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Publié jeudi 26 juin 2008 à 14h34
par
franciscopolo 
dans Démocratie et diversité européenne (vu 223 fois et 0 commentaires)
At the same
time I
start writing this article the ratification process for the
Lisbon Treaty is starting at the Spanish Parliament. I can hear
the Foreign Affairs Ministry starting his discourse...
Probably (no to say “for sure”), tomorrow the Spanish newspapers will show on their front pages the results of the Spain vs. Russia soccer game at the Eurocup. The matter of the Treaty will also be shown in those newspapers but it will not be given so much importance.
As you probably know, the Lisbon Treaty is important due to many things: The Fundamental Rights Chart becomes binding, the Treaty creates a common space of liberty, security and justice (it was formerly intergovernmental), the EU gains in its capability to create an international interlocution by creating both the positions of the permanent President of the European Counsel and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, among other things. But there is something much more important.
This Treaty is specially important because it makes the EU to be more democratic. It creates the civil initiative so a million of citizens will be able to suggest...
Lire la suitePublié vendredi 13 juin 2008 à 17h26
par
Editeur
dans In the spotlight (vu 370 fois et 2 commentaires)
Commenting on reports that there will be a ‘no’ vote in the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen said
“A no to the Treaty is not a no to Europe. There is still so much we need to do together. Europe cannot afford to waste any more time in institutional crisis or pausing for reflection. If we want citizens to support Europe we need to create a Europe for citizens. We need to tackle the insecurities of ordinary people and families – we need to create more and better jobs, we need to tackle climate change and ensure a secure supply of affordable and sustainable energy, we need to manage globalization in a fairer way for all, we need to deal better with migration.”
“The Irish rejection of the Treaty means we will also have to find a solution to the most urgent institutional issues. This may take some thought and some time, but it must not deflect our attention from the real issues facing us.”
On Friday, the No won in the Irish referendum by 53.4 per cent.
Lire la suitePublié vendredi 13 juin 2008 à 08h52
par
Desmond O'Toole
dans Démocratie et diversité européenne (vu 334 fois et 1 commentaires)
Well the polls have closed and the ballot boxes are now safely stored away until they are opened at 09h00 (10h00 CET) on Friday morning. As I predicted, a lot of the discussion in the media this evening has been on how many people turned out to vote. If you remember I said that the general view is that a turnout below 40% would suggest a NO vote, while a turnout above 45% would indicate a YES vote. Well, the national broadcaster, RTÉ, is reporting turnout in the region 40-45%, so I'm afraid I cannot offer even an educated guess as to how the Irish people have voted in this referendum! I will be attending the count in Dublin and we are expecting initial results to be available by lunchtime and a formal announcement of the result by about 17h00 (18h00 CET).
One possible indicator of the result is the view of Irish bookmakers. They are offering better odds on the YES side winning and as everyone knows, bookmakers don't like to lose money. It would not be the first time that Irish bookmakers knew more than Irish politicians and journalists about how the people have voted. However, all of this is just idle speculation. We will know on Friday afternoon whether Lisbon will proceed smoothly to ratification across the EU or whether there will be a crisis for the French Presidency of the EU in Brussels.
Whichever way the result...
Lire la suitePublié jeudi 12 juin 2008 à 09h49
par
Desmond O'Toole
dans Démocratie et diversité européenne (vu 293 fois et 0 commentaires)
From 7h00 to
22h00 on Thursday (8h00 to 23h00 CET) polling stations across
Ireland will be open and the great game of democracy will be played
out with pencil and ballot paper. Three million citizens across 43
constituencies will vote Tá (YES) or Níl (NO) to amend our
constitution and allow our government to ratify the Lisbon Treaty.
There are over three million citizens registered to vote in this
referendum, the largest number ever in the history of the State.
And the smart money says that voter turnout will be the key to the
final result.
The Irish people had to vote twice to ratify the Nice Treaty. In the first referendum in 2001 the Irish people voted NO by 529,000 votes to 453,000 on a turnout of 35%. At the second referendum a year later we voted YES to Nice by 906,000 votes to 535,000 on a much larger turnout of 49%. Almost all of the extra turnout was YES voters who had abstained in the previous referendum. The big question is whether the same pattern will repeat itself this time? If the NO side has so confused and alienated people from the EU that many decide not to vote and we have a low turnout, then we will lose the referendum and Ireland will fail to ratify the Lisbon Treaty. If, however, the Irish people refuse to be...
Lire la suitePublié mercredi 11 juin 2008 à 12h11
par
Desmond O'Toole
dans Démocratie et diversité européenne (vu 352 fois et 2 commentaires)
Three wise men
(yes, men, I'm afraid!), step forward, button up their jackets and
prepare to argue the case for Lisbon. In this photo are the leaders
of the three largest parties in Ireland. From left to right are
Eamon Gilmore of the Labour Party (PES/PSE), Taoiseach Brian Cowen
of Fianna Fáil (UEN) and Enda Kenny of Fine Gael (EPP-ED). They
appeared at a joint press conference yesterday to make a united
call for a YES vote and today, the last day before the
referendum, I'd like to inform everyone of the YES
campaign.
When I described the NO campaign yesterday I talked about the lessons that we need to learn about how disconnected a large minority of citizens are to the EU and the need to put the real benefits of EU membership to our citizens rather than spend so much time discussing institutions and processes. However, I noticed in the Irish Times this morning that Daniel Cohn-Bendit (G-EFA) has joined Bernard Kouchner in attacking Irish democracy. He is reported as calling the Irish ungrateful to Europe, our referendum a "folly" and that, "... if one says NO, one leaves Europe." It is precisely this sort of language and these sorts of threats that socialists and social democrats across Europe must avoid when addressing European citizens. It is precisely...
Lire la suitePublié mardi 10 juin 2008 à 09h45
par
Desmond O'Toole
dans Démocratie et diversité européenne (vu 387 fois et 3 commentaires)
With three days to go
to the referendum on Thursday Bernard Kouchner (French Foreign
Minister) made an unwelcome intervention in the debate in Ireland
claiming that if the Irish rejected the Lisbon Treaty we would face
"... gigantic incomprehension" from our European partners and "...
would pay a high price." Given M. Kouchner's incomprehension it is
perhaps worth examining why the Irish might vote NO on Thursday and
whether this might throw some light on why citizens across Europe
are often lukewarm in their support for the EU and for our
party.Publié lundi 9 juin 2008 à 10h14
par
Desmond O'Toole
dans In the spotlight (vu 371 fois et 2 commentaires)
Dia dhaoibh a
chairde agus fáilte ó Éireann! Hello to everyone and greetings
from Dublin! I'm delighted to have been asked to blog this week
from Ireland because this is the week that the Irish people vote
in the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. During this week I will
be reporting from the Labour Party campaign in Ireland and
discussing the key themes and issues that we are addressing.
To begin, however, it might be useful if I sketch the background
to this referendum. When we Irish people gave ourselves a
Constitution (Bunreacht na hÉireann) in 1937 we determined that
any changes to that Constitution could only be made with the
explicit consent of the people in a referendum. As the Lisbon
Treaty involves the transfer of a number of sovereign powers to
the European Union the Irish people have to be consulted directly
for that to happen.
Ireland has benefitted immensely from our membership of the EU.
Our economy and infrastructure have grown rapidly in large part
due to the Single Market and structural and cohesion funding. Our
agriculture and rural communities have secured long-term success
and security due to the Common Agricultural Policy and other
farming supports. Our environmental and social policies have been
greatly enhanced due to legislation from Brussels. But...
Publié mardi 20 mai 2008 à 10h20
par
jan.kreutz
dans La nouvelle Europe sociale (vu 376 fois et 0 commentaires)
Dear
comrades,Publié mercredi 14 mai 2008 à 10h36
par
Editeur
dans La nouvelle Europe sociale (vu 430 fois et 1 commentaires)
Last Wednesday
evening around 18h30. In the renovated Brigittines chapel in
Brussels Sp.a co-workers are getting nervous. This
evening we present our input for the PES manifesto. We have
worked hard to provide for an interesting program (attached), but
can it compete with the beautiful spring evening?
At 7 o’clock our fears prove to be unfounded. Sp.a International
Secretary Saïd
El Khadraoui can introduce the evening before approximately
80 people. We kick off with a debate about New Social
Europe. Europe has done pioneering work on certain domains,
but it turns out that a lot more can be gained at European level.
For example, the health services directive that we are still
waiting for. There is no discussion about the need for a more
social approach of the Lisbon objectives. But ambitious and
enforceable European objectives concerning social themes are a
logical next step. The conclusions run parallel: Europe has a lot
of instruments at his disposal, but lacks ambition and
decisiveness when it comes to social themes. Political action
pays off, that becomes clear in dossiers such as the adjusted
Bolkenstein directive. As...
Tags: démocratie, énergie, environnement, partis politiques, providence, santé, traîté, transparence
Dossier:
manifesto_spa_FR.pdf,
flyer_spa.pdf
Publié jeudi 24 avril 2008 à 11h33
par
Isabella_Frenning
dans Démocratie et diversité européenne (vu 565 fois et 3 commentaires)
If you take a look at the home page of the Danish Parliament today, it will inform you that the items of the agenda today are local funding, cultural inequality and housing projects.
Only far down the text will it tell you about the main topic for discussion: Denmark is to adopt the Lisbon Treaty today. Though most parties has been trying to avoid any discussion about the treaty since the French and Dutch 'no', you will be able to follow the discussions live here.
Fingers crossed, we might have an agreement later on today...
Lire la suitePublié mercredi 19 décembre 2007 à 10h04
par
marco
dans Démocratie et diversité européenne (vu 846 fois et 0 commentaires)
Publié mardi 27 novembre 2007 à 10h33
par
marco
dans Démocratie et diversité européenne (vu 1018 fois et 2 commentaires)
Chargement...