November 02, 2006 | The EU Constitution will not be ratified in Germany

The German Supreme Court announced this Tuesday that it will postpone the decision about the destiny of the EU Constitution in Germany. The Court's decision will be delayed until after there is final agreement on the Constitution at a political level, stating that it did not want to influence the political decision making process.

October 26, 2006 | Since 12 years in a row: No discharge of the EU's budget

This week the European Court of Auditors (ECA) has refused the discharge of the EU's budget for 12 years in a row. Its report cites "weak internal controls for the majority of EU expenditure, both within Member States and at the Commission, and a high incidence of errors in the underlying transactions".

October 18, 2006 | 54% of UK business doubts benefit of single market

A new ICM poll of 1,000 UK Chief Executives, commissioned by the British think tank Open Europe, finds that businesses feel that the European Union is moving in the wrong direction, and producing too much costly regulation. According to the poll 52% think the EU is failing; 54% think EU over-regulation outweighs the benefit of the Single Market. The survey finds that businesses think the cost of implementing EU regulations now outweighs the benefit of the Single Market they are supposed to create. Even the businesses which do the most trade in other EU countries feel the same way. To improve the situation 93% think it is a good idea to reduce the amount of bureaucracy the EU produces and 89% think clear fixed limits on the powers of the EU should be established.

October 12, 2006 | Berlin will be a symbol of the new Europe

After a meeting with the president of the EU Commission Jose Manuel Barroso in Berlin (11 October) German Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed her views that she is against the procedure to adopt only single parts of the constitution. Therefore "the German presidency should have the goal of facilitating agreement on a roadmap, a timeframe, a way to proceed, and I want us to be very ambitious in engaging this goal", said Merkel. But she made very clear that she wants to stick to the concept of a Constitution: "The final result should be a structure that is deserving of the word constitutional treaty, it should not only be a institutional regulation how to vote in the future".

October 11, 2006 | EU to launch 7 million Euro anniversary PR campaign

Austrian daily Die Presse reports that the EU intends to use its upcoming 50th anniversary next year to win back the hearts of the European citizens, with more than 7 million Euro being earmarked for an ambitious PR campaign.

October 11, 2006 | EU Commissioner Mandelson wants to avoid asking the people

Mandelson prefers to adopt only theses parts of the EU Constitution that could pass without the need to ask the people. Mandelson: "Anything that crosses the threshold of requiring a referendum will immediately run into difficulties".

October 11, 2006 | From 2009 children could be obliged to give fingerprints

EU states will be free to fingerprint children from day one of their life as soon as it is technologically possible. EU documents revealed by Statewatch say that - "scanning of fingerprints: up to 12 years of age.." should be possible "if provided for by national legislation..." "From 12 years of age:" it shall be "compulsory".

October 11, 2006 | Will authorities certify you to be a "good guy"?

EU ministers want airlines to provide advance passenger lists for all flights inside Europe as well as in and out of Europe, including domestic routes. These will be checked against the "biometric identifier" - electronic eye scan or fingerprint - in the passenger's passport or identity card when they check in.

October 11, 2006 | Millions of euros in EU aid falls into hands of Italian fraudsters

Convicted of taking EU subsidies of more than €50 million by fraud between 2000 and 2004, the EU even granted another tranche of €17 million to an Italian fraudster to set up another false company while on bail.

October 11, 2006 | Germany's desperate search for content

According to unconfirmed information Angela Merkel wants to submit a lean version of the EU Constitution in June 2007. But the new document shall not be named a constitution.

October 11, 2006 | Frattini keen to speed up EU anti-terror machine

EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini has said that EU member states need to give up their veto over criminal justice and policing in order to prevent another terrorist attack.

October 11, 2006 | "Wise men" to solve EU crisis

A group of "wise men" namely ex-PMs Giuliano Amato (I), Paavo Lipponen (FIN) and Wim Kok (NL) plus EU Commissioners Danuta Hubner and Margot Wallstom plus ex-commissioner Chris Patten (UK), ex-foreign minister Michel Barnier (F) and ex-justice minister Otto Schily (D) meet to come up with solutions for EU's institutional crisis.

October 11, 2006 | Sometimes the control over the apparatus is lost

Verheugen: The more commissioners there are, the to more Directorates General there will be and that is the problem. The whole development of the last decades brought in such an authority for the civil servants that it is in the meantime the most important political task of the 25 commissioners to control the apparatus. And sometimes control over the apparatus is lost. There is a constant struggle for power between commissioners and high ranking civil servants.

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