I. KYIVPOST - What does it take to enter European Union?
The European Commission publishes on Tuesday its annual progress reports on countries aspiring to join the European Union. About a dozen states in Europe hope to become members of the wealthy 27-state bloc in the coming decades, but their success depends on extensive democratic and market reforms and on the EU's ability to shake off reluctance to grow. Since admitting 12 mostly eastern European countries in the last decade, the EU has taken a slower approach to enlargement, shifting its focus to institutional reforms and efforts to solve its economic problems. Below is an explanation of the bloc's enlargement policy and issues affecting its implementation. WHO CAN JOIN? Any country in Europe that respects the principles of the rule of law, liberty, democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms may apply to become a member. There are four official candidates: Croatia, Iceland, Macedonia and Turkey. Albania, Montenegro and Serbia have also applied, but have yet to earn candidate status. Also hoping to join are Bosnia and Kosovo. The EU also has a "neighbourhood policy" aimed at forging closer ties with other countries in eastern Europe such as Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova and in the Caucasus. In contrast to the western Balkans, these countries have never been explicitly promised membership. Once countries gain candidate status, they hold negotiations with the bloc on more than 30 policy areas, known as "chapters" in a process designed to align their legislation with EU rules. WHY DOES THE EU WANT TO GROW? The EU's executive, the European Commission, is pushing to keep the enlargement process on track in hopes of overcoming the "enlargement fatigue" that has set in the bloc. It argues new members can strengthen the bloc in a number of ways, from ensuring economic competitiveness to bolstering the EU's clout on the world stage. Growing eastward, it says, allows the EU to develop better transport corridors for trade, have more impact over climate change because EU rules force newcomers to clean up dirty industries, and better control over energy routes. The membership of Turkey could give the bloc more influence over the Middle East and the energy-rich Caucasus, the Commission argues. Closer ties with western Balkans are important for the bloc's security, the Commission says, because they ensure better control over major drug routes from Asia to Europe. Bringing in former Yugoslav states also could allow the bloc to curb illicit trafficking in arms and people. Economically, new members mean more trade and younger populations, vital to ensuring long-term competitiveness. Turkey's economy in particular has been growing at a much faster rate than those within the EU. According to Commission data, trade between "old" and "new" members has tripled from around 150 billion euros ($209 billion) to nearly half a trillion euros in the decade up to 2008. WHAT IS SLOWING THE PROCESS? The enlargement policy has several strong supporters among EU governments, notably Britain, Sweden and the new members in eastern Europe. But many states want to take the process slowly. France, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands have expressed concerns over the cost of allowing in new members at a time when the bloc is still struggling to rise from recession and arguing over how to fund future financial crises like the one that hit Greece this year. In addition to budget costs, there are also worries about selling the idea of enlargement to a European public concerned about job losses and competition for employment from lower-paid eastern neighbours. France and Germany, in particular, are concerned about bringing Turkey into the fold. If admitted, Turkey would be the second-largest EU state in terms of population and would have substantial voting power in the bloc. Turkey would be the first mainly-Muslim member of an otherwise Christian bloc, in which some political parties have tapped into public concern about the assimilation of Muslim migrants. The Commission and most mainstream European parties say religion should play no part in evaluating Turkey's bid. Turkey's bid also would require it to resolve a territorial dispute with EU member Cyprus.
II. FINANCIALMIRROR - EU expects Turkey to contribute to Cyprus solution
The European Commission expects Turkey to contribute in a positive manner to efforts to solve the Cyprus problem, Angela Filote, spokesperson of EU Commissioner on Enlargement, has said. Filote also said that the EU does not confirm Turkish press report about an initiative by the European Commissioner on Enlargement Stephan Fule to unblock negotiating chapters in Turkey’s accession course. “What I can say is that Mr. Fule monitors closely developments, he is in contact with all the parties involved in the Cyprus question and is available to them to help the negotiations”, she added. It is no secret, she added, that the Commission supports the negotiations in Cyprus, aimed at finding a solution to the problem. “The Commission expects Turkey to contribute towards that direction. The Commission believes that if a solution is found, it would be in the best interest of Cyprus, the EU and Turkey as well, because it will lead to the acceleration of the Turkey’s EU negotiation process”, she concluded. Turkish newspapers have said that Ankara would be willing to allow flights by Cypriot aircraft in its air space and open its ports to Cypriot interest ships carrying the flag of a third country in exchange for the opening of Ercan illegal airport in Cyprus’ northern Turkish occupied areas. Turkey does not recognise Cyprus, divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion. Peace talks are currently underway, under UN auspices, to find a negotiated settlement to reunite the country under a federal roof.
III. TELECOMPAPER - Serbia gets cyrillic internet domain
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers approved the propоsal of the National Register of Internet Domains of Serbia (RNIDS) for the designation оf .srb аs the Serbian cyrillic internet domain. As a result, Serbia will have two internet domains, adding to the existing .rs domain. Before the completion of the process, the new domain must be awarded to the national register, which requires between three and six months. A public debate will also be launched soon, and the start of registration for the cyrillic domain is expected in the second half of next year.
IV. FINANCIALTIMES - Visa rules eased for Balkan countries Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Citizens of Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina will be able to travel around most of Europe without visas before the end of the year following an agreement by European Union interior ministers on Monday. The move is designed to reward and encourage democratic reforms in both countries, and comes a year after citizens of Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro received visa-free privileges. Those with biometric passports will be able to travel freely for up to three months in the Schengen area, which includes most of the EU – excluding the UK and Ireland – plus a number of other European countries, such as Switzerland and Norway. But the Bosnian and Albanian authorities were warned the highly prized concessions would be withdrawn if migration problems arose as a result. A number of member states, including France and the Netherlands, had expressed strong reservations about extending Balkan visa liberalisation, citing limited progress in reforming democratic institutions. There were also concerns that the arrangements could lead to an influx of new migrants abusing the system. The deal leaves Kosovo as the only Balkan country whose citizens still require a visa prior to visiting much of western Europe. The granting of easier travel privileges is often seen as seal of political approval from the EU and a first, tentative political step towards joining the bloc. All countries in the former Yugoslav republic have ambitions to join the EU but, so far, only Slovenia has been granted full membership. Croatia is seen as being likely to join, perhaps within two years. Other countries face a far bumpier road, as an annual Commission report on accession progress is expected to show on Tuesday. Macedonia is still being hampered by a long-running dispute over its name. Greek authorities want the country to differentiate its name from their own region of Macedonia, fearing eventual territorial claims. Most other Balkan countries will be reproached for having made insufficient progress in reforming their political institutions and failing to tackle organised crime and corruption, according to a draft of the report seen by Reuters. Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina are not expected to be granted the status of official candidates to join the EU, the start of a drawn-out process where a country’s local laws and institutions are evaluated to see if they are in line with EU standards. Turkey, which is undergoing the candidature process, will be reprimanded for not making progress in normalising relations with Cyprus and for making insufficient progress on fundamental rights.
President Obama, stepping into an Israeli-Palestinian dispute during a homecoming visit to the world’s largest Muslim majority nation, criticized Israel on Tuesday for its decision to advance the approval of some 1,000 new housing units in East Jerusalem during a sensitive time in the peace negotiations with the Palestinians. “This kind of activity is never helpful when it comes to peace negotiations, and I’m concerned that we’re not seeing each side make the extra effort involved to get a breakthrough,” Mr. Obama said during a joint news conference with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here. He added, “Each of these incremental steps end up breaking trust.” Indonesia, where Mr. Obama lived between the ages of 6 and 10 with his mother and step-father, is the second country Mr. Obama is visiting on a 10-day, four-nation Asian tour, and his trip here seems to be star-crossed. Mr. Obama has twice canceled visits at the last minute so he could deal with problems at home. Now Mother Nature has upended his schedule in more ways than one. He planned to visit a mosque and deliver a formal address on Wednesday; the speech is still on, officials said, but the mosque visit appears up in the air. Even his press conference was rearranged, with an intense thunderstorm forcing it inside. While Mr. Obama received a hometown hero’s welcome — even the Indonesian press corps clapped and cheered when Air Force One touched down — he said he was here “to focus not on the past but on the future,” and, with the exception of offering some personal reflections at the press conference, his time here has been all business. The plight of the Palestinians is a big issue in Indonesia, so much so that President Yudhoyono mentioned it in his opening remarks, saying he had told Mr. Obama that “we need a resolution on Palestine and Israel in a permanent sustainable manner.” And from the perspective of the United States, Israel’s announcement was ill-timed. It came just as Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was heading to United States for the annual convention of the Jewish Federations of North America. On Sunday, Mr. Netanyahu met with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., and he was expected to meet Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton later this week. Mr. Obama is making outreach to the Muslim world a major theme of his brief visit to Indonesia. He closed his remarks at Tuesday’s press conference with the Muslim greeting “salaam aleikum,” and said he intended to reshape American relations with Muslim nations so they were not “focused solely on security issues” but rather on expanded cooperation across a broad range of areas, from science to education. Aides say the speech he planned to give Wednesday at the University of Indonesia — and still hopes to give, albeit earlier than expected — will build on one he delivered in Cairo last year, in which he called for “a new beginning” with the Muslim world.
A federal judge on Monday blocked Oklahoma from implementing a voter-approved referendum that singles out Islamic religious law, or Shariah, as a threat to the state. Click here for Jess Bravin’s story in the WSJ; here and here for earlier LB posts on the measure. Oklahoma City federal Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange, set a Nov. 22 hearing to consider whether the Save Our State Amendment violates the U.S. Constitution. Until then, she issued a temporary restraining order preventing the state Election Board from certifying State Question 755, which passed by 70 percent last week. The measure directs state courts to ignore “legal precepts of other nations or cultures” and specifically forbids consideration of “international law or Sharia Law.” A Muslim activist in Oklahoma City, Muneer Awad, filed suit last week, alleging the measure violated the First Amendment, which forbids government from promoting an “establishment of religion” or interfering with “free exercise” of religion. So why are we not surprised that Judge Miles-LaGrange ordered the injunction? Because constitutional experts seem to agree thta the measure might have serious constitutional problems. "I would like to see Oklahoma politicians explain if this means that the courts can no longer consider the Ten Commandments,” said University of Oklahoma law professor Rick Tepker to CNN last week. A spokeswoman for the state attorney general’s office declined to comment to Bravin on Monday. No Oklahoma court is known to have cited Islamic law, but the measure’s backers say they fear that state judges might someday turn to it. “The future of our children and grandchildren is at stake,” a co-sponsor, Republican state Sen. Anthony Sykes, said in an interview last week.
VII. INTERFAX - Russian Church is ready to assist Constantinople to create favorable conditions for pastoral care of Orthodox population in Turkey
Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk says the Russian Orthodox Church is ready to help the Constantinople Patriarchate in the pastoral care of people arriving to Turkey from Russian and other former CIS republics. "Speaking about Turkey, we should be aware of the fact that apart from a rather tiny Greek minority there is also quite a large number of people from Russia and from other republics of the Soviet Union who belong to the Orthodox Church. All of them who are practicing believers are the new flock of the Ecumenical Patriarchate," Metropolitan Hilarion told in his interview to Greek Omega TV . According to the Archbishop's information, there are already priests in the Ecumenical Patriarchate who speak Russian and who work pastorally with these people. "So, I think the situation, though difficult, is not without hope. And the flock of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey is constantly growing. And this is a good sign and of course we are ready to assist the Ecumenical Patriarchate in every way in creating conditions for the pastoral care of all this Orthodox population regardless of their ethnic origin," the Department head said. Besides, Metropolitan Hilarion urged to "express solidarity, and not only in words but also in deeds, with Christian minorities worldwide and in particular with Orthodox minorities who live in the Middle East, who live in Turkey and who live in other places where historically they constitute the majority but for various reasons - including demographic reasons - they are becoming a minority."