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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Also this summer Europe is waiting for the annual edition of the Sziget Festival to come. Among the largest European music and cultural festivals, Sziget Festival is held annually in August in Budapest, Hungary’s capital, at Obuda Island on the Danube River.

For an entire week, from 8^th to 15^th of August, more than 1000 shows and performances will be held on this party island not far from the city center. A blend of music, theater, dance, visual arts, and much more will welcome almost 400.000 visitors coming from all around Europe.

From pop to rock, from folk to electro, and then metal, blues, world music, techno, hip hop, afro, reggae, alternative, jazz as well as other genres will alternate and mix over seven days of uninterrupted music and partying, delighting around 80.000 visitors per day.

Since the first edition in 1993, the Sziget Festival has become one of the favourite destinations for music and festival lovers of Europe and it also managed to attain a worldwide popularity which is constantly increasing. Over the past 18 years, the world’s greatest artists performed at the festival attracting fans that came throughout the European continent.

Among the bands we can mention Iron Maiden, Buena Vista Social Club, Sonic Youth, Korn, Faith No More, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Rammstein, Faithless, Placebo, Morcheeba, Massive Attack, The Cardigans, Franz Ferdinand, Radiohead, The Prodigy, R.E.M, Sex Pistols, Fatboy Slim, Gorillaz Sound System, Muse, Oasis and many others.

Among the singers David Bowie, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Coolio, Nick Cave, Alanis Morissette, Robert Plant , Eagle Eye Cherry, Omara Portuondo, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Manu Chao, Sinéad O’Connor, Natalie Imbruglia, Pink, Lilly Allen, Nouvelle Vague, and Tricky.

This year will be the 19^th edition of the festival and other great performances are awaited from thousands of fans. Some of the most resonant names of the world’s musical scene together with less-known and alternative artists from various countries will alternate on the several stages sited all around the 108 hectares island of Obuda. A collection of different stages from the Pop-Rock Main Stage to the World Music Main Stage, from the A38-WAN2 Stage to the Rock-Metal Stage, from the Party Arena to the Reggae Stage and World Village, and from the newest Europe Stage to many and many others.

Some of the main artists performing at the Sziget Festival 2011 will be Prince, Gotan Project, Skunk Anansie, The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, Kate Nash, 30 Seconds to Mars, Kasabian, 2 Many DJ’s, Judas Priest, Good Charlotte, Interpol, The National, Dizzee Rascal, Richie Hawtin, Manic Street Preachers, Goran Bregovic and The Wedding and Funeral Band, Gogol Bordello, Hadounken!, and also Pulp.  Many others, the less popular ones, are just to be known and discovered by all music lovers.

Besides the music there is much more to enjoy, for example theater performances, visual performative and literary arts, outdoor activities and sports. It’s like an entire world within an island, a city in the city on the Danube, the largest river of Europe.

For the ones who don’t want to miss even a minute of the festival and want to immerse themselves deeply  in its magical atmosphere, it’s possible to buy a camping ticket and camp on the island for the whole week. You just need to bring a tent and you may take advantage of the camping facilities. For the ones who want to enjoy the city as well there is the non-camping ticket which enable you to join all the concerts and shows and to freely go around the island. For those who want only to follow their favourite artist there is the day ticket that gives you access to the festival only for one day.

Are you craving for an unforgettable experience? Just go to Sziget Festival!

Image Courtesy of http://musica.tuttogratis.it/

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The new constitution recently passed by the Hungarian parliament is matter of concern about some of its articles, which seem to put at risk even fundamental human rights and smooth the way for different kinds of discrimination.

On April 25^th President Pal Schimtt signed the new constitutional text presented by the parliament. The new constitution was passed in parliament without the participation of opposition parties, voted only by Fidesz, the right-wing party that has the parliamentary majority and owns the two thirds of the seats, and thus can proceed independently.

The most criticized articles regard abortion, homosexuals’ rights, freedom of religion, freedom of information and expression, and division of powers.

Article 2 is one of the most controversial, it states “The life of a fetus will be protected from conception.” The concern of organizations as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International is that this will provide the basis to restrict the access to abortion or even to ban it completely. Pro-abortion groups are worried about the potential danger of a tougher and stricter abortion law and a restriction of women’s rights.

Another crucial point is about the ban on gay marriage, and the exclusion of sexual orientation from the protected grounds of discrimination. The new constitution recalls the idea of the Christian traditional family and traditional marriage, defined as a union of a man and a woman. Disappointment on this question has been expressed by Amnesty International, and homosexual right’s groups are very critical.

Also freedom of information and expression seem to be undermined. In fact, the rights of being informed about the public interest’s acts and to freely express the personal opinion have been restricted, together with the independence of media. This will be controlled by the National Media and Infocommunication Authority (NMHH), that has strong sanctioning powers and is under the majority party’s control.

Also the powers and the autonomy of authorities and of independent bodies as the Constitutional Court, the regular courts and the ombudsmen, would be rather weakened, scaling down the whole system of checks and balances.

There is another point which has a marked ideological nationalistic connotation. It regards the reference to a broadened Hungarian nation. This model of new Hungary would include also the Hungarians whom don’t reside on the national territory – for example the Hungarian minority groups that live in Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia – that are being considered as member of the nation with the right of participate in the elections. This could appear an actual definition of ethnic nation instead of political, which could even create frictions with the neighboring countries.

The new constitutional document strongly reflects only a one-sided vision of the nation. All the symbols and the elements recalled are ideologically and politically clear expression of the right-wing part. The lack of neutrality and of warranty of normal political balance, competition and change among the parts sounds somewhat anomalous for a modern democratic country.

In a country as Hungary marked by a long and hard history made of totalitarianism, whether black or red, this removal from democratic values rouses worry and the criticism even of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe. Meanwhile, Europe looks with concerns at this situation as Hungary waits for 2012 when the new constitution will come into force.

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In Gyöngyöspata, a small village of 2,800 inhabitants in Hungary North-East of Budapest, the Roma community was literally mobbed by a paramilitary organization which entered the village at the beginning of March.

Hungarians residents reported a situation of strong tension due to the high number of crimes committed by members of the local Roma community, seeking aid to get out from the difficult state of constant fear and terror in which they live daily.

This call of help was welcomed by the new version of the Hungarian Civil Guard, which had been banned in the past, but was unofficially reassembled to bring law and order to the village and solve the “Gypsies problem”.

The Neighbourhood Watch Association “For a Better Future”, a paramilitary organization inspired by a Nazi movement after which they named their group, entered the village marching in black uniforms, armed with chains and whips, and started a campaign of systematic intimidation with foot and car patrols against the Roma community, that counts about 450 members.

Roma journalists from the village reported on the Roma news site “So Si?” (www.sosinet.hu) : “We went to Gyöngyöspata on Thursday, March 10, and found we had to cross two checkpoints reminiscent of war movies to enter the Roma neighborhood. During our interviews, the local Roma residents told us about psychological terror and humiliation they were suffering, the constant fear they felt. It is not safe for them to leave their homes, even to go to work.” In their declaration, the local Roma drew attention to the fact that the members of the Hungarian Guard, hiding behind the Civil Guard Association for a Better Future and “gendarme” uniforms and openly supported by the Jobbik party, have kept the Roma residents of the village in a state of constant fear for the past two weeks. The situation has come to a point where the Roma are terrified to leave their houses, stopped sending their children to school and do not even feel secure inside their own homes”.

Jobbik, the extreme-right party – which got the 17% of votes at the last elections – stands behind the intervention of this paramilitary organization, underlines that the Gyöngyöspata’s issue is not just local, but it’s a national issue, and aspires to expand the action over the country.

The leader of Jobbik party, Gabor Vona said: “Gyöngyöspata provides an example for future situations”.

“The police do not have enough power to handle the situation. The Roma have stolen vegetables and grapevines,” said Gabor Kovacs, a vigilante volunteer in full black uniform born in Gyöngyöspata.

The police in fact didn’t intervene to prevent and not even to stop the actions of the neo-Nazi group.

“I cried when I saw them marching. I can’t see how this could happen in a democratic country? The police are now present, but why did they let it go on for three weeks?” said Janos Farkas, the spokesman for the village’s Roma community.

Gyöngyöspata residents expressed their gratitude for the aid they recived to face the difficult cohabitation with the Roma. They thanked the Civil Guard for their intervention.

“I feel better with For A Better Future patrolling here than with the police”, said a villager. She told that Roma scaled her fence and stole two hens, one this year, one last. She added: “I can’t let my hands rest in my lap for a second while Roma might come along and burn my house down. The best solution would be to take them away”.

The government didn’t take any concrete action in regards to these events

The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) took a legal position on the situation in the village: “The frightening act of the people arrogating the role of maintaining public order is not protected by freedom of assembly. With their threatening appearance, they questioned the absoluteness of state force-monopoly. The inactivity of the police caused legal uncertainty”.

The paramilitary group left the village, now other villages could be the next targets for their mission.

The “Gypsies problem” is a serious issue in Eastern Europe countries as Hungary since the first Roma migration from India approximately six hundred years ago. Nowadays its resolution doesn’t seem to be near yet.

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