EU's Criminal Records Information System needs solid infrastructure says European Data Protection Supervisor / Public Technology, 22 September 2008
http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=17359
"On 16 September 2008, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) adopted an opinion on a proposal for a Council Decision on the establishment of an electronic European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS). The Decision is part of a package designed to help EU Member States to share the criminal records of their citizens and exchange information on past criminal convictions."

Eurostat yearbook 2008 — Europe in figures / European Commission & Eurostat, 2008
PDF - http://digbig.com/4xspq
"Europe in figures — Eurostat yearbook 2008 presents a comprehensive selection of statistical data on Europe. Most data cover the period 1996-2006 and some indicators are provided for other countries such as candidate countries to the European Union, members of EFTA, Japan or the USA (subject to availability)."

FOI in the EU: When is a “document” not a “document”? / Statewatch, September 2008
PDF - http://www.statewatch.org/news/2008/sep/foi-in-the-eu-what-is-a-document.pdf
"The European Commission has put forward a number of changes to the Regulation on access to EU documents adopted in 2001. Controversially it proposes to change the definition of a “document” which in turn affect which would or would not be listed on its public register of documents."

The Shape of Things to Come: EU Future Group / Statewatch, September 2008
PDF - http://www.statewatch.org/analyses/the-shape-of-things-to-come.pdf
"This analysis looks at the ideology in the Future group report, Freedom, Security and Privacy - the area of European Home Affairs. The EU is currently developing a new five year strategy for justice and home affairs and security policy for 2009-2014. The proposals set out by the shadowy ‘Future Group” include a range of extremely controversial measures including techniques and technologies of surveillance and enhanced cooperation with the United States."

Muslims in Europe: A Short Introduction / The Brookings Institution, 22 September 2008
http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2008/09_europe_muslims.aspx?emc=lm&m=218285&l=20&v=28714
"This paper aims to briefly present the basic facts and issues concerning Muslims in Europe, from a political and sociological perspective, and to offer elements of comparison with the US.1 There will be a slight emphasis on France, due to author’s area of specialty – and to the fact that France is home to the largest Muslim population in Europe."

The Passenger Name Record (PNR) Framework Decision: THE GOVERNMENT REPLY TO THE FIFTEENTH REPORT FROM THE HOUSE OF LORDS EUROPEAN UNION COMMITTEE SESSION 2007-08 HL PAPER 106 / TSO, August 2008
PDF - http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm74/7461/7461.pdf
Cm 7461

Intellectual Property: New EU initiatives should improve IP in Europe / Public Technology, 18 Jul 2008
http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=16675
"The European Commission has adopted two initiatives in the area of copyright. First, the Commission proposes to align the copyright term for performers with that applicable to authors, in this way bridging the income gap that performers face toward the end of their lives. Secondly, the Commission proposes to fully harmonise the copyright term that applies to co-written musical compositions. In parallel, the Commission also adopted a Green Paper on Copyright in the Knowledge Economy. The consultation document focuses on topics that appear relevant for the development of a modern economy, driven by the rapid dissemination of knowledge and information. Both of these initiatives comprise a unique mix of social, economic and cultural measures aimed at maintaining Europe as a prime location for cultural creators in the entertainment and knowledge sectors."

consultation http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/copyright/docs/term/proposal_en.pdf

The Treaty of Lisbon: an Uncertain Future / House of Commons Library, 30 July 2008
PDF - http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2008/rp08-066.pdf
Research Paper 08/66
"On 12 June 2008 the Republic of Ireland voted by 53.4% to 46.6% against ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon. This result, although not totally unexpected, has thrown the EU once again into uncertain waters. The Lisbon Treaty, like all EU amending treaties, must be ratified by all 27 Member States in order to come into force. If it does not come into force the EU will continue to work on the basis of the present Treaties as amended by the Treaty of Nice in 2000, although many believe some institutional reform will be needed to enable the Union to function efficiently with 27 or more Members..."

Europe ratchets up its pressure on immigrants / The Christian Science Monitor, 20 June 2008
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0620/p01s04-woeu.html
Mariah Blake
“In one of the clearest signs yet of Europe's hardening stance on immigration, on Wednesday the European Parliament approved tough new rules for expelling undocumented immigrants, among them a provision allowing member nations to keep migrants in detention centres for up to 18 months. Foreigners who have been forcibly deported also face a five-year ban on re-entering the European Union.”

Africans condemn EU curbs on illegal immigration / Reuters, 9 July 2008
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL09544575.html
Ingrid Melander
“Senior African officials criticised new European Union rules against illegal immigration on Wednesday, accusing the wealthy bloc of failing to treat migrants with dignity and of breaking pledges to cooperate. EU ministers backed French proposals on Monday for a European pact to stem illegal immigration and attract highly skilled job-seekers, weeks after the EU decided illegal immigrants could be detained for up to 18 months and face a 5-year re-entry ban.”

The bare life of immigrants / New Statesman, 30 June 2008
http://www.newstatesman.com/global-issues/2008/06/illegal-immigrants-life
Iselin Åsedotter Strønen
"Behind every death there was a dream, and then a tragedy. More than 9,000 illegal immigrants have died since 1993 in the attempt to seek a better life in Europe, according to the European organization United. They drown in Gibraltar are blown up in mine fields on the Turkish-Greek border, die in asylum custody, commit suicide and get killed when they are sent out of Europe. We don't think about it much. It is unwanted and dispensable life. The European Parliament* has backed a much criticised new return directive which, when implemented by 2010, will allow governments to keep illegal immigrants, and those who have overstayed their visa period, in detention for up to 12 months, ban re-entry into Europe for five years, and make it easier to deport vulnerable people."

EU data protection supervisor questions data access plans / Computing, 30 June 2008
http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2220357/european-protection-supervisor
Tom Young
"The European Data Protections Supervisor Peter Hustinx is unhappy with a proposed law to improve public access to EU documents. The law, proposed by the European Commission, aims to improve the transparency of European government. But the supervisor is concerned that personal data contained within public documents may not be adequately protected after a reference to possible harm to "the privacy and the integrity" of the individual was deleted from the proposal."

EU approves illegal migrants plan / BBC, 19 June 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7460007.stm
"The European Parliament has passed a controversial set of EU rules for dealing with illegal immigration. Under the new rules illegal immigrants can be detained for up to 18 months and face a five-year re-entry ban. Lawmakers backed the measures by a large majority despite opposition from many Socialist and Green parties, and condemnation from human rights groups."

UK parliament approves EU treaty / BBC, 19 June 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7461918.stm
"The UK has effectively ratified the EU's reform treaty - despite the decision by Irish voters to reject it. A last-ditch Tory bid to delay the process for four months was defeated by a margin of 93, and peers later gave the EU Amendment Bill a third reading."

The Conclusions of the European Council and the Council of Ministers: Follow up report / House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee, 4 June 2008
PDF - http://www.statewatch.org/news/2008/jun/uk-eu-hcesc-council-meetings.pdf
"The report calls for: "the Government to discuss with other Member States whether a clear, definitive and accessible record of the proceedings of the European Council should be made as a matter of course"."

European Arrest Warrant - 2007 / Council of the European Union, 11 June 2008
PDF - http://www.statewatch.org/news/2008/jun/eu-eaw-figs-partial-2007.pdf
"Replies to questionnaire on quantitative information on the practical operation of the European Arrest Warrant year 2007"

Brown and Cowen to debate EU referendum fall-out / Guardian, 16 June 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jun/16/foreignpolicy.eu?gusrc=rss&feed=politics
Henry McDonald
"Gordon Brown and his Irish counterpart used the US presidential visit to Northern Ireland to host a mini-summit to discuss the fall-out from Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon EU reform treaty. Irish and British officials confirmed that the two prime ministers held talks about Europe after George Bush left Belfast on Airforce One later that evening."

Muslims in EU Cities / eumap.org, [accessed 17 June 2008]
http://www.eumap.org/topics/minority/reports/eumuslims
"EUMAP is currently conducting a monitoring project focusing on selected neighbourhoods in eleven cities in the European Union (EU) with significant Muslim populations. The research looks in particular at the way in which municipal and national authorities address the challenges relating to integration in European cities.
Available: background research reports on Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Final reports expected October 2008 onwards."

Europe agrees on exchange of criminal records / The Register, 2 June 2008
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/02/ec_police_exchange/
John Oates
"Criminal records will only be stored on national databases not on a European-wide megadatabase. The Commission aims to create interconnection software by the beginning of next year. The information is needed in order for police to carry out effective criminal record checks for people working with children or other vulnerable groups. Courts need to the information so they can sentence people on the basis of all their past convictions."

The Immigrant Earnings Disadvantage across the Earnings and Skills Distributions: The Case of Immigrants from the EU’s New Member States in Ireland / IZA April 2008
PDF - http://ftp.iza.org/dp3479.pdf
Alan Barrett, Seamus McGuinness, Martin O'Brien April 2008
"As the movement of population from the New Member States (NMS) of the EU to the older members is a relatively new flow, it is important to build up our knowledge of who is moving within Europe and how they are performing in their destinations. In this paper, we analyse the earnings of immigrants in Ireland from the NMS using a new large-scale dataset on employees in Ireland."