When the new Barroso II Commission finally is allowed to start working, at least two Commissioners face the urgent task to update the web pages and step up the communication effort of their services. They are Viviane Reding (Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship) and Cecilia Malmström (Home Affairs).
For some inexplicable reason, we have seen that the current Directorate-General Justice, Freedom and Security would remain intact, although the European Union is getting a “justice minister” and an “interior minister”.
If true, this means that the two Commissioners will have to agree on the steps to take, but one thing is crystal clear. In these policy areas with a direct impact on EU citizens, something needs to be done – and quickly.
The briefest tour of the web pages of DG Justice, Freedom and Security makes it abundantly clear that the website has to be redesigned and updated. Currently this DG probably has the worst web presence among the Commission services.
If Director-General Jonathan Faull has been mentioned as the new chief of Internal Market and Services for Commissioner Michel Barnier, directing communications and web design cannot have been among the merits counted for the new job.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Cross-border communication is a necessity in the European Union and beyond, with scrutiny by active citizens. At the same time Euroblogs are an agreeable way to brush up one’s skills in foreign languages.
While resolutely outside the European Union, Norway is part of the European Economic Area (EEA). Thus, EU has profound implications for Norway, and Norwegian opinions are of European interest.
Written by Norwegian journalists, Europabloggen.no (in Norwegian) bridges the communication gap between the EU and Norway.
Europabloggen.no is listed among 522 great Euroblogs (at the latest count) on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, more than thirty policy areas, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law.
If you are interested in the EU or the euroblogosphere, you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Sunday, 31 January 2010
Saturday, 30 January 2010
EU aid for trans-European networks (TENs)
The European Union contributes to the establishment and development of trans-European networks (TENs) in the areas of transport, telecommunications and energy infrastructures.
The EU can contribute by granting aid to projects of common interest. The EU aims at promoting the interconnection and interoperability of national networks as well as access to such networks.
A new codified Regulation 67/2010 on TEN aid has now been officially published, but because it was adopted before the Lisbon Treaty entered into force it refers to Community financial aid and to the EC Treaty:
REGULATION (EC) No 67/2010 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 30 November 2009 laying down general rules for the granting of Community financial aid in the field of trans-European networks (codified version); published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) 30.1.2010 L 27/20.
Lisbon Treaty – TFEU
Now that the Lisbon Treaty has entered into force, the provisions on trans-European networks are found in Title XVI of Part Three of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Articles 170 to 172 TFEU (OJEU 9.5.2008 C 115/124-125).
Ralf Grahn
P.S.The judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union and other legal developments within the EU are of pan-European interest.
EU Law Blog is ‘a web log about European Union law for students, academics, practitioners and anyone else who may be interested in it’.
The highly recommended EU Law Blog is listed among 522 great Euroblogs (at the latest count) on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs: politics, more than thirty policy areas, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law.
If you are interested in the EU or the euroblogosphere, you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European legal and political issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
The EU can contribute by granting aid to projects of common interest. The EU aims at promoting the interconnection and interoperability of national networks as well as access to such networks.
A new codified Regulation 67/2010 on TEN aid has now been officially published, but because it was adopted before the Lisbon Treaty entered into force it refers to Community financial aid and to the EC Treaty:
REGULATION (EC) No 67/2010 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 30 November 2009 laying down general rules for the granting of Community financial aid in the field of trans-European networks (codified version); published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) 30.1.2010 L 27/20.
Lisbon Treaty – TFEU
Now that the Lisbon Treaty has entered into force, the provisions on trans-European networks are found in Title XVI of Part Three of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Articles 170 to 172 TFEU (OJEU 9.5.2008 C 115/124-125).
Ralf Grahn
P.S.The judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union and other legal developments within the EU are of pan-European interest.
EU Law Blog is ‘a web log about European Union law for students, academics, practitioners and anyone else who may be interested in it’.
The highly recommended EU Law Blog is listed among 522 great Euroblogs (at the latest count) on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs: politics, more than thirty policy areas, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law.
If you are interested in the EU or the euroblogosphere, you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European legal and political issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
New EU Ecolabel Regulation 66/2010
The European Union has a new Regulation No 66/2010, which lays down rules for the establishment and application of the voluntary EU Ecolabel scheme. It repeals Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 (subject to transitional provisions).
REGULATION (EC) No 66/2010 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 25 November 2009 on the EU Ecolabel.
This text with EEA relevance was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) 30.1.2010 L 27/1. As a Regulation, it is directly applicable in the EU member states.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. EU Law Blog is ‘a web log about European Union law for students, academics, practitioners and anyone else who may be interested in it’.
The highly recommended EU Law Blog is listed among 522 great Euroblogs (at the latest count) on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs: politics, more than thirty policy areas, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law.
If you are interested in the EU or the euroblogosphere, you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
REGULATION (EC) No 66/2010 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 25 November 2009 on the EU Ecolabel.
This text with EEA relevance was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) 30.1.2010 L 27/1. As a Regulation, it is directly applicable in the EU member states.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. EU Law Blog is ‘a web log about European Union law for students, academics, practitioners and anyone else who may be interested in it’.
The highly recommended EU Law Blog is listed among 522 great Euroblogs (at the latest count) on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs: politics, more than thirty policy areas, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law.
If you are interested in the EU or the euroblogosphere, you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Friday, 29 January 2010
4th Data Protection Day 28 January 2010 in Europe
On the fourth Data Protection Day the Council of Europe issued a communication highlighting the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (Strasbourg, 28.I.1981).
Europeans' privacy will be big challenge in the next decade, said Commissioner Viviane Reding for the European Union in an informative press release, which set out both the existing rules (with useful links) and the challenges ahead (IP/10/63).
However, Reding did not mention specific dark clouds on the horizon, such as the SWIFT agreement, the ACTA negotiations or the possible resurrection of IPRED2.
Just one example, for starters; here are some questions where the Council and the Commission should respond in a more constructive manner than what we have seen to date:
MEP Alexander Alvaro (ALDE) on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)
Citizens’ rights should be remembered and protected every day of the year.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Cross-border communication is a necessity in the European Union and beyond, with scrutiny by active citizens. At the same time Euroblogs are an agreeable way to brush up one’s skills in foreign languages.
Turkish blogger Erkan Saka collects and comments on a plethora of issues relevant to contemporary life, politics and culture, offline and online. Erkan’s Field Diary (in English) is a must read among Euroblogs.
Erkan’s Field Diary is listed among 522 great Euroblogs (at the latest count) on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, more than thirty policy areas, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law.
If you are interested in the EU or the euroblogosphere, you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Europeans' privacy will be big challenge in the next decade, said Commissioner Viviane Reding for the European Union in an informative press release, which set out both the existing rules (with useful links) and the challenges ahead (IP/10/63).
However, Reding did not mention specific dark clouds on the horizon, such as the SWIFT agreement, the ACTA negotiations or the possible resurrection of IPRED2.
Just one example, for starters; here are some questions where the Council and the Commission should respond in a more constructive manner than what we have seen to date:
MEP Alexander Alvaro (ALDE) on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)
Citizens’ rights should be remembered and protected every day of the year.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Cross-border communication is a necessity in the European Union and beyond, with scrutiny by active citizens. At the same time Euroblogs are an agreeable way to brush up one’s skills in foreign languages.
Turkish blogger Erkan Saka collects and comments on a plethora of issues relevant to contemporary life, politics and culture, offline and online. Erkan’s Field Diary (in English) is a must read among Euroblogs.
Erkan’s Field Diary is listed among 522 great Euroblogs (at the latest count) on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, more than thirty policy areas, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law.
If you are interested in the EU or the euroblogosphere, you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Growing opposition against EU-USA SWIFT or TFTP agreement
Active opposition against the so called SWIFT agreement on the rendition of financial data from the European Union to the United States of America seems to be growing among experts, in the European Parliament and beyond.
One the one hand, there is the interim TFTP agreement the member states’ governments (Council) wanted to enter into force on 1 February 2010, without burdening the European Parliament with scrutiny. On the other hand, there are plans for a long term agreement, but the Council has been less than zealous in engaging the European Parliament.
Members of the EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) have not taken the combination of pressure secrecy from the Council and the European Commission kindly, as seen in SWIFT interim agreement: Civil liberties Committee to vote on 4 February (27 January 2010).
The procedure file NLE/2009/0190 EU/USA agreement: processing and transfer of Financial Messaging Data for purposes of the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program on Oeil, the Legislative Observatory of the European Parliament, tells us the basic facts about the existing documents:
1) COUNCIL DECISION on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, of the Agreement between the European Union and the United States of America on the processing and transfer of Financial Messaging Data from the European Union to the United States for purposes of the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (document 16110/09), meant to enter into force provisionally from 1 February and remaining in force until 31 October 2010. This interim agreement has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union as Council Decision 2010/16/CFSP/JHA, OJEU 13.1.2010 L 8/9 & 11.
2) The previous initial legislative document contains the Commission’s proposal on the conclusion of the TFTP Agreement; 17 December 2009; COM(2009)0703 final.
3) COUNCIL DECISION on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the United States of America on the processing and transfer of Financial Messaging Data from the European Union to the United States for purposes of the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program; dated 20 January 2010; Council document 5305/10. The meaning of the document is somewhat unclear. Is it a belated attempt by the Council to ask for the consent of the European Parliament with regard to the interim agreement after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty? Or is it meant to cover the planned long term agreement? Anyway, the “attached” substance of the agreement is missing.
LIBE
The LIBE Committee has been doing what such parliamentary committees are supposed to do: gathering information about the impact of the TFTP Agreement on fundamental rights of EU citizens.
The Article 29 Data Protection Working Party (Working Party on Police and Justice) has expressed concerns on data protection grounds.
The European Data Protection Supervisor considers that not enough elements have been provided so far to justify the necessity and proportionality of such a privacy-intrusive [TFTP] agreement, which in many aspects overlaps with already existing EU and international instruments in this area.
Political reactions
Given the evidence, political reactions have continued, but they have also become sharper.
In December 2009 the liberal group ALDE pushed for an agreement with the other political groups on two conditions for EP approval: that Parliament has full access to all relevant documents and information connected to the SWIFT agreement and that Council's negotiating mandate for the longer-term agreement, to replace this interim agreement expiring by 31 October 2010, fully reflect Parliament' stated concerns in its resolution of September; in Parliament sets conditions for granting consent to SWIFT agreement (17 December 2009).
Practically all the political groups expressed concerns and conditions during the EP’s SWIFT debate on 20 January 2010.
The Greens-EFA parliamentary group has opted for rejection of the SWIFT agreement as a breach of fundamental rights, quoting home affairs spokesman Jan-Philipp Albrecht: EU-US SWIFT bank data agreement: Parliament must stop Council in its tracks (27 January 2010).
The Pirate Party is going to vote for rejection of the SWIFT Agreement in the European Parliament, says Henrik Alexandersson, who posts a press release (in Swedish): Piratpartiet röstar nej till SWIFT-avtalet (28 January 2010).
Euroblogs
Netzpolitik.org (in German) has been keeping a close watch on the SWIFT agreement process. Recommended reading.
Piratpartiet live has aggregated a number of blog posts opposing the SWIFT agreement (mostly in Swedish). Here are but two examples:
Maloki says no to the SWIFT Agreement: Nej till SWIFT-avtalet! (28 January 2010).
Anna Troberg: Piratpartiet säger nej till SWIFT-avtalet (28 January 2010).
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Cross-border communication is a necessity in the European Union, with scrutiny by active citizens. At the same time Euroblogs are an agreeable way to brush up one’s skills in foreign languages.
Even when discussing French political and legal events, Diner’s room retains a European and human perspective well worth consideration beyond the borders of France.
Diner’s room (in French) is listed among 522 great Euroblogs (at the latest count) on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, more than thirty policy areas, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law.
If you are interested in the EU or the euroblogosphere, you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
One the one hand, there is the interim TFTP agreement the member states’ governments (Council) wanted to enter into force on 1 February 2010, without burdening the European Parliament with scrutiny. On the other hand, there are plans for a long term agreement, but the Council has been less than zealous in engaging the European Parliament.
Members of the EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) have not taken the combination of pressure secrecy from the Council and the European Commission kindly, as seen in SWIFT interim agreement: Civil liberties Committee to vote on 4 February (27 January 2010).
The procedure file NLE/2009/0190 EU/USA agreement: processing and transfer of Financial Messaging Data for purposes of the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program on Oeil, the Legislative Observatory of the European Parliament, tells us the basic facts about the existing documents:
1) COUNCIL DECISION on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, of the Agreement between the European Union and the United States of America on the processing and transfer of Financial Messaging Data from the European Union to the United States for purposes of the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (document 16110/09), meant to enter into force provisionally from 1 February and remaining in force until 31 October 2010. This interim agreement has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union as Council Decision 2010/16/CFSP/JHA, OJEU 13.1.2010 L 8/9 & 11.
2) The previous initial legislative document contains the Commission’s proposal on the conclusion of the TFTP Agreement; 17 December 2009; COM(2009)0703 final.
3) COUNCIL DECISION on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the United States of America on the processing and transfer of Financial Messaging Data from the European Union to the United States for purposes of the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program; dated 20 January 2010; Council document 5305/10. The meaning of the document is somewhat unclear. Is it a belated attempt by the Council to ask for the consent of the European Parliament with regard to the interim agreement after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty? Or is it meant to cover the planned long term agreement? Anyway, the “attached” substance of the agreement is missing.
LIBE
The LIBE Committee has been doing what such parliamentary committees are supposed to do: gathering information about the impact of the TFTP Agreement on fundamental rights of EU citizens.
The Article 29 Data Protection Working Party (Working Party on Police and Justice) has expressed concerns on data protection grounds.
The European Data Protection Supervisor considers that not enough elements have been provided so far to justify the necessity and proportionality of such a privacy-intrusive [TFTP] agreement, which in many aspects overlaps with already existing EU and international instruments in this area.
Political reactions
Given the evidence, political reactions have continued, but they have also become sharper.
In December 2009 the liberal group ALDE pushed for an agreement with the other political groups on two conditions for EP approval: that Parliament has full access to all relevant documents and information connected to the SWIFT agreement and that Council's negotiating mandate for the longer-term agreement, to replace this interim agreement expiring by 31 October 2010, fully reflect Parliament' stated concerns in its resolution of September; in Parliament sets conditions for granting consent to SWIFT agreement (17 December 2009).
Practically all the political groups expressed concerns and conditions during the EP’s SWIFT debate on 20 January 2010.
The Greens-EFA parliamentary group has opted for rejection of the SWIFT agreement as a breach of fundamental rights, quoting home affairs spokesman Jan-Philipp Albrecht: EU-US SWIFT bank data agreement: Parliament must stop Council in its tracks (27 January 2010).
The Pirate Party is going to vote for rejection of the SWIFT Agreement in the European Parliament, says Henrik Alexandersson, who posts a press release (in Swedish): Piratpartiet röstar nej till SWIFT-avtalet (28 January 2010).
Euroblogs
Netzpolitik.org (in German) has been keeping a close watch on the SWIFT agreement process. Recommended reading.
Piratpartiet live has aggregated a number of blog posts opposing the SWIFT agreement (mostly in Swedish). Here are but two examples:
Maloki says no to the SWIFT Agreement: Nej till SWIFT-avtalet! (28 January 2010).
Anna Troberg: Piratpartiet säger nej till SWIFT-avtalet (28 January 2010).
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Cross-border communication is a necessity in the European Union, with scrutiny by active citizens. At the same time Euroblogs are an agreeable way to brush up one’s skills in foreign languages.
Even when discussing French political and legal events, Diner’s room retains a European and human perspective well worth consideration beyond the borders of France.
Diner’s room (in French) is listed among 522 great Euroblogs (at the latest count) on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, more than thirty policy areas, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law.
If you are interested in the EU or the euroblogosphere, you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Bloggingportal EU anniversary roundup
Happy Birthday to EU,
Happy Birthday to EU,
Happy Birthday, Dear Bloggingportal,
Happy Birthday to EU!
Bloggingportal.eu
The first anniversary of the multilingual blog aggregator Bloggingportal.eu 26 January 2010 was recorded by a number of stalwarts of the Euroblogosphere and some others interested in European affairs. Here is a roundup of some of the felicitations.
In One year Bloggingportal.eu Kosmopolito noted more than 500 euroblogs, 25 editors and thousands of visitors. The European Journalism Centre (EJC) features Bloggingportal.eu as a resource.
Ein Jahr aggregierte Euroblogs was the headline of Europaeum’s assessment of the first year.
Eurosocialist chipped in with Happy Birthday to Bloggingportal.eu! And her French double, Eurosocialiste chirped: Bon anniversaire Bloggingportal.eu !
Un européen jamais content reflected upon Bloggingportal, 1 an déjà !
Happy birthday! said Writing for (y)EU (the EP web editors).
Matizandrea’s Blog sent greetings : Buon compleanno Bloggingportal.eu
Eurocentric noted his positive comments in Celebrating 1 Year of Bloggingportal.eu.
Julien Frisch called it the most important innovation of the Euroblogosphere: Happy birthday, Bloggingportal.eu!!!
Today the first Bloggingportal.eu newsletter appeared. Sign up and give feedback!
Euroblog reflections
Following or participating in the debate about the European Union within national confines is far from enough, if you want to understand what the EU is doing and where it is heading. Cross-border discussion on European integration is essential, especially if you are exposed to the fire and brimstone propaganda of much of the English press and UK political discourse.
At the same time you can brush up your language skills in an enjoyable manner, by reading great euroblogs such as Coulisses de Bruxelles.
Written by Jean Quatremer, Coulisses de Bruxelles is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
Yesterday was the one year anniversary of Bloggingportal.eu. During this first year the number of blogs almost doubled. You can propose a blog on European affairs for inclusion, if it is not already listed.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Ralf Grahn
Happy Birthday to EU,
Happy Birthday, Dear Bloggingportal,
Happy Birthday to EU!
Bloggingportal.eu
The first anniversary of the multilingual blog aggregator Bloggingportal.eu 26 January 2010 was recorded by a number of stalwarts of the Euroblogosphere and some others interested in European affairs. Here is a roundup of some of the felicitations.
In One year Bloggingportal.eu Kosmopolito noted more than 500 euroblogs, 25 editors and thousands of visitors. The European Journalism Centre (EJC) features Bloggingportal.eu as a resource.
Ein Jahr aggregierte Euroblogs was the headline of Europaeum’s assessment of the first year.
Eurosocialist chipped in with Happy Birthday to Bloggingportal.eu! And her French double, Eurosocialiste chirped: Bon anniversaire Bloggingportal.eu !
Un européen jamais content reflected upon Bloggingportal, 1 an déjà !
Happy birthday! said Writing for (y)EU (the EP web editors).
Matizandrea’s Blog sent greetings : Buon compleanno Bloggingportal.eu
Eurocentric noted his positive comments in Celebrating 1 Year of Bloggingportal.eu.
Julien Frisch called it the most important innovation of the Euroblogosphere: Happy birthday, Bloggingportal.eu!!!
Today the first Bloggingportal.eu newsletter appeared. Sign up and give feedback!
Euroblog reflections
Following or participating in the debate about the European Union within national confines is far from enough, if you want to understand what the EU is doing and where it is heading. Cross-border discussion on European integration is essential, especially if you are exposed to the fire and brimstone propaganda of much of the English press and UK political discourse.
At the same time you can brush up your language skills in an enjoyable manner, by reading great euroblogs such as Coulisses de Bruxelles.
Written by Jean Quatremer, Coulisses de Bruxelles is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
Yesterday was the one year anniversary of Bloggingportal.eu. During this first year the number of blogs almost doubled. You can propose a blog on European affairs for inclusion, if it is not already listed.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Ralf Grahn
EU Law: Humanitarian aid and other thematic files
The European Union is one of the principal international actors trying to alleviate the suffering caused by the natural disaster in Haiti. Humanitarian aid and assistance for long term development are needed from the more fortunate parts of humanity.
Eur-Lex, the legal portal of the European Union, has published a new thematic file on EU legislation in the field of humanitarian aid: emergency aid, food aid and aid for refugees.
The file on humanitarian aid law contains legislative instruments, preparatory acts and other acts.
Thematic files
There are now thematic files on EU law available in the following areas:
• Humanitarian aid (22/01/2010)
• Climate change (03/12/2009)
• Nuclear safety (12/11/2009)
• Food safety (11/11/2009)
• The milk market (28/10/2009)
• REACH – An integrated system for registering, evaluating, authorising and placing restrictions on chemical substances (23/09/2009)
• ITER – International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (07/09/2009)
• The common agricultural policy (CAP) (21/07/2009)
• Renewable energy (26/06/2009)
• The European Parliament (26/05/2009)
• The common fisheries policy (CFP) (13/05/2009)
• Human rights (23/04/2009)
• Possession of fire arms (26/03/2009)
• European health strategy (13/03/2009)
• European Union policy in the field of research and innovation (27/01/2009)
• The visual characteristics of the euro coins (29/01/2009)
• Endangered species (09/12/2008)
• Rules on alcohol consumption (18/11/2008)
• Prevention and recycling of waste (25/09/2008)
• Multilingualism in the EU (15/09/2008)
• Air safety (10/09/2008)
• European Neighbourhood Policy (25/08/2008)
• Air passenger rights in the European Union (19/08/2008)
• External relations EU - Turkey (18/08/2008)
• Immigration - Asylum (08/08/2008)
• Customs Tariff (31/07/2008)
• Avian influenza (30/07/2008)
• Fight against terrorism (16/07/2008)
• Personal Data Protection (10/07/2008)
• Campaign against smoking (08/07/2008)
• Recognition of diplomas and qualifications in the European Union (26/06/2008)
• Protection of children (26/05/2008)
• Travelling and disabilities (15/05/2008)
• Employment (24/04/2008)
• Protection of privacy (09/04/2008)
• Money laundering (27/03/2008)
• Freedom of expression (04/03/2008)
• Non-discrimination and equal opportunities for all in the EU (01/02/2008)
• Consumer protection (15/11/2007)
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (19/07/2007)
• The fight against corruption (16/05/2007)
• Value added tax (VAT) (29/11/2006)
• Cosmetic products (25/10/2006)
• Football (06/06/2006)
• Lisbon Strategy (17/05/2006)
• Security of energy supply (07/02/2006)
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Following or participating in the debate about the European Union within national confines is not enough, if you want to understand what the EU is doing and where it is heading. At the same time you can brush up your language skills in an enjoyable manner, by reading great euroblogs such as Coulisses de Bruxelles.
Written by Jean Quatremer, Coulisses de Bruxelles is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
Yesterday was the one year anniversary of Bloggingportal.eu. During this first year the number of blogs almost doubled. You can propose a blog on European affairs for inclusion, if it is not already listed.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Eur-Lex, the legal portal of the European Union, has published a new thematic file on EU legislation in the field of humanitarian aid: emergency aid, food aid and aid for refugees.
The file on humanitarian aid law contains legislative instruments, preparatory acts and other acts.
Thematic files
There are now thematic files on EU law available in the following areas:
• Humanitarian aid (22/01/2010)
• Climate change (03/12/2009)
• Nuclear safety (12/11/2009)
• Food safety (11/11/2009)
• The milk market (28/10/2009)
• REACH – An integrated system for registering, evaluating, authorising and placing restrictions on chemical substances (23/09/2009)
• ITER – International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (07/09/2009)
• The common agricultural policy (CAP) (21/07/2009)
• Renewable energy (26/06/2009)
• The European Parliament (26/05/2009)
• The common fisheries policy (CFP) (13/05/2009)
• Human rights (23/04/2009)
• Possession of fire arms (26/03/2009)
• European health strategy (13/03/2009)
• European Union policy in the field of research and innovation (27/01/2009)
• The visual characteristics of the euro coins (29/01/2009)
• Endangered species (09/12/2008)
• Rules on alcohol consumption (18/11/2008)
• Prevention and recycling of waste (25/09/2008)
• Multilingualism in the EU (15/09/2008)
• Air safety (10/09/2008)
• European Neighbourhood Policy (25/08/2008)
• Air passenger rights in the European Union (19/08/2008)
• External relations EU - Turkey (18/08/2008)
• Immigration - Asylum (08/08/2008)
• Customs Tariff (31/07/2008)
• Avian influenza (30/07/2008)
• Fight against terrorism (16/07/2008)
• Personal Data Protection (10/07/2008)
• Campaign against smoking (08/07/2008)
• Recognition of diplomas and qualifications in the European Union (26/06/2008)
• Protection of children (26/05/2008)
• Travelling and disabilities (15/05/2008)
• Employment (24/04/2008)
• Protection of privacy (09/04/2008)
• Money laundering (27/03/2008)
• Freedom of expression (04/03/2008)
• Non-discrimination and equal opportunities for all in the EU (01/02/2008)
• Consumer protection (15/11/2007)
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (19/07/2007)
• The fight against corruption (16/05/2007)
• Value added tax (VAT) (29/11/2006)
• Cosmetic products (25/10/2006)
• Football (06/06/2006)
• Lisbon Strategy (17/05/2006)
• Security of energy supply (07/02/2006)
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Following or participating in the debate about the European Union within national confines is not enough, if you want to understand what the EU is doing and where it is heading. At the same time you can brush up your language skills in an enjoyable manner, by reading great euroblogs such as Coulisses de Bruxelles.
Written by Jean Quatremer, Coulisses de Bruxelles is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
Yesterday was the one year anniversary of Bloggingportal.eu. During this first year the number of blogs almost doubled. You can propose a blog on European affairs for inclusion, if it is not already listed.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
EU consumer protection: Product safety notifications can save lives
In the policy area of consumer protection, there is now a consolidated version, updated per 1 January 2010, of the EU’s General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) 2001/95:
DIRECTIVE 2001/95/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 3 December 2001 on general product safety; (Text with EEA relevance); 2001L0095
Serious risks
Article 12 of Directive 2001/95/EC established a Community Rapid Information System ‘RAPEX’ for the rapid exchange of information between the Member States and the Commission on measures and action taken in relation to products posing a serious risk to the health and safety of consumers.
Non-serious risks
The notification procedure established under Article 11 of Directive 2001/95/EC provides for an exchange of information between the Member States and the Commission on measures adopted in relation to products posing a non-serious risk to the health and safety of consumers.
Information and notifications
The European Commission has now replaced its Decision on product safety information and notifications by new guidelines:
COMMISSION DECISION of 16 December 2009 laying down guidelines for the management of the Community Rapid Information System ‘RAPEX’ established under Article 12 and of the notification procedure established under Article 11 of Directive 2001/95/EC (the General Product Safety Directive); published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) 26.1.2010 L 22/1
Consumer protection is an area where the European Union can literally help to save life and limb.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Christian Engström, Pirate MEP, challenges established interests and business models by presenting the views of the Pirate Party on reforming the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR). The blog posts are in Swedish or English.
Christian Engström’s blog is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
Now is the one year anniversary of Bloggingportal.eu. During this first year the number of blogs almost doubled.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
DIRECTIVE 2001/95/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 3 December 2001 on general product safety; (Text with EEA relevance); 2001L0095
Serious risks
Article 12 of Directive 2001/95/EC established a Community Rapid Information System ‘RAPEX’ for the rapid exchange of information between the Member States and the Commission on measures and action taken in relation to products posing a serious risk to the health and safety of consumers.
Non-serious risks
The notification procedure established under Article 11 of Directive 2001/95/EC provides for an exchange of information between the Member States and the Commission on measures adopted in relation to products posing a non-serious risk to the health and safety of consumers.
Information and notifications
The European Commission has now replaced its Decision on product safety information and notifications by new guidelines:
COMMISSION DECISION of 16 December 2009 laying down guidelines for the management of the Community Rapid Information System ‘RAPEX’ established under Article 12 and of the notification procedure established under Article 11 of Directive 2001/95/EC (the General Product Safety Directive); published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) 26.1.2010 L 22/1
Consumer protection is an area where the European Union can literally help to save life and limb.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Christian Engström, Pirate MEP, challenges established interests and business models by presenting the views of the Pirate Party on reforming the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR). The blog posts are in Swedish or English.
Christian Engström’s blog is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
Now is the one year anniversary of Bloggingportal.eu. During this first year the number of blogs almost doubled.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
New EU Birds Directive 2009/147
One of the classics of environmental legislation, the European Union’s Birds Directive 79/409 has been codified for the sake of clarity and officially replaced by a new Directive:
DIRECTIVE 2009/147/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds (codified version); Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) 26.1.2010 L 20/7
Codification
Within the framework of better regulation, this is how the European Commission’s glossary explains the meaning of codification:
The Legal service of the Commission offers additional information about codification.
A Worker Reads History?
Bertolt Brecht wrote the poem Fragen eines lesenden Arbeiters (A Worker Reads History), where he questioned the traditional presentation of historical events through great men.
For some reason Brecht’s poem occurred to me, when I wondered if a Directive with most of the substance annexed in Latin can be said to have been published in the official languages of the European Union (and its member states).
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Christian Engström, Pirate MEP, challenges established interests and business models by presenting the views of the Pirate Party on reforming the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR). The blog posts are in Swedish or English.
Christian Engström’s blog is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
This is the one year anniversary of Bloggingportal.eu. During this first year the number of blogs almost doubled.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
DIRECTIVE 2009/147/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds (codified version); Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) 26.1.2010 L 20/7
Codification
Within the framework of better regulation, this is how the European Commission’s glossary explains the meaning of codification:
Codification
In a wide sense, used in some Member States, codification means gathering all legislation on a particular topic into a single "book" (e.g. penal code). In a narrow sense, and as used in the EU context, codification consists of the adoption of a new legislative act which incorporates and repeals the previous ones (i.e. the basic act and all amending acts). This makes the law clearer and more easily accessible without changing its substance.
The Legal service of the Commission offers additional information about codification.
A Worker Reads History?
Bertolt Brecht wrote the poem Fragen eines lesenden Arbeiters (A Worker Reads History), where he questioned the traditional presentation of historical events through great men.
For some reason Brecht’s poem occurred to me, when I wondered if a Directive with most of the substance annexed in Latin can be said to have been published in the official languages of the European Union (and its member states).
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Christian Engström, Pirate MEP, challenges established interests and business models by presenting the views of the Pirate Party on reforming the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR). The blog posts are in Swedish or English.
Christian Engström’s blog is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
This is the one year anniversary of Bloggingportal.eu. During this first year the number of blogs almost doubled.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Monday, 25 January 2010
EU Creative content consultation contributions online
The contributions to the European Commission’s public consultation on creative content in a European digital single market are now online, divided into the following contributor categories: member states/public bodies, European associations/NGOs, companies and citizens.
The responses are based on the Commission’s reflection document on creative content (22 October 2009).
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Chasing Brussels is an audioblog, offering podcasts of discussions between eurobloggers on recent events and challenges facing the European Union.
Chasing Brussels is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law.
If you are interested in the EU or the euroblogosphere, you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
The responses are based on the Commission’s reflection document on creative content (22 October 2009).
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Chasing Brussels is an audioblog, offering podcasts of discussions between eurobloggers on recent events and challenges facing the European Union.
Chasing Brussels is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law.
If you are interested in the EU or the euroblogosphere, you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Saturday, 23 January 2010
Britain exiting the EU: Norman Tebbit proposes divorce
Norman Tebbit, a former chairman of the UK Conservative Party, has recently written two Telegraph columns where he sees the underlying history and culture which have formed the institutions of the other EU members as deeply different and hostile to British ones.
Tebbit imagines that citizens’ rights guaranteed under European constitutions [and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights] are less than “rights” for UK subjects under common law (including parliamentary supremacy?).
Tebbit concludes that Britain should leave the European Union and start thinking about the nature of its future relationship with Europe: I used to believe that Britain had a lot in common with Europe. How wrong I was (20 January 2010) and Britain and the EU: time for a divorce (22 January 2010).
A short while ago, the first column had received 396 comments and the more recent one 261, most of them enthusiastic.
Soon a general election will offer Her Majesty’s subjects the opportunity to elect a Parliament prepared to move from Tebbit’s proposal to a filing for divorce. It would, however, require a major shift, because the current leadership of the three major parties is against secession.
Should David Cameron be ousted, or the majority handed to either UKIP or the BNP?
If Britain sorts out its intention to leave, the Lisbon Treaty guarantees the right for each EU member state to withdraw from the union, although most sane persons agree on the usefulness of a negotiated settlement and a deal on the future relationship.
In my humble opinion, the Norman Conquest (1066) and Magna Carta (1215) offer scant advice on the future of Britain in the world and its relationship with the rest of Europe after withdrawal. Some serious thought should go into that ahead of the general election in order to make the divorce case convincing.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. The UK is a heavyweight among EU member states, and Charlemagne’s notebook (The Economist) offers a gateway to some important shades of British thought about European integration.
Charlemagne’s notebook is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Tebbit imagines that citizens’ rights guaranteed under European constitutions [and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights] are less than “rights” for UK subjects under common law (including parliamentary supremacy?).
Tebbit concludes that Britain should leave the European Union and start thinking about the nature of its future relationship with Europe: I used to believe that Britain had a lot in common with Europe. How wrong I was (20 January 2010) and Britain and the EU: time for a divorce (22 January 2010).
A short while ago, the first column had received 396 comments and the more recent one 261, most of them enthusiastic.
Soon a general election will offer Her Majesty’s subjects the opportunity to elect a Parliament prepared to move from Tebbit’s proposal to a filing for divorce. It would, however, require a major shift, because the current leadership of the three major parties is against secession.
Should David Cameron be ousted, or the majority handed to either UKIP or the BNP?
If Britain sorts out its intention to leave, the Lisbon Treaty guarantees the right for each EU member state to withdraw from the union, although most sane persons agree on the usefulness of a negotiated settlement and a deal on the future relationship.
In my humble opinion, the Norman Conquest (1066) and Magna Carta (1215) offer scant advice on the future of Britain in the world and its relationship with the rest of Europe after withdrawal. Some serious thought should go into that ahead of the general election in order to make the divorce case convincing.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. The UK is a heavyweight among EU member states, and Charlemagne’s notebook (The Economist) offers a gateway to some important shades of British thought about European integration.
Charlemagne’s notebook is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Near Nada: EU General Affairs Council 25 January 2010
The quantity and quality of information ahead of the General Affairs Council meeting Monday 25 January 2010 is derisory.
The agenda tells us that the ministers will be occupied between 10:00 and 15:00 hearing and discussing one agenda item, the Spanish presidency programme.
Although I am convinced that the governments of the EU member states have studied the programme carefully, nobody was gracious enough to add a link to the document in this public information, so I will do it:
The Programme for the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 1 January – 30 June 2010
In a few paragraphs, the one page background note runs through some of the headline level activities during the first six months of this year, without adding anything of interest or value for those who follow EU affairs.
No additional items, supporting documents, links – nada.
Still, let us savour the last paragraph before the obligatory press conference:
I fully support the noble aim of fostering close links with the citizens of the EU and building our support and involvement.
How about decent advance information – for a start?
Ralf Grahn
P.S. The UK is a heavyweight among EU member states, and Charlemagne’s notebook (The Economist) offers a gateway to some shades of important British thought about European integration.
Charlemagne’s notebook is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
The agenda tells us that the ministers will be occupied between 10:00 and 15:00 hearing and discussing one agenda item, the Spanish presidency programme.
Although I am convinced that the governments of the EU member states have studied the programme carefully, nobody was gracious enough to add a link to the document in this public information, so I will do it:
The Programme for the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 1 January – 30 June 2010
In a few paragraphs, the one page background note runs through some of the headline level activities during the first six months of this year, without adding anything of interest or value for those who follow EU affairs.
No additional items, supporting documents, links – nada.
Still, let us savour the last paragraph before the obligatory press conference:
For the Union to enhance its global role and influence it needs to foster close links with its citizens and build their support and involvement. To this end, the Spanish Presidency aims to strengthen the rights, civil liberties and security of Europe's citizens and promote real equality between men and women.
I fully support the noble aim of fostering close links with the citizens of the EU and building our support and involvement.
How about decent advance information – for a start?
Ralf Grahn
P.S. The UK is a heavyweight among EU member states, and Charlemagne’s notebook (The Economist) offers a gateway to some shades of important British thought about European integration.
Charlemagne’s notebook is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Friday, 22 January 2010
Industry views on European Digital Agenda 2010-2015
The EU’s current information society strategy i2010 is near the end of its shelf-life. The European Commission has held an online public consultation on the post-i2010 European information society strategy and the Swedish presidency of the Council of the European Union contributed with the Visby agenda, a declaration based on a conference and a report on A Green Knowledge Society (66 pages).
The current holder of the rotating EU Council presidency Spain arranged an international meeting with representatives of the European information and communication technology (ICT) businesses on 18 January 2010.
The invited industry associations presented a report, which feeds into the process of devising the post-i2010 strategy: the European Digital Agenda (or as the Spanish government wants it to be remembered, the Granada strategy, to be presented at the informal meeting of the telecommunications and information society ministers in Granada on 19 to 20 April 2010):
Industry partnership contribution to the Spanish presidency – Digital Europe Strategy – Recommendation of the European Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Industry to the Spanish Presidency of the European Union (80 pages)
The report contains executive summaries in English, Spanish, German and French, an Introduction and sections on: Productivity And Growth – ICT Supporting European Industry; Sustainability; Creative Content In The Digital World; Trust; Participation For All; Trade/Market Access; Reduction In Administrative Burdens; Contributors.
There is nothing wrong with business interests openly putting forward their views on economic and technological progress and job creation, but it is as important that other societal interests are active and vigilant, and that the political processes are fully open to them.
What has the Spanish presidency planned with respect to civil society views?
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Educate yourself and brush up your language skills by reading Euroblogs. On Bruxelles2 (in French) the journalist Nicolas Grosverheyde writes expertly about the security and defence issues facing the European Union.
Bruxelles2 is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
The current holder of the rotating EU Council presidency Spain arranged an international meeting with representatives of the European information and communication technology (ICT) businesses on 18 January 2010.
The invited industry associations presented a report, which feeds into the process of devising the post-i2010 strategy: the European Digital Agenda (or as the Spanish government wants it to be remembered, the Granada strategy, to be presented at the informal meeting of the telecommunications and information society ministers in Granada on 19 to 20 April 2010):
Industry partnership contribution to the Spanish presidency – Digital Europe Strategy – Recommendation of the European Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Industry to the Spanish Presidency of the European Union (80 pages)
The report contains executive summaries in English, Spanish, German and French, an Introduction and sections on: Productivity And Growth – ICT Supporting European Industry; Sustainability; Creative Content In The Digital World; Trust; Participation For All; Trade/Market Access; Reduction In Administrative Burdens; Contributors.
There is nothing wrong with business interests openly putting forward their views on economic and technological progress and job creation, but it is as important that other societal interests are active and vigilant, and that the political processes are fully open to them.
What has the Spanish presidency planned with respect to civil society views?
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Educate yourself and brush up your language skills by reading Euroblogs. On Bruxelles2 (in French) the journalist Nicolas Grosverheyde writes expertly about the security and defence issues facing the European Union.
Bruxelles2 is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Discrimination frustrates free movement in the EU
The free movement of people has been an aim since the 1957 EEC Treaty. Discrimination on grounds of nationality has been prohibited for as long. Directive 2004/38 on the right of the citizens of the (European) Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States is supposed to enhance and protect these rights.
However, restrictive and discriminatory practices persist in the EU member states, making a mockery out of citizens’ rights. A short blog post on Talking about the EU – Moving on up (21 January 2010) – started a revealing discussion about Kafkaesque experiences of absurd practices facing people who move from one EU country to another (Britain).
From Sainsbury’s not accepting EU identity cards to problems opening a bank account, renting a flat or getting a contract for a mobile phone or broadband access, the ingenuity of private firms and landlords to frustrate movers seems endless.
This is an important discussion about the everyday experiences of EU citizens. You can contribute to the discussion on Talking about the EU.
What have you or your expat friends experienced?
What should be done?
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Educate yourself and brush up your language skills by reading Euroblogs. On Bruxelles2 (in French) the journalist Nicolas Grosverheyde writes expertly about the security and defence issues facing the European Union.
Bruxelles2 is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
However, restrictive and discriminatory practices persist in the EU member states, making a mockery out of citizens’ rights. A short blog post on Talking about the EU – Moving on up (21 January 2010) – started a revealing discussion about Kafkaesque experiences of absurd practices facing people who move from one EU country to another (Britain).
From Sainsbury’s not accepting EU identity cards to problems opening a bank account, renting a flat or getting a contract for a mobile phone or broadband access, the ingenuity of private firms and landlords to frustrate movers seems endless.
This is an important discussion about the everyday experiences of EU citizens. You can contribute to the discussion on Talking about the EU.
What have you or your expat friends experienced?
What should be done?
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Educate yourself and brush up your language skills by reading Euroblogs. On Bruxelles2 (in French) the journalist Nicolas Grosverheyde writes expertly about the security and defence issues facing the European Union.
Bruxelles2 is listed with more than 500 great Euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
Thursday, 21 January 2010
European Parliament to vote on EU-USA TFTP (SWIFT) interim Agreement (Updated)
After yesterday’s debate in the European Parliament it looks like the EP and the Council have found a way forward, at least with regard to the procedure to follow. See the EP’s press release: SWIFT: European Parliament to vote soon on the interim agreement (20 January 2010).
The European Parliament will vote on the interim agreement and it will be allowed to participate fully in the drafting of the long term agreement, according to the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The Council’s explanations about delays caused by translation sound a bit fishy, because the interim agreement should have existed in all the official EU languages on 30 November 2009, when it was adopted by the Council, and it was published in the Official Journal of the European Union 13 January 2010. If a draft or aims for the long term agreement exist, one would expect at least an English language version to be available.
The European Parliament has previously stated its concerns regarding fundamental rights. Now it looks as if it is going to be able to check how the Council intends to meet them.
Update 21 January 2010, about 17:05 EET: The EP's press release has been updated. The vote has now been scheduled for 9 February 2010.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. If business leaders, top officials and political heavyweights have a European newspaper in common, it is The Financial Times. FT bureau chief Tony Barber writes the recommendable Brussels blog (Financial Times), listed together with more than 500 great euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
The European Parliament will vote on the interim agreement and it will be allowed to participate fully in the drafting of the long term agreement, according to the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The Council’s explanations about delays caused by translation sound a bit fishy, because the interim agreement should have existed in all the official EU languages on 30 November 2009, when it was adopted by the Council, and it was published in the Official Journal of the European Union 13 January 2010. If a draft or aims for the long term agreement exist, one would expect at least an English language version to be available.
The European Parliament has previously stated its concerns regarding fundamental rights. Now it looks as if it is going to be able to check how the Council intends to meet them.
Update 21 January 2010, about 17:05 EET: The EP's press release has been updated. The vote has now been scheduled for 9 February 2010.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. If business leaders, top officials and political heavyweights have a European newspaper in common, it is The Financial Times. FT bureau chief Tony Barber writes the recommendable Brussels blog (Financial Times), listed together with more than 500 great euroblogs on growing multilingual Bloggingportal.eu, your useful one-stop-shop for fact, opinion and gossip on European affairs, i.a. politics, policies, communication, economics, finance, business, civil society and law. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed for new blog posts appearing on Bloggingportal.eu.
By the way, I also discuss European issues in Finnish on Eurooppaoikeus and in Swedish on Grahnblawg.
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