Brussels, Belgium (GenevaLunch) - The European Commission reacted to Libya’s ban on visas for Schengen residents by saying it will meet later in the week to discuss the abrupt decision by Muammar Qadaffi’s government. Cecilia Malmstroem of Sweden, the commissioner for home affairs, provided a more immediate response: “The European Commission deplores the unilateral and disproportionate decision by Libyan authorities to suspend the delivery of visas to EU Schengen countries’ citizens. The commission also regrets that travelers who legally obtained visas before the suspension measure were refused entry when arriving in Libya.”
It is unclear if the move includes diplomats, but there are reports that people arriving in Tripoli with visas are being refused entry at the airport.
The visa ban appears to be in retaliation for an unconfirmed ban on travel to Switzerland, a member of the Schengen area, by close to 200 Libyans. Switzerland has not issued any information along these lines and the Swiss government has refused to confirm the information, which was reported by a Libyan newspaper generally considered close to one of Qadaffi’s sons.
(Reuters video) The European Union has two new leaders, in posts created by the Lisbon Treaty, which goes into effect 1 December 2009 following final approval by Ireland and the Czech Republic. Herman van Rompuy, Belgian prime minister, was named President of the European Council, a two-and-a-half year job. He was elected by a majority vote by the 27 members states. A key part of his job is to chair meetings of the European Commission. Catherine Ashton was made EU high representative for foreign affairs. She has been the EU’s trade commissioner for the past year.
The election of the pair, both of whom have relatively low profiles in international affairs, has been praised by the US, France and Germany but those who were hoping to see the first European president play a strong role are expressing disappointment. Turkey’s leaders are unhappy with Rompuy, who resisted Turkish membership and the UK media reaction has been more puzzled than enthusiastic.
Links to other sites: BBC, Die Welt (Ger), Guardian, UK, Le Monde (Fre), Le Temps (Fre), Times, UK
US and EU, warming up to aircraft negotiations
US Trade Representative Ron Kirk with EC Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton, March 2009, at their first meeting
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A confidential interim WTO (World Trade Organization) report on European assistance to the aircraft industry, notably Airbus, was issued Friday, reports Frances Williams in the Financial Times, and a similar report on US assistance to Boeing is expected in the next few months.
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – EPFL, the federal polytechnical school in Lausanne, estimates it will receive €40 million in grant money awarded to researchers by the European Research Council (ERC) a grant-making body for frontier research funded by the European Commission. EPFL researchers lead other institutions Europe-wide in the number of grants received.
The European Commission has ordered French farmers to repay €30 million in subsidies that were paid out from 1992-2002, provoking a harsh reaction from the farmers. The Financial Times quotes François Lafitte, leader of Fédécom, the fruit and vegetable producers’ union, as saying that “Nobody will pay these subsidies . . . Firstly, because the amounts put forward by Brussels don’t add up. Secondly, because it would spell ruin for the industry.” The money was provided to help the industry face a crisis, but Brussels has ruled that the state aid was unfair competition. EU Business
Torsten Åkesson, Rolf-Dieter Heuer, et José Manuel Silva Rodriguez
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The European Research Area is significantly closer to becoming a working reality, with Cern (European Organization for Nuclear Research) and the European Commission (EC) signing a memorandum of understanding Friday 17 July. The two have agreed to work more closely together in several areas, a key one being to facilitate implementation of the European Strategy for Particle Physics, which has been defined by Cern.
The EC and Cern say the memorandum will provide a framework to cooperate and share knowledge in several areas: research programming, training and mobility of researchers, science education, open publishing, technology transfer, innovation, building next generation infrastructures (including e-infrastructures) and global scientific cooperation.
Bern with Geneva, La Sarraz, and St Gotthard, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Three Swiss sites have been declared European Heritage sites by the Swiss cultural affairs office, the country’s contribution to a French initiative signed by 18 European countries to designate an initial group of 60 sites which are important to European culture and heritage. The three are:
Saint Peter’s (St Pierre) cathedral in Geneva, for its links to religious reformer Jean Calvin
La Sarraz chateau in Vaud for its role as home to the International Congress for Modern Architecture from its founding in 1928 to 1959: the congress is considered the pioneer of modern urbanism in Europe
St Gotthard hospice in Ticino, on the mountain pass at 2,100 metres, which has for centuries served as a link and symbol of ties between northern and southern Europe.
José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, said Thursday that European nations now believe they are over-represented in international financial organizations and at the IMF (International Monetary Fund) meeting in Washington this weekend they will agree to let emerging nations take a stronger role. International Herald Tribune
The European Commission has said that it expects a weak UK economy to drag down Europe in 2009, but the continent will fare better economically than the United States. Financial Times
The European Commission Wednesday reduced its growth forecast for the European Union to 1.4% (1.3% for the euro area), down about a half point from its forecast in April, saying that growth is “expected to slow down sharply and inflation is set to remain higher than usual for some time.” The area will escape recession, but just, it added. The EC cited high commodity prices, housing market “corrections” and a global slowdown in growth as factors.
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