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From West to East, and vice-versa
Source: EuroParliament [edited]
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact between Hitler and Stalin to split parts of Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic States between them, but it is also 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Opening a conference commemorating the pact, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek focused on how far Europe has come. He said to those present that “we live in a different Europe today of which the essence has to be solidarity”.
European Commission Vice-President Jacques Barrot told the conference that the pact had created “a terrible conjunction of two totalitarian regimes – Nazism and Communism”. The event was organised by the National Parliaments of the Baltic States in the European Parliament on 14 October.
“A common historical narrative
The conference focused on the need to unite Europe’s histories and consolidate understanding of the past. “More than ever we need to speak with one voice when we talk as the EU to the outside world,” Mr Buzek said. Aivars Stranga, a historian from the University of Latvia, said that the lack of shared memory causes problems of understanding and can even be an obstacle in creating a common future. “The European Union should have a common historical narrative” he said. Speakers called for international cooperation to come up with ways to increase knowledge about history and Estonian MEP Mart Laar called for a new history manual for schools.
Destruction of the Wall – destruction of a prison
The Berlin Wall fell 20 years ago, but some speakers wondered whether the West really understands what happened in the countries behind the wall during the previous 50 years. Lithuanian MP Vytautas Landsbergis said that “the build-up of two Europes – that of democracy and that Soviet one – was finalised with the appearance of the grim and bloody Berlin Wall.” He said that the countries which joined the EU five years ago were “in an enormous prison that extended over Central and Eastern Europe and contained hundreds of millions of captive people”. He went on to say: “The destruction of the Wall was also a destruction of a prison and a denouncement of the political-cultural division of Europe.”
West and East – a meeting of minds?
Many speakers said that Western Europe doesn’t understand the consequences of the dark period of Communist rule for millions of people on the other side of Iron Curtain and the crimes committed under that regime. The problem arises when trying to compare two totalitarian regimes, said Kazimierz Woycicki of Warsaw University. “We can’t allow any comparison between the Holocaust and Stalin’s regime” he said. Camilla Andersson from the Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism in Sweden said there is knowledge gap in the West, with many people thinking that the Berlin Wall was built by the Nazis. Conference members said that it is important to share experiences and opinions in the EU.
he figures reveal that a staggering 83% of those surveyed in Britain said they knew little or nothing about the EU, four out of five saw the value of the E.U in protecting human rights, and in dealing with climate change, terrorism and the financial crisis.
By Geoff Martin,
Leeds University 19th October 2009
One point about the Irish vote on the Lisbon Treaty was straightforward. It was about the availability of FACTS. If people have the facts they can see for themselves the value to their livelihoods of a European Union which provides security through safety in numbers. The same point has also emerged in a recent Eurobarometer survey. Whilst the figures reveal that a staggering 83% of those surveyed in Britain said they knew little or nothing about the EU, four out of five saw the value of the E.U in protecting human rights, and in dealing with climate change, terrorism and the financial crisis.
Indeed the same survey signalled new support for the E.U in a number of fundamentally important areas. 67% were in favour of the single market; three in five that the environment was cleaner and 58% that in the EU the UK had more clout in world trade negotiations. Significantly 71% said they would care, if the above benefits were lost in the event of the UK pulling out.
I take this to mean that left to decide for themselves, most people in the UK would prefer to remain in the EU in spite of continuing Europhobic hysteria from the right wing media. Of course people will not be left to decide by themselves. The current plans for a wrecking referendum by the Conservatives in the UK on Lisbon, if the Czech President holds out on signing the Treaty, places Britain in the eyes of most of its continental colleagues, in the anti European court of opinion. It is not the Lisbon Treaty they are against. It is the European Union as such – and the only honest referendum in this country would be IN or OUT. Referenda on institutional detail are blunt instruments as the Irish have found out but on matters of fundamental principle, such as membership, they can be a useful sounding board before Parliaments finally decide.
Another point is worth putting into perspective. THE MESSENGER IS IMPORTANT.
It is reported and widely believed that the involvement of the United Kingdom Independence Party in the poll in Ireland was responsible for a swathe of voters moving to the YES camp. The sheer political ignorance of UKIP believing that they could influence the Irish outcome was of interest in itself. UKIP represents the worst features of an outdated imperial mentality – the English telling the Irish how to vote. This potent mixture backfired badly.
The identity of the European messenger is also important in the UK as it is in each one of the other Member States. Who is the messenger in the UK ? Certainly not the Minister for Europe or the Foreign Secretary – or indeed the Prime Minister. At present and for some time the messenger in Britain about the European Union has been the hard core of reactionary English isolationists. They are backed by the anti EU media some of whom would have us believe that if Tony Blair becomes the first full time President of the European Council, both H.M. the Queen as well as the Prime Minister would be required to pay him due respect as the President of the European Super State.!
If the messenger is not a national or regional opinion former or politician the message is less likely to be listened to. That is why the Lisbon Treaty is important in more than the areas most often mentioned – the necessity for reform following enlargement, the need for a President of the Council, a Foreign Affairs personality etc.
The Lisbon Treaty for the first time requires the full involvement of national parliaments in the evolution of European Union policy. At a stroke this requirement places the public perspective in a national context. It replaces mere parliamentary scrutiny by the formal requirement to express a national parliamentary opinion on each piece of proposed legislation, measure by measure. This will mean that the national media will have the option to report European matters from the House of Commons. No longer will national media rely wholly on locally hired stringers in Brussels rather than pay British correspondents to be there and then twist their copy in the newsroom for domestic consumption. They will report from the House of Commons directly. In doing so it will become more difficult for the anti European media to sensationalise, to lie or to misrepresent.
Ministers will be required to come out of hiding and instead of blaming someone else for voting a measure into law, usually the ambiguously named Council of Ministers. They will be required to shoulder their responsibilities and be open about how they intend to vote. It is worth remembering that in contrast to accepted public opinion, during the passage of the Single Market legislation, British Ministers were voting 90% of the time in favour of all legislation and the pattern has not changed.
In recent years we have heard little about what Ministers think on any EU subject. When was the last occasion Ministers responsible for informing their national public audiences met together to discuss how to stop the rot of misinformation and misrepresentation in their countries? Never I think, is the correct answer.
The Lisbon Treaty also raises the question about who should be the source of information. Who should the principal messenger be, in these new circumstances?
A rebalancing of the role and responsibilities of governments and the institutions is now necessary. The Commission tries too hard. The more it earnestly seeks interest from the public and tries its best to convince, the more it unconsciously builds a greater reaction against itself.
The more the institutions try too hard to be listened to, the more they elicit reactions against themselves and the less Ministers are likely to support them. Vice President Kallas is right when he calls on government Ministers and national parliaments to begin to take their responsibilities to their people to explain Europe and in doing so, to win the argument.
In contrast, the effort displayed by consecutive British governments for providing the British public with any meaningful explanations about the vital developments within the EU have been disappointing to say the least. Governments have always had a responsibility to defend the national interest while at the same time working for greater European Union influence both at home and abroad. They have excelled at the former but abrogated responsibility for the latter. The institutions, in particular the Commission, have been unfairly damaged as a result. The Lisbon Treaty, if it is signed soon, together with the involvement of national parliaments for the first time, can become the long awaited step change in public awareness of Europe. If not a British wrecking referendum will do irreparable harm to Britain.
Text by: Geoff Martin is Special Adviser to the Commonwealth Secretary General on Strategic Relationships. He was head of the European Commission in the U.K. from 1993 until 2002. He was the head of the Information Services of the European Commission in South East Asia in the mid eighties and inaugural Head of the European Commission in N. Ireland 1979 – 1985. He is working currently on the Joint African Union/European Union Strategy for Africa with a special interest in the role and responsibilities of the media in supporting Governance.
The EGNOS Open Service is available to any user equipped with a GPS receiver that is compatible with satellite-based augmentation systems. The service, one of there being made available, is provided free of charge without any guarantee or resulting liability, the Commission stated.
SOURCE: GSA
EGNOS is ready to use as an open and free satellite-based navigation service, the European Commission announced today.
The improved accuracy of Europe’s first satellite navigation system ushers in a new era for location-based services on the continent. Businesses and citizens can use EGNOS-enabled receivers for tasks that require greater precision, such as crop spraying, tracking vehicles and pedestrian navigation.
Antonio Tajani, the European Commission’s Vice-President for Transport, said: “This opens the door for European businesses and citizens to benefit from the myriad of better applications and new opportunities made possible by more precise navigation signals.”
EGNOS, a satellite-based augmentation system, represents Europe’s first contribution to satellite navigation. It is also a precursor to Galileo, the global navigation satellite system that Europe is developing.
EGNOS increases the accuracy of GPS signals over Europe to within two metres. GPS is accurate to about 10 metres. Augmentation systems correct GPS by taking into account atmospheric disturbances and other factors that may affect the integrity of the signals.
EGNOS can be used by the aviation sector once it is certified for Safety-of-Life services. © ESA
EGNOS can be used by the aviation sector once it is certified for Safety-of-Life services. © ESA
Benefits for businesses and Europeans
The EGNOS Open Service is available to any user equipped with a GPS receiver that is compatible with satellite-based augmentation systems. The service, one of there being made available, is provided free of charge without any guarantee or resulting liability, the Commission stated.
Most receivers sold in Europe today meet that requirement. Receiver manufacturers and application developers will be able to provide their customers with the benefits of EGNOS without requiring any authorisation or receiver- specific certification.
In announcing the availability of the system’s Open Service, the Commission noted that it will support the development of new applications in such sectors as agriculture, transport and personal navigation services.
For example, farmers can use EGNOS for spraying fertilizers on their crops more precisely, allowing them to save money and reduce any impact on the environment. In the transport sector, automatic road-tolling services are being developed using the increased precision provided by EGNOS. Blind people will be able to use EGNOS-enabled GPS receivers and services to more accurately navigate city streets.
More EGNOS services to come
The Commission is on track to provide more EGNOS services next year. A key milestone will be achieved in 2010, when EGNOS is expected to be certified for use by Europe’s aviation sector in compliance with the Single European Sky regulations.
The Commission will then declare the readiness of EGNOS’ Safety-Of-Life Service, which will provide a valuable integrity message warning the user of any malfunction of the GPS signal within six seconds. This integrity message is essential when satellite navigation is used for applications where lives are at stake.
The Commission also expects to launch the EGNOS Commercial Service next year. This service is currently being tested by a number of European companies.
The Open Service and the Safety-of-Life Service are provided free of charge. The European Union is committed to the long term support of EGNOS, which will provide services alongside Galileo, when it becomes operational. For example, the Commission is working to extend the geographical coverage of the three satellites transmitting the EGNOS signal. While the signal currently covers most European states, it has the built-in capability to extend the coverage area to other regions, such as countries on the EU’s borders and North Africa.
Sending the correction signals
The EGNOS signal, which provides the correction data needed to make GPS more accurate, is transmitted via transponders aboard three geostationary satellites over Europe. About 40 positioning stations and four control centres are at the heart of the system’s network on the ground.
Through a contract with the Commission, the European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP) is charged with the operational management and maintenance of EGNOS. The contract between the Commission and ESSP SaS, which is based in Toulouse, France, was signed on 30 September and runs until the end of 2013. ESSP was founded by seven air navigation service providers in Europe.
EGNOS is a joint project of the European Space Agency (ESA), the Commission and Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation. It was developed by a number of European businesses that compose the EGNOS Operator and Infrastructure Group.
Since 1 April of this year, EGNOS has been owned and managed by the European Union. The ESA continues its role as the system’s design and procurement agency through a delegation agreement with the Commission.
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Source: EurActive
Czech President Václav Klaus again surprised friends and foes alike by signing his country’s Lisbon Treaty ratification today (3 November) at 15.00 CET, just hours after the Czech Constitutional Court had given the text its green light. The EU’s reform treaty is now fully ratified and is expected to enter into force on 1 December.
Klaus, a staunch Eurosceptic, announced he had signed the Lisbon Treaty at Prague Castle, just a few hours after the Czech Constitutional Court ruled that the treaty is compatible with the country’s constitution.
An hour later, he held a televised press conference during which he said he had expected the verdict to be in favour of the Lisbon Treaty. He said he respected the ruling but he does not agree with it.
“The treaty’s enforcement will limit the Czech Republic’s sovereignty, regardless of the Constitutional Court’s verdict,” he added, quoted by the Czech press.
Klaus lashed at the court’s judges, describing their behaviour as “obstructive” and their verdict as “politically motivated”.
According to EU practice, new treaties enter into force on the first day of the month after they are deposited in Rome. This means that the Lisbon Treaty could enter into force at on 1 December, with a new 27-member European Commission, a permanent Council president and a High Representative for Foreign Affairs being selected in the meantime.
Joseph Daul, Chairman of the EPP group, welcomed the news from Prague. “Europe can now move forward. The conclusion of the ratification process means that the treaty will enter into force without further delay this year. The treaty will allow effective European action in areas where solutions are urgent, such as the financial and economic crises, climate change and energy,” he said.
“I call on the European Council to nominate the College of the European Commission, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the president of the Council without delay,” Daul further declared.
The Swedish EU Presidency is widely expected to call an extraordinary EU summit to decide on the top jobs, most likely to be held on 13-14 November.
It took eight years of intricate negotiations for the EU’s new reform treaty to see the light of day, since EU leaders first debated its proposed reforms at the 14-15 December Laeken summit in 2001.
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