European Union - Dr. Tom Seymour

The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly earlier this month to approve the new European Commission led by Commission President José Manuel Barroso following hearings for all 26 members of his team.

“This is the first time in our history that we are appointing the European Commission in our capacity as a real co-legislator,” noted the European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek. “This is the dawn of a new decade, with a new way of working for the European institutions.”

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EU in 2020

Setting out his vision for where the European Union should be in 2020, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso this month stressed the importance of Europe making a successful exit from the current crisis with an ambitious structural reform agenda. The goal of a Europe 2020 strategy should be a sustainable, social market economy, he said. “Europe 2020 cannot be business as usual: we need a step change in the effectiveness and delivery of the new strategy, designed to raise sustainable growth and create the jobs that we need. Whilst our starting position is arguably more difficult than before the crisis and perhaps than at any time in our generation, we also know that coordinated policy action can deliver on our objectives.”

Europe 2020 is being designed as the successor to the current Lisbon Strategy, which has been the EU’s reform strategy for the last decade and has helped the EU weather the storm of the recent economic and financial crisis.

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EU Aid to Haiti Relief Effort

At their meeting in Brussels this week, EU Foreign Ministers and EU High Representative Catherine Ashton stressed the urgent need to provide shelter for the population in Haiti.

The European Commission earlier this month mobilized a further 90 million euros in relief aid to Haiti, bringing the EU’s total contribution to over 600 million euros.

“We should avoid at all costs a second-wave humanitarian disaster in Haiti,” said Kristalina Georgieva, the new European Commissioner responsible for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. “With the approaching rainy and hurricane season, giving people a roof over their heads is a key priority.”

High Representative Ashton and Commissioner Georgieva will be in Haiti next week to evaluate the EU’s humanitarian aid and to assess future needs.

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European Recovery in Progress But “Fragile”

According to an interim economic forecast released yesterday, the European Union economy is gradually recovering. Real GDP started to grow again in the third quarter of 2009, ending the longest and deepest recession in the EU’s history. The exceptional crisis measures put in place in the EU played a major role in turning the economy around.

“The recovery of the EU economy is materializing but it is still fragile,” said EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn, and urged that putting the European economy back on a strong and sustainable path should be the overarching objective. “For this we need to work on two fronts: the economic recovery and the consolidation of our public finances. The new Europe 2020 Strategy leading to the modernization of our economies should go hand in hand with the consolidation of our public finances. This is necessary for sustainable growth and job creation.”

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EU to Assess Iraq Elections

Following an invitation from the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission, the European Commission has deployed an Election Assessment Team to assess and analyze the upcoming Council of Representatives elections in Iraq to be held on March 7, 2010. The deployment is a demonstration of the European Union’s commitment to support democracy in Iraq.

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EU Committed to European Perspective for Western Balkans

Visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton met with political and civil society leaders in the region to discuss a number of bilateral issues, including the prospect of EU membership.

Speaking in Belgrade, High Representative Ashton said that “…the EU is determined that the future of the whole region lies in the eventual accession to the EU. Progress on that path depends on the commitment to reform at home…We will have to recognize that the integration of the whole region into the EU will take time. But we are backing you up with all our available foreign-policy tools. Our message is clear – the EU is with you until you are in the EU.”

High Representative Ashton also met with representatives of the EU’s Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), the EU military operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Operation EUFOR ALTHEA) and the European Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUPM). With more than five thousand people working on the ground, these missions in the region remain essential for the long-term development of security and rule of law throughout the Western Balkans.

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EU Recommends Opening Accession Negotiations with Iceland

The European Commission has recommended the opening of accession negotiations with Iceland, following the country’s July 2009 application for membership in the European Union. “The opinion is an important step in the accession process and provides guidance to Iceland in its efforts to become an EU member,” said EU Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle.

Iceland’s bid for accession comes at a time of economic crisis. Experience with former accession candidates shows that the prospect of EU membership and ensuing reforms have a stabilizing effect on financial markets. Iceland’s application highlights the Union’s role in promoting economic and political stability.

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EU Call for Social Networking Websites to Improve Child Safety

In conjunction with the Safer Internet Day on February 9, the European Commission said more needs to be done to protect children using social networking websites.

“If we want children to think before they post, social networking companies should post the right information using the right language,” said former EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media Viviane Reding (now European Commission Vice President responsible for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship). “Last year the European Commission urged companies to act, and I am glad that many have heeded this call. However I expect all companies to do more. Minors’ profiles need to be set to private by default, and questions or abuse reports have to receive quick and appropriate responses. The internet is now vital to our children, and it is the responsibility of all to make it safe.”