FOLLOWING THE EUROPEAN UNION

It's true that I only know few people who really support the massive entrance of 10 new states in the EU. Especially in these times of economic hardship, where people don't want to give even MORE to the EU (especially here in the Netherlands - we get few things in return), there is a lot of dissatisfaction with the fact that people will have to pay more taxes to finance the new EU states. It seems that EU governments are more interested in enlarging the EU and making it more powerful than listening to the majority of the EU-citizens. I think most people DO want the ten states to enter the EU, but it's better to wait for a few years. The fear that many people from the ten new EU-states will emigrate to the Western EU-countries seems to be a little bit overreacting, or at least in the case of the Netherlands - probably no more than 10,000 people will emigrate to the Netherlands in the first year (and that is not much on a population of 16 million). But only the future knows the answer.

What, if anything, will happen to the EU with the ouster of Tony Blair?

You mean exactly what by "ouster of Tony Blair", c.i.?

Just heard on tv that Blair's days are numbered. No confirmation of that 'rumor.'

c.i.,

With no alternative stalking inside the Labour party and a leader of the opposition still presiding over a Conservative party in disarray, I'd not be too concerned about our Tony!

It's another two years until election time, I think. While no Labour Prime Minister has ever held office for a third term, this one might set a new record. At least, I hope so!

KP

Schroder, Chirac and Blair insist they're not trying to direct Europe
BERLIN The leaders of Germany, France and Britain, meeting here Wednesday to discuss the European economy, dismissed criticism from other European countries that they were making an effort to dictate terms to the rest of the European Union. .
The meeting of the three, at which they announced broad agreement on the need for what they called ‘‘urgent action’’ to stimulate economic growth and competitiveness, had been overshadowed by sharp complaints in Italy, Spain and other countries that Europe’s three largest countries were trying, as Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy put it, to form a ‘‘directorate’’ that ‘‘Europe doesn’t need.’’ .
‘‘We’re not trying to dominate anybody, let alone Europe,’’ Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of Germany said at a press conference after a late afternoon meeting. .
‘‘I do not understand what people are criticizing, unless you consider that they are embarking on controversy,’’ Jacques Chirac, the French president, said. ‘‘There are meetings in different formats across Europe and there always have been.’’ .
The three, addressing what they called Europe’s failure to meet economic targets set at a meeting of the European Union four years ago in Lisbon, called in a letter for the creation of a new post inside the European Commission to oversee economic reform among all the EU member states. .
More generally, they said that they had found agreement on the need for all of the European economies to pursue economic reforms that would close the technology and innovation gap with the United States and make the EU more competitive. .
‘‘We have to be clear about the fact that prosperity for Europe and for Europe’s citizens can only be guaranteed if we succeed in implementing new products and implementing new jobs,’’ Schröder said. ‘‘We have to focus on innovation.’’ .
All three of the leaders said that most European countries faced similar problems, including low rates of investment in research and development, high unemployment, and rapidly aging populations, and that their meeting was aimed at generating new ideas to be presented to a meeting of the European Commission next month. .
‘‘These three nations represent half the population of Europe and more than half of the wealth,’’ said Tony Blair, the British prime minister, referring to Germany, France and Britain. ‘‘If we can come to an agreement here to make our economies work better, that will be of economic benefit to all of Europe.’’ .
While all three leaders dismissed criticism that they were holding a summit meeting — Blair said that none of them should feel ‘‘apologetic’’ or ‘‘defensive’’ — the fact that the criticism was voiced at all suggested something of the suspicious mood in Europe months after the EU was sharply split by the debate over the invasion of Iraq. .
Blair’s support for the war put him sharply at odds with both Chirac and Schröder, who actively opposed it. But in the past few months, Blair has met twice with his French and German counterparts in an apparent effort to find common ground. .
Aside from Europe’s sluggish economy, the leaders of Europe’s largest countries shared other concerns. In two and a half months, the EU will take on 10 new member states, but prolonged efforts to adopt a new constitution that would set the rules for power sharing and decision making have foundered over deep disagreements between old and new members. .
The meeting Wednesday was held at the initiative of Schröder, who has staked his chancellorship on a series of economic reforms for Germany. But his program has encountered opposition from within his own party, which complains that the reforms hurt working-class people, as well as from the conservative opposition, which says that they do not go far enough. The New York Times .
Berlin plan called optimistic .
As the three leaders met, the European Commission on Wednesday cast doubt on a German plan to bring the budget deficit below EU limits in 2005 as the economy recovers, saying Berlin’s growth forecasts are overly optimistic, Agence France-Presse reported. .
The German economy will grow 1.8 percent in 2005, short of the government’s 2.25 percent target, the commis sion said, depriving it of tax revenue and boosting welfare payments. The deficit could reach 3.4 percent of gross domestic product that year, exceeding 3 percent for the fourth time. .
Government plans to bring the deficit in line by 2005 are ‘‘subject to two main risks,’’ said the EU monetary affairs commissioner, Pedro Solbes, in an assessment of German budget plans to 2007. ‘‘First, growth can be lower than expected by the German authorities and expenditure targets may not be achieved,’’ he said at a news conference in Brussels. .
Germany designed the stability and growth pact to keep governments from running up debt. Last year, Germany joined forces with France to persuade EU governments to block the commission’s call for both countries to speed up spending cuts. .
But Solbes also praised Germany for its pledge to bring the budget deficit below the limit of 3 percent of gross domestic product and demanded no new budget measures. .
The European Court of Justice is due to rule in the next few months on the Commission’s complaint that EU states overreached in freezing the budget discipline process for Germany and France after they went over the 3 percent limit. Separately, Chirac said that France and Germany had struck a deal on reforming value-added tax on restaurant meals in 2006, seemingly ending a dispute on a matter close to Chirac’s heart, Bloomberg News reported. .
Germany until now had opposed France’s push for a cut in the VAT on restaurant meals, fearing its own restaurant owners would demand lower taxes, too, at a time when Germany’s finances are strained. National VAT changes require approval at the EU level.

With Italy, Spain, and Poland's discontent over the perceived control of the EU by Germany, France and Britain, its seems the EU will have many struggles ahead of them. How will these disagreements impact the future of the EU?

You see, c.i., this seems to have always been the fact in the EU: if there were just 5 (6) members, 10, 12 or 15 - at no time any bigger changes changes happened with full agreement from the beginning onwards (and mostly, even afterwards some countries weren't content with the compromise).

re. Poland: Poland starts its membership on the first of May, this year.

Following is a link to a computerized translation into English of the press conference after the Franco-German-British meeting in Berlin:

LINK

( link to the cached original website from French Foreign Ministry)

Which was a bad thing for the US to do. With the benefit of hindsight, it seems clear that Jefforson made a mistake in purchasing Lousiana for the United States. He should have sold the United States to Louisiana instead. As a minimum, that would have greatly improved the quality of bread, cheese and wine on this continent. No more dry counties.... History never seems to get it right. Oh well ....


Ditto. Someone's signature on A2K recently read "The world is my country, to do good my religion. (Thomas Paine)". I like that, and I definitely have to read more books by Thomas Paine, not just his soundbites.

source: [Allensbach poll] Expatica

WHERE IN THE WORLD DO I BELONG ???
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having been born in germany, i guess i am a german. since i have lived in kingston/canada longer than in any other place, i must be a canadian (that is also what my citizenship certificate states - i no longer have german citizenship, since at the time mrs. h and i took out our canadian citizenship, canada did not allow dual-citizenship. i do not believe dual-citizenship should be permitted). since i swore my allegiance to the queen, i am also a citizen of the commonwealth. of course, since i was actually born in "the free and hanseatic city of hamburg' (a PRIVILEGE not afforded to everyone, i am, of course "a hamburger"). i guess, i was lucky to land in kingston, because kingstonians are just about as SPECIAL as the hamburgers. after all, kingston was once the capital of UPPER CANADA, the first prime-minister of canada (a born scot) is buried in the local cemetery and kingston still goes by the name of THE LIMESTONE CAPITAL OF CANADA. can i be any more proud ? NOOOO , that's enough luck for one life ! hbg

source: EU-Observer

Walter, Don't you think that's a one-sided observation? Shouldn't they survey the people of the EU to see if they would accept Israel as a partner in the Union? I have no proof of any dissention, but I think it would be prudent to find out if the majority in the EU would accept Israel first.

Well, c.i., there have been surveys on this - those, which were called 'anti-semstic'.

I've some difficulties with 'stretching' the EU to countries outsite Europe myself.

The article speaks only of the Israeli public and it's willingness to join the EU. It says nothing about the will of the EU. I doubt that the EU would offer membership to Israel. It would not sit well with their Arab friends.

The only "Arab" country, which perhaps will get EU-membership, is Turkey, as far as I know. (And that's not certain yet)

Do you know more, au?

I am speaking of the nations in the mideast as friends of the EU. It has nothing to do with their membership in the EU.

And what of those countries is a member or will become a member?

Walter, I have some idea how that works, because on discussion boards about Israel, I have been called an "anti-Semite," because I do not agree with most of Sharon's policies.