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Home arrow In Brief arrow Lepage calls to Change or Stop TTIP while USA-EU Talks intensify in Brussels and Russia outlaws GMOs

Lepage calls to Change or Stop TTIP while USA-EU Talks intensify in Brussels and Russia outlaws GMOs

Written by ACM
Tuesday, 03 February 2015
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*Strasbourg./Salle de l'Aubette/Angelo Marcopolo/- Famous Ecology and Civil Society Activist and Lawyer, former Minister of Environment and MEP, Corinne Lepage, speaking at Strasbourg's European Bio-Ethical Forum (FEBS), launched a vibrant Call to Change or Stop the TransAtlantic Trade Partnership (TTIP), while USA - EU Negotiations intensify this week where Monsantos a.o. American Multinationals' GMOs, (including, this time, no only Plants but also Animals), were anew at the forefront.


On the Contrary, by a Timely coincidence, this Same Day, Russia started an Official Legal procedure in order to OutLaw GMOs, both of Plants and Animals, (except for Scientific Reseacrh purposes), after a Government's Draft Bill was registered at the Duma for Final Adoption !

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EU has set the End of 2015 as a non-binding  Time Deadline for the completion of Negotiations both on the Trans-Atlantic and on the EU - EurAsian Trade Areas, (the latter on the occasion of the Ukranian issue). If both are concluded, then, the practical result might be close to  a Huge Trade Area from Vancoover up to Vladivostok...

 

- "Nothing goes with it, it's completely flawed !", strongly Criticized Lepage the TTIP, in reply to an "EuroFora"s Question, at the conclusion of a Massively attended 2 Hours' Conference on the Harmful consequences that some Substances may have to the detriment of Human Health, organized in the framework of the Annual, 2015 Strasbourg's European Forum on BioEthics, during which she was several times Applauded by a particularly numerous Audience in the completely full, Biggest Main Room of the Historic Artistic Monument of "Aubette", at the center of the City which Hosts both EU Parliament's Plenary sessions and the PanEuropean CoE with its ECHR, etc.

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Lepage has founded and co-directs a "Committee for Research and Independent Information on Genetic Engineering", (CRIIGEN), and was Keynote Speaker among various other Scientific Experts and/or Ecological NGO representatives in Today's main Lecture/Debates session of FEBS, where she focused particularly on the Need for thorough Scientific Expertise with Contradictory debates involving Citizens and all Civil Society.

There is a Strong Will in the EU to advance on a Trans-Atlantic Trade Area in order to Boost Trade on the Way Out of the Global Crisis, and Lepage has recently lost an ambitious bid to create a New Political Movement, at the latest, May 2014 EU Parliament's Elections.
 
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But, as several mainstream Media note, there is still a Vocal Opposition, particularly inside EU Parliament, which cannot be ignored.

(../..)

 

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

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    The recent paradox of freezing EU Talks with front-runner Croatia, while continuing controversial EU - Turkey talks, despite Zagreb's acceptance of Refugees' Human Rights to return, that Ankara refuses fex. in Cyprus, while both have "Good Neighborhood" problems vis a vis Slovenia, or Greece, Cyprus and Armenia respectively, can it be justified by the non-fullfilment of EU criteria, as Slovenia says, or, is it "Double Standards" ?    

The question became unavoidable after statements by Presidents of Slovenia and Croatia, Tuerk and Mesic, respectively, to "EuroFora", exclusively or among Strasbourg's journalists this week at the CoE, on the sidelines of its 2009 Summer University for Political Schools, which topically brought them together as successive key-note speakers.


    Comming only a few Months before EU checks Turkey's compliance to its commitments on Cyprus, etc., scheduled for December 2009, this obviously has a special importance for the coherence of EU Enlargement's principles.

     Suspension of EU Negotiations is a normal consequence in case of a Candidate Country's failure to fullfil EU Conditions, such as "Good Neighborhood relations", stressed at first Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk, current CoE's chair.

    But, regarding EU's Criteria,  there shouldn't be any "Double Standards",  reacted Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, commenting the fact that Turkey's controversial EU negotiations continue, while they were recently "freezed" in the case of Croatia, an "unquestionably European Country", which oficially accepts to respect Refugees Human Rights, contrary to Ankara's notorious refusals or reluctance.                                       

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           - "EU itself has set as a Criterium (for EU Enlargement) the "Good Neighborhood relations",  and their absence justifies the "Suspension" EU Negotiations, (f.ex. with Croatia), because of a Border dispute affecting the territorial integrity of an EU Member Country, stressed Slovenian President, Danilo Tuerk, CoE's Chairman in office (May - November 2009), speaking to Journalists in Strasbourg including "EuroFora".    

Questioned earlier what "consequences on EU's Enlargement policy" can have the "Ban on EU Membership Negotiations", imposed to Croatia, Tuerk replied that "this question comes down to the fulfillement of (EU) Criteria for membership. One has to look at each Candidate Country ., from the point of view whether it fullfils the Criteria that EU has set. One of them are Good Neighborhood Relations, I'd like to remind. And also, there are other factors, such as Justice, Home affairs, Rule of Law, and others".


    - "Now, ..Candidate Countries are at Different Levels of fulfillement of Criteria", he observed.

    - " Croatia is obviously the closest to that. I'm rather optimistic : I think that in the coming Months we'll have an opportunity to look at all these issues constructively and hopefully we'll be able to make progress". "My main concern, at this point, is the situation in Bosnia : We haven't seen enough progres domesticaly. We haven't seen enough during ..political parties within their country.We need a New Energy, a new energetic move towards the Candidature for EU membership. "Other (Western Balkan) Countries (Serbia, Montenegro, FYROM, Albania) have been making soaring Progress, and I think that they should be ready, in a few Years, for the Candidate status".

    - "As far as the Western Balkans are concerned, .. nobody should be left outside" the EU, Slovenian's President concluded, ommitting to mention Turkey's controversial EU bid.

    - "This process may be seen as Slow, but..  Slovenia has also has also been exposed to various "Booms of Slowness" in our accession period. But now we can say that the process was relatively quick, because changes which occur after becoming EU member, are quite large, and they require proper Preparations before the (EU) membership becomes a new factor, an impacting line for a new (EU) member country".
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EU "Solidarity" ?
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Slovenian statements made some participants from certain 3rd Countries as FYROM, etc. claim that "the Principle of EU Solidarity" would "produce a.. rising European Union Nationalism (sic !), against Non-EU Countries", as they said, asking unhappy foreign countries to form a "bloc" to exert pressure on the EU...    

But Croatian President Stjepan Mesic dismissed that, supporting "EU Integration", "after the Economy also in Political" issues, as "the achievement" of our times. In EU there is "diversity, but it's United", he stressed, "EU has to be United so that it can become a central factor of Peace" also at the surrounding areas, he replied.

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Speaking later exclusively to "EuroFora", the experienced twice President of Croatia, former President of the International "Non-Aligned" movement, denounced "Double Standards" in the way EU treats recently Croatia compared to Turkey :   

 - "I think that there shouldn't be Double Standards", stressed the Croatian President, in reply to a Question comparing the freeze of EU - Croatia talks, with the continuation of EU - Turkey talks, despite the fact that Croatia is an "unquestionably European country", while Turkey's EU bid is notoriously controversial.


    Mesic was reacting to the observation that, even if he confirmed his "respect of Refugees' Human Rights to return, etc. (See infra), nevertheless, EU talks are suspended with Croatia.. While for oher, controversial candidates, who refuse to respect Refugees' Rights to return, etc., as fex. Turkey does in occupied Cyprus and elsewhere, EU negotiations continue".

    - "I believe that Croatia's accession will confirm that all European Countries who fulfill all of the Conditions and achieve European Standards, have to join the EU. There shouldn't be any Double Standards", went on to add in reply President Mesic.

    In this relation, Croatia's President found "of paramount importance", CoE's "mechanisms enforcing ECHR's judgements"
    
    - "On Refugees and Displaced persons, the process will be completed only after the last person demanding to return will be allowed to do so !", President Mesic Croatia stressed earlier, setting a general standard of obvious importance also for otherr candidates, as f.ex. Turkey, often accused to exclude or heavily restrict Greek Cypriot Displaced persons' return to their Family Homes and ancestral land, provoke difficulties to Turkish-Kurd IDPs return to their home regions at the South-East, etc.

    Some "2.000 People are still reported Missing" in former Yugoslavia, for some Years, (as in Cyprus, modern Europe's oldest case, for 3 Decades. Nagorno-Karabach, Tcecnya in Russia, etc, more recently), and Investigations "will only be completed after establishing the fate of the last one of them", he added.
    
    Speaking earlier on "War Crimes", President Mesic stressed that "Leaders are responsible for (the) Wars (of the Past), not the People", and called against Impunity :  "Individuals have to be held Responsible for Crimes. International Penal Tribunals have to persecute those individuals", perpetrators of War Crimes, he underlined.

    Such statements naturally made Mesic rather popular at ECHR, whose President, French EuroJudge, Professor Jean-Paul Costa, looked particularly smiling when he welcomed him later on Wednesday afternoon, after Slovenian President Daniko Tuerk earlier this week.
           

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