July 31, 2008
Collapse of the Doha Round after seven years of negotiation must have been a major disappointment for the European Commission. As the Barroso team moves towards the twilight year of its five year term a positive result in Geneva would have somewhat alleviated the gloom following the Irish referendum, the suspension of the […]
Posted by Michael Berendt
July 24, 2008
Serbia really has chosen the path to EU membership. Last week’s arrest of Radovan Karadzic was the clearest evidence yet of the new coalition government’s commitment to a mainstream European destiny for their country. Significantly, the move followed the appointment of a new chief for the Serbian intelligence services.
Commissioner Olli Rehn wanted to send […]
Posted by Michael Berendt
So a new Club Med is born! More than 40 presidents and/or prime ministers turned up in Paris on July 13 for the launch of the Union for the Mediterranean. It was a welcome diplomatic triumph for President Sarkozy, embattled as he is by a disillusioned and critical French public opinion.
When asked many years […]
Posted by Michael Berendt
July 10, 2008
I see that the French National Assembly has agreed a compromise proposal on the accession referendum, which will give the President the power to opt for the people or the parliament to approve Turkish membership.
The clause requiring a popular vote for any new accession increasing the EU population by 5 per cent will remain […]
Posted by Michael Berendt
July 3, 2008
I may be sceptical about the timetable for EU enlargement of the European Union following Ireland’s referendum, but there has been one welcome development as France takes over the presidency: the French Senate has voted by 297 votes to seven to scrap the obligation to hold a national referendum over Turkish membership.
The issue is […]
Posted by Michael Berendt
Blogging commentary on current events from the perspective of someone who has been closely involved with the policies, the policy-makers and the whole complex network of people who make the process of European integration so exciting and absorbing.
