EURCP special – Portugal presidency 2007
These are prayer categories reccomended bu the EUofP. Study the issues and ask God to guide your prayers, and pray as God leads you. Prepare for you meeting there soon.
1 PRAY for the prayer movements in the nations of Europe
2 PRAY for all EU governments & the European Union and proposed Reform Treaty
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
Pray for the EUofP meeting Sep 8-15, 2007and Ortwin and the others in attendance
The Portuguese Presidency: In Brief[de]
[open the web page to get further access to addional web information]
http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/portuguese-presidency-brief/article-164954
Published: Tuesday 26 June 2007 | Updated: Friday 3 August 2007
The
Portuguese Presidency, which took over at the EU's helm on 1 July 2007,
will focus on concluding talks on an EU Reform Treaty, as well as the
foreign policy agenda, with a particular focus on relations with Africa
and Brazil.
Related:
News LinksDossiers
Analysis Portugal holds firm on EU Treaty mandate (12 July 2007)
Poland warned over EU Treaty squabble (03 July 2007)
Portugal at EU helm seeks to strengthen external relations (02 July 2007)
Portuguese foreign minister outlines presidency priorities (16 May 2007)
EU Presidencies (19 April 2005)
Coming together at last: the EU and Africa (24 July 2007)
Analysis: Finland at the helm of the EU (24 August 2006)
Analysis: Will Germany provide new momentum for Europe? (22 June 2006)
What the Austrians' presidency will bring (13 February 2006)
Latest & next steps:
28
June: Portuguese State Secretary for European Affairs Manuel Lobo
Antunes presents the priorities for his presidency at the Parliament in
Brussels.
1 July: Portugal takes over EU Presidency.
4 July: EU-Brazil Summit in Lisbon.
23-24 July: Portuguese Presidency opens Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) with the task of drafting the EU Reform Treaty.
18-19 Oct.: Informal meeting of heads of state and government due to finalise IGC talks (Lisbon).
26 Oct.: EU-Russia Summit in Mafra.
18-19 Nov.: EuroMed ministerial meeting on Migration (Algarve).
28 Nov.: EU-China Summit (China).
30 Nov.: EU-India Summit (India).
8-9 Dec.: EU-Africa Summit in Lisbon.
13-14 Dec.: European Council in Brussels.
Policy Summary Links->
Background:
From
1 July to 31 December 2007, Portugal will organise and chair the
European Council meetings. The motto of the Portuguese Presidency is:
"A Stronger Union for a Better World".
For further information on the Portuguese Presidency's agenda, see the Portuguese Presidency priorities , the official EU Presidency calendar , and the Council's 18-month programme for the German, Portuguese and Slovenian Presidencies.
Issues:
Reform Treaty
At
the June 2007 Summit, the German Presidency reached agreement among EU
leaders for a detailed IGC mandate to reform the EU's institutions. The
Portuguese Presidency is committed to opening the IGC on 23-24 July and
finalise the technical details of the political agreement at an
informal Summit in Lisbon on 18-19 October. However, Portugal's hopes
of keeping further political discussions out of the IGC may be dashed
by Poland. Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski is already questioning
parts of the agreement on the voting rights system, one of the main
sticking points during the June Council.
Related dossiers:
The EU's 'Reform Treaty'
Lisbon Agenda for growth and jobs
Seven
years after the launch of the Lisbon Strategy, much remains to be done
to achieve its aims of making the EU the most competitive,
knowledge-based economy in the world. Ahead of the next cycle to be
launched in 2008, the Portuguese Presidency will assess the second
round of National Reform Programmes, which will be submitted by member
states in Autumn.
The
aim of the Portuguese Presidency is to make the EU ready to face the
challenge of global competition without losing ground - therefore,
special emphasis will be placed on the social and employment aspects of
the Lisbon Agenda. The preparations for the revision of the Lisbon
Strategy, due to start at the 2008 Spring Council, will be at the
forefront.
The
Sustainable Development Strategy, initiatives on SMEs and the European
social model including general principles on flexicurity are also among
the priorities in this context. The Commission is due to present its
report on the internal market review at the end of October, with EU
leaders due to discuss the results at the December Summit.
Related dossiers:
Better Regulation
Growth and Jobs: Relaunch of the Lisbon strategy
Security, Freedom and Justice
Adapting
to new security threats after 9/11, the enlargement of the Schengen
borderless travel agreement to new member states and migration policy
are among the priorities for the second half of 2007.
The Portuguese presidency seeks to connect the issue of illegal immigration to legal migration based on four pillars:
A "realistic approach" to legal migration, with an emphasis on a less restrictive economic migration;
social inclusion policies, addressing working cultures and conditions;
an effective border policy, to help control the influx of legal and illegal immigrants, and;
development policy, especially co-operation with African countries, which make up the bulk of economic migration to Europe.
A special meeting of EuroMed ministers concerning migration will take place on 18-19 November in Algarve.
External Relations
The
Portuguese Presidency is seeking to strengthen the EU's role on the
international stage. While the German Presidency focused on relations
with the EU's eastern neighbouring countries, Portugal will be looking
towards the south, especially Euro-Mediterranean relations. Portugal
has announced that it wants the EU to take leadership on the issues of
climate change, energy policy, non-proliferation, poverty reduction,
development aid, and conflict reduction under its Presidency.
There
will also be a number of bilateral EU Summits and a special focus on
transatlantic relations. The EU-Africa Summit will focus on the issues
of migration, but also energy. The bilateral Summit with Brazil is also
expected to focus on the issue of energy too, especially biofuels, in
which the country is world leader, with 44% of its total energy
production coming from renewable sources.
Related dossiers:
The European Neighbourhood Policy
Geopolitics of EU energy supply
Positions:
Amnesty
International has raised concerns over the EU's ambivalence when it
comes to dealing with its own human-rights problems, especially in view
of the latest Council of Europe report confirming that the CIA operated
secret detention sites in several EU member states. Dick Oosting,
director of Amnesty International's EU Office said: "The EU can set a
powerful example to the rest of the world and it can overcome its
ambivalence. Portugal could show the leadership that the EU has so far
been lacking."
President
of the European Movement Pat Cox said: "We know that the purely
legalistic and technical sessions of lawyers, do not necessarily need
to be monitored by the public. But the most political debates during
the IGC, where crucial decisions are taken, need public scrutiny." He
added: "It would be a good start for the Portuguese Presidency and
would add legitimacy to the process that, compared to the European
Convention, loses on the involvement of parliaments, civil society and
openness."
European
chambers of commerce and industry association Eurochambres has called
on the Portuguese Presidency to move on with the revised Treaty and
move ahead on innovation. Eurochambres President Pierre Simon said: "It
is a key moment to reinforce the economy, and every effort has to be
made in order to effectively exploit the current window of opportunity."
The
European Environmental Bureau's (EEB) Secretary-General John Hontelez
said: "The Portuguese Presidency is prioritising some important issues,
such as biodiversity, water scarcity, and the marine environment. EEB
supports these priorities, but we want to see tangible results which
have an impact well beyond this six-month Presidency."
Links <- Policy Summary
USE WEB LINK AT TOP FOR ACCESS
EU official documents
Portuguese Presidency: Portuguese Presidency Priorities
Portuguese Presidency: Presentation of the Priorities of the Portuguese Presidency to the foreign press (28 June 2007)
Portuguese Presidency: Official website [FR]
Portuguese Presidency: Portugal in the EU [FR]
NGOs and Think-Tanks
European Movement International (EMI): Pat Cox: "The IGC needs public scrutiny" (3 July 2007)
European Environmental Bureau: Ten Tests for the Portuguese Presidency (July 2007)
Amnesty International: Ten-point programme for the Portuguese Presidency of the EU (June 2007)
European Network Against Racism (ENAR): ENAR calls on the Portuguese Presidency to keep anti-racism high on the agenda (27 June 2007)
Friends of Europe: Time and Substance: Twin Challenges for Portugal's EU Presidency (15 May 2007)
European Policy Centre (EPC): Priorities of the Portuguese Presidency
Centre for European Reform (CER): Portugal's Presidency
Industry federations and trade unions
Eurochambres: Position Paper on the Portuguese Presidency (25 June 2007)
European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC): Trade Union Memorandum to the Portuguese Presidency of the EU (28 June 2007)
EU Actors positions
Weber Shandwick: Inside the Portuguese Presidency
http://www.webershandwick-eu.com/files/guide_presidency_pt.pdf
Hill and Knowlton: Guide to the Portuguese Presidency of the EU
http://www.hillandknowlton.be/docs/PortuguesePres.pdf
We will see you in Slovenia in 2008
Hugh and Norma