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Inicio arrow newsitems arrow Alsace President Richert to EuroFora: New Big Region linking 5 Countries at EU Core: Projects+Values

Alsace President Richert to EuroFora: New Big Region linking 5 Countries at EU Core: Projects+Values

Escrito por ACM
12.07.15
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*Brumath/Angelo Marcopolo/- The only Region which will link the borders of 5 Neighbouring European Countries at EU's Core, on Januray 2016, (France, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium), that of the New Great French Region of ACAL, that will Unite Alsace, Lorraine and Champagne-Ardennes, must have the Will and the Capacity to Support Economic Development Projects able to Build Cohesion and Attract the Interest also of other Strong Partners, supporting EU Values and Commitments, stressed the Frontrunner Candidate to ACAL's Presidency, the Experienced current President of Alsace Region, Headquartered in Strasbourg, host of the PanEuropean CoE and EU Parliament's full Plenary Sessions, as well as of the ECHR, Shengen System's Secretariat, "EuroCorps", etc. which will become also ACAL's capital, Philippe Richert, replying to a relevant "EuroFora"s Question.

    Richert was speaking at a Press point during the 2015 Annual Summer Ragional Gahering of the main French Opposition Party of "Republicans", headed by experienced former President Nicolas Sarkozy, at Brumath city near Strasbourg, together with various other key Regional Politicians involved in various National, and/or European/International responsibilities.

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 - On January 2016, if things go as you wiish, "you could have  the Responsibility of a Great Region concerning both wider Franco-German Relations, that you know personaly well, and rSwitzerland, as well as relations to Luxembourg and even Belgium. What would be your Message to all those Countries ? Becaue it (ACAL) will be the only Region of France which will bring Together the Borders of 5 Neighbouring Countries located at Europe's Core", observed "EuroFora", questioning Richert.

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 - "This Great Region (New ACAL) will be a Region at the Core of European Issues", strongly declared from the outset, President Philippe Richert, in Reply to our question.


  - "First of all, obviously, because the Economic Development is, for us, a matter of Priority and a (Political) Will", anounced the Head of France's 2nd Region in Economiic terms (Alsace), after Paris, located all along one of Germany's most succesful economicaly regions, that of Baden-Wurtemberg.


- But also because the Future "Cohesion of this Great Region will allow us, one Day, to be a Strong Partner of Other Strong Partners, as, f.ex. with Baden-Wurtemberg, Rheinland-Palatinat (German Federated States/Länder), and naturaly also with Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, ", added the experienced Chief or French Alsace Region, which is also known for its special Links to the Chinese Region of Nankin, that had facilitated "Alsace International", headed by Reichert's close Friend, the Senator André Reichert, to have a superb High-Tech Ecological Building for Pavillon at he presitgious Shanghai 2010 World Expo, attended by a lot of Heads of State/Government from many Countries throughout the World. (Comp. relevant Chinese Consul General, former Diplomat in Brussels' replies to "EuroFora"s Questions in a Strasbourg Club's Press Conference on that landmark event : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/shanghai.html )


- "We (New Big Region of ACAL) will be there in order to be Partners in that (Economic) Development at the Heart of Europe", Richert stressed.

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 - "But, if you look well at the Map, indeed, this (New Big ACAL) Region will extend further until it faces  Brussels, starting from Strasbourg, etc. So, we'll become a Region which will be a Partner at Europe's core, supporting EU Values and EU Commitments", he promissed.


    >>> "In order to achieve that, it's up to us to Build, inside this Great Region, a Real Cohesion, in order to become Partners well Recognized by our Homologues in Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium", Philippe Richert underlined, as a matter of, naturaly, crucial Importance in this Change which aims to Bring Together, for the 1st Time in History, 3 formerly Independent French Ragions, (Comp. Supra).


    => - "And we'll better Succeed to do so, if we have Projects which are Interesting" for potential partners : "That's what we must do, and for which we have to Work", he anounced. - "It's not just to become Bigger" than in the Past. "We have also to Work and Find Solutions".

    + Already "The Fact that we (Alsace Region) opened in Brussels, Together with Champagne-Ardennes and Saarland, a (Joint) Representation Office", recently, located, both practicaly and symbolicaly, "at Luxembourg Street", as he noted, (speaking in Strasbourg the same week that EU Parliament just debated the incoming Luxembourg's EU Presidency's Agenda for the period of July - December 2015), "is a First Sign of our Capacity to Overcome, Today, those Divisions which still remain, but that we Want to Bridge"; Richert concluded in his Reply  to "EuroFora"s Question, Voluntaristicaly pointing to a New Horizon in the Regional landscape at Europe's core.

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Most Alsacian Politicians, from various Parties, had been at first Reluctant or Opposed to the initial Project drafted by the National French Government in Paris, for that particular Fusion ofthe currently much more numerous Regions in a lesser Number of Great Regions accross the Country, including the ALCA New Big Region. Sollicitated by Local Politicians and Citizens, the Head of the main Opposition Party of the "Republicans", former President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, had even Replied that, if he won the forthcoming 2017 French Presidential Elections, he wouldn't feel obligedat all from the relevant Commitments undertaken by current President Francois Hollande regarding that Controversial proposed Big Region. But, after the French National Assembly adopted the relevant Law, and the Constitutional Court didn't find anything wrong, while Strasbourg had, meanwhile, been confirmed by the French Government as Capital of the New, ACAL Greater Region, almost all started to play the game in practice, particularly as the December 2015 Elections scheduled for the choice of the New, Greater Regions' Leadership from January 1st, 201, are approaching.

 

(../..)

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(NDLR ; Fast Translation from the Original in French. + "DraftNews", as already send to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors, earlier. A more accurate, full Final Version may be published asap).

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Swedish Foreign Minister, Carl Bildt, speaking  to "EuroFora", denied rumors on Turkey's attempts to avoid an EU check of its obligations on Cyprus on December 2009 by blackmailing Nicosia to either accept any deal with intransigeant Turkish claims contrary to EU values on the island's political issue, or face threats against the territorial integriy of the EU island, semi-occupied by Ankara's army.

On the contrary, the incoming EU President-in-office, speaking exclusively to "EuroFora", promissed that he will act for EU Council's decisions on December 2009 assessment of Turkey's commitments on Cyprus to be kept.


    Bildt was asked to react to Cyprus' President Christofias' denunciation, earlier this week, that some want to exert "pressure" on Cyprus in order for Turkey to escape from its obligations.

    Avoiding to mention any precise Deadline, Bildt, however, warned about "Consequences" in case of "failure" to reunite Cyprus, but without saying whose responsibility an eventual deadlock might be.  

 Asked by "EuroFora" if there is a risk for "Turkey's commitments to "be forgotten or downgraded", "despite crystal-clear EU Council decisions and EU Parliament's latest Resolution on the assessment to make at the end of this year on Turkey's obligations", according to rumours that, instead of pressing Turkey, on the contrary, there might be "pressure on Cyprus", even "blackmail", as Media reported and President Christofias denounced this week, Bildt denied :

- "No ! ", he clearly replied.


- On the contrary, invited by "EuroFora", to "reassure that the Swedish EU Presidency (7-12/2009) will keep a fair stance, based on principles",  Bildt promised that "we (Swedish EU Presidency) will be very clear on all of the decisions taken by the (EU) Council".

He added, however, that "we have very numerous decisions that have been taken" by EU Council, as if he warned, also, on something else.

- "'I am not aware of any sort of statements coming out today''", Bildt started to say, on our reference to Cyprus' President Christofias" denunciation of Turkish lobby's manoeuvers this week, replying earlier to 'another"EuroFora"'s question during a Press Conference at EU Parliament in Strasbourg.


 - '"I know the issues that you' are concerned with'", he added, remembering  the statements he gave us when Sweden was chairing the PanEuropean CoE on 2008.

- "But, obviously, .. I think that Cyprus' Peace negotiations are extremenly important".

- And "'I think that we are at a unique moment in History, in the sens that both (Cyprus') President Christofias and Mr. Talat (the Turkish Cypriot leader), are personally convinced of the need to overcome the division".

 - "It's 20 Years since the fall of Berlin Wal, but we still have a Capital in Europe (Nicosia) that's divided". ,

- 'I don't that we should loose any time in overcoming that"..

 - ''We should be aware of the fact that success will bring great benefits, but failure, will also have major consequences. There will not be Status Quo' " It's a question of seeking a solution, or entering another situation, which is somewhat difficult to see exactly how that could evolve", he warned.

- "That being said, this is a negotiation for Cyprus itself", Bildt admitted.

 - ''We (EU) can support, the (EU) Commission primarily, be technically helpful, and then, of course, there is a specific role for the UN, when it comes to the Cyprus' situation".  

- "At least so far. It might not be for ever'. Certainly not for ever, but for this period of time", Bildt added, skiping now any reference to concrete threats on UNO's Peace keeping force in face of more than 40.000 Ankara's soldiers, contrary to some Press claims, (See previous NewsReports).


     Replying to another "EuroFora"'s Question,  if anyone might attempt to "impose a Deadline for the conclusion" of Cyprus' Talks on December 2009, Bildt avoided to speak of any precise Time-frame, and indirectly evoked the fact that  35 Years of Turkish Invasion/Occupation obviously durated too long :

'- "If I was from Cyprus, I would say that the Deadline was Yesterday ! '",
Bildt concluded.

Cyprus' Government Spokesman, Stephanou, reportedly pointed out that "a settlement is possible on December if Turkey changes its stance", accepting a solution for the reunification of the island based on UNO resolutiona and EU principles.

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Earlier, EU Chair, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeld, highlighted an "historic opportunity" to "re-Unite" Cyprus according to EU's "basic Values"' (i.e. Human Rights) and 'Rules'", in a last-minute change of his draft speech to EU Parliament in Strasbourg.

    The initial Draft spoke only about "healing" the island.

    Significantly, Reinfeldt linked Cyprus' reunification with Turkey's obligations to respect EU's "Values" and "follow" EU's "common Rules" :

    - What is "called Membership Negotiations" should lead, "at- the end of the day", into "sharing a set of common Basic Values (i.e. Human Rights, Democracy, etc), and following common Rules", stressed Reinfeld from the outset.
    
    - "This is something that those on the Outside (of the EU), are now  contemplating", up "to Ankara", for "a solution" on "Cyprus", observed the EU Chairman, immediately afterwards..  

    - "Both sides of Cyprus have been granted a historic opportunity to together reach an agreement on a solution to re-Unite the island, that has been divided for far too long", said Reinfeldt, modifying his draft text.


-  "The Swedish Presidency will act ...in accordance with Commitments EU has made, on the basis of Criteria that apply", "as a Honest Broker", he promised.    

- "To those on the inside (of the EU), allowing the membership process to become an opportunity to solve protracted disputes, can be tempting", he added.


    "In such cases, we must find solutions that can benefit both sides, and open up a way forward. Otherwise, it would jeopardize the progress we have made towards EU integration", Reinfeldt said.

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