Most Mainstream EU parties more or less agree that Europe should be now more active on Economic-Social Policies, (particularly after the Crisis and at least in the EuroZone), but there are big differencies on Turkey's controversial demand to enter the EU.

This last issue underpins differend conceptions on Europe's Political, Scientifico-technologic, Eco-social, Cultural and Human Rights' identity, as well as in relation to the People : EU Citizens.

The rest are secondary differencies on Defence-Security policies (mainly opposed by Leftists), or EU itself, (mainly opposed by marginal parties in certain countries).

What about EuroFora's idea, (already expressed to CoE staffers weeks ago), to invite new US President Barack Obama to visit CoE on the sidelines of his participation to NATO's April 2009 Summit in Strasbourg ?

Human Rights is an important link to someone related to Martin Luther King's civic rights American movement, and even CoE's BioEthics Convention (unique Legal instrument in the World) might be useful to alleviate some legitimate fears after Obama signed what he had promissed to BioTech Companies for tests on Human Embryos, so as to ensure that risks of abuse are avoided and Science develops for the general good of all Humanity.

Now that even CoE's SG, Terry Davis, visits Washington DC, he could hand over and prepare such a formal invitation to the White House to Obama, as EuroFora has already suggested.

=> Why not ?

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and London's G-Summit on the Financial Crisis topple EU Parliament's Agenda for the week after, in Strasbourg (March B), which is focused on Eco-social issues, including the results of EU Summit, EU's Cohesion policy and Mid-Term Review of EU Finances, EIB and ECB, Food prices, help to Poor people, etc.

This goes partly together with topical Foreign Policy issues, as EU - USA relations after new American President Barack Obama's election, (as well as relations with India, Turkmenistan, Cote d'Ivoire, etc).

Global warming, by melting icebergs, opens easier access to the North Pole where Arctic Ocean's Energy sources seem important.

Several big countries (including US, Russia, Germany, etc) have already expressed their strategic interests on that issue.

Europe should not be absent : The area is more Peaceful than elsewhere, and closer to EU and CoE Member States. (Including Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Russia, etc., without forgeting also France's historic and cultural links with Canada's Quebec. Denmark and the UK are not far away. While others, even Central and Southern EU Members, may have interesting Sea and/or Space exploration technologies and/or experience to share).

Turkey's controversial EU bid, at the same time as EU Citizens' initiatives (Referenda ?) and EU Elections' anniversary 1979-2009, are at the focus of EU Parliament's session next week in Strasbourg.

What a coincidence...

It's a pitty that for such an important issue, as EU's 2004 Enlargement to 10 more Member Countries, from Center-East Europe to the Mediterranean (the biggest ever), that the Czech EU chairmanship has the good idea to prepare tomorrow at Prague, EU leaders' participation was limited only to a brief Baroso visit ("tbc"), and a short Economic review by a few experts...

The 2004 event had also Political, Cultural and Historic aspects, spearheading the reunification of Europe after the end of the cold war, highlighting Turkey's reluctance to respect its obligations vis a vis the EU on the occasion of Cyprus, raising the question of a possible European identity for the People in the future, etc.

It deserves much better than that..

Although China - EU commercial relations are growing fast (more than doubled in absolute value, even if representing only a small part of Pekin's faster moving foreign trade growth), they raise topical structural questions :

OK for the big Mercedes and BMW deals, electronic equipment, etc. just signed in Germany. Chemicals, telecoms, banking, tourism, etc. will probably follow in Switzerland, Spain and the UK to be visited by a chinese businessmen group.

But among what China's development notoriously needs most are also High Speed Trains, and several other matters, including to update its pioneer 200 million € deal about the European Satellite Navigation System GALILEO (dating from 2003) for the horizon 2012, etc.

Including  strong, reliable allies on how to face "turkic" and various other threats to provoke minorities' unrest, separatism or terrorism, etc, as India faced recently by Pakistani extremists  in the Central Asian area.

 And that means also France, Brussels, Strasbourg, and other EU Countries or European/International organizations' headquarters..

That's why nobody should get fooled by a few superficial "banana skins" thrown at EU - China structural trade prospects by some manipulative networks.

As for Europe, it should forge a united front in Economy-Hih Tech as well as on Political matters, and never be divided and weakened. In fine, that's also China's Geo-Politic interest.

It becomes more and more obvious that an anti-European lobby blocks Russian gas supplies for the EU in order to manipulate Brussels technocrats and exploit the provocked blockade by imposing to the EU a controversial, too long, too expensive, and risky Turkish pipeline, controlled by others..

For all those who are not dupe :

- Since the Pipeline crisis proved that any oleo/gazoduc can easily be blocked 100%, under any pretext, by a 3rd Country out of the EU, why don't we start using and developing Gas Ship transports of LNG ?

According to recent EU programs, networks of Sea and River Ship transports of Energy can be funded by the EU, as TENS, etc.

Urgent moves in this direction might have been evoked fex. during a recent phone call between Russian Prime Minister Poutin and Romanian President Basescu.

But it's obviously important to think also for the Future.