On the picture H.E. Mr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos, President of Greece.Photography by Henry Arvidson.Commission recommends closing Excessive Deficit Procedure for Greece
The European Commission recommended to the Council to close the Excessive Deficit Procedure (EDP) for Greece. This follows the substantial efforts in recent years made by the country to consolidate its public finances coupled with the progress made in the implementation of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) support programme for Greece.
If the Council follows the Commission’s recommendation, only three Member States would remain under the corrective arm of the Stability and Growth Pact (France, Spain and the United Kingdom), down from 24 countries during the financial crisis in 2011.
Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, responsible for the Euro and Social Dialogue, said: “Our recommendation to close the Excessive Deficit Procedure for Greece is another positive signal of financial stability and economic recovery in the country. I invite Greece to build on its achievements and continue to strengthen confidence in its economy, which is important for Greece to prepare its return to the financial markets. Swift implementation of agreed reforms is crucial to bring about their positive effects to the Greek society and economy. A long-term growth strategy would help ensure more and better jobs, robust growth and prosperity in the future.”PierreMoscovici, Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, said: “This is a very symbolic moment for Greece. After so many years of sacrifices by the Greek people, the country is finally reaping the benefits of its efforts. Following the payment of 7.7 billion euros on Monday as a result of the conclusion of the second review, today’s proposal by the European Commission is recognition of the massive reduction of Greece’s fiscal deficit, to below the euro area average. Greece is now ready to exit the Excessive Deficit Procedure, turn the page on austerity and open a new chapter of growth, investment and employment. The Commission will remain at the Greek people’s side during this new phase.”
Greece has made significant progress in returning to a path of fiscal sustainability. The general government balance has improved from a deficit of 15.1% in 2009 to a surplus of 0.7% in 2016. This is well below the 3% threshold set out in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. This is in addition to the substantial and wide-ranging structural reform packages that Greece has adopted as part of its commitments under the ESM stability support programme.
According to the Commission Spring 2017 Economic Forecast, the positive fiscal performance of Greece is durable. The fiscal measures undertaken in the context of the stability support programme to date are projected to yield savings of 4.5% of GDP up to 2018. The measures agreed under the first and second reviews, which already offset the budgetary implications of the roll-out of the Social Solidarity Income scheme, will continue to make a positive impact on the process of fiscal consolidation even beyond 2018, as effects accumulate. As a result of these efforts, the deficit is now projected to remain below the 3% threshold set out in the Treaty over the Commission’s forecast horizon.
The necessary conditions to recommend a closure of the EDP for Greece have, therefore, been fully met.
Greece has been exempted from separate reporting under the EDP as it has been subject to monitoring under its stability support programme. As for all euro area countries that have benefitted from stability support programmes, Greece will be subject to the normal EU rules of economic and fiscal governance, together with a dedicated system of post-programme surveillance, after it exits the programme.
On the picture H.E. David Dondua, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia ; Clingendael senior visiting fellow, Mr. Jan Marinus Wiersma; H.E.Konstantine Surguladze, Ambassador of Georgia to the Netherlands and Mr. Levan Khrokheli, Counsellor, Embassy of Georgia in The Hague at Clingendael.
By Roy Lie A Tjam.
The Hague, 28th November 2017, Ambassador of the Republic of Georgia in the Netherlands, H.E. Konstantine Surguladze along with the President of the Coalition for Defense Mr Ton Welter, organized a conference with the theme “The wider Black Sea region in the context of Euro-Atlantic security – the view from Georgia” The venue of the conference was the Chancellery of Georgia in The Hague.The conference focus was on addressing all internal and external threats that are facing Europe .
The keynote speaker at the conference was the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia H.E. David Dondua. Mr.Dondua elaborated on the situation of the Black Sea Region. The Region is of strategic importance for Europe, it is part of the Euro-Atlantic security zone.
Moscou’s Aggression against Georgia & Ukraine compels leaders in the Black Sea Region to defend it. 20% of Georgia is occupied by Moscou. Hence, Georgia is forging close contact with Turkey, Azerbaijan and is drawing closer to NATO.
Due to an educational program, 82% of the population supports Georgia’s NATO and EU agenda. During recent talks, the significance of the establishment of a trilateral Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey format was pointed out. A secured Black Sea Region is imperative!
Another speaker at the conference was Lt. Colonel (ret)Victor Remouchamps. He pointed out that Georgia is a potential NATO partner. He further related that Georgia is a valuable pillar in that part of Europe. Remouchamps express concern about the menace posed by Muslim extremists in the country.
A question and answer session followed the discourses. The Ambassador of Lithuania demonstrated his support for Georgia’s quest to attain Euro-Atlantic integration. The Ambassador subsequently touched on a European military presence on Lithuanian soil.
A well-attended conference, several of Ambassador Konstantin Surguladze colleagues, diplomats, government representatives and friends, honored his invitation with their presence.
Yes, by all means, the conference gave a comprehensive overview of Georgia’s current security situation as well as the security threats facing Europe.
Minister David Dondua also visited the Clingendael Institute in The Hague.
Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute elects a new President and six judgesIn his opening remarks, the President of the Assembly, H. E. Mr. Sidiki Kaba (Senegal), called on all States to work towards the universal ratification of the Rome Statute and the integration of its norms into national legal systems. He underscored the link between State cooperation and the Court’s effectiveness, credibility and independence. President Kaba concluded by saying that if a recession of mass crimes results in progressive inactivity at the Court, “We would then have announced the dawn of a new hope for humanity.”
The United Nations Secretary-General, H. E. Mr. António Guterres, delivered a keynote speech in which he observed that “the adoption of the Rome Statute was a hopeful, historic moment near the end of a century marked by atrocities and unspeakable inhumanity. Yet serious violations of international law continue, and vast accountability gaps persist. Our abiding challenge is to realize the full potential of the International Criminal Court to end impunity and build a just and more peaceful world.”
The Chair of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims, Mr. Motoo Noguchi, noted the significance of the first reparations to victims ordered by the Court and implemented by the Trust Fund for Victims.
The President and the Prosecutor of the Court also delivered statements. Further information is available in the press release of the Court that can be found at its website.
The Assembly elected Judge O-Gon Kwon (Republic of Korea) as President for a three year mandate that starts on 15 December 2017. The Assembly elected further, for the same period, the following other members of the Bureau: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Gambia, Ghana, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the State of Palestine, and Uganda. The Assembly deferred the election of the two Vice-Presidents.
The Assembly elected further six judges for a term of nine years:
– Aitala, Rosario Salvatore
Group of Western European and Other States (Italy), list A, male
– Akane, Tomoko
Group of Asia-Pacific States (Japan), list A, female
– Alapini-Gansou, Reine Adelaide Sophie
Group of African States (Benin), list B, female
– Bossa, Solomy Balungi
Group of African States (Uganda), list A, female
– Ibáñez Carranza, Luz del Carmen
Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (Peru), list A, female
– ProsT, Kimberly
Group of Western European and Other States (Canada), list A, female
List A judges have established competence in criminal law, while List B judges have competence in relevant areas of international law, such as international humanitarian law as well as human rights law.
The Assembly also elected six members of the Committee on Budget and Finance for a three-year mandate.
The Assembly will also, inter alia, consider proposals to amend the Rome Statute, discuss the activation of the Court’s jurisdiction over the crime of aggression, as well as consider the 2018 budget of the Court.
H.E. David Dondua, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.The visit of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, H.E. David Dondua to the Kingdom of the Netherlands
On November 28-29, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, H.E. David Dondua visited Netherlands. In the framework of the visit, David Dondua met with the deputy Director of Political Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Mr. Pieter Jan Kleiweg de Zwaan.
H.E. David Dondua, Clingendael senior visiting fellow Mr. Jan Marinus Wiersma, H.E.Konstantine Surguladze, Ambassador of Georgia to the Netherlands and Mr. Levan Khrokheli, Counsellor, Embassy of Georgia in The Hague.
During the meeting, the sides discussed ongoing and future cooperation between the Netherlands and Georgia, actual issues related to Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, the NATO-Georgia cooperation dynamics, the possibility of the meeting between Foreign Affairs Ministers in the framework of Nato-Georgia Commission and the agenda of the 2018 NATO Summit. The Georgian side provided the updated information on the recent illegal developments in Georgia’s occupied territories. The discussion also touched upon Russian policy towards the occupation and ethnic cleaning.
Mr David Dondua also met with the Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representative of the States General, Ms. Pia Dijkstra and representatives of the committee. The sides discussed Georgian-Russian conflict, grave security situation and violation of human rights in occupied regions. Special attention was paid to the Russia’s policy towards the occupation and continuous discrimination of ethnic Georgians in the occupied territories.
Parties also discussed the issues related to installation of barbed wire fences and artificial barriers along the occupation line. Special attention was paid to the need of active involvement of the international society and its role to create an opportunity for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Sides also discussed issues related to NATO-Georgia cooperation.
On November 28, Embassy of Georgia and the “Coalition for Defence” at the Embassy of Georgia organized a public conference “The wider Black Sea region in the context of Euro-Atlantic security – the view from Georgia“.
The Keynote speakers were the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia H.E. David Dondua and Lt .Colonel (ret) Victor Remouchamps. The conference was attended by the representatives from the Netherlands government, diplomatic missions accredited to The Hague, International and local Organizations and Media representatives.
On November 29, Embassy of Georgia and the Clingendael Institute organized a round table, where the Deputy Minister had the opportunity to update Dutch researchers and think-tanks on Georgia and the challenges in the region. Clingendael senior visiting fellow Mr. Jan Marinus Wiersma moderated the event and Q&A session.
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Pictures by the Embassy of Georgia in The Hague.
Judge Theodor-Meron.The Appeals Chamber of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals hears oral arguments in the Šešelj case
The Hague, 13 December 2017- The Appeals Chamber of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals, composed of JudgeTheodor Meron, presiding, Judge Lee G. Muthoga,Judge Florence Rita Arrey, JudgeBen Emmerson, and JudgeIvo Nelson de Caires Batista Rosa heard today oral arguments in the appeal filed by the Prosecution against the judgement of acquittal in the case of Mr. Vojislav Šešelj, rendered on 31 March 2016 by Trial Chamber III of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
In February 1991, Mr. Šešelj was appointed President of the Serbian Radical Party and, in June 1991, he was elected a member of the Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. At trial, the Prosecution charged Mr. Šešelj with persecution, deportation, and inhumane acts (forcible transfer) as crimes against humanity, as well as murder, torture, cruel treatment, wanton destruction of villages, destruction or wilful damage of institutions dedicated to religion or education, and plunder of public and private property as violations of the laws or customs of war.
The Prosecution alleged that Mr. Šešelj planned, ordered, instigated, committed, or otherwise aided and abetted these crimes. It further alleged that he participated in these crimes between August 1991 and September 1993 by way of a joint criminal enterprise, the common purpose of which was the permanent and forcible removal, through the commission of crimes, of a majority of the Croatian, Bosnian Muslim and other non-Serbian populations from approximately one-third of the territory of Croatia and large parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Vojvodina, in Serbia, in order to make these areas a new Serbian-dominated state. The Trial Chamber, by a majority, Judge Lattanzi dissenting, acquitted Mr. Šešelj of all charges.
The Prosecution argued that the Trial Chamber erred in law by failing to deliver a reasoned opinion and erred in fact by acquitting Mr. Šešelj. It requested that the Appeals Chamber revise the Trial Judgement to find Mr. Šešelj guilty as charged and sentence him accordingly, or, alternatively, order a retrial. In his Response Brief filed before the hearing, Mr. Šešelj argued that the Prosecution appeal should be dismissed in its entirety.
Mr. Šešelj – who has elected to represent himself – was not present at the appeal hearing. In his Response Brief filed before the hearing, Mr. Šešelj indicated that he had no intention of participating in the appeal hearing. In September 2017, the Appeals Chamber gave Mr. Šešelj an opportunity to reconsider his position and warned him that it would instruct the Registrar to assign a standby counsel to represent his procedural interests if he maintained his position not to attend the hearing. Mr. Šešelj did not respond to the invitation to reconsider his position. As a result, Ms. Colleen Rohan was assigned as standby counsel and was present at the appeal hearing to protect his procedural interests. Mr. Šešelj has been given an opportunity to respond to the Prosecution’s oral submissions within 10 days of receiving the B/C/S version of the transcript of the appeal hearing.
On the picture H.E. Peter Hoekstra and his wife Diane, with Vice President Mike Pence.US Vice-President Mike Pence performed the ceremony to swear in Peter Hoekstra as U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands in Washington, DC on December 11.
The Vice President congratulated the Holland, Michigan native on Twitter, noting that he knew from serving with Hoekstra in the Congress that “there’s no better man to be in the Netherlands than Pete Hoekstra.”
The Ambassador-designate is expected to take up his post in The Hague in January.
Peter Hoekstra, U.S. Ambassador-designate to the Netherlands, was born in Groningen and immigrated with his family to the United States. He became a prominent politician and business executive with a long history of public service.
Ambassador Hoekstra during the swearing ceremony.
The Ambassador-designate served as a Member of Congress for eighteen years (1993-2011) representing Michigan’s 2nd District. He was the founding chairman of the Congressional Caucus on the Netherlands and active throughout his tenure in promoting Dutch-American ties. He was also the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence or ranking Republican on the Committee from 2004-2011.
During this time, he was responsible for leading Congressional oversight of U.S. intelligence during its modernization to confront the threats of the 21st century and restructuring following the 9-11 Commission report. During the 2016 Presidential election, he served as Co-Chair of the Trump/Pence campaign in Michigan and was a campaign National Security Advisor focusing on intelligence, cyber, and other security issues.
Prior to his election to Congress, Ambassador-designate Hoekstra enjoyed a successful 15-year career at Herman Miller, Inc. of Zeeland, Michigan, where he rose to become Vice President of Marketing. After Congress he was a distinguished fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a Shillman Senior Fellow at the Investigative Project on Terrorism. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Gentex Corporation.
Ambassador-designate Hoekstra was a member of the Executive Committee of the Netherlands American Foundation. He has written on issues of international affairs, intelligence, and security including the book, “Architects of Disaster: The Destruction of Libya” in 2015. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Hope College, an MBA from the University of Michigan, and an Honorary Doctorate from Grand Valley State University. His awards include the Order of the House of Orange from the Netherlands, the “National Intelligence Distinguished Public Service Medal”, the CIA “Agency Seal Medal,” and the Hope College Distinguished Alumni Award.
The Ambassador-designate and his wife, Diane, have three adult children: Erin, Allison, Bryan, as well as daughter-in-law Rebecca and a new grandchild, Elam.
On the picture H.E. Halbe Zijlstra, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council today officially decided to proceed with Permanent Structured Cooperation in defence (PESCO). The Netherlands is among the 25 EU member states taking part.
Following this decision, 17 specific projects can be fleshed out in early 2018.
The Netherlands will participate in 7 of these 17 initial projects, including initiatives in the fields of logistics, medical capabilities, maritime demining, cyber security and radio communication.
A good balance is being struck between short- and long-term projects. The long-term projects include the programme for modern maritime demining, which will provide better protection to ships, ports, offshore installations and maritime trading routes.
The Netherlands is playing a leading role in a plan for increased military mobility, one of the short-term projects, which should ensure that the EU can move military materiel and personnel more rapidly from place to place. Currently there are still too many obstacles, from red tape to infrastructure that is not equipped to carry heavy transports.
Foreign minister Halbe Zijlstra explained, ‘This kind of defence partnership should enable the EU to better ensure our own security.’
Ambassador Maryem van den Heuvel and Benelux dignitaries at the Benelux House in Brussels – Picture by Royal Dutch Embassy to Belgium.
Monday, 11 December 2017, Brussels: Sixty years ago the Benelux cooperation began amongst the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Belgium as well as the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and ten years ago with the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
During a council held at Benelux General Secretariat in Brussels, the occasion was marked but moreover a protocol on the protection of intellectual property was signed amongst the participants.
The latest change in the Benelux Treaty aims at simplifying the registration of intellectual property but likewise to harmonise marketing law in the Benelux and NRW.
For further information:
Benelux General Secretariat: http://www.benelux.int/fr/benelux-unie/introduction
Ine Eriksen Søreide & Jens Stoltenberg – Picture by NATO. By Henri Estramant.Brussels, Tuesday, 12 December 2017: NATO, the military alliance of 29 trans-atlantic partners, has extended the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg’s mandate as Secretary-General for a further two years.The current head of NATO remains in office, as the allies have unanimously extended his term that would otherwise have expired after four years in September of next year.Holding the position since 1 October 2014, Stoltenberg was expected to take the positive vote of the NATO allies, as already once last week, the federal government of Germany had already spoken out for an extension of his term. Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel publicly supported to continue to rely on the 58-year-old former head of government.For further information:https://www.nato.int
Arusha, The Hague, 12 December 2017 – Prosecutor Serge Brammertz of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) spoke today at the briefing entitled “The International Tribunal and Beyond: Pursuing Justice for Atrocities in the Western Balkans” organized by the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission) and the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC).
The aim of the briefing was to assess the Tribunal’s achievements and limitations and what still needs to be done by the countries of the region to seek justice in outstanding cases, bring greater closure to victims and foster greater reconciliation among peoples.
The other panelists were Nemanja Stjepanović, Member of the Executive Board of the Humanitarian Law Center in Belgrade and Diane Orentlicher, Professor of Law, Washington College of Law, American University. The briefing was opened by U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren, co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and member of the Helsinki Commission, and moderated by Robert Hand, Policy Advisor of the Helsinki Commission. U.S. Representative Eliot Engel, member of the TLHRC, also attended the briefing and made remarks.
Prosecutor Brammertz stated that “in large measure, the ICTY has achieved what it set out to do”, and added: “In accordance with universally-recognized principles of law, we independently and impartially investigated the crimes, prosecuted senior leaders from all parties to the conflict and held them individually responsible for their crimes against the victims and indeed all of humanity”.
Speaking about the crucial role of the international community – the United States and the European Union in particular – in setting up and supporting the work of the Tribunal through conditionality policy, Prosecutor Brammertz said: “The lesson is clear: if there is a clear political agenda in support of justice, and if the international community speaks with one voice, those most responsible for atrocity crimes can be held accountable”.
Speaking about the importance of the ICTY’s legacy for future justice efforts, Prosecutor Brammertz said that the ICTY will continue to be a “symbol of justice to other victims and survivors”. The Prosecutor added that the ICTY greatly developed the law and practices needed to bring war criminals to justice, emphasizing his Office’s work in documenting the lessons learned from prosecuting rape, sexual enslavement, torture and other crimes of sexual violence in more than 50 cases.
Turning to his Office’s support to national judiciaries in the region of the former Yugoslavia, Prosecutor Brammertz noted, “If international tribunals focus on those most responsible for the crimes, there will need to be national courts to bring other perpetrators to justice in order to avoid significant impunity gaps”, and added that, “in the future, collaboration and intense cooperation between the international and national should be the rule, not the exception”.
Finally, Prosecutor Brammertz said that the completion of the Tribunal’s mandate is not the end of war crimes justice, but the beginning of the next chapter, as further accountability for the crimes now depends fully on national judiciaries in the former Yugoslavia.
He stressed that national judiciaries will need more support as “accountability for atrocity crimes in the national courts of the former Yugoslavia faces many challenges, with negative trends often overshadowing the positive”. Noting that reconciliation has not yet been achieved and remains a significant challenge, the Prosecutor concluded that the ICTY’s legacy would not be measured by its own work but by “whether the countries of the former Yugoslavia build the rule of law, demonstrate they can secure meaningful justice for the victims, and show the courage to accept the facts and pursue meaningful reconciliation”.
Pictures by the Embassy of Georgia in The Hague. 
On November 28, Embassy of Georgia and the “Coalition for Defence” at the Embassy of Georgia organized a public conference “The wider Black Sea region in the context of Euro-Atlantic security – the view from Georgia“.
The Keynote speakers were the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia H.E. David Dondua and Lt .Colonel (ret) Victor Remouchamps. The conference was attended by the representatives from the Netherlands government, diplomatic missions accredited to The Hague, International and local Organizations and Media representatives.
On November 29, Embassy of Georgia and the Clingendael Institute organized a round table, where the Deputy Minister had the opportunity to update Dutch researchers and think-tanks on Georgia and the challenges in the region. Clingendael senior visiting fellow Mr. Jan Marinus Wiersma moderated the event and Q&A session.
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Pictures by the Embassy of Georgia in The Hague.
On November 28, Embassy of Georgia and the “Coalition for Defence” at the Embassy of Georgia organized a public conference “The wider Black Sea region in the context of Euro-Atlantic security – the view from Georgia“.
The Keynote speakers were the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia H.E. David Dondua and Lt .Colonel (ret) Victor Remouchamps. The conference was attended by the representatives from the Netherlands government, diplomatic missions accredited to The Hague, International and local Organizations and Media representatives.
On November 29, Embassy of Georgia and the Clingendael Institute organized a round table, where the Deputy Minister had the opportunity to update Dutch researchers and think-tanks on Georgia and the challenges in the region. Clingendael senior visiting fellow Mr. Jan Marinus Wiersma moderated the event and Q&A session.
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Pictures by the Embassy of Georgia in The Hague.
