On 10 April 2010 on the way to commemoration ceremony of the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre the President of the Republic of Poland Mr Lech Kaczynski, the First Lady Mrs Maria Kaczynska, members of the polish delegation and crew lost their lives.

May they rest in peace!

President of Poland

The Lisbon treaty has become an almost mythical document which has had the power to defeat whole states.

To some it is the natural evolution of a system which created by the member states has simply become to unwieldy to operate correctly.  It’s a correctional document to allow the system to function better, to better state what is EU responsibility and to better provide a single voice to the EU outside of the Union which the world needs.

To those who dislike, even hate the document it’s a step in the wrong direction towards a European Union which subverts and even reduces the role of the nation state.

The country which showed how misunderstood the treaty is has to be Ireland.  During the initial referendum it was shown how ignorant many were as to the reason for the treaty and what it did.  The creation of a European Army, Abortion Rights, intrusion into national tax policies etc. all showed their heads as falsities promoted by those with an anti-European agenda.  It took a year of education and promotion of the facts before asking the Irish people to vote again.  A decision which the anti-Europeans claimed was anti-democratic.  A no means no was the response.  However a no is not a no when the facts are not known was the response.  How can you vote no on something you haven’t even read?

In the UK representative politics removed the need for a referendum which was a good thing as the UK is one of the most ill informed nations in the Union as to what it does.  A anti-European press and right wing political parties are keen to keep the disinformation going to promote their own views, many of which are based on historical fallacies and past glories of empire.  The UK is often seen as the screaming child at the back being pulled along by it’s European mother.  It’s seen as a country more interested in the flag waving nationalist past than a full member of the new reality of European politics.  The anti treaty groups in the UK put many of its hopes in the right wing policies of the British Tory party; a party which recently left the mainstream of European Parliament groups and created  a new one with nationalist, homophobes and SS sympathisers from the central and east Europe.  They hoped the Tories would promote a referendum claiming the treaty was nothing more than window dressing for the failed EU Constitution.  However unlike the former document which sought to consolidate all former treaties, the new one simply concentrates on the important factors needed to get the EU working in the future.  This was not something they wanted to hear and until the last was insisting on a referendum.

The Polish right wing president also sought to keep the treaty from becoming law.  He decided to hold out until the Irish had voted yes before he did so and surprisingly did so very quickly.  He was not keen to see it come into force despite the wishes of the Polish government and Prime Minister.

The most difficult problem has come from the nationalist president in the  Czech Republic which sought every opportunity to stop the treaty.  Like Poland the President was not in union with the wishes of the government and sought to halt it.  Constitutionally he could hold out until the last day of his presidency if he wished.  Right wing senators sought to halt the treaty in the courts and the president sought certainties German citizens would not reclaim property theirs before their expulsion from Czechoslovakia after the Second World War.  Whether he has the legal power to amend a treaty rather than the government was subject to question but the other states were keen to get the document signed and agreed to his demands.  Once the court decided the document was not designed to strip away Czech sovereignty he also signed fairly quickly to the surprise of many in Europe.

So as we go to press, the document is now signed by all and has become European Union Law.  International Law.  So what’s next?

Well the hard work now begins to find a permanent chairman or president for the European Council.  Previously this was a rotating presidency between the member states of 6 months.  The exact role hasn’t yet been agreed.  Will it be a position of importance to help promote the Union to the world?  Someone who will stop traffic and command handshakes in Washington and Beijing?  Or will it be someone who is an administrator, someone who could help run the Council for their tenure and keep the thing ticking along?  It’s still to be decided, however the German and French governments seem to be in agreement to who they would like even if holding close to their chest presently.

One thing he or she will not be is a European President!  Some newspapers have used that term too often and it’s beginning to sink into the public thinking.  The EU will have three presidents.  One for the Parliament, one for the Commission and one for the Council.  Those who think the role is governor of all should go back and see how the EU works.  The Council is only one part of the system, not the whole!

The other important role is the Foreign Representative.  There is a possibility this  role could be as important, if not more so than the President of the Council.  This role combines the former commissioner on external relations with the High Representative’s office.  Whoever has this position will be the face of the EU around the world.  It is this office will be at the head of promoting the EU to other states, providing a single agreed voice and negotiate with them.

The Right wing in the UK could still throw a spanner in the works.  They are likely to be the government in the next year and despite the division of responsibility the treaty states will use the newspapers and TV to argue for ‘repatriation of powers’.  Given that those powers the EU has was given to it by the member states to act more efficiently that when handled by themselves, it’s likely the UK’s voice in the Union and the world will reduce as a result which is disappointing.  Given their association with extreme and conservative groups in the EP, Britain may be heading towards a bleak isolated future.

The US, China and other states are keen to see a united Europe speaking with one voice and not two, three or even former EU members shouting from the edges.  The American presidency under Obama is one that the EU wanted after the Bush years but the US has shown its intolerance of a fragmented European voice.  Hopefully the treaty can resolve that.  Russia is a trickier subject.  Russia often treats trade and politics with individual states rather than the Union as a whole to promote it’s views.  Disagreements are made with Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia over trade rather than with the EU and agrees energy pipelines with member states when a united energy policy should be promoting the interest of all the Union’s citizens.

The future of the EU is now heading to a new path.  A smaller commission to run the Union on behalf of the members.  A stable and single person to manage the Council and chair the meetings, a new representative for external, dare we say, foreign affairs, and a better way to make decisions based on a new qualified majority voting in many more areas.

It’s single failure to promote and market itself to its citizens still has to be made and made more urgently and strongly now there are many more politicians who want to see the EU torn apart and fragmented destroying the dreams of past generations in favour of political fashion.  This is a fresh start for the EU.  Let’s hope it does not squander it and uses it’s well.

The Treaty of Lisbon at europa.eu

Understanding the Russian mind is something that has confused learned men for centuries.

For many who have watched Russian politics and society over the past few years may have been alarmed at the rehabilitation of Soviet leader Stalin by politicians and state run TV and newspapers.

Metro stations with his words on the walls have been built in Moscow and schoolbooks have been written praising his administration of the state while playing down the terrible cost to human life and the creation of a society in fear of the knock on the door.

Shostakovitch, one of the world most talented and respected composers modern Russia has provided was said to have always had a packed suitcase near his bed, just in case.  It’s perhaps hard to imagine a society so keen to arrest and lock away some of its most educated people but during the 1930’s documentation shows millions of people were either relocated, arrested, interned in labour camps and in many cases killed.  To overlook such a terrible cost in the desire to advance a society and ideal shows little regard to human life.  To popularise a regime which caused a terrible famine through it’s actions, the removal of whole ethnic groups and the destruction of the accepted use of terror as state policy for so many years shows a pick-n-mix approach to historical fact.

The recent statements by the Russian government to create a commission to prevent the falsification of history seemed almost too soviet for many.  A state sponsored version of history is never a good idea.  If a document comes to life contradicting the state version it would cause a problem that has to be stopped before the evidence is used to promote an alternative version.  History is a living and constantly changing assessment of the past, it should never be fossilised by a government in the interest of orthodox beliefs.  There must always be a reassessment and re-evaluation of the past based on the evidence which arrives.

So the recent speech by President Medvedev seemed to contradict much of which recent actions have promoted and a welcome statement that “Nothing can be valued above human life”.  It is perhaps something all of us in Europe should remember.

Whatever the colour pigment of our skin, whatever the religious belief, whatever the origin of the individual and whatever the political view, all life should be valued.

Link to the Russia Today site

We’ve been long time fans of Robert Service’s work here at EL and the latest in a trilogy of biographies is about to hit the shelf. Trotsky has been a few years in he making following on from the excellent Lenin and Stalin books, each having a 4 year gap between them.

Trotsky, like a few revolutionary figures, have gained a myth that often overshadows the reality of the person. The image being often more important to rally an idea or populous around. Few have gained more mythical status than Trotsky who has been seen as the intellectual successor to Lenin in the early USSR full of revolutionary rhetoric and success in the civil war and who was out manoeuvred by Stalin who eventually had him assassinated after fleeing from country to country.

What cannot be denied, however, is the impact this troika of men had on the history of our continent. Together they forged a society which, for good or ill, shaped the destiny of half of Europe for over 70 years.

What sets Robert Service’s work often apart from his contemporaries is both his wealth of knowledge and research on Russia and the former Soviet Union but in addition the way he makes his work so approachable and easy to read in a way which makes it compulsive to keep turning those pages. This new work focuses more on the man then the myth and turns up some surprising contradictions to the projected image.

This is a work which deserves the acclaim it will no doubt obtain.

Buy from Amazon: Trotsky: A Biography

There are a few good concert festival seasons in Europe. The BBC Proms in London during the summer is one of the best.

The later part of the year, however, belongs to the Strings of Autumn festival in Prague. Now in it’s 14th year the festival feels more confident and the line up stronger than ever.  A benefit that comes with the position of a regular event.  Classical, jazz and more experimental sounds can be found in the city between the end of September and November.

Something for everyone can be found in the programme this year including jazz singer Cassandra Wilson and Argentinian Tango music from Astillero Tango.

Programme brochure

Strings of Autumn website

I know, another German story, but this is quite a good one!

It would seem the rivalry between the German sportswear providers Adidas an Puma was brought onto the football field today in a friendly match to heal the wounds of an historical rift between the two firms founded as a single family business and then split between two rival brothers.

A lovely warm story and more can be read over at thelocal.de.  Pop over and read all about it.

The Local

There’s not much to love about the mystique of train travel across unknown lands, soaking in the atmosphere, enjoying conversation with new people and sharing a meal while watching the countryside zip by.

Of course if you’re a commuter and use the train each day to get to work standing in crowded carriages between the fool with tinny music escaping from cheap iPod headphones and the inconsiderate twit sharing her mobile phone conversation with the rest of the people, this romantic vision of rail travel may be a million miles from the reality around them.

However rail travel can be fun. It’s what keeps young European students eager to explore new lands slowly buying cross-Europe tickets generation after generation.

The guys over at Elite Travel Portal have written a lovely piece to sum up the wonders of relaxing train travel.

Why not pop over and take a look and remember to send us a postcard when you’re in your next destination!

Elite Travel Portal

It would seem wonderful photo books are coming our way quite often now and this is clearly the best we’ve had so far.

Berlin is not so much a coffee table book, but a book which could be the coffee table. It’s truly is huge, heavy and a joy to have.

This wonderful book contains a series of photographs across 700 pages from 1860 to the modern day providing a visual history to a unique European city which had been the focus for so much of the 20th century.

Accompanying each image is the title and some text in German, French and English.

Berlin is one of our favourite cities in Europe, always full of exciting things to do and see.  These photos show that this passion for life has been there for a great deal of time.

The days of Empire and WWI, the Weimar Republic, National Socialism, WWII, The Soviet Blockade, Division and the Cold War and Reunification.  It’s all contained in a series of images which delight and inform.

We can’t find many things wrong with this book aside from the weight picking it up and down.  However that’s a criticism we can live with.

A true gem this one!  Worth the cost and worth a place in your home but you’re going to need a bigger bookshelf!

Recommended!

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Berlin by Taschen at Amazon

Berlin at the Taschen website

Leica isn’t a firm which releases new models often. It’s usually content to sit on the fringe of the camera owning crowds with a dedicated and fearlessly loyal bunch of users and with much justification too. Optically their lenses are among the finest around and their expensive camera bodies don’t drop in value as much as their other brands. Once upon a time before Japanese firms became dominant it was German cameras which the world wanted and Leica is one of the few which have survived.

Today then is quite an event for Leica fans. Two new models are on the shelves including a long desired and technically very impressive full frame digital rangefinder. This is quite an achievement as the difficulties of light hitting the sensor at the wrong angle in a shallow rangefinder body has been a difficult technical problem to overcome.

This isn’t going to be a camera for the masses but it’s one to be desired and treasured.

Alongside the very splendid M9 is a new compact camera which, like the Sigma DP2, has a large sensor usually found in SLR bodies. The X1 is a beautiful little camera and a worthy addition to anyone’s bag.

Why not pop over the the Leica website at http://www.leica-camera.com and take a look for yourself.

But don’t blame us if you feel the desire to own one too. We already have our noses pressed to the shop window sighing!

Eugène’s photography collection of Paris is an absolute gem. This title came to us only today, although to be fair it’s been out a little while. Thank the stars for second hand book shops!

Paris is one of the few European cities which suffered little in the carnage of the 20th century’s wars, and therefore has retained much of the same charm which has attracted people to it for the last couple of centuries.

This wonderful book shows Paris in photos and draws you into each image allowing you to pause and study it, not simply flip through each one. Be part of the picture and look at what Paris was once upon a time.

Tachen’s website still has some lovely info on the book, however Amazon has stock so why not pop over and pick up a copy while they are still there.

Paris (Taschen 25th Anniversary Edition) from Amazon

Recommended!

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

As soon as you post one DDR story, more seem to pop out of the woodwork.

This little book landed on our desk this week.

Off The Wall is a charming little thing with photos on each page highlighting the fashion that characterised the German Democratic Republic between 1964 and 1980.

Gunter Rubitzsh and Staube are the photographers and the brightly pop art fashion of the clothing is most certainly worth a look.

Off the Wall: Fashion in the GDR from Amazon

This one has been a long time coming, but as usual there are always some ostriches around with their heads in the sand suddenly surprised by the news.  This time its the EU wide ban on the old fashioned incandescent light bulbs that have lit our homes for a few generations but are hopelessly inefficient, and expensive to keep replacing.

Their replacements, compact fluorescent bulbs, have been around for a while but now there are cheap enough that no one needs to consider the older ones any more and the savings to each home over a year should calm the grumblings of the old guard and right-wing newspapers.

Still, we all have to do our bit to slow the rapid rising of our planet’s global temperature and not even a herd of ostriches will prevent that.

http://www.savingpower.com

FAQ: phasing out conventional incandescent bulbs

Ah…it seems nostalgic sites seem to be coming to the EL desk quite often now.

These two may may pull at the heart strings for some but for others it’s an interesting retrospective to the hidden socialist wonderland of the German Democratic Republic.

Both ddr-fotos.de and ost-berlin.de provide an interesting insight to the daily life in Germany’s community east during its existence.

A beautiful and exciting collection. Go visit and enjoy!

Might want to add this one to your diary if you’re around Berlin on the 29th August.

The Long Night of the Museums is a popular annual event where they all open their doors at night until 02.00.

Over 100 musuems, institutions and galleries will take part. Probably more than you can see in a single night so probably worth checking your favourite out in advance.

You’re find more information at the berlin.de website.

This came across the radar here at EL recently. It’s a warming nice little collection of furniture and design for the home during the old soviet times.

It’s an interesting look at the past and how far things have changed in the past couple of decades.

Why not pop over to the realussr.com site have a look for yourself.

There’s nothing quite like a good soup. In the summer it’s a great quick food, in the winter the comfort quality cannot be written down.

Portuguese Caldo Verde Soup is a lovely simple soup which should go down well on anyone’s table. To start with you will need:

Olive oil

1 finely chopped onion

1 clove of minced garlic

6 peeled and thinly sliced potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced.

250g of Linguiça sausage nicely sliced

2 teaspoons salt

Some ground black pepper.

500g of Curly Kale

To make your soup:

Saute the onion and garlic in some olive oil until nice and soft.

Add the potatoes and together for about 3-4 minutes more.

Pour in water, bring to a boil, and let boil gently for 20 minutes, until potatoes are breaking down into the water. Try to avoid very waxy varieties.

In a frying pan cook the sliced sausage. You do not need any extra oil as there is enough fat in the sausage.

Drain and mash the potatoes.

Add the sausage, salt and pepper into the soup and return to medium heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes or so.

Add the curly Kale near the end of the cooking process until it is tender.

Pop in a bit more olive oil and take to the table for eager eating with some tasty bread.

If any of our Portuguese readers have suggestions on how to improve this or variations, please get in touch!

Enjoy!

The Journey as Concert

He who returns from a long journey has much to tell. He brings impressions and gifts with him. The Festival of Turning Points.

The LINZ EUROPA HARBORFEST set for July 3-5, 2009 is the culminating highlight of the LINZ EUROPA TOUR 2007 – 2009 starring Hubert von Goisern. As Linz09’s goodwill ambassador, he sailed his waterborne stage up and down Central Europe’s great river road. Now, he’ll be joined in Linz by his musical traveling companions and some of the local acts featured at concerts along the way. So all those who weren’t able to make it to the Black Sea or Amsterdam have the opportunity to experience these incredible musical encounters in Linz—not on board ship, but still with Hubert von Goisern on stage.

“The LINZ EUROPA HARBORFEST is going to be a one-of-a-kind festival of encounters both for the audience as well as for the participating musicians. I know all the people who accompanied me on the LINZ EUROPA TOUR 2007 – 2009, but many of them never had any direct contact with one another. I hope everyone has a good feeling about the program. I’m really looking forward to this musical get-together!”
Hubert von Goisern

In early July 2009, Linz Harbor will be the site of the grand finale of an extended journey. Hubert von Goisern and his band and many of the artists who joined them on board the concert ship will be reunited on a land-bound stage in Linz to celebrate a Europe that has been brought a bit closer together. A three-day concert featuring artists from East and West will revive the manifold energies and synergies that emerged during both legs of the tour. There’ll be blaring Hard Rock, effervescent Pop and even a bit of yodeling from the remotest regions of the Alps. In short: a climactic sensation! Plus: the artists will be convening in and around Linz even before the big weekend to get geared up musically and emotionally for a concert series that will conclude this multi-year tour in high style.

The lineup promises a high-energy concert event. Performers include Wolfgang Niedecken & BAP, Claudia Koreck, Haindling, Haydamaky, Karandila, Klaus Doldinger’s Passport, Köster/Hocker & Band, Loredana Groza, Philipp Poisel & Band, Rambo Amadeus, Stelzhamma, Willi Resetarits & Stubnblues andZdob si Zdub.

“The Harborfest is stacking up as a sort of European summit meeting of pop music. Here, East and West are convening both on-stage and throughout the festival grounds. Concertgoers are in for a one-of-a-kind European musical extravaganza and an experience that will touch their hearts and minds as well.”
Martin Heller, Artistic Director of Linz09
WHEN // 3 – 5 July 09
WHERE // Port of Linz
PARTICIPANTS //
Musicians from East and West
Band //
David Lackner (piano, keyboards), Maria Moling
(vocals, percussion), Alex Pohn (drums), Helmut
Schartlmüller (bass), Elisabeth Schuen (vocals,
violin), Marlene Schuen (vocals, violin), Severin
Trogbacher (guitar), Darinka Tsekova (gadulka)
Concert information is available online at:

www.linz09.at
www.linzeuropatour.com
www.hubertvongoisern.com

Linz 2009 European Capital of Culture

The new Acropolis Museum opened in sunny Athens on Saturday 20th June.

The spectacular new building over 25,000 square metres houses some of the best artifacts from ancient Athens and Greek history.

An astonishing collection of items and should be high on the list of many Parthanon tourist.

Much has been said about the missing items scattered around other musuems worldwide including the famous freeze commonly called the ‘Elgin Marbles’ which were taken from the site in the 19th century and presently is on display at the British Museum in London, however the remaining items do not distract from that is not there.

Europe has a idiological love affair with ancient Greece which since the 18th century has been seen as the genesis of European political and cultural thinking. It’s part of the conciousness of European historical thinking now and hard to observe as only a regional history.

Very much worth a visit so get yourself down to Athens and have a look.

The Acropolis Museum

Tarzan poster

Images and representations from throughout modern media history is on show with a history of the character and his genesis through to the modern time.

Might not be top of the list of things to see in Paris, but probably worth a go. The exhibition is on between the 16th June and the 27th September 2009.

Musée du quai Branly

In an odd quirk of history, the only place a statue existed to the musician Frank Zappa was not in his home town of Baltimore, USA, but in Vilnius, Lithuania; a place never visited by the man or in any way connected to the town.

The statue was was erected during the heady years following independence from the USSR and has attracted it’s fair share of visitors during the years since.

Soon a copy of the famous bust will be heading it’s way top the US as a gift. Hopefully the Americans will find a nice spot for it.

Lithuanian correspondent Viktoras Jakovlevas over at Euranet has a small piece about it. Why not pop over and have a listen?

Euranet