Spain’s communist Government – unfortunately the current holders of European Union’s rotating presidency, want the EU to go forward with improving relations with communist Cuba, despite a row after Havana’s refusal to grant entry to a Spanish member of the European Parliament.
“Isolation, blockage and embargo (against Cuba) do not lead to anything. They have not given any results in 50 years,” Spain’s Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said, according to monstersandcritics.com.
Moratinos made the comments …

The combined unemployment rate of the 27 European Union member states was 9.5% in November 2009, the worst is the situation in Spain and Latvia, where the unemployment rate is 19,4% and 22.3%, respectively.
The unemployment rate of eurozone – the 16 countries that use euro as their currency – was slightly higher than EU27’s rate – 9.5%, according to Eurostat.
In October, EU27’s unemployment rate was 9.4%, and eurozone’s respective figure in October was 9.9%, which …

European Union’s satellite navigation system Galileo moved a step closer to reality today as the bloc’s executive awarded the first contracts for its hardware, which means that the first European-operated satellite navigation services should come online in 2014, EarthTimes reports.
The biggest contract awarded was a €566 million (£509 million) order for Galileo’s first 14 satellites, placed with German firm OHB, based in the northern city of Bremen. The first satellite should be delivered …

2009 that is about to pass onto history was definitely an interesting year with a lot of world changing events, like the United States swearing in their first African-American President, mass protests against the dictatorship in Iran, European Union getting its first President etc. It was also an incredibly tragic year with air and nature disasters, and a lot of famous people parting their earthly lives.
Here is a little resume of 2009, the most important …

Serbia is to submit a formal application today to join the European Union’s 27-nation bloc, the BBC reports.
President Boris Tadic will fly to Stockholm, where he will submit the application to Swedish Prime Minster Fredrik Reinfeldt.
The EU recently unfroze a free trade agreement with Belgrade, but Serbia still has to cross a major hurdle, the capture of two remaining war fugitives, before membership negotiations will begin in earnest.

Serious doubts over the viability of the scheme to track people in and out of the country emerged today after the Government gave way to pressure from the European Commission over the collection of travellers’ personal information, The Times reports.
The Home Office offered a series of concessions to ensure the £1.2 billion electronic borders scheme would not fall foul of EU rules, but the concessions to the European Commission threaten to undermine the whole reason …

The European Union dropped their antitrust charges against Microsoft today after the company agreed to give Windows users a choice of up to 12 other Web browsers, the AP reports.
Under the terms of the deal with regulators, Microsoft will avoid further EU fines if they provide a pop-up screen that lets European users—from March—replace Microsoft’s Internet Explorer or add another browser.
This will also allow computer manufacturers to ship PCs without Internet Explorer in Europe.
The deal …

Former Israeli ambassador to Stockholm, Tzvi Mazel says that Sweden has been exploiting its rotating presidency of the European Union to wage a radical campaign against Israel, Arutz 7 reports.
He said that Sweden’s unsuccessful campaign to convince the EU to recognise eastern Jerusalem as the capital of a future Arab state is only the latest evidence of its anti-Israeli policies. Mazel also told Arutz 7 that Sweden as well as the entire EU have been …

European Union foreign ministers have rejected a Swedish proposal to declare eastern Jerusalem as the capital of a future Arab state, but called for virtually the same result through “negotiations”, Arutz 7 reports.
Although the EU dropped a reference that defined a future Arab state as including eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, they stated: “The EU will not recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including those with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed to …

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has disclosed that he is pushing other European Union leaders to commit to even deeper emissions cuts at the Copenhagen climate change summit, calling for a promise to reduce carbon emissions by 30 per cent, rather than 20% they are currently offering, the Daily Telegraph reports.
European negotiators at the conference have said they will sign up to the 30% target if other major polluting nations – including the US and China …

British citizens could have their homes snatched from them on the orders of a European court under a new Brussels power grab, the Daily Mail reports.
Plans for an EU shake-up of inheritance law will leave homeowners vulnerable to the potential loss of their property if it was ever owned by someone with relatives abroad.
Most European countries force citizens to leave a proportion of their estate to certain relatives, known as “forced heirs”. Under “clawback” procedures …

French President Nicolas Sarkozy gloated at the appointment of Frenchman Michel Barnier as European Commissioner for the Single Market, saying that France is in charge of the City of London now.
Sarkozy’s glee at the appointment of Barnier took on an edge of menace yesterday when he said that unfettered City practices must end, The Times reports. “Do you know what it means for me to see for the first time in 50 years …

Knesset members from across the political spectrum condemned a plan by the European Union to divide the Holy City of Jerusalem and unilaterally declare it as the capital of a “Palestinian” state, Jerusalem Post reports.
“Jerusalem must never be divided, because it would only enhance the conflict and not solve it,” Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, whose family has lived in the capital for a century, said. “Dividing the capital would create a volcanic eruption that would …

The Government of Sweden, the current holder of the rotating European Union presidency, have put together a document calling for the division of the indivisible Holy City of Jerusalem between Israel and “Palestine”, and implying that the EU would recognise a unilateral “Palestinian” declaration of statehood.
Israel’s left-wing newspaper Ha’aretz have obtained a copy of the document prepared by Sweden that expresses the EU’s concern over the stalemate in the peace process and calls for the …

President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso today unveiled his new Cabinet.
The members of the new European Commission are:
Jose Manuel Barroso – Portugal – President.
Joaquín Almunia – Spain – Competition, Vice-President of the Commission.
László Andor – Hungary – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.
Baroness Catherine Ashton – the United Kingdom – High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security and Vice-President of the Commission.
Michel Barnier – France – Internal Market and Services.
Dacian Ciolos …

European Union’s new foreign affairs chief, Baroness Ashton of Upholland was forced to deny yesterday taking funds from the Soviet Union during her days as treasurer for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), The Times reports.
Lady Ashton was challenged to deny that she had contact with Russian sources while she was in charge of CND’s accounts at the height of the Cold War.
Nigel Farage, the UK Independence Party leader, raised the matter on the floor …