European Commission

United in Brussels yesterday evening for the occasion of an extraordinary dinner summit, the heads of States and governments agreed on the names of the two high profile posts introduced by the Lisbon Treaty: the President of the Council and the High Representative/Vice-President of the European Commission.
Concern had been expressed that the dinner would be prolonged into a dinner followed by a breakfast, or even into a dinner-breakfast and lunch scenario, but surprisingly, the final results were announce early yesterday evening. Whereas the post as President of the Council was attributed to the Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy, the double-hatted post as High Representative/Vice-President of the European Commission was given to Mrs Catherine Ashton, the current Commissioner for trade.
I do not know …

When the Lisbon Treaty enters into force on the 1 December, it will offer a new opportunity to citizens to influence the EU agenda. It is the Citizens’ Initiative that will enable one million citizens to request the Commission to bring forward a particular policy proposal. At this weeks Commission meeting we decided to launch a wide public consultation, a so-called Green paper, to help to define for example the number of countries from which people must come, how to check that signatures are real, what form a petition should take etc.
I therefore encourage all of you to participate in this exercise, to give your views on how best to design this new …

The Constitutional Court in the Czech Republic said that “it is a court, not a place for endless debates”. It ruled that the Treaty of Lisbon is in conformity with the constitutional order of the Czech Republic and there is nothing to prevent its ratification. And then President Klaus signed. A long and bumpy road to a new EU treaty finally came to an end and the new treaty will almost certainly enter into force on 1 December.  One of the new provisions which interests me greatly is the Citizens Initiative. With 1 million signatures you will be able to ask the Commission to take an initiative on a particular issue.  The Commission will launch a public consultation next week asking for views on how it can best be implemented in …

For two days last week (22-24.10), Stockholm was a real buzz. The fourth edition of European Development Days was organised jointly by the European Commission and the Swedish Presidency. I was honoured to be asked to participate in this annual event that drew together thousands and thousands of people from all over the world.

The main themes of this year’s event were Democracy and Development, the Financial Crisis and Climate Change.  At the heart of the Stockholm Fair Centre Älvsjömässan was the so called “Development Village”, where one could meet hundreds of organisations and learn more about their ideas on international development co-operation.

The whole scenery was colourful and almost overwhelming, with so many opinions and strong statements about development aid and a sustainable future for all. But the best feature of the event was …

Last week I visited the U.S. Despite the freezing cold, I received a warm welcome, both in Washington D.C. and New York. The purpose of the visit was to discuss two issues of global urgency: climate change and matters relating to women & security - two highly timely and complex issues that have acquired some momentum recently. However, meetings with representatives in the UN and the Obama administration, as well as with civil society organisations underlined that we still have a lot to do, if we want to achieve a deal in Copenhagen and a painless reality for women and children in conflict and war-zones.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made impressive efforts in preparing the ground for a new UN resolution about sexual violence against women, which introduces a real mechanism of sanctions and …

First of all I want to thank those of you who expressed condolences on the death of my mother.  It is very much appreciated.  It has been a difficult time lately but I have been able to spend time with my extended family, of course mourning her death but also reflecting on and enjoying memories of my mother’s life.  She was close to 90 years old and had lived life to the full and, although death is always hard to deal with, I know she died as she would have wished – quickly, painlessly and with her friends.

I came back to Brussels only yesterday and I was of course delighted about the overwhelming Yes vote in the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. A turnout of …

I visited Ireland again last week.  It was interesting to see the country in full referendum mode with posters all around and the press and airwaves full of Lisbon Treaty related discussions.  As I repeated many times over the two days, I am accountable to the public and was happy to answer the many questions put to me by the media and at public events.

In Dublin I spoke about the impact of the financial crisis and EU solidarity with Ireland at a lunch organised by the European Chamber of Commerce and later on Women in the EU at a meeting of Labour Party women.  I mentioned that The European Central Bank is providing loans of some 900 billion Euros, 130 billion of which will go to …

Together with my husband I was invited to the presentation of The Polar Music Prize Laureates 2009  in Stockholm last week. Two outstanding musicians and personalities received a nice sum of money from a donation by the late Stig Andersson (who wrote some of the most well-known lyrics for ABBA, for example).  Jose Antonio Abreu & El Sistema (a music-education program in Venezuela) and Peter Gabriel  both prove that “music has no limits but incomparable power” as the motivation for the award read. They both got standing ovations and in total it was an evening filled with fantastic music and inspiration. And nice to see my husband in black tie for once…

This might be the first time that I openly admit my admiration for a military general. I read an interview with US General Stanley …

It is not always easy to follow or understand the inner workings of the European Parliament – or the dynamics within and between the different political groups. The “power games” that undeniably go on behind the scenes after an election do not normally engage the general public. At the moment the EU Institutions find themselves in a situation between the existing Nice Treaty and a new Lisbon Treaty which (hopefully) will enter into force before the end of the year. So the appointment of a new Commission President is uncertain and has been made part of the “deals” being discussed in the EP at the moment.

This is my view:

1. The procedure for nominating and appointing a Commission President and Commissioners has to become even more …

Brussels tempts us back from holidays with warm weather, making the transition smoother maybe…? Long into the autumn I will remember what it was like to unpack innumerable moving boxes (since we moved all of our stuff from Brussels to Sweden end of June) and the phenomenon of finding that the things we wanted were always in another box…
But there were some highlights this summer: like the performance “Kalevala” by Västanå  Theatre in Värmland . Like the celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary. Like picking blackberries while listening to Robyn on my iPod. Like swimming in the (cold) lake early in the morning after a jog in the forest. Like hugging my brothers and having the whole family around the table.

I tried to follow some of the debate …

So, August is here and summer holidays and a news drought with it! Last week the Swedish think-tank Timbro released a report complaining that “EU information is not neutral”, that we “buy coverage in the media” and that “millions of euro are spent on advocating closer European political and economic cooperation”. I must say I was rather surprised by their biased and incomplete image of the EU’s communication activities, something I explained in a letter to the editor of Svenska Dagbladet.

The authors of the Timbro report define communication in an astonishingly simplified way: it is either “information” or “propaganda”. What they completely overlook is that communication is a vital element of democracy because it is a two-way street. It is every citizen’s right to be informed about what the EU does, but also to make …

Yesterday’s front page of the International Herald Tribune explores a new angle to the atrocities and violence in Congo – men raping men. What has been a horrible nightmare for women and girls in Congo for years is now becoming reality also for men. The article outlines that aid workers “believe this is yet another way for armed groups to humiliate and demoralise Congolese communities”.
So sexual violence is finally becoming a human issue, as also men are affected. I can’t help but think to myself: this violence has been ongoing for years, but so far never made front page international news. Is it really “harder for men”, as the article explains? Is it somehow easier for women to endure gang-rapes, torture and mutilation? “Men’s identity …

Today, the Swedish EU Presidency gathers Environment and Energy Ministers for an informal meeting in Åre, Sweden. One of the objectives is to discuss the challenges of the UN climate conference in Copenhagen in December.

The Copenhagen conference probably represents the world’s last chance to bring climate change under control before it’s too late. The recently held G8/Major Economies Forum (MEF) in Italy saw positive developments such as a declaration on a 2º C warming limit, but disappointed with the lack of ambitious reduction targets and serious financial commitments by developed countries.

Few players inside UN negotiation circles expect developing countries to make significant moves before developed countries have clarified their positions on emission reductions, access to technology and financing. Narrowing the gap between North and South perspectives on climate change and development needs will be imperative for the conclusion of …

I spent much of last week in the United States participating in meetings on a trio of important issues - communication, climate change, and sexual violence in conflict. It was very interesting to meet with Judith McHale, the US Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, and members of President Obama’s campaign team to discuss new media and the challenges we face. The bad news? We are all facing similar challenges of adapting our communication tools and means to a fast moving and more complex world. The good news? We share a common vision on both sides of the Atlantic – communication must become a two-way dialogue that takes into account the citizens preferred media.

I also enjoyed meeting my friend Carol Browner, the Assistant to President Obama for Energy and Climate Change. The most exciting part was …

Yesterday the country I know best took over the Presidency of the EU. I had the pleasure to be part of the inauguration event at the beautiful open air museum at Skansen in Stockholm, where I handed over a small gift to Fredrik Reinfeldt and José Manuel Barroso. It is a fiery cross made in Dalecarlia, symbolising a visionary leadership for sustainable development. This is a mix between an old tradition in the Swedish region Dalarna (where it’s been made) where a fiery cross is handed over to the next generation, and an ancient belief of the North American Indians that in your decisions you should think 7 generations ahead. In the middle of the fiery cross is the earth. One side represents seven generations before us, whose decisions and deeds have shaped the existence …