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“Europe must open up to the globalized world”

by José Manuel Durao Barroso

29 November 2005
In this globalized new century everything is faster and these changes must be dealt with, instead of opposing them. Europe must be part of this changing world based on respect of our values and principles. The European Union is the best mechanism for Europeans to deal with this challenge because together we have the necessary strength to have an influence on the big decisions at world level. Unfortunately, Europe will have to face today’s challenges with the current treaties. It will take (...)

“Europe needs to embrace reform”

by Anders Fogh Rasmussen

29 November 2005
Europe needs reforms. Therefore, firm decisions in key issues at the national and European levels are necessary. Globalization is not a threat, it’s an opportunity. From a positive point of view, the majority of our citizens can benefit from it.
We don’t have to choose between two economic models. Denmark is an example for it has proved that a system can be social and liberal at the same time. However, our economic systems need adjustments to take the offensive in globalization. We have to (...)

“Europe Is the Answer”

by José Luis R. Zapatero

29 November 2005
Tourists, students and immigrants coming to Spanish ports have not just entered Spain. They have arrived in the greatest area of liberty, democracy and social progress: the European Union. For the 453 million Europeans this is a reality but a goal for hundreds of thousands of others in the world – a goal from which they are separated just by a small barrier or a stretch of sea only a few miles wide. So, by entering our doors, those people try to escape the humiliating poverty or repression (...)

“Strength and Solidarity: Answering the Europeans’ Expectations”

by Jacques Chirac, Luis David Obando López

29 November 2005
The French people’s poll on May 29 revealed a total lack of confidence in the European project. Giving fresh impetus to Europe is a must. Saying NO to the Treaty does not mean the French have turned their backs on 50 years of European construction, but their dissatisfaction with and doubts about a Europe which cannot placate their worries. The need for a powerful Europe – a source of growth and employment – must be reaffirmed, without ignoring the European identity.
The European model is (...)

“To reanimate Europe after the rejection of the Constitution”

by Bernard Bot

29 November 2005
Despite the fact that a considerable part of the population rejected the European Constitutional Treaty in France and Holland, this does not mean that the population of these two countries is anti-European. Their votes were the result of worries about the evolution of Europe, not a rejection of Europe. Most Europeans want a strong and supportive Europe able to defend our values and interests in the world, but they believe they are not consulted.
The European Council decided to have a (...)

10th Anniversary Euro-Mediterranean Summit

Brussels (Belgium) | 28 November 2005
FIVE YEAR WORK PROGRAMME
1. The aim of this programme is to implement the objectives agreed by partners at the 10th Anniversary Euro-Mediterranean Summit in accordance with the Barcelona Declaration of 1995. This work plan is designed to provide the basis for Euro-Mediterranean cooperation for the next five years. It aims to deliver results that will have a positive impact for all citizens in the region, thereby increasing the visibility of the Partnership. This work programme, as well as (...)

Javier Solana’s statement on the 10th anniversary of the Dayton Agreement

Brussels (Belgium) | 25 November 2005
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
This conference brings together many of us who have grappled for years with the Balkan dramas. I very much agree with the conference organisers that the 10th anniversary of the Dayton Agreement is a good occasion to reflect on what happened then - but also to draw some lessons for the future.
The wars in the former Yugoslavia scarred a generation of European political leaders, myself included. They reached their nadir in the conflict that raged for 4 (...)

Hubert Weber, President of the European Court of Auditors, presents the 2004 annual report

Brussels (Belgium) | 24 November 2005
Mrs President,
Mr President,
Distinguished Ministers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the Members of the European Court of Auditors, I would like to thank you for inviting me to present the Court’s 28th Annual Report on the 2004 financial year.
The Annual Report is largely based on the financial audit work performed by the Court and its work on legality and regularity, whereas the findings of the Court’s performance audit work are generally published in the form of Special Reports. (...)

Hidden Torture Centers

The CIA’s Secret Prisons in Europe

22 November 2005
During the last four years, the US has carried out various abductions around the world, put its victims into secret centers and tortured them, as the Washington Post has just revealed. Many such illegal prisons were set up in Eastern European countries, including EU member states – the Romanian daily Ziua offers more details on the issue in an article we reprint today.
As we print this material for the consideration of our readers, we have received confirmation of the existence of a CIA prison airplane at the Serihegy airport in Romania.
During the two days of the Axis for Peace 2005 conference, there was an intervention by former MI5 agent David Shayler, Palestinian authority minister Abu Zeida, ambassador Craig Murray – who handed in his resignation at Whitehall in protest against the setting up of a British torture center in Uzbekistan, Mateusz Piskorski – a Polish lawmaker who recently denounced torture before the parliament of his country – and General René Vargas Pazzos (...)

Summary of remarks by Javier SOLANA at the Ministers of Defence Meeting

Brussels (Belgium) | 21 November 2005
Overview of military capabilities
Je me réjouis du solide résultat obtenu dans l’identification du besoin militaire pour la conduite de nos opérations, en ligne avec l’approche qualitative de l’objectif global 2010. Cependant, des lacunes continuent à exister. Il faut que les nouveaux outils que nous développons nous servent à combler effectivement ces lacunes. Il nous appartiendra de donner toute l’attention et l’impulsion politique à ce processus.
En ce qui concerne les groupements tactiques, les (...)

Conclusions of the 24th meeting of the EEA Council

Brussels (Belgium) | 21 November 2005
1. The twenty-fourth meeting of the EEA Council took place in Brussels on 21 November 2005 under the Presidency of Ms. Rita Kieber-Beck, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Liechtenstein. The meeting was attended by Mr. Jonas Gahr Støre, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway, and by Mr. Geir H. Haarde, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, from the EEA - EFTA side, as well as by Mr. Douglas Alexander, Minister of State for Europe of the United Kingdom, representing the EU Presidency, by (...)

Turkey’s Views at the Centre of Debate on its EU Inclusion

by Voltaire Network

11 November 2005
During the diplomatic talks prior to the Luxemburg Summit about the beginning of EU negotiations with Ankara, the European media hostile to Turkey’s joining the EU, presented every Turkish protest as a hardly acceptable demand or as pressures on the EU. This time, the European press spread an atmosphere of prejudice against Turkey and the Muslim world. Turkish analysts or those from the Turkish Diaspora are now gathering to restore the image of their country before such xenophobic allegations.

“EU troika’s new threat against Iran thwarted”

by Hassan Hanizadeh

26 October 2005
The European troika has exerted pressures against the Islamic Republic in the draft resolution of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors. Once again, the Big Three of the EU demanded the UN Security Council to be informed if Iran does not end its enriched uranium program. But Iran is not planning to give up. The statements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the voice of Iranian president Mohammed El Baradei proved that Teheran has never made (...)

“Iran: restoring trust”

by Jack Straw, Javier Solana, Joschka Fischer, Philippe Douste-Blazy, Luis David Obando López

26 October 2005
All governments agree that it’s necessary to put an end to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. To respect the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is an obligation. Two years ago, Iran recognized before the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it was creating the infrastructure for the uranium enrichment. Today, it still works on the development of ballistic missiles for nuclear weapons. This is the reason why it is believed the Iranian nuclear program has no pacific purposes. We (...)

The statement of the Minister for Europe, Douglas Alexander, on the European identity

Brussels (Belgium) | 13 October 2005
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me start by thanking the Centre for European Policy Studies for inviting me to speak to you today. Since its foundation in 1983, CEPS’s intellectual contribution to resolving the problems faced by Europe and the European Union has been a striking and effective one. Your reputation goes well beyond Brussels and the European institutions, and you are able to make a real contribution to policy debate across Europe. I look forward to watching this continue.
Europe is (...)

Javier Solana’s speech at the 40th Commanders Conference of the German Bundeswehr

Hambourg (Allemagne) | 11 October 2005
Mr President,
Minister Struck,
General Schneiderhahn,
dear Generals,
dear friends,
I am delighted to be able to be with you this morning and mark this occasion full of historic significance. Today we are celebrating three anniversaries: the foundation of the Bundeswehr and your entry into NATO 50 years ago and the 15th anniversary of German unification.
I want to pay tribute to Germany’s enormous contribution to European security and stability over these years, through your active (...)

The statement of Jack Straw on the European Union’s negotiations with Turkey and Croatia

London (United Kingdom) | 11 October 2005
With permission Mr Speaker, I should like to make a statement on the European Union’s decisions on Monday last to open negotiations for full membership with Turkey and Croatia.
First, Turkey.
Turkey is part of Europe. It was a founder member of the Council of Europe in the late 1940s, and was invited by the United Kingdom, France and others to join NATO as early as 1952.
The prospect of European Union membership was first offered to Turkey some 42 years ago. That promise was repeated by (...)

The statement of UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on World Day against the Death Penalty

Brussels (Belgium) | 10 October 2005
’Today the EU would like to remember all those who have lost their lives because of the death penalty, especially those who have been wrongly sentenced to death. Some convictions have been overturned with just a few hours to go, having spent years on death row, itself a living death. Others have been executed, with their innocence only established when it is too late.
’But we do not just oppose the death penalty in cases where these horrifying mistakes have been made, but in every case, and (...)

European Union declaration on Belarus following the harassment of the independent newspaper Narodnaya Volya

Brussels (Belgium) | 5 October 2005
The European Union expresses its concern for the future of the independent press in Belarus following the harassment of the last remaining independent daily newspaper Narodnaya Volya. The EU condemns the crippling fine imposed on the newspaper and the termination of printing and distribution contracts by the state owned monopoly printers and distributors. The EU regrets that the media space is increasingly controlled by the government and is concerned that this latest development will (...)

EU Statement in response to the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, US Congressman Alcee L Hastings

Brussels (Belgium) | 5 October 2005
Special Permanent Council No. 570
The EU warmly welcomes Congressman Alcee Hastings back to the Permanent Council.
As we noted during Congressman Hastings’ last visit to the Permanent Council in November 2004, there is an increasing correspondence between the work of the governmental and parliamentary sides of our organisation. This was demonstrated once again during the 14th Annual Session of the Parliamentary Assembly in Washington. The EU has taken careful note of the Washington (...)

Straw considers Turkey-EU accession talks agreement as "A truly historic day for Europe"

London (United Kingdom) | 4 October 2005
FOREIGN SECRETARY:
Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen. Apologies for the delay in coming to this press conference, you can understand why. And this has been a pretty gruelling thirty hours of negotiation with for the three of us all of three hours sleep but I’m pleased to say I think that the time was worth it. And I’m very pleased to announce that agreement has now been reached that negotiations on Turkey’s accession to the European Union can and will begin in the very near future. I (...)

American Committee for a Strong Europe

The neocons new strategy for Europe

by Thierry Meyssan

Paris (France) | 3 October 2005
The European scene has been modified by the rejection of the European Constitutional Treaty in France and the Netherlands and the result of the recent legislative elections in Germany. Thierry Meyssan reveals the analyses of US neoconservatives and their new strategy for Europe.

European Union’s statement concerning the enlargement to Turkey

Brussels (Belgium) | 21 September 2005
The declaration below by the European Community and its Member States was adopted today1, following the declaration made by Turkey upon signature on 29 July 2005 of the Ankara Agreement Protocol:
"1. The European Community and its Member States acknowledge the signature by Turkey of the Additional Protocol to the Agreement establishing an Association between the European Community and its Member States on the one part and Turkey on the other, in accordance with the conclusions of the (...)

European Union’s directive on money laundering and terrorist financing

Brussels (Belgium) | 20 September 2005
The Council adopted today a directive on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering and terrorist financing (3631/05 + COR1, 11443/05 ADD1). The directive was adopted at first reading under the co-decision procedure.
The directive aims at avoiding money launderers and terrorist financers to take advantage of the freedom of capital movements and the freedom to supply financial services in the internal market.
The directive will apply to natural or (...)

“Old Europe fades away from the stage”

by Hassan Hanizadeh

12 September 2005
Europe’s failure to gain Iran’s confidence and the doubtful attitude of the continent in relation to international issues, particularly the Iranian nuclear one, have led eastern countries to revise their links with the EU. Since September 11, the US has treated all international issues with the security prism and that magnifies tensions. It is regrettable that “old Europe”, to quote Donald Rumsfeld’s expression, has been unable to suggest an alternative.
Europe blindly follows Washington’s (...)

The Iranian crisis shows European submission

by Voltaire Network

Lille (France) | 12 September 2005
During this summer, relations between the European Union and Iran have noticeably deteriorated, whereas Washington has multiplied its aggressive and hostile statements. The specter of a military intervention is closer and as should be done in such circumstances, the Atlantist circles are mobilizing public opinion so that it gets ready for war. On their part, Iran, Russia and Great Britain blame Washington for the escalation of tensions between Teheran and the European Union.

“Turkey is as much European as Sarkozy is French”

by Baris Sanli

9 September 2005
After the unfortunate referendum, European politicians rediscovered the populist policies. Turkey has the rare opportunity of being part of them. The problem is that there is no Turkish voice in the European media and many politicians speak about Turkey without even knowing the Turks’ criteria. The new star of these policies is Nicolas Sarkozy.
The son of a Hungarian father and a Greek-Jewish mother, Sarkozy is an ambitious man and the most serious candidate in the presidential elections. (...)

“Cyprus should not be an excuse”

by Semih Vaner

9 September 2005
The Cypriot dispute, along with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is the other wound in the Eastern Mediterranean. The problem has gotten everybody’s attention due to the next opening of negotiations about the inclusion of Turkey in the European Union on October 3rd. Ankara has just signed, doubtfully, an extension protocol of customs union that links it to the 10 new member States, including Cyprus, which is not recognized by Ankara. Once the text was signed, Abdullah Gül affirmed that it (...)

“Let’s give Turkey a chance”

by Olli Rehn

9 September 2005
On December, 2004, the Heads of State and Government of the European Union decided to open negotiations with Turkey so that it joined the EU, because Europe needs a stable, democratic, prosperous Turkey, which coexists in peace with its neighbors and be respectful of their values in every sense. This is one of our strategic interests in a time when relations with the Muslim world are crucially important. A process of negotiation is an effective means to reach such a goal. The prospect to (...)

“The EU must start talks with Turkey”

by Martti Ahtisaari, Albert Rohan

9 September 2005
The widely spread hesitation of some European leaders before starting the negotiations round with Turkey, foreseen for October 3rd, has caused frustration among a growing sector of the Turkish population. From now on, a part of the Turks thinks that the EU will continue to put new obstacles to prevent Turkey from joining the EU. We have tried to persuade them to trust the EU. We will soon know whether we were right.
Turkey met the two conditions stated on December 17th, 2004, to begin (...)

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