eurealist.co.uk

MEP`s had allotted a total of £80,000 for the campaign in the UK to spread “information” about the EU Constitution

A spokesman for the European Parliament said the campaign was concerned with spreading information on the “main aspects of the constitution”. “We will explain to the public how the constitution will benefit them in their every day lives.”

MEP`s believe they have a right to disseminate their views because the European Parliament has voted in favour of the EU constitution.

The UK Local Government in Westminster says it has already rejected any cash which could be seen as “pro-constitution propaganda”. But obviously because it is only the local government, its wishes will not be considered important by the real government in Brussels.

Considering there is an agenda within the European Parliament to get people to vote for the constitution it will be interesting to see the spin these MEP`s put on their “information”, they will evidently tailor their message to each state, so we need to be alert to other campaigns claims, as in some states many oppose the constitution because they do not feel it goes far enough.

Anti-sense Investigation

From 2000 to 2003, the EU paid $329 million into the Palestinian budget and $194 million in other forms of assistance.

The headline is “The European Union’s anti-fraud investigation has found no evidence to back accusations that some of the hundreds of millions of dollars in EU aid to the Palestinian Authority was diverted to fund terrorist attacks or siphoned off by corrupt officials.”

Unfortunately the anti-fraud investigation also said…

“The possibility of misuse of the Palestinian Authority’s budget and other resources cannot be excluded due to the fact that the internal and external audit capacity in the Palestinian Authority is still underdeveloped”.

The anti-fraud office did advise the Palestine Authority to move away from funding families of people involved or accused of involvement in attacks on Israel.

“Some of the practices of the past, such as the payment of salaries to convicted persons or the financial aid given to families of ‘martyrs’ as well as the Fatah contributions by PA staff, are liable to be misunderstood and so to lead to allegations that the PA is supporting terrorism,”

So we have a situation that the claim is being made that to support the families of terrorists and to pay the wages of terrorists, is not in fact supporting terrorism? That although the Anti-fraud office cannot actually account for the money, they somehow can also claim “The investigation has found no conclusive evidence of support of armed attacks or unlawful activities financed by the European Commission’s contributions”, that there is at least one account in Tunis for which the PA was not yet able to clarify either the origin or the owner?

The European Anti-Fraud Office said “the Palestinian Authority has made significant progress since 2002″ to put its books in order.

The Israeli government said that, beyond the issue of abuse of EU funds, it was convinced that, under former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, funds were used for terrorist attacks.

“In the period when Mr. Arafat ran the Palestinian Authority, there was incontrovertible evidence that in a continued and ongoing way, the Palestinian Authority channeled money to groups involved in terrorism,”

As they cannot show where the money went but admit that some of it did goes toward paying terrorists or supporting the families of terrorists, or funding terrorist groups, how on earth can they also make such a clear statement that there is no evidence? As usual the EU it turns reality on its head.

Non-Euro Europe (washingtonpost.com): “Non-Euro Europe
How do you make your painfully weak dollars go further? Take them to a euro-free zone.”

There’s a smart way for U.S. travelers to Europe to cope with the pinch on the pocketbook caused by the euro: Don’t use it.

Pay in Polish zlotys. Or Hungarian forints. Or Bulgarian levs.

For Americans, those and other non-euro currencies often stretch twice as far as the euro.

These days travelers are paying $1.34 per euro, compared with $1.22 a year ago. If you thought you couldn’t afford a trip to Europe this spring or summer, consider taking the less-traveled road into Poland, Bulgaria, Slovakia and other countries outside the euro zone

“We’re booking tours to great destinations in Croatia for around half what they would cost to nearby Italy,” says Judy Koblenz, an agent at Kollander World Travel in Cleveland, which organizes customized and group tours throughout Europe.

Trailblazing in unfamiliar and often less-developed countries outside the heart of Europe is not for every traveler. While many of the non-euro countries are moving quickly to build a tourism infrastructure, the progress is mixed. Outside major urban areas, the biggest barrier probably will be language. Hard-to-reach places like Lviv, Ukraine, or Levoca, Slovakia, have pristine charm, but it’s never certain if hotel clerks will speak English or museum placards will be written in anything but the native tongue. As a veteran traveler to many non-euro countries, I’ve found that patience and a good phrasebook can usually get you a decent room and a meal, even in rural areas.

Be prepared to discover sights that parallel, if not exceed, heavily touristed venues in Great Britain or on the Continent. The architectural splendor of Prague’s Golden Ring ranks with the grand vistas of Rome. The Chopok slopes in the Tatra mountain region of Slovakia are as attractive to skiers as the Alps of Austria or France. White sandy beaches in Cyprus are a suitable alternative to those along Spain’s Costa del Sol or France’s Cote d’Azur.

But remember that not all of the non-euro countries are a bargain. Although Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and Great Britain have opted against using the euro, hotels, restaurants and other attractions in the major urban areas of those countries are among Europe’s priciest.