Bilderberg.org

[TonyGosling]

Turkey is just one of seven countries whose accession is being 'held back'
The six others are from former Yugoslavia
Serbia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia

EU referendum: Row over Turkey's membership bid escalates
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36353013


Turkey to join the EU?
Turkey and the EU: Pros and cons of membership
May 23, 2016
After its crackdown on media freedom and human rights, should the country be allowed into the European Union?
http://www.theweek.co.uk/24083/turkey-and-the-eu-pros-and-cons-of-membership
Turkey first submitted its application to join the European Union in 1987, but negotiations did not begin until 2005. Since then, an array of domestic and external setbacks has ensured that progress has hardly been any quicker.
Few European governments are in favour, arguing that the cultural, geopolitical and economic differences are too significant. There are also serious concerns over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's growing authoritarianism and crackdown on human rights.
Prime Minister David Cameron was once a vocal supporter of Turkish membership – on a trip to Ankara in 2014, he argued that allowing Turkey into the EU was "vital for our economy, vital for our security and vital for our diplomacy."
However, in response to a widely criticised Vote Leave campaign advert that appeared to suggest that Turkey's arrival in the EU was imminent, Cameron downplayed the possibility of the country being admitted to the EU in the near future.
At the current rate of progress, Turkey would be ready to join the EU in "about the year 3,000" the Prime Minister joked in an ITV interview on Sunday. In any case, he added, the UK – like all member states – has a veto over the admission of any prospective new member, which would also need to be approved by each country's national parliament.
Analysts appear to agree that the prospect is far from imminent. The Financial Times's political editor, George Parker, points out that Turkey still "falls far short of EU standards in areas such as free speech and media."
There's also evidence that the Turkish government's enthusiasm for membership has dwindled after nearly 30 years in the waiting room. "Stung by European criticism of human rights abuses and a crackdown on press freedom, Erdogan has sometimes given the impression that he would like to scrap the EU talks altogether," The Guardian notes.
So what are Turkey's realistic chances of joining, and what would it mean for the EU?

Refugees
The EU has had to rely on Turkey's co-operation as it struggles to cope with the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War. Under a deal agreed in March, one Syrian refugee from a Turkish camp will be admitted to Europe for each irregular migrant sent to Turkey from Greece.
In return, the EU has promised fresh discussions on Turkish membership and visa-free travel for Turks, as well as £2.3bn of refugee aid between now and 2018.
However, the deal – which was criticised by the United Nations as a violation of refugees' human rights – is already at risk of coming apart at the seams.
EU representatives have criticised Turkey's selection process for the exchange, claiming that Syrian doctors and engineers are being denied permission to leave in favour of severely ill or uneducated refugees.
What's more, only 200 Syrians have so far been resettled from Turkish refugee camps to Europe, far fewer than envisioned by Turkey, which is currently home to more than three million displaced people.
Nonetheless, the deal has succeeded in its goal of stemming the tide of people making the dangerous crossing over the Aegean. In April, the number of refugees arriving on Greek shores dropped by 90 per cent compared to the figures for March.

Security
The rise of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has put Turkey at the centre of a conflict that has global consequences. Some European officials, including French foreign affairs minister Laurent Fabius, and their US counterparts believe allowing Turkey to become a member of the EU will create a strong ally in the fight against terrorism in the region. But critics such as Conservative MP David Davis argue the open movement laws could create a passageway both in and out of Syria for jihadists and new recruits.

Employment
Allowing Turkey to join would provide a fresh influx of workers for Europe. The country has a young and increasingly well-educated population and some argue the ageing EU cannot afford to block this demographic from its workforce. But at a time when many governments are under increasing pressure to reduce high levels of immigration, allowing millions more workers to cross their borders is not expected to be high on their agenda.

Culture
Turkey's geographic position at the crossroads between Europe and the East allows it to provide a much-needed bridge between western and Islamic worlds at a time of heightened tensions between the two. Many argue that Turkey is better equipped to mediate in the Middle East than European countries. During the 2009 crisis in Gaza, its diplomats were able to talk directly to the Hamas leadership and the country also has comparatively good relations with Israel. But leaders in a number of powerful EU nations, including Germany, are wary of allowing Turkey into the bloc, arguing that "the cultural, political and geographic differences may be too vast", reports the Wall Street Journal.

Economy
The Turkish economy is growing and it is also the country across which key pipelines deliver large supplies of oil and gas from Asia. Free trade between EU countries is one of the bloc's greatest advantages and granting Turkey membership would create a whole new market for European goods. However, others point to the recent economic crisis in Greece and warn that Turkey is not yet rich enough to join, saying that taxpayers in wealthier countries would be forced to subsidise it.

Adherence to EU laws
Countries hoping to join the European Union are required to achieve a certain standard of democracy and human rights. Since it first applied for membership, Turkey has made some gains towards these, including abolishing the death penalty and introducing tougher laws against torture, as well as moderate reforms to help women.
However, there are growing concerns about Erdogan's widespread crackdown on media freedom and other human rights. The breakdown of a fragile ceasefire between the state and the Kurdistan Workers' Party has also led to some of the worst violence since the 1990s. Turkey's territorial claim to northern Cyprus is another ongoing bone of contention for Europe, as is its refusal to recognise the Armenian genocide of 1915.
"[Turkey] is waging war on an ethnic minority," writes Paul Mason in The Guardian. "Its riot police just stormed the offices of a major newspaper, its secret service faces allegations of arming IS, its military shot down a Russian bomber."
_________________
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[TonyGosling]

Formation of an EU army

EU referendum: Plans that could pave way for 'EU army' are 'being held back'
The plans, which have only been shown to EU diplomats, are understood to include proposals or new European military structures, including a headquarters
Charlie Cooper Whitehall Correspondent @charliecooper8 Friday 27 May 2016
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/eu-referendum-plans-that-could-pave-way-for-an-eu-army-are-being-held-back-a7052501.html
Plans to enhance the military role of the European Union, potentially paving the way for a future EU army, are being held back until after the UK referendum, according to reports.
The plans, which have only been shown to EU diplomats, are understood to include proposals or new European military structures, including a headquarters.
According to The Times, which has seen extracts of the plans from diplomatic notes, the proposals will not be sent to national governments until after Britain’s EU referendum on 23 June to avoid giving succour to the Leave campaign.
Similar plans were vetoed by the UK in 2011, and the Government has repeatedly insisted that Britain will never be part of any EU army.
However, it is understood the plans, drawn over 18 months by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, are supported by other leading EU countries, and refer to powers set out in the 2009 Lisbon Treaty, which could allow nine or more member states to embark on their own plans for an EU military headquarters.
The draft paper states that “in turbulent times, we need a compass to navigate the waters of a faster-changing world” adding that the EU can “step up its contribution to Europe’s security and defence", according to a diplomatic note seen by The Times.
However, Ms Mogherini’s spokesman told the newspaper the defence plan “would in no way aim to set up the EU army”.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We will never be part of an EU army. We retain a veto on all defence matters in the EU and we will oppose any measures which would undermine member states' military forces."

[TonyGosling]

No problems with €10.3bn loan to Athens this week

The Greek bailout shows the EU is on its best behaviour – until 24 June
Jonathan Freedland
There’s a sense that our fellow EU states are avoiding issues that will fuel Brexiteers. Instead they are playing nicely, as they did with the loan to Athens
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/25/greek-bailout-eu-on-best-behaviour-until-referendum-over-brexit
@Freedland
Wednesday 25 May 2016 10.35 BST Last modified on Friday 3 June 2016 09.53 BST

Imagine what’s going to happen at 10.01pm on Thursday 23 June. The polls will have just closed in the referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union and, in an instant, the rest of Europe will be able to relax – and revert to type.

Suddenly, the migrant boats will be back on the water, heading for the Greek coast. The floodgates that have been slammed shut will be flung back open. In Brussels, the bureaucrats will reach for the desk drawer they’ve kept dutifully locked and pull out their grand plans to impose straight bananas and ban tasty crisps. And the central bankers will be able to tighten the screws on Greece once more. No longer obliged to play nice – as they did in the early hours of Wednesday morning, when they agreed to release €10.3bn in bailout money for Athens – they’d now be able to revive their demand that Greece live on ever more meagre rations in penance for its huge debts........
_________________
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Secret Rulers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0p-e2ng0SI
http://www.thisweek.org.uk
http://www.dialectradio.co.uk
http://www.911forum.org.uk

[TonyGosling]

Being KEPT OUT of the news - Swiss Withdraw EU Application: Only ‘Lunatics’ Would Join Now
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/06/17/switzerland-withdraws-application-join-eu-lunatics-join-now/
Alphorn Players Gather For Nendaz FestivalHarold Cunningham/Getty Images
by DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDS 17 Jun 20161,315

Switzerland has formally withdrawn her long-standing application to join the European Union (EU), as only “a few lunatics” now want to be involved with the bloc. The verdict comes just one week before Britons go to the polls to decide on whether to retain their membership of the political union.
Twenty-seven members of the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house, voted in favour of cancelling the application, against 13 who opposed the motion. Two abstained, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung has reported.

The vote ratifies an earlier vote held by Parliamentarians in the lower house in March, which saw the motion to withdraw the application agreed to with an overwhelming majority of 126 in favour, 46 against.

In response to the federal vote, Switzerland’s foreign minister Didier Burkhalter confirmed that his country will now give formal notice to the EU to consider the Swiss application officially withdrawn.

Switzerland’s application to join the European Economic Area, the precursor to the EU, was lodged in 1992, but a referendum held the same year on the matter saw the Swiss people narrowly turned down the prospect of closer ties to the bloc, putting the application on ice.

It has never been seriously revived in the intervening 24 years, prompting Mr. Burkhalter to previously comment that the application has long been considered invalid.

Nonetheless, Thomas Minder, an independent representative said he was keen to “close the topic fast and painlessly,” adding that only “a few lunatics” still wished to join the EU.

His colleague Hannes Germann of the Swiss People’s Party compared the symbolic nature of the vote to Iceland’s decision to drop its own application in 2015. “Iceland had the courage to withdrew their application for membership and no volcano erupted,” he joked.

And Damian Mueller of the Free Democratic Party said it was necessary “to make a clean sweep”.

But others have argued that it was a pointless discussion as the EU no longer considers Switzerland a candidate country. Filippo Lombardi of the Christian Democratic People’s Party said that it was “not very clever to discuss it once again,” calling the debate about Switzerland’s accession at this stage “a bit ridiculous”.

Although Switzerland has never been a part of the EU, it is a member of the single market. Switzerland is also one of the richest countries in the world, with a GDP per capita of US$ 80,675 in 2015, according to the International Monetary Fund. Britain’s GDP per capita in the same year was nearly half as much at US$ 43,771.

Christoph Blocher, the Swiss former MP who led the charge to keep Switzerland out of the EU in 1992, has told The Spectator that Project Fear was deployed in that referendum, too. One politician predicted at the time that if it didn’t join, within five years it would be begging to do so “on its knees”.

In fact, those predictions never came to pass. “The Monday after the Sunday, the Bourse rose,” Mr. Blocher recalls.

But he agrees that Britain wouldn’t get the same deal as the Swiss post-Brexit: “No, you’d get a much better deal.”

His conclusion: “I think if you [Britain] leave the EU it will be very good for you.”
_________________
http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/contributor/2149
Secret Rulers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0p-e2ng0SI
http://www.thisweek.org.uk
http://www.dialectradio.co.uk
http://www.911forum.org.uk