A
team of MEPs appealed to Greek authorities on Friday to speed up the
completion of large projects which have lagged behind and which will
change the image of Greece, during a press conference at the offices of
the European Parliament in Athens.
The team of eight MEPs from
several countries and parliamentary groups was visiting the country as
part of a finding mission organized by the European Parliament's
Committee on Budgetary Control.
The MEPs visited seven major
projects which have been described as “problematic” by the EU’s Task
Force to Greece and which are extremely important for the country’s
growth.
These include the Land Registry, whose completion is
important for investments and environment interventions, the restoration
of Karla Lake, which was described as the largest environmental project
in the Balkans and for which the aim must remain to turn it into a
drinking water reservoir. Another problematic project is the
construction of the E65 highway, which the MEPs described as the
cornerstone of European transport networks, as well as the rail project
Tithorea – Domokos in central Greece.
The automatic fare
collection system and the electronic Registry face no particular
problems, but Thessaloniki’s metro is seen as deadlocked, with all MEPs
expressing the view that a solution needs to be found noting that “a
city the size of Brussels cannot be without public transportation.”
And
while some problems are expected due to the economic crisis, the MEPs
said, some others are unrelated and could be sped up by Greek
authorities by “embracing them”.
ANA MPA
Saturday, September 26, 2015
World View: China’s Military Heads for Syria, Supposedly to Join Russia
- Massive Russian military deployment into Syria and Iraq continues
- China’s military heads for Syria, supposedly to join Russia
Massive Russian military deployment into Syria and Iraq continues
Russian SU-25 jets on runway at al-Assad airbase in Syria last week (Telegraph)
In addition, Russia is setting up offices in Baghdad to coordinate military operations with Iran and Syria, and probably Iraq. According to Russia, the purpose of its military buildup is to fight the so-called Islamic State (IS or ISIS or ISIL or Daesh).
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Iran-allied militia, on Friday explained the Russian military deployment as follows:
The failure of America and the international coalition to bring defeat to Daesh [ISIS] was one of the reasons which called or pushed Russia to also come, and to get directly involved.Some reports indicate that the warplanes in Syria include SU-27 jets and SA-22 air to air missiles. These weapons have no use against ISIS, since ISIS has no air power. It’s likely that these weapons are directed at the United States coalition or at Israel.
This large Russian military deployment in Syria and Iraq, in alliance with Iran, is going to raise alarm bells throughout the Mideast, especially in Saudi Arabia, who see Syria and Iran as existential threats, and in Turkey, which now sees itself isolated from its historical allies in the Mideast. Jihadist groups, including al-Qaeda and ISIS, will see it as a repeat of the 1980s Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
It is amazing how quickly things are changing in Syria. A month ago, we were still talking about how the US-led coalition was failing at conducting air strikes at ISIS. Today, Russia is coming close to pushing the US-led coalition out of Syria and Iraq entirely. Fox News and Reuters and Telegraph (London)
China’s military heads for Syria, supposedly to join Russia
Earlier this week, Chinese naval vessels have traveled through Egypt’s Suez Canal and entered the Mediterranean Sea. According to a senior officer in the Syrian Arab Army, and confirmed by a Russian Senator, the naval vessels are headed for Syria’s Port of Tartus, and that “China has joined [Russia’s] military operation in Syria.” The reports indicate that the Chinese vessels will reach Tartus within six weeks. No explanation is given for the long time frame.From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, Chinese military cooperation with Russia in the Mideast is strongly counter to the predicted trends. As long-time readers are aware, the prediction is that the US and China would be the principal enemies in the approaching Clash of Civilizations world war, and that the US would be allied with India, Russia and Iran, while China would be allied with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Muslim countries.
Such a strong counter-trend development — China joining Russia and Iran in defense of Bashar al-Assad, Saudi Arabia’s enemy — cannot continue indefinitely. In my opinion, there is something else going on that is not in the news reports — namely that it is much more likely that China’s military is entering the region to protect Saudi Arabia’s interests. China may cooperate with Russia for a while, but in my opinion it would not take a great deal for China to turn on Russia, in order to protect the Saudis. This will be an interesting development to watch. Pravda (Moscow) and Al-Masdar (pro-Syria) and MINA (Macedonia)
MEP's urge Greece to speed up completion of major projects
First entry: 26 September 2015 - 10:21 Athens
Tsipras to speak at UN's General Assembly on Oct 1, to meet Obama
First entry: 26 September 2015 - 15:36 Athens, 12:36 GMT
Last update: 15:36 Athens, 12:36 GMTPolitics
Alexis
Tsipras will make his first visit to the United States as prime
minister on September 26 to participate in the 70th meeting of the UN’s
General Assembly, where he will address the assembly on October 1, it
was announced on Friday.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Tsipras will meet with counterparts from Cyprus, Egypt, Brazil, Equator, Palestine and Turkey. He will also meet with the US Secretary of State John Kerry and the UN’s Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. A meeting with US President Barack Obama is also scheduled on the sidelines of the meeting.
Tsipras will also participate in a summit meeting for “Post-2015 Development Agenda” and a separate meeting on migration, titled "Strengthening cooperation on migration and refugee movements under the new development” on September 30.
He is also scheduled to meet His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, New York mayor Bill de Blasio and representatives of diaspora organisations and will participate in a panel organized by the Clinton Global Initiative, the former US President Bill Clinton.
He will return to Greece on October 2.
ANA MPA
On the sidelines of the meeting, Tsipras will meet with counterparts from Cyprus, Egypt, Brazil, Equator, Palestine and Turkey. He will also meet with the US Secretary of State John Kerry and the UN’s Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. A meeting with US President Barack Obama is also scheduled on the sidelines of the meeting.
Tsipras will also participate in a summit meeting for “Post-2015 Development Agenda” and a separate meeting on migration, titled "Strengthening cooperation on migration and refugee movements under the new development” on September 30.
He is also scheduled to meet His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, New York mayor Bill de Blasio and representatives of diaspora organisations and will participate in a panel organized by the Clinton Global Initiative, the former US President Bill Clinton.
He will return to Greece on October 2.
ANA MPA
Rise of Right-Wing Security Threat Fueled by Refugee Crisis
The current migrant and refugee crisis facing Europe has led to an increase in the threat of terror, with reports of ISIL using the crisis to send terrorists, posing as refugees. Yet the most significant threat is from right-wing groups within Europe.
Police
in Norway have said the internal security risk has increased as a
result of the refugee and migrant crisis in Europe, but that it is
right-wing groups that pose the biggest threat, in an assessment similar
to other countries across Europe.
Benedicte Bjørnland, head of the Norwegian Police Security Service
(PST), posted on its website an announcement saying the major threat was
from right-wing extremist environments, similar to those exposed by the
PST Swedish counterpart Säpo.
She said the current crisis is expected to have: "adverse consequences for threats linked to the extreme-right scene. This is because opposition to immigration is one of the most important issues and an important mobilizing factor for the groups.
"There is also a potential for far-left extremist groups in Norway
can muster around issues related to the refugee crisis. An escalation
of the conflict with the extreme right could lead to counter-reactions
and violent clashes between right and left-wing extremists," she said.
She denied reports of evidence of ISIL infiltrating the refugees to carry out terror plots, saying the threat was more likely to be internal.
Her comments come a day after European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said that unless the migrant crisis in Europe was addressed properly there would be a surge of right-wing extremism across the continent.
Timmermans also said that there needed to be better protection of the
European Union's borders to deal with the hundreds of thousands
of migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
"We have to make sure that those countries where people arrive are better placed to make sure people are registered, that people who don't have the right to asylum are returned swiftly," he told BBC radio.
In another country that has been welcoming to refugees, Sweden,
anti-racist foundation Expo says the number of neo-Nazi propaganda
actions has reached record heights. "It's an enormous increase. Just
in a couple of years, in three years' time, it has almost doubled. We
have never seen this many activities before," Expo investigator
Anna-Sofia Quensel told Swedish Radio.
She said the current crisis is expected to have: "adverse consequences for threats linked to the extreme-right scene. This is because opposition to immigration is one of the most important issues and an important mobilizing factor for the groups.
She denied reports of evidence of ISIL infiltrating the refugees to carry out terror plots, saying the threat was more likely to be internal.
"It is considered unlikely that the Norwegian
asylum system is being used by groups like ISIL and al-Qaeda for asylum
seekers arriving with violent intentions."
'Surge of the Extreme Right'Her comments come a day after European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said that unless the migrant crisis in Europe was addressed properly there would be a surge of right-wing extremism across the continent.
"We have to make sure that those countries where people arrive are better placed to make sure people are registered, that people who don't have the right to asylum are returned swiftly," he told BBC radio.
"If we're not able to tackle this issue, if
we're not able to find sustainable solutions, you will see a surge
of the extreme right across the European continent."
There has been a rise in the number of arson attacks on asylum
hostels in Germany, many of them perpetrated by right-wing extremists.
Officials are concerned that neo-Nazi networks may be spreading
across the country.
Supporters
of the German right-wing movement PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans Against
the Islamisation of the Occident) hold up a poster showing German
Chancellor Angela Merkel in a uniform with an Euro-logo-armband as they
attend a PEGIDA rally on June 1, 2015 in Dresden, eastern Germany.
Friday, September 25, 2015
Albania extradites alleged Islamic State recruiter to Italy
A police statement from Wednesday said that 40-year-old Baki Coku, who was arrested in July on an Italian request, was flown to Italy on Tuesday.
Italian authorities accuse Coku of being part of a recruiting ring that included his nephew, Aldo Kobuzi, who allegedly underwent weapons training in Iraq with Islamic militants.
Among the people allegedly recruited were Kobuzi’s Italian wife, Maria Giulia Sergio, who converted to Islam, allegedly became radicalized and went to Syria.
Italian anti-terrorism police have arrested other relatives of the married couple who were allegedly trying to persuade family members to join IS in Syria.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Calls Mount For Probe into Albania’s CEZ Scandal
After BIRN lifted the lid on graft allegations
against Albanian speaker Ilir Meta and a utility company, Meta and the
opposition Democrats have called for an international probe.
BIRN
Tirana
 |
|
| Ilir Meta. Photo: LSI |
CEZ had a controlling stake in Albania’s power utility OSHEE, then called CEZ Shperndarje, from 2009 to 2014, before the company was sold back to the Albanian government.
BIRN revealed earlier this month that the Speaker of Parliament Ilir Meta was identified in an international arbitrage case as one of the politicians that benefited from illegal financial transfers in 2010 from a debt-collecting company working for CEZ Albania, which Meta helped secure a contract with the Czech power company.
A law firm has alleged that Meta received bribes from Debt International Advisory, DIA, a debt-collection company currently in dispute with the state power utility OSHEE in the Vienna Arbitral Center.
Following publication of the investigation, the Democratic Party called for Meta’s resignation while on Thursday it announced a bill that would open up the possibility of a probe by international prosecutors.
“We know that the [Prime Minister] Edi Rama and Ilir Meta will not allow a thorough and unbiased investigation from the country's prosecution,” Democratic Party MP Eduard Halimi said on Thursday.
“Only an investigation with international prosecutors with full authority to control and analyze the whole affair unaffected by those two persons included in this affair... will bring justice over this scandal worth hundreds of millions of euro,” Halimi added.
Responding to the allegations, Meta, who denies wrongdoing, also called for an international probe, underlining that he preferred US prosecutors.
“I strongly support the idea of an unbiased, fast and thorough international probe into the whole CEZ affair, from its first day in our country till today," he said.
"I also call on all party leaders to ask especially for the United States to be engaged in the clarification of this issue and to create a special jurisdiction with American investigators,” Meta added.
The US embassy in Tirana rebuffed his proposal. Following media inquiries, a spokesperson said that any investigation had to be conducted by the Albanian authorities.
The CEZ group bought the Albanian electricity distribution network in 2009 and withdrew its investment in 2014, agreeing to sell back its shares to the state for about 100 million euros.
On Friday, the Democratic Party said also that it will ask the Constitutional Court to nullify the buyback agreement, claiming that, by signing it, Albania forfeited its right to obtain hundreds of millions of euro in damages allegedly caused by CEZ to Albania.
Over the four years that CEZ controlled electricity distribution, it is believed to have engaged in several fraudulent debt collection schemes that cost Albania millions of euro.
One scheme relates to an agreement between CEZ and DIA, which it appears was intended to influence Albanian politicians and the Energy Regulatory Agency, ERE, through bribes.
Tsipras: We have to meet the Greek people's expectations
First entry: 25 September 2015 - 13:04 Athens, 10:04 GMT
Last update: 13:04 Athens, 10:04 GMTPolitics
Greece
needs to move swiftly to conclude a positive review of its economic
reforms by lenders in coming weeks and start discussions on debt relief,
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday.
"Debt restructuring will reduce investment risks and make our economy once again attractive to investors," Tsipras told ministers in the first meeting of the country's cabinet since winning parliamentary elections on September 20.
Other priorities, he said, was a recapitalisation of the country's banks, which "if done correctly can give our economy badly needed liquidity."
"We must honour the support and trust the people offered to us twice in seven months. We are responsible to meet their expectations and to honour the choice to govern, to bring the necessary reforms and changes that the country needs in order to breathe," he said and asked from everyone to work hard with collectiveness and altruism.
"Our responsibility is to restore the Greek people's dignity so that in our 4-year term we will have achieved to create a Greece without the lenders' supervision while protecting the weaker," stressed Tsipras.
The Greek prime minister urged his ministers to work hard to implement the left-wing government's policies and not spend their time on television talk shows.
"One who speaks with his work and not words speaks better," Tsipras told his 44 ministers, outlining priorities during his first cabinet meeting.
"I call on you to stop your constant television appearances and your continuous public statements. I chose you as ministers to govern and to solve peoples' problems, not to staff TV morning shows," he added.
ANA-MPA, Reuters
"Debt restructuring will reduce investment risks and make our economy once again attractive to investors," Tsipras told ministers in the first meeting of the country's cabinet since winning parliamentary elections on September 20.
Other priorities, he said, was a recapitalisation of the country's banks, which "if done correctly can give our economy badly needed liquidity."
"We must honour the support and trust the people offered to us twice in seven months. We are responsible to meet their expectations and to honour the choice to govern, to bring the necessary reforms and changes that the country needs in order to breathe," he said and asked from everyone to work hard with collectiveness and altruism.
"Our responsibility is to restore the Greek people's dignity so that in our 4-year term we will have achieved to create a Greece without the lenders' supervision while protecting the weaker," stressed Tsipras.
The Greek prime minister urged his ministers to work hard to implement the left-wing government's policies and not spend their time on television talk shows.
"One who speaks with his work and not words speaks better," Tsipras told his 44 ministers, outlining priorities during his first cabinet meeting.
"I call on you to stop your constant television appearances and your continuous public statements. I chose you as ministers to govern and to solve peoples' problems, not to staff TV morning shows," he added.
ANA-MPA, Reuters
"Serbian PM secretly meeting with Croatian opposition"
Source: Tanjug
(Beta/AP, file)
According to the Croatian daily Jutarnji List, Milanovic said these "talks" were taking place because the three sides he mentioned make up "a little crew."
Milanovic reiterated that he had offered Aleksandar Vucic "a fleet of buses to help Serbia in the south of the country, on the Macedonian border, so that people (migrants and refugees from third countries) could be transported immediately to Bajakovo (Croatian border) but also to Horgos (Hungarian border)."
"The man won't (accept it). Explain to me what motives someone to refuse it? Can the offer be any clearer, more well-meaning, and precise? So, you won't, you've got your motives, because you're in cahoots with someone. Because you're talking with Budapest, you're secretly meeting with Karamarko in Zagreb. That's this small crew. You refuse my well-intentioned, structured offer, which costs me, to jointly solve the problem. To disembark at Horgos, that dirty wall which is the disgrace of Europe, a thousand and something migrants, and let the others go to Bajakovo. Well we did not close the door to the people. He won't do that. So, these tricks can be sold only to those who want to buy them," Milanovic has been quoted as saying.
However, he also "stressed he was intensively working with his associates to consider removing the measures that Croatia had to enforce."
"With the warning that I will, at any moment when I deem it in the interest of Croatia, reach for something similar or the same thing. Because I cannot and will not do otherwise," said Milanovic, adding that he "does not want not only Croatian companies but also the workers in the companies in Serbia to suffer."
As he said, he will "not react to manipulation and demagoguery from the school of Seselj and Milosevic."
"We've seen plenty of that in Croatia. While my colleagues, like Ranko Ostojic, after Operation Storm helped Serbs in Donji Lapac, some others made inflammatory speeches in Petrinja and Glina and sought to bombard Croatian cities. That's the huge difference and will not be deleted for as long as we live," said the head of the Croatian government.
Milanovic also "pointed out that his country had not introduced measures against Serbia, but against everyone, even against Croatian trucks."
He added that "a state that is not a member of the European Union, and which does not function as a state but as a territory through which people pass without any control" was "the first to introduce discriminatory measures against Croatian trucks and Croatian goods."
"Our measures on the border may have been harsh, but it was in defense of national interests and in order to control migrants who pass through Serbia without any control," said Milanovic.
According to him, "national interests will always have priority over any company's profits."
"After Serbia introduced its measure against a members of the European Union, the Republic of Croatia, by banning the entry of trucks with Croatian license plates and of all Croatian goods, regardless in which trucks they are transported, we had to react with another measure," said Milanovic.
According to the Croatian prime minister, he has the interest and safety of Croatian citizens in mind above all else.
"Associations and some small private interests who act as if they do not live in Croatia and as if their EUR 10,000 or 15,000 - that they lost today and will compensate for as soon as tomorrow is the most important thing - do not act as loyal citizens of this country. This is unfair because we are taking care of that as well the whole time," Milanovic was quoted as saying.
He thinks "the situation with migrants will last," and sees "the behavior of Budapest" as "unpredictable."
"Now they have put wire on the border with Slovenia, therefore inside the Schengen (area), which cannot possibly be justified or explained", he stated.
Milanovic "reiterated that the acceptance of 10,000 people in one day is a lot for Croatia if we want to maintain this order."
"We can let people into the fields, as Serbia does, but then it is not a state. It is an accidental state, a disorganized state, which wants to join the European Union. They must consider hard how they intend to behave in the European Union, because this is for me a very bad signal. So, Croatia is the only one at this point that is doing the job in an organized way. We are not comparing ourselves with Austria and Germany, which are in a ten times more difficult situation than us because these people stay there," said Milanovic.
When it comes to Slovenia, he pointed out that the country "has been spared for now," and added he was "constantly in touch with Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar, and knows very well that the Slovenian organizational capacity is high."
"That state functions, and then some," said Milanovic.
The Croatian prime minister also "stressed that he was constantly talking with his associates, with several statesmen and with the European Commission about the protection of what is important, and that is safety, order, and functioning."
"People come to our state with a hundred euros and exit with a hundred euros. In Serbia, they take those one hundred euros from them for various services. That's that economy," said Milanovic.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Tsipras-Pittella discuss Greece's debt in Brussels
First entry: 23 September 2015 - 18:27 Athens, 15:27 GMT
Last update: 07:20 Athens, 04:20 GMTPolitics
Prime
Minister Alexis Tsipras started his official visit in Brussels on
Wednesday with a meeting with Gianni Pittella, the president of the
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) at the
European Parliament.
According to party sources, the two men discussed economic policy, the Greek debt and ways to involve the European Parliament in the Greek program. Tsipras is scheduled to meet European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker at 18.00 (Greek time).
ANA MPA
According to party sources, the two men discussed economic policy, the Greek debt and ways to involve the European Parliament in the Greek program. Tsipras is scheduled to meet European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker at 18.00 (Greek time).
ANA MPA
Greek coalition partners confer over new minister's racist, homophobic tweets
First entry: 23 September 2015 - 20:22 Athens, 17:22 GMT
Last update: 23 September 2015 20:22 Athens, 17:22 GMTPolitics
The furore over the antisemitic and homophobic tweets
of new Deputy Infrastructure, Transport and Networks minister Dimitris
Kammenos reached Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Brussels, where he is
taking part in an emergency summit on migration.
Tsipras called his junior government partner, Independent Greeks leader Panos Kammenos (no relation to Dimitris) asking him to look into the matter. Tsipras would then decide whether Dimitris Kammenos would remain in government.
Source: ANA-MPA
Tsipras called his junior government partner, Independent Greeks leader Panos Kammenos (no relation to Dimitris) asking him to look into the matter. Tsipras would then decide whether Dimitris Kammenos would remain in government.
Source: ANA-MPA
FM: Croatian PM provoking Serbia with statements Ivica Dacic says Croatia "has not learned lessons from the problems so far" while the Croatian prime minister "continues to provoke Serbia with his statements." Source: Tanjug Wednesday, September 23, 2015 | 09:54 (Beta, file) (Beta, file) The Serbian foreign minister and first deputy prime minister added that "the words of Zoran Milanovic do not contribute to solving the problems." Milanovic said earlier that Serbia will not introduce any countermeasures against the Croatia, "because those would be measures against the EU," while Dacic said that "Croatia contrary to Europe suspended the SAA and unilaterally imposed measures against Serbia, prevented normal traffic, the flow of goods and capital and people, which are the main achievements of the EU, and in that way violated European conventions." An agreement on border crossings between Serbia and Croatian does not provide for the closing of any of the border crossings for traffic, said Dacic. "I thought that after yesterday's talks with Prime Minister Vucic, Croatia would go down the path of looking for a certain solution, but I see they did not learn certain lessons from that," said Dacic. He then stressed that this was "a trade war of sorts against Serbia, a kind of economic aggression against Serbia" as the roads were closed for trucks from Serbia unilaterally without any notification. He announced that he will today talk with colleagues from Romania, Bulgaria and other countries "whom he wishes to inform about what is going on." "We've already said what Croatia violated, but the EU with its mechanism clearly does not show too much efficiency at the moment," said Dacic. The minister then said this was "an unprecedented case since World War II" and that "only during the wars in the former Yugoslavia the border was closed." "Serbia has postponed the beginning of the application of countermeasures, which was met with a positive response from European partners," Dacic said. He added that "we are all victims of the internal political situation in Croatia" because of upcoming elections there, adding it was "better for all to come to a decision, that there is no further complicating of the situation."
FM: Croatian PM provoking Serbia with statements
Ivica Dacic says Croatia "has not learned lessons from the problems so far" while the Croatian prime minister "continues to provoke Serbia with his statements."Source: Tanjug
(Beta, file)
Milanovic said earlier that Serbia will not introduce any countermeasures against the Croatia, "because those would be measures against the EU," while Dacic said that "Croatia contrary to Europe suspended the SAA and unilaterally imposed measures against Serbia, prevented normal traffic, the flow of goods and capital and people, which are the main achievements of the EU, and in that way violated European conventions."
An agreement on border crossings between Serbia and Croatian does not provide for the closing of any of the border crossings for traffic, said Dacic.
"I thought that after yesterday's talks with Prime Minister Vucic, Croatia would go down the path of looking for a certain solution, but I see they did not learn certain lessons from that," said Dacic.
He then stressed that this was "a trade war of sorts against Serbia, a kind of economic aggression against Serbia" as the roads were closed for trucks from Serbia unilaterally without any notification.
He announced that he will today talk with colleagues from Romania, Bulgaria and other countries "whom he wishes to inform about what is going on."
"We've already said what Croatia violated, but the EU with its mechanism clearly does not show too much efficiency at the moment," said Dacic.
The minister then said this was "an unprecedented case since World War II" and that "only during the wars in the former Yugoslavia the border was closed."
"Serbia has postponed the beginning of the application of countermeasures, which was met with a positive response from European partners," Dacic said.
He added that "we are all victims of the internal political situation in Croatia" because of upcoming elections there, adding it was "better for all to come to a decision, that there is no further complicating of the situation."
EC to give Serbia and Macedonia 17 million for refugees
Source: B92
(Beta/AP, file)
EC President Jean Claud Juncker said that the EU must go further than determining quotas for allocation of refugees in member-states.
"The decision to distribute 160,000 refugees is historic and demonstrates European solidarity. It cannot be the end of the story, but it is time for further and more determined action of the European Union, through institutions of all member states," he said.
The fund for solving the migrant crisis have increased by these decisions for an additional EUR 1.7 billion. EU Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva said that with additional funds the EU has set aside a total of EUR 9.5 billion for the crisis.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
European Union approves plan to relocate 120,000 refugees across Europe
Sept.
22, 2015: Migrants pass time in Victoria square in Athens, Tuesday,
where many stay temporarily before trying to continue their trip to more
prosperous northern European countries. (AP)
Some nations -- including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia -- voted against the plan, Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec said on Twitter, according to Sky News.
"We will soon realize that the emperor has no clothes,” Chovanec said. “Common sense lost today."
The Czech government earlier warned that any attempt to approve a relocation plan would backfire for the EU, and could end in “big ridicule” for its members and officials.
But a Twitter post from the Luxembourg mission to the European Union said the decision was adopted by a "large majority" of the EU's 28 member states. Luxembourg currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU, and presided over Tuesday's meeting of interior and justice ministers in Brussels, Belgium.
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said his country would take more than 30,000 people.
"We are doing this out of solidarity and responsibility, but also in our own interest," he said. "At the moment, something like 50 percent of those who are arriving in Greece are coming to Germany. With a quota of 26 percent, fewer of this group would come."
De Maziere said the deal also aims to cut "secondary migration" in which people move from one country to another within Europe.
He said that, "if people are distributed in Europe, then they can't choose what country they go to. They have to stay in the country they were distributed to."
While the ministers talked in Brussels, migrants scuffled with police at a transit camp in Croatia, and nations in southeast Europe scolded and threatened each other as the unrelenting flow of asylum-seekers raised diplomatic tensions to a boiling point.
The United Nations' refugee agency said the next few days may be the last chance for a coherent European response as hundreds of thousands flow from war-torn areas in the Middle East, Africa and Asia to Europe.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees warned that the proposal on the table isn't enough to stabilize the situation, because 477,906 people have already entered Europe by sea this year. It urged the EU to quickly set up facilities in Greece, where tens of thousands have arrived after making the hazardous sea crossing from Turkey.
This may be "the last opportunity for a coherent European response," said Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for UNHCR.
When compared to the 4 million refugees being sheltered in Turkey, Lebanon and impoverished Jordan, the numbers seem paltry for a major world trading power with a population of 500 million.
But an estimated 3,000-4,000 people arrive in Greece each day. Many plan to move north to set up home in Germany, bringing yet more pressure to overburdened borders as they go.
Meanwhile, Croatia started letting in trucks across its border with Serbia Tuesday after Serbia's prime minister gave the European Union a deadline to persuade Croatia to resume all cargo traffic that was halted after a surge of refugees over their mutual frontier.
Aleksandar Vucic said Tuesday that Croatia's closure of the main border crossing for cargo trucks early Monday is "a scandal of international proportions."
Croatian media said that only trucks loaded with foodstuffs would be allowed to cross. Serbian media said that all trucks that have been stranded on the Serbian side of the border are going through.
Landlocked Serbia has said it is losing millions of dollars a day because of the blockade.
Croatia, which has last week closed all but one border crossing with Serbia, wants to pressure Serbia to stop sending the refugees toward Croatian borders and rather channel them further north to Hungary.
More than 30,000 refugees have crossed from Serbia to Croatia since Hungary closed its borders a week ago.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
US Ready for 'Immediate Discussions' With Russia on Syria - Kerry
John Kerry said the US is ready to discuss the Syrian crisis.
The
US Secretary of State also stated that the increased number of Russian
aircraft in Syria represents force protection in the region.
During the press-conference in Washington, Kerry said that the US and Russia agree on how the Syrian conflict should be solved.
The secretary of state added Washington hopes Moscow is also ready to participate in the dialogue.
Kerry announced on Sunday that he would meet with Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss Syria within the framework of the 70th
UN General Assembly in New York.
Earlier, the US Secretary of State stated that the US is willing to negotiate with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to resolve the Syrian crisis.
Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011, as government forces loyal to Assad fight several opposition and radical Islamist militant groups, including the Nusra Front and Islamic State (ISIL).
Since the beginning of the Syria civil war, the United States and some of its allies have supported the moderate Syrian opposition while calling for Assad's resignation, while Russia recognized Assad as the only legitimate Syrian authority. Russia has been providing Syria with humanitarian aid and military equipment.
During the press-conference in Washington, Kerry said that the US and Russia agree on how the Syrian conflict should be solved.
"We are prepared to engage in this [US-Russia] discussion [on Syria] immediately," Kerry said at a press conference.
Earlier, the US Secretary of State stated that the US is willing to negotiate with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to resolve the Syrian crisis.
Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011, as government forces loyal to Assad fight several opposition and radical Islamist militant groups, including the Nusra Front and Islamic State (ISIL).
Since the beginning of the Syria civil war, the United States and some of its allies have supported the moderate Syrian opposition while calling for Assad's resignation, while Russia recognized Assad as the only legitimate Syrian authority. Russia has been providing Syria with humanitarian aid and military equipment.
That's one way to make headlines! Wannabe TV reporter becomes a huge hit in Albania after wearing an open blouse for her screen test... and immediately gets the job
- Enki Bracaj did screen tests for Zjarr channel wearing an almost open top
- Bosses say they were impressed with her audition and gave her the job
- The 21-year-old said she 'found a way to put myself ahead' in the industry
A student has landed a job on Albanian television after showing her breasts through an open top during screen tests.
TV
bosses at the network said they were so impressed with Enki Bracaj,
from the Albanian capital Tirana, that they offered her a news reader
role.
The
21-year-old now presents an international news programme after wearing
the revealing outfit during trials - and has already proved a ratings
hit, it has been reported.
Scroll down for video
Revealing: Enki Bracaj has landed a
job on Albanian television after showing her breasts through an open top
during screen tests (pictured)
TV bosses
at the network were so impressed with Enki Bracaj (pictured), from the
Albanian capital Tirana, that they offered her a news reader role
A
spokesperson for the channel said: 'Most agree that her presentation
style is somewhat awkward, but we are working on that and to be honest
it doesn't seem to be doing any harm to her viewing figures.'
Bracaj,
who studies public relations at the local university, said she had
simply 'found a way to put myself ahead' in a competitive industry.
Defending the decision to offer almost-topless news, she said: 'It is not easy to enter the world of television.
Bracaj (pictured), who studies public
relations at the local university, said she had simply 'found a way to
put myself ahead' in a competitive industry
Defending the decision to offer almost-topless news, Bracaj said it was'not easy to enter the world of television'
The presenter went almost topless
during this screening in which she introduced a report about Serbian
Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic
The 21-year-old student's popularity
has already spread wider that her native Albania with one of her videos
being widely shared in neighbouring Serbia
'So it was obvious that if I wanted to make it I had to be brave and offer something different.
'I
checked first with my parents and when I found that they also supported
me in my decision, it wasn't a problem for me to go ahead like this.'
Bracaj's
popularity has already spread wider that her native Albania after she
introduced a report about Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic. The
video has been widely shared in neighbouring Serbia.
Enki added: 'There is not just a lot of competition to get on television, but also competition between the channels.
'I simply found a way to put myself ahead and also to ensure that my channel gets the best ratings.'
Tsipras readies cabinet after vote triumph
First entry: 22 September 2015 - 15:38 Athens, 12:38 GMT
Last update: 15:38 Athens, 12:38 GMTPolitics
Newly re-elected Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras
worked Tuesday on the makeup of a coalition cabinet to steer unpopular
economic reforms as he urged Europe's help with the thousands of
migrants landing daily on Greek shores.
Sworn into office Monday a day after his re-election victory and moving swiftly to kick off a slew of controversial economic reforms, Tsipras "will probably announce the makeup of the government on Wednesday morning," government spokesman Rodolphos Moronis told AFP.
Outgoing interior minister Nikos Voutsis had said late Monday that the new government, expected to be a carbon copy of Tsipras' outgoing team, could be unveiled as early as late Tuesday.
The charismatic young premier, who romped to victory despite a much-maligned cash-for-reforms deal in July with Greece's international creditors, has vowed to have the government up and running before he joins EU leaders for talks on the migrant crisis in Brussels on Wednesday.
Analysts expect to see finance in the hands of Euclid Tsakalotos, who took over the portfolio in July after the resignation of Yanis Varoufakis and who is believed to have won the esteem of his EU peers during negotiations leading up July's 86 million euro ($97 billion) rescue of Greece, its third in five years.
Implementation of the cash-for-reforms package, which will affect everything from the sale of a loaf of bread to a visit to the doctor, will likely be in the hands of Georges Houliarakis, also involved in the negotiations with the EU, while Georges Stathakis is expected to get the economy portfolio again.
The new government is also likely to see Tsipras return the defence portfolio to his "odd couple" partner in the coalition, Panos Kammenos, leader of the nationalist Independent Greeks (ANEL) party.
EU partners have wasted no time in reminding Athens to get down to work on the reforms set out in the rescue package, with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker bluntly saying: "There's a lot of work ahead and no time to lose."
by Claire Rosemberg and Catherine Boitard, AFP
Sworn into office Monday a day after his re-election victory and moving swiftly to kick off a slew of controversial economic reforms, Tsipras "will probably announce the makeup of the government on Wednesday morning," government spokesman Rodolphos Moronis told AFP.
Outgoing interior minister Nikos Voutsis had said late Monday that the new government, expected to be a carbon copy of Tsipras' outgoing team, could be unveiled as early as late Tuesday.
The charismatic young premier, who romped to victory despite a much-maligned cash-for-reforms deal in July with Greece's international creditors, has vowed to have the government up and running before he joins EU leaders for talks on the migrant crisis in Brussels on Wednesday.
Analysts expect to see finance in the hands of Euclid Tsakalotos, who took over the portfolio in July after the resignation of Yanis Varoufakis and who is believed to have won the esteem of his EU peers during negotiations leading up July's 86 million euro ($97 billion) rescue of Greece, its third in five years.
Implementation of the cash-for-reforms package, which will affect everything from the sale of a loaf of bread to a visit to the doctor, will likely be in the hands of Georges Houliarakis, also involved in the negotiations with the EU, while Georges Stathakis is expected to get the economy portfolio again.
The new government is also likely to see Tsipras return the defence portfolio to his "odd couple" partner in the coalition, Panos Kammenos, leader of the nationalist Independent Greeks (ANEL) party.
EU partners have wasted no time in reminding Athens to get down to work on the reforms set out in the rescue package, with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker bluntly saying: "There's a lot of work ahead and no time to lose."
by Claire Rosemberg and Catherine Boitard, AFP
Belgrade sets deadline for EU "to react" to Croatia's move
Source: Tanjug
(Tanjug, file)
He then described the neighboring country's decision as "a scandal of incredible proportions."
Also on Tuesday, Croatian Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic accused Serbia of "sending refugees to Croatia instead of to Hungary in an organized manner," and added his country was ready to completely shut down the Bajakovo-Batrovci border crossing with Serbia - "if necessary."
Croatian authorities continue to block entrance of freight vehicles from Serbia over this crossing. A 15-kilometer long line of trucks has formed on the Serbian side of the border as a consequence.
Royal Navy plans to bring HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier to Liverpool in 2017
The ship is the biggest vessel ever built for the British military, measuring nearly 1,000ft long
Ambitious plans are revealed today to bring the biggest Royal Navy warship ever built to Liverpool in 2017.
The £3bn HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier measures nearly 1,000ft long and is currently being fitted out.
Navy bosses are hoping to sail her into the Mersey estuary after she comes into service in around two years’ time.
The port in Liverpool is one of the few areas of English coast that is deep enough to accommodate the 65,000-tonne vessel.
Commodore Gary Doyle, the Navy’s regional commander for northern England, exclusively told the ECHO: “We have an aspiration to get the HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy’s new carrier, to Liverpool in 2017. She is the biggest ship ever built for the Royal Navy.
“This is one of the few ports we believe we can get her alongside.
“We want to use her as a backdrop to promote Liverpool and the North West.”
The plans to bring the HMS Queen Elizabeth to Liverpool are in an early stage and exact dates have not been decided.
But the event would be a spectacular moment in the city’s maritime history and would follow the visit to Liverpool by the Three Queens earlier this year to celebrate cruise company Cunard’s 175th anniversary.
The Royal Navy has produced an artist’s impression of how HMS Queen Elizabeth might look if she berthed in Liverpool.
Liverpool-born Commodore Doyle, the former commander of HMS Southampton, said: “Liverpool has a proud history and association with the Royal Navy – and we are keen to maintain this.
“A visit by HMS Queen Elizabeth would strengthen these ties, as well as promoting the region to the world.”
The ship will be big enough to carry 40 planes and will be taller than Niagara Falls.
Powered by two Rolls-Royce engines, HMS Queen Elizabeth will be able to sail for 10,000 miles before refuelling and be crewed by nearly 700 sailors.
She and her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, will be the largest vessels ever built for the Royal Navy and will replace the HMS Invincible, HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal aircraft carriers.
The Queen Elizabeth is currently being built at shipyards around the country.
Initially the ship will carry helicopters, but from 2020 she will be the launch pad for the brand new F35 Lightning II, the world’s most advanced stealth fighter-bomber.
The £3bn HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier measures nearly 1,000ft long and is currently being fitted out.
Navy bosses are hoping to sail her into the Mersey estuary after she comes into service in around two years’ time.
The port in Liverpool is one of the few areas of English coast that is deep enough to accommodate the 65,000-tonne vessel.
Commodore Gary Doyle, the Navy’s regional commander for northern England, exclusively told the ECHO: “We have an aspiration to get the HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy’s new carrier, to Liverpool in 2017. She is the biggest ship ever built for the Royal Navy.
“This is one of the few ports we believe we can get her alongside.
“We want to use her as a backdrop to promote Liverpool and the North West.”
The plans to bring the HMS Queen Elizabeth to Liverpool are in an early stage and exact dates have not been decided.
But the event would be a spectacular moment in the city’s maritime history and would follow the visit to Liverpool by the Three Queens earlier this year to celebrate cruise company Cunard’s 175th anniversary.
The Royal Navy has produced an artist’s impression of how HMS Queen Elizabeth might look if she berthed in Liverpool.
Liverpool-born Commodore Doyle, the former commander of HMS Southampton, said: “Liverpool has a proud history and association with the Royal Navy – and we are keen to maintain this.
“A visit by HMS Queen Elizabeth would strengthen these ties, as well as promoting the region to the world.”
The ship will be big enough to carry 40 planes and will be taller than Niagara Falls.
Powered by two Rolls-Royce engines, HMS Queen Elizabeth will be able to sail for 10,000 miles before refuelling and be crewed by nearly 700 sailors.
She and her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, will be the largest vessels ever built for the Royal Navy and will replace the HMS Invincible, HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal aircraft carriers.
The Queen Elizabeth is currently being built at shipyards around the country.
Initially the ship will carry helicopters, but from 2020 she will be the launch pad for the brand new F35 Lightning II, the world’s most advanced stealth fighter-bomber.
Terrorist Brutality Martyrs One Christian Every Five Minutes
Christian Freedom International, a humanitarian aid organization that supports persecuted Christians, has calculated that a Christian is martyred for their faith every five minutes.
"Islamic State militants in Iraq are using Christian churches as torture chambers where they force Christians to either convert to Islam or die," Jacobson told Breitbart.
"Islamic State militants are also stripping the former places of Christian worship of ancient relics which in turn are smuggled to Western collectors to help fund their terrorist activities."
Four Russian Naval Missile Vessels to Hold Drills in Eastern Mediterranean
Four Russian missile vessels from the Black Sea Fleet will hold exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, a source from the Southern Military District said Tuesday.
ROSTOV-ON-DON (Sputnik) – According to the source, two of the ships are currently deployed in the Mediterranean Sea.
“The Black Sea sailors will hold a number of exercises in the eastern
part of the Mediterranean Sea,” the source told RIA Novosti.
The source did not specify the type of exercises or in which exact region the naval exercises would be held.
The source did not specify the type of exercises or in which exact region the naval exercises would be held.
Tenssion naval forces in Mediterranean Sea: UK Sends Warship to Fight People Smugglers at Sea
A British warship armed with a surveillance drone and a helicopter is on route to the Mediterranean to pursue people smugglers – but it remains unclear what it will be able to achieve.
HMS
Richmond with 200 sailors and Royal Marines on board will help in the
second phase of the European Union's military plan to prevent more
migrants and refugees from drowning in international waters off the
coast of Italy and between North Africa.
Countries involved in the EU naval force are meeting in Brussels
to discuss what each nation will contribute to the second phase of the
mission. This includes intercepting, boarding and seizing vessels used
by people smugglers to traffic humans from North Africa to Europe —
but only on international waters.
Ninety percent of the unseaworthy vessels carrying refugees and
migrants set sail from Libya. But without consent from the Libyan
government — or a UN Security Council resolution — EU ships will not be
able to target the vessels off the Libyan coastline.
And despite calls for more military action to combat the people smugglers and rescue refugees, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says:
The military action was approved by EU member states in May and leaked military plans revealed an acknowledgement that the EU naval force could face terrorist groups such as ISIL, "within the Libyan sovereign area."
"The information strategy should avoid suggesting that the focus is to rescue migrants at sea but emphasize that the aim of the operation is to disrupt the migrant-smuggling business model."
Peter Roberts, senior research fellow for sea and power and maritime studies at the Royal United Services Institute told Sputnik that: "It's rather a confusing state of affairs," as he suggested that it could be more of a public relations exercise than a military one.
"We do not have any outlines or concept of what they're going to do and how they're going to do it," Roberts told Sputnik.
Indeed, Britain's Defense Secretary said the crisis must be tackled "at source".
"The vital work of HMS Bulwark, HMS Enterprise and our Merlin helicopters shows the UK's commitment to tackling the refugee crisis at source."
"It's important the mission moves to the next phase," said Fallon.
But without a UN Security Council resolution it remains unclear what
exactly the warships will be able to achieve and whether they can fulfil
the third phase of the mission to tackle people smuggling boats
on Libyan waters — where 90 percent of boats carry desperate migrants
and refugees making their way to Europe.
And despite calls for more military action to combat the people smugglers and rescue refugees, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says:
"There is no military solution to migrants crossing the Mediterranean."
But what's missing from many of the reports in the British press
on the deployment of the UK Navy warship to combat people smugglers
at sea, is the threat posed by Islamic State militants.The military action was approved by EU member states in May and leaked military plans revealed an acknowledgement that the EU naval force could face terrorist groups such as ISIL, "within the Libyan sovereign area."
"The threat to the force should be
acknowledged, especially during activities such as boarding and when
operating on land or in proximity to an unsecured coastline or
during interaction with non-seaworthy vessels. The potential presence
of hostile forces, extremists, or terrorists such as Da'esh [ISIL]
should also be taken into consideration."
Ramping up military action is being seen as being a public relations response to the crisis, the leaked EU documents say:"The information strategy should avoid suggesting that the focus is to rescue migrants at sea but emphasize that the aim of the operation is to disrupt the migrant-smuggling business model."
Peter Roberts, senior research fellow for sea and power and maritime studies at the Royal United Services Institute told Sputnik that: "It's rather a confusing state of affairs," as he suggested that it could be more of a public relations exercise than a military one.
"They have the ability to intervene on the high
seas and take action where they meet standard conventions. They don't
have extra permission to go into Libyan waters. It's really not clear
what this new force is going to do."
"The four ships they have assigned from Britain, Italy and Germany
are supposed to go out and deconstruct the business model of criminal
groups. This is something the naval forces are skilled in, they can sink
boats or shoot them up or divert them — but for military officers
to try and understand the intricacies producing a legal case
against these people for a crime that has differing interpretations
in different nations, [and] it's just not clear."We do not have any outlines or concept of what they're going to do and how they're going to do it," Roberts told Sputnik.
"The vital work of HMS Bulwark, HMS Enterprise and our Merlin helicopters shows the UK's commitment to tackling the refugee crisis at source."
"It's important the mission moves to the next phase," said Fallon.
"We will not stand by and let this smuggling
trade escalate; we will confront this criminal activity which risks the
lives of innocent people every day."
Russia to coordinate Syria military actions with Israel
Israeli PM Netanyahu says coordination aims to prevent accidental military clashes with Russian troops in Syria.
![Netanyahu (L) said he and Putin 'agreed on a mechanism to prevent [...] misunderstandings' [Reuters]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uoYe5oiFGL0DkF0uvP5WflSsdc1biDbQEfHI43eoVkyJvD3peuRUNd2N1-tcYSQrRgNiF7H-C7NbDm8tPl7eL550rjaMwVsN_aldlifsuiyYBggznQGWT33zRJsNb8MhaEvI4pCgJP1K6v4GMyuTMWJcxou8WzDZFdwHN1Yw-YEOClQj0eM0V8YnqkTXb7ZZk4DxGfxE9iCb5j=s0-d "Russia to coordinate Syria military actions with Israel")
More to this story
Recent Russian reinforcements for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which regional sources say include warplanes and anti-aircraft systems, worry Israel, whose jets have on occasion bombed the neighbouring Arab country to foil suspected handovers of advanced arms to Assad's Lebanese ally Hezbollah.
Briefing Israeli reporters after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, Netanyahu said he had come with the goal of "prevent[ing] misunderstandings between IDF [Israeli army] units and Russian forces" in Syria, where Assad is fighting rebels in a civil war.
Netanyahu added that he and Putin "agreed on a mechanism to prevent such misunderstandings". He did not elaborate. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin.
In earlier remarks as he welcomed Netanyahu to the presidential residence of Novo-Ogaryovo, outside Moscow, Putin said Russian actions in the Middle East would always be "responsible".
Underlining the importance of Netanyahu's one-day visit to Moscow, Israel's premier took along the chief of its armed forces and the general in charge of Israeli military intelligence.
Putin, who shares Western concern about the spread of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) influence, has pledged to continue military support for Assad, assistance that Russia says is in line with international law.
Russia has been focusing forces on Syria's coast, where Moscow keeps a big Mediterranean naval base.
The United States, which along with its allies has been flying missions against ISIL in Syria, has also been holding so-called "deconfliction" talks with Russia.
Keeping US informed
Netanyahu told Israeli reporters that he had informed the Americans "on each and every detail" of his Moscow visit, adding: "Everyone has an interest in avoiding an unnecessary clash" over Syria.
A US official told Reuters news agency that US-Israeli coordination allowed the allies to share classified technologies for identifying Russian aircraft over Syria: "We know how to spot them clearly and quickly," the official said.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, could not say how many aircraft were involved.
A former Netanyahu adviser said Israel was concerned that Russia's help for Assad in the war, now in its fifth year, could create a de facto axis between Moscow, Iran and Hezbollah.
Iran, Israel's arch-foe, is Assad's other foreign backer and patron of Hezbollah, which fought Israel to a standstill in the 2006 Lebanon war.
INTERACTIVE: Life On Hold
Israel worries that top-of-the-line Russian military hardware being deployed in Syria could end up in Hezbollah's arsenal.
"Our policy is to do everything to stop weapons from being sent to Hezbollah," Netanyahu told Putin at their photo-op.
He also set out Israel's policy of striking at rebels suspected of preparing to attack it from the Syrian Golan Heights, on the northern frontier - an apparent signal to Russia to steer clear there.
A former Netanyahu adviser, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the issue, said any understanding reached with Putin "could come down to Israel and Russia agreeing to limit themselves to defined areas of operation in Syria, or even that they fly at daytime and we fly at night".
Source: Reuters
Monday, September 21, 2015
'A lot of work ahead and no time to lose' Juncker tells Tsipras
First entry: 21 September 2015 - 18:39 Athens, 15:39 GMT
Last update: 18:39 Athens, 15:39 GMTPolitics
"There
is a lot of work ahead and no time to lose," European Commission
President Jean-Claude Juncker tells Greek Prime Minister-elect Alexis
Tsipras in a letter of congratulations he sent him Monday.
Juncker posted the letter on his Twitter account:
Juncker posted the letter on his Twitter account:
Catalan Elections Causing Eurozone Cracks
A vote on the potential break-up of one of Europe's oldest countries is to take place on Sunday 27 September, when Catalonia holds its regional elections. Nationalist leaders are pledging to set up an independent Catalan state within 18 months if they win a majority in Barcelona's parliament.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, leader of the conservative People's
party insisted that: "There will be no Catalan independence. We are
talking about regional elections, in which people will choose their
regional parliament. Nothing else."
But the separatists have a different idea. If, as polls suggest, pro-independence parties win a majority in the 135 seat regional parliament, Catalan regional president Artur Mas, has said he will lead a transitional government which could see the region setting up their own banking service and tax authority within 18 months.
The Price of Independence
Meanwhile, the governor of the Bank of Spain, Luis Maria Linde, has issued a warning that an independent Catalonia would leave people without access to their bank savings — and an automatic ejection from the Eurozone and access to money from the European Central Bank.
"The exit from the euro is automatic, the exit from the European Union is implied," Luis Maria Linde said.
The independent region would no longer be subject to EU treaties —
but could re-apply for membership. Meanwhile, Madrid's ruling
conservatives, backed by Spain's constitutional court, insist Catalonia
is not a nation and said it will block any EU accession application.
And now Scotland is wading into the debate. Scottish National Party
European spokesman, Alyn Smith, has warned Madrid that blocking a
referendum was "anti-democratic, anti-European and potentially
explosive."
But the separatists have a different idea. If, as polls suggest, pro-independence parties win a majority in the 135 seat regional parliament, Catalan regional president Artur Mas, has said he will lead a transitional government which could see the region setting up their own banking service and tax authority within 18 months.
The Price of Independence
Meanwhile, the governor of the Bank of Spain, Luis Maria Linde, has issued a warning that an independent Catalonia would leave people without access to their bank savings — and an automatic ejection from the Eurozone and access to money from the European Central Bank.
"The exit from the euro is automatic, the exit from the European Union is implied," Luis Maria Linde said.
"Catalonia is a nation, and has a right to choose."
But Spain, Germany the UK and US want the country to remain united.
However, fault lines in the Eurozone are spreading with the potential
for a 'Catalexit' on the cards.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)