FOLLOWING THE EUROPEAN UNION

georgeob1 wrote:

But in it's own laws the "principle of presumed innocent" began back in the
l'article 35 bis de la loi du 29 juillet 1881 .

Francis Thanks for the update and the link. I was ignorant of these matters.

July 1881 -- that would be about one year after the start of the Third republic. I believe the President then was Marshal MacMahon - an Irishman! Clearly it is the native Celtic remnant, augmented by the occasional Irish expatriot, that are the true sources of the greatness of France!! :wink:

July 1881 -- that would be about one year after the start of the Third republic. I believe the President then was Marshal MacMahon - an Irishman! Clearly it is the native Celtic remnant, augmented by the occasional Irish expatriot, that are the true sources of the greatness of France!! :wink:

On the other hand, I agree with you him doing a good job while president..

I'll pay you for it later.

You sure you are not a lawyer?

Only studied law :wink:

How is the EU apparatus funded? Is there a special EU tax imposed on each citizen in the EU? How do the countries contribute their share (on what basis if the calculation made, e.g. on GDP, population number)? How much more will it cost to put the new EU constitution in place (i.e. with the added powers to be, etc.)?

EU backs Bulgaria and Romania bid

The European Parliament has voted to allow Bulgaria and Romania to join the European Union in 2007.
Their eventual membership still depends on both countries reforming areas such as farming and security, as well as making efforts to fight corruption.

The vote opens the way for an accession treaty to be signed later this month.

Some MEPs tried to postpone the vote until after the next European Commission report on the two countries' progress, which is due in November.

A disagreement over how much money is to be given to the countries was also resolved last minute, allowing for the vote to take place.

Romania and Bulgaria are both are poorer than all 25 existing EU member states.

The two Balkan countries missed the first round of EU expansion into Eastern Europe because they had failed to implement democratic and market reforms.

Opponents of the accession cited Romania's lack of press freedom as well as corruption as obstacles.

Bulgaria has been criticised for failing to adopt a new anti-corruption penal code and insufficient efforts in combating organised crime.

No guarantee

The European Commission report tracking the countries' preparation for membership will be published in November.

Romania is required to reform its justice and law enforcement, curb industrial state subsidies and improve environmental records.

It must also secure rights for its Roma minority.

Bulgaria's parliament speaker Borislav Velikov said he was "grateful to our colleagues in the European Parliament for their support for Bulgaria on its road toward the European Union".

The accession treaty does not absolutely guarantee the countries EU membership in 2007.

If either country fails to meet the agreed criteria, their accession could be postponed until 2008.

EU Assembly Says Yes To Green Household Appliances

14/4/2005

STRASBOURG, France - The European Parliament on Wednesday endorsed rules to make household appliances more energy efficient, as part of its fight against global warming.
Under a voluntary agreement with industry, computers, stereo systems, washing machines, lights, air conditioning and boilers will all have to be designed with a focus on conserving energy.

The European executive Commission, author of the draft, says the new rules could save 180 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by 2010, helping Europe meet ambitious climate change targets.

German conservative MEP Peter Liese said consumers would also save on electricity bills.

A household spends 100 euros a year on electricity for appliances that are turned off but not plugged out. Consumers pay an extra 400 euros a year in electricity bills for all energy inefficient devices at home.

"The directive will mean great progress for the protection of the environment in Europe and it will take the strain off the consumer because electricity and water bills will be reduced," Liese said in a statement.

The legislation will apply across the 25-nation bloc from 2007. The Commission will monitor industry's progress towards agreeing common standards. It can threaten to impose energy efficient criteria if firms fail to work together.

"The Commission will prepare studies on the improvements we need to make," EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs told a news conference. "By the second half of 2007, we should be able to adopt the first eco-design requirements for products."

But environmental organisation WWF said voluntary agreements with industry were ineffective to promote cleaner technology.

"This is the biggest loophole of the new law," WWF Head of European Climate and Energy Policy Unit Dr. Stephan Singer said in a statement.

"Voluntary agreements and the rejection of an independent verification on their implementation is nothing more than an incentive for producers to avoid making the required innovations and is bad for climate protection," he added.

Does 92.098 indicate 92 million Euros.