EU politics

[Ashendant]

America, america, america and capitalism seems what this political part of the forum is all about
Let's talk about the EU politics

My first attempt will involve french xenophobia against the Roma and actions by the EU

EU 'closely' watching French probe into 'Roma list'
08 October 2010, 15:38 CET
— filed under: Headline, immigration, minorities, Roma, France
EU 'closely' watching French probe into 'Roma list'

Viviane Reding - Photo EC

(LUXEMBOURG) - The European Commission will closely watch a French probe into alleged secret lists of Roma and other travelling minorities, the European Union's top justice official said Friday.

But the emergence of the alleged document, on Thursday, has no bearing on the commission's threat to take legal action against France over freedom of movement following a French crackdown on Roma migrants, EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said.

"We are aware of this development and we took note of the statement issued by the French authorities yesterday whereby they are opening an internal investigation," she said.

"We will closely watch this investigation," Reding told a news conference following a meeting of EU justice ministers in Luxembourg.

The second biggest group in the European parliament, the Socialists and Democrats, called on the EU's executive arm to launch an investigation in all European countries to see if such databases exist elsewhere.

"If confirmed, the existence of a French police database of ethnic minorities is utterly astonishing," lawmaker Claude Moraes said in a statement.

"Every day we seem to discover another deplorable piece of a puzzle whose magnitude appears to be beyond our imagination," he said.

Last week, the commission gave France an October 15 deadline to abide by EU rules on freedom of movement following controversial deportations of Roma migrants, but decided not to put Paris in the dock for discrimination.

If France fails to act, it will face a formal notice of infringement proceedings, a process which in theory could land it at the European Court of Justice -- though such cases are generally resolved amicably.

Lawyers for rights groups alleged in a formal complaint that French police are keeping secret lists of Roma and other travelling minorities in breach of laws on ethnic profiling.

The complaint cites what it calls "illegal" and "undeclared" documents held by the Central Office for the Fight Against Itinerant Delinquency (OCLDI), a state body run by gendarmes, France's paramilitary police.

According to the text of the complaint lodged by the groups, the office compiled documents that aimed to "make a genealogy of Gypsy families."

Commission statement 29 September 2010 - situation of the Roma and EU law on free movement of EU citizens

It looks very racist against the Roma but is the french acting in defence of their people or out of xenophobic reasons or is everything gray?

Now for blatant publicity
If you want to explore EU politics in deeper you can always look inside this forum
http://forum.yoursay.eu/
(Hope i don't break any rules with this last bit if i do tell me and i'll remove it)

[Anomalocaris]

Xenophobic disgrace

[Ashendant]

Well since this particular topic has only had one answer, i'll find another one

China eyes new Silk Road to Europe amid political rift
10 October 2010, 14:10 CET
— filed under: energy, peace, FOCUS, Nobel, China, transport

(ATHENS) - China is laying the groundwork for a new Silk Road to Europe, holding out the promise of lucrative investments to a continent limping to economic recovery -- despite the ideological gulf with the West.

Ahead of a furious row this week over the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to a dissident academic jailed by Beijing, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao completed landmark visits to Greece, Italy and Turkey.

The accompanying business deals further extended the Asian powerhouse's influence in Europe.

In Rome on Thursday, Wen sealed agreements worth 2.25 billion euros (3.13 billion dollars) including solar power and broadband Internet projects. He pledged to more than double trade to 100 billion dollars by 2015.

A day later in Ankara, the Chinese PM signed another batch of contracts including an agreement for the joint construction of 4,500 kilometres (2,700 miles) of Turkish railway.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan styled the project "a new Silk Road", a reference to the centuries-old trade network that has linked the Asian and Mediterranean worlds since antiquity.

To Greece, deep in the grip of recession and struggling to fill the gaping hole in its finances with a draconian austerity programme, Wen promised to buy Greek bonds as soon as the debt-hit country returns to markets.

"China has always attached great importance to its relations with the European Union," says Wang Liqiang, a Europe researcher in the academy of Chinese social sciences in Beijing.

"Helping Greece to the extent of China's ability will prevent contagion of the debt crisis to the rest of the euro area," he told AFP.

Chinese shipping giant Cosco is already expanding container facilities at the main harbour, Piraeus, just outside Athens, where it was awarded a 35-year lease two years ago.

During his visit to Athens on October 2 -- the first by a Chinese prime minister in 24 years -- Wen said the number of containers through Piraeus would rise this year to 800,000 and reach 3.7 million by 2015.

"The merchant marine is an important sector of cooperation between the two countries because 60 percent of crude oil is imported in China on Greek boats and 50 percent of Chinese merchandise is transported on Greek boats," he added.

Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world.

It also has one of Europe's most troubled state rail operators, currently 10 billion euros in the red. The Greek government intends to break up the company and hopes to attract interest from Chinese investors.

Some commentators have observed that China's involvement in Greece is the most sweeping by a single country since the Marshall Plan, the United States aid package that helped rebuild the country after the 1946-49 Greek civil war.

Others view that investment differently: Radio Netherlands Worldwide discussed the prospect of Greece becoming "China's first colony in Europe", while the Asia Times spoke of a "dragon-tailed Trojan Horse".

The Chinese PM's trip also saw stormy talks in Brussels where he rebuffed European pressure to raise the value of the yuan to right global trade imbalances.

Wen argued that such a move would bankrupt many Chinese companies.

As the Chinese PM returned home, a diplomatic row broke out when jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, prompting renewed Western calls for his immediate release.

Liu was sentenced last December to 11 years behind bars for subversion, following the 2008 release of "Charter 08", a manifesto for reform signed by more than 300 Chinese intellectuals, academics and writers.

China responded furiously to the award, calling it "blasphemy" and summoning the Norwegian ambassador to warn that the decision by the Oslo-based Nobel Committee would damage relations.

What do you think of the chinese slying their way into european politics

[Tiberius]

There wasn't an "Europe Capitalism" option so I just chose the option that didn't have a failed economic theory attached to it.

[Autumnlicious]

All things considered, European socialism has failed only a wee bit more than American Capitalism.

See Lehmann brothers. "Bail us out of our faulty mortgages or your entire economy collapses".

[Ashendant]

All things considered, European socialism has failed only a wee bit more than American Capitalism.

See Lehmann brothers. "Bail us out of our faulty mortgages or your entire economy collapses".

the reason European socialism failed was because it was too much attached to american capitalism and because china has cheat codes

[Tiberius]

I assume you mean these cheat codes:

[Ashendant]

I assume you mean these cheat codes:

Yes, it's hurting everyone in the world

[leo-rcc]

Not me, speed controllers have never been cheaper.

[downbeatplumb]

When did european socialism fail did I miss something?