European Union

Pay Up, S'il Vous Plaît

Vive la Révolution! Haitians rebel in the Battle at Sainte-Domingue. Photo: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:San_Domingo.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>
Vive la Révolution! Haitians rebel in the Battle at Sainte-Domingue. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

This week, the ghosts of colonial misdeeds returned to haunt France.

EU politicians and others wrote an open letter to President Nicolas Sarkozy, demanding that the French government compensate Haiti for a past wrongdoing, explains the Christian Science Monitor.

A petition signed by 100 artists, scholars, and EU politicians that was released Monday called on France to give Haiti $17 billion for earthquake reconstruction. The money would essentially reimburse a fee French King Charles X charged Haiti after a revolt that ended slavery there. King Charles justified the fee as compensation for the loss of slaves and other property.

In 1804, Haiti won a bloody independence from France. But the small Caribbean country was still economically shackled to France until 1947, when the Haitian government finally paid off interest from their lofty independence debt of roughly 90 million gold francs.

Today, that sum is worth about $17 billion — a chunk of change that could surely go to good use helping Haiti rebuild. Haiti remains knee-deep in rubble six months after the devastating earthquake killed thousands and left millions without homes or good health. Yet despite the petition's plea, French foreign ministry spokesperson Christine Fages stressed France's commitment to Haiti, when she spoke with the Christian Science Monitor:

France gives Haiti $25 million a year, has given $30 million in humanitarian aid since the earthquake in January that left some 250,000 dead, has erased a $72 million in debt, and plans a total of $420 million more in aid through next year.

Although President Sarkozy dismissed the petition, he recently stated, "Even if I did not start my mandate at the time of Charles X, I am still responsible in the name of France."

Let's hope so, Monsieur le Président.

Bottom of the (Pork) Barrel

Pigs in a crowded sty in Wieckowice, Poland. Photo: Wojciech Grzedzinski for The International Herald Tribune. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/visionshare/3508357536/">visionshare (flickr)</a>
Pigs in a crowded sty in Wieckowice, Poland. Photo: Wojciech Grzedzinski for The International Herald Tribune. visionshare (flickr)

Pork is a staple of the Romanian diet, and the country has become one of the largest producers of pig products in Europe. But it's not necessarily Romanians who are profiting from the growing industry.

U.S. agribusiness giant Smithfield Foods has carved its way into Eastern Europe's pork market, tapping European Union farm subsidies to set up shop in countries like Poland and Romania. Since its arrival in 1999, the Virginia-based Fortune 500 company has swiftly become Romania's top pork producer.

Smithfield has upended traditional ways of doing farming in Romania, one of Europe's poorest countries. The New York Times reports that 90 percent of the country's small farmers have lost their jobs in the last six years. Many have been forced to leave home in search of construction jobs in other EU member states.

The impacts of Smithfield's empire can be tracked all the way to West Africa, where the company exports cheap pork scraps to markets in Liberia, Equatorial Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire. In these countries, frozen offal sells at half the price of local pork — a bargain for consumers that again comes at the expense of local farmers.

“My farm isn’t working,” said Cote d'Ivoire farmer Patrice Yao, who told the The New York Times that he owns 45 hogs compared to the 100 he had three years ago."The Europeans are sending all their cheap meat to our market."

The Global Economic Crisis' Second Casualty

Topics: Governance
Countries: Latvia


Latvia's government collapsed
following weeks of financial instability. The New York Times explains some of the events leading up the resignation of Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis:

[T]he country’s export-driven economy, which burned red-hot when easy credit flooded the world banking system, has ground to a halt. Unemployment has rocketed in Latvia, while those who have managed to hold on to their jobs are receiving significantly less pay. Public discontent, unsurprisingly, is rising, while trust in the government has plummeted. Violence broke out in January after about 10,000 people gathered for a peaceful demonstration. Scores of protesters battled police officers and ransacked stores, and 40 people were injured.

Last month GDP shrank by 10.5 percent and is expected to shrink 12 percent by the end of 2009 — a number some analysts say is optimistic. Latvia is the first member country of the European Union whose government has fallen as a result of the economic crisis.

The Mysterious Case of Prawo Jazdy

Countries: Ireland, Poland

An unexpected side effect of the increasingly open borders in the European Union: language confusion.

The BBC reports that Irish police recently cracked the mysterious case of Prawo Jazdy, a driver who was alleged to have racked up dozens of speeding and parking tickets throughout the nation.

It turns out that "Prawo Jazdy is actually Polish for driving license and not the first and surname on the license," Irish police determined. Searching the file, Guardians of the Peace of Ireland determined that traffic officers had cited "Mr. Prawo Jazdy" over 50 times.

Poles are the largest ethnic minority in Ireland, according to the 2006 Irish census. The majority of them are recent arrivals who immigrated to Ireland seeking work after Poland joined the EU in 2004.

"If nothing else is learnt from this driving-related debacle," the BBC writes, "Irish police officers should now know at least two words of Polish."

Gazans Digging To Survive

A Palestinian man looks out towards destroyed buildings following an Israeli air strike in Gaza City. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/farshadebrahimi/3159835222/in/photostream/">Amir Farshad Ebrahimi (flickr)</a>
A Palestinian man looks out towards destroyed buildings following an Israeli air strike in Gaza City. Photo: Amir Farshad Ebrahimi (flickr)

A stated aim of Israel's military strikes in Gaza was to destroy underground tunnels between Egypt and Gaza because they're used by Hamas to smuggle in weapons.

But Gazans argue that there are two kinds of tunnels running from Gaza to Egypt: militant and civilian. Hamas-controlled tunnels are "supposedly steel-ribbed and large enough for a car to pass through," according to Time. And unlike civilians, who dig in plain sight of the Egyptian border security and Israeli surveillance aircraft, Hamas members are more secretive and obscure about the location of their tunnels.

Gaza's civilians claim their tunnels are necessary. Israel essentially sealed Gaza's borders to everything but humanitarian aid after Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007, making the tunnels the only means for transporting everything from medicine, cement, chocolate bars, and even lion cubs for the zoo, according to Time.

"It's a lie to say that we use these tunnels to only bring in weapons. We're bringing in the ordinary stuff that keeps Gaza alive. If the Israelis opened the border crossings, we wouldn't have to be doing this," a Gazan resident tells Time.

According to the New York Times, the tunnels are also a primary source of income for some 25,000 young men. Tunnel diggers can earn $100 for every meter they dig — making the tunnels one of the biggest sources of employment in the territory. And they were back to digging as soon as the truce was signed.

"If Israel keeps the borders sealed off, we'll keep digging and only Allah can stop us. Let the Israelis drop their bombs. Without the tunnels we can't survive anyway," says Aymad, a tunnel digger. "And if a bomb catches me underground, well, they won't have to dig my grave."

From the Archives

China/EU Alliance 'Could Be Key to Low-carbon Energy'

Topics: Climate and Environment, Energy and Oil
Countries: China
Previously filed under: Asia, Environment
A recent report indicates that China and the EU can and should meet future energy demands in a sustainable and cooperative fashion.

From the Archives

Toxic Vegetables for Sale

Previously filed under: Agriculture
Although organically grown vegetables are a healthier option, it is cost prohibitive for many.

From the Archives

The ‘Mauritian Miracle'- A Southern African Success Story

Previously filed under: Africa, Success Stories
Unlike most of southern Africa and contrary to modern development theory, Mauritius has managed to develop substantial prospects for economic growth.

From the Archives

Russia Plays the Oil Card with a Divided Europe

Relationships between Russia and the European Union have soured over human rights, energy and historic Soviet-era landmarks.

From the Archives

The European Union's Global Mission

Joseph Stiglitz talks of Europe's achievements and future challenges as we celebrate the 50th bithday of the European Union.

From the Archives

Cooperation in the Nordic Region

In light of increased global interconnectedness, Finland's Ambassador, Ole Norrback, speaks of the importance of regional and international cooperation for Nordic countries.

From the Archives

Can Europe Age Gracefully? - Part I

Rejecting Turkey could signal more doubt about the EU's ability to spur reform rather than Turkey's readiness to adapt.

From the Archives

Open Labor Markets Are the Right Signal for Europe

Topics: Trade, Justice
Countries: Romania, Bulgaria, Bosnia
Previously filed under: Europe and Middle East, Trade
Labor restrictions have been imposed on some new European Union states, however, in the past wave of expansion, states that embraced open labor policies fared better overall.

From the Archives

Why the French Love Their Farmers

Topics: Agriculture
Countries: France
Previously filed under: Europe and Middle East, Agriculture
The greatest beneficiary of EU farm policy is reluctant to reform.

Stories We're Watching

Experts See Trouble Ahead for Developed World

The Associated Press - Fri, 09/03/2010 - 10:37
Two years after near-meltdown, with the U.S. looking sluggish, equity markets groggy and Europeans fighting a debt crisis, experts gathered in Italy offered a generally gloomy outlook - especially for the United States and much of the industrialized world.

Bidding Farewell to The Congo's 'Mother And Father'

NPR - Fri, 09/03/2010 - 07:05
As a long Congo River barge journey ends, so, too, does a unique glimpse into the heart of a poor but potentially rich nation grappling with conflict. Despite the hardship, the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo draw great inspiration from the inescapable and mighty river.

Putin Extends Ban on Russian Grain Exports

International Herald Tribune - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 23:01
Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin announced Thursday that Russia’s ban on grain exports would be extended well into next year because of continued uncertainty over production.

Fears Grow Over Global Food Supply

Financial Times - Fri, 09/03/2010 - 04:22
Wheat prices have risen further in the wake of Russia’s decision to extend its grain export ban by 12 months, raising fears about a return to the food shortages and riots of 2007-08

Gaza Youth Yearn for Normalcy, Haunted by War

NPR - Thu, 09/02/2010 - 13:01
Almost three-quarters of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are younger than 30. Most have never left the tiny, Hamas-ruled coastal territory, have never met an Israeli, and have never known a time when there wasn't a conflict outside their doorstep.

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