Lithuania - influence of history and geography. This column has waited two weeks before making a few observations on the new Presidency of the Council of the EU - two weeks, the time to get to know and understand the intentions and approaches of the Lithuanian government in its functions as Presidency. For some aspects, I have the impression of a specific vision of the European reality, largely influenced by the memory of the former Soviet Union - of which Lithuania was part, along with Estonia and Latvia. History and geography partly influence the approach and priorities of the new six-month Presidency.
I am not referring to the official positions on the EU's priorities and objectives for this six-month Presidency, as were set out before the European Parliament in Brussels and prepared with the secretariat of the Council. These can be consulted in EUROPE 10881 and later editions. I am rather referring to the meeting between Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaité and a group of journalists and other guests in Vilnius. The informal framework of these interviews permitted those present to report on them freely - we even have the impression that Eastern partnership countries wanted Grybauskaité's comments to be repeated somewhat. She considers that the Eastern partnership countries must be helped to come closer to the EU - Ukraine and Belarus, but also Moldova, Georgia and Armenia, while Russia offers them a customs union. Grybauskaité disapproves of the idea that the EU might be able to offer Russia measures that it refuses to other partnership countries - for example, as regards visas. On 28-29 November, Lithuania will host the Eastern partnership summit. The association agreement between the EU and Ukraine is due to be signed at this summit - an agreement that has dragged on for nearly two years. Grybauskaité acknowledges with regard to this issue that the Ukrainians must do something in the Tymoshenko affair (which has become a symbol) and must show results on electoral reform and justice.
For his part, the Lithuanian foreign affairs minister, Linas Antanas Linkevicius, has called for an open Europe which can help Ukraine and Belarus get out of the Russian sphere of influence. This is not about belonging to the EU (even if Linkevicius has asserted that he cannot conceive of a Europe without Ukraine) and he acknowledged the current problems of Ukraine and Belarus - but he believes that they can be overcome.
Let me give three reminders: (i) The Lithuanian president knows very well how the EU works because she was the European commissioner for the budget in 2004-2009; (ii) Lithuania has boosted its economic situation after the difficulties in 2009, thanks to an austerity effort that enabled it to return to growth (3-4% in 2012), (iii) Lithuania is getting ready to request membership of the eurozone following on from Estonia, which is already a eurozone member, and Latvia, which will become a member on 1 January.
Russia in space crisis. The Russian government has announced that all Proton rocket launches have been suspended, after one of them recently exploded at the space centre in Baikonur. Accidents happen but this one is particularly serious as the rocket was transporting three satellites (worth $200 million) that were destined for the Glonass navigation system - the Russian competitor of America's GPS and Europe's Galileo. And this explosion followed quite a list of similar accidents since December 2010. In particular, the launch of Astra-2E, France and Luxembourg's television satellite was planned for this Friday 19 July! Experts confirm that the reason for the disaster is not technical (the rockets are believed to be reliable), but lies in the conduct of the teams - negligence and lack of discipline.
I have written on this subject because Europe's independence in this domain has for several years been a very heated political and budgetary battle within the EU, and it still partly remains so today.
Egyptian confirmation. The USA has confirmed that it is continuing to respect its military commitments with regard to Egypt - four F16 fighter bombers will be delivered this month and eight by the end of December. All deliveries are subject to Egypt's respect of the agreement with Israel. This announcement makes it abundantly clear, in my opinion, that Europe must not take sides in the Egyptian chaos for reasons that I expressed in EUROPE 10886.
Egypt has left the EU's Mediterranean policy and the EU must not intervene in the religious inter-Muslim religious conflicts but restrict itself to food aid and to a few generic phrases from Mrs Ashton - without getting involved in the war and in political choices that don't concern it.
(FR/transl.fl)