Image via Wikipedia European Movement Ireland have launched a report on the campaign that they undertook in relation to the European Citizen’s Initiative. As part of this a poll was undertaken in Cork, Galway, Dublin North and Dublin South on May 7th 2010. The findings are very interesting. 86% of People had not heard of the ECI 70% of people would consider using the ECI The poll also found that under 18 (5%) and over 65 (4%) were least aware of the...
Image via Wikipedia EUBusiness is reporting that the fact that Hungary is the current holder of the rotating EU Presidency will not hold them back from launching proceedings if the new media law is found to be in breach of Community Law. “If there’s an infringement of community law, the Commission will launch proceedings and the fact Hungary presides the European Union will have no bearing,” Commission spokesman Olivier Bailly said. … Bailly said EU legal experts would scrutinise...
Image by Ben Beiske via Flickr On the 1st of January a new era will dawn on Hungary. It will take over the Presidency of European Council for the first time and a new law on media freedom will come into effect. While the first thing is something for Hungarians to celebrate, the law on the other hand is not. It has been criticised by the OSCE Media freedom representative who wrote in a report that “Regulating print media...
Image via Wikipedia Are you interested in the European Union? Aged between 18-26? Want to go to Strasbourg to see how the European Union really works? Well heres your chance! Between the 19th to 26th March 2011 a Model European Union will take place in Strasbourg. It will debate two topics a Directive on the application of patient’s rights in cross-border healthcare and a Directive on working conditions of temporary workers. You can apply to be a MEP, a...
Image via Wikipedia Here is an interesting Press Release I got today from Maltese MEP Simon Busuttil of the European People’s Party. European Union Border Guard System proposed. Simon Busuttil MEP “Europe can no longer look on powerless at emergency situations because it is unable to muster resources or pool assets.” Simon Busuttil MEP Simon Busuttil MEP is proposing the establishment of a European Union Border Guard System that would bolster the EU’s external border agency, Frontex. Busuttil presented...
Image via Wikipedia A meeting of the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee has concluded that, “Croatian Accession negotiations can be concluded in the first half of 2011 provided that Croatia meets all the outstanding closing benchmarks in the remaining chapters.” Swedish EPP MEP, who co-chairs the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee stressed the importance to the Balkans of Croatia joining the EU. “Both for the EU and for the region, it is important that the conditionality linked to a credible EU...
Image via Wikipedia Maman Poulet has the story that the IMF are sending a team to Ireland to “participate in a short and focused consultation, together with the European Commission, and the ECB, in order to determine the best way to provide any necessary support to address market risks.” Full statement here How long until they are running the country? And how long can we hold out on this bailout? We either need a General Election or to give...
Image via Wikipedia The European Commission has decided to add Montenegro to the list of Candidate Countries. In an opinion issued on the 9th of November the Commission stated: On Montenegro, the Commission concluded that Montenegro is ready to become a candidate country to EU membership, while further reforms are needed in a number of key areas, as set out in the opinion, before the country is ready to start accession negotiations. Montenegro still has criteria to meet under...
I got this today from the European Movement Ireland. Students of European Integration and Politics may be interested. European Movement Ireland, the not-for-profit organisation that campaigns for every Irish person to get involved with the European Union and help shape it, will tonight announce the establishment of the Jim Dooge European Research medal. This medal, which will be awarded annually to a student dissertation tackling an EU-related subject, is in honour of their late honorary President and major contributor...
The European Year of the Volunteer 2011
2011 has been designated the European Year of the Volunteer by the European Union. This is following a campaign led by Marian Harkin MEP (Ireland/ALDE). She worked with the unofficial “EP Volunteering Interest Group” to lobby the Parliament, the Council and the Commission on this initiative. Volunteering is very important in many Member States. Across the EU 92 to 94 million adults are involved in volunteering in the EU. That is 23% of all Europeans over 15 years of...
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