New York, U.S.A. — U.S. designation of Hezbollah as a primary supporter of the Assad regime’s brutality “is another important step in efforts to confront the murderous Syrian regime,” said David Harris, executive director of AJC, the global advocacy organization. The U.S. government announced the new designation of Hezbollah in a conference call with reporters.

Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, the State Department’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism, one of the U.S. officials announcing the new designation, said “it serves the very, very important purpose of making clear to parties around the world – both domestically and internationally – the true nature of Hezbollah’s activities.”

The U.S designation states that Hezbollah has been training Syrian government personnel inside Syria, facilitating training of regime forces by Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and actively helping to expel Syrian opposition forces from some areas of Syria.”Hezbollah’s actions in Syria are particularly egregious, extending and prolonging this deadly conflict,” said Ambassador Benjamin.

“The Syrian people are suffering and dying at the hands of this unholy alliance of Hezbollah, Iran and the Assad regime,” said Harris. “State terrorism at its worst is playing out on the streets of Aleppo, Damascus and many other Syrian cities and towns.” The U.S. designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in 1999. Canada, the United Kingdom and Israel have similarly labelled the group.

Several years ago, an attempt to secure European Union designation came close, but ultimately failed because a few European leaders maintained that Hezbollah, with representatives in the Lebanese Cabinet and Parliament, was a “legitimate” political organization.

“Serving at the highest levels of a government does not facto legitimize a terrorist organization,” said Harris. “Hezbollah should not be allowed to have it both ways — on the one hand, maintain its own militia and global terrorist apparatus, while, on the other hand, being recognized as a legitimate political force.”

Hezbollah, created with Iran’s aid nearly 30 years ago, is one of the world’s most dangerous terrorist organizations with a record of deadly attacks and foiled attempts in Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. Most recently, Hezbollah has been implicated in terrorist plots in two EU countries — Bulgaria andCyprus — as well as in other attempts from Kenya to Thailand.”

AJC last week sent letters to the foreign ministers of all 27 EU member states, the first step in a renewed campaign to encourage the EU to formally designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.”European nations should be among the very first to understand the true nature of Hezbollah and the regional and global threat it continues to pose,” said Harris. “It’s deadly involvement in Syria, as underscored by the new U.S. designation, only further underscores the point.”

Image Courtesy of   homeros / Shutterstock.com

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According to a report put out by the European Central Bank on Wednesday, May 30, 2012, none of the eight countries that are waiting to join the euro currency are ready. Most countries in the group have only been waiting since 2004 or 2007 but Sweden has been waiting since 1995.

Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Latvia Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Sweden are the eight countries that are members of the European Union but are not a part of the Eurozone – meaning they are not using the euro as their currency. Seventeen countries are currently using the euro, including Greece, although there have been discussions that it may have to leave the Eurozone. Currently the United Kingdom and Denmark are not using the euro either – instead they are using the pound sterling and krone respectively – but the decision to not use the euro was theirs, not the European Central Bank’s.

The United Kingdom opted out of the euro by negotiating an exception within the Maastricht Treaty of 1992. Joining the euro was heavily opposed by most of the United Kingdom, although its close neighbor, the Republic of Ireland, has adopted the euro. Denmark was able to opt out of the euro as one of the four conditions of the Edinburgh Agreement in 1992.

The European Central Bank must report on the progress of these eight countries every two years. So far it appears as if only Latvia will be able to join the euro currency by the next assessment in 2014. According to the bank, “in none of the eight countries examined, [is] the legal framework fully compatible with all requirements for the adoption of the euro.” They also claimed, “incompatibilities remain regarding central bank independence” in all of the countries.

Additionally Latvia and Lithuania are the only two countries of the eight currently taking part in the exchange rate mechanism II for more than two years which is required to be a part of the Eurozone.

Many of the countries’ economies are doing better than current eurozone countries. Seven of the eight countries – the exception being Hungary – have a debt-to-GDP ratio under 60% which is the Eurozone limit. Currently Greece’s ratio of debt-to-GDP is 165.3% and Italy, Ireland, and Portugal had ratios last year above 100%.

According to a statement from Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland earlier this May, Poland is still interested in joining the Eurozone even though the euro has been damaged by the current debt crisis.

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Hamburg, Germany- On April 24, 2012 Bulgaria passed an energy efficiency act and by doing so clearly emphasised the necessity for efficiency in energy use.

During a personal visit from Martin Richard Kristek, CEO of Care-Energy, to the Deputy Minister for Economy, Energy and Tourism Valentin Nikolov in Sofia on April 25, Mr Kristek applauded this precedent-setting action and the country’s clear determination to use energy in an efficient and therefore sustainable fashion. Simultaneously, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov adopted the new chapter – energy efficiency – on the implementation of EU energy efficiency guidelines.

The same day, Martin Richard Kristek, in his role as managing director and owner of the Care-Energy group of companies, created the company Care-Energy Bulgaria OOD, with its headquarters in Sofia. “I am very proud that Dr. Atanas Kanchev has agreed to take on the position of CEO for this company, and together with Care-Energy Bulgaria OOD, we will do everything in our power to support the objectives set by the government,” said Martin Richard Kristek.

Dr. Atanas Kanchev studied business at the highly acclaimed “D.A. Tsenov” Academy of Economics in Svishtov, held the post of Deputy Minister of Finance in Bulgaria from 2007 to 2009, and holds key positions in finance to this day.

Care-Energy Bulgaria OOD, with its headquarters in Sofia, will take on the responsibility of building and extending the business activities of Care-Energy in Bulgaria as well as in Croatia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary. All Care-Energy business activities will be modelled on those practiced by Care-Energy in Germany. This includes an energy trading desk for delivering and supplying electricity, gas and other energy related and environmental products from and within the CEE region to resellers and bulk buyers.

Image Courtesy of    President of the European Council

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