europe-wide structures.”

A Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion will also be adopted in early October 2008 which will launch the public consultation on solving interregional and intra-regional disparities, and an Orientation Paper will be published in Spring 2009 to synthesise the results of the debate.

EU officials lambast Sarkozy’s “ignorance”

2008-09-06T21:38:00.003+02:00

Brussels, July 7 - Starting the French Presidency of the European Union at loggerheads with European officials, French President Nicolas Sarkozy got all mixed up when quoting trade figures in international negotiations. Rejecting Sarkozy’s figures on the bloc’s trade negotiations as “utterly incorrect,” Commission spokesman Michael Mann told journalists in Brussels, “This figure of 20 percent (reduction in EU farming output as a result of World Trade Organization talks) that is being talked about in the public domain is utterly incorrect. “It is based on the assumption that we are adopting hook, line and sinker the proposals put on the table by the G20 group of countries, which is not the case and will never be the case,” he said.

During the regular mid-day press briefing, Mann’s views were echoed by Peter Power, spokesman for Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson. Power told journalists: “We have not agreed to these, we will never agree to the full demands of the G20. We are in discussion, we can agree to some.” If developed and developing countries agree to a compromise on trade - an outcome which is by no means assured - the commission believes that it could lead to a fall of some 1.1 percent in EU agricultural production and 2.5 percent in jobs in the farming sector by the end of 2014, Power said. “(Sarkozy) is basing the figures he has put into the public domain on a false assumption,” he said.

Sarkozy, on the eve of taking over the rotating presidency of the EU, in a televised speech lambasted the EU’s trade policies saying the present policies would result in a 20 percent drop in EU farm output and 100,000 job losses. Sarkozy slammed both Mandelson and the WTO’s French head, Pascal Lamy, for trying to impose such an agreement on Europe, and vowed, “I will not let that happen.”

Commission officials retorted that that would only be the case if the EU caved in to all the demands of the G20 group of developing countries such as China, India, Brazil and South Africa. Moreover, Sarkozy also got flak back from Mandelson, who told the BBC network, “I am being undermined and Europe’s negotiating position in the world trade talks is being weakened and I regret that,” stressing that the mandate on which he was negotiating in the trade talks “had been agreed by all the (EU) member states (Council decision).”

Later, Mandelson was conspicuous by his absence at the gala dinner hosted by the French to inaugurate the rotating EU presidency. Asked to comment on the missing Commissioner, in the presence of the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Sarkozy told journalists, “It is not forbidden to have differences of opinion in Europe.”

World Bank Chief Economist talks of solutions

2008-09-06T21:31:00.003+02:00

Brussels, July 7 - Pradeep Mitra, the World Bank’s chief economist for the Europe and Central Asia Region (ECA) spoke in a candid interview to Tejinder Singh about his experience and vision for European and Central Asian countries. Mitra was in Brussels to launch a World Bank study with the title, Innovation, Inclusion and Integration: From Transition to Convergence in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, on July 2. Starting on a positive note, “Countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have put the crisis of the 1990s behind them and a lot of progress has happened,” Mitra said, “But they are now facing new challenges as they integrate into global economy.”

“Central and Eastern European countries are already plugging into global networks like automobiles and Information Technology whereas part of the trade that the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) does, especially ‘low income countries’ are in natural resources and items that use predominately unskilled labour force.” It was more traumatic for CIS countries during the Russian crisis and that had sent tremours through these countries but there has been a turnaround and they are improving although there is a differential rate.”

There is a marked difference in the pattern of integration between the way the Central and Eastern European states and CIS states.” The anchor of prospective EU accession worked in harmony with the domestic and external factors helping the new member states of the European Union to lock in the reforms of policies and institutions necessary for rapid productivity growth and deeper integration into the world economy.”

Pointing out that, “The CIS countries do not have this EU membership prospect,” Mitra said, “so the extent to which countries without European prospects can use outside mechanisms – such as the European Neighborhood Policy, WTO accession, sub-regional agreements – to lock in the institutions conducive to a favorable business environment is an open question.” “These things may act like anchor and they do have a role to play but they are not nearly as powerful as the concept of EU accession,” added Mitra. “The convergence is more pronounced in the new European Union member states. The countries in the CIS are followers, though some distance behind,” Mitra noted.

Demographic factors

The report noted that many countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union now face another headache an aging populations. Demographic projections suggest that by 2025 the average Slovene will be 47 years old, giving the country one of the oldest populations in the world. One in five Bulgarians will be over 65. Ukraine’s population will shrink by a fifth, and Russia’s by more than a tenth.

Aging will lead to the share of the working age population (15-64 years) in total population declining rapidly after 2015 – less than a decade from now – in the EU 8, Southeastern Europe, and middle income CIS countries (“middleincome” CIS countries include Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine). This is similar to the change projected for the EU 15, deeper than in the United States, shallower than in Japan. EU- 8 countries, including Eastern Europe’s largest economies Poland and the Czech Republic, joined the EU in 2004. Romania and Bulgaria entered the bloc in 2007.

Asked to comment on this threatening phenomena and the ways to face it, the chief economist of the World Bank said, “All of Europe is aging but Eastern Europe is aging more rapidly. Add to that migration problems as for example, people from Poland went to England and people from Romania to Italy and Spain thus generating labour market shortages in those countries.

“The challenge posed to economic growth by rapidly-aging populations in a large swath of transition countries in Central and Southeastern Europe, as well as Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, is serious and systemic. Offsetting it requires, first, getting the most out of the existing capital stock and labour force – through all the reforms of the business environment needed for productivity growth.

“Second, it calls for using all and not just part of a country’s human resources by raising and equalising the retirement ages for men and women and, where the fiscal situation allows, reducing taxes on labor that make hiring labor expensive.

“Third, it requires reform of pensions and health care systems, so that fiscal pressures do not crowd out desirable spending on infrastructure and social safety nets and the private investment for productivity growth.

“Finally,” Mitra added, “international circular migration of labour that is coordinated between sending and receiving countries and respects migrants’ rights can supplement such a policy package. Migration involves complex political, economic, and social factors, and it is for this reason that policy experiments might be needed to improve the frameworks that regulate it.”

Business Models

On the question of the development of the business models in these countries, Mitra said, “Their business and financial sectors are maturing as well, relying less on family and informal sources to fund fixed investments,” adding, “When it comes to the importance of competition for restructuring activities in firms, the transition economies are following in the footsteps of developed market economies.”

According to the report, productivity growth – the only viable route to lasting prosperity – depends on there being a supportive business environment, specifically one that delivers competition, a deep financial sector, good governance, and superior skills and infrastructure.

“Productivity growth,” said Mitra, “is higher in firms when they face stronger pressure from domestic competitors to develop new products and markets; when they are in industries that rely more on external finance in countries with more developed financial sectors; when rules and regulations are more predictable and there is greater confidence in the legal system; when they offer more on-thejob training to their workers; and when the availability of mainline telephone services is higher and the incidence of power outages is lower.”

According to Mitra, “Boosting productivity requires firms either to innovate, developing knowledge new to the world, or to absorb knowledge, integrating and commercialising knowledge new to the firm but not to the world. “Stronger competition,” said Mitra, “which would facilitate convergence in the CIS countries, would also accelerate downsizing in state-owned and privatised firms. Severance payments, retraining programs, and social safety nets for the displaced workers can facilitate convergence by reducing its social costs.

“While nearly one in five people – or 85 million – lived in poverty around 1998/99, only one in 12 – or 35 million – did so around 2005/06,” said Mitra. “Income poverty can fall further provided the business environment continues to be reformed even if employment prospects and labor force participation do not improve. But those excluded from employment report being more dissatisfied with their lives, so building inclusive societies by addressing the constraints to job creation should be a priority.”

Energy & Food Prices

The global ripple effects of meteoric rise in energy and food prices has not left these countries unaffected as the report noted that this has put enormous financial pressure on the poorest citizens of these countries. “Some calculations that we’ve done suggest that a five percent increase in food prices increases poverty rates by two to three percentage points in some of the low-income CIS countries,” Mitra said. The World Bank labels low-income CIS countries to include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

“Two to three percentage points is not a small number. This is a kind of ECA-specific phenomenon. A lot of the poor in low-income CIS countries are pretty close to the poverty line. So a little change in prices can tip them in the wrong direction.” Replying to a question on the ways to protect these vulnerable citizens, he urged: “Given what we know about the impact of food price increase on poverty, it is important that countries ‘top up’ their targeted social assistance schemes.

“A number of countries in our region have fairly well-functioning social assistance schemes – it’s important that they ‘top up’ whatever assistance is necessary in order to help the poor.” With regard confronting rising energy prices, Mitra lamented that the region’s energy efficiency has traditionally been very low, adding that it will be wise to implement wide scale energy-saving measures wherever possible.

Eurozone Aspirants

With Slovakia standing at the doorstep of the Eurozone (15 EU Member States who use Euro as a common currency,) there are many more economies in Eastern Europe wanting to join the Eurozone as quickly as possible, despite their public skepticism about the process, Mitra noted. The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, all have delayed plans to start using the Euro in 2010 but will be watching how Slovakia’s economy performs when it starts using the Euro in January, said Mitra.

According to European Union rules, the country aspiring to join the Eurozone, must spend two years in the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, which stabilises its currency against the Euro. Although all countries acceding to the EU are obliged to join the Eurozone at some point of time, only Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Denmark have started using the exchange-rate mechanism while Poland and other countries are yet to take this step.

Commenting on the significance of joining the elite club of Eurozone, Mitra said, “Joining the Euro is a signal that the country has arrived. It follows the macro-economic policies which are comparable to advanced Western countries so it is a signally mechanism to the markets.”

Inflation: Global Macroeconomic Problem

On the global rise of biting inflation, Mitra agreed, “Yes, Inflation is back. It was something that countries thought they had put behind them, but not only is it back, it’s back in double digits. Often for reasons that the countries themselves – certainly the oil importers – are not in a position to control.

“Inflation is a worldwide problem and it should be tackled as a macro-economic problem with tightening of fiscal policies and not trying to do price control which will not solve this inflation problem.”

Concluding, Mitra urged the regions’ central banks to “stay focused on inflation management” and especially refrain from imposing controls on trade, which could work against the food supply in the longer term.

----------------------------------------
World Bank Report

Innovation, Inclusion, and Integration: From Transition to Convergence in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union. Countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have put the crisis of the 1990s behind them, but they need to innovate, include all their citizens in the development of their countries, and integrate with the broader global economy if they want to sustain growth, said a new World Bank report. Launched on July 2 in Brussels, the study, concluded that:

Productivity growth – the only viable route to lasting prosperity – depends on there being a supportive business environment, specifically one that delivers competition, a deep financial sector, good governance, and superior skills and infrastructure.

Key aspects of the business environment, such as competition and finance, that shape the behaviour of firms are maturing and converging towards those in the developed market economies of Western Europe. This convergence is more pronounced in the new member states of the European Union. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are followers, though some distance behind.

Employment growth has been sluggish almost everywhere, and has reflected the interplay between (i) job growth in new private firms that were able to occupy market niches nonexistent under central planning; and (ii) downsizing in state-owned and privatised firms.

Productivity growth and public transfers fed by rising fiscal revenue have moved 50 million people – out of 400 million – out of absolute poverty (those with an income of less than USD 2.15 a day in purchasing power parities) between 1998-99 and 2005-06. While nearly one in five people – or 85 million – lived in poverty around 1998/99, only one in 12 – or 35 million – did so around 2005/06.

Countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union now face a third transition – aging populations, which will slow economic growth unless more of the population is brought into the labour force, resources are used more efficiently, and pensions and health care systems are reformed to avoid them becoming sources of acute fiscal pressure.

(www.worldbank.org)

EU aims to become a bastion of equality

2008-09-06T20:56:00.003+02:00

Patients could travel abroad for treatment

Brussels, July 7 - Patients will be able to seek healthcare abroad and get reimbursed up to the level their governments normally would have paid in their own country, the European Commission announced. As part of the overall Renewed Social Agenda for the benefit of EU citizens, the Commission reiterated what the European Court of Justice in its several rulings over a period of time has confirmed - that the EU Treaty gives individual patients the right to seek healthcare in other Member States and be reimbursed at home. Announcing the proposals, Androulla Vassiliou, European Health Commissioner told journalists: “Patients will be able to receive treatment in any member state, which will be reimbursed at home up to the level of the same or similar treatment in their health system,” adding, “There will be a fair and quick reimbursement.”

Saying, “They will not need prior authorisation,” the Commissioner added, “Patients from any country will enjoy equal treatment with the nationals of the country in which they are being treated and cannot be discriminated against.” The Commissioner stressed that the directive was aimed at the patients in small cities or towns on border areas and also in specified specialised cases. To calm the doubts raised by the Member States, the Commissioner said, “However, if unpredictable cross-border healthcare becomes a problem, the system could put into place a system of prior authorisation to safeguard the system.” She added: “It will allow excessive demand from one country to be met by excessive capacity in another country.

This is the essence of the co-operation,” but it was also clarified that in countries with long waiting lists, patients from abroad will have to join the queue. Moreover, the new measures will allow the Member States to require that the citizens get prior authorisation for hospital treatment abroad and the Member States will have to deal with them on a case by case basis with provisions for “right to review” and explanations to justify any denial of such requests. On the part of the host Member State, the quality and safety standards of the treatment will be their responsibility while the new directive is set to facilitate European cooperation on healthcare.

The Commissioner said, “All Member States should define standards and those should be made public and ensured that they are effectively implemented.” Around one percent of treatment is currently provided abroad in Europe and the number is very low, the Commission said. Today, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) provides only emergency care across the European Union in case a traveling EU citizen falls ill while abroad but has health insurance in the home country. “This is about patient’s rights. Patients should be entitled to treatment in another EU member state if necessary, with no worry about costs, safety and quality.

Whereas today complex rules and legal uncertainty can be a barrier for people without many resources, this directive will ensure equal access for all patients to cross border health services,” said Jules Maaten, a Member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands. Covering other broad range of subjects like old age, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and disability the overall legal proposals promised all equal treatment. Launching the Renewed Social Agenda, Vladimir Spidla, European Commissioner for Equal Opportunities told journalists, “There is an inequality in (EU) legislation because people are protected from discrimination outside the workplace only on grounds of gender and race or ethnic origin.

We must ensure equal treatment for all grounds.” Aiming to ensure equality in all fields and sectors, the Commission said in a statement that the proposal should “ensure equal treatment in the areas of social protection, including social security and health care; education; and access to and supply of goods and services which are commercially available to the public, including housing.” Clarifying doubts raised by journalists, the Commission officials said under the new rules, for example, a hotel will not be able to refuse a room to a gay couple because of their sexuality or other facilities like restaurants which refused to provide adequate access for wheelchair-bound customers will have to do so under the new legislation.

There will, however be no imposition in cases of sensitive subjects like teaching about homosexuality in the school curricula or the ban on religious symbols. As a result, the intolerant behaviour of countries like France, which since 2004 banned the open showing of religious symbols such as Christian crosses, Muslim headscarves or Sikh turbans in state schools on the grounds of state secularism, could not be forced to change their laws. The proposals under this new directive must now be examined by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers before becoming EU law.

Fresh EU proposals on asylum get wide support

2008-09-06T20:50:00.002+02:00

Brussels, June 23 - There was general acceptance for the new European Commission proposals to streamline the process of treating asylum seekers in different EU member states. Struggling to formulate a common asylum policy for more than a decade, today this process varies across 27 Member States with Sweden on the most welcoming side of the asylum granting spectrum while Greece falls at the other end.

Highlighting the publication of the Policy Plan on Asylum, an integrated approach to protection in Europe, before World Refugee Day, celebrated around the world on June 20, Bjarte Vandvik, Secretary General of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) said in a statement: “The political momentum to develop high asylum standards obviously exists and ECRE is ready to continue cooperating with the European Commission and other stakeholders to achieve a meaningful European asylum system.”

Launching the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), Jacques Barrot, the European Commissioner for freedom, security and justice, said, “With this Policy Plan the Commission launches the second phase of the Common European Asylum System, whose overarching objectives are to uphold and reinforce the Union’s humanitarian and protection tradition and to achieve a true level playing field for protection across the EU. “This means that we will have to improve the common legislative standards, increasing the quality of decision making by supporting practical cooperation between national asylum administrations and fostering more solidarity between the Member States and between the EU and third countries in receiving refugee flows.”

The first phase of the CEAS (1999-2004) had given established “common minimum standards in areas such as reception conditions for asylum seekers, asylum procedures and the requirements to qualify as a person needing international protection, as well as rules for the determination of the Member State responsible for an asylum application (the so-called Dublin system,)” according to Commission documents. Moreover, with the French Presidency taking over in a few weeks on July 1, there are better hopes that there will be action on the proposals which include the creation of a European Support Office on Asylum, an EUwide resettlement scheme and measures to help member states and third countries that host a high number of refugees.

The proposals will be put to the European Council on October 15 2008 during French presidency and will, in the course of 2009, feed into a new five-year Programme in the Justice, Freedom and Security area. Commenting on the proposals, Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, said: “The Migration Package adopted today shows that we need to take a new approach to dealing with Immigration and Asylum.” Stressing, “Europe needs a common policy vision which builds on past achievements and aims at providing a more coherent and integrated framework for future action by the Member States and the European Union, Barroso said he hoped that, “If we work together on the ten principles to better manage immigration and reinforce the standards for protection of asylum seekers we will make tangible improvements in these crucial areas.”

According to a report published by the UNHCR in March 2008, Asylum levels and trends in industrialised countries 2007, the number of individuals requesting refugee or asylum status in Europe and non-European industrialised countries increased by 10 percent in 2007 in comparison to 2006. This is the first increase in five years and follows a 20-year low observed in 2006. Despite this increase, the 2007 level is only half the level witnessed in 2001. The rise in 2007 can by and large be attributed to the sharp rise in Iraqi asylum-seekers. If Iraqi asylum seekers were to be excluded from the analysis, the increase in 2007 would only have been two percent.

Ahmadiyyas community observes a century

2008-09-06T20:40:00.001+02:00

Brussels, June 16 - The clash of civilisations and talk of jihad are not non-existent in the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim community, but used to condemn all forms of terrorism and highlight that Islam’s true teaching is of love and compassion for all of God’s Creation. On May 27, 2008, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, observed in different parts of the world completion of a period of more than 100 years since the foundation of the holy community by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib Qadiani. Addressing the community on the occasion, Mirza Masroor Ahmad said, “Today the history of Ahmadiyyat bears witness to the fact—and the whole world knows it—that no one remembers the erstwhile opponents of Ahmadiyyat. Yet by the blessing of Khilafat, Ahmadiyyat is flourishing in the world and millions of people devotedly profess Ahmadiyyat, or the true Islam.”

Naseer Ahmed Shahid, missionary of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Belgium told New Europe, “The Ahmadiyya Community is trying to carry the message of love and brotherhood of Islam through inter-faith conferences and trying their best to explain teachings of Islam through gatherings.”

Going down the memory lane, Naseer said, “The Ahmadiyya Community was established in 1889 by Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) in a small and remote village, Qadian, in the Punjab, India. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a religious organisation, international in its scope, with branches in over 189 countries in Africa, North America, South America, Asia, Australasia, and Europe. It represents the most dynamic denomination of Islam in modern history, with worldwide membership of tens of millions.”

Irish “No” hits EU with a political impasse

2008-09-06T20:35:00.002+02:00

Brussels, June 16 - The corridors of power in the European Commission, the Brussels- based executive of the European Union, were abuzz with rare activity June 13 with a mixture of shock and disbelief as the news of the “no” vote in the Irish referendum on the EU’s Lisbon Treaty filtered in.

Refusing to concede defeat on behalf of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, the Commission President, told journalists, “Of course it’s a disappointment, we wanted a different outcome,” adding, “(but) the result is important and we must respect it.”

Declaring “the remaining ratification processes should maintain their course,” Barroso told a hurriedly conveyed press conference, “The Lisbon Treaty was signed by all 27 states. I believe that the treaty is alive and that we should go on. Ireland remains committed to building a strong Europe and playing a full and active part in the EU.”

With 18 national parliaments already endorsing the Treaty, the Irish No has cast serious doubts over its future while eight national parliaments, including the United Kingdom, Italy and the Netherlands still need to ratify it.

The Netherlands, along with France, had rejected the earlier version in the form of the European Constitution. Reiterating that it is a “joint responsibility,” the Commission President said: “The EU institutions will continue to work for the EU citizens. The Lisbon Treaty (was) intended to solve some specific problems and the (Irish) No has not solved the problems that the treaty was designed to resolve.”

Speaking to New Europe, Andrew Duff, British Liberal MEP said, “It’s a tragedy for Europe. The worst scenario will be a period of reflection. We have six days of intense reflection period and then (the European Council) should come up with a solution.” As Barroso threw the ball back in the court of Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen to explain the causes to other EU Member States, MEP Duff told journalists, “If Cowen comes up with a magic proposal then the Council can go ahead. Otherwise, we pause for five years and begin again.”

NATO contemplates future with Russia and the EU

2008-09-06T20:31:00.003+02:00

Brussels, June 16 - The European Union and NATO can pool their resources together to face the present-day global challenges, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, recently told a conference in Brussels, titled “NATO in the Next Decade.”

Citing cooperation in fields like transportation, cooperation on research and development, and harmonising force structures and training methods, De Hoop Scheffer warned both organisations will suffer “if we cannot bring them closer together.” Highlighting threats like climate change and energy shortages to the global security in modern times, De Hoop Scheffer insisted the alliance must look to a new “strategic horizon” to face the newer realities and challenges. Addressing the conference, the NATO Secretary General said, “Climate change could confront us with a whole range of unpleasant developments – developments which no single nation state has the power to contain.

“It will sharpen the competition over resources, notably water. It will increase the risks to coastal regions. It will provoke disputes over territory and farming land. It will spur migration and it will make fragile states even more fragile. The scarcity of fossil fuels is already leading to a renaissance of civilian nuclear energy – and this poses its very own proliferation problems. The next decade will see continuously rising energy prices and a scramble for energy resources,” he said.

“This will put a premium on energy security. And it will also put a premium on the political stability of the world’s major oil and gas producing countries.” Calling for more often contact between the North Atlantic Council and the EU’s Political Security Committee to brainstorm on the global flash points, the Secretary General welcomed ongoing instances of cooperation among the Western powers like pooling resources to fund a C-17 for strategic airlift which can be also done for the A400M.

He also cited the UKFrench initiative to upgrade helicopters and train pilots as a good example of common funding, negating the longstanding method of financing, which says “costs lie where they fall.”

The Cold War seems never to have gone completely cold as was evident when NATO Secretary General admitted that there were issues where NATO and Russia did not “see eye to eye,” such as Kosovo and Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty. Calling Russia’s decision to send soldiers into Abkhazia in Georgia as “not helpful,” he stressed that it was important to engage with Russia because “I cannot see how NATO can do without Russia or how Russia can do without NATO.”

On the other hand, Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s ambassador to NATO lambasted the Western Military Alliance for misleading information on missile defence. Rogozin told the audience, “We are told that we should not fear plans to install missile defences in Poland and the Czech Republic as it is directed at the bad guys in Iran.”

“If NATO considers the threats are coming from the south, why are you enlarging to the east? Do you have a problem with the compass? We can install our missile defences in Cuba or Venezuela to protect our territory against the bad guys from Jamaica,” the Russian ambassador asked.

On the positive side, Rogozin agreed that cooperation between Russia and NATO works better at the military level than at the political or diplomatic level, and hinted at strengthening military cooperation in Afghanistan. Moreover, in the light of political agreement reached between Russia and the EU in April, Rogozin pointed to the Russian offer of helicopters for the EU’s ongoing peacekeeping mission in Chad.

Ministers labour late on EU labour laws

2008-09-06T20:06:00.002+02:00

Brussels, June 10 - The European Commission last Tuesday welcomed the deal hammered out by European Union ministers on how many hours workers should work per week and how temporary staff should be treated. Welcoming the compromise on common rules to grant temporary agency workers more rights and allow a working week of over 48 hours, reached by the Employment ministers, the Commission called it a "significant breakthrough" after four years of deadlock. Vladimír SPIDLA, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities said in a statement, "This is a major step forward for European workers and it strengthens social dialogue. It shows once again that flexicurity can be put into practice: We have created more security and better conditions for workers and temporary agency workers while maintaining the flexibility that industry needs and workers want when reconciling family life and working life. I congratulate the Slovenian Presidency on its success and thank them for all the hard work that led to it."

Addressing journalist in the early hours of the morning, Slovenian Minister of Labour & Social Affairs Marjeta Cotman, who chaired the Council meeting, said, "The proposals provides the necessary guarantees and protection for workers, while at the same time provides flexibility in organising the working time." The presidency said the accords would provide the basis on which temporary agency workers will be entitled to the same pay and basic entitlements as ordinary workers.

The late night agreement by employment ministers follows years of bitter wrangling between member states over how much protection workers should have and how much flexibility employers need. The agreement sets the normal limit employees in the EU can work per week at 48 hours, but allows them to boost that limit to 60 hours if they choose to sign a so-called "opt-out." To protect the employee from abuse, the deal also says that they can only sign up to the extra hours once they have been in the job for a month, and that they cannot be sanctioned at work for refusing to sign the opt-out or for withdrawing from it.

The compromise also takes in the rights of temporary workers, insisting that they be given the same rights regarding pay, leave and maternity leave as full-time employees, and that they be informed about permanent job opportunities within the company. Individual member states can, however, follow different rules both on the 60-hour limit and on agency workers if unions and employers agree to it. According to the EU passage rules for proposals, the draft directives must now go before the European Parliament. Warning the hurdles ahead, Commissioner Spidla said, "The ball is now in the court of the European Parliament and I sincerely hope that this solid agreement will find a majority in the plenary."

Echoing these fears, Liberal Democrat European Employment and Social Affairs spokesperson Liz Lynne MEP in the European Parliament said, "The Governments hard won deal now runs the danger of being ripped apart by Socialist MEPs who have for years been waiting for these controversial dossiers to return to the European Parliament."

On regulation of Temporary Agency Workers Lynne said, "Onesize- fits-all legislation at a EU level in this area is unnecessary as it fails to recognise the wide range of different practices across the EU, from Greece, which only made temporary worker agencies legal in the past few years, to the UK and Netherlands where it has long been established practice."

Welcoming the agreement, German Conservative MEP Anja Weisgerber (EPP) was more optimistic saying, "It provides the flexibility needed on the ground, and it is consistent with the standards of the European Court of Justice. I hope that Parliament and the Council will reach agreement on a final version by the end of the year."

The labour laws have been a bone of contention within the EU since they were proposed in 2004. The proposals have been criticised by business groups that feel that small to medium sized enterprises will struggle to pay for the new entitlements for agency staff.
Britain's small businesses represented by the Federation of Small Businesses (UK) welcomed the UK's continued opt-out from the 48-hour maximum working week but added that the price for securing the opt-out was far too high. Tina Sommer, Chairman, EU and International Affairs, Federation of Small Businesses, said, "Retention of the UK's Working Time Directive opt-out is welcome, but the price was far too high for employees and employers alike. Why should we be forced to choose between the two?

"The back-room manner in which this deal was negotiated by big business and Trade Unions should be of great concern to all those who will suffer the consequences," Sommer added. On the other hand, EuroCommerce Secretary General Xavier Durieu said, "Finding a political agreement on such important and sensitive issues is indeed a plus for the commerce sector." "It is clear that Europe needs rules on working time which will provide legal certainty on this delicate issue. As far as the agreement on temporary agency workers is concerned, it is a welcome practical implementation of the flexicurity approach," Durieu concluded.

Europe to get more gas

2008-09-06T19:57:00.003+02:00

Commission to support Norwegian commitments

The European Commission will nod the government subsidies in the Norwegian case for the development of Carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a means to curb emissions from coal power plants by burying carbon dioxide (CO2) deep underground, according to European energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs.

Outlining the Norway’s efforts, Norwegian Energy Minister Marie Haga Aslaug told journalists, “We have three concrete projects in Carbon capture and storage in the pipeline and it has been very useful to us to have a close cooperation with the Commission on these projects. Also in order to create an understanding that for the time being government funding is required in order to make these projects work out.”

Aiming to make the technology commercially viable, the Norwegian minister urged “some countries are willing to put governmental funding in a substantial way,” adding, “I am looking forward to the day when we have the technological breakthrough where we can have co2 not only from gas powered power plants but also coal powered power plants.”

“I’m optimistic that we’ll get a yes for a notification which is made for the test centre,” she said. Commenting on the subject at the joint press conference with Norwegian minister, Piebalgs told journalists, “I believe that state aid is eligible if it’s scrutinised according to the rules. It (may be) given as much as necessary if it corresponds to the conditions.” “We need this technology not only for the EU but also globally and Norwegian efforts are very much appreciated,” he said.

Commending the “high ambitions of the colleagues on the Continent,” about renewable energy sources, the Norwegian minister spoke of windmills saying, “We have decided to establish more formal cooperation in this field. The potential is huge but it’s still some years ahead of us.”

“Floating windmills which could be placed on any continental shelf and we see a great potential from floating windmills. As of now, we do not have the technology, it has to be developed and there are major issues that have to be resolved in terms of grid so we are speaking of the future. But I think it’s very important to develop all possibilities in the renewable fields,” added Norwegian minister.

Replying to a question “on gas export,” she said, “In the years to come we will have a decline in oil production but we will have an increase in gas production over the next decade and obviously the market on the Continent, first and foremost will receive that gas.”

Negating the possibility of building new gas pipelines to the European continent, the Norwegian minister emphatically told journalists, “Pipeline capacity will never stop our supply.” Norway is the second biggest gas supplier to the EU with 18 percent, compared to Russia with 23 percent.

Depending on developments with Russia, Piebalgs hoped that with projected deliveries of up to 125 to 140 billion cubic metres of gas by 2018-2020, “that could mean that, by that time, Norway could be the biggest supplier of gas for the European Union.”

CAP will get its promised talks on reforms

2008-05-28T23:38:00.004+02:00

Proposals for market-oriented farm reforms

Based on a leaked document from the European institutions, New Europe reported last week prior to the Agricultural Council meeting that there will be no concrete results about the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) of the EU in the near future.

Wedged between beneficiaries and opponents of the CAP, European Agricultural Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel took the golden path of “proposals” for discussions which aim to appease “for the CAP” member states while not completely blocking the demands of “against the CAP” nations.

European Union member states should allow their farmers to respond to market conditions and stop paying them to produce unwanted goods, the commissioner recommended last week.
“This is not the time to scrap the CAP, as some have proposed,” Boel said in a comment aimed at Britain’s Finance Minister Alistair Darling, who made that call in mid-May.

The so-called “CAP health check” is “all about freeing our farmers to meet growing demand and respond quickly to what the market is telling them,” Fischer Boel said. “It also aims to simplify, streamline and modernise the CAP and give our farmers the tools to handle the new challenges they face, such as climate change,” she said.

Check only for 2003

Launched as a follow-up to a major reform of the CAP in 2003, the “health check” focuses on streamlining existing policies, rather than bringing in new ones. For example, it recommends finally getting rid of the rule that farmers must leave 10 percent of their arable land untouched - a rule brought in during the 1980s to avoid the problem of over- production, and suspended in 2007. “We simply couldn’t defend a situation in which 10 percent of our arable land is out of production when there is a cry for food from all over the world,” Fischer Boel said. However, the Commission also hopes to preserve the environmental benefits of “set-aside” by linking farm payments to enforcement of environmental standards, she said.

Since the EU has also decided to scrap all milk quotas in 2015, it proposes raising the quotas every year until 2014 in an effort to provide a “soft landing” for milk farmers. It further proposes stopping practically all payments to farmers which are made in return for producing a specific foodstuff - a practice which was largely abolished in 2003.

And it proposes shifting an ever-increasing amount of money from farm support into rural development projects aimed at strengthening environmental and business projects in rural areas.

In order to sweeten the pill for both farmers and member states with large rural populations, it also proposes allowing member states more freedom in how they give aid to the most vulnerable farming sectors, and giving new members an extra three years - until 2013 - to use a simplified system for claiming EU funds.

The CAP has long been the EU’s most costly and controversial policy. In its heyday in the 1980s it took up some 60 percent of the EU’s budget, and even after the 2003 reforms it takes up more than a third, or some 43 billion Euro per year.

However, the proposals, which have to be approved by EU member states, are likely to face a heated debate. Older EU member states such as France and Germany are opposed to reforms which they see as leaving their farmers vulnerable to market forces, while new states such as Latvia say that the CAP should be reformed to transfer money from richer members to poorer ones.

Fischer Boel has agreed in principle with France, which is to chair EU meetings in the second half of the year, that member states should reach agreement on the proposals by November, she said.

Price rise measures

Earlier, meeting on soaring food prices across the continent, the bloc’s agriculture ministers reached no consensus on the key question of how to do it, with member states still far apart on how the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) should be adapted to current events.

“We should adopt measures which could stabilize the market... If you had some stocks and if you have in mind that with stocks you could intervene in the market, perhaps the situation would be better,” said Slovenian Agriculture Minister Iztok Jarc, who chaired the meeting.

Other countries farmers

The European Union should consider paying money left over from its massive farming- support budget to small farmers in developing countries rather than returning it to member states, Fischer Boel said. “We will probably, within the agricultural section, not spend our total budget for 2008 ... so we will have funding available,” she explained.

“Some micro-loans to small producers in developing countries to help them to buy seeds and fertiliser could be not only a short-term, but also a long-term solution that could improve their capability to feed themselves and to start trading,” she said.

Such a measure would be a “very efficient way to help improve capacity in the agricultural sector in the developing countries,” she said. It could become possible because soaring food prices mean that EU farmers need less support from EU coffers than usual. However, she acknowledged that any such proposal would have to be approved by EU member states, since normally any money left over from the bloc’s massive farming budget - 43 billion Euro in 2009 - is paid back to member states.

Leaked documents suggest CAP reform just a whitewash

2008-05-28T23:32:00.005+02:00

Big farms get taken care of, dairy farmers unhappy

European Union agriculture ministers meeting this week in Brussels are set to rubber stamp a middle path of not antagonising major beneficiaries like Germany and France while keeping the hopes of free market advocates like United Kingdom alive with cosmetic reform proposals to the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The alarm for urgent need for CAP modification was sounded earlier last week when Joaquin Almunia, European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs said prior to a meeting of Eurozone finance ministers: “For the weakest sector of our society, inflation is the main problem. They are suffering a loss of purchasing power, and must pay more for food and other necessary goods.”

Among the measures that governments can take to help their poorest citizens is an improvement to “the functioning of our common agricultural policy (CAP),” he told journalists, adding that the EU should also promote measures aimed at tackling “tension” on the international commodity markets.

The CAP, one of the most hotly-debated policies in the EU, is going to pay out nearly 43 billion Euro in 2009, which amounts to more than one-third of all payments going out of EU coffers. Although there was a CAP reform in 2003 to slash subsidies, but with food prices in the 15-member Eurozone now rising at an annual rate of six percent, market analysts predict dire straits ahead.

According to leaked documents ready for presentation at the “Health Check” of CAP on May 20, “First indications from the assessment of the 2003 reform are in general positive, and indicate that a fundamental reform of the CAP for the remaining horizon of the present financial perspectives (until 2013) is neither necessary nor desirable.”

Another two major areas of concern directly affecting farmers are “set-aside obligation” and “milk quotas.”

The document states: “Removal of the set-aside obligation would likely bring back into production an area corresponding to roughly half the area currently under mandatory set-aside. It has been suggested that the environmental benefits of set aside could be retained by introducing a fixed percentage of total area as an “environmental compensation/priority” area, containing certain landscape features.

According to a reliable source who wanted to remain anonymous, there is allegedly a compromise on the ceiling of individual farmers earning more than 300,000 Euro where the beneficiary stands to lose 70 percent of the subsidies while those earning lower amounts will lose far less.

The earlier proposal was to drastically cut the subsidies to big farms but the pressure from lobby groups seems to have paid off, the source pointed out.

On the subject of milk quotas, the document is more critical saying, “Milk quotas hold back the sector from achieving the objectives of CAP reform since they still reflect concerns of two decades back, instead of responding to present opportunities.” “In terms of agricultural markets, the phasing out of milk quotas and removal of set-aside will allow the farmers to better respond to market situations.”

The milk farmers claim that they will lose up to 300 million Euro from these cuts and they want the system to continue, but there is also friction between old 15 and new 10 farmer lobbies and that is affecting the proposals.

Moreover, on the subject of disposal of pesticides to farmers, the European farmers are facing tough challenges as the number of active substances is going down with the new REACH regulations coming in whereby companies are reluctant to do the necessary tests for all pesticides as its cost and time consuming.

The agriculture insiders predicted that even with compromises already agreed, the ministers are set to have a bitter political battle as each side tries to prove that the food crisis makes its preferred policy the only safe one to adopt.

The two divergent view point were crystal clear as the British Finance Minister Alistair Darling wrote to EU counterparts saying it is “unacceptable that, at a time of significant food price inflation, the EU continues to apply very high import tariffs to many agricultural commodities,” while Germany’s Agriculture Minister, Horst Seehofer, argued that “we have to make sure that we can provide this continent with food sustainability. This cannot be done by taking away subsidies from European farmers.”

The CAP, a complex and expensive system of subsidies designed to protect European farmers’ interests, has often been blamed for keeping European food prices artificially high.

With world markets booming, it is time for Europe to remove quota system and go for liberalisation of the European markets which in turn will help bring down the prices but the documents said, “The continuation of present CAP policies shows that the current policy framework, as reformed in 2003, contributes positively to fulfilling the principal CAP objectives.”

EU confirms FTA with India on a fast-track

2008-05-28T23:27:00.003+02:00

The European Union has confirmed that it had received from the Indian government the draft documents pertaining to the ongoing negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India.

“I can confirm that we have received the document from India. I can confirm that it is certainly a useful and worthwhile opening bid for negotiations will have to go further and deeper,” Peter Power, spokesperson for EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson told journalists in Brussels.

Replying to a question from New Europe, Power lamented that the time-frame for the talks to conclude is “not solely in our hands.”

“We would like to see this particular negotiation making progress as rapidly as possible. I think the opening bid is not bad, but a lot of work remains to be done to have an agreement that would be worthy of support by both sides,” he noted.

“I think at this stage it would be unwise of me to put a timetable, but certainly we should hope to see substantial movement in the next year to 18 months,” added Power.

India formally launched negotiations in June 2007 with the EU for a comprehensive FTA aimed at removing barriers across all sectors including investment and services.

A decade of the Euro

2008-05-28T23:14:00.008+02:00

Financial pundits want one Euro voice internationally

With the launch of Euro a decade ago, much was written in the pro-dollar media and the EMU, as the Eurozone is called, was compared with “EMU,” the bird that cannot fly. But then compared to the launch and subsequent drop as the nascent currency took baby steps, the Euro has come of age today gaining nearly 50 percent against the American dollar, the so-called Universal currency.

Financial pundits participating in the annual Brussels Economic Forum conference unanimously voiced the opinion that the Euro, the single European currency, is proving to be a blessing for the Eurozone during the rough turbulent times in the international financial scenario. Pointing out the benefits, European Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told the audience last week, “EMU has created a zone of macroeconomic stability in Europe.

From day one, the Euro put an end to traumatising exchange rate realignments. Were we without the single currency today, the present dollar weakness would be placing enormous strains on the Euro area economies- for some more than others- and would be having a serious impact on trade and investment. We ought to recall this simple fact, for those who forget our past monetary turbulences.”

Going down memory lane, the Commissioner highlighted how the unifying force of the Euro was helping the Eurozone weather the financial storms, “Indeed, we are much more resilient to external shocks thanks to EMU. This has enabled us to withstand the economic consequences of, among other events, the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the bursting of the dotcom bubble. And let there be no doubt that without the shielding effect of the single currency, we would be feeling much more strongly the impact of the current financial turmoil and soaring energy and food prices.”

“And EMU’s successes extend beyond the Euro area. We can be proud to share a currency that is now the second most important in the world. This international status, plus the economic weight of the Euro area, with its credible macroeconomic framework, has allowed EMU to become a pole of stability in the global economy, particularly during the recent period of turbulences.”

In addition to tightening the internal system by reforms, the Commissioner called for “a strong case for the Euro area to increase” its presence in the global arena.

“Our currency is the second most important in the world. Our policy decisions have a global impact and increasingly the Euro area is helping to support the stability of the global economy and financial system. This role brings undoubted advantages, ranging from seniorage revenues and a capacity to place securities among foreign investors at lower interest rates, to certain competitive advantages for Euro area exporters and financial institutions.”

Warning about “risks and responsibilities,” that come with “the exposure of the Euro area – including its financial system – to shocks originating in other parts of the world and to disruptive portfolio shifts between key international currencies,” the Commissioner said, “the Euro area must build an international strategy so that it can play a full part in pursuing global stability and project and defend its interests in the world.”

Urging the Eurozone nations to join hands to put a unified front on the international financial scenario, Almunia said, “This means first developing common positions on international issues so that we can speak with a strong single voice. Once accomplished, the logical next step will be to consolidate our representation and obtain a single seat in international fora.”

At the conference, Almunia was joined by the head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, in these calls for unifying Eurozone voices in the international arena. “While the ECB has established itself in a number of international fora, Euro area member states have not yet made as much progress in developing and articulating a common view on broader macroeconomic issues. As a result, too little attention is paid at the global level to the Euro area’s economic challenges.”

Strauss-Kahn told the select gathering of financial experts. “At 10 years old, the Euro area is still a club that people want to join. This is perhaps the strongest indication of its continued success and good prospects,” Strauss-Kahn added, appealing to the EU member states to overcome their political and economic differences and added that the Eurozone lacks the political clout that it should have had by now.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the Prime Minister of Luxembourg and the voice of the 15-member Eurogroup voiced optimism at the Forum saying, “In the long term, the Eurozone will be represented in the IMF by one single seat.”

Lamenting the fact that incoming Eurozone finance ministers talk of a single representation at the IMF but forget all about it once in office, Eurozone Chairman Juncker challenged the French President to keep his word, “Mr (Nicolas) Sarkozy, also talked about a single representation in the IMF before he became president (of France). He still has four years (in office). I would encourage him to come back to this soon.”

Today, each of the 15 Eurousing European countries has individual representations at the IMF, an international organisation overseeing the global financial system with a key role in the global economic arena.

On the sidelines of the Forum, political pundits told New Europe, “Let us not forget that Euro has replaced 15 European currencies and some of them like the German mark, French franc and Italian lira were backed by strong economic and industrial giants of the world.

“With the Euro surging not only in value but also as a dependable currency, the world commodity markets, especially relating to oil, will start contemplating a switch to Euro to protect themselves against instable or falling dollar,” they said, and that a strong political will is needed to give the required unified voice to the Eurozone, argued some of the best visionaries in the field.

Almunia aptly concluded with the call for a broad debate to chart out a more unifying fiscal policy to guard interests of ordinary European citizens saying, “EU citizens face a future of rapid changes and greater uncertainty. Economic and Monetary Union must provide stability, prosperity and a platform to represent their interests in the wider world. In the next years we must update our vision of EMU and re-focus the policy framework to achieve this goal.”

Kosovo figures as Sweden takes over the reins

2008-05-28T23:09:00.006+02:00

Cyprus, Turkey, Russia also on the agenda

Kosovo and other European flashpoints figured prominently in the informal luncheon of the 118th session of the Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg on May 7.

On Kosovo, Carl Bildt, the Swedish Foreign Minister, told journalists: “There was an informal discussion and there were different views and those views will remain for some time to come without putting any time perspective to it. There were certain agreements like rights for each and everyone in Kosovo, economic and social development of each and everyone in Kosovo, rule of law for each and everyone in Kosovo and hopefully also strong support expressed for the European direction for the policies of Serbia.”

Leaving the ball in the court of Belgrade, Bildt said, “Although that is not for us to decide and that is up to the electorate of Serbia. If Serbia does not want to cooperate with the European Union that is a decision for the Serbia.”

Earlier in the day, Sweden took over from Slovakia the reins of the Council of Europe’s decision-making body as Jan Kubis, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, took stock of the country’s chairmanship before passing the chairmanship to Bildt.

During its mandate, Slovakia said it respected its priorities by working to strengthen and promote a citizens´ Europe and a transparent and efficient Council of Europe, as well as respect for the organisation’s core values.

Through special conferences planned for its chairmanship (May- November 2008), Sweden vowed to take initiatives aimed at the stronger implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights at the national level, work systematically for the promotion of human rights, develop a new strategy for the rights of the child and strengthen the realisation of the rights of disabled persons. Congratulating Slovakia for a very successful presidency, Bildt outlined the priorities of the Swedish presidency to the journalists.

“We will continue to focus on the core values of the Council of Europe - human rights, democracy and the rule of law,” he said. With the new Russian President Dimitry Medvedev taking over in Moscow, Bildt expressed optimism that the rule of law will prevail and that “he will live up to the words he has spoken and ratification or trying to ensure ratification by Duma for Protocol 14 might be an extremely good way of demonstrating that commitment to the rule of law that President Medvedev has earlier committed himself to so explicitly.”

On the question of the Turkish situation, Bildt told journalists, “One of the difficulties that Turkey is facing is terrorist activities of PKK and the fact that we had acceleration in last two years is an expression of the fact that they see the ground slipping under them to certain extent.”

“On the subject of unification of Cyprus, it’s very important for stability of the region, for respect of human rights in all parts of Cyprus and also for the international organisations for cooperating in resolution of conflicts in other parts of the world,” Bildt added.

Sweden also started a new format where there is a formal session of a few hours and then a brainstorming “luncheon with a very open discussion on South Eastern Europe and tasks ahead of us and the important role that Council of Europe has there, touching regions of Southern Caucasus and other regions of Europe where we face somewhat bigger challenges,” in the words of Bildt. CoE head Terry Davis called the Swedish chairmanship “one of the best prepared chairmanships I have seen in all the time I have been involved in the Council of Europe.”

Sweden earlier issued a statement looking forward to co-operate closely with all member states of the CoE as well as with other actors in order to advance the work of the organisation and thus the realisation of its core objective.

India, EU at crossroads

2008-05-28T22:27:00.006+02:00

Common values can play catalyst for compatible views

Rising from the ashes of two World Wars and expanding to include 27 Member States with more in the waiting, the European Union today is a bastion of peace, harmony and prosperity. On the other hand, India, with 28 States and seven Union Territories, has emerged over last six decades in a buoyant mood thanks to its democratic principles, freedom of speech and its new found economic strengths.

At The Hague Summit 2004, India and the EU agreed to forge a “Strategic Partnership,” which was a result of an earlier EU publication in December 2003 when the EU published its first-ever security strategy identifying India along with the US, Russia, Japan, China and Canada, as the ones with whom it should develop a “Strategic Partnership,” in order to build an “effective multilateral system leading to a fairer, safer and more United World.”

India, riding on its financial success story, is focusing on greater worldwide visibility, prestige and political clout with a demand for a UN Security Council seat and favourable visa exchange partnerships. In the same vein, the EU wants to use its Strategic Partnership with India, the world’s largest democracy, to meet 21st Century challenges like terrorism, proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), failed states and regional conflicts.

For example, the EU expected Delhi with its growing economic ties, to stand up for democracy and human rights during Burma’s military crackdown on dissidents, but Delhi responded saying it does not believe sanctions work. There will always be differences but those as such need not become insurmountable obstacles to building a deeper and wider relationship.

Political ties can not go far without financial bonds and a look at the trade figures from recent past show that its time to inject much needed momentum into an uninspiring trade relationship. The trade statistics shifted a gear from a meagre less than five billion Euro in 1980 to a respectable more than 45 billion Euro in 2006. Although trade with the EU is 20 percent of India’s import-export business, making the EU India’s largest trading partner in 2006, India’s share is only 1.8 percent of total EU trade.

In the context of the ongoing negotiations in the EU-India Free Trade Agreement, there are some stumbling blocks that need to be addressed on both sides. According to reliable sources, the major hurdle is in the fields of agriculture which is a protected sector in the EU which earmarks 40 percent of its total budget to this sector where there are subsidies galore.

The EU has, in recent times, accepted the fact that Indian import tariffs have been substantially reduced but it complains they are still high by international standards. The EU calls it a “complex and non-transparent” system as it points at additional duties, taxes, and charges that are levied on top of the basic customs duties.

Pointing to the “non-tariff” barriers, the EU lists quantitative restrictions, mandatory testing, import licensing, certification for a large number of products and a complicated procedural modus operandi as the major speed breakers for a smooth trade relationship. With Indians finding the EU institutions bewildering and complex, India has its own set of complaints, foremost being in recent times the frequent use of anti-dumping duties on its exports including footwear.

The OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) in a recent report highlighted the need for India to go for tough and bold reforms in opening its economy more rapidly to international trade and FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) by loosening service sectors like insurance and retailing, while India argues it has liberalised the FDI regime considerably.

The figures are still disappointing, as in recent years the FDI flow to India from the EU has been a paltry less than two percent of the total FDI outflow from the EU.Climate Change is another major sticking factor in the relationship equation, as India negates EU calls for a stricter binding commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emission, while Delhi argues that as a developing country it can not be expected to slow down its pace of industrialisation.

The EU has allotted 470 million Euro between 2007-2013 to tackle cooperation in the energy sector and environmental concerns while making efforts to reach its Millennium Development Goals.Doha is another word that sends alarm bells ringing in Delhi and Brussels as the former has failed to soften tough line in the WTO (World Trade Organization) Doha round negotiations refusing to cut industrial tariffs and demanding the EU comes clear on agricultural subsidies.

The global disparity between the South and the North seems to be playing a pivotal role here also. India, along with Brazil and others, has emerged as the leader of the equatorial hunger belt with billions of people and still counting, while the EU with an overaging and ever-decreasing population of the North highlights the threat of this growing southern human avalanche.

With the present stalemate at the Doha Round consultations, it is a miracle of sorts that can revive the Doha Round to the fullest potential as it’s already surviving on life-support devices of optimistic political statements.

The EU and India are together in many global projects, like the European Satellite project “Galileo” which got a goahead last week from the European Parliament, International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) to produce electricity using nuclear fusion, Indian space agency ISRO with its European counterpart ESA.

With the EU-India Free Trade Agreement in the pipeline along with other fields of cooperation being explored, both India and the EU are ready for taking a qualitative leap forward in relations, but the political leaderships on both sides have to transform all the talk of shared values of democracy, diversity and multilateralism into concrete pragmatic actions, thus making an effective and cohesive EU-India Strategic Partnership out of the present patchwork of sectoral cooperation.

Focus on the rights of women in Islam

2008-04-22T01:14:00.004+02:00

The Koran puts women on an equal footing with men but over the centuries the patriarchal culture distorted the “human rights and democracy of Islam” to suit their own needs giving the fairer sex an inferior status according to Azizah Y. al-Hibri, Professor of Law at the University of Richmond in the United States.

The changed conditions for the Muslim women in the Western societies were highlighted by the Lebanese-born US academician calling for interpreting the Koran with relevance to the new environs without forcing Islam to falsely conform to Western culture.

Speaking at a Brussels event chaired by Shada Islam, an eminent journalist, Professor al-Hibri called the Koran, a “seamless web of interconnected ideas” but warned that with the passage of time it has been distorted by culture.

Citing the Holy Book’s references, the learned speaker pointed the Koran said that men and women are created from the same nafs (soul), and the Prophet himself said that women are the split halves (i.e. the same) of men, with the same religious and ethnical duties.

The Prophet expected them to play a major role in both the family and the community, the speaker added. Stressing over and over again the equality of women and men in the eyes of Koran, the professor cited ancient jurists as recognising married Muslim women as fully independent legal and financial entities, entitled to the fruit of their labour, with the same financial thimmah (capacity) as men.

Throwing out the prevailing ideas of inequality, al- Hibri highlighted the recent initiative of Muslim jurists in Morocco with the revival of an ancient line of thinking about women’s personal status code - recognising that both men and women in marriage should draw up a financial agreement relating to how they dispose of their separate incomes, property allocations or joint investments.

Drawing a line of demarcation between culture and religion, the professor urged the Muslim women to adapt to the Western culture without sacrificing the religion.

Calling for adoption of a jurisprudence that is suitable to their culture, adding, “We do not have to invent the wheel,” she warned that Islam jurisprudence should not be distorted to conform to Western societies and cultures.

Citing the Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, al-Hibri reiterated that every human being is entitled to have his or her freedom of belief to be respected by the state as part of their human rights.

Reacting to a fallacious Western approach towards Islam of “false accommodation,” al-Hibri urged the Muslim women in the Western societies to borrow from the ancient Islamic tradition which gives women financial and legal independence. Al- Hibri expressed the opinion that these beliefs fit well with a Western culture that recognises the rights of women.

Commenting on the widespectrum of intra-Islamic sects, Professor al-Hibri said, “Everybody shares Koran but unfortunately there are difference in some parts of the Muslim world.”

Quoting from her personal experiences, al-Hibri discounted the role played by these.

Commenting on Ahmadias, al-Hibri said, “I know but I don’t know enough about Ahmadias,” but in the same vein, asked to comment on Wahhabism and Saudi Arabian influence, she said, “I do not want to comment. Instead of cursing the dark, I am going to light a candle.”

Pope mesmerises, Brown struggles

2008-04-22T01:05:00.005+02:00

Change is in the air across the Atlantic

Change is the catch word in the US today, be it in the presidential campaign or in the US financial and social outlook and it manifested itself in a crystal clear way in two transatlantic visits last week.

German-born Pope Benedict XVI became the first leader of the Roman Catholic Church to walk into New York’s East synagogue, a Jewish place of worship dating back more than a century and designed in Byzantine style.

The Pope was welcomed by Rabbi Arthur Schneier, an Austrian-born Jew. I had the fortunate coincidence of meeting Schneier at a meeting last year at the Council of Europe, Strasbourg where he had told me the moving story of losing most of his family in the Holocaust.

Later, speaking to diplomats from 192 countries at the United Nations, the Pope endorsed stronger “collective” action to protect human rights, preserve the environment and end humanitarian crises.

Hinting at different flashpoints and ongoing battles around the globe, Benedict, representing a sixth of the world’s population, cautioned that intrusion into any country’s internal affairs or an international conflict must only follow a search for “even the faintest sign of dialogue or desire for reconciliation.”

Earlier, Pope Benedict XVI, the leader of millions of Catholics around the world, got a red carpet welcome as he was received at the airport by President George W. Bush himself along with thousands of Americans.

No president in American history has picked up a visiting leader from the airport before and it also marked President Bush’s fifth meeting with two successive popes, a record again for any US president.

Bush explained the reason for the Pope’s special status, “One, he speaks for millions. Two, he doesn’t come as a politician; he comes as a man of faith.”

One quick look at the front pages, the TV channels of different media outlets and even talking to the common person on the street, it became apparent that the other visitor, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown failed miserably to get any attention in the US media as limelight was hogged by the first visit of a Pope to the White House in almost 30 years.

As the British media will make one believe that Brown got overshadowed by the Pope’s visit, a walk down the recent past points to more than that. Brown was flying back to United Kingdom as little known on the New Continent as he was when he flew across the Atlantic.

The emergence of French and German leaders, on behalf of the European Union, on the horizon of the transatlantic diplomatic canvas has taken the shine off the old “special relationship,” which Brown mentioned during his trip.

During the John F. Kennedy memorial lecture in Boston, Brown told his audience, “I am pleased that over the past half century the special relationship between America and Britain which John Kennedy prized remains strong and enduring - so firmly rooted in our common history, our shared values and in the hearts and minds of our people that no power on earth can drive us apart,” concluding with a note, “For the first time in human history we have the opportunity to come together around a global covenant, to reframe the international architecture and build the truly global society.”

Although US administration has openly supported Brown’s intentions to withdraw from Iraq, political pundits highlight subtle euphoria generated in Washington by French decision to supplement troops in Afghanistan.

“No question the relationship is changing for the better and President Sarkozy gets a lot of credit for that,” President George W. Bush was quoted as saying during Sarkozy’s visit.

On the other hand, Germany is slowly but steadily cementing ties with the US.

Speaking at the “Conference on Germany in the Modern World” at Harvard University, April 12, 2008, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs recalled “two great transatlantic speeches,” the famous speech by George Marshall some 60 years ago in which he announced the plan that became a hallmark of American statecraft” and a second speech “by Chancellor Willy Brandt,” in Harvard in 1972 “to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Marshall Plan and establish the German Marshall Fund of the United States.”

Stressing the relationship of US-EU and not US-UK as highlighted by British premier Brown, the German minister Steinmeier told his audience, “For the past 60 years the transatlantic relationship has been the world’s transformative partnership. America’s relationship with Europe - more than with any other part of the world - enables both of us to achieve goals that neither of us could achieve alone.”

Hailing American leadership, the German leader candidly defined the need for “new concepts, a revitalised alliance and particularly renewed American leadership in the world.” Together, the EU and the US account for nearly 37 percent of global trade in goods and 45 percent in services with the flow of transatlantic trade and investments being the largest in the world and hovering around a billion US dollars everyday.