Leo van Doesburg

The coming days I will be traveling again. The coming time, the posts on this blog will mainly focus on a report about my travels and my impressions. My travel schedule is as follows: 28 October-1 November : I will participate to the ECPYN regional congress: “Georgia and Post-Soviet Space in common European context”. I was asked to speak about the topic: "The role of Christianity in post Soviet politics". More information about this congress you will find on www.ecpyn.org 2-4 November : I will be in Moldova where I will have several meetings and trainings with our partners in Moldova. Also there will be a special training and discussion organized by the Youth Parliament where I have to speak about: "European Union between identity and integration" 5-8 November: I will be in Riga to participate amongst others to the Latvian National Prayer Breakfast. All these activities are planned Deo Volente. And would like to ask your prayers for the trip and all the events

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Poland and Sweden have in a joint strategy paper indicated the EU is unlikely to invite any of its post-Soviet neighbours to join the bloc in the next 10 years. Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski and Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt set out their vision for the EU's future relations with neighbouring countries in a letter on 6 October to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and neighbourhood commissioner Stefan Fuele. The letter noted that Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine could one day become EU members, unlike countries in north Africa and the Middle East. "Some [countries bordering the EU] are European and thus enjoy special status in accordance with the treaties, others will remain neighbours of Europe," it said. But the four-page-letter nowhere said the EU should give the group 'an enlargement perspective.' It instead set out an everything-but-enlargement vision in which the six gradually adopt the E...

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – EU ambassadors have agreed to the "political goal" of moving towards a visa-free regime with Moldova in a boost for the pro-EU coalition in Chisinau ahead of November elections. The ambassadors' decision on Thursday (21 October) could see foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday task the European Commission with drawing up an Action Plan for visa-free travel for Moldova, on the model of a plan already drafted for Ukraine. The ambassadors could not agree on the final wording of the ministers' communique because France insisted on language underlining that EU countries will have to approve the Moldova plan if the commission prepares one. "All the discussions were about the visa issue. The European Ccommission is rushing to start things, but we have to make sure all the necessary guarantees are there," one EU diplomat told that website. Moldova - a post-Soviet country of 4 million people sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine o...

EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday (25 October) will invite the European Commission to submit its opinion on Serbia's application for EU membership. But the ministers' conclusions, seen by WAZ.EUobserver, are to say bluntly that Serbia cannot go further toward EU accession without the arrest of war crimes suspects Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic and a constructive approach in the upcoming dialogue with Kosovo. Source: EU Observer: http://euobserver.com After two nights of long and tiring talks, the representatives of 26 EU countries and the Netherlands on Friday agreed the final text of the ministers' communique. The compromise consists of several elements: Ministers will voice strong support for Serbian president Boris Tadic; they will say Belgrade's attitude toward Kosovo is a key condition for further Serbian EU integration; and they will make clear Serbia cannot obtain official EU candidate status unless all EU member states, including the Netherland...

Some time ago,I wrote here about the situation in Belarus concerning the Belarusian Christian Democracy and their attempts to legally register their party. Recently a new constituency congress was organized in order to try to register the party for the third time. However, on the same day that the EU Council of Foreign Ministers will discuss about the "Belarusian issue", from their press center I received the news that it is unlikely that the party will be officially registered this time On October,24 expired the term allocated by the law for making decision on registration of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party, It is worth mentioning that on September 12, 2010 the third Constituent Congress of the BCD was held and on September,19 the Belarusian Christian Democracy party applied for registration to the Ministry of Justice. But with the looming prospect of the meeting of the Council of EU Foreign Ministers to be held today, on the 25th of October in Brussels, during whic...

T wo important reports have been voted in this week's plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg: the non-funding of EU development programs that include coercive abortions and other human right's abuses; and, sadly, a change of the concept of paternity leave, taking as its criterion the relationship of the partner to the mother rather - as the word itself suggests - of the partner to the child. This opens up "paternity" leave explicitly for lesbian couples. Source: Human Dignity Watch European Parliament confirms the non-funding of coercive abortion During this week’s Plenary Session in Strasbourg, the European Parliament voted on the general budget of the European Union for 2011. Several amendments regarding specific criterion for the EU's funding of development programs were decided. Parliament confirmed by a majority vote the EU's refusal to fund development programs, NGOs or governments that participate in forced abortions, sterilizations or...

From October 28th to November 1th ECPYN will organize a Regional Conference in Georgia. The aim of this visit is to study local political situation, activities of Christian Democratic Movement and to discuss vitally important issues for Post Soviet countries, like integration in EU and European Structures. During this conference we will work on promoting mutual contacts between political youth organizations and diffusing and exchange of knowledge and experience between participants. We want to create an idea about Georgia and its internal and external politics and provide participants with meeting Georgian political elite. We also want to extend participants knowledge in European integration and post-soviet space and promote international discussion between Post Soviet countries. A big part of the conference will also be the knowledge of the role of Christianity in post-soviet space and promote the Christian Democratic ideas. More information you will find on the website of the ecpyn: ...

From 8-10 December, the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate and the Ecumenical Prayer Group of the Romanian Parliament will organize the 5th Romanian Prayer Breakfast. This event will be organized in collaboration with the ECPM, the Bible Society, and the Dutch Reformed Party. The theme will be: "Christian values in politics" and will take place in the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest. Program is as follows: Wednesday, 8 December 2010 18.00 - 19.00 Arrival of the participants 19.00 - 23.00 Cocktail offered by Mrs. Roberta Alma ANASTASE, President of the Chamber of Deputies, in honor of the participants Cultural - Religious Program. Thursday, 9 December 2010 08.00 - 08.30 Arrival of the participants 08.30 - 10.00 Romanian Prayer Breakfast 10.00 - 11.00 Tour in the Palace of Parliament 11.00 - 13.00 Opening debate. „Christian Values in Politics” 13.00 - 14.30 Lunch. 15.00 - 18.00 Resumption of debate. Conclusions. 18.00 - 19.00 Cultural program. 19.30 - 21.00 Dinner. Friday, 10 De...

The elections in Latvia resulted in a clear majority for the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis. The main themes of the elections were the economic situation in Latvia and the relations with Russia and the position of the Russian-speaking minority. The ECPM is glad that the people of Riga re-elected MP Inese Šlesere who is a clear defender of Christian values and works hard to promote a pro-life agenda. We congratulate her and wish her and her colleagues all wisdom in these challenging times.

Human Dignity Alert! No EU Funding for Coercive Reproductive Health Programs No European Union Funding for Coercive Reproductive Health Programs Vote in the European Parliament Plenary Session, Wednesday, October 20th at 12:30PM We are asking all people to support an amendment to the European Union 2011 annual budget that will be voted on Wednesday next week in Strasbourg, France at the European Parliament Plenary Session. This amendment will prevent EU financial support to development programs, NGOs or governments that participate in forced abortions, sterilizations or infanticide. WYA has consistently advocated against this indirect funding which supports coercive policies in foreign countries. This year again, we want to alert the Members of the European Parliament and ask for your participation. The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action explicitly condemns coercive reproductive and sexual health programs, as stated in Principle 8, Paragra...