Big, bigger, biggest

Journalists are one thing that have not been lacking at the summit. Or as Information writes:

»That is the paradox. Hundreds of media people gathered around so little news. They are asking the same questions again and again.«

Soooo big!

When the enlargement of the EU with 10 countries was approved Friday, prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen declared:

– In truth this is an historic moment. A new Europe is born.

A statement by journalist Mette Fugl comes to mind. A few days before the summit she said:

– The concept historic has been hit by inflation.

Evaluating the result Tony Blair said:

– (I) especially want to congratulate the Danish prime minister, because he with good humor and a lot of intelligence managed to lead a meeting that easily could have taken a lot longer.

One wonders if Fogh Rasmusen has lowered his arms yet...

The EU skeptical June Movement is of the opinion that »the populations in the applying countries should have free plebiscites based on fair, complete and even sided information,«

Ole Krarup from the People’s Movement against the European Union is more critical. With reference to the special Danish exceptions to the EU treaty he says:

– A peaceful future demands a »State of Exception« in Europe that guarantees the sovereign rights and vital interests of the countries (...) The Summit is on a dangerous course that unavoidably will lead to disaster.

Worried nature lovers, angry Turks

Meanwhile, research professor Skov Andersen is concerned about the environmental impact of enlargement:

– The new member states have other needs and will put a brake on the Union’s environmental policies. Especially Germany and the Scandinavian countries will want better environmental protection, but it will be difficult for them to sell their ideas in the new member countries.

Supported by the United States, Turkey tried to initiate negotiations about Turkish admission to the Union. But the first public statement from Turkish prime minister Abdullah Gül was:

»Impossible to accept the EU proposal!«

But soon he had to swallow the bitter fruit and accept postponement until 2005 of even the possibility of admission negotiations.

A very Danish restraint

Friday the Global Roots demonstrators almost reached the Bella Center – and everything went peacefully. Concerning the desirability of violence in the streets a Danish activist explained to Politiken:

– In a very large degree it’s been you guys who have contributed to building up an expectation of violence. You want war and blood – but we won’t give it to you.

The Italian activist put the strategy in more poetic terms when he said:

– Control that anger you may be feeling. We are no army, we are an army of dreams.

Afterwards Chief Inspector of Police Kai Vittrup declared:

– I’m pleasantly surprised that it’s developed so peacefully. Both sides – police and demonstrators – have shown both discipline and restraint. It’s very Danish the way it’s gone.

Release at last

After the demonstration on Saturday the tabloid Ekstra Bladet was finally able to report some violence:

»Around one o’clock on Saturday afternoon, reports of bottles thrown during the big demonstration marking the end of the EU Summit caused many officers to don their helmets. Apparently an officer had been hit in the neck by a bottle or something else, it was rumoured.«

By Sune Hundebøll/Moskito