Word: referendum
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...same interest rate is almost certainly too high for the European Union's weakest economies. Germany's Economics Minister, Wolfgang Clement, recently urged Trichet to cut rates--so far, to no avail--and Italy's Welfare Minister, Roberto Maroni, even suggested that Italy should call a referendum on whether to readopt the lira. But after a meeting of the European central bank's council earlier this month that left policy unchanged, Trichet said the current rates were "appropriate" and "fully in line with what would be best to ... foster growth and job creation." The talk about Europe's dumping...
...defeat inflicted on the European constitution in the French referendum does not signify a failure for the idea of a united Europe as a whole [May 30]. Quite the contrary: it represents a purely political choice in opposition to the neoliberal character of Europe today and in favor of a Europe that is more socially conscious and responsive. It is also a vote against the élitism and arrogance of the Brussels bureaucracy, which presumes it can complete its version of European unification without ever consulting directly with the citizens of Europe. Finally, it is the starting point...
...coalition, which include communists, socialists and even the remains of the splintered Christian Democrats, are widening. Francesco Rutelli, the unsuccessful center-left challenger to Berlusconi four years ago, outraged allies in the Left Democratic party by backing the Italian bishops' call for voters to abstain from this week's referendum on assisted fertility and stem-cell research. But noisy squabbles among coalition partners over policy mask divisions that are even more bitter: over who will spearhead the election campaign. Doubts have grown over the past month about the leadership of Romano Prodi, 67, the former President of the European Commission...
...leading PS contenders tangled. Laurent Fabius, 58, was ousted as the party's second-in-command last week in a move led by PS first secretary François Hollande. Fabius' crime: defying party policy to campaign for a no vote on the E.U. constitution. "Fabius' reversal on the referendum was to provide him with support for a 2007 presidential bid," says Dominique Reynié, a political analyst and professor at Sciences Po. "But the damage the no vote has had will make any gains short-lived." Indeed, the Elyseé ambitions of Hollande, 50, and Fabius wilted last week...
...Swiss Open Up After the E.U. constitution was rejected by the French and Dutch, and another bitter scrap broke out over the E.U. budget, Brussels won a quiet sign of support last week from an unlikely corner. In a referendum, 55% of Swiss voters approved joining the E.U.-run Schengen area, which lifts internal border checks. Integration doesn't come easy to the Swiss. Voters declined membership of the European Economic Area, a staging post to full E.U. membership, in 1992; a poll in 2001 shelved the possibility of membership talks even though around two-thirds of the country...