EU in the world Archives: February 2008

  • Victor Negrescu: Development cooperation in the EU

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    Rating: 4/5 with 4 votes

    Published Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 13:05
    by negrescuvictor Join PES activists in EU in the world (470 views and 1 comments)

    The EU member nations invest several million euros into the development cooperation and education cooperation all over the world. The main countries that benefit from these are those facing transition to democracy and third world countries.

    But does this work?

    Actually, on some levels it works and on others is far from happening. For instance, these investments are good for the countries where they go, but unfortunately the lack of a true EU common foreign policy and strategy are deterring the effects that these funds could have in those societies. For instance, the new European member countries have to invest several millions euros into the cooperation projects but the lack of information, mostly on the citizens’ level, creates several problem like how and in which direction they should invest these funds.

    Romania for instance is financing with around 30 millions euros per year projects involving these kinds of cooperation projects. The countries which benefit from these funds, thanks to the NGO’s which have developed their activity there, are countries from the region like Moldavia, Georgia, Ukraine, Serbia … Shouldn’t we think at a common policy on the EU international cooperation? Shouldn’t we try to build up a common cooperation strategy that is in the benefit of all the European countries and NGO’s and most of all in the benefit of... » read more ...

    Tags: blogger of the week, development, solidarity

  • Global Progressive Forum - dream to reality

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    Rating: 4.2/5 with 6 votes

    Published Friday, February 22, 2008 at 17:15
    by Editor in EU in the world (542 views and 0 comments)

    Last week European socialists living in Geneva met to discuss the PES manifesto, the Global Progressive Forum and the 'Decent Work - Decent Life' campaign. Here's a report from Sylvia Moore, Deputy Chair of the Labour International Coordinating Committee:

    ... » read more ...

    Tags: decent work, globalization, manifesto

  • Eric Sundström: foreign policy according to our left side of the brain

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    Rating: 4.5/5 with 6 votes

    Published Saturday, February 16, 2008 at 21:00
    by Eric Join PES activists in EU in the world (695 views and 4 comments)

    Hello for the last time in a while!

    This is my last blog post as your guest blogger, and as promised I will write about ”EU in the world”.

    The big debate in Swedish politics this week was the yearly foreign policy debate in the 'Riksdag' (our parliament). Across the Atlantic, ”the Potomac Primaries” in dear old Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia pretty much locked up the presidential nomination on the Republican side for John McCain. Between those two events, a striking similarity must be underlined.

    It is often said that foreign policy never determines the outcome of elections, a ”truth” that had to be modified in the US after a the 11th of September 2001. In Europe, foreign policy is still rarely the dominating factor in our elections, but it sure can help to reinforce the general message of a campaign. An example is the general election in Sweden in 1985, when Olof Palme was our Prime Minister. A vote for Olof Palme, and thus the Social Democratic Party, was a vote on equality and solidarity in Sweden (in that campaign, more jobs, higher pensions, and increased funding for football clubs etc who organized activities for kids). But it was also a vote for something bigger; more equality in the world and an end to apartheid in South Africa. A... » read more ...

    Tags: blogger of the week, disarmement, solidarity, USA

  • Yourspace goes to the States: Protecting workers jobs and workers money

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    Rating: 4.7/5 with 7 votes

    Published Friday, February 8, 2008 at 16:40
    by Editor in EU in the world (479 views and 0 comments)

    The PES delegation in the US have found strong agreement with Democrats on the need to do something about international financial markets, especially hedge and private equity funds.

    These privately-owned funds are often exempt from the transparency and tax rules that apply to all other players in the financial markets! They are often involved in ‘leveraged buy outs’ where healthy companies are bought with borrowed money, the company is saddled with high debts and workers are laid off – or given worse working conditions - in a hunt for bigger profits. There is consensus on both sides of the Atlantic – at least between the PES and senior Democrats – that the lack of information about the activities of these funds is damaging for the stability of financial markets – and more importantly, on the pensions and savings of working families. Moreover it is clear that leveraged buy outs can be bad news for jobs and working conditions. With pension funds increasingly investing in private equity and hedge funds you have the absurd situation of workers’ money being used to buy companies and make workers redundant!

    What Democrats and the PES agreed in Washington this week was to push this agenda forward in two different ways: first,... » read more ...

    Tags: investment, PES, US elections, USA

  • Europe must embrace responsible lending practices to developing nations

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    Rating: 4/5 with 3 votes

    Published Friday, February 8, 2008 at 10:47
    by Gail Hurley in EU in the world (464 views and 0 comments)

    The Party of European Socialists is asking citizens what Europe should stand for in the world, and how it can promote democracy, human rights and sustainable development. Many policy-makers in developed countries are currently talking about 'responsible lending' to developing countries. This follows recent rounds of debt cancellation for the poorest countries and fears that these very same countries will quickly re-accumulate unpayable debt all over again.

    Many Western creditor countries have also been quick to point the finger at newer lenders, such as China, India, Brazil and Venezuela arguing that these countries are lending irresponsibly to the poorest nations and do not care about human rights or environmental protection in the activities they finance. What should the EU do - and stand for - in such circumstances?

    It would be easy for European lenders - both governments and private banks - to initiate a 'race to the bottom' arguing that Europe's financiers need to compete for business in the developing world and therefore cannot adhere to standards on transparency or social and environmental protection. Instead, the EU must seize the opportunity to raise the bar much higher and make the finance it offers of excellent quality. It is... » read more ...

    Tags: Africa, aid, development, poverty

    File: Responsible_Financing_Charter_report.pdf, Responsible_Financing_Charter.pdf

  • Yourspace goes to the States: free trade seen through American eyes

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    Rating: 4.7/5 with 3 votes

    Published Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 17:18
    by Editor in EU in the world (388 views and 0 comments)

    Some European social democrats are shocked at US Democrats apparent hostility to free trade. Europeans fear US Democrats are becoming protectionist. But American workers blame NAFTA - the North American Free Trade Agreement – for the factory closures and job losses that have devastated US communities. And don’t forget many Americans lose healthcare when they lose their job! Americans point to the number of companies that have moved manufacturing to Mexico and other NAFTA countries with lower wages, lower safety standards and fewer workers rights.

    US Democrats talk instead of wanting ‘fair trade’ with basic labour standards and trade union rights as part of future trade agreements. This is in tune with PES ambitions to put ‘decent work’ on the agenda of the World Trade Organisation. It might take some serious talking to reach a good way forward but it could offer an opportunity to link free trade with better living and working conditions for all.

    Tags: decent work, fair trade, trade, US elections, USA

  • Yourspace goes to the States: a realistic agenda for US-EU cooperation

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    Rating: 4.5/5 with 2 votes

    Published Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 14:50
    by Editor in EU in the world (410 views and 0 comments)

    A new Democrat President – Clinton or Obama – might take office at about the same time as the first-ever President of the EU and the new High EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy.

    You could almost say that President Clinton or Obama will have (what Americans have famously complained about there not being) one telephone number for the EU – at least as far as EU foreign policy is concerned.

    A Democrat President would be much committed than Bush – or McCain – to working with America’s allies – including in Europe.

    But while diplomacy will get a new emphasis there will be many differences to deal with. Some Americans accuse Europe of getting a ‘free ride’ on costly and difficult military interventions – such as the international force in Afghanistan. At the same time other Americans admit that Europe could make a big contribution in peace-keeping, state-building and support for civilian populations where American forces lack experience and capacity.

    An America ready to re-engage with its allies in global affairs could be good news for the UN. Global action on climate change and the Millennium... » read more ...

    Tags: cooperation, PES, USA

  • Le facteur russe

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    Rating: 5/5 with 2 votes

    Published Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 11:00
    by frederic.vareillas Join PES activists in EU in the world (533 views and 2 comments)

    Je viens de voir hier "le monde de Gazprom" sur ARTE. Au vu de ce reportage, il me semble très urgent que l'UE renforce ses liens avec la Russie de Poutine et de Medvedev.

    Gerhard Schröder l'a fait et ce n'est pas pour rien : l'Allemagne a bien compris l'importance stratégique d'un partenariat avec la Russie ; ce pays a tout : du pétrole, du gaz, de l'uranium, de l'or, des diamants, une classe moyenne en expansion, une économie mixte, 10000 missiles nucléaires, des bombardiers...:

    La Russie est le futur géant de la planète;

    Ne la laissons pas basculer vers l'Asie, empêchons ensemble une guerre en Iran, négocions UE + Russie sur les tracés des pipe-lines...

    La prospérité de l'Europe et même sa survie en dépendent. Le monde anglo-américain atteint son crépuscule : ils n'ont plus de matières premières ou si peu, ils vivent à crédit et surendettés, ils font marcher la planche à billets sans limites, ils s'étouffent en Irak...

    Il est temps pour les socialistes européens de se tourner vers la Russie, d'ailleurs, les Russes sont des Européens.

    Tags: cooperation, energy, globalization, neighbours, peace, solidarity

  • Brain drain – how do we go about it?

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    Rating: 5/5 with 3 votes

    Published Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 09:46
    by Editor in EU in the world (401 views and 0 comments)

    The Spanish socialist party, PSOE, goes into the national elections with a much-debated proposal to tackle brain drain. Javier Moreno, member of the European Parliament for PSOE, gives the lowdown in this video:



    What do you think – should the PES manifesto include this proposal in its manifesto?

    Tags: Africa, development, immigration

  • Yourspace goes to the States: the end of the conservative era in America?

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    Rating: 4.5/5 with 4 votes

    Published Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 15:06
    by Editor in EU in the world (348 views and 1 comments)

    PES president Poul Nyrup Rasmussen is in New York and shares his impressions from SuperTuesday – right after the close of polls yesterday:

    "I see a new pride in being progressive. The Democrats are attracting a new generation into politics. The numbers taking part in Democratic primaries is massively up, while the numbers involved in Republican primaries is down."

    "Whoever wins the Democratic nomination still has a fight to beat the Republicans but I sense a hunger for change."

    Read the full press release here

    Tags: US elections, USA

  • Yourspace goes to the States: Europe should listen to the American healthcare debate

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    Rating: 4.8/5 with 5 votes

    Published Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 23:45
    by Editor in EU in the world (468 views and 0 comments)

    It’s tempting to think we Europeans have nothing to learn from the American debate about healthcare – after all, we have had more-or-less universal healthcare for years. But we should be smarter than that; it’s more than the US catching up with us.

    The significance for us of the healthcare debate is that the Democrats – and American voters – are standing up for social protection. There is a growing confidence in being progressive. The Democrats are energized and mobilizing people who have never been engaged in politics before.

    One consequence of universal healthcare would be that workers would not be dependent on the diminishing number of employers providing health insurance – making them more willing to move jobs. So by providing universal healthcare working families would be less nervous of change – and more able to cope with globalization.

    The Democrats also see a bigger role for the public sector – which is why they need to roll back tax cuts for the wealthy. The Democrats are creating – and responding to - a growing hunger for basic decency for all in living and working conditions.

    We in Europe can be inspired by this. We socialists and social democrats know that a society that provides good social protection, and helps everyone to participate in society, will also be a more economically competitive... » read more ...

    Tags: health, public services, US elections, USA

  • Yourspace goes to the States: it's still the economy stupid!

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    Rating: 4/5 with 6 votes

    Published Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 09:42
    by Editor in EU in the world (398 views and 0 comments)

    Almost four in ten Americans say the economy and jobs is the number one issue in the presidential campaign - up ten per cent in the last three weeks and now twice as many as cite Iraq as the top issue.

    Six in ten Americans believe the US economy is in recession. And Europe is in the same boat.... economic gloom in the USA is matched in Europe with estimates of an economic slowdown. The interesting thing - a small silver lining to the cloud of threatening recession - is that Americans are talking about investing in growth, like the PES has been saying for years, and in contrast to the prevailing conservative economic view that says the market will sort itself out without intervention.

    Democrats want to invest not in tax cuts for the rich but in health care and renewable energies. Together Democrats in the US and social democrats in Europe can make new thinking about creating in jobs and growth. It's a chance to change the prevailing leave-it-all to-the-market orthodoxy.

    Tags: investment, US elections, USA

  • Yourspace goes to the States: Yourspace has landed!

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    Rating: 4.6/5 with 5 votes

    Published Monday, February 4, 2008 at 17:11
    by Editor in EU in the world (529 views and 1 comments)

    America is gripped by SuperTuesday. And so they should be.

    Two years ago it would have been impossible to imagine that the main contenders for the President of the USA would be a woman and a black man. Today all America is talking about Clinton versus Obama.

    The Republican race is simply not stirring the same excitement, although the fact that many conservatives are saying that McCain is not conservative enough is evidence that American politics is moving back to the centre. Polls suggest that John McCain may be confirmed as the Republican candidate after SuperTuesday. No such likelihood for the Democrats....

    Both Clinton and Obama represent huge change from the Bush era. And this is what excites European socialists too. But the focus State-side is not really on policy - both Democratic candidates agree on ending the war in Iraq, extending health care to the millions who go without, and getting America's act together on climate change. The thrill is in the narrowing gap between the two contenders, the fact that Obama is an almost total newcomer to national politics, and the fact that Hillary is a Clinton - with everything that people love or hate about Bill and Hillary herself. It's a fascinating race that fills progressives with... » read more ...

    Tags: PES, US elections, USA