“The European Union Review & Call to Prayer”

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

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JOIN THE 14 EUROPEAN PRAYER WALL MOVEMENT

Below are prayer category numbers. Open the web links and read the related articles below. Speak to God about your concerns and the  “EU PRAYER SUMMARY POSTER” .on page 6 and pray as God leads you

 

1 PRAY for and with the Christian prayer and spiritual activities in the nations of Europe

2 PRAY for internal EU government policies & operations of all branches.

3 PRAY for EU treaty revisions and enlargement policies

4 PRAY for family, Human Rights and ethical policies of the EU

5 PRAY for the Middle East policies of the EU

6 PRAY for the immigration policies of the EU & EU international relations

7 PRAY for EU policies on national security and terrorism

8 PRAY for all 27 EU national governments & their citizenry

 

 

1  No Comeback for Religion in Europe[???]

Subject: No Comeback for Religion in Europe

Date: 10/17/2008 1:29:31 P.M. Central Standard Time

From: ANS@Assist-Ministries.com

Friday, October 17, 2008

Survey in Nine Countries: Faith Does Not Play Major Part

By Wolfgang Polzer Special to ASSIST News Service

HAMBURG (ANS) -- Contrary to widespread belief religion is not making a comeback in Europe.

A survey commissioned by the BAT Foundation for Future Development Analysis in Hamburg reveals that religion does not play a major part in the life of most Europeans.

-Citizens in nine countries were asked whether they regard religion as important for their happiness and contentment. Even in Italy with the highest regard for religious faith less than one in two (48 percent) agreed that religion is essential.

-Finland came in second place with 32 percent, followed by Russia and the UK with 31 percent each. Hungary is in fifth place (28), followed by Belgium (27), France (26), Switzerland, (25) and Germany (24).  Asked about what they regard as sacred, 71 percent of Germans answered "the family". Faith in God (18 percent), religion (14), and prayer and church (10) are least important to them.[open web]

 

2   European leaders agree to £12bn financial crisis rescue package

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/3136653/European-leaders-agree-to-12bn-financial-crisis-rescue-package.html?source=EMC-new_05102008

Gordon Brown has won heavyweight European backing for a £12 billion immediate rescue package for small businesses in peril because of the credit crunch.

 By Melissa Kite in Paris

Last Updated: 10:57AM BST 05 Oct 2008

-Gordon Brown and the leaders of 3 major European powers agree on how to deal with global financial problems. ; http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1488655367/bctid1837281760 http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=1139053637

-The plan to set up a small businesses fund across Europe was supported by French president Nicolas Sarkozy, German chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi at an emergency European Union summit in Paris

-The meeting, to discuss urgent solutions to the economic crisis, saw leaders also look for ways to stop European countries acting unilaterally to guarantee bank deposits, thereby hitting their neighbours’ economies. .[open web]

 

2   Do not be fooled: Europe needs a rescue plan

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2f237946-933f-11dd-98b5-0000779fd18c.html

By Wolfgang Munchau

Published: October 6 2008 03:00 | Last updated: October 6 2008 03:00

-This has been a week of self-congratulation in Europe. We have saved a handful of banks. We have, in effect, started to cut interest rates. We even had a summit of European leaders that produced warm words of solidarity. It looks as though the Europeans have reached substantive agreement that no systemically important bank should ever be allowed to fail. European officials believe that it was a big mistake to let Lehman Brothers fail .[open web]

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2   MEPs legalise EU symbols through the backdoor 

http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/meps-legalise-eu-symbols-backdoor/article-175323 Published: Friday 12 September 2008   

The Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee yesterday (11 September) took the lead in attempting to legalise the use of the 12-star flag and Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' as official Union symbols, a step that the 27 member states failed to agree upon while negotiating the Lisbon Treaty.

-When the committee's draft is adopted in plenary on 1 October, 'Ode to Joy', the unofficial anthem of the Union, would have to be performed at the opening ceremony of each new Parliament following European elections and at formal sittings. But the new procedure will only apply to the Parliament and not the other institutions. .[open web]

 

2    Talking about a revolution

http://www.theparliament.com/policy-focus/economic-affairs/economics-article/newsarticle/talking-about-a-revolution/

When asked why she became an MEP, Karin Riis-Jørgensen jokingly replies, “To change the world.”

But it’s not too far from the truth for one of the women spearheading a campaign to get a better gender balance across the EU’s institutions. Flushed from the first successes of an idea that began last March after a conversation with competition commissioner Neelie Kroes, Jørgensen and a team of cross-party MEPs are protesting the lack of women in top EU positions, from president of the commission to the soon to be created post (if Lisbon goes to plan) of president of the council .[open web]

 

3   Czech Constitutional Court starts Lisbon Treaty scrutiny[fr][de] 

http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/czech-constitutional-court-starts-lisbon-treaty-scrutiny/article-175020 Published: Monday 1 September 2008    The Czech Constitutional Court is now prepared to start examining the Lisbon Treaty to decide whether it is consistent with the country's constitution, the body's chairman said in Prague on 31 August. .[open web]

 

3   Presidency trio seek progress on Treaty[fr][de] 

http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/presidency-trio-seek-progress-treaty/article-175057

Published: Wednesday 3 September 2008   

Strengthening the role of Europe is a primary objective of the current French and the future Czech and Swedish presidencies, their representatives stated, presenting the updated priorities of "the trio of presidencies" in the European Parliament on 2 September.

-French Secretary of State for European Affairs Jean-Pierre Jouyet said the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty is a priority for all three presidencies. In the meantime, France, the Czech Republic and Sweden are determined to ensure the continuity of European policies. Jouyet hinted that he expected the Lisbon Treaty to enter into force during the Swedish Presidency. .[open web]

 

4   Report unveils EU's 'most corrupt' countries 

http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/report-unveils-eu-corrupt-countries/article-175668

Published: Wednesday 24 September 2008   

While Denmark and Sweden are Europe's 'cleanest' countries, Bulgaria is perceuved as the 'most corrupt' after having regressed "significantly" since last year, reveals Transparency International's 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). Romania ranked a close second behind Bulgaria.

-The study, which is based on a number of expert and business surveys on perceived levels of corruption in the public sector, sheds light on a "disturbing" increase in corruption levels in a number of wealthier nations, including some EU countries. .[open web]

 

4   East European workers face 'modern slavery' in old Europe[de] 

http://www.euractiv.com/en/socialeurope/east-european-workers-face-modern-slavery-old-europe/article-175427

Published: Wednesday 17 September 2008   

Migrant workers from the EU's Eastern member states face systematic discrimination when moving to work in 'old Europe', according to a new report presented on Monday (15 September) at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels (CEPS). .[open web]

 

4   French Cardinal: time is right for a new secularism

Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-23646?l=english

ZE08091710 - 2008-09-17

By Anita Bourdin

-LOURDES, France, SEPT. 17, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The religious history of Europe calls for the "open secularism" that Benedict XVI promoted in his visit to France, says the archbishop of Paris

>>>> 

To say that this approach is an 'open secularism' means that we no longer find ourselves in a situation in which one could cooperate with social services on the condition of staying quiet about the motives for such participation. One could be a good citizen 'despite being a believer.' Today one can say that it is not impossible to be 'a good citizen because one is a good believer.' That's not the same thing," he stressed.

-"This means that many men and women, who have committed themselves to non-confessional social service activities, such as the 'Restos du Coeur' [Refectories of the Heart, a social service promoted by French musicians and actors], for example, can express at least part of their reasons for doing so and are not embarrassed." .[open web]

 

4   Debate on EU social agenda becomes political campaign[fr][de] 

http://www.euractiv.com/en/eu-elections/debate-eu-social-agenda-political-campaign/article-175056

Published: Wednesday 3 September 2008   

Reactions to the EU's new social package were split as the Commission presented it to MEPs yesterday (2 September), with many voicing their support but critical that it is not far-reaching enough. Meanwhile, Socialist leader Martin Schulz used the opportunity to open the election campaign against the political right, who would lead Europe in the "wrong direction"..[open web]

 

5  Israel- Into the electoral maze

http://www.economist.com/world/mideast-africa/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12516472&fsrc=nwlgafree

Oct 30th 2008 | JERUSALEM

From The Economist print edition

A power vacuum until the vote in February, and no clear victor in sight

AFTER more than a month of negotiation, Israel’s foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, who was recently elected head of Kadima, the biggest party in the ruling coalition, has given up her struggle to form a fresh coalition government. Instead, a general election will be held in February. The latest opinion polls put Ms Livni a shade ahead of Binyamin Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud party, with Ehud Barak of Labour far behind in third place. .[open web]

 

5  A middle eastern union?

http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=2&aid=27&dir=2008/November/Wednesday5

* SHLOMO BEN-AMI and JOHN BELL

TOLEDO, SPAIN - This autumn, the Toledo International Centre for Peace convened a meeting devoted to water cooperation in the Middle East.

-One conclusion that emerged was that any effective response to the unequal distribution of natural resources in the region must be regional.

-With this idea in mind, Munther Haddadin, a former Jordanian minister of water resources, proposed for the Middle East a "Water and Energy Union," a long-term mechanism to integrate a fragmented region. .[open web]

 

6  Macedonia under pressure to accept compromise name[de] 

http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/macedonia-pressure-accept-compromise-name/article-175941

Published: Wednesday 1 October 2008   

Macedonia's leaders clashed this week over their country's name dispute with Greece, ahead of the expected presentation of a UN compromise proposal that Western diplomats say Skopje must accept if it is to stay on course to join the EU and NATO.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Greek media speculated that employing the name 'Northern Macedonia' for international use would be the centrepiece of the Niemetz proposal. Leaked information also suggests that the nationality of Macedonian citizens would be 'Makedonski' instead of 'Macedonian' to accommodate Greece, the northern part of which is also called Macedonia. .[open web]

 

6  Russia Getting Medvedev's message

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12564707

Nov 6th 2008 | MOSCOW From The Economist print edition

A belligerent state-of-the-nation address from Russia’s president

AFP IT TOOK Dmitry Medvedev a while to find a suitable moment for his first state-of-the-nation address.

 

6  Europe's population would soon decline without migrants, says EU stats office

http://euobserver.com/9/26799/?rk=1 - 24.09.2008 - 09:28

While anti-immigrant feeling is on the rise both amongst European politicians and the wider public, ironically, the union's population would soon go into decline without the immigrants that arrive here, according to fresh figures from the EU's statistics office, Eurostat .[open web]

 

8  Small states to keep status in Brussels plan

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e21d5cd6-9198-11dd-b5cd-0000779fd18c,dwp_uuid=70662e7c-3027-11da-ba9f-00000e2511c8.html  By Tony Barber in Brussels

Published: October 4 2008 03:06 | Last updated: October 4 2008 03:06

-European Union governments may seek to keep the European Commission in office beyond the end of its five-year term next year so that each member state can retain its own commissioner, EU diplomats said on Friday. .[open web]

 

8  'Remember the submarines; don't mention the war'

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017431444&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Oct 1, 2008 22:33 | Updated Oct 2, 2008 14:02

By AMIR MIZROCH, JPOST CORRESPONDENT IN BERLIN

What's this?  Sixty years after World War II and the Holocaust, and according to intelligence sources approximately 18 months until Iran can create a nuclear bomb, the diplomatic relationship between Israel and Germany is moving into high gear as Jerusalem presses Berlin to lead the EU in isolating Teheran. Jerusalem and Berlin agree that Iran is the biggest destabilizing force in the Middle East, but disagree on how to deal with that threat. Israel, working behind the scenes to isolate Iran diplomatically and financially, is frustrated at the continued trade between German industrialists and Iran. .[open web]

 

EU PRAYER SUMMARY POSTER

1 PRAY that the prayer initiatives of the European Union of Prayer meeting near Paris during the French Presidency of the EU in mid-October will have an impact on the EU nations and peoples. We prayed for economic wisdom, family concerns, Christian unity, and did a prayer walk in Paris and for France. PRAY also for a reversal of the initial conclusion of the study of European religion.

2 PRAY for the internal EU financial crisis rescue package, for wisdom in settling the gender equality issue and resolution of an EU symbol legalization and implementation question.

3 PRAY for EU Lisbon Treaty questions, Czech government and the trio progress treaty review an the need of reforms to ensure the continuity of European [Union] policies

4 PRAY for family, Human Rights and the role of religion in public life. for resolution in the most “corrupt” countries, stopping modern slavery conditions in others, for reducing drug overdose epidemic, and negotiations on the social agenda contest between left and right, 

5 PRAY for the Middle East policies of the EU and for answers on establishing peaceful conditions with-in the Israel-Palestine borders 

6 PRAY for the changing world order we live in, the Macedonian EU name resolution, resolving relations with Russia and its definition of democracy and for Europe and how it will deal with Eurostat’s forecast of reduction in population without migrant repopulation.

7 PRAY for EU policies on national security and how to deal with terrorism..

8 PRAY for the smaller EU states and their fair representation on the Commission, and for the threat of nuclear warfare with Iran and Israel,

POST THIS FOR REMEMBERING TO PRAY FOR THE EU