Europe
Libertas' plans for European elections take shape
Declan Ganley the Chairman of Libertas, a prominent group in the Irish No camp, has said it is becoming much more likely that Libertas will field candidates next summer for the European Parliament elections. According to the Irish Independent, he will be holding a meeting with backers in Paris next weekend when tactics, names and campaign funding will be discussed.
Irish European Affairs Minister Dick Roche criticised the initiative, claiming Libertas have close links with the UK Independence Party, describing it as full of people who wouldn't share "the Irish view of Europe".
EU divided over next steps in Georgia
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an end to military operations against Georgia, the Kremlin says.
According to IRNA, citing top Polish officials, Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine have urged the deployment of European Union peacekeeping forces in the Georgian breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Following a briefing from EU officials, EUobserver however notes that "the EU may also offer to send policemen - but not soldiers" to be stationed in the provinces, supposedly in order to stymie Russian influence in these areas.
European Voice notes that Poland and the Baltic republics are pushing for a strong response to events in Georgia, "but it is not clear that the EU can rally around any position beyond a call on the parties to return to the negotiating table and a meek condemnation of Russia's attacks outside South Ossetia." Former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, who was in office when the three Baltic nations joined the EU and NATO in 2004, said that she was "surprised and frustrated" that the EU "was unable to come up with a united, coordinated and condemning" stance against Moscow.
Deutsche Welle Deutsche Welle 2 Spiegel European Voice Le Figaro El Pais BBC Deutsche Welle 3 IRNA EUobserver IHT Times Montefiore Dan Hannan's blog FT leader
ECJ immigration ruling continues to stir controversy in Denmark
The Brussels Journal looks at the recent ECJ ruling that will force Denmark to change several aspects of its strict immigration rules, particularly as they relate to family reunification. The article notes that the ruling, "In practice...means that a Danish immigrant now can rely on his European rights to circumvent the entire Danish immigration legislation." Meanwhile, a poll for news agency Ritzau shows that 39.4% of Danes would vote "no" in a referendum on whether to scrap the Danish EU opt-out in justice and home affairs. 31.1% would vote "yes" and 30.5% are undecided. However, a poll for Danish daily Børsen published last week shows a majority being in favour of scrapping all four of the Danish EU opt-outs. On Friday, Danish PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced that Denmark will not go ahead as planned with referenda on its four opt-outs, citing the "uncertainty" created by Irish "no" to the Lisbon Treaty as the reason.
Jyllands-Posten Borsen Politiken Politiken2 Brussels Journal FT WSJ - Seib
EU's 170,000-strong army of bureaucrats - continued coverage
Open Europe's finding that 170,000 people work for the EU is reported in Polish daily Rzeczpospolita. Open Europe's Hugo Robinson is quoted arguing that the biggest concern was the lack of accountability for the vast majority of the people involved in the EU legislative process, and the lack of transparency in that process. Roger Scruton is interviewed in the paper, saying that he is unsurprised by the findings.
Rzeczpospolita Rzeczpospolita Scruton
Islanders' demands could disrupt Lisbon Treaty ratification process
The Åland Islands are threatening to derail the ratification process of the Lisbon Treaty in Finland. The islands are an autonomous province of Finland and are demanding concessions regarding representation in the European Parliament and Council in return for ratifying the Treaty. The Islands' consent is not technically required for Finnish ratification to be completed but the Finnish government Minister responsible for the Islands said ignoring their wishes would lead to an "unclear situation". Finland's entry to the EU in 1995 was delayed due to reticence from the Islanders.
Germany considers law to bar non-EU foreign takeovers
The German cabinet is due to vote on 20 August on a draft bill that would give the Economics Ministry the power to block unwanted foreign takeovers of German companies, a step that some people from the German industrial sector warn could deter investment. The bill suggests that investors from outside the EU or EFTA would not be allowed to own more than 25% of a German company which has been judged as crucial for the country's security. Industry leaders have questioned whether the bill complies with EU law, however the German government has stressed all the rules will comply with both EU and WTO regulations.
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