EU-DIGEST: Austria

Showing posts with label Austria. Show all posts

10/9/21

EU: Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announces resignation over corruption allegations

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Saturday that he plans to step down in an effort to defuse a government crisis triggered by prosecutors' announcement that he is a target of a corruption investigation.

Kurz, 35, said he has proposed that Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg replace him. But Kurz himself will remain in frontline politics: he said he will become the head of his conservative Austrian People's Party's parliamentary group.

Kurz's party had closed ranks behind him after the prosecutors' announcement on Wednesday. But its junior coalition partner, the Greens, said Friday that Kurz couldn't remain as chancellor and demanded that his party nominate an “irreproachable person” to replace him.

Read more at Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announces resignation over corruption allegations | Euronews

5/3/21

EU: Austerity is risking our future! – by Carl Mühlbach and Felix Kösterke

With hindsight, such thinking seems petty, considering the success of vaccination campaigns in Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States. Those countries outspent the European Union many times over, per capita, on vaccine procurement.

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11/3/20

Austria: Islamic State group claims responsibility for Vienna terrorist attack, without providing evidence

The ISisterrorist group group's statement was accompanied by a picture of a bearded man, named "Abu Dagnah Al-Albany", saying he attacked crowds in central Vienna on Monday with a gun and a machine gun, before he was killed himself by Austrian police.

Read more at: Islamic State group claims responsibility for Vienna terrorist attack, without providing evidence

4/11/20

Coronavirus cases in Austria are 'twice the reported numbers'

2/24/20

EU Budget: Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden REFUSE to pay more to make up 75bn euro deficit left by Brexit

After a tense 30 hours of talks, the EU's first post-Brexit budget meeting ended up in shambles as poorer countries demanded more money while France and Germany wanted to control spending

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9/30/19

Austria: Kurz wins in Austria with best result since 2002 - by Elena Sánchez Nicolás

The leader of the conservative Austria's People's Party (ÖVP) Sebastian Kurz won Sunday's snap parliamentary election with 38.4 percent of the votes - ÖVP's best result since 2002 - after Kurz lost a confidence vote in May.

Austria has been led by a caretaker government, headed by the constitutional lawyer Brigitte Bierlein since Kurz's coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) collapsed due to the 'Ibiza video's scandal'.

That video showed the leader of far-right Freedom Party, Heinz-Christian Strache, promising government contracts to a fake Russian oligarch.

Read more at: Kurz wins in Austria with best result since 2002

7/28/19

Iran: Talks held in Vienna to try and salvage Iran nuclear deal

After meeting officials from Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China in Vienna, a senior Iranian official said the atmosphere had been "constructive".

Tensions have soared since the United States withdrew from the 2015 accord last year and reimposed sanctions
.
In recent weeks, Iran and Britain have seized a tanker each - putting further pressure on the 2015 accord.

Iran has also admitted breaching restrictions on its production of enriched uranium, used to make reactor fuel but also potentially nuclear bombs.

Read More: Talks held in Vienna to salvage Iran nuclear deal - BBC News

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7/26/19

Nationalism: From Trump to Johnson nationalists are on the rise, backed by billionaire oligarchs

From Trump to Johnson, nationalists are on the rise – backed by billionaire oligarchs

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7/23/19

Middle East: Remaining Iran nuclear deal signatories to meet in Vienna

Representatives from the nations that are still parties to the Iran nuclear deal will meet on Sunday in Austria's capital, to discuss to what extent the agreement can be salvaged, according to the European Union's foreign policy service.

China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the EU representatives will "examine issues linked to the implementation of the [2015 nuclear accord] in all its aspects", the EU statement said on Tuesday.

The urgent meeting in Vienna, which will be chaired by the EU foreign policy service's Secretary-General Helga Schmid, was requested by France, Germany, the UK and Iran, it said.

The accord, which is formally known as the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has been on life support since the United States withdrew from it last year and reimposed biting sanctions against Iran.

Read more at: Remaining Iran nuclear deal signatories to meet in Vienna | Iran News | Al Jazeera

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5/21/19

Austria - Far-right parties under scrutiny in Austria and Britain

The Europe Report: Far-right parties under scrutiny in Austria, UK A political earthquake has shaken Austria, just one week before the EU elections. We update you on the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, the now ex-leader of the far-right Freedom Party. Strache quit after a secretly-filmed videotape emerged showing him proposing various illicit deals in return for shady investments by a woman posing as a Russian oligarch's niece.

5/20/19

Austria-Right wing populist corruption scandal: Populist Austria heading for September election after far-right video scandal

Austria's president on Sunday recommended a new election be held in early September, saying he wanted to restore trust in the government after a video scandal led to the resignation of the vice-chancellor.

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz pulled the plug on the coalition and called for a snap election on Saturday after his deputy, Heinz-Christian Strache, the leader of the far-right Freedom Party, quit over a video showed him discussing fixing state contracts in return for favours from a woman posing as the niece of a Russian oligarch.

Kurz accepted that the video was "catastrophic," although he denied breaking the law or following through on discussions.Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz says he sees the snap elections as the only way to solve the crisis involving a video that appears to show the country's vice-chancellor discussing government contracts with an alleged Russian investor.
Read more at: Austria heading for September election after far-right video scandal | CBC News

5/18/19

AUSTRIA: PM Austria calls for snap elections

Austria chancellor calls for snap election after corruption scandal

2/26/19

Italy-Russia links highlight overall threat to EU democracy - by Amy Richards

Behind the small non-descript brown door of a mansion block in Moscow lie the headquarters of the company, Orion LLC.

This mysterious entity, which has an eclectic range of specialisms - from business consulting to heavy industrial machinery sale, construction projects, engineering design and market research - is owned by two key figures in the Italian political party, the League: Gianluca Savoini, president of the Lombardy-Russia Cultural Association, and Claudio d'Amico, a senior foreign policy adviser to the party.

Both wield significant influence.

Savoini is a former spokesperson for Italy's deputy prime minister and League chief, Matteo Salvini, and now attends meetings alongside him with high ranking Russian politicians.

And d'Amico is an advisor on the party's 'strategic international activities', who failed to declare ownership of the company when he was made city councillor of Sesto San Giovanni in 2017.

At the weekend, the Italian magazine L'Espresso published a series of cases where senior figures in and around Lega were linked to businesses based in Russia, and, more significantly, allegations that the party was in talks to secure funding through an oil deal brokered by Savoini.

The League has never hidden its desire to forge close economic and ideological links with Russia.

League representatives have frequently traveled to Russia and appeared regularly on state-controlled media there.

In 2017, a formal "cooperation and collaboration" agreement was signed between Russian president Vladimir Putin's ruling United Russia and the League, aimed at boosting business, legislative and cultural ties between the two countries.

And last year, Salvini tweeted his support for Putin in the Russian presidential elections, alongside an article denying claims of Russian involvement in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy, in the UK last year.

Key to a lot of this activity is the Lombardia-Russia Cultural Association, which Savoini runs and in which d'Amico plays a pivotal role.

Set up soon after Salvini took over the League, it aims to build a unity of mission between the two countries based on the core pillars of "identity, sovereignty and tradition".

There has been a lot of public attention on the role the Russian state may or may not be playing in setting political agendas abroad, particularly on the potential spread of disinformation aimed at undermining more established political parties, inciting division and anger, and fragmenting the European political landscape.

These are extremely serious accusations, which potentially threaten the very bedrock of Western democracy and it is right that they are fully investigated, whether by legal inquiries, as is underway in the US, or via counterintelligence operations.

But are we missing a trick by not putting these in the wider context of Russian business interests pursued by those holding political power across Europe?

As L'Espresso's coverage clearly highlights, neither Savoini nor d'Amico are alone in having a mix of political and business interests in Russia.

In Kalmykia (a federal district of Russia), for example, a fruit growing business, receives investment from Palmiro Zoccatelli, prominent member of the League and a key figure within the non-profit organisation 'Family and Civilisation', which organises pro-life events providing platforms for Alexey Komov, a protege of the Russian oligarch,

Konstantin Malofeev and another key figure in the Lombardia-Russia Cultural Association.

Sanctioned by the EU and US for providing financial assistance to pro-Russian extremists in Eastern Ukraine, Malofeev has been described as "the Russian billionaire carrying out Putin's will across Europe", and is also widely known for running homophobic conferences in Russia, allegedly assisting the Front National in securing loans from a Russian investment company, and seeking to build alliances between European far right parties.

Of course, this is not a trend isolated to Italy - politicians from across Europe have sought to find benefits in the economic potential of Russia's vast lands.

At the Yalta Economic Forum held this time last year, a coterie of representatives from Europe's far right and other radical political parties gathered to discuss investment opportunities in Crimea, despite the EU sanctions regime.

These included individuals from Austria's FPO, AfD in Germany, Belgium's Vlaams Belang and the National Front (now called the National Rally) in France.

There may be nothing in any of this.

After all, Russia is a global superpower with economic and political influence that extends well beyond the reach of almost any other country.

In an uncertain and turbulent world, of course it makes sense to form global alliances that could potentially offer economic and security benefits.

But perhaps it is the blurring of lines between the business and the political that should make us uneasy.

This is not just politicians drumming up investment support or opening doors for businesses - there are examples here of direct ownership and personal investment, with allegations of more serious divergence of cash directly into the coffers of political parties.

Dig deeper behind the curtain of business interests in Russia and we find an intricate web of cultural, political and ideological ties, which make it difficult to be sure how much of the pro-Russian rhetoric deployed by some of the individuals involved is for their own personal benefit or because they genuinely believe it is in their party's interest - or their country's.

Does it matter, for example, that d'Amico, owner of the undeclared Russian company, travelled to Russia to observe the recent presidential elections there?

Or that he had previously been one of the observers to the hugely sensitive public vote on the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2016?

Is it concerning that the company's co-owner, Savoini, who is at the centre of the latest allegations related to Russian funding of the League, confirmed to the Italian newspaper, La Repubblica, that he has been present at meetings between Salvini and members of Russia's national security council.

Politicians' business interests have long been a matter for public scrutiny, but the systems to record these - and hold those individuals to account who vie for the power to take decisions on the future direction of their country - must now be strengthened.

That means introducing tough rules that comply with the principles set out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Paris-based club of wealth nations.

These ought to include ensuring clear and comprehensive asset declaration and conflict of interest rules, regular required updates (at least annually), proper monitoring and enforcement, a sanctions regime that can lead to loss of office for a serious breach, and the easy access of this information to the public.

How can we be sure those holding public office are not acting in the interests of their business dealings if we simply do not know what these are?

A series of weak systems across the continent leaves European democracy ripe for exploitation.

And if we cannot act to protect that, we're facing a very dangerous future.

Amy Richards, who wrote this report for the EUOnserver is director of Global Witness, a London-based NGO, whose mission is 'exposing the economic networks behind conflict, corruption, and environmental abuse

EU-Digest

2/8/19

EU: European experience with migration shows that border walls don't stop migration

Aging Europe needs immigration, but in order to achieve this in an organized and orderly way it needs unity of purpose, better planning, and certainly no border walls

12/10/18

United Nations - Migration: migration pact agreed on by more than 150 countries except USA, and several EU Eastern European countries

UN migration pact agreed to by more than 150 countries

9/20/18

Austria: May humiliated by Salzburg ambush as she fights to save Chequers Brexit Plan in Austria: by Dan Sabbagh, Daniel Boffey and Pippa Crerar

Theresa May was left fighting to save her Chequers Brexit plan and with it her authority as prime minister after she was ambushed at the end of the Salzburg summit when EU leaders unexpectedly declared that her proposals would not work.

The prime minister was thrown on to the defensive – just over a week before the Conservative party conference – when EU leaders led by Donald Tusk and Emmanuel Macron rejected her Chequers plan as it stood, prompting hard Brexit Conservatives to demand it be abandoned.

May was also set an October deadline for a solution on the Irish border issue just hours after informing Leo Varadkar, the Irish taoiseach, in a private breakfast meeting that she felt it would be impossible to come to a compromise within such a timescale.

A clearly nervous and angry May told reporters that EU leaders were engaged in “negotiating tactics” designed to throw her off course. “I have always said these negotiations were going to be tough,” she said. “And at various stages of these negotiations, tactics would be used as part of those negotiations”.

The assault on May’s plan came shortly after a lunchtime meeting of EU leaders in the Austrian city, where they discussed the Brexit talks in May’s absence. EU council president Tusk declared that Chequers “would not work” while French president Macron said it was “not acceptable”.

A combative Macron accused British Brexiters of lying about how easy it would be to negotiate an exit from the EU on terms favourable to the UK.

“Those who explain that we can easily live without Europe, that everything is going to be alright, and that it’s going to bring a lot of money home are liars,” said Macron. “It’s even more true since they left the day after so as not to have to deal with it.”

Read more: May humiliated by Salzburg ambush as she fights to save Chequers plan | Politics | The Guardian

8/27/18

EUROPEAN UNITY UNDER ATTACK: FAR RIGHT PLAYERS TEARING EUROPE APART

For the complete report click on link below;

The dark clouds of the ultra right and facism are once again gathering over Europe

8/7/18

EU Citizens under threat from populist right-wing local and foreign politicians who are endangering the EU's unity and economic stability - by RM

Right-wing populist politicians destabilizing the EU

Democratic and Cultural Fortress Europe is under attack, by devious right-wing populist politicians and their followers

These include, but not limited to, (see picture insert) from top left to right: Donald Trump (USA), Steve Bannon (USA), Marine Le Pen (France), Nigel Farage (Britain), Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel), Geert Wilders (the Netherlands), Dr.Jörg Meuthen (Germany), Jarosław Aleksander Kaczyński (Poland), Viktor Mihály Orbán (Hungary),Thierry Henri Philippe Baudet (the Netherlands) Luigi Di Maio (Italy), and Sebastian Kurz (Austria)

It is not a question anymore of how to come to terms with this threat, but how this threat can be eliminated effectively. Tthe majority of Europesn citizens certainly do not want Europe to fall apart into a feuding group of nations, and easy prey for China, Russia and the US.

This issue certainly must, if it is not so already, become the number one objective on the agenda of the EU Commission, the EU Parliament and each individual EU Nation state.

Maybe, in this context it might help to refresh our memory as to the importance of the EU among the world of nations, with some historic background on the EU, and the benefits its citizens enjoy.

The European Union was set up with the aim of ending the frequent and bloody wars between neighbours in Europe, which culminated in the past, and more recently in the First and Second World Wars.

Europeans were determined to prevent such killing and destruction from ever happening again.

After the Second world war, Europe was split into East and West, resulting in a 40-year-long Cold War.

To counter this political problem, West European nations created the Council of Europe in 1949.

It was a first step towards cooperation between them, but six countries even wanted to go further.

As of 1950, the European Coal and Steel Community begins to unite European countries economically and politically in order to secure lasting peace.

The six founding countries were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

The 1950s were dominated by a cold war between east and west. Protests in Hungary against the Communist regime are put down by Soviet tanks in 1956. ’

On the 8 of May 1950 French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman presents a plan for deeper cooperation. This historic event is celebrated every 9th of May as ' Europe Day'

On 18 April 1951 based on the Schuman plan, six countries signed a treaty to run their heavy industries – coal and steel – under a common management. In this way, none can on its own make the weapons of war to turn against the other, as in the past.

In 1957, the Treaty of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC), or ‘Common Market

One thing led to another, making the EU what it is today, operating as a single market with 28 member countries, one of the major global trading powers.

EU economic policy seeks to sustain growth by investing in transport, energy and research – while minimising the impact of further economic development on the environment.

In terms of the total value of all goods and services produced (GDP), it is bigger than the US economy. EU GDP in 2017 was €15.3 trillion

Over 64 % of EU countries’ total trade is done with other countries in the EU bloc.

On January 1, 2017, the population of the European Union (EU) was estimated at 511.8 million, compared with 510.3 million on 1 January 2016. During the year 2016, as many births as deaths were recorded in the EU (5.1 million), meaning that the natural change of the EU population was neutral.

With just 6.9 % of the world’s total population, EU trade with the rest of the world accounts for some 15.6 % of global imports and exports.

Consequently, together with the United States and China, the EU is one of the 3 largest global players in international trade.

The 28 EU countries had the second largest share of global imports and exports of goods in 2016.

For individual EU citizen some of the benefits include:

    1) Eligibility to live and work everywhere within the EU without further permission.

    2) Eligibility to take part in local elections of the community where you are a resident. So if you   are a Frenchman living in Munich you can vote for in the election of the Munich
city council, which chooses the mayor. You can even run for a seat in that local municipality.

   3) Eligibility to vote in the EU parliamentary elections, and you can even run for a seat.

    4) Coming from another EU member country one may not be discriminated against, in relation to local citizen in your place of residence. That means: If local residents are allowed to send their children to public school for free, you are also allowed. If they receive social security payments, you may also receive them.

    5) Say you want to run a workshop in Germany, you may even have benefits over and above those of local German citizens. If you are a German running a car repair workshop, you either need a master certificate as a trained car mechanic, or you have to employ somebody who has such a certificate. If, however, you are coming in from another EU country, you only have to show proof that you are a car mechanic with a work experience.

    6) As an EU citizen you also have diplomatic protection. If you are in a country where your home country does not have its own embassy, every EU embassy of a member state is obliged to help you if you need help.

    7) EU citizens also have the right to communicate with every administrative office within the EU in your own language - and you have the right to receive an answer in your own language.

Bottom line - don't let these right-wing Populists mislead you with vague and confusing arguments, Ask for specifics, like how they would set up things differently, and what the benefits would be for you as a citizen.

And if this results in more garbled rhetoric, like we so often hear from those populist politicians, make sure you tell them they are not convincing you.

There is no way EU citizens would benefit from going back to their own currency, border controls, banking regulations, and nationally protected local trade.

Probably the most remarkable success for the EU has been that, apart from its economic prominence, following the ‘Schuman Declaration’, on 9 May 1950, there have been 68 years of peace across the continent, following this declaration.

The European project, known as the EU is the best thing that ever happened for peace, economic stability and prosperity on the European continent. Another positive is that since it is still a project under development, it can only get better.

We must therefore use all means at our disposal to protect and safeguard it from the destabilizing forces which are presently attacking its existence.

© This article can be republished only if EU=Digest is mentioned as the source

EU-Digest

6/9/18

Religion-EU: Austria expels Imams from Turkey and closes down mosques

Austria Closes 7 Mosques and Seeks to Expel Imams Paid by Turkey

Note Eu-Digest: It is puzzling why religious nominations (mainly Christian and Muslim) in Europe, and also other places around the world, are often using non-local clergy and Imams to oversee local congregations and Mosques. Wouldn't it be far better to use nationals, who also have a cultural affinity with the country where they preach, instead of a foreign one?

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