EURCP NEWS 10 SEPTEMBER 2010

EUROPEAN PRAYER WALL EDITION – COVERING EUROPE

 

NOW TWICE A MONTH –  short copy 10^th OF month and the first of th next month

[EU Review and Call to Prayer, Targeted Prayer Ministries] –Prepared by Hugh & Norma Davis 

 

Calling Christians in Europe to pray...before it's too late [you have authority [ "... that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made…for kings and all who are in authority" (1 Tim. 2:1-2 and Matt 6:33) :WEB http://euprayer.com/    

 

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EU PARLIAMENT

EU PARLIAMENT COULD TAKE ACTION IN 'MACKEREL WARS'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11126330

30 August 2010 Last updated at 18:08 ET

 

 European Parliament could take action in mackerel fish row The wrangle is over controversial Icelandic and Faroese mackerel catches The European Parliament's fisheries committee has not ruled out direct action against the Icelandic and Faroese fishing fleets. At a Brussels meeting, members discussed the ongoing row over rights to fish mackerel in the north Atlantic.The committee has also agreed to send a representative to the International Conference on mackerel being held in the Faroes next week. The meeting came after a Faroese vessel was blockaded by Peterhead fishermen.They are angry boats from the Faroes and Iceland are fishing much larger amounts of mackerel in their own waters and trying to land them in Scotland.

 

MEPs will be determining their response to the situation.Scottish fishermen say the actions of the Faroese and Icelandic crews will lead to a depletion of mackerel stocks. Scottish Conservative MEP Struan Stevenson said ministers from the Faroes and Iceland should go to Brussels to thrash out the problem. And he said that if they refuse a delegation should be sent to the two nations before the dispute escalates further.He added: "Iceland have actually caught 100,000 tonnes of mackerel, this is no longer a threat to increase their quota by a vast amount, they've actually landed over 100,000 tonnes of mackerel this year."If we go ahead in Scotland and catch our entitlement it means about a third of the total stock of north Atlantic mackerel will be killed in one year."Mr Stevenson has already called for an EU-wide blockade of Icelandic and Faroese boats and goods amid the wrangle over quotas.He said Iceland and the Faroes were "acting just like their Viking ancestors" by "plundering" stocks.Last year mackerel brought £135m into the economy, making it the.[FULL ARTICALE ON WEB]

PRAYER ISSUES: QUOTAS OF SHOW REDISTRIBUTION

 

EU FOREIGN MINISTRY

EU TO DISCUSS GADDAFI'S €5 BILLION DEMAND AT AFRICA SUMMIT, ITALY SAYS

http://euobserver.com/9/30708/?rk=1

 01.09.2010 - 09:29

MATEJ HRUSKA

 

Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini has said the EU will in November discuss a proposal by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi that the 27-nation bloc pay the north African country €5 billion a year to stop immigration."The issue of the 5 billion has never been examined or discussed. We will tackle it at the European level and I imagine it will be dealt with at the November Euro-African summit in Libya," Italian foreign minister was quoted as saying on Tuesday (31 August) by

Mr Gaddafi suggested Monday during his speech to business representatives in Italy the EU should pay his country "at least €5 billion a year" to stop African migrants crossing the Mediterranean and avoid Europe becoming "black."

 

"Gaddafi is thinking what all north African leaders are thinking: they can't and don't want to be the keepers of Europe," Mr Frattini said, adding that: "Europe needs to finally get a migration policy, giving plenty of funds to the migrants' countries of origin and helping transitory countries face a huge burden."While a European Commission spokesman declined on Tuesday to react to the Libyan leader's comments, France said the immigration issue would be included in a broader accord with Libya, on the negotiating table since November 2008. FULL ARTICALE ON WEB]

PRAYER ISSUES: ALTERNATIVE RESPONSIES TO GADDAFIS DEMANDS

 

EU COMMISSION

THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS COMING

http://blogs.euobserver.com/mahony/?p=1065

A 'State of the Union' address is coming our way.

The first ever for the EU.

It will be given by European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso next Tuesday morning.

Although, given the times we're in, with everybody and nobody seeming to speak for the Union, others could have laid claim to making such a speech (EU council president Herman Van Rompuy, a member state leader facing domestic elections, even Jean-Claude Trichet, European Central Bank President.) But Barroso got there first.

 

The address, given its name and the EU's pretensions to be a heavyweight international player, attracts comparisons with the annual speech by US presidents at the beginning of each year. President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address had about 48 million TV viewers in the US and millions more globally. This reflects two things. First that a lot of what the US does affects the rest of the world. And, second, that US citizens and much of the rest of the world have a strong emotional engagement with the US and its president – be it positive or negative.[FULL ARTICALE ON WEB]

PRAYER ISSUES: MY THIS ADDRESS BE TAKEN AS A CONSTRUCTIVE ACT

 

EU COMMISSION

EUROPEAN ECONOMIC MOOD IMPROVES FURTHER

http://euobserver.com/9/30702/?rk=1

MATEJ HRUSKA

31.08.2010 @ 09:46 CET

 

Businesses and consumers confidence in economy in both the eurozone and the whole EU continued to improve during August, most significantly in the UK and Germany, a monthly survey published by the European Commission Monday shows. The Commission's overall Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) measuring executive and consumer sentiment rose to its 101.8 in the euro area during August, up from 101.1 in July, exceeding economists' forecast for an increase to 101.6. The indicator rose to 102.7 in the EU, up from 102.1 during the previous month."Augusts' improvement in overall eurozone sentiment is encouraging and suggests that the region as a whole may be relatively well placed to withstand the slowdown in the United States and China," Martin van Vliet, an economist at ING Bank NV, was quoted as saying by the Wall Street Journal.

 

The UK registered the most significant gain (+1.5), followed by Germany (+1.1). On the other hand, sentiment deteriorated in Italy (-0.9), Poland (-0.9) and even more so in the Netherlands (-2.1).Confidence among consumers, which improved by 3 points in both the eurozone and the EU27 was influenced by "widely-felt optimism" about the general economic situation, as well as by easing of unemployment fears, the Commission wrote in the report. Confidence indicator in services decreased by 1 point in the EU and improved by 1 point in the euro area. Sentiment in the retail sector gained 1 point in the EU and remained unchanged in the eurozone, while indicator in construction remained unchanged in both regions..[FULL ARTICALE ON WEB]

PRAYER ISSUES: NATIIONAL NEGOTIANS FOR CHSNGIN EURO SNF OTHER CURRENCY

 

EU ENLARGEMENT

KOSOVO, SERBIA ADVISED TO SEEK COMPROMISE [DE] [FR]

http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/kosovo-serbia-advised-seek-compromise-news-497250?utm_source=EurActiv+Newsletter&utm_campaign=f146c00352-my_google_analytics_key&utm_medium=email

Published: 30 August 2010 

 

Serbia and Kosovo have no option but to hold frank talks without outside involvement and reach a compromise agreement if they are to progress on their paths to European integration, concludes a report by the International Crisis Group (ICG), an NGO advising governments on conflict resolution, published on 26 August.

 

 

A more realistic public attitude is considered as key to achieving a mutually satisfactory resolution of the 10-year dispute, the report says. Serbia keeps repeating that it will never recognise Kosovo's "unilateral declaration of independence" in 2008. According to the ICG, however, the country should not bury its head in the sand and must secure closer relations with Pristina in order to support the rule of law in northern Kosovo, where a significant Serbian minority lives..[FULL ARTICALE ON WEB]

PRAYER ISSUES: BRINGING PEACE TO PRIOR WARING CULTURES

 

EU ENLARGEMENT

BOSNIANS HOPE TO TRAVEL VISA-FREE TO EU BY AUTUMN [FR] [DE]

http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/bosnians-hope-travel-visa-free-eu-autumn-news-497395?utm_source=EurActiv+Newsletter&utm_campaign=f146c00352-my_google_analytics_key&utm_medium=email

Published: 02 September 2010  Bosnia and Herzegovina's 3.8 million Muslim citizens moved a step closer to gaining visa-free travel to the Schengen zone after its parliament extended the mandate of the head of an anti-corruption agency on Wednesday (1 September).

 

 

Mijo Kresic is head of Bosnia and Herzegovina's 'Anti-corruption and Coordination of the Fight against Corruption' agency. The move, which meets the final criteria set by the Commission last July, can be seen as contributing to soothing nationalist tensions in the region after Bosnia's neighbours Serbia and Montenegro and Macedonia were granted the same privilege last year.

 

Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Serbs have the opportunity to hold dual citizenship with Serbia and Croatia and could thus take advantage of the visa free regime whilst Muslims had no way of gaining entry rights until now.

"Bosnia and Herzegovina has removed the last condition (needed) for liberalisation of the visa regime," said parliament chairwoman Dusanka Majkic following an assembly session.She said she expected that the remainder of Bosnia's citizens "will be able to travel to Europe this year"..[FULL ARTICALE ON WEB]

PRAYER ISSUES: WORKING WITH DIFFERENT CULTURES FOR A NEW NATION

 

 

 

INTERNATIONAL

HAITI, PAKISTAN DISASTERS 'OF SIMILAR MAGNITUDE

http://www.euractiv.com/en/foreign-affairs/haiti-akistan-disasters-similar-magnitude-news-497249

'Published: 30 August 2010 

The humanitarian disaster in Haiti and Pakistan is similar in magnitude, International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva told the Brussels press on 27 August, just after her return from devastated Pakistan. Asked by EurActiv to compare the world's two worst calamities since she took office, Georgieva said that despite the different nature of the disasters, they were similar in terms of the scale of the destruction and the risk of epidemics. As such, both require an equally significant humanitarian effort from the international community as well as further development aid, she said.

 

Georgieva had returned the previous day from a two-day trip to Pakistan. With her hair covered by a veil, the commissioner visited the disaster-hit areas and talked to local officials as TV reports depicted scenes of havoc and stampedes over the distribution of humanitarian aid, as well as other cases of better-organised food distribution.

"Haiti and Pakistan, these two disasters are very similar in magnitude, but very different in how they occurred and how we are responding to them," Georgieva said..[FULL ARTICALE ON WEB]

PRAYER ISSUES: HOW TO MEET THESE TRAGIC CIRCUMSTANCES

 

EU NATION EMPLOYMENT

FRANCE SEEKS OWN EMPLOYMENT SOLUTIONS

http://www.euractiv.com/en/priorities/france-seeks-own-employment-solutions-news-497368?utm_source=EurActiv+Newsletter&utm_campaign=2e45b621e5-my_google_analytics_key&utm_medium=email

Published: 02 September 2010 

 

Despite the EU's clearly-defined employment policies and 2020 job target, France will seek its own ways of responding to its citizens' main concerns – access to the job market and job security.

 

EurActiv France reports. Employment is a major concern in France, even more so since the economic crisis. Though the employment rate among 15-64 year olds increased during the first trimester of 2010, reaching 63.8%, the proportion of short-term and temporary contracts rose. Only 49.3% of this age group have permanent contracts (contrat à durée indéterminée; CDI).

 

In July 2010, the government presented its most recent figures with optimism: the number of unemployed people had fallen by 14,400 – the largest reduction since February 2008. Moreover, it was the first time since the onset of the crisis that unemployment had decreased for two consecutive months. However, there are still 2,676,600 job seekers in France. Furthermore, 1,436,200 of them have been out of work for more than a year – a figure which rose by 27% in the previous twelve months..[FULL ARTICALE ON WEB]

PRAYER ISSUES: OVERE 2 MILLION OUT OF WORK

 

INTERNATIONAL

EU TO DISCUSS GADDAFI'S €5 BILLION DEMAND AT AFRICA SUMMIT, ITALY SAYS

 http://europafrica.net/2010/09/01/eu-to-discuss-gaddafis-e5-billion-demand-at-africa-summit-italy-says/

MATEJ HRUSKA

01.09.2010 @ 09:29 CET

 

Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini has said the EU will in November discuss a proposal by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi that the 27-nation bloc pay the north African country €5 billion a year to stop immigration."The issue of the 5 billion has never been examined or discussed. We will tackle it at the European level and I imagine it will be dealt with at the November Euro-African summit in Libya," Italian foreign minister was quoted as saying on Tuesday (31 August) by Mr Gaddafi suggested Monday during his speech to business representatives in Italy the EU should pay his country "at least €5 billion a year" to stop African migrants crossing the Mediterranean and avoid Europe becoming "black.""Gaddafi is thinking what all north African leaders are thinking: they can't and don't want to be the keepers of Europe," Mr Frattini said, adding that: "Europe needs to finally get a migration policy, giving plenty of funds to the migrants' countries of origin and helping transitory countries face a huge burden."

 

While a European Commission spokesman declined on Tuesday to react to the Libyan leader's comments, France said the immigration issue would be included in a broader accord with Libya, on the negotiating table since November 2008.

According to French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero, France wants to close the deal, which also addresses questions of trade and investment, "swiftly."Mr Gaddafi's visit to Italy has caused outrage by left-leaning opposition and pro-Vatican groups after he was quoted as saying that "Islam should become the religion of Europe."Mr Frattini dismissed the critics as "people who know nothing at all, either about foreign policy or Italy's interests," .[FULL ARTICALE ON WEB]

PRAYER ISSUES: THE DEMANDS OF KADAFI AND THE ALTERNATIVES

 

EU FOREIGN MINISTRY

ASHTON: WEST BANK KILLINGS AIMED AT PEACE TALKS

http://euobserver.com/9/30706/?rk=1

ANDREW RETTMAN

01.09.2010 @ 09:04 CET

 

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The gunning down of four Israeli civilians in the West Bank on Tuesday (31 August) must not derail the new round of Middle East peace talks, the EU has said."With this unacceptable attack, the enemies of peace have tried to derail the Middle East peace talks ... It is imperative that both parties keep calm and exercise restraint even through difficult times," the union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said in a communique issued during a high-level trip to China. Palestinian militant group Hamas on Tuesday claimed responsibility for shooting the four people, including grandparents Yitzhak and Tali Ames and another woman believed to be pregnant. The group was attacked while traveling by car near the settlement of Kiryat Arba on Israeli-occupied Palestinian land. Israeli authorities told local press the victims may have been killed at close range after their vehicle was forced off the road.

 

The incident comes as Israeli and Palestinian leaders arrived in Washington the same day ahead of a White House dinner on Thursday designed to restart bilateral talks after a 20-month-long hiatus. Speaking by phone from Gaza to EUobserver last week, a Hamas spokesman, Ghazi Hamad, said the group should not have been excluded from the talks and defended its doctrine of violent resistance."The fatal mistake of the Quartet and the EU is to consider Hamas as a terrorist organisation. When I make the comparison how many people have been killed by Hamas [in recent months] and how many by Israel in the last war, almost 2,000 people - tell me who is the terrorist?" he said, referring to the EU-Russia-UN-US body handling the crisis and Israel's attack on Gaza in 2009 [FULL ARTICALE ON WEB]

PRAYER ISSUES: CONFUSION OVER WHO IS A TERRORIST?

 

EU HUMAN RIGHTS

HUMAN RIGHTS TAKE A DIVE DESPITE CHARTER

http://www.neurope.eu/articles/102279.php

  Author: Alia Papageorgiou

29 August 2010 - Issue : 900

 

The fate of the Roma in Europe is still a far cry from citizens holding equal rights, despite all efforts to make it appear so

The definition of what constitutes human rights in Europe was challenged last week as France effectively 'deported' Roma Citizens from its country. Following this action by France and a public request by Italy that it may follow with a similar scheme the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) is deeply concerned about the treatment of Roma migrants in France it said in a statement.

In a report published in June 2010, ECRI had called on the French authorities to combat the racist attitudes and hostility harboured by the majority population vis-à-vis this community. In recent weeks high-ranking officials have made political statements and the Government has taken action stigmatizing Roma migrants. The latter are held collectively responsible for criminal offences and singled out for abusing EU legislation on freedom of movement. ECRI can only express disappointment about this most negative development..[FULL ARTICALE ON WEB]

PRAYER ISSUES: MORE PRPOBLEMS ON ROMA PEOPLES AND HUMAN RIGHTS

 

 

EU HUMAN RIGHTS

FRENCH ROMA POLICY FINDS SUPPORT AMONG THE FAR RIGHT

http://euobserver.com/9/30725

HONOR MAHONY

03.09.2010 @ 09:44 CET

 

France's policy of expelling Roma to Romania and Bulgaria has attracted a storm of criticism at home and abroad from human rights groups and churches but has found support among some far-right politicians.

Philip Claeys, one of two MEPs from the far-right Flemish party Vlaams Belang, said he wants to defend "French policy concerning Roma.""The dismantling of illegal camps, the struggle against petty crime, criminality and prostitution, and the expulsion of foreigners with no legal earnings are perfectly legitimate in a democratic constitutional state," said the Belgian euro-deputy in a statement Thursday (2 September).Getting rid of the Roma camps puts an end to "public order disturbance," he continued.

 

France's own far-right National Front also agrees with the deportations. Its leader Jean-Marie Le Pen described the situation as "a problem caused by the European Union opening the borders between European countries."

The statements come in response to France's intention to destroy 300 Roma camps and send their occupants back to Romania and Bulgaria. Meanwhile, the Irish Times reports that Hungary's far-right Jobbik party, which has three seats in the European Parliament and came third (with 17%) in the country's June elections, has unveiled an initiative calling for "anti-social" Roma in Hungary to be placed in special camps.Jobbik leader Gabor Vona called for the compulsory education of Roma children in boarding schools while Jobbik MEP Csanad Szegedi said "public order zones" for gypsies deemed to be anti-social should be set up. [FULL ARTICALE ON WEB]

PRAYER ISSUES: THE HUMAN HANDLING OF CULTURES IN DIFFICULT DIFFERNET CULTURES

 

EU HUMAN RIGHTS AND UN

POLITICS AND RELIGION PROBLEMATISING AID WORK

http://euobserver.com/843/30648/?rk=1

MATEJ HRUSKA

20.08.2010 @ 10:10 CET

 

The humanitarian disaster in Haiti and Pakistan is similar in magnitude, International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva told the Brussels press on 27 August, just after her return from devastated Pakistan.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere and it has experienced a lot of political violence throughout its history. In February 2004, an armed rebellion forced the resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. A provisional government was put in place, with security provided by MINUSTAH, the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti.Scientists said the earthquake which hit the island on 12 January 2010 was the strongest on Earth since 1770. The damage was catastrophic, as the 7.0 magnitude epicentre was just 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince and its two million inhabitants. ]

The number of deaths is considered to be around 300,000, but has yet to be determined officially. The devastation was widespread: vital infrastructure was destroyed, including every hospital in the capital, telecommunications and air, sea and land communication services. In Pakistan, which has been hit by unprecedented floods in recent weeks, the United Nations warned of a spirallinghumanitarian catastrophe and asked the global community to provide aid to the value of $459 million for initial relief efforts. FULL ARTICALE ON WEB]

PRAYER ISSUES: COMPLEX PROBLEM FOR UN WORKERS KILLED OR KIDNAPED