Brief items for which space was lacking in earlier editions
*** EU/United Kingdom/Europe's future: The Financial Times of 4 September reports that, at the same time as the presentation by Tony Blair, in a speech expected for this autumn, of British proposals on Europe's future, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, will present his own vision of the EU's future economic development "that will contrast sharply with the old-style federalist ambitions of tax harmonisation and supranational government". The daily states that Robin Cook has proposed a series of ideas to Tony Blair for his speech, including that of creating kind of second chamber made up of national parliamentarians that could take the form of a "constitutional committee" with formal powers and the power to veto EU legislation.
*** EU/enlargement/Austria: Susanne Riess-Passer, leader of the FPO and Austrian Vice-Chancellor, welcomed the latest statements on the possibility of holding referenda on EU enlargement, stating that this "corresponds to some of our long-standing demands". "The crisis of confidence between the Union and its citizens is obvious. The citizen is an adult and must take part in decisions on important issues" she told the "Kronenzeitung".
*** EU/Turkey: The Greek press agency ANA reports that, in response to Pasok Euro-MP Yannis Souladakis, the Commissioner for enlargement, Gunter Verheugen assured him that the European Commission has never financed and would never finance projects with any link to the activities of the Turkish army. The MEP's question stemmed from press information by which General Asparuk, Commander of the Turkish armed forces, had proposed including European funds in funding a project concerning the armed forces in Southeastern Turkey.
*** EP/Euro: German Christian-Democrat Karlo von Wogau MEP said on the occasion of last week's informal EcoFin Council that "in Versailles, the idea that the Eurogroup could set goals regarding inflation had to be swept aside once and for all"; indeed, according to him, it would be very dangerous were, with the ECB under political control, the markets to have the impression, that price stability had been abandoned in the Euro area. Furthermore, Mr. von Wogau strongly criticised Chancellor Schroeder's words by which they should rather welcome the weakness of the euro, as it stimulated European exports.
*** EP/Macedonia: In a press release, Olivier Dupuis MEP, member of the Bonino list, welcomed the answer provided by Council President Pierre Moscovici to his question on the possibility of the EU's financing a private university in Tetovo on which the Macedonian authorities and Max van der Stoel, OSCE High Representatives for minorities, are working. Moscovici spoke of his "conviction" that, as soon as the development plans have been drawn up, the university project would "raise the interest of international donors, the EU and its Member States".
*** EP/Italy: When voting in plenary last week on the Bourmediene-Thierry Report on certain restrictions to the freedom of movement of persons in the EU, the EP rejected (by 292 against, 230 in favour and 9 abstentions) a amendment tabled by Francseco Fiori (Forza Italia) raging against the "atrocious discrimination" against members of the former Italian royal family, the "Savoia" (who may not enter Italy). Pasqualina Napoletano (Democratici di sinistra) criticised this new attempt to raise the question at European level, stating that it was currently being discussed in the appropriate bodies, within the Italian Parliament.
*** EP/EPP: Angela Merkel, CDU leader, contradicted the words of the leader of Forza Italia, Silvio Berlusconi, who had said that she had spoken out in favour of the expulsion of the IPP (Italian Peoples' Party) from the European Peoples' Party. The leader of the "Polo" again made a bad impression on the international stage, commented the Secretary of Democratici di Sinistra, Walter Veltroni, who, like Silvio Berlusconi, is an MEP.
*** Euro/Business: IBM has announced the creation of "EuroXpress", which is to complement the existing broad range of solutions aimed at responding to the needs of businesses which have to covert to the euro is very short spaces of time. A press release says that the creation of EuroXpress is the culmination of cooperation between IBM Global Services and Crystal Systems Solutions, in the field of technology and marketing.
*** EP/SPD: German Social Democrat Gunter Luttge MEP died at the age of 62 following a serious illness. MEP since 1989, he, as a press release points out, devoted himself to transport policy, pleading both for the convening of a pan-European Conference on Transport and for European Parliament co-decision in the field. All this is now a reality, the press release stresses, recalling in particular that the first pan-European Conference on Transport was held in Prague in 1991, followed by those of Crete and Helsinki.