France pledges not to hinder Turkey 's EU accession process
07.05.2008 - 09:27 CET | By Elitsa Vucheva
France – one of staunchest opponents of Turkey's EU membership bid – has said it will not hinder the country's accession process during its time at the head of the 27-nation bloc, starting in July.
"France has no intention of breaking up Turkey's negotiation process," French secretary of state for European affairs Jean-Pierre Jouyet was quoted as saying on Tuesday (6 May) after meeting Turkish foreign minister Ali Babacan in Ankara .
France's president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has repeatedly voiced his opposition to Turkey's EU accession, saying that the country does not belong to Europe .
Mr Jouyet underlined, however, that the French presidency of the EU in the second half of this year would be "objective, impartial and balanced," according to French news agency AFP.
Mr Babacan said he too expected that France's time at the head of the EU would not slow down his country's EU accession process.
"We expect our accession process to continue normally, without problems, during the French presidency... We expect concrete progress," he told a press conference.
Turkey launched EU accession negotiations in 2005, but has so far opened talks on only six out of the 35 chapters needed in order for the accession negotiations to be closed.
Its possible membership of the bloc is dividing member states, with France and Germany seen as the main opponents to Turkey's EU bid. They favour offering a pared down version of membership which they call "privileged partnership."
A "decisive" year
Also speaking in the margins of Tuesday's EU-Turkey meeting, Slovenian foreign minister Dimitrij Rupel, chairing the talks, said this year would be "a decisive year for the reform process" in Turkey and called on Ankara to fully use it.
For his part, EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn also stressed that "the negotiations are on track, but their pace could be faster. That depends on ... consistent and far-reaching legal and democratic reforms to create a more open society."
He welcomed recent reforms in the country - particularly the recently adopted amendment of a controversial article in the penal code foreseeing up to three years in prison for insulting "Turkishness", but said they now needed to be implemented.
Mr Rehn also expressed concern that a closure case against Turkey's ruling centre-right Justice and Development party (AKP) could threaten the political stability in the country.
The country's Constitutional Court in March agreed to hear a case filed by Turkey's top prosecutor, aiming to shut down the AKP accused of having become the centre of anti-secular activities.
"From the point of view of the EU, we want to see Turkey soon overcome this crisis," he said.
The EU also said an investigation into the "indiscriminate use of force" during a crackdown on demonstrating workers in Istanbul on 1 May is needed.
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Kosovo’s EU Integration Faces ‘Hurdles’
07 May 2008 Pristina _ Institutional weaknesses and a fragile democracy will compound Kosovo’s bid to join the EU, lawmakers and activists say.
“The lack of a comprehensive strategy for European integration, insufficient institutional structures and a democratic deficit are the main obstacles in our integration” was the main conclusion of a roundtable organised by the Kosovo Institute for Policy Research and Development.
Legislators must act fast to make integration into the European Union a priority, the analysis reads.
Zylfije Hundozi, the chairman of the parliamentary commission for EU integration, who also took part in the roundtable, said the “integration process is the next most important step after independence.”
Kosovo is keen to join the European Union but the young state, which declared independence from Serbia on February 17, must be recognised by all member states in the bloc before it can sign any pre-membership deals.
EU member states such as Spain and Romania remain staunchly opposed to recognising Kosovo’s statehood.
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Energy liberalisation critics suffer blow in EU parliament
07.05.2008 - 07:04 CET | By Renata Goldirova
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Members of the European Parliament's industry committee have backed the European Commission's idea of separating electricity companies' production and supply wings by forcing the parent company to sell its transmission networks.
In a vote on Tuesday (6 May), a majority of MEPs were in favour of so-called full ownership unbundling, making it clear that companies' asset break-up is the "preferred option" when it comes to liberalisation of the EU's energy sector.
At the same time, the committee rejected an alternative plan tabled by a group of eight EU states - Austria , Bulgaria , Germany , Greece , France , Latvia , Luxembourg and Slovakia - known as the transmission system operator (TSO) or the third option.
Under this scenario, the transmission system operator is a separate firm, distinct from the parent electric company, but at the same time the TSO is owned by the same set of shareholders as the parent electricity firm.
Some 26 committee members voted against the third option, 22 MEPs were in favour, while three abstained.
"This was very much a first step in ensuring consumers have their voice heard in the energy field," UK socialist Eluned Morgan, in charge of the dossier, was cited as saying by Reuters.
"I hope this gives a clear indication to the council [representing EU states] that we're not in the mood to compromise," Ms Morgan added, referring to the claim that only full ownership unbundling allows new entrants to enter the market, boosts competition and cuts prices in the energy sector.
But pointing to the narrow result, Slovak conservative Jan Hudacky told EUobserver that Tuesday's vote will not necessarily affect the ongoing battle between EU governments over the commission's drive to liberalise the union's energy sector, .
Each group in the parliament is split along national lines, he said, suggesting that the final vote by the entire assembly in June could see a different outcome.
According to German centre-right MEP Angelika Niebler, who chairs the industry committee, "there will be a compromise, including the third way, or there will be nothing", Reuters reports.
Meanwhile, one EU diplomat told EUobserver that the European Commission was willing to consider the TSO proposal, but only under the condition that regulatory bodies' role and powers are further strengthened in the proposal.
Currently, there are only two options officially tabled by the commission - the full ownership unbundling and an independent system operator (ISO).
Under this proposal, big energy companies would retain ownership of the transmission lines, but hand managing control over networks to an entirely separate operator. This company would not share any shareholders with the parent company.
A political agreement between all 27 EU governments is expected in June, with the upcoming French EU presidency tasked to wrap up the dossier by translating the deal into a concrete legislative act.
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Britain 's Blair Loses French Support in Bid for EU Presidency
07.05.2008
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has withdrawn his backing for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to become the first president of the European Union under the reform treaty, according to a media report.
The French president was understood to have changed his mind over his support for Blair after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the BBC quoted "senior sources" as saying.
Sarkozy now believes Blair's involvement in the Iraq war had damaged his standing among EU fellow members -- a view long held my other countries, including Germany .
According to the BBC, sources close to the president have indicated that Sarkozy felt Blair was not right for the role because Britain has failed to adopt the euro and the Schengen zone of passport-free travel.
France key to presidential selection
The selection of the EU's first permanent president has the political establishment buzzing with speculation. The new post was created by the Lisbon Treaty, which assuming it is ratified by all 27 EU member states, will take effect on Jan. 1, 2009.
The new permanent EU president is envisioned as a high-profile post which will be the face of Europe abroad. The president would prepare and chair the bloc's summits of national leaders and preside over the European Council of member governments.
The presidency job is currently rotated every six months between the bloc's heads of state. France will take over the EU presidency in July for the rest of 2008 and it will be influential in negotiations on the new power-sharing arrangements at the bloc's institutions in Brussels.
Blair down, but not out
While European Socialists are in particular opposed to Blair becoming EU president, he has not been totally excluded either, a source close to the French presidency told the news agency AFP earlier this week.
"The English shouldn't be ostracized. It would be a big mistake to think that just because Great Britain is euroskeptic they shouldn't get any posts," the French source told AFP.
Besides Blair, a handful of other European heavyweights are seen as frontrunners. Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Junker is often tipped as the next president along with former Austrian premier Wolfgang Schuessel and Danish Prime Minister Ander Fogh Rasmussen.
Insiders say that European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso stood a good chance of securing a second five-year term as head of the EU's executive arm.
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SE Europe: EC acts to ensure Greece , Cyprus , Slovenia implement EU laws
12:56 - 07 May 2008
The European Commission (EC) has decided to send a reasoned opinion to nine Member States, including Greece , Cyprus and Slovenia , for failing to notify it of their transposition measures for Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications.
This Directive is the result of the reform of the system of recognition of professional qualifications undertaken by the Commission in order to promote flexibility on the labour markets, further liberalise the provision of services, make the recognition of qualifications more automatic and simplify administrative procedures.
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EU says deficit action against Italy, Portugal should be dropped
07 May 2008, 13:32 CET
(BRUSSELS) - The European Commission said on Wednesday that disciplinary deficit action should be lifted against Italy , Portugal , Slovakia and the Czech Republic , judging they have sufficiently improved their finances.
If EU finance ministers rubberstamp the decision in June, only Poland and Hungary will be subject to so-called excessive deficit action and all eurozone countries will be out of the deficit doghouse for the first time since 2002.
The commission's conclusions were evidence for EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia that sound management of the public accounts pays off.
"Not only have deficits been corrected, to the point that not one single euro area country is presently under close surveillance, but they are also being corrected through significant structural measures," he said.
Most European governments have made big strides in recent year in cleaning up their finances, reversing a trend budgetary laxism at the start of the decade.
At the time, many EU governments, including heavyweight France and Germany, struggled to meet European rules requiring the shortfall between revenues and spending to be kept to less than three percent of output.
For Slovakia the recommendation to drop disciplinary action came on top of more good news from the commission, which deemed the country ready to adopt the euro in January 2009.
The principle of the rule that the so-called public deficit covering state, local and welfare budgets, must not exceed 3.0-percent of output was that this should be a hurdle for joining the eurozone.
Thereafter eurozone countries should work their way into surplus in times of growth so that their margin for using public finances as a cushion against setbacks such as recession would be any surplus plus up to 3.0 percent of deficit.
usiness.com/news-eu/1210159921.75
UK
Half of Labour voters want Brown to go, poll finds
9.30am BST May 7 2008
More than half of Labour supporters believe the party's chances of winning a general election would be improved if Gordon Brown were to step down as prime minister, a new poll has shown.
The Populus poll for the Times, the first survey since Labour's drubbing in last week's local elections, found 55% thought Brown would be doing his party a favour if he resigned "to make way for a younger, fresher and more charismatic alternative".
The dramatic loss of faith in Brown's leadership comes after Labour lost the London mayoral elections and 331 council seats in Thursday's elections, and just two weeks before the crucial Crewe and Nantwich byelection to find a successor for the late Gwyneth Dunwoody.
This latest poll also revealed a sharp drop in public confidence in the economic competence of Brown and the chancellor, Alistair Darling.
The number trusting the pair to handle the economy has plummeted from 61% just before the Northern Rock crisis last September, to just 30% following the credit crunch, a slowdown in the housing market and the 10p tax row.
This contrasts with the fortunes of their Conservative counterparts, David Cameron and George Osborne, who have gained in competence in the public eye with 40% now trusting them compared to the 27% last September.
This shift in faith is reflected in voter intentions.
Just 29% would vote Labour if there were a general election tomorrow, a 4% drop on last month, compared to 40% for the Tories, a 1% rise, and 19% for the Liberal Democrats, 2% up.
rdian.co.uk/politics/2008/may/07/gordonbrown.polls?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews
New Irish PM Cowen faces tough fight on economy
Wed May 7, 2008 9:40am BST
DUBLIN (Reuters) - Brian Cowen, who takes over as Irish prime minister on Wednesday, has a reputation as a tough fighter -- something he will need if he is to deal with a turbulent economy and a challenging EU referendum campaign.
Bertie Ahern, who resigned on Tuesday after a corruption investigation began to overshadow his government's work, leaves as his legacy one of Europe's richest countries and a more stable Northern Ireland next door.