Mood:
suaveTopic: Politics
You know ...
Schengen zone enlarges on Dec. 21
Private security guards will patrol the nightly streets of the village Deutschkreuz near the Austro-Hungarian border
Austrian village hires private security for Schengen enlargement
Visitors to UK face tough new visa rules
.....there was a time when a country called Finland vowed to use its position of Presidency of the European Union to disallow non-potato or grain based vodkas to call themselves: "vodka".
This would have meant that many European vodkas made from molasses, sugar beet or grapes (mainly produced by UK, Hungary and the Czech Republic) would have to re-name themselves: 'spirit drink' .
At the time, the Finnish State Secretary for Agriculture, was "~very confident~" Finland would succeed in legally restricting the use of the name 'vodka'.
Part of the argument against such a change, in addition to forcing up the price of certain brands as they switched raw ingredients or require producers to change their labels, was the sentiment stated by EU Corporate Relations Director Alan Butler on the company's premium brand Ciroc ( made from French grapes)
"I can't envisage any British people going into a bar and proudly asking for a 'white spirit/martini'.."
But now, almost two and half years later,
liquor companies including Diageo Plc will retain the right to label spirits made from grapes as ``vodka'' under a European Union accord
EU Rules `Vodka' Can Be Made From Grapes in Victory for Diageo
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".... it's in the potato"
Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2007
All eyes on Russia as UN Security Council takes up Kosovo talks
EU decides to deploy police mission to Kosovo
Kosovo, Serbia to Square Off at UN
German Ambassador Wolfram Maas says, for his country, Serbia’s EU integration and Kosovo are completely separate issues.
Issue and analysts say Vladimir Putin's backing of Belgrade is likely to make it more difficult for western nations to push through Kosovo's secession .
China, and especially Russia, oppose independence for Kosovo against Belgrade’s wishes and argue that more talks should be held.
(Russia calls EU Kosovo mission illegal: Interfax )
