Overwhelmed by chocolate
Back in 2010,
The Independent published an article that considered a claim by
Nick Clegg that it took 15 years for the EU to define chocolate.
Now the court arguments are about the shape of chocolate bars.
Claim: "The European Union ... is a club that took 15 years to define chocolate in a chocolate directive." (Nick Clegg)
Fact: An EU directive introduced in 1973 defined what could be in products labelled "chocolate". However, the definition didn't include the chocolate produced by British manufacturers until 27 years later. The delay was due to the amount of cocoa butter and milk in chocolate in different countries. Britain and Ireland produce chocolate with higher milk content than on the continent, and use other vegetable fats as substitutes for cocoa butter. There was a failed attempt to include these products in the definition in 1984, but
it wasn't until 2000 that other European nations accepted that this could be also be called chocolate.
It is commercial legal cases like this (
What, legally, is champagne?) that gives EU laws and regulations a bad reputation — at least until anyone tries to legally define things. Until then your "four-fingered" Kit Kat bars are liable for counterfeiting.
Choc horror: four-fingered KitKat set to lose protected EU status
The shape of the four-finger KitKat bar is set to lose its EU-wide protected trademark status after the European court of justice was instructed that the chocolate was not well enough known in Belgium, Ireland, Greece and Portugal.
An appeal by Nestlé, the maker of KitKat, against an earlier ruling should now be thrown out, the court’s advocate general advised judges sitting in the Luxembourg court.
The company had only provided evidence that the chocolate was sufficiently well known in Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Sweden and the UK, the advocate general, Melchior Wathelet, said.
For the trademark to be valid the KitKat would need to be recognised as distinctive across all the EU’s states, as had been ruled by the general court, the second highest in the EU, in 2016.
The decision by the advocate general, whose advice is not binding but is generally followed, means the KitKat shape will now be open to imitation by competitors…
The legal skirmish in the European court of justice is part of a wider battle between Nestlé and Mondelēz International, previously known as Cadbury Schweppes, which filed the original challenge to the EU trademark in 2007, a year after it had been granted. Nestlé, in turn, is challenging Mondelēz’s British trademark for the shade of purple wrapper on its Cadbury’s Daily Milk chocolate bars…
Gaining trademark status for shapes has proven to be particularly challenging for companies. In 2016 the Rubik’s Cube lost a decade-long battle to secure trademark protection for its own distinctive character…
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Labels: EU, International Organizations, rule of law
Banks on the move?
When Brexit comes many things, like banks and broadcasters, will go.
Ireland pushes for UK TV channels to make post-Brexit move
First it was banks; now Ireland is targeting television channels based in the UK who may need to relocate to an EU country after Brexit in order to continue broadcasting across the bloc.
Its foreign investment authority has launched a charm offensive in London with the aim of persuading channels to follow Bank of America and Barclays to locate their EU-regulated HQ in Dublin…
Under cross-frontier broadcasting licensing laws, broadcasters need just one “country of origin” licence in one EU state to be able to broadcast throughout the bloc.
The broadcasting business is, like banking, centred in London with as many as 1,400 channels licensed in the capital, 750 of them broadcasting to another EU country, ranging from Al Jazeera to Disney and Viacom.
And just as banks have had to relocate some of their operations to Frankfurt. Amsterdam, Dublin and Paris in order to retain their “passport” to operate across the EU, broadcasters are now being forced to look at moving in the absence of any Brexit deal to recognise the UK’s licensing system…
Ireland is facing stiff competition for the Brexit spoils. It is understood Belgian authorities have also held events in London for the broadcasting industry, and Luxembourg has been sending letters out to TV chiefs arguing it is a natural home for TV…
Ireland is also targeting the pharmaceutical sector and legal services. It recently secured a deal with Wasdell, a British pharmaceutical company to set up in Dundalk with the promise of 300 jobs over five years in a €30m investment…
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Labels: Brexit, International Organizations, UK
No EU, no Euro court
Sovereignty. Some politicians have always resisted diluting their nation's sovereignty. In the footsteps of the Brexit vote, some in the UK want to free the country from the scrutiny of foreign courts.
Ministers put British bill of rights plan on hold until after Brexit
 |
| Cameron |
The government has accepted that it will have to put David Cameron’s plan to publish a British bill of rights on hold until after Brexit.
But senior Conservatives are pressing Theresa May to go further, and fight the 2020 general election on a pledge to pull Britain out of the European convention on human rights.
Cameron, May’s predecessor as PM, had planned to repeal the Human Rights Act, passed by the last Labour government to enshrine the ECHR in domestic law, and replace it with a distinct, and more limited, British bill of rights…
Leaving the ECHR would mean a british bill of rights would be enforced by the supreme court in London, rather than the European court of human rights in Strasbourg…
The ECHR, set up to safeguard basic human rights across the continent in the wake of the second world war… Britain as a founder member, and inspired by a proposal by the Conservative prime minister Winston Churchill, for “a charter of human rights, guarded by freedom and sustained by law”.
But some Conservative MPs, including many Brexiteers, believe the ECHR has overstepped its original purpose, and interferes too much in domestic policy…
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Labels: human rights, International Organizations, judicial review, UK
Complexity
Some things are much more complex than they appear at first glance.
Why U.K. Is Struggling to Find the Path to ‘Brexit’
A recently leaked memo… has highlighted cabinet divisions over Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, while suggesting that the government may need six additional months to settle on a plan and to recruit tens of thousands of extra civil servants.
The document identified tensions between enthusiasts for British withdrawal… and those fighting to preserve closer economic ties to the bloc…
[T]he more cautious types want to preserve Britain’s access to the European market by maintaining membership in the customs union or the single market, or perhaps some combination of the two…
What’s the difference between the customs union and the single market?
Both the customs union and the single market eliminate tariffs between member states. The customs union sets tariffs with non-European nations, so members share a common trade policy with the rest of the world. The single market removes non-tariff trade barriers, too, for instance by maintaining common product standards…
Is the European customs union a more practical and reachable goal?
It might be. Not all members belong to the European Union… Britain would be able to trade freely in goods within the union… But Britain would have to comply with some European Union regulations.
So what does the British government say about Brexit plans?
As little as possible… it refuses to give a running commentary, saying that would weaken its negotiating position. But British officials had not prepared for Brexit before the referendum and are having to examine its impact on every sector of the economy — a huge exercise. In doing so, they appear to be uncovering more questions than answers…
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Labels: EU, International Organizations, international trade, UK
EU: Common Agricultural Policy
The EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the priciest program in the EU. It seems to do much of what was promised in the EU treaties, but like most things in the EU there's a deficit of democracy. Why would the CAP be an issue in the UK in the debate over EU membership?
The common agricultural policy and EU solidarity
Giles Fraser says the EU “has become a huge and largely invisible way of redistributing wealth from the poor to the rich”… Clearly there is an element of the common agricultural policy that does do just that…
According to the eminent historian Tony Judt… “taken all in all, the EU is a good thing … from the late eighties, the budgets of the European Community and the Union nevertheless had a distinctly redistributive quality, transferring resources from wealthy regions to poorer ones and contributing to a steady reduction in the aggregate gap between rich and poor…
It’s because of this approach that poor regions like mine, the north-east of England, are net beneficiaries of EU funding despite the fact we belong to a net contributing nation. In the 80s the EU helped lift Spain, Portugal and Ireland out of relative poverty and the same process is under way today with the countries of eastern Europe. Fraser has missed the big picture – the EU is actually a socialist plot, but be careful who you tell that to…
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Labels: EU, International Organizations, policy
Case study
Brexit (Britain's exit from the EU) won't be on the exam. The referendum isn't until late June. But it's a good case study of governance and sovereignty for the UK. The BBC offers details to consider. There's a 2-minute video in the midst of the column.
The UK's EU referendum: All you need to know
What is happening? UK Prime Minister David Cameron has announced a referendum on whether Britain should remain in the European Union to be held on Thursday 23 June. This article is designed to be an easy-to-understand guide - and a chance to ask other questions, a selection of which we'll be answering at the bottom of the page.
- What is a referendum?
- What is the European Union?
- What will the referendum question be?
- What does Brexit mean?
- Who will be able to vote?
- How will you vote?
- What are the main changes David Cameron has agreed?
- How does that differ from what he wanted?
- Why is a referendum being held?
- Who wants the UK to leave the EU?
- Why do they want the UK to leave?
- Who wants the UK to stay in the EU?
- Why do they want the UK to stay?
- So would Britain be better in or out?
- What about businesses?
- What are the rules for campaigning?
- How much can the parties spend?
- So who is going to be leading the rival sides in the campaign?
- Which MPs are for staying and which are for leaving?
- Will it simply be the case of all votes being counted to give two totals?
- I'm away on holiday for the week of 23 June - can I still vote?
- When will the campaigns actually begin?
- When and how will the results be announced?
- If the UK left the EU would UK citizens need special permits to work in the EU?
- What about EU nationals who want to work in the UK?
- Would leaving the EU mean we wouldn't have to abide by the European Court of Human Rights?
- Has any member state ever left the EU, or would the UK be the first?
- If we stay in do we keep the pound for ever?
- How much does the UK contribute to the EU and how much do we get in return?
- If I retire to Spain or another EU country will my healthcare costs still be covered?
- Will the opinion polls get it wrong again?
- Who counts as a British citizen?
- How long will it take for Britain to leave the EU?
- Could MPs block an EU exit if Britain votes for it?
- What will happen to protected species if Britain leaves the EU?
- How much money will the UK save through changes to migrant child benefits and welfare payments?
- If we leave the EU does it mean we would be barred from the Eurovision Song Contest?
- Do Commonwealth citizens resident in the UK on a limited work visa get to vote?
- Can EU citizens living in the UK vote in the referendum?
- What impact would leaving the EU have on house prices?
- What is the 'red tape' that the opponents of the EU go on about?
- Would Britain be party to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership if it left?
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Labels: democracy, EU, International Organizations, rule of law, UK
Add to curriculum: more macroeconomics
Three political science professors explain why comparativists are going to have to learn more macroeconomics in order to understand comparative politics.
And if history is to be a guide, we should add to the final paragraph a note about the civil war fought in the USA.
The euro zone is in crisis. Here are the four most important lessons to take away.
The European Union (E.U.) is facing its most serious economic crisis since the first steps towards European integration in the 1950s. Since 2010, the countries that have adopted the euro… have wrestled with a financial and debt crisis that has now caused more lasting economic damage to some parts of Europe than the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The economic crisis has turned into a serious political crisis, with conflict among and within E.U. member states threatening both European integration and domestic stability…
Lesson 1: The euro zone crisis looks a lot like other balance of payment crises
The euro zone crisis is unusual. It involves a single currency shared by many countries with widely divergent macroeconomic conditions and little centralized financial regulation. The E.U. has no fiscal policy coordination — and it lacks a credible no-bailout commitment. These factors came together to bring the euro zone close to collapse.
But the crisis played out in pretty much the same way as other balance-of-payments crises over the past two centuries…
Politics during the euro zone crisis have also followed the patterns seen in past financial crises. Countries and groups have squared off in bitter domestic and international conflicts. They have battled over how to share the burden of adjustment. At the domestic level, the crisis has polarized public debate, fueled tensions over reform, and increased support for extremist parties…
Lesson 2: Monetary union raises the political stakes
What’s really different in the euro zone is that the crisis occurred within the context of monetary union and European integration… [T]he European Central Bank, European Council, and other central authorities have now taken on a more powerful role. And creditor countries such as Germany now wield far more power within the E.U…
Lesson 3: The underlying problems of European monetary union never went away
The economic and political problems of adopting a single currency were largely predictable and broadly foreseen prior to the launch of the euro… The third lesson is that ignoring those earlier warning signs was a mistake.
Lesson 4: Monetary union doesn’t work without fiscal and regulatory coordination
The final lesson is that European policymakers need to make some major changes to ensure the euro’s viability. To maintain the monetary union, the euro zone needs a true lender of last resort, deeper coordination on fiscal policy, and increased labor mobility among E.M.U. members. Will this mean the members move towards a more formal fiscal and political union? Clearly, the euro will not survive if nothing changes.
Current political and economic debates in Europe closely mirror those of the United States from the 1790s through the 1860s. Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson clashed over whether the federal government should take on state debts; the country split over the First and Second Banks of the United States; and American monetary union was not completed until the 1870s. The U.S. experience shows that crafting a functioning economic and monetary union is a long, hard road, requiring regions and groups to make difficult compromises…
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Labels: concepts, economics, EU, history, International Organizations, politics, transnational
International? Transnational? Independent?
Just about the time it seems like nearly all the actors on the international stage are nation states, something else pops up.
We the networks
IF A satirist were to create a parody of an international conference, amping up the insularity and tedious intricacies for comic effect, he might come up with something rather like the meeting… in Marrakech. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, known as ICANN, will bring together 1,300 participants for 346 sessions…
Barring any last-minute hiccups, though, something remarkable will happen at the meeting. After two years of negotiations, ICANN is set to agree on a reform that would turn it into a new kind of international organisation. If this goes ahead, a crucial global resource, the internet’s address system, will soon be managed by a body that is largely independent of national governments…
The beauty of the internet is its openness. As long as people stick to its technical standards, anybody can add a new branch or service. For everything to connect, though, the network needs a central address book, which includes domain names… and internet-protocol addresses…
That is why, as the internet grew up, America decided not to hand control to the United Nations or another international body steered by governments. Instead, in 1998 it helped create ICANN, a global organisation that gives a say to everybody with an interest in the smooth running of the network…
Most were happy with the arrangement at first. But American oversight came to seem odd as the internet grew into a vast global resource with much traffic no longer passing over American cables. Then came revelations that the National Security Agency had spied on internet users in America and elsewhere…
The new ICANN will resemble a state, says Thomas Rickert of eco, Germany’s internet association and co-chairman of one of the main negotiation committees.
It will have a government (the organisation’s board), a constitution (its by-laws, which include its mission and “core values”), a judiciary (an “independent review process”, which leads to binding recommendations) and a citizenry of sorts (half-a-dozen “supporting organisations” and “advisory committees”, which represent the different interest groups). These will have the right to kick out the board and block its budget.
Dissenting governments and recalcitrant [American] Republicans notwithstanding, an independent ICANN is not only likely to come to pass but also to become a model for other sorts of internet governance…. Without generally accepted global rules, governments are bound to create their own, even if these cannot be implemented. “Multi-stakeholder” outfits like ICANN, where all opinions are aired, might well be the best hope to come up with rules that work…
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Labels: government, International Organizations, nation, regime, state
Can a nation state just claim sovereignty?
Since the UK is one of the few states with a sovereign, it makes sense that sovereignty is a big deal.
David Cameron: There's 'a good case' for new UK sovereignty law
A new law reasserting the power of UK Parliament law over the EU could be passed, David Cameron has said, once his reform talks are concluded…
The prime minister has said he wants the UK to stay in a reformed European Union, but he has not ruled out campaigning to leave if he cannot secure the changes he wants…
It has been reported that the UK government will amend domestic law to make clear that Parliament is sovereign and that Britain's courts are not bound by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights - a legally binding charter which set out a range of civil, political and social rights enjoyed by the bloc's citizens.
Mr Cameron said Parliament's sovereignty was "already asserted" in the Referendum Act - the legislation paving the way for the in-out vote - which prevents "significant" powers being passed to Brussels without UK voters being consulted in a referendum.
But he added: "If it's necessary to do that again, in more detail, to make it even clearer to people that our Parliament is sovereign... I think there's a good case for it and so we'll look very carefully at it."
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and
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Labels: EU, International Organizations, sovereignty, UK
Organizing for Eurasia
First China was instrumental in organizing the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which looks like an Asian alternative to NATO. Now comes the Chinese "World Bank."
China Creates a World Bank of Its Own, and the U.S. Balks
As top leaders met at a lush Bali resort in October 2013, President Xi Jinping of China described his vision for a new multinational, multibillion-dollar bank to finance roads, rails and power grids across Asia. Under Chinese stewardship, the bank would tackle the slow development in poor countries that was holding the region back from becoming the wealth center of the world.
[T]he Obama administration began a rear-guard battle to minimize the bank’s influence.
The United States worries that China will use the bank to set the global economic agenda on its own terms, forgoing the environmental protections, human rights, anticorruption measures and other governance standards long promoted by its Western counterparts…
But the administration suffered a humiliating diplomatic defeat last spring when most of its closest allies signed up for the bank, including Britain, Germany, Australia and South Korea. Altogether 57 countries have joined, leaving the United States and Japan on the outside…
The calculation for joining is simple. China, with its vast wealth and resources, now rivals the United States at the global economic table. That was confirmed this week when the International Monetary Fund blessed the Chinese renminbi as one of the world’s elite currencies, alongside the dollar, euro, pound and yen…
The Chinese-led institution, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, is now in the process of picking its first projects. The choices, expected to be announced in coming months, will provide insight into how China plans to wield its power…
China is taking direct aim at the current development regime, the Bretton Woods system established under the leadership of the United States after World War II to help stabilize currencies and promote growth…
A newly assertive Beijing felt that it had been unfairly treated for years by the United States. President Obama did not invite China to join the American-driven Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, insisting that Beijing should not be allowed to write the rules for 21st-century commerce.
During the 2008 financial crisis, China’s economy had continued to perform well, serving as a stabilizing force for the world when the United States was on the verge of a collapse…
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Labels: China, International Organizations, politics
Limits on the EU
It's not just nationalist politics and nationalist economics that are imposing limitations on the EU. International terrorism is also threatening the vision of an open, multi-national society.
EU needs stricter border checks to disrupt terrorists, say leaders
European Union leaders have called for stricter checks on travellers entering the passport-free Schengen area, in response to last month's Paris attacks…
 |
| Schengen area |
EU travellers can often avoid extensive ID checks under the Schengen agreement.
The agreement abolished internal borders, enabling passport-free movement between 26 European countries. The United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland are not involved.
Spain had suggested that the agreement might have to be amended to permit more border checks on people suspected of having terrorist links…
Countries would "proceed without delay to systematic and co-ordinated checks'' on anyone whose movements are flagged as suspicious by databases that use unspecified "common risk indicators", the statement said.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz endorsed tighter controls, but said there were red lines he and other lawmakers would refuse to cross.
He warned that rashly curtailing individual rights in the name of boosting public safety would play into the terrorists' hands by discrediting Western-style democracy…
The leaders also called for police and judicial authorities to step up information sharing to prevent arms trafficking and money laundering and to effectively freeze assets used for financing terrorism…
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Labels: capacity, EU, International Organizations
Do you know...
 |
| who these people are? |
What
BRICS is?
Chinese president proposes closer, more solid BRICS partnership
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday proposed a closer and more solid partnership among BRICS countries, as he delivered a speech at the sixth BRICS summit held here.
Besides Xi, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Jacob Zuma also attended the summit held under the theme of "Inclusive growth: sustainable solutions."…
Xi stressed that BRICS countries, which express themselves concertedly and contribute their share to solving many major international and regional issues, are committed to boosting world economic growth, improving global economic governance and promoting the democratization of international relations.
They have become an important force in international relations and an active constructor of the international system, he said.
According to Xi, BRICS countries should carry forward the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, and develop a closer, more comprehensive and more solid partnership.
He urged to unswervingly push forward sustainable economic growth, adhere to inclusive growth, turn quantitive growth into qualitative growth, and coordinate economic development, social development and environmental protection…
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Labels: China, International Organizations, politics, Russia
More political irony
What is the most unlikely arena in which to advocate nationalism and anti-Semitism?
European Candidates See Opportunity on Extreme Edge
The campaign advertisement in the Czech Republic begins with a snake slithering out of a red European Union flag and a montage of pictures of supposed threats to Czech identity, including a 500-euro note, an Israeli flag and a gathering of Orthodox Jews.
“The European Union is an evil which produces more evil — it is our duty to confront it,” the voice-over says. “Let’s kill the snake!”
 |
| Bartos |
The advertisement is the work of Adam B. Bartos, a 34-year-old Czech journalist who is running in May elections for the European Parliament. He is campaigning with an anti-Semitic appeal, and regularly updates a list of 220 prominent Jews he accuses of dominating Czech life. He has called for the country to leave the European Union, which he portrays as a malign “superstate” undermining Czech sovereignty…
[T]he ad, which circulated on social media… [is] a symbol of the increasing boldness of the far right in the country and across the region, fueled by dissatisfaction with the post-1989 political and economic order.
Parties outside the political mainstream are expected to win as many as a quarter of the 750 seats in the European Parliament in European elections that start on May 22, according to recent polls, as far-right leaders, from France to the Czech Republic, portray the European Union as a gateway for illegal immigrants, an emblem of unrestrained markets and a threat to national sovereignty…
Jaroslav Plesl, editor of Tyden, a leading Czech political magazine… said by phone from Prague that while Mr. Bartos was unlikely to win many votes, his overtly racist message reflected how some politicians were lurching toward ultranationalism to attract disaffected voters…
In Eastern and Central Europe, a feeling that the revolutions that overthrew communism have not lived up to their promises have helped fuel the rise of the extreme right among the so-called losers of the post-1989 transition. They blame the European Union, immigrants and globalization for their failures, said Jiri Pehe, who worked as an adviser for former Czech President Vaclav Havel and is now the director of New York University in Prague…
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Labels: cleavages, EU, International Organizations, politics
Nigeria finds respect
While the news was full of stories about Saudi Arabia turning down a chance to fill a seat on the UN Security Council, Nigeria was anxious to accept a seat and claim the international recognition and respect that Nigerians wanted.
Nigeria Elected to UN Security Council
After months of canvassing for Nigeria’s inclusion in the United Nations Security Council, the country, Thursday, finally got elected to occupy one of the non-permanent seats on the council…
Hailing Nigeria’s inclusion as a Security Council member, President Goodluck Jonathan welcomed the development and conveyed Nigeria’s appreciation of the support of all member countries of the UN who voted for the country’s election…
Security Council seats are highly coveted because they give countries a strong voice in matters dealing with international peace and security in places like Syria, Iran, North Korea as well as the UN’s far-flung peacekeeping operations.
The 15-member council includes five permanent members with veto power – the US, Russia, China, Britain and France – and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms…
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| President Jonathan |
A statement issued by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said… “The president believes that today’s endorsement of Nigeria’s candidature for the Security Council seat by the vast majority of member-countries is a glowing expression of support and encouragement for Nigeria’s active participation in the promotion of peace, security and political stability in Africa and other parts of the world.
“This is the fourth time since it became independent in 1960 that Nigeria is being elected to the UN Security Council. It is also the second time (2010-2011 and 2014-2015) that Nigeria will be elected to the Council under the Jonathan presidency…
Also the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described Nigeria’s election as an unprecedented feat and a testament to the achievements of the Jonathan-led PDP administration.
The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, said the development had clearly shown that the world recognises the efforts of the present administration in repositioning our country through the president’s transformation agenda…
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Labels: International Organizations, leadership, Nigeria, politics
Transparency but no records
The halls of Westminster are not swarming with lobbyists. Persuasion gets done in other ways. For instance, the PM, professed fan of greater transparency, is going to a private meeting with many of the world's movers and shakers without aides, without taking notes, and without telling the public who he saw or what was said.
The US president isn't going this year, but plenty of other current and former US big shots will attend.
Conspiracy theorists, by the way practically foam at the mouth when Bilderberg is mentioned.
David Cameron to attend Bilderberg group meeting
David Cameron is to attend the secretive Bilderberg group at the luxury Grove hotel in Watford… in a move that is likely to raise questions about his pledge to lead Britain's most transparent government.
Downing Street said it was acting in an open manner by publicising the prime minister's attendance in advance…
No 10 is to clarify the position because ministers are usually expected to be accompanied by civil service note-takers when they meet business leaders…
The PM's spokesman said: "He will participate in a discussion around domestic and global economic issues. He feels it is an opportunity to discuss economic issues with senior ministers, businesspeople and academics."
Downing Street said that it would not publicise any details of the prime minister's meetings. "It is a private meeting so we are not going to go into any further details," the spokesman said.
"On a wider point the prime minister has always been clear about the importance of transparency which is why this government has taken a number of steps in terms of publishing more data, more information about meetings."…
Cameron and Nick Clegg pledged when they formed the coalition to lead the most transparent government to date. The coalition agreement said: "The government believes that we need to throw open the doors of public bodies, to enable the public to hold politicians and public bodies to account."…
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Labels: International Organizations, leadership, transparency, UK
Legitimacy
Nation states sometimes have trouble maintaining the legitimacy of their governments and regimes. It's even more difficult for a supranational organization like the EU.
To me it's distressing that the dangers of emotional nationalism that inspired the creation of the EU are apparent now as threats to the survival of international cooperation. Do your students of European history recognize history repeating itself?
Crisis for Europe as trust hits record low
Public confidence in the European Union has fallen to historically low levels in the six biggest EU countries, raising fundamental questions about its democratic legitimacy more than three years into the union's worst ever crisis, new data shows.
After financial, currency and debt crises, wrenching budget and spending cuts, rich nations' bailouts of the poor, and surrenders of sovereign powers over policymaking to international technocrats, Euroscepticism is soaring to a degree that is likely to feed populist anti-EU politics and frustrate European leaders' efforts to arrest the collapse in support for their project…
The findings… represent a nightmare for Europe's leaders, whether in the wealthy north or in the bailout-battered south, suggesting a much bigger crisis of political and democratic legitimacy…
EU leaders are aware of the problem, utterly at odds over what to do about it, and have yet to come up with any coherent policy proposals addressing the mismatch between the pooling of economic and fiscal powers and the democratic mandate deemed necessary to underpin such radical policy shifts.
José Manuel Barroso, the European commission president, said… the European "dream" was under threat from a "resurgence of populism and nationalism" across the EU…
Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk… [said] "We can't escape this dilemma: how do you get a new model of sovereignty so that limited national sovereignty in the EU is not dominated by the biggest countries like Germany… "
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Labels: concepts, democratization, EU, federalism, International Organizations, legitimacy, nationalism, sovereignty
Transnational gridlock
How will checks and balances work out this time?
EU lawmakers threaten to veto tightened budget
The leaders of the European Parliament are threatening to veto the bloc’s multi-annual budget because of its deep cuts.
The Christian Democratic EPP, the largest group in the legislature, said the 7-year budget worth €960 billion ($1.28 trillion) must be revised to realistically reflect the EU’s growing competences and responsibilities.
Socialist leader Hannes Swoboda called the budget — which needs parliament’s approval — unacceptable and said there won’t be a majority for the proposed plan.
The EU’s 27 member states earlier this month agreed on a budget deal that foresees the first cuts in the bloc’s history for the years 2014-2020.
EU President Herman Van Rompuy defended the plan as shifting funds toward growth-friendly investment while recognizing the need to tighten belts currently felt across Europe.
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Labels: EU, International Organizations, regime, rule of law
Just The Facts! 2nd edition is a concise guide to concepts, terminology, and examples that will appear on May's exam.
