02-05-2004 08:53									#91
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quote: Originally posted by The Vagabond First you cut it off completely,

Did the EU besiege Kaliningrad? Was it like Berlin, 1948? No, the simplified transit was established before the enlargement took place.

quote: and then throw a small handout.

According to your governor, there are no problems with the transit between Kaliningrad and Russia. A small handout?
Btw, this article explains why there still are some transit restrictions. Title: "Crime-polluted enclave where time stood still"...

quote: Thanks for your help. But if you think that this amount can compensate for the damage caused by the EU expansion, you are mistaken. Moreover, part of this money will go to setting up "efficient" border controls, which were not needed before in the first place.

I was talking about compensation for Kaliningrad only. Concerning the relationship between Russia and the EU in general, here is a quote from your foreign minister:

quote: Russia had initially said EU enlargement would cause it substantial losses, but now says it will suffer no loss at all. Asked to explain this "miracle", Lavrov replied: "There was no miracle. There were just rumours and anecdotes."

Source

And because the EU sets up border controls doesn't mean that Russia must do the same. If you want to, fine, but don't demand compensation from Brussels.

	02-05-2004 10:19									#92
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quote: Originally posted by The Vagabond Well, it's basically that before we didn't need visas to those countries, but now we need them.

It is clearly annoying, especially for those who need to go to these countries often, but I don't call it "hardline", in that the EU didn't change its ways in the aim of being hostile to Russia.

quote: It's not only the new members who need to be convinved. Brussels needs to be convinced too.

In Brussels, this kind of decisions is taken by envoys of each member-State, who haggle. In general, a concession on an issue is balanced by a cookie in another issue. As such, western EU countries will not be tough negociators on Russian problems (that are really symbolic for the Eastern countries), in return for favors in issues they deem more important..

Sadly, unless the emotionality stops in Easter EU toward your country, I don't see any significant effort to ease the burden of Russia anytime soon. Unless Putin shares his concerns very well with his new French and German best friends.

quote: No citizenship rights for the Russian minority, denying the right for the basic education in their mother's language, to name a few.

Ah yes, I remember having heard of it. I also heard the EU was pressuring these countries repeatedly on the issue. It is unlikely to work, though, because France doesn't enforce the charta on mnority languages.

	02-05-2004 14:40									#93
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Oh I love the endless whining of Russia that the EU simply puts its own interests above those of a non-member.

	02-05-2004 15:38									#94
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Kaliningrad will always be Köningsberg for me. Maybe you russians should have thinked twice before annexing an isolated non-russian terriotory in the first place. Blame yourselves

	02-05-2004 15:48									#95
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quote: It is unlikely to work, though, because France doesn't enforce the charta on mnority languages.

They warming to this though, since even fench is starting to be under pressure(especially with the new states joining in).

	02-05-2004 17:01									#96
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Vagabond, Well.. I have heard about it now that you mention it, denying citizenships. Maybe I heard it in here? Anyway, I think that the country has the right to decide who they give citizenship and who they don't. However, there might be Russians there who have always lived there, so it's a bit tricky and if they get systematically turned down then that might be a problem. I don't know about the situation enough to say anything really.

I meant that you can't get to go to school in Finnish in here in some places even if that's the language you speak . Kind of funny. Stupid Ålanders, we should just napalm them all and kill them until they die. We should just give Åland to Sweden for free. That's where they want to belong to, I'm not sure if Swedes want those bastards though. Let's say if we meet again in the hockey WC games, you take a dive and get Åland.

And no, Swedes are not the biggest minority in here. Russians are the biggest minority in here, however there are schools in Russia here so that is worked out. But in Åland they are POS just like we natives are too. We should join together and strangle them. Ungrateful *****es.

So about the Visas. I still think that Russia should make the first move offering something, and then the EU would consider it seriously and work some kind of cooperation.

	02-05-2004 17:46									#97
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Pekka, ackording to this site there are about 15 times more Swedish speakers than Russian speakers in Finland

Not sure about ethnic background, though, if that's what you refer to.

	02-05-2004 18:28									#98
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Speakers yes but they are Finns, not Swedes. Russians are the biggest minority.

	02-05-2004 18:42									#99
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quote: Also 444bn euro of extra GDP strenghtening our position as the worlds second largest economy with 9613 billion euro GDP totaling over 18 %(USA 21.3%) of worlds gross domestic product.

Euros love to talk about the EU being one country but the truth is it isn't. Each of these countries is soveriegn and they maintain their own Embassies, Armies, Governments, and tax plans. Sure they work together in some areas but so does ASEAN, Marco Sur, and NAFTA. The EU has a parliment which helps to harmonize legislation but at the end of the day they are still very much seporate countries. Some might wish it other wise but so far they remain that way.

	02-05-2004 19:00									#100
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Oerdin, and the rest of the world likes to point their fingers at Europe as if it was one country .

	02-05-2004 19:42									#101
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quote: Originally posted by Pekka Speakers yes but they are Finns, not Swedes.

Then why are they called "Finlands-Svenskar"?

(yes, Im just teasing you, I really don't care about it)

	02-05-2004 20:12									#102
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Because they speak swedish, dance around a pole and eat lots of fish. They are citizens, born in here etc. They are not really a minority. Just retarded

	02-05-2004 21:04									#103
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I guess then that means the Sami people don't count as a minority group

	02-05-2004 21:12									#104
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No they do count as a minority. If you were a Swede in Finland, you would be minority. Finlands Svenska don't even county. They are so well integrated, they are Finns, only thing is they might have Swedish origin last name but that's it. They are not minority!!11111111

	02-05-2004 21:14									#105
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I mean that's like saying that some American whose forefathers came from Ireland would be Irish minority today.

	02-05-2004 21:21									#106
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quote: Originally posted by Pekka No they do count as a minority. If you were a Swede in Finland, you would be minority. Finlands Svenska don't even county. They are so well integrated, they are Finns, only thing is they might have Swedish origin last name but that's it. They are not minority!!11111111

You can relax now, I have to work. I may tease you some more later though

	02-05-2004 21:22									#107
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You can't tease me with this thing... it's pretty set already.

If you want to tease me, why don't you send me your panties?

	03-05-2004 18:28									#108
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--"No citizenship rights for the Russian minority, denying the right for the basic education in their mother's language, to name a few."

Do Lithuanians exiled to Siberia have Lithuanian schools? No.

Case closed.

	03-05-2004 20:41									#109
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Insufficient demand.
Maybe cuz Lithuanians exiled to Siberia now speak Russian, as God intended

	03-05-2004 21:49									#110
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does this mean they are going to start using Euros immediately?!

	03-05-2004 22:08									#111
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quote: Originally posted by Maniac There's a thing I've been wondering about for quite a while. On maps of the EU you always see several overseas EU territories like Guyana, Canarias, etcetera. But why are other British and French territories such as the Falkland Islands, French Polynesia, the Kergueles (totally wrong spelling - those islands in the South-Indian Ocean thereabouts) never included? Do they have some special semi-independent status or so?

Off the top of my head places like French Guyana and the Canaries are bascially considered full parts of their respective countries, while places like the Falklands are still 'overseas territories'.

	03-05-2004 22:21									#112
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quote: Originally posted by Kaak does this mean they are going to start using Euros immediately?!

Nope. They'll use Euros at some point in the future, but only once they fit the conditions. I have heard they won't even have a choice, i.e no referendum

	03-05-2004 22:31									#113
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I personally dont think referendums are good for everything, such as deciding whether to join the euro. People make many decisions based on emotions and short sighted without thinking it all through. One reason for this is that the informations is always unsymmetrical, most people dont have the information, education nor the means to decide such things. Therefore things such as joining the euro or not should be left to the experts, economists, private sector and politicians. No elitism here, just pragmatism.

	03-05-2004 23:40									#114
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good good that means things won't be horribly expensive on my trip

	07-05-2004 21:14									#115
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quote: Originally posted by Saras Just outside my office, on Gedimino Prospektas, there's a tent with dishes from every EU and tomorrow-EU country (funny enough, Turkey's there as well... perhaps someone likes kebabs too much?). I ate a Polish "Fliaki" soup, a Viennese Snitzel, Italian icecream. Loads of other good stuff to eat later at night. And 1 l jugs of beer in the German section. Wooohoo!!!

Kind of the same thing in Prague on the 30th, a "European market". Quite bizarre. Each of the 25 countries had its own stall. I got some black Latvian bread and listened to Portuguese folk music.
The Swedes handed out brochures about the Saab Gripen fighter plane. When I asked why, they said "because it's our contribution to Europe"

	07-05-2004 21:36									#116
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quote: Originally posted by The Vagabond 1) New visa barrier.

We need a visa to enter Russia, so I don't see it as wrong that Russian's should require one to enter the EU. As for the specifics of Kaliningrad, I wouldn't know though.

quote: Originally posted by The Vagabond 2) Utter hypocricy in what concerns human rights. Two countries (Latvia and Estonia) have been admitted despite their blatant violation of human rights.

Not allowing public schools to teach in a non-official language is a human rights violation? It's their choice what their public school system teaches, and if they want it to only be taught in the official language, that's their choice.

	07-05-2004 21:38									#117
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quote: Originally posted by Spiffor Nope. They'll use Euros at some point in the future, but only once they fit the conditions. I have heard they won't even have a choice, i.e no referendum

Isn't it part of joining the EU now, you have to join the Euro? You can't take one without the other. Therefore, there isn't a referendum to have, since the governments don't have a choice either.

	07-05-2004 21:38									#118
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quote: Originally posted by Spiffor Nope. They'll use Euros at some point in the future, but only once they fit the conditions. I have heard they won't even have a choice, i.e no referendum

Yep the new members had to pretty much accept the whole package. But it could take a while (10 years?) before they actually start using the euro.

	07-05-2004 21:44									#119
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quote: Originally posted by Drogue Not allowing public schools to teach in a non-official language is a human rights violation? It's their choice what their public school system teaches, and if they want it to only be taught in the official language, that's their choice.

We are talking about a language ~50% of the population speak, though. Not making it an official language - or, who cares about the actual terms, a language with some sort of status - is clearly a discrimination.

	07-05-2004 22:06									#120
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Well you need to take a look at how so many Russians ended up in the Baltic countries. It's not a pretty story.