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"Ich sehe nicht, wie wir weiter deutsche Unternehmensinvestitionen in der Türkei garantieren können": Angesichts der zahlreichen Konflikte mit der Türkei spricht Sigmar Gabriel von einer "Neuausrichtung" der Politik gegenüber Ankara.

The post Gabriel: Deutsche Türkei-Politik wird neu ausgerichtet – Reisehinweise verschärft appeared first on EURACTIV.de.

Fehlt es deutschen Politikern und EU-Abgeordneten an Kompetenz zum „Deal making“? Eine aktuelle Studie zeigt, dass bei Bundes- sowie EU-Parlamentariern Nachholbedarf besteht - und dass die Selbsteinschätzung stark variiert.

The post Nur befriedigend: Das Verhandlungsgeschick von deutschen und EU-Politikern appeared first on EURACTIV.de.

Ismeretlenek szerdán este agyonlőttek egy férfit Kijevben. Az eset a Csernyihivszka metrómegálló melletti bevásárlóközpont parkolójában történt, valamivel 23 óra után – jelentette az Ukrajinszka Pravda és az UNN hírügynökség.

Az előzetes információk szerint az elkövetők gépkarabélyból és pisztolyból adtak le mintegy tizenöt lövést. A mentők gyorsan a helyszínre értek, de már nem tudtak segíteni az áldozaton, aki a Kijiv Operativnij portál szerint egy 40-45 éves férfi.

A helyszínen készült fotókon látható, hogy az elkövetők a tetthely közelében eldobták fegyvereiket. A gyilkosok az utcán várakozó gépkocsival menekültek el ismeretlen irányban.
Az ügyben megindult a nyomozás, a rendőrség egyelőre nem kommentálta az esetet.

Quels sentiments vous inspire la crise qu’on vient de traverser ?

Il s’est passé des choses différentes : la réduction budgétaire -une habitude chez les politiques- ; la gestion d’une déclaration avec la faillite de l’éthique d’un député qui sort de la commission les propos du général de Villiers ; un président qui fait des reproches au chef d’état-major des armées (CEMA).

Est-elle inédite ? 

À ce point-là, c’est du jamais vu. En 2015, il y avait eu un bras de fer entre le président Hollande et quatre chefs d’état-major… Là, ça intervient dans un contexte particulier : deux mois après son arrivée au pouvoir, Macron a réussi à virer quatre de ses ministres, à reclasser son directeur de campagne, et à virer le CEMA. Ça se serait passé chez Erdogan, on hurlerait à l’autoritarisme ! Personne ni rien ne peut justifier la crise d’autoritarisme du président : ça ressemble plus à celle d’un enfant gâté qu’à celle d’un chef d’État responsable.

Les militaires, dans leur ensemble, soutenaient-ils de Villiers ?

Le sentiment était d’autant plus partagé qu’il y avait des promesses de campagne extrêmement claires, pro-militaires. Il y a même eu de la communication très poussée : Emmanuel Macron a rendu visite aux blessés à l’hôpital de Percy, puis au Mali. Et lorsqu’il s’agit d’une première opération concrète, on en arrive là ! Ce n’est pas admissible par les militaires : il y a une telle distorsion entre les promesses et les actes. Il a réussi à se mettre à dos en une seule fois tous les militaires. C’est d’autant plus difficile quand on combat au Mali, avec des véhicules hors d’âge ou d’usage. Comment 3 000 hommes peuvent-ils sécuriser 5 millions de km² au Sahel ? Les politiques sont totalement déconnectés de la réalité sur ces questions-là. La France n’a plus les moyens des ambitions clientélistes et communicationnelles de ses présidents.

2017. július 27-én 10.00-tól a Szenti István Egyetem munkatársai tájékoztatót tartanak a II. Rákóczi Ferenc Kárpátaljai Magyar Főiskolával közösen meghirdetett kertészmérnök, mezőgazdasági mérnök és élelmiszeripari mérnök szakokról.

A tájékoztató helyszíne: Beregszász, II. Rákóczi Ferenc Kárpátaljai Magyar Főiskola, Vác terem.

Governments around the world are trying to strike a balance between climate policy and energy policy. This is difficult due to tension between the oil sector and the renewable energy sector, which has created a dualism between climate commitment and energy policies because national energy policies accommodate both fossil fuels and renewable energies. The tension within the different energy sectors is evident in Denmark, and it has implications for Danish climate targets especially in terms of its 2030 targets of 50 percent renewable energies and the long-term goal of low-carbon economy by 2050.

Denmark has traditionally been highlighted as an environmental forerunner[i], especially in green technology and wind-power, yet the current government’s policies are not enabling this transition from fossil fuel to renewable energies. The government’s climate and energy policies are inconsistent, simultaneously promoting the green technology sector through an export strategy whilst supporting the national oil industry through a new investment strategy.

Denmark is on course to achieve its 2020 EU climate and energy target for renewable energies, which is 30 percent and according to the 2017 national energy forecast[ii] Denmark will go beyond the target reaching 40 percent in 2020. The 2017 Energy Forecast is doubtful about reaching the targeted 50 percent for renewable energies for electricity in 2030. Importantly the European Environmental Agency has published a similar forecast for the whole of the EU, which only demonstrates the difficulties in implementing climate targets and changing energy production. The 2017 Energy Forecast argues this is partly due to lack of investment in renewable energies, i.e. wind-power, and conversion of existing power-plants. A further factor is predicted increase in energy consumption due to Apple and Facebook datacentres, which will lead to increased demand for mainly coal because of stagnated investment in renewable energies[iii].

According to DR news, the initial two datacentres (Facebook and Apple) will increase demand for electricity by 10 percent[iv] (the news report came before Apple announced it is building a second datacentre). Without investment in renewable energies, this increase in demand for energy will be supplied by fossil fuels, thereby negating Danish climate change commitments. However, Apple will invest in wind-power to produce electricity for its two datacentres[v]. A decision which is welcomed by the Danish government. According to Greenpeace Denmark, Apple’s investment in wind-power might not have negative effect on Danish renewable energies and climate target as the company apparently will rely on its own energy production[vi]. Thus, the problems with increased energy demand highlighted by the 2017 Energy Forecast might not be so big, but it is still unclear if Facebook will use the national energy grid or like Apple build its own power supply.

This year the government has shown a renewed commitment to fossil fuel. In January, the government signed a new deal with Danish Underground Consortium (DUC) represented by A.P. Møller-Mærsk to continue to obtain oil from the North Sea, including rebuilding the Thyra area. In the beginning of July, the government published its new strategy for investment in North Sea oil and gas[vii]. Denmark has been an oil producer for the past 40 years, and has been independent of imports, which has provided the country with high level of energy security. The government aims to continue to extract oil and gas from the North Sea thereby protecting energy security, tax revenue (despite a rebate for the DUC) and local jobs[viii].  A press release from Lars Christian Lilleholt, Minister for Energy, Utilities and Climate, stated that “in the future Denmark must have a strong and competitive energy sector with competences in both oil/gas and renewable energies”.[ix] Indeed the minister does not see a contradiction in the North Sea strategy and the 2050 goal of becoming a zero-carbon economy[x].

The dualism in energy investment, which favours both fossil fuels and renewable energies, does not enable green energy transition. It is important to remember that Denmark is not only a successful wind-power energy producer, it is also an oil producing country and the tension between these two energy sectors will increase as part of the green transition. This tension is not unique to Denmark indeed it is present in the overall climate debate. Importantly, Denmark is often mentioned as a forerunner in wind-power[xi], and the Danish fossil fuel story is frequently ignored. Yet the fossil fuel sector continues to play an important role for the national energy policy, which cast doubt on whether Denmark will reach its 2030 climate targets and eventually become a zero-carbon economy by 2050.

[i] Dyrhauge, H. (2017). “Denmark: a wind powered forerunner” in A Guide to EU Renewable Energy Policy: Comparing Europeanization and Domestic Policy Change in EU Member States. Edited by Israel Solorio, and Helge Jörgens, Edward Elgar publishing.

[ii] https://ens.dk/sites/ens.dk/files/widgets/multi_campaign/files/bf2017_hovedpublikation_13_mar_final_0.pdf

[iii] Ibid page 9

[iv] http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/penge/klimaraadet-datacentre-tvinger-danmark-til-investere-mere-i-sol-og-vind

[v] http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/viden/naturvidenskab/4-grunde-til-apple-bygger-endnu-et-datacenter-i-danmark

[vi] http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/greenpeace-facebook-og-google-boer-foelge-apples-groenne-planer

[vii] https://ens.dk/sites/ens.dk/files/OlieGas/nordsoestrategi.pdf

[viii] Ibid page 3

[ix] http://efkm.dk/aktuelt/nyheder/nyheder-2017/juli-2017/ny-strategi-for-olie-og-gas-i-nordsoeen/

[x] http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/penge/minister-danmark-skal-vaere-et-foerende-olie-og-gasland

[xi] Dyrhauge, H. (2017). “Denmark: a wind powered forerunner” in A Guide to EU Renewable Energy Policy: Comparing Europeanization and Domestic Policy Change in EU Member States. Edited by Israel Solorio, and Helge Jörgens, Edward Elgar publishing.

The post Denmark’s strategy for North Sea oil and 2030 climate targets appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

What Will The Department of State Become?

The State Department issued the report on an internal “listening survey” on July 5. The report is not public, but reports indicate that its first recommendation is to define a mission for the Department of State. It also addresses a host of other concerns, and current and past State personnel complain that the Department is being gutted, among other things. But the Department has had no continuity in its mission since the Cold War. In and of itself, the “Listening Report’s” first recommendation addresses the key question of U.S. diplomacy and foreign relations.

With the fall of the Soviet Union, tight cohesion around Containment gave way to issue-by-issue policy-making. Without that doctrine, FSOs became subject to office-chiefs’ parochial priorities, and their stances would inevitably contradict each others’ — and their previous work as they moved from post to post. Today not even the anti-terrorism mission gives clear guidance.

There are two special challenges to setting a State mission. First, today any person in the world might be the next hacker, dictator, suicide bomber – inventor or artist. Second, the definition of diplomacy, the Department’s expected expertise, analogous to Defense’s in the use of arms, is itself indistinct. State needs a clear function, in which it can even reach individuals, through today’s chaotic world.

A U.S. foreign policy mission will only endure if it rests on a nuanced knowledge of the tenets, nuances, and implications (including philosophical, political, and strategic) of our Declaration of Independence. This specialized knowledge should lie at the heart of a common professional identity, personally held by each U.S. diplomat. It could be imparted by a single institutional move — to shape new formative training for diplomats.

The Declaration is the base on which diplomacy works for Americans. Training must also provide a common grounding in world affairs disciplines, including military, economic, historical, and cultural, plus exposure to a broad range of American realities. But it now must impart fluency in our founding tenets as the bedrock capacity.

An analysis of the diplomats’ function, extracted from Jeremy Black’s History of Diplomacy, shows diplomats’ performance hinging on an understanding of their leader. To represent their nation, report on trends in their host country, and as needed negotiate or facilitate, they needed to know the person (for most of history, be it monarch or dictator) who embodied the nation. U.S. diplomats need to know 300 million people, all with unalienable rights.

America’s fundamental common feature is our explicit, deliberate founding on principle, which binds us regardless of complexity and disruption. The principle — of unalienable rights and government dedicated to secure them — is abstract and dualistic, so understanding requires reflection as well as recitation. But that passage is the focal point: it forms our founding civic creed. The Constitution, the Federalist Papers, and the Bill of Rights follow it, and refer to its terms. Our history can be seen as revolving around it. It created America’s nationality and defines the basis of our national interest.

Our diplomats must project the narrative of America’s founding creed, to governments and individuals, in all channels of discourse and in our policy formulation. Much as a major league pitcher can snap off a curveball or slider as needed, diplomats will need a mental “muscle memory,” to discuss, in direct response on any given case, how our principles apply, why they are valid, or how they benefit humanity. Diplomats who have internalized our narrative as professional reflex can voice and shape policy in its spirit, to set others’ perceptions by our lights.

Infusing this expertise in diplomats’ formative training will push it down to the lowest levels. The junior officer will have the same compass as an ambassador, so even improvised responses to unexpected issues will naturally fit our grand interest. Each diplomat will likewise share an innate sense of the essentials for reporting to Washington. In inter-agency processes, State representatives will be equipped to voice and apply America’s fundamental values for any policy decision.

Steeping our diplomats in our founding creed, and simultaneously imparting topical skills, will marry policy knowledge with America’s nature in a professional cadre. Such operational norms could give Americans comfort that our foreign policy reflects our nature. All Americans, whether they study the creed or not, share its values, so a mission based on it will respect any electoral mandate. State will take on an air of “America’s Desk,” our experts in the national interest.

Such a conception of U.S. diplomacy, carried by the diplomats themselves, would give clear orientation for policy and institutional arrangements.

U.S. foreign policy faces a new era that calls for new policies and practices. George Kennan, facing his own foreboding new era, made an observation I still find relevant: To survive, he said, the United States “need only measure up to its own best traditions.” Today, a new State embodying our founding tenets will ensure our best future.

The post The Department of State’s Listening Survey Calls For A Mission appeared first on Foreign Policy Blogs.

For underwater applications, laser based technologies offer a complementary solution to existing sensors (sonar) for the detection and identification of underwater targets, particularly in shallow waters or in complex marine terrain such as archipelagos with numerous small islands, narrow sounds and inaccessible locations.

This is the main result of a study commissioned by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and conducted by a consortium consisting of FOI, the Swedish Defence research Agency, and ISL, the French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis.

The study details the use of laser systems - both LIDAR-based (Light Detection and Ranging, a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges) and LADAR-based (LAser Detection And Ranging) - and indicates that their successful incorporation into existing detection and identification technologies for underwater targets in difficult operating conditions, such as those found in the Baltic Sea, can have a significant and positive impact on performance, particularly for rapid detection and identification.

Laser systems can deliver operational improvements as compared to sonar systems: airborne laser scanning, for instance, can be deployed extremely quickly in order to detect, locate and track underwater or floating objects. It is also possible for airborne laser scanning to identify the types of targets, provided that the target is large enough. Once a target is detected it is then possible to quickly deploy a surface or underwater vessel equipped with a Laser Gated Viewing (LGV) or Underwater Laser Scanning (ULS) system to positively identify confirm the target information.

The study concluded that laser based technologies are a viable and complementary solution for acoustic sensor systems, even in turbid waters or in waters with high organic content, such as shallow regions or archipelagos found in the Baltic Sea.

In order to analyse the performance of these technologies, three scenarios were defined: (1) Maritime mine identification, (2) Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and submarines detection and (3) Rapid environmental assessment (REA).

The study used modelling techniques along with systems knowledge to assess the performance of laser baser underwater systems. In order to assess the performance of the systems in the defined scenarios and tasks, the conditions and systems were simulated.

The task to detect and identify underwater targets has traditionally been undertaken by sonar based systems, particularly in open water conditions and in waters with significant depths. However, there are situations where sonar-based systems could be assisted by complementary technology in order to achieve improved performance. Examples of such operating conditions are relatively shallow waters where sonars ships cannot operate and complex marine terrain such as coastlines with archipelagos numerous small islands, narrow sounds and inaccessible locations.

The Baltic Sea, due to its high level of turbidity in coastal regions is one such area that is particularly challenging for the detection of underwater targets using laser based sensors. The occurrence of organic matter such as algae and the effect of sediment transport in the water column coupled with the seasonal optical attenuation contribute to difficulties in detecting underwater targets.

• CapTech Maritime (EDA project page)
• Maritime Surveillance (MARSUR) - EDA project page
• MARSUR put to the test during live demonstration at OHQ EUNAVFOR MED SOPHIA (EDA webnews, May 2017)

9,34%-kal nőtt az újonnan létrehozott külföldi tulajdonú vállalatok száma az első félévben, a tavalyi év azonos időszakához képest – tájékoztat az Országos Kereskedelmi Nyilvántartási Hivatal. A közel 3 ezer új vállalat alaptőkéje 18,1 millió dollár, ami 7,72%-os csökkenést jelent 2016 január – júniusához képest. 1991 után 2007-ben alapult a legtöbb vállalat, akkor 15 ezret jegyeztek.

A Környezetvédelmi Alap Ügyvezetősége 376 igénylést hagyott jóvá a Roncsautó programban, 19-et a Roncsautó plusz programban és több mint ezer támogatási kérést a Zöld Ház programban – tájékoztat az Agerpres hírügynökség közlemény alapján. A jogi személyek listája melyeknek jóváhagyták a támogatást a www.afm.ro honlapon található meg. Az idei költségvetés a Roncsautó programra 180 millió lej, a Roncsautó Plusz programra pedig 45 millió lej. A programot májusban  hirdette meg a Környezetvédelmi minisztérium.

Et si Areva avait eu raison du Général de Villiers ? Avec 526 millions d’euros d’économies pour l’Intérieur, 160 millions pour la Justice, 331 millions pour la Recherche et l’Enseignement supérieur et 850 millions pour la Défense, l’addition régalienne a été salée pour faire face au trou budgétaire actuel. Pour justifier ces efforts, le gouvernement avance la nécessité de la recapitalisation […]

Cet article «Sauver Areva ou assurer les missions régaliennes, il faut choisir» est apparu en premier sur Fondapol.

A lire les commentaires dans la presse, la déception prévalait après le Sommet de Trieste du 12 juillet. En réalité les Balkans occidentaux restent un terrain d'expérimentation pour des essais de « nouvelle gouvernance ».
La rencontre de Trieste était le quatrième des sommets organisés depuis 2014 dans le cadre du « Processus de Berlin », initiative allemande adressée aux Pays des Balkans occidentaux afin de leur consentir de continuer à partager, à travers la relance d'un processus de consultation, (...)

A napenergiát is felhasználják egyes vonatok működtetésére Indiában, Újdelhi környékén már fel is szerelték a napkollektorokat az első szerelvény tetejére.

A napenergiával a szellőzőrendszert, a világítást és az információs kijelzőket működtetik. Felhős idő esetén akkumulátorra kapcsolják ezeket a berendezéseket, csak végszükségben használnak dízelmotort.

A napkollektorok felszerelésével szerelvényenként évi 21 ezer tonna dízelolajt takarítanak meg, csökkentve a káros anyag-kibocsátást – közölte az indiai államvasutak szóvivője.
A szóvivő szerint az elkövetkező fél évben legalább négy további vasúti szerelvényen helyeznek el napelemeket.

Indiában a vasút a fő közlekedési eszköz nagyobb távolságokon, a vonatokon naponta 23 millió ember utazik.
Négy százalékos hányaddal India a világ harmadik legjelentősebb káros anyag-kibocsátója.

Jean-Paul Chagnollaud est le président de l’Institut de recherche et d’études Méditerranée Moyen-Orient (iReMMO) et de la revue Confluences Méditerranée. Il répond à nos questions à l’occasion de la parution de son ouvrage « Israël/Palestine, la défaite du vainqueur » (Actes Sud, mai 2017) :
– Comment expliquer qu’aujourd’hui, la violence du conflit israélo-palestinien soit devenue moins ‘visible’ ?
– Comment analysez-vous la politique d’Israël envers les territoires palestiniens ?
– Quelles sont les solutions envisageables pour sortir de l’impasse et trouver une paix juste ?

A Forsa közvélemény-kutató intézet tegnap bemutatott felméréséből kiderül, hogy Németországban tovább nőtt népszerűsége Angela Merkel kancellárnak. Az intézet vezetője szerint csoda kellene ahhoz, hogy Martin Schulz ledolgozza a kialakult hátrányát. Amennyiben a németek közvetlenül választhatnának kancellárt, 52 százalék Angela Merkelre szavazna, ami 1 százalékpontos növekedés heti szinten. Martin Schulz változatlanul 22 százalékon áll, hátránya 30 százalékpont.  – tájékoztat az MTI.

Bosnie-Herzégovine : pourquoi ils sont si nombreux à renoncer à leur citoyenneté
Premiers résultats du recensement : la plus grande catastrophe démographique de l'histoire de la Bosnie-Herzégovine
Bosnie : le grand exode des Croates d'Herzégovine
Le grand exode : la Bosnie-Herzégovine se vide de ses habitants
Bosnie-Herzégovine et Serbie : la science se meurt, les diplômés s'en vont et les plagiaires paradent

Die Justizreform in Polen schlägt hohe Wellen: EU-Ratspräsident Donald Tusk hatte die polnische Regierung zu Gesprächen aufgefordert, doch Präsident Duda sträubt sich.

The post Polens Präsident Duda lehnt Treffen mit EU-Ratspräsident Tusk ab appeared first on EURACTIV.de.

Im österreichischen Wahlkampf wird es wohl auch um die Geschichte Österreichs gehen. Etwa darum, wie heute mit den Vertretern des Austrofaschismus umgegangen wird.

The post Österreich: Vorsicht beim Umgang mit Geschichte appeared first on EURACTIV.de.