newsitems French EU Minister Lellouch to EuroFora: Franco-German Environment coop +Iceland Volcano Ash Clouds
French EU Minister Lellouch to EuroFora: Franco-German Environment coop +Iceland Volcano Ash Clouds
Franco-German and larger EU cooperation on Environment might include also Atmospheric Dynamics if it's really needed to face extreme Weather Phenomena such as this week's Icelandic Volcano Ashes' clouds, which blocked practically all EU AirFlights and even EU Parliament's votes in Strasbourg, replied in substance the new French Minister for EU Affairs, Pierre Lellouch, to "EuroFora"s questions.
"EuroFora" referred to the fact that both 2003's exceptional Heatwave, which killed more than 15.000 People in France alone and threatened Energy independency (by restricting Water needed for Nuclear Power Plants), and Katrina 2005 giant Tornado in the U.S., which devastated New Orleans and threatened Texas, as well as 2010's Icelandic Volcano Ash-Clouds, which provoked some 1,7 Billion € losses to EU's Air Companies, (etc), were all due, reportedly to strange Atmospheric phenomena : F.ex. an Atmospheric Depression pushing Sahara's Hot Air masses towards the EU, in the 1st case, or Iceland's Volcanic Ashes towards the UK, France and Germany, in the 2nd case, while another strange Atmospheric event changed a routine tornado among many usually ccoming from the Pacific Ocean, into devastating Katrina shortly before it arrived at US Coasts, (etc).
But, while the American Authorities immediately reacted after August 2005 Katrina's destructions, also by deciding to create many "Weather Science" Research Projects throughout several U.S. Universities, as 'EuroFora"'s co-founder, who was exceptionaly visiing New York and Chicago then, remembers that U.S. Media abudantly anounced throughout the country, on the contrary, still today, even at EU's core, in Strasbourg, a pre-existing "Franco-German Center for Research in Environment", remained paradoxically .. empty and abandoned inside an otherwise Performant Natural Sciences' conglomerate concentrating Top Research in Physics, Chemistry and Biology at Cronenbourg's Campus, which was by a coincidence celebrating this week its 50th Anniversary since it was founded by a former student of World famous Polish-French Scientist Marie Curie (1960-2010), Marguerite Perey, and inaugurated by former EU Parliament's President Pierre Pflimlin.
Initially located close to Strasbourg's outer Hills, on the heights of which Pflimlin had dreamed to build all EU Parliament, CoE, ECHR and other European and PanEuropean Institutions' Buildings (See earlier, specific "EuroFora"'s Publication on that), Strasbourg's Franco-German Center for Research on Environment was curiously abandoned at about 2001-2002, i.e. only a year before the 2003 Giant Killer Heatwave, followedf by the 2005 devastating Katrina in the U.S., etc., revealed that it was, on the contrary, necessary to develop it, as its former Director, Dr. Cilliox (who has just contributed to a 2009 overview of Scientific Research in the surrounding Alsace Region, and is currently S.G. of a National Organization dedicated to make all Industries able to face any risk of pollution etc.), observed to "EuroFora" earlier this week.
While Strasbourg has the rare privilege to host a performant "Earth Science Institute" (EOST) currently headed by World-famous Professor Granet, (a well known Earthquakes' specialist, who has organized an important research pole on Terrestrial dynamics, etc), and keeps solid research on Water Bassins' and/or Atmospheric pollution, etc., curiously it seems to lack a noteworthy perspective on the Dynamics of the Atmosphere, contrary to a High-Tech Atmospheric Dynamics' research spearheaded by nearby German Institutes from Baden-Wurtemberg up to Bavaria, risking also to miss a rare chance to develop a coherent, large and full "Earth Science" Modern Technology, highlighted by Strasbourg-based European Science Foundation's 2005-2010 RST Overview Report, despite the co-existence also of Strasbourg's Astronomic Observatory, SERTIT's Earth Observation fast-track Mapping centre, and International Space University, ESA's "Space Control Centre" at nearby Darmstadt (Germany), EU's GALILEO Satellites' construction bid won by a SME headquarted at nearby Stuttgart (Germany), not far away even from the European Austronaut Centre at Koeln, etc, while EU is currently developing its GMES Space Program : "Global Monitoring for Environment and Security", as EU Commission's vice President Tajani recently stressed in reply to "EuroFora"'s questions (See previous NewsReports from Jan. 2010).
Meanwhile, new Strasbourg-headquartered Alsace Region's President, Philippe Richert, has repeatedly anounced his intention to boost a new "Eco-Technology" pole here, in close cooperation with nearby German and Swiss research centres and enterprises, (See earlier "EuroFora"'s publications on this point), and French President Sarkozy has already anounced his intention to examine the possible creation of such a "New Competitivity Pole" and/or of a new "Pole of Excellence" in this direction here, as he revealed in his December 2009 statements on future Billions € of investments, nationwide, thanks to a "Great Loan" due to unfold in the forthcoming Months, "EuroFora"'s question also reminded at Lellouch President Sarkozy and German Chancelor Merkel's recent anouncements, last February 2010, of a joint Franco-German intention to create common "Poles of Excellence" in University Education and Research, as well as an "Eco-Mobility" show-case between Stuttgart and Strasbourg.
- "Even Today, in fact, Iceland's Ash-Clouds, which have blocked EU's AirFlights and even EU Parliament's Votes, are not due to the sole Volcano by itself, (already expected since January 2010), but to an Anticyclone near UK's Seawaters which is pushing Ash-Clouds towards France, Germany and other EU Countries, by provoking at the Atmosphere strong Winds.
- "I'm not a volcanologist, nor omniscient", joked initially Lellouch. "Recently we created at Berlin a Franco-German Institute on Climate, and decided a joint Satellite project on CO2 Observation", he started to reply Lellouch to "EuroFora"'s question, apparently realizing, however, that these good steps were insufficient to cover also the "Key" sector of "Atmospheric Dynamics", of crucial importance in both the Heatwave, Katrina and Iceland's Volcano Ashes (See supra) :
- "But, is that really complete", and enough to meet all the present needs for Franco-German cooperation on Environment at EU's core, "or should we add, perhaps, also some other components, here in Strasbourg ?", Lellouch started to reflect.
- "May-be yes !", the French Minister for EU Affairs concluded with an "open" reply...
EU's Franco-German motor, in possible cooperation with other Countries, should start moving in such Strategic directions for the development of Key Technologies, even more when one considers Lellouch's expressed concern that Europe is currently threatened to be over-shadowed by other Poles in the World, such as not only the U.S., but also China, India, and other "emerging" areas, risking to become too small in the future, compared to the rest of the World, as he said.
Considering that, probably, he didn't mean that only from a purely quantitative Population point of view, since it would be obviously difficult to prefer the situation .. f.ex. of Indonesia, or India to that of EU Citizens', just because of their number, (which never hindered Europe, the smallest continent in the World, to lead Global Historic developments for Thousands of Years), it's much more in the direction of the development of Key High-Tech on Strategic "Weather Science" and other knowledge-power sectors, that the comparison between USA's reaction to Katrina, (See supra), and EU's reaction to Iceland Volcano's Ash Clouds, should lead.
At any case, it would certainly be much more profitable, (including in unexpected by-products), to invest 1,7 Billion € in order to boost Scientific Research and Modern Technologies on Atmospheric Dynamics and other "key" Environmental issues, instead of having to pay heavy damages for cancelled AirFlights allover Europe..
Lellouch, who also participated to the inauguration of an Exhibition in EU Parliament together with its President Buzek, saw with his own eyes the unprecedented spectacle of MEPs hindered to vote during all the April 2010 weekly Plenary in Strasbourg, and cancel its Thursday's debates, just because a British AntiCyclone pushed towards France and Germany Iceland's Volcano Ash-Clouds, hindering most MEPs from arriving here by Airplane..
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Scientific innovation joined to Faith for Human Rights, Eastern Partnership and fight against the Crisis, but above all, the need to overcome the "Crisis of Trust" from EU Citizens, are the main priorities for new EU Parliament's President, Polish Jerzy Buzek, that a 555-votes-strong majority of MEPs on July 14, Strasbourg made a living symbol of the fact that, 20 years after the fall of Berlin Wall (1989 - 2009) there is no more an Eastern or Western Europe, but only one Europe, as the head of the largest group of MEPs, ChristianDemocrats/EPP, Joseph Daul, stressed after the event.
Speaking later to a group of Strasbourg's Journalists, including "EuroFora", the new EU Parliament's President clarified his stance on concrete topical issues, as f.ex. that of Turkey's controversial EU bid, which was one of the main issues of the June 2009 Electoral campain, clearly won by his party of ChristianDemocrats/EPP : - "At present, Turkey does not fullfil none of EU conditions", he stressed, (See infra).
Buzek is well known in Strasbourg and to "EuroFora" as EU Rapporteur for the Framework Program of Scientific Research and Development of Technologies. A Natural Science Professor from the Historic and Religious landmark Polish City of Częstochowa, active in the famous Solidarnosk grass-roots social movement, he served 4 years as Prime Minister (1997-2001), before being elected as MEP in 2004 and 2009, after he brillantly won the latest EU Election at the head of his party (EPP) almost doubling the number of its MEPs from 15 to 28 !
- "Innovation" and "Energy safety", as well as fight against the "Cimat change", but also "Eastern Partnership", the "Mediterranean", "Strategic partnerships" with Russia, the USA, etc, and the search for "solutions to the Economic Crisis" that EU Citizens "expect" from us, will be his "priorities", announced from the outset the new EU Parliament's President, reminding also that the quest for "Human and Civic Rights" played an important role in his experience with the Solidarnosc grass-roots social movement in Poland's History
But, the most important of all, is the urgent need to overcome the "Crisis of Trust" between EU Institutions and the People he stressed : - EU "Citizens often don't understand us", denounced Buzek, launcing a call to "do anything for EU Citizens to understand our work" in EU Parliament : "We (MEPs) need to make EU Citizens involved" in "what we are doing every week, in Strasbourg and Brussels", he proposed. Pointing f.ex. to the hot "Debates" with "strong arguments" exchanged between MEPs during the preparation of their Legislative Decisions, in Committees, delivering often hard struggles between initially opposed points of view, long before forging a majority at the final vote, sometimes more than a year..
Therefore, EU Parliament will be "open to your criticism, for discussion and exchange of views", he promissed to Journalists in Strasbourg.
In this way, Buzek, in fact, highlighted "EuroFora"s main idea, that we strongly advocate since 1997-2007, to systematicaly and actively involve EU Citizens in public debates during the decision-making process of important EU measures, which affect their lives and the society in which they live, (and not only just a few weeks each 4 or 5 Years at the eve of EU Elections)...
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This is related also to the symbolic gift that Buzek chose to give to the out-going former EU Parliament's President, Hans Gert Poettering, (2007-2009), his collegue in the ChristianDemocrats/EPP, who brillantly won 2009 EU Elections in Germany : A genuine statute of sainte Barbara crafted in Silesia's black Coal by Polish Miners : Those simple but strong people who fought for social change against some technocrats and bureaucrats disguissed into so-called "real-socialists" of old times. (PHOTO).
It's enough to have seen a popular open air mass, at Warsaw's center, with many thousands of people, old and young, simple workers and intellectuals mixed together, with references to Poland's history and struggles for survival and liberty, through various ages, (as fex. that organized at the eve of CoE's 2005 panEuropean Heads of State and Government for the beatification of late Pope John-Paul II), in order to understand what such symbols mean..
But, overcoming the "Crisis of Trust" with EU Citizens obviously implies also to rectify any errors done in the past, fex. on Turkey's controversial EU bid, with controversial decisions taken in 1999 and 2004 to give a "candidate" status and to start EU negotiations, provoking an unprecedented series of 3 "No" to EuroReferenda and 3 Majoriy Abstentions in EU Parliament Elections : 1999, 2005 and 2009, (even if the latest one succeeded to decelerate and almost stop the drop of participation rates, opening hopes for vote's revival after an electoral campaign clearly critical to Turkey's claims in several mainstream EU countries)
Therefore, Buzek was faced with manifold critical Questions on EU Enlargement, most of them citting concrete examples of certain political problems : But his replies were almost always given as a matter of general principle :
F.ex. Questioned on the suspension of EU - Croatia talks because of a Border conflict with EU Member Slovenia, Buzek prefered to speak about principles :
- "We know that during Enlargement, the process can be blocked by failure to resolve this kind of issues", This concerns also other enlargments' cases", and "these rules are always in force" he warned.
But Buzek avoided to directly reply to a queston on "French and German EPP' calls to define the Borders of Europe", as a German journalist asked him by making a reference to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and German Chancellor Angie Merkel's, critical statements on Turkey at the June 2009 Electoral campain.
- "Concerning Enlargement, there's always the same rules : There have to be Criteria, which have to be respected if a Country wants to join the EU", he started to simply reply.
- "For my country (Poland) it took us 15 Years to fullfil these Criteria", Buzek reminded, indicating, if proportions are kept, that Turkey, fex. would have to spend some 25 years before eventually joining the EU..
- "Countries wishing to join the EU need to Change their Systems", as we (Poland and other former Eastern European Countries) did, he stressed.
- "'For me, meeting the condition of Human Rights is one of the Key conditions for membership in the EU", preferring again to speak from the point of view of General Principles, on the occasion of an untimely question on Serbia (which is not even a candidate yet)...
- "Turkey" has, "first of all", to fullfil (EU) Copenhagen criteria". Bevause, currently, none of them is fullfiled by Turkey", New EU Parliament's President, denounced, speaking later to a group of Journalists, including "EuroFora".
In particular, on Human Rights : - "We (EU) can never forget Human Rights", because "this is at the very Foundations of the EU", Buzek added.
On the contrary, when he referred to EU Enlargment for the "Western Balkans Countries ", Buzek appeared upbeat, finding "promising situations", despite "difficulties" in the Past, since "Countries are queuing to become EU members", and this "generated changes", as he said.
As for Russia, Buzek observed that it was a "very important" country, located "in the same Continent", Europe, "close to our borders", and "we need eachother". "But Russia' has 'differend poblems : "They claim that their system is Democratic, but rules are differend", and we must be "aware of such differencies", fex. "on Human Rights", that we can't ignore, as he said;
Concerning China, where a journalist observed that the recipient of EU Parliament's latest "Sakharov prize" for freedom of thought is "still in prison", Buzek found that since the 1999 events in Tien Amin square, "we see differencies on Human Rights still today", and expressed his "support" for those who try to ameliorate the situation.
On the contrary, speaking recently to "EuroFora" he strongly supported the idea for an EU - Ukraine cooperation, fex. between Airbus and Antonov, in order to build a less costly but more performant than the old and problematic A400M, new Military Transport Airplane : - "They (Ukranian Antonov Company) can certainly do it. I'm sure they can. It's a good Idea, and I'd be glad if it was done", he told us. (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/airbusantonov.html )