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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 8567

21 October 2003
Contents Publication in full By article 4 / 49
THE DAY IN POLITICS / (eu) eu/switzerland
Populist right wins legislative elections in Switzerland

Brussels, 20/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - By removing 55 of the 200 seats that make up the national Council (lower house of the Swiss parliament), the Centre Democratic Union (UDC, populist right) became Switzerland's largest party on Sunday. This result, reached after a clearly anti-European campaign smacking of xenophobia, means that 11 seats have been won for the party headed by billionaire Christoph Blocher. The UDC is closely followed by the Socialist Party (PS) which obtains 53 seats (+2...

Contents

A LOOK BEHIND THE NEWS
: EUROPE's roots, too many to mention in Constitution? - Convention member's diary - Solidarity in agriculture
THE DAY IN POLITICS
(EU) EU/NATO: COPS and NAC expected to take stock of European Council - Informal NATO Council meeting on EU/NATO spirit of cooperation
(EU) EU/AFGHANISTAN: Union troika visits Kabul (18-21 October)
(EU) EU/SWITZERLAND: Populist right wins legislative elections in Switzerland
(EU) EP/CONSTITUTION/REFERENDUM: Mario Segni's "Patto" proposes referendum on day when European elections are held
(EU) EU/CONSTITUTION/RELIGION: "European Initiative" for wording proposed by Convention and for abolition of Article 51 on churches
(EU) EU/CONSTITUTION/YOUTH: Youth Forum calls on IGC for mid-term hearing with the EP and hearings with civil society
(EU) EU/IGC/GERMANY:
(EU) EP/EPP/ITALY:
(EU) EU/CFSP: Greens want European civil Corps for peace - conflict prevention and rebuilding
(EU) EU/CONVENTION/IGC: Mr Dehaene says Convention is foremost organ of IGC's "reunified Europe"
(EU) EU/DEATH PENALTY: EU reaffirms its opposition to capital punishment
(EU) EU/ANGOLA: EU urges Angola to carry out reforms
(EU) EU/DRC: EU condemns massacres in province of Ituri
(EU) EU/AZERBAIJAN:
GENERAL NEWS
(EU) EU/EMPLOYMENT COUNCIL/SOCIAL POLICY: Council invites Member States to develop preventive actions and sanctions aimed at eliminating undeclared work - success for Italian Presidency
(EU) EU/EMPLOYMENT COUNCIL/SOCIAL POLICY: Political agreement on protection of workers exposed to electromagnetic fields and waves
(EU) EU/EMPLOYMENT COUNCIL/SOCIAL POLICY: "Early Retirement and Family Benefit" chapters of regulation on social security system co-ordination approved - consensus on European health insurance card
(EU) EU/AGRICULTURE/EUROPEAN COUNCIL: Portugal satisfied with conclusions on milk production in Azores
(EU) EU/GALILEO: Call for tenders on Galileo deployment and commercial use
(EU) EU/SWITZERLAND: Negotiations with Switzerland on accession of ten new member states to EU-Switzerland agreement on free movement of persons - Commission proposes safeguard clause
(EU) EU/INFORMAL COHESION: In Rome cautious conclusions while waiting for Commission proposals on cohesion policy reform
(EU) EU/JHA: Five States wish to move more quickly regarding immigration
(EU) EU/STABILITY PACT: Commission recommends France reduce its structural deficit by 1% of GDP in 2004 to return to balance in 2005
(EU) EU/STABILITY PACT: Commission welcomes Portugal's efforts to eliminate excessive deficit but worried about specific measures
(EU) EU/TAXATION: Commission presents its new proposal on company merger tax
(EU) EU/FISHERIES: Moves to set up Regional Advisory Councils
(EU) EU/FISHERIES: Scientists suggest no TACs for several stocks of cod and whiting and drastic measures for plaice and sole
(EU) EU/COMPETITION: Commission looks at Microsoft's response
(EU) EU/INTERNAL MARKET: Ten countries have still not informed Commission of application of directive protecting consumers if insurance companies go bust - Commission's reasoned opinions
(EU) EU/FREE MOVEMENT OF PERSONS: Five Member States caught out on transposition of Directive on vocational qualifications
(EU) EU/EIB: 60 million EUR for public transport in Dublin
(EU) EU/TEXTILES:
(EU) EU/COMPETITION:
(EU) EU/ENVIRONMENT: Commission considers that results from British studies on harm to bio-diversity by two genetically modified crops should not mean halt to plan for lifting moratorium on GMOs
(EU) EU/DEVELOPMENT: Future support facility for peace keeping operations in Africa, EDF budgeting, post-Cancun on menu of informal Council in Trieste
(EU) EU/FOOD AID: Commission releases EUR 43 million for food safety in four African and Asian countries
(EU) EU/ANDEAN COMMUNITY: Conclusion of new Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement
(EU) EP/CHINA/TAIWAN: Watson afraid of consequences for Taiwan following strengthening of EU/China relations
(EU) EU/USA:
(EU) WTO:
(EU) EU/MIDDLE EAST: EU funds TV co-production of Sesame Street to promote understanding between Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian children
(EU) EU/PRESS: 20/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - "European Union gets good rankings, except Italy and Spain", says Reporters Without Borders
(EU) EP/UNITED KINGDOM:
(EU) EU/COURT OF JUSTICE: France gets derogation to hunt geese, wood pigeons and thrush out of season and during mating season
(EU) EU/SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE/CULTURE:
(EU) UNESCO/QUEBEC:
WEEKLY SUPPLEMENT
European Library: No. 570
€ VALUE IN DIFFERENT CURRENCIES ON 20/10/2003: