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Vitorino, António
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5 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
António Vitorino and Vaira Vike-Freiberga on the EU's little big states
In recent months amidst the euro crisis Germany has been accused of dictating Europe's policies. This may be partially true as regards the efforts to fight the euro crisis but when it comes to European foreign policy the small EU states are coming into their own, write the Portuguese ex-EU commissioner António Vitorino and the Latvian ex-president Vaira Vike-Freiberga in the daily Público: "In this Europe, the important moves are now sometimes made in Stockholm or Warsaw, not only in Berlin, Paris, or London. And, with major foreign-policy issues on Europe's doorstep - whether in Egypt, Belarus, or now Syria - useful European initiatives are to be welcomed, regardless of where they originate. ... Germany might be getting all of the attention in this time of crisis, but the last year has been a reminder that Europe is most effective and influential when the small countries get involved and join forces with - and even lead - the big ones. ... So, Poland and Sweden: Europe needs your leadership. ... Other EU states need to follow their example in order to make European foreign policy truly effective and influential."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Vaira Vike-Freiberga
António Vitorino on the decision to try 9/11 in civil court
The US government has decided to put the alleged masterminds behind the terrorist attacks of 9/11 on trial in a civil court rather than a military tribunal. This is a milestone in judicial history, legal expert António Vitorino writes in the daily Diário de Notícias: "It is fitting to bear in mind that the previous US Administration established special military tribunals for the trials of the terrorist suspects … . The announcement of the decision … was therefore greeted with jubilation by those who opposed the 'war on terror' strategy of [former] president George W. Bush. … The decision certainly represents a victory for all those who always believed that special practices for detention and judgement only lend added force to the terrorists' rhetoric the arrest, was used as a weapon for their hypocritical victim propaganda and exposed the structural weaknesses of the democratic states in the fight against terrorism. It is a decision of great relevance for the defence of civil freedoms and democracy and which without doubt will strengthen the anti-terrorist battle of the constitutional states in accordance with the rules of democratic law."
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More from the press review on the subject » U.S.
António Vitorino on the end of the post-Wende cycle
With the political changes of 1989 a cycle of US dominance and capitalist supremacy began, writes lawyer and politician António Vitorino in the daily Diário de Notícias. But this cycle ended with the current crisis and we now need new concepts, he argues: "The fall of the Berlin Wall made German reunification, nato expansion and the enlargement of the European Union possible and it was the beginning of a cycle of US predominance. … The global economic crisis can also be seen as the end of this cycle … . And although we don't yet know how the world will develop we all share the conviction that concepts that had been universally applied since the night of November 9 will now change. … Although it is true that the crisis has not yet produced an alternative system that could lead to a new world, it is also true that it has acted like a mirror, confronting the market economy with its own reflection, and that image was not as pretty and perfect as the one we were promised in November 1989. Yet this does not detract from the historical significance of the fall of the Wall."
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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » History, » Germany, » U.S., » Global, » China
António Vitorino on the other summits
Although international attention is riveted on the G20 in London, the Nato meeting in Strasbourg and the EU-USA summit in Prague are also crucially important, writes lawyer António Vitorino in the daily Diário de Notícias: "None of us knows whether the meetings in London, Prague and Strasbourg will go down as historical watersheds. But what we do know is that in view of the current state of the world it would be a good thing if they did. The global economy exerts such a force over our lives that of course everyone is looking to London. However the economy should not allow us to forget other important aspects of our lives, for example international security and the fight against terrorism, which will be discussed at the Nato summit in Strasbourg. Above all we must not forget these now, when the US government is proposing a joint solution for Afghanistan and France is rejoining Nato's military command. And on the heels of that summit will follow the meeting in Prague between US President Barack Obama and the heads of state and government of the European Union, with the goal of strengthing relations between the two spheres. All eyes ... are on the first meeting. But peace and international security continue to be crucial and will not disappear just because of the global financial and economic crisis."
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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Global
Portugal takes over the EU presidency
António Vitorino, a writer for the Portuguese daily, hopes that when Portugal takes its turn as President of the EU, it will protect the consensus obtained in Brussels. "After long hours of negotiations, the European Council approved the mandate necessary to hold an Intergovernmental Conference for the reform of the European treaties. This mandate is a good omen for the [future] Portuguese President of the Union who assumes its post this Sunday. ... The 27 member EU needs this reform so that it can improve its decision-making ability and reinforce its transparency and democratic responsibility. ... The mandate is thus a precious charge for the Portuguese presidency, but it's not yet a treaty. We must therefore hope that this good start is followed by a positive conclusion at the end of the semester ... that corresponds to the preoccupations and aspirations of Europeans, independent of the way each country chooses to approve and ratify the future treaty of the Union!"
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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Europe
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