Citizenship: Europe goes... EUTUBE !

When the European Union opened its own video-site in YouTube, named EUTube, nobody could foresee that the site would register more than twenty thousand visits per day.
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However, videos on the agricultural politics of the EU and on road security are hardly seen, yet a clip with erotic scenes cut from several European films have become a huge success. Entitled "Film Lovers Will Love This", the video shows parts of European films with images of couples having sexual relations.
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Some consider the video celebrates European cinema, others more critical consider it "ponographic". As did british member of the European Parliament, Chris Heaton-Harris, who has affirmed to the BBC that the European Commission is wasting taxpayers money. "To show 44 seconds of soft porn in the Internet is not a brilliant form of improving the image of the European Commission", he considered. Expectedly, critics from Poland were even more severe. A member of the League of the Polish Families party has accused the EU Commission of using "immoral methods" to promote itself. European Commission spokesman Martin Selmayr said to the BBC that a wave of claims had come from Poland, in particular on one scene of the video. Polish conservatives allege that it is immoral to include a sex scene between two men, but the Commission does not comment on whether there is such a scene in the film. Irritated with what he called "an almost religious attack on the important cultural diversity within the European Union", Selmayr affirmed that the sex scenes come from films which have received awards, and that the Commission is proud of its rich cinematographic heritage. "The European Union is not a stronghold of bible readers, we believe in liberty of speech and in artistic creativity", the EU Commission spokesman added. In the launching of the video, last friday, the vice-president of the Commission, Mrs Margot Wallstrom, said: "It is very important for the Commission to be able to use all the possible means available, to communicate with European citizens".
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You can also watch another nice movie entitled "Joy" or another less glamourous yet frightening on climate change. Or this one.

Citizenship: internet censorship is growing

L'hypocrisie mondiale non plus, elle ne cesse d'augmenter... surtout de la part des pays dits développés et de ces dirigeants...

Selon l'agence de nouvelles Belga, et selon une étude, la censure sur internet ne cesse de progresser dans le monde entier. Vingt-six pays sur les quarante étudiés dans le monde censurent l'internet, bloquant l'accès à des informations politiques, religieuses, sociales ou culturelles, a indiqué dans un rapport, un groupe d'universités britanniques et nord-américaines. "La censure sur internet progresse dans le monde entier", selon John Palfrey, professeur de droit à l'université de Harvard. "Une certaine régulation est attendue au fur et à mesure que ce media évolue, mais le filtrage et la surveillance peuvent gravement nuire aux libertés civiles et à la vie privée, et empêcher les communications mondiales", a-t-il indiqué. Apparament, "La façon dont la censure est effectuée devient plus sophistiquée à mesure que les outils internet s'améliorent", note l'étude. Aujourd'hui les censeurs sont désormais en mesure de bloquer des applications entières comme YouTube, Skype et Google.

Les pays 'démocratiques' occidentaux critiquent cette situation, demandent une ouverture, etc... mais les outils informatiques et techniques sont habituellement développés dans ces-mêmes pays occidentaux et vendus à ces pays-censeurs! Rien de nouveau, on pense, ce n'est guère différent que ce qui se passe par exemple avec l'armenent militaire et les mines... Nothing new under the sun... mais bien sur, on ne peut pas contribuer à augmenter le chômage et puis, certains marchés tels le chinois sont trop importants.

Check the Opennet initiative.

Homophobia: May 17th was International Day against Homophobia

May 17th was the International Day against Homophobia. ILGA has chosen this time of the year to launch a report on State homophobia around the world to raise awareness of the extent of institutionalized homophobia around the world.

Download the report:
In English
In Spanish
In Portuguese
In French

The date of May 17 signals 1990, when the WHO (World Health Organisation or OMS in french) erased homossexuality as a mental illness, putting an end to "more than one century of medical homophobia", according to Louis-Georges Tin, president of the Idaho Committe (initiated this day). The association has taken as moto "no to homophobia, yes to education".

In 2007, still no less than 85 member states of the United Nations still criminalize consensual same sex acts among adults. Sometimes those countries make a distinction between lesbians which are more tolerated and male homossexuals, condemned. In no less than nine countries (Mauritania, Nigeria, Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen), consenting homossexual relations between consenting adults is condemned with death penalty! And it can lead to jail in Algeria, Morocco, Cameroun and Libya. All muslim countries. And the tendency is not for things to get better in those countries.

Luckily however, in the rest of teh world things are improving, in particular in Europe and Latin America (NOT the US). In many countries same-sex partnerships are being legalised and the legal repression of homophobia is getting ground.

France: La haine envers les homosexuels reste encore bien vivace

"La haine envers les homosexuels reste bien vivace en France"
LE MONDE 17.05.07

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Citizenship: Ready or not for climate change?

By identifying specific targets for environmental performance and measuring how close each country comes to these established goals, the Pilot 2006 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) provides benchmarks for current national pollution control and natural resource management results.

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The issue-by-issue and aggregate rankings facilitate cross-country comparisons both globally and within relevant peer groups. The EPI thus provides a powerful tool for improving policymaking and shifting environmental decisionmaking onto firmer analytic foundations.

The EPI centers on two broad environmental protection objectives: (1) reducing environmental stresses on human health and (2) protecting ecosystem vitality. Derived from a careful review of the environmental literature, these twin goals mirror the priorities expressed by policymakers, most notably the environmental dimension of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. Environmental health and ecosystem vitality are assessed using sixteen indicators tracked in six established policy categories: Environmental Health, Air Quality, Water Resources, Biodiversity and Habitat, Productive Natural Resources, and Sustainable Energy.

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The Pilot 2006 EPI deploys a proximity-to-target methodology focused on a core set of environmental outcomes linked to policy goals for which every government should be held accountable. Top-ranked countries—New Zealand, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom—all commit significant resources and effort to environmental protection, resulting in strong performance across most of the policy categories. The five lowest-ranked countries—Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Chad, and Niger—are underdeveloped nations with little capacity to invest in environmental infrastructure (such as drinking water and sanitation systems) or aggressive pollution control and systematic natural resource management. Every country lags its peers on some issues. This suggests that all governments stand to benefit from using the Pilot EPI to identify policy options and models to borrow from other countries. Globally, considerable work remains to be done to put the planet on the path toward environmental sustainability.

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Portugal does not perform too bad, coming in place 11, France 12, Germany 22, Spain in 23, USA 28, Brasil 34, Belgium 39 (surprise...), Mexico 66 and the worst european country is Romania in 90.

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Indicators used: child Mortality , Indoor Air Pollution, Drinking Water, Adequate Sanitation, Urban Particulates, Regional Ozone, Nitrogen Loading, Water Consumption,j Wilderness Protection, Ecoregion Protection, Timber Harvest Rate, Agricultural Subsidies, Overfishing, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, CO2 Per GDP.
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read the article in Newsweek.

For a copy of the complete Pilot 2006 EPI Report and additional materials, visit:
www.yale.edu/epi

Or check the summary here.

Check also: http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/programs.html

Citizenship: 50 reasons to love the European Union

As the EU celebrates its 50th anniversary, the British newspaper The Independent looks at 50 benefits it has brought, from a British point of view of course, and asks: "What has Europe done for us?"
Very interesting. Check it here.

Citizenship: Music for all!

The music e-shop Apple is under fire from the European Commission, which will take measures against music shops in Internet that sell music separately by country, such as iTunes of Apple.

Apple has been selling songs for the iPod-users for some years on the Internet, via iTunes. iTunes customers can only buy music in the shop of their own country. That is contrary to European rules. In iTunes, for each country a separate e-shop has been set up with its prices, but not a shop for all countries, that is! According to Apple, that is so because of the rules set by the record companies. But the European Commission considers that it goes against the consumer's freedom of choice in Europe. The commission confirmed last Tuesday that they had sent a letter to the concerned companies, expressing the Commission's objections, according to European rules. The European Commission could apply important fines if the rules are not accepted. A British consumer group had already complained in 2005, concerning the fact that songs in France and Germany were cheaper than in Great Britain, but it is not possible for British consumers to buy in other shops (unless they have a credit card from the country). Apple can block people from buying abroad by checking the credit cards data.

But the iTunes internet-shops are also controversial in Europe because of the copying right imposed on the music files. Songs bought in iTunes can only be played (directly) on iPods and there are rights preventing people from listening to them in other supports. Already in France, lastyear, iTunes was given a deadline to make the technical changes necessary so that the music format sold can be used in other supports (mp3). According to different consumer groups the buyer should be entitled to listen to music wherever he wants, once he has bought it.

Things are moving slowly but surely! Already last week, EMI, one of the major record companies, has agreed to drop the rights preventing people from listening to their music in other supports and burn it wherever thay want. And it might be that soon we will have more competition in the internet music buisiness and that iTunes will be forced to have a global e-shop without borders...

In the meantime check my favourite sites for mp3 music download (sometimes more than 99 cents per track though):

Beatport: https://www.beatport.com/

DJdownload: www.djdownload.com

E-music: www.emusic.com

Fnac-music: www.fnacmusic.com

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Be careful with which airline you fly!

Lost and mishandled baggage

When flying, you'd better avoid big airport hubs, and in particular Heathrow and BA...

The UK's Air Transport Users Council (AUC) has published a report on mishandled baggage. It includes data provided by the Association of European Airlines (AEA). According to the airlines' own data, the major European network airlines mishandled over 5.6 million bags in 2006, of which 85% were delivered within 48 hours. This figure, however, relates only to the twenty-four airlines that are members of the AEA.

The 2006 figures show that the AEA airlines that tend to have the worst performance are the larger carriers. The three biggest carriers – Air France, Lufthansa and British Airways – have the worst records (together with the smaller TAP-Air Portugal - of course...). The worst performing AEA airline in 2006 was British Airways with 23 lost luggage per 1000 passengers. The problem is that Heathrow also has the worst record of flight delays! And Brussels the best!

Airlines that operate most of their flights from major hub airports, where many of their passengers take connecting flights, show a higher risk of mishandled baggage. And of course, passengers on connecting flights are exposed to the highest risk of all.
The Montreal Convention The Montreal Convention sets out airlines’ liability for passengers and their baggage (it also covers liability for cargo). The good thing about the Convention is that it says that an airline must accept liability for passengers’ baggage. The bad thing about it is that it limits an airline’s liability to around £800 (depending on exchange rates) per passenger. An airline will typically need to be convinced that a lost suitcase, for example, really did contain what we say it did. And that is easier said than done.
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Cidadania: "a única 'eleição' que Salazar ganhou"

Como o jornalista José Vitor Malheiros escreve na edição de hoje do Público num excelente artigo, "Salazar no top diz-nos que a sociedade autoritária, repressiva, retrógrada, machista, fechada, pobre, colonialista e de guerra criada pelo ditador de Santa Comba se transformou na memória de muitos num paraíso de ordem, respeito e honestidade, gerido com bonomia por um burguês paternal de fato de três peças." E ainda "Se a escolha do 'maior português' de todos os tempos nos mostra alguma coisa, ela mostra uma falta de identificação com a democracia e um gosto pela autoridade e pelos homens providenciais".

Mais palavras para quê?

Cidadania: O pior português de sempre

O antigo ditador português Salazar foi escolhido como o "melhor ou maior português de sempre" num concurso promovido pela principal tv pública estatal, a RTP1, pelos telespectadores que votaram no concurso (com 42% dos votos). No segundo posto ficou Álvaro Cunhal (19%), antigo dirigente comunista, seguido pelo diplomata Aristides de Sousa Mendes (13%), que permitiu salvar milhares de judeus das garras nazis, durante a II Guerra mundial. Os dez finalistas incluiam ainda Afonso Henriques (primeiro rei do país), Fernando Pessoa (escritor/poeta), Infante D. Henrique (grande responsável das viagens marítimas no séc. XV), D. João II (rei da época dos descobrimentos), Luís Vaz de Camões (escritor do séc. XV que escreveu o épico "Os Lusíadas" da história de Portugal), Marquês de Pombal (primeiro Ministro da recontsrução de Lisbo após o terremoto de 1755) e Vasco da Gama (descobridor do caminhomarítimo para a Índia). A votação decorreu de 18 de Janeiro até 25 de Março.

É certo que se tratava apenas de um jogo, tendo mesmo sido bastante criticado em Portugal, bastante 'leviano' e artificial, e que apenas votou quem quis, tendo-se certamente mobilizado sobretudo aqueles que queriam "provar" algo. Certamente a maioria das pessoas, como eu, nem ligou ao concurso nem votaram, uns por o considerarem uma farsa (como eu, desde que soube que Salazar tinha sido nomeado) outros por o considerarem pouco ou nada democrático. Como muito bem disse Odete Santos, defensora de Álvaro Cunhal, este resultado da RTP não pode servir como "branqueamento do fascismo" ou de Salazar. É no entanto muito triste que se tenha chegado a este resultado, certamente "politicamente incorrecto" e incómodo, e se cria assim um sentimento de mal-estar democrático, tendo sido dada uma péssima imagem do país.

Já a nomeação dos 10 finalistas me tinha deixado os cabelos em pé! Como era possível escolher como finalistas, um ditador fascista que esteve no poder durante 40 anos e um líder comunista que queria instaurar um regime pró-soviético (à imagem da ex-URSS) em Portugal? Isto não faz sentido num Estado democrático! Trinta e sete anos após a sua morte, António de Oliveira Salazar continua a suscitar sentimentos contraditórios junto dos portugueses. Mas pelos vistos não apenas de ódio e amargura, mas também muita admiração. Certamente os que votaram por Salazar têm a memória bem curta (ou a inteligência ou ambas). Porque se esqueceram de como o Senhor Salazar deixou o país (económica e socialmente), do clima dictatorial que se vivia, da guerra escusada com milhares de mortos nas ex-colónias portuguesas, do atraso cultural e educacional (30% de analfabetos, pior do que a maioria dos países sul-americanos na época!), dos milhares de presos políticos – não eu não esqueci os doze anos (sim, DOZE!!!) que um tio meu passou na prisão nos Açores, por ter distribuido panfletos com reivindicações laborais na fábrica onde trabalhava, nem de como isso lhe destruiu a vida e a da família. Mas a lista de desgraças não termina aqui… Independentemente de algo positivo que Salazar tenha podido fazer pelo país, que espero certamente tenha feito, é inaceitável que tenha chegado a ser finalista e que tenha sido eleito. Ainda por cima num país em que a televisão tem uma enorme influência na opinião pública. Mas é também na RTP (incluindo no canal internacional), televisão pública, que ainda temos que aguentar os programas tediosos de José Hermano Saraiva, "ex-ministro de Salazar", que vai afirmando, de quando em vez, que o 'fascismo' em Portugal 'nunca existiu"!

Noutros países, concursos similares deram resultados bem menos polémicos e 'normais', Winston Churchill na Inglaterra, Charles de Gaulle em França, Konrad Adenauer na Alemanha, Ronald Reagan nos EUA (esse sim algo controverso diria eu). Os checos elegeram figuras como Václav Havel e Dvorak (compositor). Os Sul-africanos, Nelson Mandela, os belgas optaram por Jacques Brel (cantor), Eddy Merckx (ciclista) e Hergé (criador do Tintim).

Como consolo é bom saber que Salazar foi também eleito "O Pior Português de Sempre" na categoria "Quem mais contribuiu para a ruína / estado a que chegou o país?", com 39.2% dos votos.

Portugal mudou muito desde Abril de 1974, mas por vezes parece que o analfabetismo, a ignorância e o espírito pequenino continuam a ser reis. E que muitos portugueses querem mesmo voltar à época de alienação dos três "F", Fátima-Futebol e Fado… ou será que já voltámos e eu ainda não dei por isso? De qualquer forma, pouco importa, vou já pedir a nacionalidade belga, Hergé é muito mais divertido e Brel escreveu coisas bem interessantes, como o poema que aqui deixo:
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Desejo-vos sonhos sem fime a vontade indómita de realizar alguns.
Desejo que amem o que deve ser amado e que esqueçam aquilo que dever ser esquecido.
Desejo-vos paixões.
Desejo-vos silêncios.
Desejo-vos cantos de pássaros ao despertar e risos de crianças.
Desejo que nunca se acomodem, que resistam à indiferença,
e a todas os defeitos da nossa época.
Desejo-vos que sejam vocês mesmos.
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no original em francês:
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Je vous souhaite des rêves à n'en plus finiret l'envie furieuse d'en realizer quelques-uns. Je vous souhaite d'aimer ce qu'il faut aimeret d'oublier ce qu'il faut oublier. Je vous souhaite des passions.Je vous souhaite des silences. Je vous souhaite des chants d'oiseau au réveilet des rires d'enfants. Je vous souhaite de résister à l'enlisement, à l'indifference, aux vertus négatives de notre époque. Je vous souhaite d'être vous.
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[in english]
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The former Portuguese dictator Salazar was just elected as the "best or more important Portuguese of all times" in a competition promoted for the main state television, RTP1, by the channel's audience who voted in the competition (with 42% of the votes). In second place came fomer communist leader Alvaro Cunhal (19%), followed by the diplomat Aristides de Sousa Mendes (13%), who allowed to save thousands of Jews from the nazis, giving them visas to enter Portugal (against Salazar's will), during World War II. The ten finalists included Afonso Henriques (first king), Fernando Persoa (writer/poet), Infant D. Henrique (responsible for the maritime discoveries during the XV Century), D. João II (king at the time of the discoveries), Camões (writer of the XV century, who wrote the epic " Lusíadas" about the history of Portugal), the Marquis of Pombal (prime minister who rebuilt Lisbon after the earthquake of 1755) and Vasco da Gama (seaman who discovered the maritime way to India).

I was already sceptical with the nomination of the 10 finalists… How was it possible to choose a fascist dictator who was in the power during 40 years and a communist leader who wanted to have a pro-Soviet communist regimen (to the image of former USSR) in Portugal? This does not make sense in a democratic State! Thirty seven years after his death, António de Oliveira Salazar continues to cause controversy in Portugal. However, not only feelings of hatred and bitterness, he seems to have much admiration! Those who have voted for Salazar, certainly have a short memory (or a short intelligence or both). Because they surely have forgotten how Salazar left the country (economically and socially) after he died, the dictatorial climate lived in the country then, the politic police, the unnecessary wars in the former colonies, where thousands died, the cultural and educational lagging behind of the country (30% of illiterates, worse than most South American countries at the time), the thousands of political prisoners – and I have not forgotten yet, the twelve years (yes, TWELVE!) that an uncle of mine passed in prison in the Azores, for having prepared and handed out political leaflets with labour claims, in the plant he worked, and how that destroyed his life and that of his family. But the list of disasters does not finish here... Independently of anything positive that Salazar might have done for the country, it is unacceptable that was a finalist and could be elected. Even more so in a state television that has a strong influence on public opinion.

In other countries, similar competitions have given less controversial results, Winston Churchill in England, Charles de Gaulle in France, Konrad Adenauer in Germany, Ronald Reagan in the U.S.A. (well, that is quite controversial I would say). In the Check Republic Václav Havel and Dvorak (composer). The South Africans chose Nelson Mandela and the Belgians opted for Jacques Brel (singer), Eddy Merckx (cyclist) and Hergé (the graphic creator of Tintim).

To make up for it, it is good to know that Salazar was also elected "the Worse Portuguese of All times" in another competition launched by a blog, in the category "Who has contributed most for the ruin of the country", with 39.2% of the votes. Portugal changed a lot since April of 1974 (year of the democratic revolution), but sometimes it seems that illiteracy, ignorance, lack of information and a limited outlook on life and democracy continue to rule. It seems that many Portuguese want to go back to the years of alienation of the three "FFF", Fátima(religion), Football and Fado (sad songs)... or maybe the country is already there and I haven't noticed… In any case, it doesn't matter because I have already asked for the Belgian nationality, Hergé is so much more fun…
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Europe can also be fun!

yes, Europe has been a failure in may respects, 50 years after, europeans are uncaple of making love in a standardised way and they have not been able either to standardise condoms... Check the Youtube video...

eh oui, 50 ans après, les européens sont toujours incapables de faire l'amour de la même façon, et ils n'ont même pas été capables de standardisés les capotes. regarde ce video sur Youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo0rhGNee-8
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Citizenship: Europa QUIZ

If you want to check your knowledge of Europe, check some of these quizzes! (available in many languages):

http://europa.eu.int/europago/games/quiz/quiz.jsp

http://europa.eu.int/europago/welcome.jsp

http://www.robert-schuman.org/quiz/default4.htm

http://quizzeuro.nuxit.net/home.php?lang=en

http://www.minieurope.com/fr/index.html

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Citizenship: 50 years of the EU

(The design was developed by Szymon Skrzypczak, a 24 year old polish student of design, from Poznan)

On March 25, the European Union (EU) celebrates 50 years of the signature of the Treaty of Rome, by the 6 initial countries who started the European Community – Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy. Portugal and Spain joined in 1986 and nowadays the EU counts 27 member states (after 10 new countries in 2004 and Bulgaria and Romania last January).

But actually it was on May 9, 1950, that the European Union was conceived as it was envisioned by Jean Monnet and by France’s then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Robert Schuman - what some like to call the “Declaration of Inter-Dependence”. Afterwards, came the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) which was followed by a closer economic union, with the simultaneous foundation on March 25th, 1957, of the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Community of Atomic Energy (EURATOM), for the standardization & safety of the production of nuclear power in Europe. A huge Common Market was the initial goal. In 1992, the Maastricht Treaty of 1992 transformed the whole structure into the European Union.

The European Union is an ambitious, original, innovative, democratic and successful experiment in the history of nations. At the basis were the equality among member states and their languages and innovative democratic decision processes taking account of the interests of individual members. There has never been any comparable experience in the World history (of course with the exception of forced unification or imposed integration as a result of imperialism, invasion or war). The European Union has therefore become a reference and example (as well as hope) for other regions of the world in their search for cooperation. Some of the EU’s its institutions, like the Commission, the Parliament, and the Court of Justice, are indeed unique in terms of their supranational nature and influence, and are models and examples for other experiences worldwide. Some of the current experiments (NAFTA, MERCOSUR, FTAA, ASEAN) in regional economic cooperation and integration owe their foundation and development to the perceived success of the EU. However none is near the same level of cooperation and transfer of national sovereignty to supranational institutions. The EU owes much of its success to the geographical (and somehow cultural) proximity of its members, which is not the case elsewhere in the globe. Some observers even argue that it is possible that the EU model may only succeed in the Americas.

50 years is a long time and yet it is nothing if we consider History and the centuries it took to build and consolidate national identities, national and multi-national-states in Europe.
It was a remarkable original idea but it was maybe easier at the time to start with six members in a post-war western Europe. Since then Europe has changed, the world has changed, geopolitics have changed, the cold war has ended, technologies have developed, the world is now a 'global village' and globalisation has spread to the whole planet.

After 50 years the EU is still a group of independent states which are not always in the same frequency line about many issues and which sometimes have it hard to agree on crucial themes. National selfishness, egocentrism and interests still prevail, many times. Yet a lot has been achieved during the 50 years. Sometimes, European citizens (and certainly younger ones) do not value anymore because ‘Europe’ has become part of everyday life, it is like an acquired 'fact’. Yet Europe has brought a lot of benefits, if anything the economic growth in many countries due to the existence of a huge single market without borders for people, money and goods. Nowadays European citizens can live and work in any other country of the EU, study, etc, see their study diplomas recognised, received unemployment and social benefits anywhere they live, transfer pension rights, have medical assistance, etc. Europe had also an important role after the second world war and to consolidate democracy and peace.
Nowadays most European countries share a common currency – the euro and can move around most countries within the Union without passport controls. We are far from a European ‘unified culture’ and approach but many times, Europeans are closer than they like to think, in many respects.

Yet, at the same time as the EU is celebrating its 50th anniversary, the mood in Europe is far from enthusiastic. According to a report conducted by Harris and published by the newspaper “Financial Times” this week, 44% of EU citizens believe their living standards have deteriorated since their country joined the EU (!) and Brussels bureaucracy is the main subject of complaints. A couple of years ago, the process of adopting a common Constitution for Europe was stopped by french and dutch citizens, who voted no to the proposal, in a referendum.

Some blame the (too) fast enlargement of the EU, which has gone from 15 member countries in 2003 to 27 today (!). And that decided by national governments, without asking citizens. In a moment when the world has become more globalised, with more competion for investment, jobs, etc, with delocalisation of production to Asia and precarity of jobs, european citizens, and mostly in the western ‘older’ memebers, are fearing enlargement has meant an extra burden for them and feel the political unification process has been slowed down by the difficulty of taking decisions and finding a commonb ground among 27 countries and 23 official languages. Easy to get the picture…

Yet Europe has done a lot for its members – ask Irish, Spanish or Portuguese citizens how their standards of living have improved since they joined the EU (and how older members such as Germany or France have also benefited of a larger market). Or how democracy has consolidated in those countries and in the new member states from central and eastern Europe, who have to comply with many rules ensuring democracy and equal rights to be part of the EU. Europe is certainly at a crossroads nowadays and it is essential to know what we are, where we want to go, which Europe we want to build for the future generations, which is the place of Europe in the global world and how we can get there, together. And whether all members want the same… Some members wish to achieve further political integration and even build a co-federation, others (like the UK or Denmark) simply want a large market, but wish to keep their untouched sovereignty on many issues).

It will not be an easy journey. But this project which has managed to gather most European countries around a common ideal and utopia (yes, all countries wanted to get in and some are still waiting to do so – Croatia, Turkey, etc). It takes political vision, political leadership and the participation of all European citizens. I usually say that programmes such as Erasmus (a programme for the exchange of university students, who can study a whole year in another university) has done more for Europe and the consolidation of a European identity than many rules and directives. It is true and such programmes should be even reinforced, to my understanding. Also outside Europe, because Europe must remain open to the world.

What is essential now is to be able to move ahead and agree on a new Constitutional Treaty that can reform the institutions and way of working. A EU with 27 member states needs to have an efficient decision-making process which can no longer cope with individual vetoes of member states and national egoisms. And further enlargements can wait. Also citizens should be asked to participate more actively in the process, Europe should function in a more transparent and participative way. Yet citizens should take their share of responsibility. It is too easy for people and countries to blame the European institutions for any failure. All in all, union brings force, (“a união faz a força”) and together, Europeans are better equipped to win in a globalised world.

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read also an interview of Giscard d'Estaing on the The Lack of Vision for Europe in the March 26, 2007 issue of Newsweek. The father of a hoped-for EU constitution on how weak statesmen, befuddled youths, and the arrival of pesky little states disrupted his dreams for Europe. Former French President, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing presided over the European constitution his compatriots rejected in a 2005 referendum. But at 81, he is still fighting for the European project.

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And an article in portuguese newspaper Publico, "EUROPA, DOS DESAFIOS AS OPORTUNIDADES" (Europe, from challenges to opportunities) by Horst Köhler, German President, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, portuguese President and Janz Drnovsek, President of Slovenia.

Portugal: nova lei sobre despenalização do aborto foi ontem aprovada

O parlamento português, de maioria socialista, aprovou a lei que despenaliza o aborto até à décima semana de gravidez, ontem, quinta-feira, data simbólica do Dia internacional da mulher. A lei foi aprovada pelo PS, PCP, BE, Os Verdes e 21 deputados do PSD.

A despenalização da interrupção voluntária da gravidez tinha sido aprovada por referendo por aproximadamente 60% dos eleitores em 11 de Fevereiro último, data histórica. A nova lei autoriza o aborto até às dez semanas a simples pedido da mulher num estabelecimento se saúde legalmente autorizado para o efeito. A legislação precedente, que datava de 1984 era bastante restritiva, apenas permitindo aborto em caso de violação, de perigo para a vida da mãe ou de malformação do feto, prevendo penas de prisão de até 3 anos em casos de infracção.

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Portugal: new law making abortion legal was approved yesterday.

The Portuguese parliament, of socialist majority, approved the law that makes abortion legal until the tenth week of pregnancy, yesterday, thursday, a symbolic date - the international women’s day. The law was approved by the socialist party, all the left parties (PCP, BE, Greens) along with 21 members of the social-democrat party – centre-right. PSD. Voters had decided this in a referendum held last February 11 last (around 60%). The new law authorizes abortion until ten weeks of pregnancy if carried out at the woman's request in a registered clinic. The preceding legislation, dating of 1984, was rather restrictive, allowing only abortions in cases of rape, a health threat to the mother or serious foetal abnormality. Previously, the offence carried a jail sentence of up to three years.

Citizenship: Ireland still lagging behind

The legislation to legalise same sex unions in Ireland (the so called Civil Unions Bill) was defeated in the country's parliament at the end of February. The defeated bill would have granted all of the same rights for same-sex couples as married couples currently enjoy.The Irish government claimed that the bill proposed by the Labour party would not comply with the constitution, but promised to introduce their own proposal for legislation later this year. Justice Minister Michael McDowell told Irish MPs that the state is constitutionally required to 'uphold the institution of marriage', whereas Article 41 of the Irish constitution only says that the institution of marriage is to be protected, but does not define what marriage is. He also pretended that a referendum to change the constitution would, "be highly unlikely to succeed and could, if attempted, be very counterproductive in terms of achieving social consensus on this issue". Mr McDowell, a member of the ruling Fianna Fail party, promised that the government would be proposing specific legislation to protect the rights of all unmarried couples, gay or straight. Labour leader Pat Rabbitte however, called Mr McDowell's speech: "a shameful, shallow, rowdy, incoherent, arrogant and bombastic farce".

In any case, surveys have shown the majority of Irish people are in favour same sex-marriages (around 84%), which puts the government under renewed pressure to recognise gay partnerships. Strongly catholic Ireland has come a long way since the dark days of prejudice, homosexuality was only decriminalised in Ireland in 1993, but since then the country has embraced gay rights. There is more tolerance nowadays and general agreement that homosexual people are entitled to be equally valued as members of society in every respect. Both discrimination and incitement to hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation are illegal.

On the same island, Northern Ireland, still part of the UK, has enjoyed same-sex civil partnerships since December 2005. Ireland is one of the few 'old' European Union member states (together with Italy and Greece) that do not dispose of any legal framework applying to same sex partnerships.

International Women's day

"It has become clear that culture is not a sort of 'primordial constraint' from the past that hinders economic and social progress. Culture is constantly being changed by the people who construct it in the first place" - Thoraya O. Obaid, UNFPA executive producer.

Today is the International Women's Day. Various cities and countries of the world are mobilized on this occasion organising different cultural events, exhibitions and conferences on women's rights. For instance the UNFPA (the United Nations Population Fund, which is a development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity) has created an interesting interactive web animation which proposes various alternatives to stop violence against women in the world. Women Watch (a UN inter-agency network) claims that "women’s empowerment and gender mainstreaming are key to tackling challenges, such as poverty, discrimination, educational gaps, high maternal mortality, disease and other ills". The UN is also launching a campaign aiming at ending impunity for violence against women and girls. "Violence against women has yet to receive the priority attention and resources needed at all levels to tackle it with the seriousness and visibility necessary", claims a Secretary-General’s study on violence against women. Finally a recent statistical summary developed by Eurostat explains differences and similarities between men and women throughout the EU (on demography, education, employment, skills, unemployment...). For example, women's life expectancy of in the EU should be more than 80 years by 2050 in all countries.

Citoyenneté: Quelle planète voulons-nous?

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Initiative pour la planète. Cliquez pour manifester votre soutien!
Le site indique que chacun peut faire quelque chose, des petits et des plus grands gestes au quotidien. Je suis bien d'accord pour:
- Utiliser moins souvent la voiture et privilégier les transports en commun ou le covoiturage,
- Améliorer l'isolation de son logement et abaisser la température, en particulier la nuit,
- Opter pour des éclairages économiques et des électro-ménagers + économiques,
… mais pas pour renoncer à prendre l'avion…!
Aussi je veux bien privilégier les produits locaux et les fruits et légumes de saison , mais pas toujours. Je n'aime pas les tomates belges par exemple, ce n'est pas ici qu'ils doivent être produits mais dans le sud, en région méditerranéenne…
Finalement j'estime qu'il fau produire moins de déchets (papier, plastiques), il faudra surtout les traiter et recycler les matériaux, trouver des sources d'énergie moins polluantes et renouvelables autant que possible.

Visiter le site: http://www.jecliquepourlaplanete.be

Citizenship: Difference is not wrong

Martin Firrell, public artist, has produced a trailer to be seen at Curzon cinemas in London, before film sessions. Very interesting, provocative and actual. I just wanted to share that. You can see it by clicking here. The text is the following:

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Globalisation can only work where tastes can be globalised, where we're ready to accept less difference, less variety.

In a globalised world everyone comes to look the same, expect the same, buy, think and believe the same.

And perhaps it doesn't matter that our ideas of beauty - our tastes - are created by commerce: except that culture goes where the money is.

It's not who's right. But who's richest.

Difference becomes something to be altered, cut, reshaped, removed.

And when it seems natural to the majority to remove difference - jew, gay, disabled, romany - we all know the end is already in sight.

Only an appreciation of the value of difference can save us from ourselves.

Terrorism will not end the world, it's the homogenisation of ideas, culture and people that will bring about our collective downfall.

Security is not liberty.

Wealth is not freedom.

Control is not strength.

'different' is not 'wrong'.

A loud voice is not charisma.

Shopping is not happiness.

Ownership is not love.

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by Martin Firrell, public artist, for Curzon Cinemas, London

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Citizenship: Anti-Gay Discrimination Fuels HIV/AIDS Crisis in Africa

IGLHRC’s new study reveals how anti-gay discrimination fuels HIV/AIDS Crisis in Africa

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is a leading human rights organization, based in New York, solely devoted to improving the rights of people around the world who are targeted for imprisonment, abuse or death because of their sexuality, gender identity or HIV/AIDS status.

The new study "Off the Map", reveals for the first time how African governments and the global HIV/AIDS policy and funding community are denying basic human rights to same-sex practicing people in Africa. The report documents some shocking examples of how lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people are denied access to effective HIV prevention, counseling and testing, treatment, and care. The study is the result of a year-long research project conducted through interviews with leaders of African lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) organizations, international aid officials, HIV/AIDS project managers, and health care providers. The report highlights the fact that,
“Africa, a continent with slightly more than ten percent of the world’s population, is home to 60 percent, or more than 25 million people, of those living with HIV…[the disease] is having a decidedly harsh effect on same-sex practicing people. But nearly a quarter of a century into the epidemic, there is a wall of silence that surrounds AIDS and same-sex practices that may prove to be a significant obstacle to conquering the disease.”

Multiple testimonies in the report demonstrate how homophobia limits the access of African gays to HIV/AIDS programs. For instance, K.S., a 23-year-old gay man in Mombasa, Kenya reported that he was chased out of a public health clinic when he asked to be examined for an anal STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection). Romeo Tshuma, a Zimbabwean human rights activist, remembers accompanying a gay friend to a health care centre in Harare to seek treatment for HIV and STI, where, “the nurses were not helpful.... They embarrassed him, after that he wouldn’t go to a hospital because of the embarrassment. He died in part, I think, because he had no place to go.”

Cary Alan Johnson, IGLHRC’s Senior Specialist for Africa and the author of the reports believes that the widespread denial of homosexuality in Africa contributes to human rights violations against African LGBT and increases the HIV vulnerabilities of gay people, “Homophobic stigma, the denial of homosexuality, and legislation that criminalizes same-sex behaviour, all serve to push the issue of same-sex HIV transmission further underground, and drastically limit HIV services.”

IGLHRC’s new publication calls for specific actions by the U.S. government (namely to stop promoting prevention programmes based on abstinence until marriage…) and other major international donors, international AIDS service organizations, private volunteer groups, and national and local African authorities to improve the access of LGBT in Africa to HIV prevention, treatment, and care services.

[thanks to Philippe for the info]

Citizenship: Are Europeans happy?

Living in the European Union today

In order to better understand the social reality of European Union (EU) citizens, the European Commission launched in 2006 a special survey (measuring people’s perceptions of reality) that took the picture of different dimensions of social life in the EU.

Overall, taking all things together, most EU citizens are happy (87%). However, the picture is different between countries. People in the older 15 EU countries tend to feel happier than those living in the new Member States (MS) (28% vs. 17% are very happy). In particular in 3 countries people say they are very happy: Denmark (49%), Ireland (46%) and the Netherlands (43%). On the other side we find Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia. Needless to say, "happiness here is mostly linked to the economic situation and the prospects for the future…

Europeans value mostly factors like local job opportunities, the pensions' situation and safety. Germany, Hungary, Poland and France are the countries where confidence in the future of pensions is particularly low (in Germany only 25% express confidence). As regards safety, the perception differs strongly from country to country. 88% of people in the Netherlands feel safe, while in Denmark 85%, Sweden (83%), France (79%), Luxembourg and Belgium (76%), compared to only 45% of Lithuanians, 46% of Bulgarians and 59% of Greeks.

Levels of satisfaction with the quality of life and the standard of living are also not the same throughout Europe. The highest levels are found in the Northern European countries - the Benelux, Scandinavia (the 'usual suspects'), the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland. It is least widespread in Bulgaria (less than 50%). Iin Portugal and France the level of satisfaction with the standard of living is the lowest among the former EU countries. But whereas Frances scores bellow average as regards standard of living, it goes above average for quality of life.

On average European citizens tend to be relatively satisfied with their living environment. People in the Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, Belgium and Ireland best rate their living environment, while people in Bulgaria are by far the least satisfied. Portugal is the only old EU member with low levels as eastern European countries. The pattern at country level is relatively similar with health, family and friends and acquaintances named as the three most important aspects of life in most countries.

When it comes to the other aspects of life, larger country variations are noted. Work is considered important by considerably fewer people than average in the UK (66%) and Ireland (69%) whereas in France, Slovenia, Luxembourg and Italy around 9 out of 10 respondents find it important. The importance of religion varies a lot: it is most widely seen as being important in Malta (88%), Poland (87%), Cyprus (86%), Greece (82%)and Italy (78%) . This contrasts starkly with views in the Czech Republic (28%), Denmark and Sweden (both 30%) and Spain (34%).

As regards equal opportunities, it seems that household tasks are still primarily carried out by women in nearly all countries, however those countries where 'machismo' is stronger are Greece, the Czech Republic, Malta and Spain. And In Sweden, Denmark and Finland, men and women share most the household chores.

Overall, the level of job satisfaction is relatively high in Europe. However, the average job satisfaction level varies significantly. Workers in Northern Europe (the usual suspects) tend to be most satisfied with their job, whereas people in the new countries, particularly people in Romania and Bulgaria, are least satisfied with their job. Malta is somewhat of an exception, being similar to other Western European countries. However it should be noted that job satisfaction levels in the southern countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece) are similar to those found in Eastern Europe.

Europeans value their leisure time. They tend to find it even more important than work. Equally, around 80% consider helping others or voluntary work an important aspect of their life. Most Europeans however do not seem to actively participate or do voluntary work. There are large differences between the countries with Austria (60%), the Netherlands (55%) and Sweden (53%) presenting the largest participation while the levels are lowest in Lithuania (11%) and Portugal (12%) – nothing new here…

While Europeans generally assess their overall personal situation as positive, they express concern about certain national issues. Unemployment is the most frequent concern (mentioned by 36%). The cost of living is also a concern as well as pension. At the country level, concerns about unemployment are particularly widespread in Greece (58%), Poland (53%) and Portugal (52%). Conversely, in Denmark (3%) and the Netherlands (5%) very few citizens feel concerned. Concerns about the cost of living are highest in Cyprus (60%), followed by Hungary (59%), Portugal and Romania (both 56%) while in Denmark (2%) and Sweden (8%) the cost of living is not a problem for most citizens.

While in general there is the feeling that the economic and employment situation will stay the same in the near future, there is particularly widespread optimism in Estonia, the Netherlands, Sweden and Lithuania. On the other side, in Hungary, Greece, Portugal, Luxembourg, Belgium and Cyprus views about collective life are pessimistic. Being concerned about the collective future notably means that European citizens worry about life for the next generation. On average, less than one person in five believes that the life of the next generation will be better while around two-thirds believe life will be more difficult for the next generation. In particularly baby-boomers, the generation born just after World-War II and until 1964, are most concerned about the future of today’s children: 70% of this generation believe that today’s children will have a more difficult life than they themselves did. Views about life for future generations differ significantly within the EU. In Portugal, for instance, where after difficult economic times people now seem to express faith in the future, citizens feel that life for future generations will be easier (57%). Conversely, only 3% of Germans believe that, but then Germans seem to be generally quite worried about their future.

And you, are you happy with your life? Confident in the future?

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Read the whole report here.

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