newsitems

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- A vibrant Call for "a Big Deal", (compared to the Historic "New Deal" which had succeeded to overcome the most important Global Crisis of 1929), was launched Today by the incoming, New EU Commission's President, experienced long-time former Prime Minister of Luxembourg and Chairman of "€uroZone"s "EuroGroup"), Jean-Claude Juncker, a Christiandemocrat/social EPP politician who Won the 1st place at the recent, May 2014 EU-wide Elections, speaking at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, just before MEPs' give a quite Strong Backing to all his Collective, 28-Member new EU Commission for the Next 5 Years period of 2014 - 2019, with a "reliable Majority" (as noted afterwards EU Parliament's President Martin Schulz himself), of 423 positive Votes, against only 209, and 67 Abstentions, despite a "different" composition  now, where "EuroSceptics" of the Left and/or of the Right, have notoriously taken a large part.

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- "It's Time that we had a real Big Deal", with "a Broad Coalition of (EU) Countries, and the main Political Parties, to work Together on a 3-Pilar Structure", able to join both necessary "Structural Reforms and Fiscal Credibility", as well as "Investment", Juncker declared, promissing also to "treat (EU) Member States equally", and "to be Tough, when we (EU Commission) need to be tough", as he added on this occasion.

 - He apparently reminded the Historic 1st €uroZone Summit of Heads of State/Government, (with a partial participation even of the UK), back on 10 October 2008, when, shortly after the USA-born Global Crisis had just emerged throughout the World, the former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, together with German Chancellor Angie Merkel, as well as Juncker himself, as €uroGroup's President, had succeeded to decide a ground-breaking, voluntaristic joint EU Plan for simultaneous National Actions to Boost Investments for Growth, by acting all together, in parallel, with concrete Measures through Coordinated National channels acting jointly. Something which can't, obviously, be simply repeated Today, particularly not among Debt-ridden EU Countries striving to complete putting their Finances back in order. Moreover, it's not really needed something Identical, since, after the success of that 2008-initiated more, now EU Economies are no more in Recession, but just at zero or slow Growth.

 - However, "after its latest Peak in 2007", "the Level of Investment in the EU Dropped by just Under € 500 Billion or - 20%",  so that "We (EU) are facing an Investment Gap'",  that "we (EU) have to Bridge", critically observed Juncker Today.

 - "EU can Help make it happen", he stressed, pointing at "an Ambitious € 300 Billion Investment Package, for Jobs, Growth and Competitiveness", that he had already highlighted. Naturally, "there is No Magic Bullet, or Grwowth Button to push in Brussels", so that, at any case, "Structural Reforms, Fiscal Credibility, and Investment, at National and EU-level, have to go Hand by Hand", he warned MEPs.

    But, speaking later to Journalists in Strasbourg, including "EuroFora", Juncker, at the same time clearly confirmed his intention to present an "Investment Package befor Christmas", but also kept entirely Tight-lipped about what might be its concrete content. He simply revealed that he had "thought a lot" about that, but expressed the wish to be able to also start "Discussing" his main Idea at EU level, apparently both with all the New EU Commissioners, as well as EU Countries' Heads of State/Government, (starting, most probably, from the forthcoming EPP and EU Summits, later this week in Brussels), before going public. Earlier Today, he promissed MEPs that the New EU Commission will Start "Working on that, Day and Night, from the first Day" that the New Team will convene together, (i.e., practically, in 2 Weeks' time).

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A concrete attempt to think further in this direction was Highlighted, later Today, by EU Parliament's Rapporteur on the European Semester (i.e. a collective Check up and Coordination of EU's 28 Member States' draft Budgets and Economic policies for the comming Year), Liberal/Conservative MEP Philippe de Backer, from the new Governing Majority Coalition in Belgium, (and former suppleant of EU Commissioner  Karel De Gucht), in reply to a relevant "EuroFora" Question, about events which seem to have hindered "EU's real potential" (See also Infra, about the Ukraine crisis) :

 

 
 - Even if; back on 1970ies, some had claimed that "Zero Growth" might make the World a Better place, nevertheless, we had Zero Growth, for several quarters, but the World is Not getting a Better Place"..

 => In consequence, yes, "We (EU) have to do everything in order to ensure that we can create Sustainable Growth. Because in the Past, there was a lot of Artificial Growth, created based basically on Debt. But this isn't, of course, Sustainable", he reminded.
=> Therefore, "what we (EU) have to find, is New Ways, f.ex. by activating  Savings' accounts, Pensions' accounts, Insurance Companies, etc., to Start Investing again".

"It has to do, partly, with Trust". "But there is a lot of Industry, a lot of Capable People, a lot of Enterpreneership, here in the EU, so, the Projects are there. It's Now Time to convince also the Investors, to make sure they step back in".  So, creating this <<Investor Interesting Climate>> is going to be important", he pointed out.

+ "Second, the Growth will have to come from a Mix, of Public and Private Investments. Some (EU) Counties have some (Public) Budgetary Space to Invest. They Can do it, and Should do it, also in their own Interest", but, at the same time, a Large part of the Investment will have to come from the Private sector".

>>> Indeed, "there is a lot of Cash, Today, standing on the side, and the Question will be how we (EU) can Activate that. Because, if we are able to activate that, i.e. to Guide it towards the Real Economy, then, there will be New Projects, New Investments, New Compagnies, New Jobs that there will be created, and, ultimately, we'll see Growth returning again".

Similar observations, particularly on substantial Private Savings despite State's Debts, had been made previously not only on France, (f.ex. by former President Sarkozy, when he decided a "Grand Emprunt" for RST), as well as in Italy, but even in Greece a.o. Countries.

In this regard, "at EU - level, we can  do several things :

 
- First of all, we have to remove some of the Barriers of the Internal (EU) Market, f.ex., and Complete the Internal Market for Goods and Services. F.ex. make sure that we create a Capital Market, and that "Energy Union" that Juncker is talking about, to be sure that we (EU)  have reasonable Energy Prices, so that Compagnies can be also more Competitive at a Global Market", as De Becker observed, (curiously forgetting, however, to remind also the need to "Unlock the great Potential of our -EU's- huge Digital Single Market", that the incoming new EU Commission's President also stressed, earlier Today, as part of his planned "1st Legislative Initiatives").

- "So, all these elements have to put into place during the next 5 Years (2014-2019), and, If we do that", we "can be very Optimistic about Europe, that we'll reconnect also with Growth". "But, as Juncker said, this is going to be the (EU) Commission of the Last Chance : Or we do it, in the Next 5 Years, or we face the issues : If in 5 Years time, we (EU) have the same Growth Numbers as Today, and we have the same Unemployment as Today, then we shall have a Fundamental Problem, not in the least because we would have failed, as Policy Makers, to deliver to our Citizens", EU Parliament's Rapporteur warned.

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+ Need to solve  the Ukranian issue Quickly
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    + On this occasion, it's also the current "Ukraine" issue which should be settled, acknowledged De Becker, (as "EuroFora" had reminded, citting recent Economic Figures, as well as OECD's Head, Angel Guria"s statement on the Negative Economic Impact to Europe by the Division provokd via the latest Ukranian Crisis, as he told us recently at the CoE : See ......). "Ukraine, indeed, affects also our (EU's) relations with Russia. So, its up to us (MEPs) to make it sure that EU Commission and EU Leaders try to Normalize the situation as Quickly as possible", he advised.

    - Certainly, "not at any condition", particularly when "certain things happen for which EU Parliament has said that it's going way too far". So, this will have an impact, because we (EU) have always to make sure that we don't forget about this GeoPolitical issue. But, at the same time, we (EU) have to make sure that we put Our House in Order". In consequence, "it's EU Parliament's job to ensure that, the Strategy that we (MEPs) develop here, does take into account this GeoPolitical situation, but also that, in the End, we can deliver for our Citizens", De Becker proposed in conclusion.

- Juncker himsel didn't hide the fact that various "Huge Challenges await us (EU)". "Citizens are losing faith, Extremists, on the Left and Right are nipping at our heels", while "our Competitors are taking liberties", he warned. "But it's up to us to Shape those Challenges".

- In fact, "It's Time we Breathed a New Lease of Oxygen to bring more Life into the European project" stressed the only EU Leader who has ever Won an Euro-Referendum, (as Juncker has already done, even at a "Hard" moment, both as National Prime Minister and rotating EU President, already as early as back on 2005 : Comp. Statements that he had given then to "EuroFora"s co-Founder at Luxembourg). In particular, we must "ensure that the.. European Social Model is clearly Visible in Everything we do. Because Europe is our Protective Shield", and "this magnificent Continent our Home", as he concluded in his Speech to MEPs, inviting them "to set Europe in Motion anew".

- Indeed, the New EU Commission's President stressed from the outset, speaking to EU Parliament's Plenary in Strasbourg, just before MEPs' Vote on the Collective of 28 New Commissioners, that, all together, should "now" "work Differently" : "Not as a simple Sum of Parts", but "as a Team", i.e. "as a Collectif,  Body", "a Political (EU) Commission at the service of the Common Good and of European Citizens" : "The Time for Action is Now", as EU's "Problems cannnot be pushed under the carpet", as he said.

  - One among many and various possible concrete Examples, was given when, during his subsequent Press Conference, a collegue from Italy questioned Juncker "about the Drama of Refugees, jumping over the fences", as he said., "Don't you think that this is an Urgent Problem to settle, not only for the Individual Countries, but also for (all) the EU ? What will be done in order to treat Simple People in Dignity ?", (considering, moreover, that those affected are not only those Immigrants, but even the People obliged to live in some areas submerged by such Massive arrivals - often former immigrant Families themselves..).

 - "It's right to say that the (EU) Countries directly affected, are not the only ones to have a Responsibility, and we (EU) must have a Solidarity, let's say between North and South, in order to try to solve this Problem", started to reply Juncker. In this regard, "I've appointed an (EU) Comissioner on Immigration", "Legal and ilegal", (Greece's former Minister Avramopoulos, to whom Juncker has just pointed out Today, in his Speech at EU Parliament, that he also decided to give the portofolio of EU "Citizenship"). Even if these (EU) policies have yet to be concretely developed, nevertheless, "it's obvious that Europe should deal with such Problems  - including in Budgetary terms-  more in (concrete) detail", as he stressed.

  +  "We (EU) shouldn't think only in terms of absolute figures", added also later-on Juncker, reacting after some observations by Schulz, one of which included a plaidoyerie in favour of supposed Turkey's "efforts" around Syria, (rather strange, particularly coming at a moment when Ankara is notoriously accused to have facilitated brutal Extremist Islamist Terrorist BeHeaders of "ISIS" through its borders towards Syria and Iraq, while, on the contrary, it persists to impose a scandalously quasi-Total Blockade around the Syrian Kurdish City of Kobane, which is desperately resisting to ISIS continuous Attacks with Sophisticated Weapons such as "Humvee Tanks", "Avraam Tanks", launch-Missiles' systems, etc, obviously threatening to result in a Massacre even worse than what has recently happened around Mosoul, etc)...

 - "Several countries (as f.ex. Turkey, to which EU Parliament's President Schultz had just refered, in this regard), pretend that they are more concerned, by citting Absolute Figures".

>>> That's not a just debate. Because, in fact, "you should examine the Number of Refugees.Asylum Seekers in relation to the Total Population of a country", he clearly indicated.

=> Then, You will easily realize that, in fact, some "Bigs", aren't, in fact, the Biggest" in this regard. "As well as that the "Small" ones, are often "Bigger" than the Big"..., Juncker concluded.

In addition to Malta, Cyprus and other such exposed EU Countries, it's obviously in particular Debt-ridden and hard-struggling to survive and revive its Economy on Healthy basis, Greece that Juncker should have in mind by that observation, given the disproportionaly Huge Mass of illegal and other Immigration, often from totaly unrelated, remote Asian or African Countries, who notoriously arrive to EU's External Borders in Greece by crossing through Turkey, (f.ex. numerous Pakistani, etc), which even refuses to ac(coplish its Duty for "ReAdmission", only blackmailing the EU by asking to give, in exchange, to .. all (70 Millions !) Turks a legal Access throughout the entire EU without any Visa from 2017... An explosive "Mix" made out of Identity issues, Poor Neighborhoods changed into Gettos,  Insecurity/Aggressions, Human Rights' problems, dramatic insufficiency of Material means to treat People fairly, Excessive Reactions from either side, exploitation by various Traffic Networks, and/or Politicians, etc., had been notoriously provoked until recently, with more serious consequences in fact, than one would say at first sight.

So that, since it's obviously true that, as President Schulz pointed out : - "Most immigrants want to go just in 3 Countries", among EU's 28 Member  States, using Mediterranean Countries as steping stones, even ECHR was obliged to react during recent years, by exceptionaly anouncing that it would systematically Refuse to accept any Expulsion of an ilegal Immigrant from a Central/Northern European Country if he/she was due to be sent back to Greece, where it had become practically impossible to treat such persons in a fair manner, given also the huge disproportion between available means and the quasi-Systematic Massive Influx perpetuated mainly through Turkey, (which, by the way, did notoriously more to provoke various more or less "Racist" reactions among some People, than any eventual ideology or attempt to exploit the situation by any politicians, as even the recent examples of some Big, Central/Northern EU Countries recently attest)...

- "We (EU) cannot and won't sweep mounting Problems under the carpet", "nor turn a Blind eye" : "Time for European Action is Now !", stressed from the outset President Juncker at his Speech at EU Parliament, right after observing the fact that "From Ukraine to Syria, Middle East and North Africa, our (EU's) Neighbourhood remains Shaky and Unstable", due to various recently provoked Crisis, included even "Cross-Border Health Threats, as Ebola epidemic, (which) has seized (EU) Citizens with an understandable degree of Fear", as he noted. So that "Scores of Immigrants arriving at EU's External Borders, in search of a Better Future, remind us of the Need to reconcile the Quest of Solidarity with the demand for Safe Borders", as he said earlier.

While also clearly Refusing to "Suspend Shengen" system of intra-EU free movement of EU Citizens, as he added afterwards during his subsequent Press Conference, because this is "a Basic Principle of the EU" Integration, "since the very Beginning", that Europeans "are not prepared to abandon", also "because if one Destroys a basic Freedom" for EU Citizens, "then, also Other fundamental Liberties willk follow" as targets, Junker warned, obviously prefering to focus on the main origin of real problems : that of the obvious need to strenghten EU's External Borders, (Comp. Supra).

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- While MEPs denounce Restrictions of -522 Miilions € less in commitments and - 2,3 Billions less in payments in 2015 Budget, even in Research, Innovation, Education, Competitiveness and Humanitarian crisis'response, nevertheless, Turkey is to be paid about 1 Billion € in full Grants, unless it doesn't respect its obligations vis a vis the EU, confirmed the President of EU Parliament's Budget Committee, experienced, former long-time Minister (since the 1990ies, with former President Chirac, etc), and Party Leader, French MEP Jean Arthuis, speaking to "EuroFora", the same days that Warships accompagnying Turkish underseas "exploration" vessels are provocatively sent by Ankara's Government to intrude in EU Member State Cyprus' exclusive economic zone, where on-going  oil-gas findings seem promissing for imminent further discoveries of natural Energy resouces badly needed by Energy-thirsty EU, which would otherwise continue to depend only on Foreign, 3rd Countries and dangerous, expensive and long Transport routes.

President Arthuis has just got a Strong, 464 MEPs' Votes-backed, against only 186, EU Parliament's mandate, after Today's Vote on a Resolution for the 2015 Budget, to Negotiate with EU Council another deal, hopefuly before the End of this year (2014). The overall debate in Strasbourg included also an almost 5 Billions € delay in payments for commitments of the last years (2013-2014), which is obviously an additional big problem to solve with Inter-Institutional, intra-EU Negotiations between EU Parliament and EU Council, as he reminded us, on this same occasion.

But, meanwhile, EU Parliament Budget Committee Head's Timely observation about Turkey's commitments and obligations vis a vis the EU, as a normal condition for continuing to pay about 1 Billion € in full Grants also next Year (2015), even if core EU policies, such as Scientific Research and Technological Innovation, Competitiveness, Education, Humanitarian issues, etc, possibly suffer from  a sharp Reduction between - 522 Millions € in payments and - 2,3 Billions € in commitments that same Year 2015 (Comp. Supra), was preceded by relevant Topical statements from the New EU Commission's President, former long-time Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Juncker, as well as EU Parliament's own President, German MEP Martin Schulz, also on Turkey :

- When EU faces Today one among its "Biggest Challenges" on how to cover its "Energy" needs, "what does the EU do in order to defend its Natural (re)sources", at least "in the Exclusive Economic Zone of an EU Member Country"(Cyprus), which "is Violated now by a Candidate Country (Turkey) ?", asked, (carefuly reading out  a prepared written question), one of the numerous collegues from Cyprus who have just arrived exceptionaly in Strasbourg for this session.

Both Juncker and Schultz pointed mainly at the new EU High Representative on External policies, f. Fodeign Minister of Italy, Federica Mogherini :

 - "I will discuss this question with Mrs Mogherini, because she is in charge of this kind of issues, and then Mr Johanes Han, who is in charge of Neighborhood (EU policy), and then, we'd come to a Conclusion, and take all the needed Actions", promissed Juncker.

 - "The Conference of Presidents decided, yesterday to put it on the Agenda of the Parliament and also to debate the role of Turkey in that regard. I we take note that the Rights of a Sovereign Member Country of the (European) Union, as the Republic of Cyprus, are Violated by a Candidate State, then, we have to Act. And that's the reason why we (EU Parliament) asked from the (EU Commission's) High Representative (on Foreign policy, f. Italian Minister Federica Mogherini) for a Declaration. This is not yet a Judgement, but you see that the European Parliament is taking that very seriously", added Schulz.

Concerning particularly the key role of incoming new EU High Representative for External Action, f. Italian Foreign Minister, Federica Mogherini, later this Afternoon, the President of EU Parliament's Socialdemocrat Group, Italian MEP Gianni Pittella, speaking to Journalists, including "EuroFora", stressed that Mogherini is expected to act for " a Value that we regard as Crucial : EU Solidarity", both inside and outside of Union's borders, as he pointed out, speaking shortly after the above-mentioned Juncker-Schulz anouncements on Turkish Warships violating Cyprus' territorial waters inside the Oil/Gas Energy searches exclusive economic zone, (Comp. Supra).

But, meanwhile, EU Citizens, as well as Politicians, will probably have to check even if ... EU Money given to Turkey (including by Poor People who pay VAT in EU Member Countries) didn't, in fact, arrive even up to ... Islamic Extremist Terrorist BeHeaders of "ISIS", given the fact that, as experienced, mainstream Brittish MEP from the Governing Conservative Party, Dr. Charles Tannock, a long-time Foreign Affairs Spokesman, observed later this Afternoon, at EU Parliament's Plenary Debate on Kobane,

Turkey has not yet clarified its position regarding rumours that it persists to help "ISIS" through its own territory, as it did also in the Past, (notoriously a corridor for various other Armed Groups, indeed), nor dd Ankara reveal the Content of its recent Agreement negotiated with that same ISIS, in order to convince it to exceptionaly free, (in an astonishingly Good Shape, as if they were returning back from Touristic Holidays ! ) all Turcs detained at Mosoul, contrary to the Atrocities faced by almost all other Countries' Hostages...

A fortiori, when, as it's well known, (particularly to several German MEPs of the Governing ChristianDemocrat/EPP Party), EU's Court of Auditors has repeatedly denounced the fact that many EU Grants to Turkey have been spend without any real Proof on where exactly  (and/or : What for) did all that Money really go...  An obvious Discrepancy, which had led certain MEPs to table Amendments to EU's Annual Budgets, in recent years, clearly asking to "Suspend" or "Freeze", totally or partialy, the flow of EU Money given to Turkish National Authorities under pretext of a notoriously controversial and unpopular EU bid.

Meanwhile, Cyprus' National Council, which brings together all political parties, has just decided that, among a series of various Measures in response of the provocations by Turkish warships inside the island's EEZ, Nicosia won't accept, no more, any opening of any more Chapters to the Inter-Governemental EU - Turkey Negotiations, while Cyprus' President Nicos Anastassiades has reportedly sent also a Letter denouncing the interference by Turkish Warships to UNO's Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. 

     After USA's "Noble Energy", also Italy's and South Korea's ENI/KOGAS were due to start drilling towards the End of 2014, while France's TOTAL would follow at the beginning of 2015.
 

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*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- Energy Giant "TOTAL" French Compagny's CEO, Christophe de Margerie, who has just been killed at a non-elucidated Airplane crash while leaving Moscow for Paris, was a key person both among Critics against USA-led EU Sanctions on Russia, and on Cyprus' Gas Exploration, a matter of big potential, but harassed by Turkish Warships these same days...
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- TOTAL's CEO had already been among the most important representatives of French Business, Politics and Culture who had recently met with Russian Duma's President Naryshkin, during an exceptional visit last September in Paris, where he spoke with CoE's Parliamentary Assembly's Bureau mainly on the Ukranian crisis. The civil-society parallel gathering was particularly focused on the disadvantages and the Harm provoked to the PanEuropean cooperation and Economy by USA-led EU Sanctions on Russia : Something against which, Margerie had notoriously spoken, even in public, at various occasions recently.

His latest visit to Moscow, earlier this week, was reportedly focused on a collective meeting with Russian Prime Minister Medvedev on current Cooperation Projects, (including, it seems, Arctic Ocean's and/or Siberia's natural resources), and Margerie's strange rush to urgently return back to Paris immediately, even by taking the risk to fly overnight, at almost MidNight (!), while a sudden Cold had even diminished Visibility, might probably have been due to the fact that he wanted to be actively present, Next Morning, Tuesday, October 21st, around the French Presidential Elysée Palace, where President Hollande had scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Fabius and, subsequently, hold a larger Ministerial meeting focused on the forthcoming EU Summit in Brussels, 23-24 October 2014, which would notoriously deal both with the question whether to maintain or at least partialy lift the USA-led EU Sanctions against Russia, as well as with Turkey's Warships' provocations against Cyprus' Gas, which had just started.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and many other Moscow Officials were obviously upset by the un-elucidated yet Tragic Incident which suddenly provoked the brutal Death of Margerie and 3 other persons (including his Pilot), called the Head of TOTAL a real "Friend", denounced at least a "Criminal Negligence", if not even worse, among those responsible for what happened at the Vnukovo Airport, and accelerated an impressive series of Arrests followed of Jail Detentions or Home Confinements, etc., f.ex. of the driver of a snow-cleaning car which obstructed the runaway during Margerie Falcon's uplift, Mr. Martynenko (despite the denials of his Lawer Mr. Karabanov), 2 Airport's Agents : Miss Krivsun and Mr. Kruglof, added to various other Senior Officials, while also firing its CEO, Andrew  Clerks, etc, ... (a real collection of astonishingly Foreign-looking, not-really Russian, Names !).

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+ What is less known in Public, is the personal importance of Christophe de Margerie's own role at another "Hot" issue which suddenly surfaced these same days, up to the forthcoming EU Summit at the of this week in Brussels : Turkey's provocative decision to send Warships together with "Barbaros Pasa" undersea exploration Turkish Ship, inside EU Member Cyprus' Exclusive Economic Zone, even in front of European/International Compagnies'  allocated areas, where they were starting drilling and/or other Oil/Gas Exploration activities near previous recent findings.

In fact, after USA's "Noble Energy" (from Texas), which had already drilled with success at one block, due to follow Italian "ENI"'s and South-Korean KOGAS' drills of this last quarter of 2014 at another Block, French "TOTAL" is due to start drilling at a 3rd Block in Cyprus' Exclusive Economic Zone from the Beginning of 2015, i.e. it represents the next big step in the on-going search for more Oil/Gas resources in that area, close to which Israel has already made recently Huge Findings, after Egypt, etc.

But TOTAL's (one of the Biggest 4 or 5 Energy Companies in the World), decision to get involved in Cyprus' Gas resources was, in fact, taken by its CEO, Christophe de Margerie, personaly, during a meeting with "EuroFora"s co-Founder in the French Presidential Palace of "Elysée", at an unforgetable Evening of precisely January 6, 2012 :

After the participants to an Annual Conference on European Economy's role in a Globalized World, named "New World - New Ideas", heard a landmarkk Speech by out-going G-8 and G-20 Chairman, the then President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, during a subsequent Reception, "EuroFora" approached Margerie and, after reminding him the first Findings of Energy Resources at EU Member Cyprus' territorial waters, initially by an American Company, asked him whether a core EU Country like France, (in whose Kingdom had been also, in History, that strategic island for more than 4 Centuries in the Past), would be "Present" there too, in the foreseable Future.

- TOTAL's CEO immediately replied that "he Knew" about mainly "Gas Findings" in that area, and, after apparently giving a thought to the matter, suddenly lifted his head and told us, with resolution, that - "Yes, France too, will be Present there", but we must now "move fast" enough, as Margerie added at the end with a smile, obviously playing also with words, which indicated, by the way, in addition, that, now it was Time to advance towards Elysée's main entrance, as we were the Last (together with a former Minister of Trade, and a few ladies, etc), visitors of that Night...

Shortly afterwards, in some Months' time, it soon became also Public News that Margerie had kept his promises : France's "TOTAL" had, indeed, entered as a New Big Player in the South-Eastern Mediterranean Energy resources game, (as also ENI, KOGAS, etc), at the side of EU-Member Cyprus, until things evolved up to the imminent, now, Drillings scheduled from January-March 2015.

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++ Moreover, both these two above-mentioned issues, probably were closely interlinked together recently, more and more near Margerie's key role, when Russian President Vladimir Putin and Cyprus' President Nicos Anastasiades reportedly met at the sidelines of the recent EU - ASEAN Summit at Milan (Italy), just a few Days ago, where the issue of Turkey's violent threats against Cyprus' sovereign Right to peacefuly exploit its territorial waters' natural resources in oil/gas, was discussed, in the run-up for the forthcoming EU Brussels' Summit of October 23-24, 2014, where the maintenance or partial/total review of US-led Sanctions against Russia had notoriously been included already in the Agenda, which was expected to extend also to Cyprus.

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("DraftNews", as already sent to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors, earlier. A more accurate, full Final Version might be published asap). 

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*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- A last-minute Amendment urging to Boost International Investigations on a series of serious Tragic Incidents affecting Human Rights and Political Developments throughout all the process of the Ukranian Crisis, was, surprisingly, the only one which succeeded to win almost  a quasi-Unanimity and gather by far the Most Votes among a CoE's PanEuropean body with Elected Repesentatives  from 47 Countries in a New Resolution on Ukraine.

    That move was the only one to receive 88 Votes in favour, against just 15 and 7 Abstentions, at the Plenary of CoE's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (CLRAE), while, on the contrary, all other among 9 Amendments, and even the entire Resolution as such, didn't manage to get but a much Lower score.

    Only an Amendment "reaffirming (CoE's) commitment to a Peaceful Dialogue, on the basis of European Values, especially in respect of Human Rights, including Language Rights of National Minorities", tabled mainly by the experienced, out-going CLRAE President Herwig Van Staa, an experienced long-time EU/CoE Top Politician from Austria's Tirol, which had been "previously agreed at the Bureau", together with his collegue, the new CRAE President, French Senator Jean-Claude Frecon and others, as Van Staa himself reminded, did manage to get the Support of at least 82 Votes, against 10 and 12 Abstentions.

    On the contrary, all other Amendments, written and oral, as well as the Final Resolution itself, failed to get more than about 70  or even 60 Votes, or so,  (i.e. more than 10 or 20 Less), while various other were even Rejected.

    Initially, among a list of "Serious Crimes and Human Rights Violations" targetted by that Top Call "for Independent and thorough International Investigations", were more or less Explicitly Included mainly the notorious "Maidan events in February 2014", (when unidentified yet Snipers reportedly shot and killed both Policemen and Demonstrators, provoking an outburst of Violence which notoriously  topled an written Compromise Agreement concluded between out-going President Yanukovich and all Opposition Leaders, under the auspices of 3 EU Foreign Ministers from France,

Germany and Poland, that could have safeguarded the Unity of the Country), as well as "later on Odessa", (the atrocious Killing of more than 45 Dissidents, burned alive after being attacked by armed para-military groups imported from other towns, which rushed to ransack, destroy and burn down a Collection of Signatures for a Popular Referendum), but also "in Mariupol", and "near Donetsk", (where some "Mass Graves" of People atrociously Tortured, before being killed apparently in cold-blood, including several Women, were reportedly found recently), etc.

    But, even without contesting at all the seriousness and the crucial importance of finding the Truth on so important Tragic Incidents as those cited above, it was, finally, considered preferable, by a lower Majority, to simply refer to all such exceptionaly Important and "serious Crimes committed against Human Rights during all the main events of the Ukranian crisis.

    + Meanwhile, mainly Russian MEPs had also asked to add, regarding the required "Investigations", specifically, an observation "expressing Concern about the Delay of the investigation of the Malaysian Boeing crash, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine", which has been "Urged" also "by the UN Security Council Resolution 2166", as early as since the "21 July 2014", as they reminded in further Amendments, which were, finally, put aside, by a lesser Majority, preferring to focus on the above-mentioned General Formula which covers all these particular matters..