July 12, 2007 | The danger of a militarised EU. An Irish point of view

At the issue of the June summit which was held on June 21 to 22 the EU elite agreed on the terms of reference of the new treaty which is to be drafted during the Portuguese presidency before the end of 2007. Defeated by the French and Dutch people during the 2005 referendums, the EU elite agreed on the terms of reference for a new treaty which is 90 to 95% the same as the one already defeated, but which they say no longer needs a referendum! The only state, where there will definitely be a referendum, is the Republic of Ireland, probably in May 2008.

July 05, 2007 | The EUDemocrats adopt their Political Demands

Following a majority vote in the annual party Congress on June 22nd, the EUDemocrats Assembly has adopted an in-depth version of its political demands. Based on the four pillars that constitute the basis of the party, the political demands consist in a serie of concrete demands on transparency (14 demands), subsidiarity (8 demands), democracy (6 demands) and diversity (2 demands). These demands are the result of a solid research work led by our staff in Brussels for the past few months.

June 25, 2007 | From the draft Constitution to the Reform Treaty

"What counts for me is that we have emerged from paralysis" German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the end of the European Summit on Sunday morning. It seems that, although the previous draft of the Constitution was facing fierce opposition, the Heads of State and Governments have emerged with an acceptable solution. The plan is to write a Reform Treaty before the end of 2007 and to have it ratified by all member states by 2009, before the European elections.

June 15, 2007 | A European Constitution: Sooner or Later?

Since the French and the Dutch No to the European Constitution, the future of the latter has been uncertain. Indeed, Member States agreed to a period of reflection. This period ended with the Austrian presidency and was completely forgotten by the German one. As we have already stated on the website, it seems that the general conception is for a European Constitution at any cost. However, since the first wave of ratifications, many political changes have taken place. Are they significant? Will they change the outcome of the race for a Constitution?

May 23, 2007 | The Future of Europe is in good hands

On the 22nd of May, in Strasbourg, MEPs met around the Prime Minister of Italy, Mr. Romano Prodi to talk about the Future of Europe. In a very motivated speech, Mr. Prodi highlighted what he thought was important. First, he reinstated the necessity of having renewed institutions in order to deal with the enlargement of the EU. He also argued that those who voted in favour of the Constitution represent more than half of European citizens and that they should also be listened to. The EU is in serious need of reform and the countries that are ready to begin further integration should be allowed to do so even if it means leaving some countries behind.

May 15, 2007 | Is democracy only fine when its outcomes suit political leaders?

On Saturday, in Portugal, Angela Merkel reiterated for the hundredth time that it was a matter of urgency to find an agreement on the future of the European Constitution. The new deadline is the end of June which is quite short notice since many European countries are currently undergoing political changes (the latest being the UK with the eminent departure of Tony Blair). Other than this obvious lack of realism, the attitudes of Merkel and her followers are difficult to understand in so-called democracies.

May 07, 2007 | The French have chosen!

On the 6th of May 2007 at 20.00, the face of the new president of France was unveiled on the national television with right wing Nicolas Sarkozy obtaining 53.06%, a confortable advance on her leftist rival Segolene Royal who collected 46.94% of the votes. Commenting Sarkozy's victory French paper Le Monde stresses a methodic campaign, describing UMP leader as someone who hates to lose, voluntarily unpredicable and omnipresent in the media. But the reasons for this victory also have to do with the system of values promoted by Sarkozy, reconciliating the right-wing electorate with itself and denouncing the politically correct speech that characterises the French left.

May 02, 2007 | EU tax commissioner to propose single EU company tax base

EUobserver reports that EU tax commissioner Laszlo Kovacs is to propose the introduction of a single EU company tax base, a proposal that is expected to cause a clash within the college of 27 commissioners as well as with EU member states. According to Mr. Kovacs report, an EU-wide tax base could make a significant contribution to the success of the internal market, because companies operating across the 27 bloc would see their administrative burden reduced while cross-border activities and foreign investment would be boosted.

April 25, 2007 | Biofuel won't save the environment

Climate change due to global warming has become quite a sensitive issue among the European public. In an attempt to show they care, EU leaders have, in the framework of the Lisbon agenda, taken various commitments for energy efficiency and reduction of CO2 emissions. Thus, the Council of Ministers has committed itself to an independent decrease of 20% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 compared with 1990 or a binding target of a 20% share of renewable energies in overall EU energy consumption by 2020. Because they are presented as a renewable energy that produces zero emissions, biofuels are part of both strategies.

April 16, 2007 | The Sword of Damocles Threatening Civil Liberties

Over the last few years, in the absence of significant threat there has been a growing political will to create a European army and to strengthen our stance against terrorism and transnational crime all the while decreasing our civil liberties. The origin of this trend is to be found across the Atlantic in the war on terror declared by President Bush after the 09/11 attacks. However, analysts now believe that the war on terror was a mistake from the beginning as it didn't fulfil its main declared objective: to ensure security. So why is Europe following the same path as the US?

March 29, 2007 | The Alternative Berlin Declaration

At the end of the Berlin Conference on March 23-25 2007, the EUDemocrats, along with the other organisers, presented the "Alternative Berlin Declaration". This declaration intends to counter the official Declaration of the heads of state and claims solutions to the real problems the EU is facing.

March 28, 2007 | The 50 years of the Treaty of Rome or How to domesticate the people

This week end's celebrations of the fifty years of the Treaty of Rome witness the attempts made by the EU leaders to redress their reputation towards a growing discouragement in the public. The Berlin PR event was indeed well drafted: a village had been built with various tents, offering specialties from all twenty seven countries and advertising for leading civil society organisations. A concert took place under the Brandenburg door featuring artists from all over Europe and an information track was reproducing the most important dates in the history of the EU.

March 20, 2007 | Launching the EU Lobbyists' register

In accordance with its previous commitments, the Commission has launched a strategy to improve transparency in the decision-making process. One of the most criticized part of this process concerns the influence acquired by the 15.000 lobyists based in Brussels who provide information and influence to the various DGs inside the Commission. In order to tackle the phenomena and soothe the critics, the Commission is planning to activate on March 21st a blueprint for a lobbyists register with the aim of creating a website listing all PR consultancies, in-house corporate staff and public interest NGOs as well as their clients or donors and the fees or budget they get to influence EU policy.

February 27, 2007 | Parliament initiative: Utopia or reality?

Tackling the monopoly of the Commission to propose EU laws has been an issue for some MEPs for more than a decade but any proposal to change the status of the Commission provokes reactions that usually range between indignation and contempt. It is not that the EU leaders are opposed to any change, the reason behind these reactions is more likely to be found in the will to preserve the symbols of the European construction, among which the Commission certainly holds the first position. The shape of the European institutions was decided in a time where efficient action and proactive move towards integration were needed.

February 26, 2007 | The No did not bring the crisis; the crisis brought the No!

"Initiative for a European Constituent Assembly" is the name of a conference held in Paris on February 23rd and 24th attended by EUD staff. The Event was organized by Jean-Luc Melenchon, socialist senator in France and president of "Pour la Republique Sociale" and Oskar Lafontaine, Deputy and head of the group "Die Linke" in the German Bundestag. The debates on Friday 23rd and the presence of Member of Parliament from several European countries allowed the public to have an overview of the situation characterizing the relationship between the EU and their national country.

February 16, 2007 | When the EU started to look at the stars

Subsidiarity is a principle according to which the decisions are to be taken as closely as possible from the citizens. Although it is one of the principles of the European Union a growing number of people are concerned about the reality of its implementation in the integration process. Signs show that, despite a Treaty anchor of subsidiarity, the EU is conducted by another principle which results in a self-initiated growing appropriation of competences to the detriment of local, regional or national authorities.

February 14, 2007 | Member States choking investigation on CIA flights

MEPs have voted favourably to a highly critical report accusing 14 Member States of accepting and concealing illegal actions conducted by the CIA from 2001 to 2005 such as transporting presumed terrorists using European airspace. The debate in the EP was nevertheless tumultuous, with 382 MEPs in favour, 256 against and 74 abstentions. Inside the Parliament, most of the critics came from the centre-right group who believed the report is biased, anti-American and lacking evidence.

February 06, 2007 | The EU: between National interest and economic lobbies

In the past few weeks, the European Commission has been searching for effective measures in order to involve the car industry in the efforts to tackle climate change. Because of the poor results obtained by this industry to voluntarily reduce CO2 emissions to 140 grams per kilometer by 2008, Environment Commissioner Mr. Stavros Dimas has proposed to set up a binding and fixed amount of emissions to 120 grams per kilometer by 2012.

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