maplesyrup Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 Ireland, under the leadership of Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, begins its six month turn in the president's role of the European Community today, January 1, 2004, with an agressive agenda. The Irish ambitious plan is: 1 - CONSTITUTION - break the deadlock over 10 ex- communist countries that are joining in May. 2 - ENLARGEMENT - a Dublin day of celebration on May 1 to welcome the 10 new members, also negotiate the Romania & Bulgaria admissions in 2007, and help Turkey get onboard. 3 - ECONOMY - make EU, 25 members, 450 million people, the world's most competitive economy by 2010. 4 - DEFENCE - make EU a more effective player in world affairs, with a United Nations centred multilateral order, and UN reforms 5 - EU-U.S. RELATIONS - rebuild after Iraq fallout. 6 - EQUAL PARTNER - with the United States to help resolve Middle East process. 7 - INVITATION - to President Bush to visit Dublin. 8 - JUSTICE/IMMIGRATION - improve fight against terrorism and crime. I think the Irish have a good chance of succeeding, don't you? (after all, they do have the best beer) -from Reuters http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticl...l...02§ion=news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
udawg Posted January 2, 2004 Report Share Posted January 2, 2004 Good to have someone in control of the EU other than those Italian maniacs... [laughing] Don't see any fault with the Irish goals. Hope they can get things rolling in their short 6 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maplesyrup Posted January 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2004 More good news for the EC. 'Blair: I'll take Britain into euro by 2007' http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/...sp?story=478791 It's about time, what have they been waiting for anyway? That EC is getting to be a powerhouse but North America will still be able to take them in hockey, as long as Canada has our American teammates with us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yodeler Posted October 4, 2005 Report Share Posted October 4, 2005 2 - ENLARGEMENT - a Dublin day of celebration on May 1 to welcome the 10 new members, also negotiate the Romania & Bulgaria admissions in 2007, and help Turkey get onboard. I always thought of Turks as being Asian. - 92 - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirSpanky Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 Goals are good. Specific plans of action are better. Ambitious vague plans are useless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yodeler Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 Goals are good.Specific plans of action are better. Ambitious vague plans are useless. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The goal of helping Turkey get onboard and into the EU is a good goal? "Why so wild about Turkey?" asks Steven Edwards in today's National Post newspaper. And so do I! Only 35% of Europeans think it's a good goal to bring 72 million Turks into the EU, opening up the door to zillions more in the process. My favorite daily, Die Welt, had this to say about my countrymen (Austrians) who oppose the Turks' admission the most. It said: "It [Austria] is the only country whose objections spoke out loud what numerous Europeans think, but are not allowed to say." Now that talk of letting the Turks in is back on, and the time line for their possible admission is 10 years, this is the way I see it developing. I expect that the first stage will be quite uneventful (vague plans etc.). In the second stage they'll come out with "specific plans" and that's when they will begin to see monstrous and cruel things. But they'll persevere and will enter in upon the third stage where they'll see things that they wanted to see to start with, wonderful curious things. Benedict XVI will be pleased. And so will I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montgomery Burns Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 MapleSyrup: 3 - ECONOMY - make EU, 25 members, 450 million people, the world's most competitive economy by 2010. I know #3 has already been downsized by the EU - 21 months after this announcement. The EU's Big Three (Italy and especially Germany and France) had dismal unemployment figures and GDP growth in the last 21 months. OTOH, the USA's economy has been the opposite (excellent unemployment numbers and GDP growth) the last 21 months. Thus, the EU revised their 2010 goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yodeler Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 My favorite daily, Die Welt, had this to say about my countrymen (Austrians) who oppose the Turks' admission the most. It said:"It [Austria] is the only country whose objections spoke out loud what numerous Europeans think, but are not allowed to say." <{POST_SNAPBACK}> And where is the support for Turkey the highest you ask? It is in Poland (54%). You know, I've been trying to find the reasons for the Polish jokes for quite some time .... but I'm beginning to realize that it's probably not just one or two things, it's all these little crazy things that they do, all of the time. Right after I stopped shaking my head over that Turkish vote article I turned the page of my paper and THEEEERE they go again .... this time it's their leader, Kazimiers Marcinkiewicz coming up with this doozy: "If a homosexual tries to infect others then the state has to intervene in such an abuse of freedom." Tsk tsk tsk tsk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yodeler Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 Kazimiers Marcinkiewicz coming up with this doozy:"If a homosexual tries to infect others then the state has to intervene in such an abuse of freedom." <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I beg your pardon but I screwed up! I forgot part of the quote. What he said was: "If a homosexual tries to infect others with their homosexuality, then the state has to intervene in such an abuse of freedom." http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1178757 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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