March Balance Sheet

24 different meetings, 16 days spent abroad, 14 flights, 8 different countries, no free weekends. Only 3 days with you…

Other dreams

I’m currently in Berlin, attending the General Assembly of the 54th International Session of the European Youth Parliament. Another 200 young people, discussing yet again the same issues: the role and the future of the European Union. The organisational culture of this group is quite different from the one of the European Youth Forum, but the issues discussed and the statements made aren’t very different. It’s funny, however, to see that some people support “the continued development of a stable and democratic Iraq”… With so many trips, I must have been missing the latest news, because the last time I looked I didn’t see any stability or democracy there… But it is even funnier to see that the very same people “strongly support the withdrawal of Allied Forces from Iraq”… Although I could agree on this last one, I guess that my rational would be rather different!

The European Young Dream

Last Sunday, all over Europe, the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome was celebrated. The Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community (EEC) and was signed by France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The purpose of this Treaty was to establish a customs union among the six founding members, based on the “four freedoms”: freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and people. At the same time, the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) was also created, to poll the non-military nuclear resources of the states. In that day, the cornerstone of today’s European Union was launched. And nothing remained the same in this old continent. But the road was long and winding, and many episodes are worth to be told.

In January 1960, Britain and other OEEC members who didn't belong to the EEC formed an alternative association, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). But Britain soon realised that the EEC was more successful than the EFTA and decided to apply for membership. Ireland and Denmark, both of whom being heavily reliant on British trade, decided they would go wherever Britain went, and hence also applied to join the Community. Norway also applied at this time. The first application occurred in August 1961. Negotiations started in November 1961 and a provisional agreement was reached in July 1962. However, Britain's membership was vetoed by French president Charles De Gaulle in January 1963. The second application occurred in January 1966. Negotiations started on May 1967 with the four countries but De Gaulle once again used his veto in September 1967. The third and last application occurred after De Gaulle resigned in 1969 and was replaced by Georges Pompidou. In October 1969, the European Commission asked for new negotiations concerning the applications of the four countries. In November 1969, during a meeting of the foreign ministers of the European Community, French minister Maurice Schumann declared that France would agree to Britain's membership if questions of agricultural finance were settled first. Negotiations started in June 1970. Britain agreed to the conditions of the EC: Britain had to accept the Merger Treaty and all decisions taken since the second application, and resolve its problem of adaptation, i.e. conflicts between the EC and the Commonwealth. Finally, Britain joined successfully on January 1, 1973. In 1972, Ireland, Denmark and Norway held referenda on whether to join. Following the rejection by the Norwegian electorate, Norway did not join. Greece submitted its membership application in June 1975 and joined on January 1, 1981. In 1985, Denmark's territory Greenland left the union following home rule and a referendum. Portugal submitted its application in March 1977 and Spain in July 1977. On 1 January 1986, Spain and Portugal joined the union together. In February 1986, the Single European Act, the first major revision of the Treaty of Rome, was signed in Luxembourg. Its goal was to remove remaining barriers between countries, increase harmonization, thus increasing the competitiveness of European countries. It reformed/refined the operating procedures of the institutions and Qualified Majority Voting was extended to new areas. An aim of a single market by 1992 was set. The act also formally introduced the concept of the European Political Cooperation which was the forerunner of the European Union's later Common Foreign and Security Policy. In 1992, the Maastricht treaty was signed, which at the same time modified the Treaty of Rome. It established the European Union, turning the European Communities into the EU's so-called "first-pillar", and adding two further pillars of cooperation, on Common Foreign and Security Policy and on Justice and Home Affairs. At the same time it established Economic and Monetary Union as a formal objective. The Maastricht treaty came into force in 1993. In June 1993, the Copenhagen criteria were drawn and established. They are the rules that define whether a nation is eligible to join the European Union. The Criteria require that an applicant state have the institutions to forward and preserve democratic governance, human rights, a functioning coordinated market economy, and accept the obligations and intent of the EU. The European Economic Area was founded in 1994 in order to allow EFTA countries to participate in the Single Market without having to join the EU. Austria, Sweden and Finland were admitted on January 1, 1995. As the referendum in Norway was 52.2% against joining, the proposal by the Norwegian government to join was rejected for the second time. With the departure of Austria, Sweden and Finland to the EU, only Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein remain members of the EFTA. In 1997, the Treaty of Amsterdam was signed, which updated the Maastricht treaty and aimed to make the EU more democratic. In January 1999, eleven countries (Austria, the Benelux countries, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain) agreed to join the euro and abandon their existing currencies. Greece joined two years later, in January 2001, bringing the members of the eurozone to twelve. On January 1, 2002, Euro notes and coins entered circulation. The European Commission's Strategic Report of October 9, 2002 recommended 10 candidate members for inclusion in the EU in 2004: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus. Their combined population is roughly 75 million. While the EU has enlarged several times in the past, never before had an enlargement round included so many countries and with such strikingly different levels of economic and domestic political development, not to mention different historical and cultural backgrounds. Many of the candidates had only just begun building democracies and had not finalised their transition to a market economy. Culturally and linguistically, this enlargement greatly increased the number of languages spoken within the EU, reflecting the increased cultural heterogeneity and level of diversity in the EU. This could therefore be called one of the most ambitious enlargements of the European Union yet. On the side of the European Union it was partly motivated by a desire to reunite Europe after the end of the Cold War, and an effort to tie Eastern Europe firmly to the West in order to prevent it falling again into communism or dictatorship. After negotiations between the candidates and the member states, the final decision to invite these nations to join was announced on December 13, 2002 in Copenhagen, with the European Parliament voting in favour of this on April 9, 2003. On April 16, 2003 the Treaty of Accession was signed by the 10 new members and the 15 old ones in Athens. Finally, Bulgaria and Romania completed negotiation talks on December 14, 2004 and joined the Union on January 1, 2007.

50 years after, I was part of the group of young people who gathered in Rome, at the very same building where once the Treaty was signed, “to pay tribute and continue the vision of those who made it possible for us to grow up in an environment of peace and prosperity, democracy and rule of law” (Rome Youth Declaration). Young people from 27 different countries, speaking 23 different languages, coming from diverse cultural, economic, political and religious backgrounds, who share a simple dream: a more democratic and inclusive Europe, for a better World.

Paul Hymans

I was so busy on Friday in Rome that I didn't have the time to pay my tribute, on behalf of this blog, to the person from whom I borrowed its name.

Paul Hymans was born in March 23, 1865 in Ixelles (Brussels). Lawyer and university teacher, he was also a Liberal politician, member of several Belgian governments between 1918 and 1936 and representative of Belgium at the 1919-1920 peace conference which led to the signature of the Versailles' Treaty. Paul Hymans was also the first President of the League of Nations in 1920-1921.

We did it!

Austrian

Because of the recent trips to Macedonia and Cyprus, I experienced 8 flights in only 10 days, and all of these 8 flights were with Austrian Airlines… I actually like to fly with Austrian, but 8 flights in 10 days are a bit too much… I already know all the gags of this “Just for laughs” show, I had 4 times the same fish meal and I even can tell you by heart the sequence of classical musical pieces they play on board before taking off and after landing… That thing of “we hope to be able to welcome in one of our flights soon” became quite dramatic! Now I need a rest… and therefore, I’m quite happy to realise that none of my next ten flights (already booked!) are with Austrian!

Κύπρος

Last weekend I’ve been in Cyprus. Went on Friday and came back on Sunday, which is too short for such a long trip… This was my third visit to the island and I could confirm that I like it a lot. I stayed in Larnaca, but on Saturday evening went to Nicosia for dinner and to check with my own eyes that the wall on Ledra Steet was demolished. The truth is that it doesn’t change much and the city remains the only divided capital city in the world… I remember that the first time I was there, this fact impressed me a lot; now, I think I got used to it, as most of the Cypriots did. Therefore, despite this unpleasant characteristic, Nicosia is a modern and dynamic capital, with lots of shops, restaurants and entertainment. Larnaca is much less interesting as a town, as it is mainly a tourist resort, even though, as I already stated, it holds a very long and interesting history. But what I like the most about Cyprus is the people. I have very good friends there, people I like a lot. And I appreciate the fact that they know how to enjoy life and the benefits of living in a Mediterranean island with such a nice weather. The food is great, the weather is nice and the people are warm; what else can you wish for? Pity that it takes so long and costs so much to go there…

Climate change

Believe it or not, it is snowing in Brussels! Heavily!

Македонија

I just came back from Macedonia, where I attended an event on Saturday and the Bureau meeting on Monday and Tuesday. It was my third visit to this Balkan country and to its capital Skopje, but it was the first time that I managed to visit the city and even a bit of the country. Skopje is the largest city of Macedonia, with more than a quarter of the population of the country. It has been known since the Roman period on, but its modern development started only after the end of World War II, when Macedonia became one of the six republics of the Yugoslav federation. This trend was interrupted on 26 July 1963, when it was hit by a disastrous earthquake which killed 1000 people and destroyed 80% of the city, including numerous cultural monuments. Today’s Skopje tourist attractions include the Fort Kale, built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in the 5th century, the Mustapha Pasha’s Mosque and the Stone Bridge in the city square (15th century). With a population of around 500,000 inhabitants, Skopje is a multiethnic city with a big Albanian minority and important groups of Roma, Serbs, Turks and Bosnians. It is also full of nice cafes, beautiful people and very good radio stations! But Macedonia is not only Skopje. On Sunday I went to Ohrid, a city on the eastern shore of the blue and transparent waters of the lake with the same name, southwest of Skopje and very close to Albania. Since 1980, both the city and the lake are listed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO, for both natural and cultural reasons. Apart from the natural beauty, Ohrid is known for its important ecclesiastical and cultural history: the city is credited as being the birthplace of the Cyrillic alphabet, which was most probably created by St. Clement of Ohrid, the first Bulgarian archbishop, based on the previous works by St. Cyril in the 9th century. The tourist attractions of the small yet beautiful city include the Church of St. Sophia (with beautiful frescoes from the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries), the Church of St. Panteleimon (St. Clement’s monastery), and the Church of St. John of Kaneo (built and fresco painted in the 13th century, its location is one of the most beautiful on the shore of Lake Ohrid). The vestiges of basilicas from the early Christian times, the Tsar Samuil’s fortress and the Antique Theatre are also worth a visit. Some 30km south of Ohrid, near the Albanian border, the monastery founded in the year 900 by St. Naum of Ohrid is among the most popular destinations in Macedonia. The beautiful setting between the lake and the mountains makes it worth a visit. Back to Skopje, it wouldn’t be fair not to mention the outrageous gigantic Millennium Cross on the pick of the mountain Vodno, which due to its light can be seen from 30km distance. The mountain itself offers a wonderful view over the city and the region of Skopje and it is well known as a place used by couples of young people to eat burek and yoghurt late in the night… Mark and Pedro stayed for some well deserved days of holidays and I am sure that they will have a great time in Macedonia!

Did he aquire supernatural powers?

A Yellowstone ranger was struck seven times by lightning on separate occasions. Does that make him blessed or unlucky?

The earth turned to bring us closer

It turned on itself and in us, until it finally brought us together.
There are so many things that have to happen for two people to meet!

Hold Still

I jaywalk through this town
I drop leaves on the ground
But lonely people here
Just gaze their eyes on air
And miss the autumn roar

I roam through traffic lights
I fade through Christmas nights
I wanna set it straight
I wanna make it right
But man you're so far away

Oh, I'll hold still for a moment so you'll find me
You're so close, I can feel you all around me
I know you're somewhere out there

James are back!!!

Hi everybody,
Sorry it’s taken so long to get in touch. As I’m sure you’re all aware by now, James are back. I’ll do my best to explain a little of what’s been happening. Larry (Gott) and I started playing together pretty much as soon as the last tour finished, in an old warehouse in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. We beavered away, honing our skills working jams into arrangements and recording them as demos, returning to how James used to write through improvisation, letting the music appear as and when it will and using your ears to follow, and I must say we’ve got fucking good at it. One weekend last year, Tim (Booth) was in Manchester while we were having a session, came down for a jam and things just clicked. The stuff sounded amazing. There’s something special happens when the three of us play together, I don’t understand it and I don’t want to, but it was inspired exciting and complete. James has always been about pushing boundaries and having the balls to take risks even if you fall flat on your face. With my hand on my heart I can honestly say I’ve never been as excited by a period in James musical history as now. Exactly what lies ahead is hard to say, but with the tour and then a new album, the future looks rosy for me and all James fans. Thanks for waiting.
Jim (Glennie)

Here they come again

Paranoia enforces loneliness...

Big Time Sensuality

I can sense it
something important
is about to happen
it's coming up

it takes courage to enjoy it
the hardcore & the gentle
big time sensuality

we just met
and I know I'm a bit too intimate
but something huge is coming up
and we're both included

it takes courage to enjoy it
the hardcore & the gentle
big time sensuality

I don't know my future after this weekend
and I don't want to

it takes courage to enjoy it
the hardcore & the gentle
big time sensuality

A diary from Baghdad

"I have come to realise that nowadays in Baghdad, the perfect human being would be one who can switch off all his senses. To be blind and deaf is not a curse anymore, but a blessing in disguise."

The dramatic daily life in Baghdad, here .