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News Wednesday 8th October 2008

Editorial by Jean-Dominique Giuliani on the international financial crisis

As the international financial crisis rages the Chairman of the Robert Schuman Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani has published an editorial on his internet site in which he shows that there is just one matter of urgency: "regaining confidence". EU Member States must act together with the support of and in liaison with the European Central Bank. In his opinion it is during a period of crisis like this that it is vital to show the credibility and usefulness of the construction of Europe. He also gave an interview on 3rd October, just before the European meeting, in the website, L'Express.fr.
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Read the article of “L’Express”

Demography, Immigration, Integration (2nd part)

Just days before the European Council on 15th and 16th October nex twhich should lead to the adoption of the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum put forward by France, the Robert Schuman Foundation has dedicated three European Issues to an in depth file on demography, immigration and integration under the direction of Catherine Wihtol de Weden, Research Director at the CNRS. This week the Foundation has published the second part of the study in which the author analyses the European responses to migration. The last part of the study will review the experiences of the integration policies undertaken within the EU - 13th October.
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General elections in Lithuania, a round up one week before the vote

21 parties are running in the general elections that will take place on 12th October in Lithuania. 70 MPs will be elected by proportional representation. The other 71 members of the Seimas, the only Chamber in Parliament will be appointed by a majority system and therefore elected in the second round of voting on 26th October except for those who win an absolute majority in the first round. According to the most recent polls five parties are certain to rise above the 5% threshold of votes cast in order to be represented in the Seimas: the Social Democratic Party (LSP), the Homeland Union-Conservatives-Christian Democratic Party (TS/LK), For Order and Justice (TT), the Labour Party (DP) and the Farmers' Union (LVLS). A referendum will also be organised on 12th October on the continued running of the nuclear power plant Ignalina.
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General Elections marred by massive fraud in Belarus

The general elections organised on 28th September in Belarus which the EU and the USA had set as a test to see how committed President Aleksander Lukashenko was to changing his regime, did not meet up to expecations. The election was marred by massive fraud: pressure on voters, refusal to inform observers, lack of ballot boxes security. One quarter of the electorate (26%) chose to vote early which seems to have opened the way to various infringements. Result: the opposition parties did not win one seat. According to the official figures these candidates won under 1% of the vote!
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Conference “Europe, an international power” – Cork, 8th October 2008

As part of the European cultural season and the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Alliance Française of Cork is organising a conference on 8th October on "Europe, an international power" with Etienne Davignon in attendance (former Vice-President of the European Commission), together with Vaira Vike-Freiberge (former President of Latvia), Michael Martin(Irish Foreign Minister) and Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres (Ambassador of the European Cultural Season and former French Culture and Communication Minister). Thierry Chopin, Research Director at the Foundation wil speak as part of a panel on "Europe and Globalisation."
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Europe Live

The Netherlands
France
On 2nd October Dutch Prime Minister, Jan Peter Balkenende was French President Nicolas Sarkozy's guest at the Elysée. The two leaders discussed the... Defence
Presidency
On 1st and 2nd October the 27 Defence Ministers met informally to take concrete steps towards European Defence. They decided to continue the EUFOR... Serbia
Montenegro
On 1st October Serb Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic met his Montenegrin counterpart Milo Djukanovic. This was the first visit by the Serb Prime... Budget
Germany
German Finance Minister, Peer Steinbrück is expecting a balanced public budget in 2008 in spite of the world financial crisis according to the weekly... Agriculture/Fisheries
Council
The 27 Agriculture Ministers who met on 29th and 30th September spoke of the CAP Healthcheck. Although the Ministers welcomed the educational and... World
Studies/Reports
The October issue of "The World Today" published by Chatham House is dedicated notably to the financial crisis. It also focusses on relations between... Equality
Presidency
On 29th and 30th September during the 2nd Summit on Equality organised by the French presidency and the European Commission 400 participants... Interim Government
Belgium
Outgoing Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt succeeded in reaching agreement on 19th December to form an interim government until 23rd March next... Development
Presidency
The 27 Development Ministers who met informally on 29th and 30th September spoke of the EU's responses to the food crisis: co-ordination with special... Cars
Serbia
The Serb government and the Italian group FIAT signed an agreement in Belgrade on 29th September with regard to the creation of a joint venture in... Industry
Eurostat
According to figures published by Eurostat on 2nd October the industrial production price index dropped by 0.5% in the euro area and by 0.7% in the... Unemployment
Germany
According to figures published on 30th September by the Federal Employment Agency the number of unemployed in Germany decreased by 115,000 in... EU Mission
Georgia
On 1st October EU observers in Georgia started their mission which is to end with the withdrawal on 10th October of Russian troops who entered the... CSU/Resignations
Germany
Following the disappointing result achieved by the CSU (Social Christian Union) in the regional elections in Bavaria on 26th September, Chairman... Balkans
Commission
On 29th September the Commission completed the strategic planning of community financial aid granted over the period 2008-2010 to candidate and... Catherine Ashton
Commission
On 3rd October the European Commission confirmed the departure of Peter Mandelson and announced his replacement by Catherine Ashton. "The... Ireland
France
Irish Prime Minister, Brian Cowen travelled to Paris on October 1st where he met President Nicolas Sarkozy. He confirmed that he would present "an... Security/Defence
Foundation
The Robert Schuman Foundation together with the SDA and the CEIS are jointly organising the Security and Defence Days 2008 in Brussels on 3rd and 4th... Integration
Studies/Reports
The Centre for Applied Policy Research in Munich has published a study entitled "Die EU als Risikogemeinschaft". The authors look into the economic,... Transparency
Commission
On 2nd October the European Commission launched a new Internet site "financial system transparency" which enables European citizens free access to... Financial Crisis
Foundation
As the international financial crisis rages the Chairman of the Robert Schuman Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani has published an editorial on his... Belarus
OSCE
The observation mission sent for the general elections in Belarus on 28th September gave its preliminary conclusions about how voting occurred on... Co-operation
Kosovo
Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi met the EU special representative in Kosovo Pieter Feith on October 1st. The two men discussed co-operation... Employment/Social Affairs
Council
On 2nd and 3rd October the 27 Employment Ministers held a policy debate on the draft directive relative to the implementation of the principle of... Unity
Bosnia
The EU Special Representative and High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina Miroslav Lacjak indicated on October 1st that Bosnia-Herzegovina was to... Atlas/Europe
Publications
French Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Michel Barnier, has published "L'Europe cartes sur table", an atlas providing a better understanding of... Foreign Policy
Studies/Reports
The German Institute fro International Affairs and Security has published a study on foreign policy perspectives for the EU. Author, Annegret Bendiek... Banks
Austria
The Austrian government will decide on 8th October about an increase in the State guarantee of bank savings and public savings products in the ilk of... Klimt/Austria
Culture
The Belvedere Museum in Vienna is opening an exhibition on 1st October to 18th January 2009 entitled "Klimt and the Kunstschau 1908". Considered as a... Inflation
Eurostat
According to figures published by Eurostat on 30th September the annual inflation rate in the euro area lay at 3.6% in September 2008, compared to an... Europe
Foundation
Since 1998 the town of Blois has organised an historical meeting. This event is taking place between 9th and 12th October and is offering a debate on... Social Europe
Studies/Reports
The Strategic Analysis Centre has published a paper on "Le modèle social européen est-il soluble dans la mondialisation?" Authors Yves Chassard and... Elections/Belarus
Foundation
The general elections organised on 28th September in Belarus which the EU and the USA had set as a test to see how committed President Aleksander... Germany
Russia
The 8th Saint-Peterburg Dialogue took place from 30th September to 3rd October rallying nearly 140 German and Russian representatives. This year the... Europe/G8
Presidency
On 4th October a meeting was held in Paris between four heads of State and Government (Germany, France, Italy, UK) which sit in the G8 together with... Ukraine
Russia
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Timoshenko in Moscow on 2nd October. The two leaders came to a protocol... Financial Crisis
ECB
In the face of the financial crisis the European Central Bank (ECB) has worked to increase liquidities on the financial markets. On 2nd October it... Aid/State
Commission
On 1st October the European Commissioner for Competition, Neelie Kroes said that the European Commission had approved the plan to save the bank,... Russia
Studies/Reports
The German Society for Foreign Policy has published a study entitled 'Russische Wirtschaftpolitik zwishcen Staat und Markt' (Russia's Economic... Ireland
Foundation
As part of the European cultural season and the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Alliance Française of Cork is organising... Fortis
The Netherlands
The Belgian-Dutch group Fortis will hand over most of its activities in the Netherlands to the Dutch State for 16.8 billion euros announced Belgian... Reshuffle
UK
On 3rd October British Prime Minister Gordon Brown undertook a cabinet reshuffle that notably witnessed the arrival of Peter Mandelson who has been... Banks
Germany
The German government is to provide a State guarantee to all individual savings said Finance Minister spokesperson Torsten Albig on 5th October.... Financial Crisis
Commission
On October 1st the President of the Commission José Manuel Barroso insisted on the need for a co-ordinated European response to the financial crisis.... Rome/Cinema
Culture
The third edition of the "Rome Cinema Festival" (22nd-31st October) will give preference to European cinema productions particularly the French and... Cyprus
Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) approved a resolution 99 votes against 20 on the situation of Cyprus and called for "all... EU/India
Presidency
On 29th September during the 9th Summit between the EU and India leaders said they hoped to correct the imbalance in trade relations between the EU... Dexia
Belgium
On 1st October the Belgian, French and Luxembourg governments as well as shareholders from the Dexia group agreed to invest 6.4 billion euro in order... Women
Commission
On 3rd October the European Commission published two draft proposals aiming to enable women to improve work-life balance. The first proposal suggests... Agriculture
Publications
The CEPS has published a paper under the guidance of Johan Swinnen entitled "The Perfect Storm: The Political Economy of the Fischler Reforms of the... Unemployment
Eurostat
According to figures published on October 1st the euro area unemployment level increased slightly from 7.4% in July 2008 to 7.5% in August ie a... Financial Crisis
UK
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced on 3rd October that he was setting up a "National economic council" comprising the main ministers; it... Elections/Lithuania
Foundation
21 parties are running in the general elections that will take place on 12th October in Lithuania. 70 MPs will be elected by proportional... Financial Crisis
Ireland
On 2nd October the Irish government adopted a law implementing an unlimited government guarantee to its main banks in order to protect them from the... Fortis
Belgium
The French bank BNP Paribas will take control of the insurance bank Fortis in Belgium and in Luxembourg. BNP Paribas will hold 75% of Fortis Bank for... Euro?
Poland
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared on 1st October that a referendum on the date of accession by Poland to the euro area may be necessary in... Treaty ratified
Italia
Italian deputies have voted at the unanimity on july, 31th the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, just one week after the positive vote from the... Croatia
Macedonia
Macedonian Foreign Minister, Antonio Milososki and his Croatian counterpart Gordan Jandrokovic indicated on 1st October that they wanted to increase... Employment/Growth
France
On 24th September the Economic and Social Council presented its communication on "Achieving the Lisbon Strategy: the Economic and Social Council's... Roads
Serbia
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the World Bank are ready to support funding to a total of 820 million euro, for the completion of work on... ÖVP/Resignation
Austria
On 29th September the leader of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), outgoing Vice-Chancellor Wilhelm Molterer announced that he would resign as leader...

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