Defence industry dominates EU’s security research programmewww.statewatch.org/analyses/neoconopticon-report-prel.pdf“The whole process appears to have been designed by lobbyists, for lobbyists“, says Ben Hayes, TNI associate and author of the report. “In its desire to increase ‘industrial competitiveness’, the EU has effectively outsourced the design of the security research agenda to the some of the corporations that have the most to gain from its implementation”.Defence giants including Thales, Finmeccanica, EADS, Saab and Sagem Défénsé Sécurité are amongst a host of corporations to which the European Commission has turned to help set the agenda for security research, develop Homeland Security strategies for Europe, and bring the relevant security technologies ‘to market’. Of 46 security research contracts awarded in the first year of the EU’s Framework Programme (FP7, the Union’s research programme for 2007-2013), 17 (or 37%) are led by defence sector contractors.The report also reveals the extent of Israel’s participation in the EU security research programme, which is controversial in the light of widespread criticism of Israel's human rights record. Israeli actors or entities are participating in 10 of the first 46 projects, leading four of them. The Counter Terrorism Bureau of Israel’s National Security Council, the Israeli Defence Force and the Israeli emergency services are among the security experts selected to advise the working groups of the European Security Research and Innovation Forum (ESRIF).
A blank chequehttp://openeuropeblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/blank-cheque.htmlAnd now we have the French Defence Minister Hervé Morin saying that he is "convinced" that the EU will have its own permament military headquarters in Brussels, and that it will not be possible to deploy tactical groupings of 1,500 soldiers without such a headquarters.
He suggested British reluctance is holding up progress towards this goal, but predicted that within "one, two or five years, we will end up with a command, planning and operations centre in Europe."According to Coulisses de Bruxelles:
"Warsaw wants the EU to have a fleet of A400M military transport planes so it can independently carry out military operations outside Europe. The planes could be bought by a European Armaments Agency whose powers would be considerably strengthened. Poland is also proposing a deputy EU Foreign Minister in charge of security questions, and Warsaw wants the future EU Foreign Minister to take part in Nato meetings! One can only imagine the reaction of the Brits to such proposals, which will delight Paris to find in them a strong ally in the East."
EU intervention in Irish referendum 'unlawful'www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/6239933/EU-intervention-in-Irish-referendum-unlawful.htmlCampaigners for a "No" vote have threatened a legal challenge after 1.1 million copies of the European Union booklet were distributed, at a cost to the taxpayer of £139,000
Patricia McKenna, a former Green MEP and a leader of the People's Movement, which is opposed to the Lisbon Treaty, has attacked the latest Brussels intervention in Friday's referendum.
"The EU Commission, with the massive funds and resources available to it, courtesy of the taxpayer, can just throw money at influencing Irish opinion prior to the vote. We have to campaign on a shoestring," she said.
Erdogan: Focus on Israeli nukes not Iran peaceful N programhttp://europenews.dk/en/node/26548
LiveLeak.com - (Syria) Israel burying nuclear waste in Golanwww.liveleak.com/view?i=707_1215376688
UN Report Accuses Israel of War Crimes?www.nbcbayarea.com/news/politics/UN-Report-Accuses-Israel-of-War-Crimes-62564672.html
Nuclear double standard - Israel and Iranwww.middleeast.org/mereport/go.php?bWlkZGxlZWFzdC5vcmd8fG1lcnx8aHR0cDovL2VuZ2xpc2guYWxqYXplZXJhLm5ldC9wcm9ncmFtbWVzL3JpemtoYW4vMjAwOS8wOS8yMDA5OTc4NTIzNzI0ODcxMC5odG1s
Iran assembly could advise quitting NPT if talks failwww.reuters.com/article/GCA-Iran/idUSTRE58S2DS20090929
Syria calls on Israel to commit to Middle East free of WMDhttp://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.xinhuanet.com%2Fenglish%2F2009-09%2F29%2Fcontent_12123402.htm&usg=AFQjCNFf0--fSMti2TdxrCCK1QqRxbkPUw
Lawyers seek arrest of Israeli defence minister in UK for alleged war crimeswww.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/29/ehud-barak-warrant-war-crimes-gaza
The Brzezinski/Obama Axiswww.newswithviews.com/Eidelberg/paul120.htm
The Group of Twenty and the Evolution of Global Governancewww.newswithviews.com/Veon/joan167.htm
Paul and Phillip D. Collins on Full Throttle Radiohttp://blessedresistanceradio.podomatic.com/entry/2009-09-27T18_37_12-07_00
