EU's New 'Six-pack' Shows Just How Tough Europe Will Be on National Governments

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Amid all the political uncertainty and market turbulence that are becoming a seemingly intractable feature of life in the euro area, there was one bright spot last week in an otherwise stormy sky.

It saw the successful end of a full year of negotiations on the European Commission's proposals for six new pieces of European legislation which will fundamentally reshape economic governance in the European Union and, more particularly, in the euro area.

When this legislation enters into force later this year, the EU will have in place a much stronger framework for preventing the economic mistakes that have cast a shadow over the recent past.

We will be able to scrutinise the Member States' public finances, in particular the level of debt, much more carefully and pre-emptively than ever before. This will include co-ordinated examination of economic policies and budgets in the first half of each year before their adoption by national parliaments in a process known as the European Semester. And budgets will have to be designed and presented according to a common framework, in line with best international standards, so that budget-making is more transparent both for citizens and policy-makers.

We have learned important lessons by looking at the roots of the current sovereign debt crisis. So we will be focusing the spotlight tightly on countries whose budget policies put their own and Europe's stability, growth and employment at risk. Thus in the future we will avoid the kind of fiscal crisis we have had to confront in the case of Greece.

At the same time we will be looking more broadly at the macroeconomic situation in each country and paying particular attention to early signs of possible imbalances that could undermine competitiveness and threaten long-term economic health. Read on and comment » | Olli Rehn | Thursday, October 20, 2011

Greek Rescue Frays As Irish Crisis Drags On
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The eurozone bail-out for Greece has begun to unravel after Austria suspended aid contributions over failure to comply with the rescue terms, and Germany warned Athens that its patience was running out.

Thousands of Communist Party supporters wave flags during the protest rally in central Athens on November 15 against the IMF-EU troika visit in Athens and the expected new austrity package. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
The clash caught markets off-guard and heightened fears that Europe's debt crisis may be escalating, with deep confusion over the Irish crisis as Dublin continues to resist EU pressure to request its own rescue.

Olli Rehn, the EU economics commissioner, said escalating rhetoric in Europe was turning dangerous. "I want to call on every responsible European to resist the centrifugal tendencies and existential alarmism."

Swirling rumours hit eurozone bond markets, while bourses tumbled across the world. The FTSE 100 fell 2.4pc to 5681.9, and the Dow dropped over 200 points in early trading. The euro slid two cents to $1.3460 against the dollar as the US currency regained its safe-haven status. Read on and comment >>> Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | Tuesday, November 16, 2010

TELEGRAPH BLOGS – JEREMY WARNER: Austria Tells Greece to Get Stuffed: Europe’s hastily assembled bailout fund already seems to be coming apart at the seams, and that’s before Ireland has even tapped into it. Austria is refusing to contribute to the next tranche of bailout money for Greece, citing the country’s failure to meet conditions. Yesterday it emerged there is serious slippage in Greece’s deficit reduction programme. >>> Jeremy Warner | Tuesday, November 16, 2010

General Election 2010: New Government Must Tackle Rising Debt, Says EU
THE TELEGRAPH: The new Government must tackle the country's rising debt level as a top priority, the European Commission has warned, as figures show public borrowing is the highest in the EU.

Europe's economic and monetary affairs Commissioner, Olli Rehn, was speaking after unveiling EU economic forecasts which show the stirrings of an economic recovery across Europe.

Latest forecasts show Britain's debt at 88% of GDP in 2011/12, well above the eurozone permitted maximum of 60%.

Britain's annual deficit is also running at more than four times the eurozone permitted ceiling of 3% of GDP. >>> | Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Artist Flees Turkey after Brush with Leader
THE INDEPENDENT: An artist who was cleared of mocking Turkey's prime minister by portraying him as a dog in a collage has fled the country after hearing his acquittal has been overturned.

Michael Dickinson, 59, returned home to County Durham after hearing a late-night TV report last week saying the acquittal had been quashed and a new trial was pending.

"I was shocked. I couldn't believe it. I was told by a woman, whose husband had seen it, and I said 'He must be dreaming'," he said.

"I caught a plane out as soon as I could, leaving most of my possessions behind, including my books, furnishings and computer.

"I was sad to leave after 23 years in Turkey, but I don't fancy another taste of Turkish hospitality in incarceration." >>> Rod Minchin, Press Association | Tuesday, June 30, 2009

EURACTIV: EU Tells Turkey: No 'Cruise Control' on Accession

As leading EU countries are advocating alternatives to full EU membership for Turkey, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week that Ankara should speed up reform instead of breeding unrealistic expectations during its accession process.

"No one should be mistaken: There is no cruise control in the accession negotiations. Each step forward requires hard work and intense preparations by the candidates for EU membership," Rehn said, speaking at forum held in Brussels on Friday (26 June).

The enlargement commissioner acknowledged progress made by Turkey in the accession process, but stressed that no such advance was visible in the last six months.

He stressed the "pressing need" to reform the legal and constitutional framework governing the closure of political parties, as well of guaranteeing freedom of expression and the independence and pluralism of the media.

Recent reports by the European Commission and the Parliament have warned of a continuous slowdown in the reform process in Turkey (EurActiv 12/02/09). >>> | Monday, June 29, 2009

Rehn Says Turkey Has "Plenty of Works" [sic] to Do in EU Accession
HÜRRIYET: WASHINGTON - Turkey must speed up long-delayed reforms to keep its bid to join the European Union on track amid fatigue over expanding membership of the 27-nation bloc, the EU's enlargement chief said on Thursday.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said there was "plenty of work" for Turkey to do on issues such as freedom of expression and the media, as well as trade union rights, if it wanted entry into the bloc.

"Turkey needs to seriously resume reforms enhancing fundamental freedoms," Rehn told Reuters in an interview in Washington, where he was meeting U.S. State Department and World Bank officials to discuss a range of issues, including Turkey.

He said Turkey must adopt a law on trade unions respecting the standards of international labor organizations -- a demand made for the past three years.

"It was last promised in January and then by April and we have not seen it. Therefore we cannot open a chapter (negotiations) on social policy in employment as there is no agreement," Rehn said.

In Turkey, skepticism about the EU and the belief it is unfairly hindering the majority Muslim but secular nation's accession talks have grown, with powerful conservative opponents having said they will resist attempts to change the constitution.

Opinion polls show many Turks feel the EU has cooled toward the country and that the bloc will not accept Turkey as a member state, even if Ankara meets all political and economic requirements for EU accession. >>> | Friday, June 05, 2009

Brussels Committed to Turkey's EU Membership
MONSTERS & CRITICS: Brussels - The European Commission, as well as the current and future presidencies of the European Union, on Tuesday reiterated their support for Turkey's entry into the EU, despite resistance in France and Germany.

'The European Commission is committed to the EU accession process of Turkey ... on the basis of the negotiating framework that was adopted by all (EU) member states and Turkey in October 2005,' said EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn after talks in Brussels with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

While conceding that Turkey faces a long and difficult journey, Rehn stressed that Turkish membership 'is in the fundamental interest of the EU.'

Rehn's comments were echoed by the foreign ministers of the Czech Republic, which currently holds the EU's six-month rotating presidency, and by Sweden, its successor.

'We will continue to work on the programme that was laid out together by the French, Czech and Swedish presidencies,' said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, who singled out peace talks in Cyprus as 'the single most important issue this year.'

The comments in Brussels came less than 10 days after the leaders of Germany and France both questioned the wisdom of allowing Turkey into the EU. >>> © Deutsche Press Agentur| Tuesday, May 19, 2009

REUTERS: Czechs Hope Turkey's EU Bid Will Progress Before July

BRUSSELS - The Czech EU presidency said on Tuesday it hoped to open at least one more negotiating area in Turkey's slow-moving EU entry bid by the end of its term on June 30.

Turkey, meanwhile, did not make clear whether it was linking the energy area of the negotiations -- which is currently being blocked by its rivalry with EU member Cyprus -- to signing a deal on a major pipeline project with the EU.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was asked after talks with EU officials in Brussels when Turkey expected to sign its commitment to the Nabucco pipeline project and what he expected from Europe in return.

He said Nabucco was a strategic project for Turkey and it would do all it could to see it realised.

A European Union with Turkey as a member would be in a much better position from the perspective of energy security. >>> Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Jon Hemming | Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Olli Rehn Talks through His Pine End!
DAILY TELEGRAPH: The European Union's enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn has accused Britain of having an irrational and backward looking view on the EU's eastwards expansion and foreign workers.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn . Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
He launched the extraordinary attack as the EU marked the fifth anniversary of the 2004 enlargement, when 10 mainly Central and East European countries joined.

He likened "scepticism" about expansion, especially in "established" countries such Britain, Germany and France, to sentimentality for the 1960s.

The 47-year old Finn insisted the negative reaction was a product of "popular psychology" and backward looking sentiment for a bygone age.

"I cannot see any rational reasons," he told The Daily Telegraph. "In the established member states there has been the feeling that it is a cosy club, by the fireside, where we can take decisions that concern all of us, who are very similar.

"There is plenty of sweet nostalgia. It is like Beatle records or George Best's performances at Man United. That belongs to a different era." EU Commissioner Accuses Britain of Having Irrational View of Europe >>> By Bruno Waterfield in Prague | Friday, May 1, 2009

Turkey Breaks Company with EU in Gay Vote
HÜRRIYET: ANKARA - In an atmosphere where Turkey is being criticized for the slow pace of its EU reforms, the country refuses to sign a declaration calling all states to take steps to stop the criminalization of homosexuality, contradicting its commitments to the EU in promoting human rights

Turkey refused to sign a European Union-led declaration presented last week at the United Nations calling all states to take steps to stop the criminalization of homosexuality. The move contradicted Turkey’s commitments to the EU to promote human rights for all without any discrimination.

"It’s very frustrating for Turks who wish the state to become a member of the EU. Turkey’s position with regard to this issue is more important than Cyprus to us," an EU ambassador told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review after it became clear that Ankara declined to join the 27 EU countries who endorsed the groundbreaking initiative.

Co-sponsored by France and the Netherlands, the declaration urged all states "to take all the necessary measures, in particular legislative or administrative, to ensure that sexual orientation or gender identity may under no circumstances be the basis for criminal penalties, in particular executions, arrests or detention."

The appeal is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states in Article One: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." Out of 192, 66 countries signed the document, saying they "are disturbed that violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatization and prejudice are directed against persons in all countries in the world because of sexual orientation or gender identity."

The signatories "condemn the human rights violations based on sexual orientation or gender identity wherever they occur," especially "the use of the death penalty on this ground," as well as their "arbitrary arrest or detention and deprivation of economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to health." >>> By Serkan Demirtaş | Monday, December 22, 2008

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: EU Enlargement Commissioner Urges Turkey to Take Steps toward Admission

BRUSSELS: Turkey must overcome internal divisions and get back to long-delayed reforms early next year to show it is serious about wanting to join the European Union, the bloc's enlargement commissioner, Olli Rehn, said in an interview.

Rehn also said he expected more Balkan countries to apply for EU membership following Montenegro's move earlier this month, but he urged them not to rush in because they must first show a track record of reform.

He warned EU hopefuls in Southern and Eastern Europe not to take the financial crisis as a pretext to give up on reform, adding that these countries must be helped to avoid going into free fall because of the crisis.

Next year should also be the year of a settlement in Cyprus, Rehn said.

"Next year will be an important litmus test of whether Turkey is serious about its EU accession perspective," Rehn said in the interview. "After one or two years of domestic difficulties, we would expect Turkey now to put up a new gear and seriously start to pursue the reforms again."

Turkey began accession negotiations in 2005 and has made slow progress in satisfying the EU. Analysts say political distractions at home and a lack of appetite for further enlargement among EU states have pushed accession to the back burner in Turkey.

Turkish society has long been divided over the role of religion in an officially secular but predominantly Muslim country.

Turkey narrowly avoided a crisis this year over a public prosecutor's attempt to have the Constitutional Court ban the governing Justice and Development Party because of its Islamist bent.

"I am aware of the dilemmas of the Turkish society in relation with the more secular and more religious lifestyles," Rehn said.

"It is essential that Turkish society find a modus vivendi.

"There is too much energy used on internal tensions which could be used for pursuing legal and economic reforms that are required for EU membership."

He said it was essential for Turkey to reform its Constitution and increase freedom of expression, and religious and linguistic rights, to be in line with EU standards. He said trade unions and business federations were blocking a trade union law essential to Turkey's EU accession process. >>> By Ingrid Melander, Reuters | Sunday, December 21, 2008

LE MONDE: La Turquie négocie avec Bruxelles mais bute toujours sur Chypre

La Turquie a fait un pas supplémentaire dans sa marche vers l'intégration à l'Union européenne avec l'ouverture, vendredi 19 décembre, de deux nouveaux chapitres des négociations d'adhésion. L'un est consacré à la liberté de circulation des capitaux et l'autre à la société de l'information et aux médias. Cela porte à dix, sur trente-cinq, le nombre de volets des négociations ouverts depuis octobre 2005.

"La présidence tchèque, puis suédoise, pourra ouvrir de nouveaux chapitres comme l'éducation et la culture, ou la taxation, mais après, c'est terminé", prédit cependant Cengiz Aktar, directeur du département européen de l'université Bahçesehir d'Istanbul. Huit chapitres restent en effet gelés depuis décembre 2006 en raison du blocage sur la question chypriote : la Turquie refuse toujours d'ouvrir ses ports et ses aéroports aux navires et aux avions de la République de Chypre, qu'elle ne reconnaît pas. Les Vingt-Sept doivent réexaminer ce problème en 2009. >>> Istanbul Corresponance | Samedi 20 Décembre 2008

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EU Tells Turkey to Improve Media, Women's Rights
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: BRUSSELS, Belgium: In a new report card, the European Commission will tell Turkey on Wednesday that it must work harder to improve women's rights and press freedoms in order to join the European Union.

In a speech at an EU-Turkey conference at the European Parliament on Tuesday, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the report will list several areas that "need to be addressed urgently."

"I am thinking, for instance, of the negative atmosphere against the press, or bans of Web sites which are becoming a source of serious concern, (and) efforts are needed to protect women's rights and gender equality," said Rehn.

The report card is an eagerly awaited annual event for both proponents and opponents of Turkey's membership in the EU.

In Ankara, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, declined to comment on the report until his government has seen it.

The report — which also praises Turkey, according to Rehn — is unlikely to significantly affect the negotiations regarding Turkey's EU membership, which began in 2005 and are expected to last about a decade.

For instance, Turkey's entry negotiations cover 35 negotiating areas, including issues from human rights to many economic issues. To date, only eight issues are under negotiation, and the EU has accused Turkey of being too slow on others.

The report's criticism also will not surprise Turkey's population. >>> AP | November 4, 2008

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Turkey: Erdogan in Trouble
Photo of Recep Tayyip Erdogan courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Turkey's chief prosecutor has appeared before the country's Constitutional Court calling for the governing party to be closed down.

Founded by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Justice and Development Party, the AKP, won a landslide victory in the last election.

But its critics say it is trying to impose Sharia law on the secular state.

The party's attempt to ease a ban on the wearing of the Islamic headscarf is expected to be central to the evidence.

Prosecutor Abdurraham Yalcinkaya, who has argued that the party has become the focal point of anti-secular activities in Turkey, is appearing before judges in a closed-door session.

"This risk has been increasing every day" reads the 162-page petition submitted to the Constitutional Court by Mr Yalcinkaya.

"The danger is clear and concrete. There is no other way to protect society than to close the party down," it reads.

He is calling for the prime minister, president and 69 other party members to be banned from politics.

The AKP has condemned the case as an assault on democracy. A team representing the party are expected to present their defence on Thursday.

The EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has warned the case could jeopardise Turkey's bid to join the bloc - arguing such disputes should be resolved through the ballot box, not the courts. Turkish Ruling Party Put on Trial >>> | July 1, 2008

LISTEN TO BBC RADIO:
The AK Party won the last election in Turkey by a landslide, but its roots are in political Islam. Now Turkey's chief prosecutor is to give evidence to the country's constitutional court calling for the governing party to be closed down. The prosecutor claims it is trying to impose sharia law on Turkey, which is a strictly secular state >>> Sarah Rainsford reports | July 1, 2008

VOICE OF AMERICA:
Case Against Turkey's Ruling Party Gets Under Way: Turkey's constitutional court has begun hearing a case calling for the ruling Justice and Development Party to be shut down on the charge of undermining the secular state. The prosecutors are asking the court to disband the party and ban the prime minister and president from politics. As Dorian Jones reports for VOA from Istanbul, just as the case got started, Turkish authorities arrested more than 20 hardline nationalists, including two retired generals >>> By Dorian Jones, Istanbul | July 1, 2008

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Olli Rehn et la Commission européenne contre Nicolas Sarkozy
LE FIGARO: Le président de la Commission rappelle que le processus d'adhésion d'Ankara a été approuvé à l'unanimité.

LA COMMISSION européenne monte au créneau, depuis trois jours, pour défendre la candidature de la Turquie, menacée par les déclarations du futur président français. Hier, Olli Rehn, le commissaire à l'Élargissement, recevait le négociateur turc Ali Babacan, à Bruxelles et a tenté de le rassurer. Une « conférence d'adhésion » est prévue à Bruxelles le 26 juin prochain, afin d'ouvrir trois nouveaux chapitres de négociation - sur 35 au total. Les chapitres en question concernent la politique économique et monétaire, les statistiques et le contrôle financier. Leur ouverture ne pose en principe aucun problème technique, sauf si la France décidait d'y opposer son veto. « Ce sera la première occasion de tester la nouvelle position française sur la Turquie », remarque-t-on à Bruxelles. « S'il y a blocage, il y aura une crise majeure entre la France et la Turquie », prévient-on à la Commission. Bruxelles défend la Turquie contre Sarkozy (encore) d’Alexandrine Bouilhet

Mark Alexander