The EURCP-European Union Review & Call to Prayer- August 2007

Newsletter publishers: Hugh & Norma Davis [Not directed by any other ministry] http://www.euprayer.com/ WEB page now updated

Support 14 prayer walls in Europe Emmanuel Duvieusart, Pasteur fondateur, “Sentinelles De Priere”   

email info@sentinelles.info  web http://ccea.sentinelles.free.fr/US/– [Monthly in five other languages]

These are prayer category numbers. Read the article with*, and pray as God leads you.

1 PRAY for the prayer movements in the nations of Europe*

2 PRAY for all EU governments & the European Union*

3 PRAY for the enlargement policies of the EU*

4 PRAY for family and Human Rights policies of the EU*

5 PRAY for the Mideast policies of the EU*

6 PRAY for the immigration policies of the EU*

7 PRAY for effective EU policies on terrorism*

A Europa discussion page: Why not get involved? http://ec.europa.eu/comm/coreservices/forum/index.cfm?forum=debateeurope&lang=en

There may be room for a Christian witness and prayer encouragement.

 

Social Policy in the EU – A long list of subjects deserving prayer.

http://www.eubusiness.com/social/atct_topic_view?b_start:int=60&-C=

 Latest news about Social Policy in the European Union

 

The European Union - A Bibliography – Prayer with knowledge

http://www.mun.ca/ceuep/EU-bib.html

 Osvaldo Croci, Department of Political Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland

 

1. Prayer insights from YWAM

weekly word

Subject: ww23july2007 As good as it gets?

Date: 7/24/2007 3:46:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time

From: jeff@ywam.eu

[EXCERPT-  contact thru email for a subscription  ]

-1 After the French Revolution, 'secularisation' adopted an anti-Church, anti-clerical, anti-Christian and anti-God stance. As a belief that life should be lived without reference to God and faith, secularism eventually emerged to dominate much of late 20th century European thought. Personal belief was privatised, and not permitted to interfere with public life and functions.

-The 'secularisation myth' became widely accepted as the inevitability of religion in the face of advancing modernity.  In 1968, sociologist Peter Berger had predicted in The New York Times that before the end of the century, religious believers were likely to be found 'only in small sects, huddled together to resist a worldwide secular culture'.

-However, by 1999 he had changed his tune, admitting that such an assumption was false and that the world today was as furiously religious as it ever was!

  Together we worked our way through John Coffey's Cambridge Paper, 'Is secularisation inevitable?' (see www.jubilee-centre.org/cambridgepapers) to read his conclusion that, although Christianity in the West had taken a severe battering in the last three centuries, today there were signs of life and good reasons to be encouraged.

-Islam, and its radical form Islamism, was the second challenge we examined. Orientalist Bernard Lewis was our mentor as we read  and discussed his 2007 Irving Kristol Lecture on our laptops, fed by long extension cords into the garden. We were conscious that Islam, a subject long thought to be the domain of the mission-minded, had come to stay in Europe. Of all people, Christians had to do their homework to understand the major shifts taking place under our noses. [Write email for full article]

 

PRAY FOR THE ONGOING DEVELOPMENT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION OF PRAYER

Subject: NIGHTWATCH FOR EUROPE week beginning Sunday 5th August 2007

Date: 8/2/2007 6:34:56 AM Eastern Daylight Time

From: admin@passion.org.uk

The next meeting of the European Union of Prayer will be held in Lisbon from 10th - 15th September 2007. Lisbon is the chosen venue as the six-monthly revolving presidency of the EU has now shifted from Germany to Portugal. Pray for unity, strategic prayer and guidance for the future for all who meet. Ortwin Schweizer is the leader of the EU of Prayer

The EU of Prayer has partly developed out of the EURCP: European Union Review & Call to Prayer EURCP@aol.com   Pray for Hugh and Norma Davies from the USA as they continue to put together this valuable resource for informed and strategic prayer for our continent.

 

2 EU Governmental affairs

Portugal holds firm on EU Treaty mandate 

http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/portugal-holds-firm-eu-treaty-mandate/article-165449

Published: Wednesday 11 July 2007 | Updated: Friday 13 July 2007

The Portuguese EU Presidency has vowed to stick a hard-won June agreement to draft an EU Reform Treaty, amid concerns that Poland might ask to reopen discussions on voting rights in the Council.

In June, EU heads of state and government agreed on a detailed mandate  for an Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) to reform the EU's institutions. The 'Reform Treaty' seeks to overcome a two-year institutional impasse following the French and Dutch 'No' votes on the proposed EU Constitution in 2005.

[READ CONTINUED WEB LINK]

 

MEPs: IGC must make EU able to act

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/003-9680-211-07-31-901-20070720IPR09679-30-07-2007-2007-false/default_en.htm

Intergovernmental Conference - 23-07-2007 - 16:23

 The Intergovernmental Conference which is to draw up changes to the EU Treaties must result in a European Union which is able to act efficiently and decisively. It should therefore adhere strictly to the political agreement reached by the EU Heads of State and Government at their June summit, said Elmar Brok (EPP-ED, DE) on behalf of the European Parliament in his statement at the opening session of the IGC.

 [READ CONTINUED WEB LINK]

 

Margot Wallström Vice President of the European Commission

responsible for Institutional affairs and communication strategy

European Parliament opinion on the convening of the IGC

European Parliament Plenary

Strasbourg, 11 July 2007

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/07/484&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Mr President, Honourable Members,

Dear Mr Leinen, Only a few months ago, not many observers were fully convinced that the European Council could successfully re-launch the Treaty review process. Opinion across Europe was fragile and there were wide divergences of views. [READ CONTINUED WEB LINK]

 

The European Union Council, Brussels, 23 June 2007

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/cms3_applications/Applications/newsRoom/LoadDocument.asp?directory=en/ec/&filename=94932.pdf_______________________

Presidency Conclusions – Brussels, 21/22 June 2007

The meeting of the European Council was preceded by an exposé by the President of the European

Parliament, Mr Hans-Gert Pöttering, followed by an exchange of views.

1. Europe is united in its resolve that only by working together can we represent our interests

and goals in the world of tomorrow. The European Union is determined to contribute its ideas

of a sustainable, efficient and just economic and social order to the global process.

2. The European Union faces a twofold responsibility. In order to secure our future as an active

player in a rapidly changing world and in the face of ever-growing challenges, we have to

maintain and develop the European Union's capacity to act and its accountability to the

citizen. That is why we have to focus our efforts on the necessary internal reform process. At

the same time, the European Union is called upon to shape European policy here and now for

the benefit of Europe's citizens. [READ CONTINUED WEB LINK]

 

Foreign ministers open EU Treaty talks[fr][de] 

http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/foreign-ministers-open-eu-treaty-talks/article-165800

Published: Tuesday 24 July 2007

Negotiations have begun to finalise the draft 'Reform Treaty', based on the detailed mandate agreed by EU leaders at the June Summit. Representatives of the EU institutions have urged member states not to open up new issues and reach an agreement by October.

In June, EU heads of state and government agreed on a detailed mandate   for an Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) to reform the EU's institutions. The 'Reform Treaty' seeks to overcome a two-year institutional impasse following the French and Dutch 'No' votes on the proposed EU Constitution in 2005.

 [READ CONTINUED WEB LINK]

 

Prodi: Reform Treaty 'best compromise we could get' 

http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/prodi-reform-treaty-best-compromise-get/article-165775  

Published: Monday 23 July 2007 | Updated: Wednesday 25 July 2007

 Italian PM and former Commission president Romano Prodi talks to EurActiv Slovakia about the new EU Treaty and his desire for a stronger European Union. He believes that a two-speed integration is sometimes needed to go forward. Romano Prodi is Italian prime minister and former president of the European Commission (1999-2004). This interview was prepared and co-published by EurActiv Slovakia and the weekly Slovo

Brief News:A former Commission President and a staunch pro-European, Romano Prodi knows that EU integration often means going for the lowest common denominator as unanimity is the rule when it comes to Treaty changes. [READ CONTINUED WEB LINK]

 

3 EU Enlargements

Turkey's pro-European party wins elections

http://euobserver.com/9/24518/?rk=1

23.07.2007 - 09:44 CET | By Lucia Kubosova

Following a landslide victory in parliamentary elections, the current Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to continue pressing for economic growth and political reforms designed to prepare the country for the EU membership.The ruling AK party of moderate Islamists received around 47 percent of the votes in a poll held on Sunday (22 July), up by 12 points compared to 2002 elections. . [READ CONTINUED WEB LINK]

 

Turkey’s leaders plan Muslim Europe

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?menuID=1&subID=1348&print=print

For the AKP, democracy is merely a means to a higher Islamic goal, says Edward Luttwak

If you thought Turkey was no threat to the West, think again. A new generation of politicians is aiming to Islamise the state by stealth.

The AKP - Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi, or Justice and Development Party - has a stranglehold on Turkey for the foreseeable future.

The AKP was founded to replace a previous Islamic party banned for extremism. It benefited hugely from the corruption scandals that dragged down the previous government, taking two-thirds of parliament in the 2002 general election (on a third of the vote). . [READ CONTINUED WEB LINK]

 

Portuguese Presidency turns EU eyes south 

http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/portuguese-presidency-turns-eu-eyes-south/article-164635

Published: Friday 15 June 2007 | Updated: Wednesday 20 June 2007

Portugal is aiming to turn Europe’s focus to the south over the course of its EU presidency, claims Robin Pedler of Oxford University – with the creation of a 'Mediterranean Union' one possible outcome.  .[READ CONTINUED WEB LINK]

 

4. Families, Human rights

The European Alliance for Families

http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/families/european-alliance-for-families_en.html

As a result of demographic change, family-friendliness is becoming an increasingly important element of European Union policies. The compatibility of family and career will play an important role in Europe’s future economic and social development. In an effort to meet these challenges, the EU heads of state and government, at the European Summit of 8 and 9 March 2007, decided to establish a European Alliance for Families. . [READ CONTINUED WEB LINK]

 

5. Mideast issues

Current Palestinian crisis "no excuse" to undermine the regional peace process, say MEPs

http://www.europaworld.org/week314/current13707.htm   13/7/2007

The European Parliament presses its condemnation for the Hamas take-over of Gaza, while emphasizing that the current crisis should not be used as an excuse to halt efforts to reach a lasting peace. An EP resolution adopted by a large majority also urged the resumption of political dialogue in Lebanon, and argued for a dialogue with Syria to resolve the conflicts in the region.  . [READ CONTINUED WEB LINK]

 

6. Cross border immigration problems

EU justice chief warns member governments not to hinder cross-border arrest warrants

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/11/europe/EU-GEN-EU-Arrest-Warrant.php

The Associated PressPublished: July 11, 2007

BRUSSELS, Belgium: Some European Union countries are setting up obstacles to the cross-border arrest warrant that was designed to speed up the transfer of terrorism suspects and people accused of organized crime, the bloc's justice commissioner said Wednesday. [READ CONTINUED WEB LINK]

 

7. Policies on Terrorism

EU warns about bioterror threat

http://www.theparliament.com/EN/Bulletins/PressReview/fullpressreview.htm?bulletindate=12-Jul-2007#EU+warns+about+bioterror+threat

The European commission has warned of an increasing threat to Europe’s food supply from terrorists or other sources, Le Figaro reports. Franco Frattini, EU justice commissioner, called on member states to work more closely to tackle such threats, which could include contaminated water supplies or anthrax poisoning.

Frattini said the revelation that the terrorists involved in the attempted attacks in London and Glasgow last month were health service workers showed just how important it was to ensure that heightened protection measures are in place. [READ CONTINUED WEB LINK]

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