EU // Current

Fears spy may have betrayed U.K. and U.S. secrets to Russia for more than a decade

A high-ranking spy known as 'The Spaniard' operating at the heart of Nato is feared to have betrayed British and US... more

Vierotchka
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Europe, IMF take center stage at G-20

At the G-20 in Washington, Europe spoke with one voice, and the IMF increased its power. The two most significant developments... more

Vierotchka
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Germany is officially in a recession

After the country's economy contracted for a second quarter in a row, Germany has met the technical definition of a... more

abbym0308
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The EU is to relax its rules on misshapen vegetables |

The US may have Barack Obama but the EU has Mariann Fischer Boel.
"This marks a new dawn for the curvy cucumber and the knobbly carrot," said the European agriculture commissioner today, referring to the imminent decision to scrap EU laws banning imperfect-looking fruit and vegetables.

Marketing standards for 26 fruit and vegetables, which led to a lot of less-than-perfect items being thrown away, are to be repealed.

One man likely to be happy is Jamie Oliver. He recently said he had "nothing nice to say about the EU at all".

"You remember when the cucumber came in? If it's over that much of a bend, then we can't sell it. How dare they? How dare they?"

However, the change in thinking in Europe was prompted not by an acknowledgment that the rules should never have been introduced but by a belated decision that they were inappropriate during a food crisis. Those who point the finger at alleged EU bureaucracy note that the ban will remain in place until July next year.

Harry Haddock, on the Nation of Shopkeepers blog, writes:

In the meantime, to protect you from the horror of anarchist carrots refusing to grow down the straight and narrow EU path, we will continue to sacrifice 20% of all that is grown, and continue to pay a 40% premium for the privilege. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the fact of the matter. The EU is an undemocratic, corrupt, bureaucratic organisation that makes life worse for everyone in the UK.

The rules have, of course, supplied Eurosceptics with valuable ammunition in their campaign to highlight the perceived excessive interference of the EU. Regulations that say cucumbers "must be reasonably well shaped and practically straight (maximum height of the arc: 10mm per 10cm of the length of cucumber)" do not exactly tally with most people's everyday concerns.

And stories such as Sainsbury's decision last month to drop plans for a healthy-eating Halloween campaign featuring "zombie brain" cauliflowers, "witch's fingers" carrots and "ogre's toenail" cucumbers, for fear staff might be prosecuted, did not exactly help.

It is rare that the UK Independence party is right about something, but in this case, the comments of its leader, MEP Nigel Farage, are difficult to argue with: "This is a rare moment of sense in an otherwise mad world."The US may have Barack Obama but the EU has Mariann Fischer Boel. "This marks a new dawn for the curvy cucumber and the... more

synclaire
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6 days ago

EU OK "curvy cucumbers" and "knobbly carrots"

The EU have finally reversed a law that disallowed the sale of misshapen fruit. The EU's agriculture commissioner called... more

Sumiboom
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3 responses

6 days ago

EU talks to Russia Again

For the first time since the whole Russia-South Ossetia conflict those many months ago, the EU is talking to Russia again.... more

Adumbration
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6 responses

8 days ago

Brown urges US to join 'new global order'

Gordon Brown has urged America to join forces with the EU to build a new global order. Speaking at his annual foreign policy... more

abbym0308
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66 responses

8 days ago

Guardian: Miliband on sending troops to Congo

'No one has ruled out a military role': David Miliband on sending troops to Congo.

Vierotchka
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8 days ago

Precipitating Global Unification & Integration Via "The EU-US Merger Project"

The EU-US Merger Project

Toward:

1)- the Prevention of the Annihilation of Humanity

2)- the Resolution of the World's Major Problems

3)- the Establishment of World Peace and World Prosperity

4)- and the Advancement of Civilization

The "timely" solution & advanced global political strategy that i propose (i.e. my very own personal contribution to humanity) to solving many if not ALL of the worlds major problems including war, corruption, global warning, poverty... lies in what i call the "ultimate power move," merging the 2 most powerful governments on the planet, the EU & the US. Precipitating or more accurately quickening the "already-in-motion" Global Unification & Integration process, toward the resolution of the world's major problems, is the overall goal (which includes saving humanity from complete annihilation & destruction of course). Merging the EU with the US will obviously "check" all aberrant countries/nations (North Korea, Syria, Iran...) from doing things they shouldn't otherwise be doing, included in the mix of being checked will be the US & the EU of course. After merging the EU & the US other countries can then be "systematically integrated" as well if they so choose. The "button-up" approach of the "North American Union", that is the US merging with Canada & Mexico, is childs play & essentally "less relevant" compared to the "top-down" approach of an EU-US Merger. The one VERY important caveat/requirement to having a "fully united & fully integrated planet" is having the "right people" on top, unenlightened heartless half-wits will not only "not do" but they will worsen the already f---ed up & despicable condition of humanity & planet earth & obvioulsy that's a no no. So those impressed with and interested in bankrolling and/or contributing in other ways (i.e. ideas, media attention...) to my Global Business Venture/Independent Work Project you may contact me here. Thanks, Leo (a.k.a. "The Good Borg," "The Way of the Future" &"The Director")

theeuusmergerproject@gmail.com

The EU-US Merger Project Toward: 1)- the Prevention of the Annihilation of Humanity 2)- the Resolution of the... more

leomallo
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9 days ago

Ban on votes for prisoners is illegal, says EU

The government must give prisoners the right to vote or the next general election will be illegal under European law, ministers have been warned by parliament's influential Joint Committee on Human Rights.

The committee's conclusion threatens a constitutional crisis for Labour, which has tried to bury the issue ever since the European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2005 that inmates should have the vote. The committee, comprising six MPs and six peers, has written to the Ministry of Justice saying the government must urgently change the law so that the majority of Britain's 84,000 prisoners are given the right before the country next goes to the polls.

'A legislative solution can and should be introduced during the next parliamentary session,' it states. 'If the government fails to meet this timetable, there is a significant risk that the next general election will take place in a way that fails to comply with the convention and at least part of the prison population will be unlawfully disenfranchised.'

In addition to convicted prisoners, those banned from voting include members of the Lords, anyone found guilty of election corruption within the past five years and people with learning disabilities or a mental illness deemed incapable of making a reasoned judgment.

Being hauled before the European Court of Human Rights for failing to comply with the convention is an unpalatable prospect for the government. But introducing a law allowing jailed offenders to vote is likely to spark a furious row that the government's opponents could exploit to their political advantage.

'The idea that our entire democratic process could be overturned in this way is ludicrous,' said shadow justice secretary Nick Herbert. 'Claiming sweeping new entitlements for prisoners is a classic example of over-reaching human rights laws which have lost sight of the importance of balancing responsibilities. Parliament should make these decisions, not European judges.'

The government originally said it would consider the issue of prisoners' voting rights in a two-stage consultation that was supposed to have been completed in January 2008. Ministers said a new law would follow after May 2008.

But a joint committee member attacked the Justice Ministry for dithering on the issue. 'The government cannot pick and choose which human rights treaty obligations it fulfils for party political reasons or just because it feels an issue is not populist enough,' said Evan Harris, a Liberal Democrat MP. 'Gordon Brown is going soft on human rights. There is every chance that this country may be in breach of international law if the government doesn't have the courage to act before the next general election.'

The Prison Reform Trust, which campaigns on behalf of prisoners, has written to the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, asking why the government was delaying the legislation. 'This mean-minded, foot-dragging approach... calls into question the government's commitment to social inclusion, citizenship and human rights,' said Juliet Lyon, the trust's director.The government must give prisoners the right to vote or the next general election will be illegal under European law, ministers... more