May 26, 2012

Fight for Ukraine is not over

By Irina Severin | 05.25.2012
Merkel seeks Tymoshenko's  treatment In Germany. Tymoshenko's safety in Ukraine can not be guaranteed despite the extra security measures employed

Moderate expectations

A shift in the EU relation to Ukraine from threatening with boycott  to cooperation hopefully will give its fruits. Azarov's invitation for the EU lawyers to take part in Tymoshenko trial gives possibility to resolve the problem with Tymoshenko imprisonment without creating an impression that Yanukovych gave up to the pressure, but he does this in the context of approximation of the Ukrainian judiciary system  to the EU standards. 
The problem for the EU is that Yanukovych never gives up to the pressure - be it from Moscow or from Brussels. An opposite - if the pressure is applied he will act against his own interests and the interests of the country protecting first of all his self-esteem. Even if black and white approach is understandable at the parliamentary level, as politicians care more about the impression they create and reelection and not always are able to get to the the essence of the problem, at the executive and diplomatic level should be employed more sophisticated approach.
It seems that a search for the mutual acceptable solution was exactly the reason of the Ukrainian  prime-minister invitation for the European lawyers to take part in the Tymoshenko trial as well as the proposition that they can study all related to the case documents in order to evaluate them from the European point of view.  

May 19, 2012

Radical left and neo-Nazis score well in Greek elections

EUobserver.com / Political Affairs / Radical left and neo-Nazis score well in Greek elections

Radical left and neo-Nazis score well in Greek elections

06.05.12 @ 21:46
By Valentina Pop
 
BRUSSELS - Greek voters on Sunday (6 May) punished the two ruling parties responsible for the last EU bail-out and its austerity measures by giving the radical left the second highest number of votes and allowing a neo-Nazi party into the legislature for the first time.
Early official results after 10 percent of the votes were count show that the centre-right New Democracy party has gained the most votes (19.2%) but it is not enough to re-make the current ruling coalition with the Social Democrats (Pasok).