AFP is reporting that Europe & the US will shortly issue a joint declaration on the closure of Guantanamo which will stress the fundamental values of both in order to encourage the Europeans to help out in closing Guantanamo.  As I blogged before, EU governments are currently considering whether to accept inmates and get President Obama out of the political bind that is the relocation of these (mainly unprocecuteable and probably innocent) inmates. The European Council for Foreign Relations has called for Europe to grap the opportunity to cement transatlantic relations in their report:  Beyond the “War on Terrorism”: Tpward a new Transatlantic framework for Counterterrorism. The Justice Ministers of the EU will meet in June to explore the issue further.

On 5th June, voters from 27 EU countries will begin voting on who they wish to represent them in the European Parliament, it is the largest number of countries ever to vote for the only democratically elected transnational Institution in the world . Global Post have a very interesting Article on why the elections matter. The EU Observer, meanwhile, update us on the state of play 18 days before the election. There’s an interesting update re. the candidacy of Elena Basescu (below), the former-model daughter of the Romanian President who was originally head of his party’s list for the European Parliament. Following public outcry she had to withdraw from the list to make way for (what she called) “intellectuals”. She is now running as an independent, but EU Observer reports her as saying “”Yes, I want to win, although I realize I might be aiming too high now.” However, given the long line of entertainers, former models and singers that have gone on to become MEPs, I wouldn’t discount her chances just yet!

 Romanian candidate for the European Parliament, Elena Bbasescu: she dreams of Europe.

The EU is currently deciding how to advise EU governments on how to divide a very nice and potentially valuable present. It is the airwaves that are currently used to broadcast analogue television, but which will be free when digital television becomes the norm in the next years. The “digital dividend”, as it is called, is the 72 MHz of broadcast airwave or “spectrum” (see diagram below) that will become free for use, and television, mobile phone & internet companies are very interested in providing solutions as to how it could be used to provide more of their services.

The Financial Times reports that Mobile Phone operators are currently being favoured by the EU’s Governments,  potentially allowing them to provide data services at speeds 20 times the current speed. The last time such broadcast space was sold, Governments realised a bonanza of millions for the 3G licences from mobile phone companies, though it is probable that such sums will not be reached in current strained economic times.

Information Society Commissioner Reding has called for the spectrum to have an economic & societal benefit, and has recommended that some of the dividend be allotted to providing wireless internet for all across Europe, one of her major policy goals. She estimates that this would have an incremental value of up to €200 billion in terms of the creation of job opportunities and the extension of Europe’s leadership in ICT. One analyst in the FT considers that this “societal” outcome is going to be the focus for the digital dividend, though the lure of ready and immediate cash for the EU’s governments cannot be discounted.

 A graphic showing the spectrum that will become available for use. (Image courtesy of BBC.)

On Wednesday, The European Commission will unveil the amount it will fine the computer chip maker Intel, for what the Commission believes, are serious breaches of antitrust law. It paid computer-manufacturers not to install it the chips of its rival, AMD. There is speculation that an eye-watering sum will be levied on Intel, according to Bloomberg, possibly more than €1 billion.

The US is taking note. Today, the New York Times ran an article on the US Administration’s tightening of Antitrust rules. It states that this policy alligns itself with the antitrust policies of the European Commission. A sign that regulators both sides of the Atlantic do not see easing antitrust enforcement as a way to get out of the economic crisis.

(May 13: Today the European Commission announced it was fining Intel 1.06 billion. One blogs states that the decision has “reverbarated” around the US)

Yesterday, in a video podcast, the European Commissioner for Information Society, Commissioner Reding called for ICANN to be restructured. ICANN is the entity that basically governs the internet, it decides the endings of web-addresses (eg. .com, .be) and it under the notional auspices of the US governmnet. European anxiety about this arose when teh proposed .xxx doman failed under political pressure from religious groups in the US.

Commissioner Reding has called for “a new, more accountable, more transparent, more democratic and more multilateral form of internet governance”. She calls this a “G12 for Internet Governance”, a global body that could monitor the openess and security of the Internet (though one would wonder if countries like China would prioritise an open ineternet).

An excellent, view here of the European Parlaiment Elections and voter’s unenthusiatic reaction towards them. The skilled author, Timothy Garton Ash suffers, however, from having only a national view of the  importance of the elections. At European level, the elections are vital and, given the current state of economic collapse, could influence many global policies, potentially for centuries.

The nation-centric view of Timothy Garton Ash is most common, very few European citizens grasp the importance of the EU in thie daily lives. For example, in last minute negotiations last week, the Parliament provisionally agreed to legislation that may make Internet cookies “unworkable”, this was not event reported well in the EU press. The EU is hugely important, but when skilled and engaged commentators like Timothy Garton Ash cannot engage with debate at an EU level, what chance has the average citizen?

 European Elections - could change the world (not that anybody cares)…

(addition on 5th may: Op-ed in New York Times on this topic)