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News and Events
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Article: May 20, 2012By Mark Valladares
"When your neighbours are Turkey (border closed due to genocide), Azerbaijan (border closed due to war), Iran and Georgia, the temptation towards authoritarianism is strong."
A review of the ELDR Council in Armenia, by Mark Valladares
Read the article here: http://www.libdemvoice.org/eldr-council-between-a-rock-and-some-very-hard-places-indeed-28572.html#utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email
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Article: May 17, 2012By Carol WeaverMembers of the LDEG executive including George Dunk, Carol Weaver and Jonathan Fryer took part in the ELDR Party Council meeting in Yerevan last weekend soon after Armenia's parliamentary elections. LDEG chair Phil Bennion MEP also spoke at a fringe event on 'Making Liberal Climate and Resource Policies Work'.
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Article: May 10, 2012In European Movement
1. Decision by EU ministers to raise the lending power of EU bail-out funds to €700 billion prompted the IMF dig deeper as well.2. Almost half of Irish people have refused to pay a household tax imposed as part of EU-IMF-mandated savings measures.3. The European Parliament is trying to cultivate a "European identity", with top officials saying that it is needed to ensure a lasting union.4. Polish foreign minister Sikorski has said the EU could unravel and the US might quit NATO, leaving Poland alone to face Russia.5. No absolute majority emerged from the Greek Parliamentary election on Sunday 6 May, with only 18.85% for New Democracy and 13.18% for PASOK. The ultra-nationalist party Golden Dawn obtained 6.97% wining 21 seats in the Parliament.6. The EU's top scientist chairing a panel on new medicines has resigned after being fired from France's national regulator, itself under fire over unsafe diabetes drugs and breast implants.7. ECB chief Mario Draghi on Wednesday 04 April said talk of an exit strategy from the one-trillion-euro cheap loans programme was "premature", but warned that this was no substitute for reforms.8. France, Germany and Italy have jointly forecast the eurozone recession will end in spring, with meagre growth in summer.9. Eurozone unemployment reached 10.8 percent in February 2012, the highest level since the currency was introduced in 1999. Youngsters remain the most affected, with every second Spaniard under 25 unable to find a job.10. The MEP charged with scrutiny of the 'Acta' treaty has called for a boycott, raising prospects that Parliament will kill it in June or July.11. Austrian centre-right MEP Othmar Karas has called for an end to massive bankers' bonuses, which in some cases amount to 10 times the basic salary.12. Leading NGOs and the Council of Europe all spoke out against the 'Acta' anti-counterfeiting pact at a European Parliament hearing on Wednesday 18 April.13. Spain's plan to cut €10 billion more off its budget has failed to stop speculation it could be next in line for a bail-out.14. Socialist Francois Hollande won on Sunday 6 May the French presidential elections with 51.63% of votes, against Nicolas Sarkozy who obtained 48.37%.15. Talks on budget cuts have collapsed in the Netherlands, creating the likelihood of snap elections after the summer recess.16. The Spanish government approved €10 billion worth of spending cuts and increased fees for education and health.17. MEPs grudgingly voted in favour of a new air data agreement with the US, ending what had become a major security-versus-privacy debate. -
Article: May 10, 2012
In a vote to clear the EU's budget for 2010, MEPs have today sent out another strong message of support for a single working location of the European Parliament.
EU Member States continue to veto a single seat for the European Parliament despite the fact that it would achieve estimated savings of € 180million (£145million) a year.
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Article: May 10, 2012By Corlett Neil - Tel:+32 2 284 20 77
Today the European Parliament approved a report on the future of regional airports. The text sets out for the first time a framework and a definition for regional airports, which are increasingly proving to be key in boosting competitiveness and in promoting European regional development.
MEP Giommaria Uggias (Italia dei Valori, Italy) ALDE spokesperson on this dossier said: "With this report the European Parliament stresses the vital role that regional airports can play in reinforcing European cohesion policy and EU territorial continuity. In addition, regional airports can act as catalysts for the creation of new jobs, especially in the most depressed and less developed areas of Europe ".
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Article: May 1, 2012By The European Movement
The European Issue 29, April 2012The European is the European Movement's monthly journal, published jointly with the Institute of Contemporary European Studies.The European Viewby Petros Fassoulas, European MovementAnother quarter, another set of negative GDP figures, another drop back in recession for the British economy. The much talked about but yet elusive recovery seems to be slipping away from our grasp once again. Many, especially those on the left side of the political spectrum, will tell you this was inevitable. No surprise. Nor is it surprising that the government has been quick in coming out and blaming everyone else for the state of the British economy. That is what politicians, of all political colours and predispositions, do best.Patients sans frontièresby John Bowis, former MEP and Chairman of the Conservative Europe GroupConservative European policy was in action at the recent Strasbourg Plenary. The Report on Patients' Rights in Cross Border Healthcare sailed through its final European Parliament stages with support from the Council of Ministers. This is a piece of legislation I am particularly proud of because it was written and steered through its First Reading by me, just a few weeks before I left the Parliament in July 2009.E-commerce and postal services: will the dynamism of the new economy be constrained by remaining rigidities in traditional services?by Anett Molnar and David Stubbs, ESL Network UKThe EU has committed to doubling the level of e-commerce by 2015, both in terms of online sales and in terms of the share of online trade within the overall economy. However, there are concerns that this growth is being hampered by remaining obstacles in the traditional services.Small steps towards a truly integrated European foreign policyby Guillermo Serrano, Researcher, European MovementOn 16 April 2012 Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez announced the nationalisation of 51% of Argentine oil company YPF shares owned by the Spanish oil giant Repsol. The official announcement came after several months of speculations triggering a diplomatic storm between Spain and Argentina.European Movement
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Article: May 1, 2012By Various/Ian Bearder
Throughout April the Social Europe Journal has been running an online debate about Britain's role in Europe.
The debate is presented in a series of articles/essays available of the SEJ website: http://www.social-europe.eu/category/debate-2/britain-in-europe-debate/
As the name suggests, the SEJ is a left wing think-tank but the topics may be of interest to anyone interested in Britain's relationship with the European Union. Topics include:
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Document: Apr 28, 20121.92 MiB drawing or desktop publishing document
In this edition, slightly delayed due to the editor's accession to the European Parliament:
THE LOW CARBON ROADMAP FOR EUROPE: Chris Davies reports on his surprising success in getting the main party groups in the European Parliament to line up behind a strategy to cut emissions by up to 95% by 2050. The British Conservatives, showing their true colours, opposed it!
NEW LIB DEM EURO MPs: Phil Bennion and Rebecca Taylor take their seats and put jobs and trade as their top priority
THE EU BUDGET: George Lyon on why EU governments can't have their cake and eat it in looking for cuts.
WHY TUNISIAN DEMOCRACY MATTERS: Phil Bennion and a Parliamentary delegation find encouraging signs in the crucible of the Arab Revolution.
DOUZE POINTS FOR FREEDOM!: Graham Watson launches a twitter campaign and petition highlighting the human rights abuses in Azerbaijan, hosts of Eurovision this year.
MEPS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN TO BOOST SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESS: Time to put small business top of the agenda, says Sharon Bowles.
GREECE NEEDS REFORM NOT YET MORE TAXES: Liberal leaders back a brave call by the new Democratic Alliance in Athens to end the clientilism of the Greek state and link bail-out cash to much-needed reforms of the economy.
LOW COST AIRLINES NEED TO TACKLE TRAFFICKING: Catherine Bearder is stepping up her campaign against human trafficking gangs.
JACK STRAW: Fiona Hall takes the Labour dinosaur to task over his call to scrap the European Parliament.
LIB DEMS SAY NO TO NEW INTERNET LAW: Lib Dem Euro MPs line up to deliver the killer blow to new anti-counterfeit legislation (ACTA) that many campaigners fear would drastically affect internet freedom.
MORE ACTION TO CUT ROAMING BILLS: Parliament keeps up the pressure to stop profiteering mobile phone companies charging the earth for international calls and data downloads.
#EPtransparency : Andrew Duff campaigns for named and published votes in European Parliament committees.
CRIME GANGS FACE ASSET-STRIPPING THREAT: Sarah Ludford welcomes EU commission plans to tighten laws on seizing illegal assets from criminal gangs.
and a round-up of hard-to-find news of Liberal parties in and out of government across Europe.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR! Are you outraged or enthused by a news item in Eurofile? Do you think our MEPs should be taking a different line? Then why not write to Eurofile and tell our thousands of readers what you think!
Eurofile is published five times a year by the Lib Dem European Group. It is edited by Phil Bennion MEP and designed by Ben Jephcott and is published as a low or medium resolution pdf file. -
Article: Apr 27, 2012By Catherine Bearder MEP
Catherine Bearder MEP
After careful consideration, Lib Dem MEPs have decided to reject the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in the European Parliament. There is now a majority in the Parliament that will reject the ratification of this plurilateral treaty originally designed to establish international standards for intellectual property rights.
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Article: Apr 25, 2012
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament announced today that it cannot support ACTA (the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement).
Guy Verhofstadt, ALDE group leader said that "Although we unambiguously support the protection of intellectual property rights, we also champion fundamental rights and freedoms. We have serious concerns that ACTA does not strike the right balance."
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