Good news for people used to bad news

As I turn in for the night tonight, there are some good news stories of note...

Chad and Sudan have struck a peace accord;

there's a new EU climate change commitment;

and the US House of Representatives has passed a bill banning retroactive immunity for telecom companies coerced into/agreeing to comply with the Bush administration's illegal domestic wiretapping program, although the bill is sure to be vetoed once it hits the Oval Office.

EU treaty discord over for now

Finally, last night European Union members agreed at the last minute on the EU treaty they had been bickering about for two days at the EU summit (see post).

EU DEAL: MAIN ISSUES
Double majority voting delayed until 2014
Long-term EU president
High Representative for foreign affairs
Fewer national veto powers
More powers for the European Parliament

After much deliberation at the two-day European Union summit, an agreement on a treaty outlining the rules for the 27-member body has been reached. Many were skeptical of whether the EU's members would be able to get over their specific reservations to varying areas of the treaty. This is big news for the EU.

The final stumbling block — Poland's reservations about the voting system — was resolved. The solution was to put that decision off until 2014, as noted in the deal outline above.

Germany, the chair of the now-ended summit, wants a replacement for the rejected 2005 constitution. However, whatever its replacement is, there has been a decision to not use the word "constitution" (oh the language of politics...).

One of the focuses of the summit and deal was the European Union's foreign policy. Often an EU delegate is sent to represent EU nations; as we saw in the case of the G8 summit earlier this month, the EU had a delegate in addition to the G8 countries. European foreign policy interests, it is believed, are best represented by the EU, but how exactly this diplomacy between a multi-national body and individual nations runs best is still being worked out.

Competition troubles at the EU summit

One of the things holding Europe back from reaping more financial successes are the restrictive anti-competition laws and practices. Outside firm A is proposing to buy European firm B, the courts or government step in, deal falls through. Though necessary at times — such as to prevent monopolies and safeguard finances — meddling protectionist measures like these muck up the free market. We are seeing this time and time again, especially as more foreign funds attempt to buy up both successful and failing European firms.

Another issue, is bankruptcy laws in Europe. In America more liberal business bankruptcy laws have allowed new start-up firms like, say, Google and Digg to flourish in the tech entrepreneurial hotbed of Silicon Valley. Perhaps the reason Europe does not have a Silicon Valley of its own is because of its less friendly, more restrictive bankruptcy laws. The lack of new start-ups and fresh ideas indeed feeds into the lack of competition. And competition is a fuel the market economy needs.

This is related to the European Union summit going on right now in that competition and the free markets has been a major issue. Which leads us to Nicolas Sarkozy, president of France, who received the backing of The Economist because of his reformist economical stance. The free marketers' candidate appears to have reservations about, well, free markets at this EU summit.

HAS Nicolas Sarkozy really dealt a nasty blow to the free-market foundations of Europe? The question has caused much confusion at a European Union summit unfolding in Brussels. It emerged on Thursday June 21st that France’s new president had succeeded in removing “free and undistorted competition” from a list of the EU’s core objectives at the top of a new “reform treaty” being thrashed to replace the defunct constitution.
...
During his campaign to become president he presented rival public faces: the pro-business reformer alongside the populist defender of French national interests. The elections won, it is still not clear which of these is the true Mr Sarkozy.

The EU treaty is at the top of this summit's agenda, and is why it is receiving so much attention. Whenever most countries agree, there seems to always be one or two that have their own (selfish) reservations. And yes, for the sake of sovereignty and answering to the voting public, it is important for a country to stand up for what's best for it, but some cases aren't as clear. Sometimes diplomats and leaders should ask themselves, 'Is it worth it to fight for this when there are so many other things I may need to stand up for my country?'

There is, however, good news. Apparently Sarkozy has been convinced to let some things go in his one-man battle against the competition law in the EU treaty. Sarkozy may have gotten "free and undistorted competition" taken out from the treaty's preamble, but

sources in Brussels say a legally binding protocol will be added that protects existing competition law.

So all this fuss over just a superficial word change?

With Mr Sarkozy's change also remaining in place, he will be able to tell the French voters he has defended French jobs.
...
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has already said that there are 13 references to free market competition in existing EU treaties, so the EU's powers over competition would not be changed.

Leaders of the 27 EU states are meeting in Brussels to agree the main parameters for a new EU treaty.

A future conference would then decide the final text.

The treaty is designed to replace the planned European Constitution, which was rejected by both French and Dutch voters two years ago.

France's economy is far too bogged down by regulation and government intervention. The public sector often makes the private sector look tiny. Contrary to the wishes of the old left, such a gigantic public sector isn't good for the workers either: notice how there always seems to be a giant worker's protest going on in France? Even though its government-run health system is arguably better than the United States' — and it's free — French doctors get paid one-third of what their American counterparts take home. The government cannot afford much more. While I am in favor of state-run national health services in many cases, France needs to open up and privatize many areas of its economy.

Next bump in the path to a new EU treaty: Poland doesn't want Germany to have too much power. I can sympathize to an extent, since Poland is still being bullied (e.g. energy wise) by Germany and Russia, but playing war card isn't an acceptable move. The trouble is over a voting system of the EU; Poland wants more votes to compensate for lives lost in the Second World War. This Poland versus Germany battle looks to continue, as the United Kingdom throws it's hat into the ring too — questionably at that.

In addition,

draft treaty submitted for debate at the summit makes several concessions to EU member states that had opposed key parts of the planned constitution.

Proposed changes include:

* Removing any mention of the word "constitution"
* Providing countries with a chance to opt out of EU policies in the area of policing and criminal law
* New voting system to approve decisions
* Full-time president of European Council instead of current system where members take six-month turns
* New foreign affairs head and a smaller commission

Correspondents say failure to reach a deal on the treaty would plunge the EU into a fresh crisis as deep as the one that followed the rejection of the constitution two years ago.
...
A draft treaty submitted for debate at the summit makes several concessions to EU member states that had opposed key parts of the planned constitution.

Proposed changes include:

* Removing any mention of the word "constitution"
* Providing countries with a chance to opt out of EU policies in the area of policing and criminal law
* New voting system to approve decisions
* Full-time president of European Council instead of current system where members take six-month turns
* New foreign affairs head and a smaller commission

Correspondents say failure to reach a deal on the treaty would plunge the EU into a fresh crisis as deep as the one that followed the rejection of the constitution two years ago.

Britain has also been the target of some complaint. It has backed out of various areas, seeking special treatment, and the negotiating "has been shambolic, according to one insider", says BBC's Europe editor Mark Mardell.

The summit, at two days long, will end today and the future of the EU and the constitution, or whatever they aim to call it, is at stake. Many quarrels deal with political language, and some are bringing up issues of long ago to their advantage.
To see some countries' stances and what they will attempt to exempt themselves from, and more, see here. The agreement of 27 diverse nations — with political rifts between many of them — is a tough goal. However, the European Union treaty must be tackled before people loose yet more hope.

Well, maybe it's not a new Cold War, but...

Diplomatic relations between Russia and the West sure are getting chillier.

Whether its the war of words with the United States (the missile shield issue comes to mind), the Litvinenko murder case straining relations with with Britain, or the ill-concluded talks with the European Union at the EU-Russia summit — especially over oil and gas, as well as Germany siding with Russia as, for example, Poland suffers.

Both sides might well be overplaying their cards, warning of new 'war's, how one side is demonic, etc. But as this is the often fragile game of world diplomacy, overplaying such cards is not a wise choice — by the EU, America, or Russia itself. The UK's situation is a bit more sticky, as the former KBG man and Putin dissenter Alexander Litvinenko looks to have possibly been killed by a _ of Russia's vast, post-Soviet security fringe within the government.

If Russia is getting wealthier because of its energy exports, why are freedoms shrinking? Why is Vladimir Putin becoming a dictator, if he isn't already one? It's interesting to look at how wealth, and even education, do not always result in freedoms for the population of a state. A closer look at that soon.

technorati tags: russia, EU, putin, diplomacy, international+relations, USA, united+states, european+union, cold+war, germany, litvinenko, UK, britain, missile+shield

Uh, happy anniversary?

In case you missed them...

The EU's anniversary logo (no joke).

The European Union turned 50 as mixed feelings remain about one of the world's most powerful institutions. The Economist compiled a survey of the EU and came to several conclusions (some parts of the survey are available only to subscribers). My personal favorite article in the survey is a mock article on the EU's 100th anniversary, which offers some of the usual political wit of the Economist.
See also EU website and, of course, Wikipedia article. The revered Economist also has more EU articles; as does the all-mighty BBC News and lest we forget The Guardian.

Oh Iraq. Always the news hog, for a good reason. Four years after the US-led invasion, Iraq is as close to a failed state as ever, with a civil war, political instability, meddling neighbors, a growing terrorist insurgency, ethnic rivalries, and, not least, foreign occupiers. The occupation continues — the Iraq war rages on. One major problem: who's on what side? The BBC offers some excellent articles and features on Iraq. Unlike with the EU's problems, Iraq does not look to have as many clear-cut solutions and is even more politically helpless than a large bureaucratic organization. Ouch. The Bush administration remains defiant on their thus-inflexable Iraq policies. However, are the tides finally changing against Bush & Co.? Congress, with its new Democratic majority, has hit back at the administration by passing a resolution (in both houses) to withdrawal troops sometime next year. The resolution was attached to a troop spending bill. Not surprising, the House of Representatives, which has more Democrats, has a stricter, binding timeline; whereas the Senate's is not. (The Senate vote was 51-47 with 48 Democrats, two Republicans, and an independent (not Lieberman) voting the affirmative.) The Iraq was has also tarnished the legacy of the British prime minister, Tony Blair.
See Wikipedia; and basically every reliable news and reference outlet for more, developing news.

Of course you can expect to read more on these two major topics on this blog.