2010 EU Budget Agreed

The 2010 budget of the European Union was approved by conciliation delegations from Parliament and the Council. Three issues were solved – the funding for the EU economic recovery plan, funding for the closure of the Bulgarian nuclear plant Kozloduy and emergency aid to milk producers.

The EU economic recovery plan will cost €2.4 billion next year. €75 million will go for support for the closure of the Bulgarian nuclear plant Kozloduy. €300 million will be used as emergency measures for milk producers.

 

Van Rompuy is the First President of the European Council

Herman van Rompuy has been appointed as the first President of the European Council – a new post created with the Treaty of Lisbon. In his first public appearance, he has outlined some of his priorities on the post:

• Continuity, especially for multiannual dossiers such as the financial perspectives and the Lisbon Strategy;
• Economic and social agenda;
• Environmental and energy challenges;
• Greater security and justice for the European citizens.

Interestingly, Mr. van Rompuy believes that “every country should emerge victorious from negotiations”. He also thinks that institutional debate in the EU “is closed for a long period”.

The post of High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy goes to Catherine Ashton. Her appointment will have to be approved by the European Parliament. Pierre de Boissieu will be the Secretary-General of the Council.

The reactions to these appointments are diverse. One thing is clear – both Mr. van Rompuy and Mrs. Ashton do not have substantial foreign policy experience.

Quentin Peel says that the choice shows what a powerful role the European parliament has come to play in EU politics. He also says that the immediate reaction in Washington was one of shock and disappointment. This somewhat contradicts the news that the US welcomes EU appointments. Andreas Ross says this is an example of old-school EU compromise. Christopher Bickerton says in an interview to the LA Times that “the whole thing has descended into farce…it’s made the European Union seem more of a joke than a reality.”

Bulgaria, Romania and Greece Most Corrupt in the EU

Bulgaria, Romania and Greece were at the bottom of the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2009 for the European Union.

Denmark leads the index, followed by Sweden and Finland. Estonia and Slovenia are the least corrupt from the East European Member States.

 

Van Rompuy Still Not “Consensual”

FT reports that there’s still no consensus on the election of the first President of the European Council. The newspaper says that the Swedish presidency is positioning Herman Van Rompuy as the leading candidate, but the difficulty remains to find a suitable candidate for the post of High Representative on the Foreign and Security Policy.

 

 

Albania Moves Ahead Toward Membership

The Council has decided to implement the procedure of Article 49 of the Treaty on the European Union on the application of Albania for membership. This is a procedural, but important step in the accession process.

Now the European Commission is invited to submit its opinion on the application. The assessment of the Commission will take approximately one year, and only after a unanimous decision of the Member states Albania will receive the status of candidate for membership.

 

Transparency vs. Conspiracy

Conspiracy theorists, rejoice: one of the leading candidates for President of the European Council, Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy, has reportedly given a speech to the arcane Bilderberg Group.

This purely unofficial appearance of Mr. Van Rompuy will also fuel criticism from Eastern European Member states that have persistently attacked the intransparent nomination process for new EU posts created under the Treaty of Lisbon.

 

Now You Can Choose the President of the European Council!

Fondation Robert Schuman is giving you a unique opportunity – to choose the first President of the European Council! Naturally, your vote won’t be counted during the summit next week, but then – who knows?

You can choose from Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Jean-Claude Juncker, Tony Blair, Herman Van Rompuy and Jan Peter Balkenende.

 

Rumiana Jeleva Nominated for Bulgarian Commissioner

Bulgaria’s foreign minister, Rumiana Jeleva, has been officially nominated for commissioner in the Barroso II European Commission.

This nomination will not, however, solve the gender imbalance in the Commission.

New EU Summit on November 19th

The Swedish presidency has called an EU summit on 19 November to decide on the posts of President of the European Council and High Representative on the foreign and security policy.

The summit will be in the format of an EU leaders’ dinner in Brussels and comes after two weeks of consultations between Stockholm and the other EU capitals.

Poland has an interesting proposal – to hold candidate hearings during the summit.

 

Positive Report on the Implementation of the 2008 EU Budget

The European Court of Auditors has issued an overall positive report on the EU budget implementation for 2008. The error rate in the “Agriculture and natural resources” sector is substantially lower.

For Bulgaria the main concerns remain the management and control of funds in agriculture – both under pre-accession funding and from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) after the accession.