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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.
EU online sources ranked by research experts
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Please fill in the survey and participate.
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.
"The commission is closely monitoring the use of behavioural advertising to ensure respect for our privacy rights,"
Source: EUobserver [edited]
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – There is a dark side to some of the impressive new online technologies that are appearing, from social networking to behavioural advertising to RFID ‘smart chips’, the European Commission’s internet chief has warned.
While such technologies offer great vistas of opportunity, the commission is monitoring their development “closely” for the very real potential threats to privacy they contain, information society commissioner Viviane Reding said on Monday at a debate on the future of the internet in Brussels.
The future of the internet contains pitfalls as well as possibilities, warns Brussels. Ms Reding threatened that if social networking sites such as Facebook themselves do not make moves to ensure the profiles of minors are kept private, she would intervene with legislation to force them to do so.
“Privacy must, in my view, be a high priority for social networking providers and for their users. I firmly believe that at least the profiles of minors must be private by default and unavailable to internet search engines,” she told the meeting in the European Parliament, organised by Icomp, an industry initiative backed by Microsoft to discuss the online marketplace.
“The European Commission has already called on social networking sites to deal with minors’ profiles carefully, by means of self-regulation,” she continued. “I am ready to follow this up with new rules if I have to.” But she said she worries about all users of social networking, not just children, and fears that most users of such sites are unaware of the dangers to their privacy.
“Social networking has a strong potential for a new form of communication and for bringing people together, wherever they are,” she said. “But is every social networker really aware that all pictures and information uploaded on social networking profiles can be accessed and used by anyone on the web?”
Advertising concerns
The EU’s internet chief also said that behavioural advertising – those ads that appear that seem to know exactly the sort of books or vacations or concerts you would be interested in – was “another privacy concern repeatedly mentioned to the European Commission these days.”
Behavioural adverts are able to do this by keeping track of internet users’ web browsing to better target them with advertisements. Ms Reding said that the EU executive was watching this development for infringement of privacy: ” European privacy rules are crystal clear: a person’s information can only be used with their prior consent.”
“The commission is closely monitoring the use of behavioural advertising to ensure respect for our privacy rights,” she added. “I will not shy away from taking action where an EU country falls short of this duty.” The commissioner also warned of the perils contained within the “internet of things” – the use of radio frequency identification (RFID), or smart chips, that could be attached to any product.
There is enormous potential from a world in which all mugs, containers, shoes or airplane parts are attached with tiny identifying devices. Analysts predict that common events that plague businesses and individuals such as running out of stock, product wastage, and theft. Losing your keys could be a thing of the past, if we know where a product is at all times.
But there are also great privacy pitfalls in such a world, noted Ms Reding. “I am convinced [RFID] will only be welcomed in Europe if they are used by the consumers and not on the consumers,” she told the crowd.
“No European should carry a chip in one of their possessions without being informed precisely of what they are used for, with the choice to remove or switch it off at any time.” “The “Internet of Things” will only work if it is accepted by the people.” Her speech also focussed on the need for a single online market for digital content, which she has repeatedly argued is fragmented, a competitive disadvantage for Europe when compared to the United States.
Before the end of the current commission’s mandate, she said, she and internal market commissioner Charlie McCreevy would publish a “reflection paper” over a set of possible legislative options to create such a single digital market.
Ms Reding would also like to see the development of a European Rights Registry to ease the digitalisation of books. Such a registry would aim to overcome the current problem of books republishing online books that are out of print, but whose copyright ownership remains cloudy.
Although the Luxembourgish Ms Reding has expressed an interest in returning to Brussels as part of President Jose Manuel Barroso’s second college of commissioners, it is not clear that if she returns, she would be awarded the same dossier. She underlined that in making her comments on the future of the internet, she did not want to “pre-empt the new commission.”
Money should be divided between key low-carbon technologies that can move Europe from 80% dependence on fossil fuels to 80% emissions cuts by 2050
Source: EurActiv [edited]
The European Commission revealed its long-awaited blueprint for tripling Europe’s energy research funding within the next decade, in a bid to shift monies towards supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy in the next EU budget. The EU executive calls for the energy research budget to be increased to €50 billion over the next ten years. This would require yearly flows from both the public and private sectors to jump from their current €3bn to €8bn, it calculated.
The Communication on Financing the Development of Low-Carbon Technologies sets out how this money should be divided between key low-carbon technologies that can move Europe from 80% dependence on fossil fuels to 80% emissions cuts by 2050. The research priorities were identified in the 2007 Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) that intended to reassert Europe’s competitiveness by putting declining EU energy research budgets back on track.
The financing plan, which was originally due out last year, was partly delayed due to the financial crisis, which required new thinking on how to reactivate growth, Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs told journalists. Furthermore, drawing up roadmaps for the various technologies took time, he added.
The final plan earmarks €6bn for research into wind energy, which the Commission believes could produce a fifth of the EU’s electricity by 2020. The money would help to fund developments offshore, where winds are stronger, by investing in next-generation turbines and new structures.
Solar energy would get €16bn for developing new photovoltaic concepts and large industrial concentrating solar power (CSP) installations to contribute 15% of EU electricity in ten years’ time. Bioenergy research would also get €9bn so that it could provide 14% of EU energy while respecting sustainability criteria.
In order to integrate renewables and implement the internal energy market, electricity grids would get €2 billion so that half of the networks can operate along a “smart grid” principle. Apart from renewables, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is set to receive €13bn for up to 12 demonstration projects. Nuclear research would also get €7bn for putting the fourth generation into operation.
The financing proposal also foresees €11bn for a ‘Smart Cities’ programme, in order to counter criticism that the SET-Plan disregards energy efficiency. Between 25 and 30 cities are to be upgraded with low-carbon houses and transport so that they emit 40% less greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 than they did in 1990.
In addition, the Commission is calling for more money for future breakthrough technologies, such as motors fuelled directly by sunlight or batteries which store power at ten times their current density.
Public partnering with private money
The Commission believes that public-private partnerships are the most credible way to go about funding energy research. However, it did not spell out how the financial burden should be shared between the two. Currently, energy research funding is 70% private and 30% public, excluding nuclear research. The EU executive argues that a “significant rise” in the public share will be necessary in the short term to give businesses incentives to work towards public climate and energy supply goals at a time of recession.
In projects where the risks are higher, public funding should assume a greater role, the Commission says. To optimise the level of intervention, it advocates the use of European programmes, particularly where there is a clear added value of EU-level action, for example in the case of programmes that are too expensive for a single member state to fund. Currently, 80% of public investment in non-nuclear energy research is made at national level.
Although the communication does not announce any new EU funds, it argues that “an increase in the proportion of the public investment at Community level may need to be one of the options explored in the budget review”.
launched on 20 November, 2008. Europeana is a multi-lingual online collection of millions of digitised books, journals, films, maps, photographs and music from European museums, libraries, archives and multi-media collections. It is accessible to every citizen with an internet connection. It also preserves the items for future generations.
Source: EuroParliament [edited]
You can now access books, journals, films, maps etc from across Europe via the EU’s online library, Europeana. It’s a great idea but it’s not all plain sailing: web copyright rules are not the same in all EU countries, there are issues about paying for items that are still under copyright and should there be a minimum standard for content? The Culture Committee discussed the future challenges for Europeana Tuesday morning.
German Green Helga Trüpel will draft parliament’s report. “We have to find means to encourage Member States to provide more funding for digitisation…My big political goal is to achieve the balance between making books available and rewarding the authors. Google scanned a lot of books under copyright and then the authors complained and went to court,” she told us.
About Europeana
- currently has 4.6 million digital item
- includes paintings, maps, photos, books, newspapers, letters, music, radio broadcasts, films, TV broadcasts
- 47% of contributions are from France
- will re-launch in 2010 with over 10 million digital objects
- funded by the European Commission and EU countries
- hosted by the National Library of the Netherlands
“Europeana might never be as rich as Google Books, because it will not be financed through advertisements,” she said. “But it is very important for us to show that there is another possibility: to do it with public funding. If we want to defend our European social model and go for cultural diversity, we need Europeana.”
What is Europeana?
It was launched on 20 November, 2008. Europeana is a multi-lingual online collection of millions of digitised books, journals, films, maps, photographs and music from European museums, libraries, archives and multi-media collections. It is accessible to every citizen with an internet connection. It also preserves the items for future generations.
Europeana’s collection has doubled since its launch and there are now more than 4.6 million items. The aim is to have 10 million digitised objects by 2010 and the Commission has launched a public consultation about the future challenges, which ends 15 November, to get the views of libraries, rights holders, IT companies and consumer organisation, as well as the European Parliament.
The final result shows 67.1% of the electorate voted in favour of the Treaty, with 32.9% voting against. This represents a 20% swing towards the 'yes' campaign compared to the 2008 referendum.
Source: Euractiv [edited]
Irish voters have approved the EU’s reform treaty by a margin of two to one, lifting the EU out of institutional limbo after years of democratic setbacks and blockage. All eyes now turn to Eurosceptic Czech President Václav Klaus to sign the treaty.
The final result shows 67.1% of the electorate voted in favour of the Treaty, with 32.9% voting against. This represents a 20% swing towards the ‘yes’ campaign compared to the 2008 referendum. Turnout was 58%, an increase of around 6%.
Pressure on Prague and Warsaw
In Brussels, political parties from across the spectrum are turning up the heat on Czech President Václav Klaus to sign the Lisbon Treaty into law, with European Commission President José Manuel Barroso saying all Europeans had now backed the Lisbon Treaty, either directly or indirectly.
Speaking on Saturday (3 October), the Czech president declined to say how he would proceed with ratification after the Irish results. “The question does not exist today. Today I have a ban [...] until the Constitutional Court releases something,” he told reporters.
Final ratification is also due in Poland, where President Lech Kaczyński had said he was willing to ratify the charter if Ireland voted ‘yes’.
Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer said he believes the country will complete ratification by the end of the year, a government statement said. “The prime minister [...] is convinced that ratification will be completed in a way that the Lisbon Treaty can take effect by the end of 2009,” the statement said.
Many political analysts expect Klaus will be forced under heavy EU pressure to sign the treaty into law before the end of the year, helping the bloc to forge a bigger role for itself as the global balance of power shifts following the financial crisis.
EU summit on 29 October
A summit of EU leaders is planned in Brussels on 29 October, at which Klaus is expected to come under heavy pressure to ratify. “We have a summit at the end of October and that might be perfect timing for this kind of discussion,” said Fredrick Reinfeldt, prime minister of Sweden and current holder of the European Union presidency.
With the ‘yes’ vote due to be confirmed, the chances of Europe taking a great steps to become a better organised Union with a stronger voice in world affairs dramatically increase. The treaty would give the EU a long-term president and stronger foreign policy chief.
Economic crisis bolstered ‘yes’ vote
Many voters were thought more likely to back the treaty second time around because of the economic crisis, the impact of which EU aid has helped to curb. The European Commission offered 14.8 million euros to help workers at Dell’s Irish plant on 19 September, just weeks before the vote (EurActiv 21/09/09).
The mood at the main Dublin counting centre was a far cry from last year, when officials watched in disbelief as voters rejected the reform charter, holding up the foreign policy ambitions of a bloc representing 495 million people.
The atmosphere was calm after fraught campaigning that pitched Ireland’s main political parties against anti-abortion groups, pacifists and British Eurosceptics. Irish approval represents be a boon for the former ‘Celtic Tiger’ economy, which was spared an Icelandic-style collapse because of its membership of the euro zone. It is still reliant on goodwill from Brussels and Frankfurt for its future recovery. Many people in Ireland are struggling to come to terms with unemployment, higher taxes and the possibility of lower social welfare payments in the next austerity budget.
Irish borrowing costs would likely drop and its banking stocks rise on Monday if the result on Saturday is a ‘yes’, according to predictions prior to the ballot.
Born in West Germany, Lothar Bisky moved to the east and joined the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Source: Europarliament
Lothar Bisky was born in 1941 in Zollbrück (now Korzybie, Poland) and grew up in West Germany before deciding to move to East German when he was 18 where he joined the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED).
After completing university he worked as an academic on film, media and communication.
After the fall of the Berlin wall he was elected to the East German Parliament. From 1993 he was chairman of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), successor of the SED, which after a merger became in 2007 The Left (Die Linke).
Since 2007 he is the President of the European Left party. He is married and the father of three sons and was first elected to the EP in June 2009.
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