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            <channel><title>Presseurop | <![CDATA[Lisbon Treaty]]></title>
                <link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en</link>
                <description>The best of the European press translated into 10 languages</description>
                <language>en</language><item><title>What now? | Editorial</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/editorial/1267411-what-now</link><description><![CDATA[One of the constants of this crisis in the euro zone is that one never knows if the last-chance summits have managed to save the single currency for good. The December summit is no exception. Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy managed to get the approval of their partners for writing fiscal discipline into the European marble. The mixed reaction of the financial markets on the day that followed the European Council, however, may be a sign that it is not over yet.
Because the agreement that was reached, which excludes the Eurobonds that many financial players were demanding, also rules out granting a banking license to the European Stability Mechanism that will be set up in June 2012. This would have allowed the rescue fund to procure money from the European Central Bank, thus ensuring unlimited means in the euro zone to be able to help the countries in distress. This option has always been turned down by Germany, which fears inflation and any submission of the central bank to political dictates. This refusal, however, deprives the euro zone of the &quot;bazooka&quot; that would make markets understand that it can cope with all eventualities.
With the reform of the European treaties now underway, the Union has won a little time, and we should still be able to use our euros early into 2012, contrary to what some were not hesitating to predict these last weeks. This is not an insignificant outcome. Whatever the opinion one has on the markets, the rating agencies and speculators attacking the European economies, however, we must hope they will be satisfied with the decision of the Twenty-Seven. Because the price is already very steep: the institutionalisation of a multi-speed Europe, and the question mark now clearly hanging over the future of the UK in the EU.
While these decisive political problems must be tackled, two actions would help make the price more palatable. First, that Germany, now that she has got the discipline she demanded of the rest, be open to the idea that monetary stability can be compatible with a form of solidarity &ndash; Eurobonds, or clearer support from the ECB for the weaker countries. Second, that European governments grasp that they must get away from the logic of austerity and lay the foundations for a genuine policy of growth across the Union. For this there is already a tool: the Europe 2020 strategy, which asks only to be taken seriously at last.
 (Editorial)]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:31:28 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>European Union | Goodbye Britain</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief-cover/1267001-goodbye-britain</link><description><![CDATA[&quot;27-member Europe is finished,&quot; headlines Le Monde, in the wake of the agreement concluded in Brussels by the 17 Eurozone states and six other European [&hellip;] (News in brief : cover)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/briefcover/111209lemonde.jpg" length="6528" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:43:43 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>United Kingdom | PM puts price on support for treaty change</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief-cover/1257551-pm-puts-price-support-treaty-change</link><description><![CDATA[&ldquo;Cameron  names his price,&rdquo; headlines The Times. Ahead of Friday&rsquo;s crucial EU  summit to save the euro, the British PM has penned an [&hellip;] (News in brief : cover)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/briefcover/Times-100.jpg" length="43404" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:58:50 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Arab revolutions | Europe&#039;s not so wonderful example (Frankfurter Rundschau, Frankfurt)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/515891-europes-not-so-wonderful-example</link><description><![CDATA[What must a North African currently following news from the “European community of shared values” be thinking? It’s not just that the community&#039;s support for the fight for freedom around the Mediterranean has been half-hearted. It’s that it is taking its own members’ violations of the values the community espouses rather calmly. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/europe-libya.jpg" length="72154" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:05:00 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>European Parliament | MEPs want to bid Adieu to Strasbourg</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief/499521-meps-want-bid-adieu-strasbourg</link><description><![CDATA[An annual saving of &euro;180 million, 317 fewer European officials and a  reduction of 19,000 tonnes in CO2 emissions: all this if the European [&hellip;] (News in brief)]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:41:16 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Innovation | Europe lagging in the sciences (El País, Madrid)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/488981-europe-lagging-sciences</link><description><![CDATA[While the Lisbon innovation objectives have been postponed until 2020, Europe’s major universities argue that research is still too dependent on the financial sector. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/research-and-developpement_1.jpg" length="125387" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Thu, 03 Feb 2011 16:47:55 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Human rights | The EU's conscience (NRC Handelsblad, Rotterdam)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/484161-eu-s-conscience</link><description><![CDATA[Although the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has on occasion been criticised by national administrations, Professor of European Law at Leiden University Rick Lawson argues that it remains an indispensable institution for the EU. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/Asylum-ECHR.jpg" length="46248" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:50:17 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Denmark | Lisbon Treaty in the dock</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief-cover/458661-lisbon-treaty-dock</link><description><![CDATA[The Danish supreme court has ruled that a group of 35 Danish citizens may file a case against the country&rsquo;s Prime Minister and liberal leader, [&hellip;] (News in brief : cover)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/briefcover/12012011-Berlingste-T-100.jpg" length="16008" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:11:49 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>The road not taken? | Editorial</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/editorial/433561-road-not-taken</link><description><![CDATA[A big step for the EU proved to be only a small one for Europeans. The amendment to the Lisbon Treaty approved by 27 European leaders on 16 December will establish a permanent stability mechanism to help member states in difficulty. Starting in 2013, the European Stability Mechanism will take over from the European Financial Stability Facility, launched with a budget of 440 billion euros (&euro;750 billion with the contribution from the IMF) in response to the crisis in May this year. 
In other words, as the headline in Austrian daily Die Presse puts it, the EU has established a European monetary fund  &ndash;  a measure that would have been unimaginable only a year ago. Little by little, pressure exerted by a succession of crises has ushered in a sort of informal federalism at a time when member states have continued to put national interests and agendas ahead of the European Commission. Born out of this paradox, the new stability mechanism will provide Europe with an essential means to minimise future emergencies. A fund of this kind would certainly have enabled it to avoid, or at least attenuate the damage wrought by financial market attacks on its more vulnerable member states earlier this year.
However, that does not mean all the outstanding problems have been solved. As S&uuml;ddeutsche Zeitung pointed out this week, Europe&rsquo;s leaders don&rsquo;t seem to convey the impression that they are sure of which way they are heading. Earlier this month, their divided response to a proposal to create eurozone bonds was discreet, but it nonetheless highlighted divergences between the expectations of member states and the European Central Bank, which could add to the vulnerability of Eurozone countries that are the most exposed to hostile treatment on financial markets. 
Finally, the amendment of the Lisbon Treaty was a political act of major consequence that failed to take into account the views of most of Europe&rsquo;s citizens, who are now forced to contend with the grim reality of economic crisis and austerity policies. For the Greeks and the Irish, the bailouts authorised by their European partners are a source of resentment because they will mark the advent of a period of sacrifice. For many Germans, European solidarity has amounted to little more than a means to extort their hard earned euros. And in other countries, the result of prolonged negotiations between European leaders, however useful it may be, will have little impact in the lives of those who have to cope with unemployment and declining standards of living.
Is this a matter of deficient communication or an inadequate political reponse? In 2011, Europe&rsquo;s 27 member states will have to provide an answer to this question, because the bid to overcome the crisis will not be possible without the support of Europe&rsquo;s citizens.
 (Editorial)]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Dec 2010 17:05:44 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Lisbon Treaty | How the treaty saved our skins (El País, Madrid)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/411861-how-treaty-saved-our-skins</link><description><![CDATA[In the year since the controversial treaty came into effect, Europe has been turned inside out by the crisis. Yet far from being a dead letter, Lisbon could well end up helping get us out of this mess, argues a prominent Spanish commentator (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/mayk-lisbon.jpg" length="18593" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Wed, 01 Dec 2010 01:12:44 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Eurozone | Oh no, Lisbon is back... (Presseurop, )</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/374111-oh-no-lisbon-back</link><description><![CDATA[Why decide to revise a treaty that only came into force last year? In the wake of the decision by Europe’s 27 member states, which aims to protect the single currency, the European press is far from impressed. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/coffin.jpg" length="23694" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:15:11 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Back to the drawing board? | Editorial</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/editorial/373671-back-drawing-board</link><description><![CDATA[Once again it was time to get out the pens and reword the Lisbon Treaty. On the night of 28 October, Europe&rsquo;s 27 member states agreed to accept &ldquo;limited treaty change&rdquo; with a view to the creation of the European monetary fund, which Germany has been advocating since the Greek crisis in the spring of this year. An amendment to this effect will be presented by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy at the next summit in December.
At the same time, they indefinitely postponed the introduction measures to suspend the European Council voting rights of economically non-compliant states  &ndash;  an initiative that was demanded by Berlin, but described as unacceptable by Commission President Jos&eacute; Manuel Barroso.
Many political commentators have warned about the dangers of tweaking the treaty. &nbsp;For example, what will be the impact in Ireland, where the population had to be browbeaten into approving the current version of Lisbon? Will Irish voters now have to go back to the polls at a time when the economic crisis has made them even more mistrustful of Europe? What about the Czech Republic? When you consider President Vacl&aacute;v Klaus&rsquo; dogged resistance to the treaty, can we really expect the Czechs to be enthusiastic second time round? 
Let&rsquo;s not forget that the French and the Dutch populations did not have an opportunity to vote on the treaty, which replaced a European Constitution they had previously rejected. How will they respond to a reworking of the current text, even if it is only a limited one? Isn&rsquo;t it likely that voices will be raised in many countries to demand the negotiation of a new treaty to overcome the weaknesses of Lisbon?
In short, Europe&rsquo;s leaders have opened what could be a legal Pandora&rsquo;s box. But the principle of necessity is also recognised in law, and they are right to take the opportunity to create a permanent mechanism to provide support to eurozone states in difficulty. When the single currency was created in the 1990s, no one foresaw the economic and budgetary difficulties that Europe now faces. The community method, which generates pragmatic but haphazard measures, has now reached its limit. However, in view of the urgency of the current situation, and the fact that a complete rethink of the European project and its method of operation is out of the question, the community method remains, as Churchill put it, &ldquo;less bad&rdquo; in view of the far worse alternatives.
 (Editorial)]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:11:03 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Power to the people | Editorial</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/editorial/369211-power-people</link><description><![CDATA[Among other things, the Lisbon Treaty will grant greater powers to the European Parliament. This week, the assembly flexed its new muscle on a particularly sensitive issue, the EU budget. It began by demanding a review of funding for EU institutions, which it believes should be given the means to achieve their objectives through the introduction of new European taxes. Thereafter, it voted for 5.9% increase to the EU budget: more than twice the figure expected by member states.
Hot on the heels of this initiative, MEPs concluded an inter-institutional framework agreement (FA) with the European Commission that will allow them greater powers, notably in fields of international negotiations and access to classified documents. The European Council, which deliberately stayed away from negotiations on this issue, has announced that it is contesting the validity of the FA and will file a claim with the European Court of Justice in the event that &quot;the European Commission or Parliament applies the agreement in a manner that undermines its interests and prerogatives.&quot;
The European Parliament has demonstrated its awareness of the new powers it has obtained under the Lisbon Treaty and its intention to make use of them  &ndash;  and it appears to have the support of the Commission in this regard. Only, the European Council, which directly represents EU member states, seems to be thwarted rather than empowered by the new rules. With this in mind, it is rowing against the tide to maintain the existing status quo. In the new framework defined by Lisbon, Europe&rsquo;s three major institutions are marking out their territory, and the elected representatives of Europe&rsquo;s citizens are moving quickly to claim new ground.
 (Editorial)]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Oct 2010 18:12:24 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Enlargement | One day Turkey will run the EU (Die Presse, Vienna)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/348111-one-day-turkey-will-run-eu</link><description><![CDATA[Turkey isn’t even a member yet, but deputy prime minister Ali Babacan is already demanding a leading role in Europe for his country. All you have to do is look at Turkey&#039;s economic and demographic growth to see it&#039;s likely to get what it wants, says Die Presse (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/BLEIBEL_turkey_0.jpg" length="35967" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Tue, 28 Sep 2010 16:55:11 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Czech Republic | Klaus opt-out called into question</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief-cover/347131-klaus-opt-out-called-question</link><description><![CDATA[&quot;Threat to Klaus&rsquo; Lisbon amendment,&quot; headlines Lidov&eacute; noviny. The Czech daily explains that opt-outs to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, obtained by V&aacute;clav Klaus as [&hellip;] (News in brief : cover)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/briefcover/27092010-Lidove-Noviny-100.jpg" length="16838" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:31:45 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>European Commission | Barroso, the Union&#039;s in a state (Presseurop, )</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/334461-barroso-unions-state</link><description><![CDATA[With all that has recently transpired throughout Europe, observers have been awaiting the first EU state of the union speech from its chief executive in Brussels. Though the EU is indeed slowly pulling itself out of the financial crisis, the tone of the speech reveals a marked lack of ambition, according to the European press. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/antonio-barroso.jpg" length="42968" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:37:07 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Where is the Union headed? (10)  | A multipolar union (Gazeta Wyborcza, Warsaw)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/303951-multipolar-union</link><description><![CDATA[With countries following their own national agendas, France and Germany vying for the top spot and major decisions being taken in informal meetings, divisions within the EU are deepening, argues Polish philosopher and European expert Marek Cichocki. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/Mayk-multi-c.jpg" length="37981" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:13:46 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Greek crisis | Et tu, José?</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief-cover/259411-et-tu-jose</link><description><![CDATA[For the first time ever Jos&eacute; Manuel Barroso has come out publicly against Germany, or rather amendments to the Lisbon Treaty sought by chancellor Angela [&hellip;] (News in brief : cover)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/briefcover/Dziennik-26052010.jpg" length="36781" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Wed, 26 May 2010 15:43:22 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>European Union | The plot against Lady Ashton (Presseurop, )</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/199701-plot-against-lady-ashton</link><description><![CDATA[After Jose Manuel Baroso and Herman Van Rompuy, Catherine Ashton is now the European figure that everyone loves to hate. Only a few months into her much criticised mandate as the EU&#039;s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, can she hang on? The press laments a rudderless Europe. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/Ashton-plot.JPG" length="168978" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:44:46 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Don&#039;t count on Obama magic | Editorial</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/editorial/184621-dont-count-obama-magic</link><description><![CDATA[Barack Obama will not be traveling to Brussels &ndash; or to Madrid &ndash; at the end of May to participate in the EU-US summit, and with good reason. Why should an American president, whose diary is already overloaded, participate at an event where the stakes will be largely inconsequential? Relations between Europe and the US have been very calm of late, and there are no outstanding bilateral issues to justify the cost and the diplomatic headache involved in taking a trip of this kind.
One of the reasons cited by the White House for the decision not to attend is the lack of a single counterpart for the US president on this side of the Atlantic. Leaders of Europe&#039;s member states were convinced that the Lisbon Treaty would resolve this issue, and finally launch the EU as the global power that it legitimately aspires to be. However, now that the time has come to apply the treaty and to make room on the centre stage for the institutions that Lisbon has established  &ndash;  notably the permanent President of the European Council  &ndash;  it appears that the every-man-for-himself reflex still prevails.
This was clearly the case in Copenhagen, where Europe&#039;s leaders were falling over each other to be the first to greet Obama or to stand beside him in official photos. Those with waning popularity  &ndash;  and they were not in short supply  &ndash;  did all they could to extract a declaration of friendship to boost their support at home. It was as though they were convinced that the US President had the ability to exert a miraculous influence over the polls.
The truth is that Barack Obama surrendered his magical powers when he took office in the White House. The spell that he cast over the voters in the United States has hardly any effect on such matters as the recession, the growing economic power of China and India, the dispute with Iran, and the state of play in the Middle East or Afghanistan. If Europe&#039;s heads of state want to benefit from a little Obama magic, perhaps they should ensure that EU speaks with one voice on these issues.
Gian Paolo Accardo
 (Editorial)]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:18:28 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Institutions | A million citizens can change the Union (El País, Madrid)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/172971-million-citizens-can-change-union</link><description><![CDATA[The new Lisbon Treaty authorises popular initiatives backed by at least a million signatures. But that figure will not suffice to provide a regulatory framework for this new tool of participatory democracy. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/Euopean-citizens-initiative.jpg" length="116844" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:58:04 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Moldova | First steps to Brussels</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief-cover/168601-first-steps-brussels</link><description><![CDATA[&nbsp;&quot;A European future for Moldova&quot; announces the headline in Moldovan daily Timpul, in the wake of the first round of negotiations on an association agreement [&hellip;] (News in brief : cover)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/briefcover/timpul-13012010.jpg" length="40438" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:17:45 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>European Union | Madrid faces challenges in Brussels (Presseurop, )</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/162591-madrid-faces-challenges-brussels</link><description><![CDATA[Spain is steering the ship of the Union for a six-month stint, with its sights set on two goals: finding a remedy for the recession and putting the Lisbon Treaty into effect. But the dailies El País and EL Mundo are divided over the weakened Spanish government’s odds of success in Brussels. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/zapatero-viewfinder.jpg" length="16098" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:33:41 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>After COP15 | Verhofstadt&#039;s bilingual moan</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief-cover/160771-verhofstadts-bilingual-moan</link><description><![CDATA[&ldquo;Europe is liable to become the world&rsquo;s Switzerland,&rdquo; Guy Verhofstadt worries in an op-ed piece published in the Belgian dailies Le Soir and De Morgen [&hellip;] (News in brief : cover)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/briefcover/le-soir-231209.jpg" length="46895" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:52:33 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>European Parliament | See Strasbourg and die... (La Repubblica, Rome)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/157751-see-strasbourg-and-die</link><description><![CDATA[Overheard moaning about her stint in the European Parliament, Rachida Dati, ex-French justice minister, has unwittingly raised that nagging question once again: What exactly do MEPs do and how much do they get done? (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/dati-europe.jpg" length="25899" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:12:04 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Sweden | Quite an interesting presidency (Dagens Nyheter, Stockholm)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/155571-quite-interesting-presidency</link><description><![CDATA[Sweden&#039;s EU Presidency will mainly be remembered for the final ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, but Fredrik Reinfeldt and his team also made progress on more low-profile technical issues. Dagens Nyheter presents an inventory of the achievements of what it deems to be a globally positive six-month term in office. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/reinfeldt-sweden.jpg" length="25983" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:42:44 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>All quiet on the Eastern front | Editorial</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/editorial/154571-all-quiet-eastern-front</link><description><![CDATA[Do strategic partnerships serve any real purpose? Eight months after the launch of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) with the former Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldavia and Ukraine, the EU has little to show for its efforts. And while we are on the topic, what has become of the Union for the Mediterranean? When it was announced 18 months ago, we were told that it would bring together countries on both sides of the&nbsp;Mare Nostrum &ndash; a likely story.&nbsp;The Eastern Partnership has not become a household name, not even in Brussels. Of course, you could argue that European officials have been so preoccupied by the fate of the Lisbon Treaty that they have had time for little else. On the occasion of the first meeting of the EaP on 8 December in Brussels, foreign ministers of the 27 member states along with their six counterparts from the former Soviet republics were forced to admit that they did not have much to boast about apart from the hint of a possible U-turn in the attitude of Russia, which may now consider joining the initiative &ndash; but nothing really forward looking, and certainly nothing concrete. However, there was some hope that a deal to set up a European Investment Bank fund for lending to EaP countries which was sponsored by the Czech presidency of the EU could bear fruit in 2010. The fact that a Czech, &Scaron;tefan F&uuml;le,&nbsp;has also been put in charge of the new Commission&#039;s portfolio for enlargement may also be significant. If he is to make progress, Mr F&uuml;le will have to convince the governments of several countries including Russia, that there is a point to the EaP, which Dmitri Medvedev described as &quot;useless.&quot;&nbsp;So as not to hurt our feelings the Russian President was careful to add that the EaP is &quot;not dangerous,&quot; as if we did not know that already. Let&#039;s hope that the reign of the new Commission will help the partners to overcome their fears and prejudices so that they can finally exert a positive influence on developments to the east of Europe&#039;s borders.&nbsp;I.B.G.
 (Editorial)]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:31:58 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Institutions  | The post-Lisbon paradox (Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, Warsaw)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/148401-post-lisbon-paradox</link><description><![CDATA[Now that the Lisbon Treaty has come into force, the EU must rise to the occasion if it is to be a global player. But the choice of its new helmsmen runs counter to that objective, regrets Polish political scientist Aleksander Smolar. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/balloon-europe_5.jpg" length="27655" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:39:45 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Abortion | Ireland challenged at the ECHR</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief-cover/146941-ireland-challenged-echr</link><description><![CDATA[All forms of abortion are illegal and subject (in theory) to punishment in Ireland. During this year&rsquo;s bitter Lisbon campaign many on the Catholic right [&hellip;] (News in brief : cover)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/briefcover/irish-times-301109_0.jpg" length="34406" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:46:50 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>MAYK, SYDSVENSKAN (MALMÖ) | A new chapter | Cartoon (, )</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/picture/145901-new-chapter</link><description><![CDATA[A new chapter (Cartoon)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/picture/MAYK-europe.jpg" length="146343" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:03:01 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>The coronation of Parliament | Editorial</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/editorial/145831-coronation-parliament</link><description><![CDATA[The Lisbon Treaty, which comes into force on 1 December, is going to make at least 736 people happy: viz. the members of the European Parliament, whose powers will be bolstered under the terms of the new law. In matters of justice, internal affairs and, above all, the budget and agricultural policy, MEPs will have more say and sway than ever before &ndash; though we don&rsquo;t yet know how that will affect the workings of the EU.
&ldquo;I think there&rsquo;ll be a moment of: &lsquo;My God, what the hell have we done?&rsquo;&rdquo; prophesies political scientist Hugo Brady, as recently quoted on euobserver.com. With Lisbon everything is in place to put the states back centre-stage: an end to federalist ambitions, a Commission president (Jos&eacute; Manuel Barroso), Council president (Herman Van Rompuy) and High Representative for Foreign Affairs (Catherine Ashton) handpicked so as not to eclipse the leaders of Europe&rsquo;s biggest countries. Everything, that is, except the buttressing of parliamentary prerogatives.
Giving more clout to the only elected officials in the whole Community machine is obviously a good thing. But absent a bona fide European representation &ndash; replete with parties, programmes and electoral campaigns that go beyond local issues &ndash;, this new parliamentary power is liable to be confined in its exercise to politicking purposes.
The hearings for the European commissioners designate might well give us a first taste of what is to come. We know the nominations of Van Rompuy and Ashton are, above all, the upshot of negotiations between the European right and left-wing parties. And the MEPs are already arming to take out a Commission candidate or two. Gazeta Wyborcza reports that the Czech &Scaron;tefan F&uuml;le and Hungarian L&aacute;szl&oacute; Andor are under fire for their Communist past. It would be a pity if the elected representatives, who are expected to take on concrete problems, were to let their national squabbles and the desire to assert themselves take precedence over the general weal. E.M.
 (Editorial)]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:01:30 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>European Council | Herman who? Catherine what? (Presseurop, )</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/142041-herman-who-catherine-what</link><description><![CDATA[The appointment of Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy to the post of President of the European council and British Commissioner for Trade Catherine Ashton as High Representative for Foreign Affairs has not been well received by the European press, which was hoping for more charismatic European representatives. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/van-rompuy-achtun.JPG" length="136048" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:56:16 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>EU Presidency | Express exposes Van Rompuy as "clown"</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief-cover/140361-express-exposes-van-rompuy-clown</link><description><![CDATA[In the fertile imagination of Britain&rsquo;s tabloid press, the EU is an ever-burgeoning Death Star casting a shadow over every true born Englishman&rsquo;s right to [&hellip;] (News in brief : cover)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/briefcover/091119-daily-express.jpg" length="8501" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:07:25 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>European Council | Electing the president, behind closed doors (Presseurop, )</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/140061-electing-president-behind-closed-doors</link><description><![CDATA[On 19 November, leaders of Europe&#039;s 27 member states will settle the question of who is to head the European Council and the EU&#039;s diplomatic service. However, for the European press, a process which should have marked a milestone on the road to European integration has been marred by a lack of transparency. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/Presidence-UE.JPG" length="180844" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:41:01 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>EU-Russia | Sweden pushed onto Baltic chessboard</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief-cover/139701-sweden-pushed-baltic-chessboard</link><description><![CDATA[The EU-Russian summit in Stockholm has prompted some reflections on Sweden&rsquo;s foreign and defence policy in the Svenska Dagbladet: &ldquo;Now that the Lisbon Treaty is [&hellip;] (News in brief : cover)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/briefcover/Svenka-dagbladet-181109.JPG" length="39764" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:18:13 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Institutions | A man&#039;s man&#039;s man&#039;s EU (La Stampa, Turin)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/139191-mans-mans-mans-eu</link><description><![CDATA[Though women make up the majority of the European population, they are underrepresented in key institutional posts. As the 27 convene to pick the personages to hold the highest offices in the Union, women are demanding action on the parity principle. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/gender-equality-2.jpg" length="94305" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:02:53 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>After &amp;#039;89 | Loving Europe, despairing of the EU (The Observer, London)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/134371-loving-europe-despairing-eu</link><description><![CDATA[Twenty years after the fall of Berlin Wall, the hope the event inspired is being thwarted by a European Union that seeks “to standardise behaviour and attitudes”, argues Henry Porter in the Observer. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/standard-people-2.jpg" length="189608" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:18:33 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>After Lisbon (6) | Calling the sovereignty bluff (The Guardian, London)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/131951-calling-sovereignty-bluff</link><description><![CDATA[Opponents of Lisbon have long claimed that the treaty sounds the death knell of national government. But when it comes to issues like finance, banking and public services, sovereignty doesn’t get much of a look-in from the apparently euroreluctant Tories, argues Seumas Milne in the Guardian. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/flag-uk-eu.jpg" length="22557" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:09:18 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Diplomacy  | A song for Europe, but what&#039;s the tune? (El País, Madrid)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/131661-song-europe-whats-tune</link><description><![CDATA[The Lisbon Treaty provides for the establishment of a common diplomatic service for the EU 27 presided over by a “High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy”. But the EU’s member states and various institutions have yet to figure out who’s to call the tune. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/deux-chemins-pour-europe_0.jpg" length="130136" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:01:04 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>After Lisbon | French wonder what's in Britain's pants</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief-cover/131261-french-wonder-what-s-britain-s-pants</link><description><![CDATA[Twenty three years after Jacques Chirac wondered whether the redoubtable &ldquo;housewife&rdquo; Margaret Thatcher wanted his &ldquo;balls on a plate&rdquo;, reproductive organs are once again on [&hellip;] (News in brief : cover)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/briefcover/guardian-051109.jpg" length="48229" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:23:28 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Lisbon Treaty | Signed at last, time to move on (Presseurop, )</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/131031-signed-last-time-move</link><description><![CDATA[With the Czech President&#039;s signature on Tuesday, it is now certain the the Lisbon Treaty will come into force on 1st of December. The EU has been given the tools for a new reign of more efficient governance, however, the European press warns that the treaty will bring about progress only if European leaders change their ways. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/klaus-signature-traite-lisbonne.jpg" length="192133" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:26:32 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Lisbon Treaty | "Iron-clad" Cameron in EU climb-down</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief-cover/129731-iron-clad-cameron-eu-climb-down</link><description><![CDATA[On the day Czech president Vacl&agrave;v Klaus has finally put his signature to the Lisbon Treaty, the Daily Telegraph leads with a report that British [&hellip;] (News in brief : cover)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/briefcover/daily-telegraph-091103.jpg" length="6984" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:32:11 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>After Lisbon (5) | EU presidency: Round 1 (Presseurop, )</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/127531-eu-presidency-round-1</link><description><![CDATA[Though the topic will not be on the agenda at the European Council meeting in Brussels starting 29 October, it’s bound to be on everyone’s mind. Who will be the next face of the EU? The voice that answers on that famed “single telephone number” that Henry Kissinger wanted, in vain, for Europe? The European press are placing their bets. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/boxing.jpg" length="19197" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:23:17 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Divided we fall silent | Editorial</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/editorial/123251-divided-we-fall-silent</link><description><![CDATA[Now that the Czech President V&aacute;clav Klaus seems resigned to ratifying the Lisbon Treaty, the entire European Union seems to be breathing a sigh of relief. Optimists will say that the European project is destined at last to become reality, that the EU can finally live up to its ambitions and make itself heard. However, others will point-out that during this very same week the Union once again demonstrated that it was unable to speak with a single, united voice.
On the 20th October, negotiations between Europe&#039;s finance ministers &ndash; on the issue of how much financial aid the EU should give to developing nations so they can fight global warming &ndash; failed. Even a sum revised downwards by half, compared to the one estimated by experts (&euro;30 bn), could not be approved: too many states are worried that contributions will not be divided evenly. Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos termed this lack of consensus &quot;shameful&quot;, while his Swedish counterpart said he was &quot;very disappointed&quot;.
The following day history repeated itself, when the ministers for the environment were unable to reach an agreement on the thorniest issue: greenhouse gas emission rights not used by Central European states. Negotiations also show that &quot;small&quot; states tend to shift the weight of responsibility on the backs of &quot;big&quot; states. While the recent failure on the part of the finance ministers could be put down chiefly to the reluctance of Germany as it awaits the formation of a new government, one can&#039;t help thinking that foot shuffling elsewhere is merely a pretext to postpone the adoption of a joint position, and a lack of political will to reach a consensus. In the run-up to such events like the Copenhagen conference on climat change, it above all betrays an inability to understand that if Europe does not speak in unison, it will never be heard. J.S.
 (Editorial)]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:17:53 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Czech Republic | Nation rallies behind Klaus</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief-cover/118481-nation-rallies-behind-klaus</link><description><![CDATA[Leading with the headline, &quot;Klaus fighting for us! say Czechs,&ldquo;&nbsp;Lidov&eacute; Noviny reports on an exclusive survey, which indicates that the Czech President&#039;s sabotage of the [&hellip;] (News in brief : cover)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/briefcover/lidove-noviny-161009.jpg" length="41564" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:31:17 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Czar Klaus | Editorial</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/editorial/118171-czar-klaus</link><description><![CDATA[Suspend the Czech Republic from the Union, relegate it to the fringes&hellip;proposed sanctions on Prague for President V&aacute;clav Klaus&rsquo; refusal to ratify the Lisbon Treaty are pouring into Brussels. But should the Czechs have to pay for their president?
The powers of the head of state are limited and his role should be purely representative. But V&aacute;clav Klaus&rsquo; belief in his intellectual superiority constantly leads him to confuse his office with his opinions, which he cannot help reasserting at every opportunity. And for the sake of self-glorification, he has no qualms about upholding ideas that run counter to majority opinion. A case in point: although global warming is a given for the world&rsquo;s scientific and political community, Mr Klaus puts out books explaining that in fact the planet is cooling off.
Same story with Lisbon: even though the Czechs wish to ratify the treaty, the president is holding out. Not only that, he turns his back on Europe and flies off to Moscow to open up the Czech nuclear sector to Russian companies. So what if he is not popular in Europe: Klaus will be &ldquo;the human impasse&rdquo;, flexing his muscles and exulting in the fleeting feeling of power that gives him. And this tactic is working, seeing as he remains popular at home, according to a recent poll in the Czech daily Lidov&eacute; Noviny.
On the eve of his re-election in 2008 &ndash; by parliament, not by universal suffrage &ndash; the weekly Respekt suggested Klaus see a shrink about his narcissistic bent, which renders him incapable of sticking to the role conferred on him by the Constitution. Already viewed askance by Europe as a country that is more than a little &ldquo;exotic&rdquo;, the Czech Republic is the big loser in this situation, seeing as the pressure from Brussels is only reinforcing Klaus in his narcissism, whilst that narcissism is isolating the country a little more still, and the debate about Europe is being eclipsed by ad hominem quarrels. M.B.
 (Editorial)]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:42:37 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>United Nations | Why not a permanent seat for the EU? (La Stampa, Turin)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/116911-why-not-permanent-seat-eu</link><description><![CDATA[The new German government no longer wants a permanent seat for Germany on the UN Security Council, but plans to obtain one for the European Union instead. Meanwhile, Italy&#039;s former ambassador to the UN, Francesco Paolo Fulci, explains how the EU could exert greater influence on Security Council decisions. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/Security-Council-mural.jpg" length="167252" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:16:27 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>European Commission | Portfolio season begins (Presseurop, )</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/116611-portfolio-season-begins</link><description><![CDATA[In a bid to satisfy all of the contenders for a place in the future European Commission, President Barroso plans to create four new portfolios. But, as at least one commentator in the European press has humorously remarked, perhaps the real value of a commission post should be determined by counting the number of gifts received by the previous commissioner. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/jose-manuel-barroso-noel.jpg" length="51588" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:25:19 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>Czech Republic | What&#039;s to be done with Václav Klaus?</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief-cover/114271-whats-be-done-vaclav-klaus</link><description><![CDATA[Now that the Polish president, Lech Kaczyński, ratified the Lisbon Treaty on 10 October, V&aacute;clav Klaus is the odd man out. After having aired fears [&hellip;] (News in brief : cover)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/briefcover/lidové-noviny-120909.JPG" length="43973" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:44:43 +0100</pubDate></item>
<item><title>After Lisbon (4) | EU top diplomat, a much better job (The Daily Telegraph, London)</title><link>http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/113791-eu-top-diplomat-much-better-job</link><description><![CDATA[With cross the board ratification of the Lisbon treaty imminent, Con Coughlin in the Daily Telegraph points out that even with Tony Blair as first EU president, the role will be largely ceremonial. Real power will be concentrated in the hands of the High Representative for foreign and security policy. (Article)]]></description><enclosure url="http://www.presseurop.eu/files/images/article/ferrero-europe.jpg" length="46593" type="image/jpeg" /><pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:33:41 +0100</pubDate></item>
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