European Union

Following the failed coup and thousands of arrests and suspensions President Erdoğan has proclaimed a state of emergency, meaning even more basic rights are being curtailed. Turkey is turning into a dictatorship and needs stringent monitoring by the EU, some commentators argue. Others see such reactions from the West as exaggerated.

Despite the doping scandal the International Olympic Committee has decided not to exclude the entire Russian team from the Olympic Games in Rio. Only the track and field athletes are not allowed to take part, as was decided last week.

Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump: the final contenders for the US presidency have been chosen. Some commentators say the Democrats could still win if they can demonstrate unity. Others believe Donald Trump is unstoppable in his bid for the presidency.

The media reported intensively on Friday evening's killing spree in Munich despite a dearth of reliable information. At the same time all sorts of misinformation was circulating on Twitter and Facebook. The commentators all agree that traditional media must assume more responsibility for providing reliable coverage of such incidents in the future.

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Germany is considering the deployment of the German army following to address widespread insecurity.

Deploying soldiers to guarantee domestic security is especially controversial in Germany , given its totalitarian past. The first call for troop deployment came from Joachim Herrmann, Bavaria’s Interior Minister. Hermann is making the case that such inhibitions are historically obsolete in modern democratic Germany, he told Die Welt on Sunday; on Monday his call was echoed by the interior minister of Baden-Württemburg, Thomas Strobl.

Although both regional interior ministers come from the ranks of the senior coalition partners, the Christian Democrats, the German Interior Minister is hesitant. Thomas de Maiziere insists that internal security is first and foremost the role of the police, not the army (Bundeswehr). And the junior coalition partners, the Social Democrats, are equally reserved. The general secretary of the Social Democrats, Katarina Barley, has warned against using the general climate of fear for political ends.

Minister of Defense Von der Leyen has hinted she is considering partial deployment in the aftermath of successive terrorist attacks, especially Munich.

In recent days there has been a string of attacks that have terrorized Germany. O July 18 an 18-year old Afghan asylum seeker attacked a family of tourist from Hong Kong, killing two and wounding another two with a knife.

That incident was followed by Friday’s shooting in Munich, when an 18-years old German of Iranian origin opened fire against mostly immigrants, killing nine – among whom eight immigrants – before killing himself .

As events unfolded in Munich on Friday, before it transpired this was a lone gunman, the Ministry of Defense was ready to deploy military police.

Meanwhile, on Sunday there was a machete assault by a Syrian refugee on a bus station in  Reutlingen, near Stuttgart, killing a woman. Hours later there was  an apparently failed suicide bombing in a wine restaurant by Syrian refugee in Ansbach, near Nuremberg, in which the bomber alone died, but there were several wounded.

Political responses to this string of attacks aim mainly at reassuring the public that action is taken to limit the danger. There is talk of moving to impose further gun controls, although Germany has one of the most strict regimes of gun ownership in the world. The army would offer immediate assurances, although it is unclear how it would enhance security in German cities.

The post Germany grapples with public insecurity appeared first on New Europe.

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Poland’s antimonopoly watchdog has reportedly said a joint venture by Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and five European companies – France’s Engie, Austria’s OMV, Royal Dutch Shell, and Germany’s Uniper and Wintershall – responsible for the construction of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would undermine competition.

“Our prospective shareholders have to follow merger control procedures in Poland,” a Nord Stream spokesman told New Europe on July 25.

The companies involved in Nord Stream 2 said they are preparing a joint response.

Gazprom expects Poland to issue Nord Stream-2 approval on August 31.

Earlier the companies jointly applied to the Polish regulator for the approval of their joint participation in Nord Stream 2 AG. On July 19, the Polish regulator handed its statement on objections regarding the planned joint venture, according to TASS.

“Currently, the applicants are preparing a joint response to the statement. The decision of the Polish anti-monopoly regulator cannot be taken before the statutory period for the preparation of a response to the statement of objections expires,” the companies’ statement said.

Participants of the joint venture have 14 days to appeal the decision of the regulator. This period may be extended at their request for another two weeks.

The Nord Stream-2 projects includes the construction of two lines of the offshore gas pipeline with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic metres of gas a year from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, in addition to the existing two lines.

Poland as well as a number of Central and Eastern European states have criticised plans to build Nord Stream 2 and have urged the European Commission to block the project.

 

The post Polish watchdog says Nord Stream 2 undermines competition appeared first on New Europe.

General : The finalists competing for the 2016 Lux Film Prize have been announced: “À peine j´ouvre les yeux”, “Ma vie de courgette” and “Toni Erdmann”. The three films showcase a wide variety of genres, topics and artistic approaches: a testimony of a young generation in Tunisia, a stop-motion animation film portraying life in an orphanage and a political tragicomedy dealing with contemporary corporate culture.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : The finalists competing for the 2016 Lux Film Prize have been announced: “À peine j´ouvre les yeux”, “Ma vie de courgette” and “Toni Erdmann”. The three films showcase a wide variety of genres, topics and artistic approaches: a testimony of a young generation in Tunisia, a stop-motion animation film portraying life in an orphanage and a political tragicomedy dealing with contemporary corporate culture.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says Istanbul’s Bosporus Bridge will be renamed “July 15th Martyrs’ Bridge” in honor of civilians who died resisting Turkey’s coup attempt.

The decision to rename the bridge across the Bosporus strait, which opened in 1973, which links Istanbul’s Asian and European sides, was taken Monday following a cabinet meeting.

Yildirim also announced that monuments to the civilians killed during the attempted coup would be built in Ankara and Istanbul.

He said that the bridge had been chosen to be renamed as it was the “first target of the coup plotters” on the night of July 15, resulting in the deaths of several civilians.

The bridge — a key strategic point linking Europe to Asia — had been blocked by armed rebel soldiers late on July 15 in one of the first signs to Istanbul residents a coup was in progress.

Backed by attack helicopters, they fired on the crowds of pro-Erdogan supporters who converged on the bridge. The rebels eventually surrendered on the bridge after being overwhelmed by sheer numbers protesting. (with AP, AFP)

The post Turkey renames Bosphorus bridge after coup victims appeared first on New Europe.

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Reacting to news coverage that British prime minister Theresa May is on her way to negotiating UK access to the single market with an additional rebate and a 7 to 10 year emergency break on EU-migration, Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament said:

“A deal with these conditions would be unthinkable. It would allow the UK to expand its already very favourable position: keeping the best parts and ridding itself of the obligations that come with it. EU Governments would be mad to agree to such a deal and I can tell you: the European Parliament will never agree to a deal that ‘de facto’ ends the free movement of people for a decade,while giving away an extra rebate in exchange for all the advantages of the internal market.

What would stop other countries from asking the same exceptional status? Do we really want eurosceptics elsewhere in Europe to invoke the British example of ‘having their cake and eating it’?  Everyone can see that this position is irresponsible because it’s not sustainable in the long run.

The only new relationship between Britain and the European Union can be one in which the UK has an associated status with less obligations but equally less rights. And if this is not feasible, the fall back position will be an ordinary trade agreement between Britain and the EU.”

Verhofstadt also points out a deeper problem with the current deal making process: “By solving our problems this way – with more and more exceptions to the rules – we only create new precedents and thus, new problems. The way the Commission is tackling the Brexit negotiations is comparable to the way it has addressed the rule of law crisis in Turkey: closing its eyes. The Commission must learn to adopt a clear stand point and – if necessary – be willing to make a clean cut, whether it be with Britain or with Turkey. The EU should not conduct accession negotiations with a government that cleansed part of the judiciary branch and basically switched off the rule of law. The negotiations with the Turkey should therefore be frozen.”

The post Verhofstadt: “Parliament will block a new favourable status for UK” appeared first on New Europe.

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Turkey will remove some ambassadors from their posts in connection with a failed military coup, Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday in an interview with private broadcaster Haberturk TV.

Turkish authorities have suspended, detained or placed under investigation more than 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, teachers, civil servants and others since the July 15 coup attempt.

Cavusoglu also warned the US of a diplomatic crisis if it refused to extradite Fethullah Gulen, the exiled Islamic cleric accused by Turkey of masterminding the putsch from his home in rural Pennsylvania.

Gulen, 75, whose foundation runs a global network of schools, charities and media interests, has strongly denied the accusations.

Gulen denies the charge. Washington has said Ankara must first provide clear evidence of Gulen’s involvement in the attempted coup and lawyers have said any extradition process could take years.

Cavusoglu is heading to Washington this week to discuss the matter, but lawyers said the process, if launched, would take years.

The post After the coup, Erdogan will remove some ambassadors  appeared first on New Europe.