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EU LEADERS HAVE agreed to hold further talks on producing a budget for the next seven years and plug a shortfall in this year’s budget following discussions chaired by the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste in Brussels yesterday.
As part of the Ireland’s EU presidency, Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore held what was described as a “productive meeting” on the s0-called multi-annual financial framework (MFF) with European Parliament president Martin Schulz and European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso.
“They agreed on the vital importance of reaching agreement on the multi-annual financial framework (MFF) for 2014-2020,” a statement said, referring to the seven year budget for the EU which has been the subject of much debate and dispute in recent months.
Leaders agreed to the ‘bottom lines’ of the €960 billion budget in February following lengthy discussions where there had been much disagreement about how much the EU should spend with countries like Britain looking for, and ultimately succeeding in, ensuring a budget reduction of €30 billion.
But the budget – which proposed the first ever fall in the EU’s spending – was rejected by MEPs in the European Parliament in March after they demanded that negotiations on the MFF be linked to the budget for this year, which is underfunded by €11 billion.
MEPs wanted a guarantee that the shortfall in this year’s budget will be filled before talks on the seven-year plan begin.
Leaders agreed that negotiations on both this year’s budget and the seven year MFF will “be taken forward in parallel” with the statement adding: “The Irish Presidency’s aim remains to reach agreement on both during our Presidency of the Council of the EU.”
Negotiations on the MFF will continue with a “trilogue discussion” in Brussels next Monday.
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If you dont like facebook, don’t use it.
Tony add me man!
Easier said than done, Tony.
Facebook… The CIA database for normal people.
Ya know, just in case you step out line..
Go back to sleep everyone. Everything is under control.
Read Facebook and eat crap and then get up for work. Again.
Regardless of Facebook’s policies, people should never forget it’s the internet. Don’t put up any content you would be embarrassed about if the whole world saw it.
They can add as much privacy rules as they like but considering the complexity of these rules it is very likely they’ll at least be flawed in some way, whether they’re misunderstood or have defects.
My problem with Facebook is that there are a lot of very nasty racist groups posting their hateful garbage on it, and to make matters worse they can turn off comments from anyone who disagrees with them so that it appears they have universal support
So do you think groups with distasteful opinions should be silenced, or that their views should be open to challenge and debate? If the former, I disagree, forcing opinions underground doesn’t make them go away; and if the latter, maybe, but would it really make much difference to anyone if you were to challenge the well researched opinions of Jimmy Joe Bob from Southern Alabama? Communication between like minded people has never been as easy as it is today thanks to the internet, yet racism has probably never been less prevalent in society. I’m not sure these things really pose as great a threat as is sometimes made out.
Totally disagree; ignorant, distasteful groups should be allowed to voice their ignorance as much as moderate opinion. Free speech is free speech; at least if everything is all out in the open these distasteful groups can be called on their ignorance.
@ Egg Head
Thank you for your well thought out and reasoned response.
I’m sorry, I did not make myself clear, no I don’t think they should be silenced,but I wonder if it’s a good idea that they should go unchallenged. A lot of impressionable young people read this tripe.
That comes down to parental responsibility, Pius. The Internet is fine as long as you’re able to differentiate between fact and opinionated BS. This knowledge should be imparted to the kids as well. They aren’t stupid; they learn quick enough that you shouldn’t believe everything you hear in the schoolyard or in the street. If they’re properly informed as to the reality that the Internet is largely the same then there’ll be no issue.
Obviously, there are exceptions to this, take the young ones on route to ISIS for example but largely it comes down to parental responsibility in my opinion. If you take the time to explain the reality to the kids there shouldn’t be too many problems.
What’s not to like?
If it was over here the guards would be called and your personal rights ignored, you’d be forced to be a Facebook member and if you complained you would go to jail.your fellow citizens would think this was fine and applaud the judiciary.
people will undoubtedly vent their anger… on Facebook- jesus wept :D
Hello!
Deleted my Facebook a month ago. Best thing I ever did. I don’t ever want to know that you are “going to bed now night peeps” makes me want to scream!
On Facebook you can report false/troll accounts and they do investigate & close the accounts.
Unlike twitter.
You can report twitter accounts ya mad yolk.
If you don’t like Facebook’s policies… DUH don’t use it… These privacy cranks are something else…..
Facebook is only usually used to point out flaws ect because it’s popular, the real truth is that any online account, profile, subject data or whatever is open for abuse as unfortunatly thats what people do, they take the good and turn it bad.
Facebook, although I don’t like it myself is/would be a great tool for social media but even at it’s best I’ve found it to be mainly “Maltesers and a hot chocolate for me to night” followed by loads of “likes” and me too’s (yes I have an account, just don’t use it)
The internet is probably the greatest thing from the twentieth century with the power of knowledge and good, yet probably 90% of it is now misinformation, information gathering & marketing and hatred.
Faceache
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