European House Skopje

The Stabilisation and Association Council (SA Council) between the Republic of Macedonia and the EU held its fourth meeting on 24 July 2007. The meeting was chaired by Mr Antonio Milososki, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia. The Presidency of the Council was represented by Mr Manuel Lobo Antunes, State Secretary for European Affairs of Portugal. Mr Jan Truszczinski, Deputy Director General of the Commission's Directorate General for Enlargement, and Mr Dimitrij Rupel, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia as well as the EU Special Representative and Head of the Commission's delegation to the Republic of Macedonia, Erwan Fouéré, also participated in the meeting. The SA Council recalled the December 2006 European Council, which had noted that the candidate status of the Republic of Macedonia was a recognition of reform achievements and had called on the country to accelerate the pace of reforms in order to progress towards the goal of movi

European Parliament will vote Thursday on the report on Macedonia's progress toward EU membership, a day after the lawmakers gave their opinion on the issue. "The progress toward EU is in the hands of political leaders in the country. I believe that the Government and the Parliament will take into consideration the recommendations in the European Commission's report," the EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told the MEPs during the debate. He called on the government and all political parties in Macedonia to focus on continuation of reforms instead of focusing on the starting date of EU accession talks. "Dialogue is basis for achieving stability and functioning of institutions," Commissioner Rehn said, adding that Brussels expects full implementation of political dialogue between VMRO-DPMNE and DUI. He pointed out that despite the last year's slowed down progress, the country can return this year to the reform-determined track. Commissioner Rehn also c

The European Commission has finalised its plans for assistance to the candidate and potential candidate countries for 2007-2009. It adopted on June 20 the strategy for Croatia under its Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, after earlier adopting similar strategies for the Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo. The overall indicative amount for the period for all these countries totals €3.96 billion. Financial assistance to those countries aims to help them enhance political and economic reform and development, on their path towards EU membership. Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said: "The crux of the matter in the EU's enlargement process is that the political, economic and institutional reforms lead to results on the ground, in each and every country. They have to deliver in this challenging process. But they are not alone, the EU stands by their side with political support, technical advice and substantial financ

The Broadcasting Council of Macedonia faces political pressures, EU Ambassador Erwan Fouere said on Wednesday. The Council undergoes problems of political nature, however, it pledges to maintain independence and cope with such tendencies arising from the lack of institutional dialogue, Ambassador Fouere said during his visit to the Broadcasting Council. Broadcasting Council quotes Ambassador Fouere as saying that during the upcoming meeting of the Stabilization and Association Committee in Brussels, he would personally pledge for preservation and strengthening of the independence of the Broadcasting Council as a regulatory broadcasting authority

EUROPE DAY 2007 Date Time Place Event Participants Partner organisation 26 April Thursday 12:00 – 13:00 Holiday Inn Skopje Press Conference on the Europe Day celebration activities Ambassador Erwan Fouéré European Movement, JEF, EBA, Youth for Youth 29 April Sunday 11:00 – 11:30 Sport Hall ”Rasadnik” Opening of the Karate Tournament Patrick Paquet, First Secretary (EU Mission), Children Karate Associations Karate Association 1 May Tuesday 10:00 – 11:00 Berovo Lecture: "The History of EU" Ambassador Erwan Fouéré, JEF members + other NGOs Young European Federalists (JEF) 2 May Wednesday 12:00 – 14:00 Veles Panel Discussion: "European standards for protection of environment: challenges or end to the agony of Veles" Ambassador Erwan Fouéré, SEA representative, local authorities, NGOs, general public European Movement 10:00 – 11:00 Skopje Official Opening of XIII European Students' Symposium on Environment EuroEnviro 2007 Ambassador Erwan Fouéré, local authorities, s

On 9 May 1950 in Paris, the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman read to the international press a declaration calling France, Germany and other European countries to pool together their coal and steel production as "the first concrete foundation of a European federation". The declaration, issued against the background of the threat of a Third World War engulfing the whole of Europe, is considered to be the first move towards the creation of what is now known as the European Union. Mr Schuman proposed the creation of a supranational European Institution, the High Authority, to look after the management of the coal and steel industry, the very sector which was, at that time, the basis of all military power. The countries which he called upon had almost destroyed each other in a dreadful conflict which had left after it a sense of material and moral desolation. During the Milan Summit in 1985, the EU leaders decided to celebrate 9 May as "Europe Day".

On May 6th 2007, the French will elect their new Président de la République replacing the Monsieur Jacques Chirac ruling the country for 12 years and paving the way for new and fresh flow of ideas in French and EU foreign affairs. The primary reason for the EU’s and candidate countries high tempered interest in French election is that its outcome will determine the future of the Union itself. Macedonia, as a candidate country sees its own interest in the French presidential election through the lenses of the enlargement process and the process of institutional reform without which it seems that the enlargement can not continue. Many EU representatives including the enlargement commissioner Mr. Olli Rehn repeat the guaranties given that all Western Balkan countries have a future in the EU. Even so, these statements were given with prudence: that the speed of enlargement must take in account the EU’s “absorption capacity”, later renamed into “integration capacity”1. Following elections

"We need to see a convincing track record of reforms on the ground", including police reforms and the fight against corruption and organised crime, said European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn when he met Gabriela Konevska-Trajkovska, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European Integration of the Republic of Macedonia in Brussels on April 16. The Commissioner described the talks as friendly and constructive, and he re-confirmed the EU perspective for the country. "There is a need to improve the political climate in the country, and to demonstrate a clear commitment to the Ohrid framework agreement", said Rehn. He insisted that developing understanding and dialogue between the government and the opposition is essential to ensure the proper functioning and stability of key institutions. "I encourage all parties to make further efforts to find compromises, to walk the last mile, so that this political dialogue which has been intensified in last couple of days

Making your voice heard Citizens’ Perspectives on the Future of Europe adopted in 27 EU member states “Ever since the constitution was voted against in the Netherlands and France, we have gradually understood that the EU is a top-level-project. A project that is not supported by the citizens will not survive. That is why the European Citizens’ Consultation process is so important,” said Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy, in a video conversation with the participants of the Swedish citizens’ consultation last weekend. Parallel to the celebrations of 50 years of the Treaty of Rome, the weekend of 24-25 March saw the fourth and final round of the European Citizens’ Consultations with national consultations in 10 EU-Member States. Over the last two months about 1500 randomly selected citizens from all EU member states reflecting the diversity of the European population came together in 27 national con

The European Standing Conference of Co-operatives, Mutualities, Associations and Foundations (CEP-CMAF) and the European Disability Forum (EDF), with the support of the Social Economy Category of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), are organising a European Seminar on Social Economy and Equal Opportunities on April 17th 2007 from 10.00 to 17.00 at the Seminar on Social Economy and Equal Opportunities on April 17th 2007 from 10.00 to 17.00 at the EESC headquarters in Brussels. The seminar will explore the role of Social Economy in the areas of non-discrimination and equal opportunities with a particular focus on disability. The seminar is being held within the context of the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All, which aims to give momentum to the fight against discrimination and the promotion of equal opportunities in the EU by stimulating the debate and exchange of good practice; raising public awareness of citizens’ rights in these areas; celebrating diversity a

The Summer School for Young Professionals 2007– Introduction into Security Policy, with the topic GLOBAL SECURITY CHALLENGES OF TODAY as the main theme, takes place on 30 June – 8 July 2007 at the National Academy of Defence (NAD) in Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia. It is a weeklong forum that is focused on the current issues of the security policy - the structure of the teaching is aimed to provide the students with the basics of the security policy background, including main actors of the security policy in Europe, main security threats of today such as terrorism, proliferation of WMD, illegal migration and those regions of the world that are posing risks to the global security. One of the main objectives of this international summer school is the preparation of young professionals – future leaders from below mentioned regions – to act in the foreign and security policy. Interactive discussions and lectures led by top speakers from various international and Slovak organizations will ther

ACADEMIC NETWORK FOR LEGAL STUDIES ON IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM IN EUROPE A NETWORK FOUNDED WITH THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF THE ODYSSEUS PROGRAMME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, RESEAU ACADEMIQUE D’ETUDES JURIDIQUES SUR L’IMMIGRATION ET L’ASILE EN EUROPE UN RESEAU FONDE AVEC LE SOUTIEN FINANCIER DU PROGRAMME ODYSSEUS DE LA COMMISSION EUROPEENNE ______________________________________ EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL 7th EDITION European Union Law and Policy on Immigration and Asylum COURS D’ETE EUROPEEN 7ème EDITION Droit et politique de l’immigration et de l’asile de l’Union européenne ______________________________________ 2 - 13 JULY / JUILLET 2007 UNIVERSITE LIBRE DE BRUXELLES ______________________________________ A Network coordinated by the Institute for European Studies Un Réseau coordonné par l'Institut d'Etudes européennes of the / de l’Université Libre de Bruxelles and composed of academics of the following institutions/ et composé d’académiques des institutions suivantes: Université c

The CORE TOPICS are: - Module I: European Integration (2 residential weeks in September 2007, Bolzano, Italy) - Module II: EU Law (2 residential weeks in November 2007, Luxembourg) - Module III: Federalism and Regionalism (2 residential weeks in January 2008, Graz, Austria) - Module IV:Regional and Social Cohesion (2 residential weeks in April 2008, Barcelona, Spain) - Module V: Minorities and Diversity (2 residential weeks in June 2008, Bolzano, Italy) Applications can be made either to the full Programme or to single modules. In the latter case attendance of a module will lead to the award of a certificate. DEGREE Successful participants of the Master Programme will be awarded by the University of Graz the academic degree of a "Master of European Studies" (M.E.S.). TARGET GROUP - Civil servants from local, regional or national administrations who are dealing with EU affairs and therefore require both theoretical and practical training in EU and regional issues; -

Invest in Macedonia - New Business Heaven in Europe is the name of the campaign, which the Government launched on January 19 in order to promote Macedonian business potentials. - The campaign for Macedonia's promotion as an investment destination will be implemented until March 1, by 50 leading newspapers in 35 countries, out of which 24 will be EU countries, in 24 languages. Total circulation of these printed media is over 9 million, whereas their readership surpasses 30 million, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski told journalist at Wednesday's news conference. Macedonia 's opportunities will be presented on 20 on-line editions of the aforementioned newspapers. The printed media include Financial Times, New York Times, Economist, Wall Street Journal, Herald Tribune, Banker, Figaro, Die Presse, Australien, Sunday Telegraph, 24 Hours, Irish Times... According to Gruevski, Macedonia offered investors the following advantages: lowest profit tax of 10%, lowest income tax of 10%, 0%

The European Commission welcomes the reforms achieved in Macedonia in the last year, however it notes to the Government that it should speed up the judicial and internal affairs reforms and to reinforce the measures for fight against organised crime and corruption. This is indicated in the European Commission Progress Report on Republic of Macedonia in the EU accession process, which was published on 8 November 2006. “Republic of Macedonia has continued to make progress over the past year – since the granting of candidate status a year ago – but at a slower pace”, the Enlargement Commissioner, Olli Rehn during today’s presentation of the EC Report. The report also states that the Parliamentary Elections might be one of the reasons for the slower implementation of the reforms. The Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to the Republic of Macedonia, Erwan Fouéré has officially handed over the European Commission’s report to the Government of Republic of Macedonia. “This Report

The integration of the Republic of Macedonia in the European Union represents a clear and categorically expressed strategic interest and a priority goal in the policy of the Macedonian Government. The bilateral Stabilization and Association Agreement signed in April 2001 is the last stadium before Macedonia’s admission to the family of developed European democracies. The agreement, as part of the stabilization and association process, initiated by the European Union, represents its major contribution to the Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe. By the end of 2002, the agreement was ratified by the parliaments of Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Austria, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and United Kingdom. In 2003, the parliaments of France, Portugal, Greece and Luxembourg also ratified the agreement. Macedonia is the first country in Southeastern Europe that successfully brought to an end the negotiations for signing of such an agreement. Another detail of this accord is interesting, and tha

The European Mission in Macedonia is seeking proposals for small-scale financial support for initiatives aimed at promoting and protecting human rights, as well as, democracy and governance strengthening with financial assistance from the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), micro-projects programme of the European Communities.

The British Embassy in Skopje seeks proposals from government institutions and civil society for projects to be funded under the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s “Global Opportunities Reuniting Europe” Fund in the financial year 2007/08. The deadline for submission of project concepts is 6 November 2006. Only selected projects will be required to submit full bids by the 21 January 2006 deadline. Macedonia is eligible to bid for the Global Opportunities Fund Reuniting Europe Fund. The objective of this programme is to bolster and extend the success of enlargement by supporting countries through the EU integration process, particularly in the field of improved governance and economic growth. The overall budget for Macedonia is £550,000 for the financial year 2007/2008. Interested implementers are encouraged to submit multiyear projects ranging from £80,000 - £100,000 per year. The Project Appraisal Committee of the British Embassy Skopje will consider proposals that meet at least one of

On 25 October 2006, the new Draft-Strategy for Public Information and Communication in the Process of European Union Integration of the Republic of Macedonia 2006-2010 was presented. The presentation took place in the building of the Government of Republic of Macedonia.The event was opened by the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for European Affairs, Gabriela Konevska Trajkovska. She stressed that the EU membership is not a strategic priority of the government only, but also of the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, which is confirmed by the support of 90 % for EU accession.“The goal of this Strategy is to raise the general level of knowledge abut the EU Integration Process. This Strategy will inform, educate, unite and mobilize towards the fulfilment of the EU idea. This approach is in line with the EU documents on public communication”, Konevska-Trajkovska outlined.“The government needs a clear strategy and a consistent message to convince the people at home that the short term

Clare Morgan, Media Relations Manager for the Objective One Partnership of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are well known in the UK as a place for traditional bucket and spade holidays. British families have stayed in bed and breakfast accommodation and sunbathed on beaches. This led to seasonal, low paid jobs and while the holiday image is known nationwide, the region as a place for successful business is a new message. The message that the Objective One Partnership is tasked with getting across is that the region has a burgeoning knowledge-based economy as well as top quality food and drink producers. The obstacles to relaying this message include distance; Cornwall is about five hours by road or train from London. National journalists will often not travel yet the best way to challenge preconceptions is by demonstrating the evidence. Because the next generation of European funding is likely to be different the Partnership also wants to demonstrate

Rough road through the way of public procurement after the EU accession László Velikovszky Head of Unit Hungarian Development Office – Unit for Procurement Coordination and Control Deák F. u. 5. 1052 Budapest Hungary Phone: +36-30-2227428 Email: velikovszky.laszlo@cfcu.gov.hu Web: www.cfcu.hu/ekke The new Hungarian Act on Public Procurement entered into force on 1 May 2004, on the day of Hungary’s EU accession. But it’s important to emphasize that those parts of the new Act which regulate contract award procedures for public procurement with support from European Union structural funds and Cohesion Fund entered into force on 1 January 2004. The main purpose of the Act was to ensure the total harmonization of the Hungarian regulation to the Community Law. This purpose has come to fruition. Furthermore the purpose was to provide for transparency and extensive public control in the reasonable use of public monies, ensure the fairness of public competition in the course of public procur

Albert van der Horst Researcher CPB, Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis Van Stolkweg 14 2585 JR The Hague The Netherlands Phone: +31 703383402 Email: vanderhorst@cpb.nl Web: www.cpb.nl/nl/general/org/homepages/avdh/ Countries might converge, unlike provinces The European Union is one of the most prosperous parts of the world. Yet there are large regional disparities in productivity, wages, and employment, and they have only increased with the recent enlargement. Thus, there seems to be ample justification for helping lagging regions to catch up, both at the national and the European level. Unfortunately, regional policy appears to be ineffective. Well known are the fruitless attempts of Italy to bridge the gap between the Mezzogiorno and the North, of Germany to bridge the gap between the Neue Länder and the West, and of the European Commission to reduce regional disparities in general. This study validates one explanation of the ineffectiveness of regional policy. We set