Newly Elected Greek Prime Minister Demanded to Impose Additional

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International Law in News

Newly Elected Greek Prime Minister Demanded to Impose Additional Austerity Measures http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/12/alexis-tsipras-pledged-to-end-austerity-now-he-is-asked- to-sign-up-for-more

Following his election on 25 interviews prior to the election, January 2015, Greek Prime Min- Tsipras reaf›rmed the importance ister Alexis Tsipras has pledged to of the bail-out deal claiming the pursue anti-austerity measures in deal is an important factor that his political manifesto following a will allow Greece to retain its us- failure in the Greek parliament to age of the euro. Yet, Greece still elect a new president. Tsipras was faces considerable economic chal- reelected on 20 September 2015 lenges. Being still in recession, the winning against the New Democ- Greek government has to satisfy racy party under his Syriza party. international creditors that is ful- The Syriza has just won over 35% ›lling the terms of the ⁄85 billion of its previous result beating the bailout. Creditors are due to re- conservative New Democracy view the progress of the program who obtained 28% of votes. This in October. is short of a majority win, how- However several members ever Syriza will form a coalition of the Eurozone have expressed with the nationalist Independent ignorance whether Tsipras will Greeks. follow through on its promises. Tsipras’ reelection is following Germany, Finland, and other a new ⁄85 billion bailout agree- countries of northern Europe have ment between Greece and the made it clear that they no longer European Union which provides trust Greece ful›ll its promises for increased taxation and new and have lost patience with Tsip- spending cuts. The current auster- ras. In the face of their own do- ity measures, which was intended mestic pressure, they intend to to cut spending, has also taken its keep the euro intact however at own take in Greece’s economy. In the same time would not want to

Volume 12 Number 4 July 2015 573 Jurnal Hukum Internasional face the consequences if Greece Meanwhile, France and Italy secedes from the euro. Germany, have expressed support towards being the Eurozone country with Greece. The two countries under- the most stable economy, has al- stand Greece’s position, seeing the ways been consistent in proposing dangers of austerity where Greece a ›scal union, with a mechanism is suffering from the biggest drop for moving resources from rich to in output and the largest amount in poor parts of the single currency budget tightening, whereas opting in return for the willingness of not to impose austerity measures individual governments to accept would be dangerous in terms of rules that would enforce budget spending in the long run. discipline. (RM)

Australian PM Tony Abbott ousted by Malcolm Turnbull

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34245005

Tony Abbott was ousted as leader of the party or coalition that leader of the centre-right Liberal can command a majority in parlia- Party by Malcolm Turnbull. Ab- ment. bott, who had been plagued by Earlier, Abbott had dismissed poor opinion polls, received 44 rumors that his leadership is about votes to Turnbull‘s 54 in the last to be challenges as mere —Canber- party leadership ballot. Turnbull ra gossip”. However, it turned out is set to become the new Austra- that Abbott was ultimately ousted lian Prime Minister due this turn by Turnbull, a fellow Liberal Par- of events. The new leader will be ty politicians. Foreign Minister Australia’s fourth prime minister Julie Bishop is also voted to re- since 2013. The prime minister- main deputy leader of the party. elect is expected to be sworn in Bishop stated that she supported after Abbott of›cially writes his Turnbull’s bid to a leadership resignation documents to Austra- challenge. Turnbull praised his lia’s governor general. In Austra- predecessor for his —formidable lia, the prime minister is not di- achievements” as prime minister, rectly elected by voters but is the when ask to speak following the

574 Volume 12 Number 4 July 2015 International Law-in News announcement of the voting re- remained as leader, the coalition sults. government would lose the next Malcom Turnbull previously election, which is likely to take served as Minister for Commu- place next year. nications under Abbott, before The last Australian prime min- resigning to launch a leadership ister to serve a full term was John challenge. Turnbull holds views Howard, who left power in 2007. that are considered unconven- Labor Prime Minister Julia tional even within his own coali- Gillard was ousted by rival Kevin tion, such as his views on climate Rudd in a leadership vote in June change, gay marriage and making 2013 - months before a general Australia a republic. He led the election won by Tony Abbott’s Liberal Party in opposition from Liberal Party and its coalition 2008-2009 - but lost a leadership partners the National Party. Gil- challenge to Abbott by one vote. lard herself had ousted Rudd as He previously worked as a suc- prime minister in 2010. Turnbull cessful lawyer and businessman had previously been leader of the - defending former British spy Liberals while in opposition, but Peter Wright in the —Spycatcher“ was ousted by Abbott in 2009. case in the 1980s. Abbott survived a leadership chal- Turnbull said Australia needed lenge in February, but his govern- to have —the economic vision, a ment has consistently been behind leadership, that explains the great the opposition Labor Party in challenges and opportunities we opinion polls. face”. He further said he would Abbott has not spoken pub- lead —a thoroughly Liberal gov- licly since he was voted out by ernment, committed to freedom, his parliamentary colleagues. Cur- the individual and the market”. rent opposition leader Bill Short- Turnbull stated that the decision en tweeted that —Australia does to launch a leadership challenge not need another arrogant, out of was not a light one, but that it was touch Liberal leader - Australia —clear enough that the government needs a change of government”. is not successful in providing the economic leadership that we (RW) need”. Turnbull had said if Abbott

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Austria Imposes Border Controls over Inﬁux of Refugees

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/hungary-declares-state-emergency-refugee-in- ﬁux-150915081707010.html

Austria has imposed new re- Viktor Orban has indicated that strictions at its borders as means asylum requests from refugees to deal with thousands of im- trying to enter Hungary from Ser- migration passing through it to bia will be rejected. The rationale reach Germany. In recent days, is because Serbia is a safe country thousands of refugees have tried where refugees do not risk war or to migrate into Austria through persecution. Orvan stated that the Hungary. They are trying to get border will not be sealed hermeti- to the border before Hungary de- cally. He stated that Hungary is cide to close its border with Ser- simple enforcing the laws that is bia. Hungary had declared a state already in force. Hundreds of ref- of emergency earlier, and shut its ugees between the border of Hun- border with Serbia leaving many gary and Serbia carried handwrit- desperate refugees stranded at the ten signs and shouted their plea to border. According to the police authorities to let them through the report, more than 10.000 people gate. have been detained for illegally Meanwhile, Serbia was talk- crossing the border from Ser- ing to the Hungarian government bia. Over 200,000 refugees have about the build-up of refugees on reached Hungary so far in 2015, their frontier, a Serbian govern- nearly all by walking across the ment minister said, adding Bu- southern border with Serbia. On dapest would —have to open the the last day before Hungary sealed border”. UNHCR spokeswoman off its Serbian border with a razor Melissa Fleming said that it is wire fence, a record 15,700 people likely that thousands of refugees arrived in eastern Austria via the will simply divert their route now border town of Nickelsdorf. Some that Hungary has closed its border 2,500 people spent the night in with Serbia. UNHCR is ready to tents at the Austrian border, which move and assist different coun- had been set up by the country’s tries. army. Fewer refugees crossed into Hungarian Prime Minister

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Austria from Hungary after Buda- on Tuesday that two crossings on pest started to clamp down on the the border with Serbia have been ﬁow through the Balkan Peninsula closed to all traf›c as stricter rules to the richer countries of northern about the entry of migrants are ap- and Western Europe, Austrian po- plied. lice said. Hungarian police said (RW)’

The 5TH EU – Korea S&T Cooperation

http://ec.europa.eu/research/iscp/index.cfm?pg=korea http://ec.europa.eu/research/iscp/pdf/policy/eu-korea_jstcc_statement.pdf http://www.access4.eu/southkorea/626.php http://gridatasia.ercim.eu/images/seoul/pdf/Joo-HanKim.pdf

On 15 June 2015 European Since the beginning of the EU Union (EU) and Republic of Ko- and Korea Cooperation on S&T, rea formed the 5th Science & numbers of Korean researchers Technology (S&T) Cooperation were increasing in the European committee, which was held in research, which covers various Seoul, South Korea. The meeting different types of major research was chaired by EC Director-Gen- areas of common interests. This is eral, Robert-Jan Smits and Korean supported by the cooperation fa- Vice-Minister, Sukjoon Lee. The cilitation infrastructure. In 2006, S&T Cooperation agreement itself EU-Korea S&T cooperation has was concluded in the beginning much progress in 2006 which they of 1990s, which becomes the ›rst have conclude several agreements contact between Korean and Eu- on cooperations, such as: ropean researchers and the S&T - EU-Korea agreement on GAL- authorities. Since the conclusion ILEO Project, concluded on 9 of the S&T cooperation agreement September 2006; in 1992, both parties held ›ve - EU-Korea agreement on ITER joint seminars on S&T until 2002, Project, concluded on 21 No- which resulted in the inclusion of vember 2006; a Framework Agreement on Trade - EU-Korea cooperation agree- and Cooperation. ment on S&T and Fusion En-

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ergy Research. Concluded on To intensify and strengthen S&T 21 November 2006; cooperation between EU and - Miscellany cooperation agree- Korea, as well as to develop ment between Korea and sustainable cooperation strat- CERN; egies, EU along with Korea - Miscellany protocol on co- have launched KORANET, operation between Korea and KESTCAP, and KORRIDOR Romania in the Field of Scien- projects. However, out of three ti›c; of the projects mentioned - Miscellany Technological De- above, EU-Korea collabora- velopment. tion projects are only two of them, which are: Other than agreement on co- 1. KORANET (Korean Scienti›c operations, both parties had held Cooperation Network with the large-scale events for promoting European Research Area) S&T cooperation, such as: 2. KESTCAP (Korea-EU Sci- - Korean and French Science ence and Technology Coop- Weeks to celebrate 120th an- eration Advanced Programme) niversary of diplomatic ties; - Opening ceremony of the Ger- Other than the abovemen- man government ‘s Research tioned projects, EU has also in- Marketing Korea Campaign; cluded Korean researchers into the - Deputy Prime Minister and EU programmes such as the EU- Minister of MOST’s visit to REKA Multilateral International EU member countries (i.e. Collaborative R&D Programme. Germany, Sweden, Romania, At the 5th EU-Korea S&T co- Finland, France, EU Commis- operation meetings, which was sion); held early in the year 2015, both - Held Science and Technol- parties had emphasized the impor- ogy Joint Committee Meetings tance in continuing and improv- with Germany, UK, Italy, and ing the framework conditions for Switzerland; and EU and Korean scientists and re- - Held Science and Technol- searchers to work together. During ogy Ministerial Meetings with the meeting, the Ministry of ICT Germany, Sweden, Romania and Future Planning of Korea and and Finland. the Directorate General for Re- search and Innovation of the Eu-

578 Volume 12 Number 4 July 2015 International Law-in News ropean Commission had further and many researchers exchange; testimony of the breadth and dy- and emphasizing bottom-up type namism of the EU-Korea partner- cooperation (4), bottom-up type ship. The meeting also concluded cooperation is driven by more some agreed statements from both voluntary participation of private parties as to the planning of future and public actors, which both par- activities in relation with S&T co- ties have agreed to expand support operation of EU and Korea, which for. Whereas, the opposite under- stated that they would improve standing of bottom-up type is the the framework conditions (1) by top-down type cooperation driven agreeing on early exchange of the by government-to-government maximum possible level of maxi- agreements. mum programme information to Science and technology be- enable provision of matching fund comes more important for each and to allow monitoring of coop- day in human life. The sophistica- eration intensity; deepening, scal- tion of technology in today’s era ing up and opening cooperation in helps young generation to release selected thematic areas of mutual their curiosity about life by having bene›t (2) include the topics of a direct access to the internet. It 5G joint-call communication net- also helps experts, such as doctors works, internet and other facility or scientists in helping its patients for mobile cloud services. Both with any health problems. Such parties had also agreed to engage cooperation should be done more in similar activities of technol- often around the world to enhance ogy and processes for post and/or the people’s knowledge and to pre-combustion of carbon dioxide practice the creativity of the peo- (CO2), and other cooperation on ple. Science and technology has a technologies in the area of health role in making people’s life better and bio-medical; promoting re- and easier. searchers’ mobility (3), this has been done since EU-Korea summit (DMH) in 2013 with 2 past calls launched

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Trans-Paci›c Partnership to Southeast Asia

http://thediplomat.com/2015/07/what-the-trans-paci›c-partnership-means-for-southeast-asia/ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/09/05/business/japan-u-s-agree-work-toward-early-conclusion- tpp-trade-pact/#.VfuLL2Sqqko

It has been more than 5 years make trade deals with foreign ago that Trans Paci›c Partner- countries rapidly. However, sev- ship (TPP) was launched to nego- eral group of people are opposed tiations by the Paci›c Rim coun- to such idea. This is because, the tries, including the United States, possibility of failing in such trade Canada, Australia, New Zealand, agreement with Asia, would let Japan, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Sin- China to set global norms and its gapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Commercial Trade Policy to a low Brunei. TPP is a 21st century bar standards of environmental trade agreement, which include both globally and nationally, ne- all of the 12 Paci›c Rim countries glect labor rights, and intellectual in reaching a free trade deal. The property rights. agreement was established to seek Even so, a range of issues aris- lower trade tariffs, set a common es when considering the South- framework of intellectual property east Asia countries in joining TPP, rights, set a standard of labor law which will have major affect and and environmental law, as well as reform the currency manipula- to create an investor-state dispute tion and regulation on their state- settlement. The aim of the agree- owned enterprises. Singapore as ment is to enhance trade and in- one of Asian —tigers“ has a rapid vestment between the countries, to in economic growth in the last half develop the economic growth, and century resulted from the policies to support in maintaining jobs. and high tariffs reducing foreign The TPP has succeed in one competition. Along with Singa- of the toughest congress of the pore, Vietnam and Malaysia are US, the House and Senate agreed also known as world’s highest tar- to grant President Barack Obama iffs and non-tariffs barriers against Trade Promotion Authority in foreign businesses, thus a ques- order to be able to negotiate and tion raised on why these countries

580 Volume 12 Number 4 July 2015 International Law-in News are willing to join such free trade on the other hand, as the small- partnership? Notwithstanding the est economic country between 12 similarities of the countries’ high countries has recently introduced tariffs on foreign businesses, Sin- Islamic laws clamping down on gapore could be the most trade gay rights and pregnancy outside dependent out of all three. This marriage. It is to be seen whether is because Singapore already has negotiators wield enough to inﬁu- free trade agreements with most ence Brunei government to repeal of the TPP countries on maritime its repressive laws to meet certain trade and security. TPP expectations. Some experts argue that, Viet- The changes to the countries nam in joining the TPP will prob- whose economy development has ably make Vietnamese exports been inﬁuenced from the export even more competitive, however products and/or the high tariffs by joining TPP it will force the on foreign businesses will be hard government of Vietnam to con- to adjust by joining the TPP with tinue its fundamental political and such standards of criteria. Failure economic reforms by permitting to encounter such criteria will bar Vietnamese laborers freedom as- the countries in joining the part- sociation and the right to form nership and succeeding in meeting labor unions in order to meet the TPP criteria will bring the coun- criteria of TPP. Similar will hap- tries into a better economy de- pen to Malaysia where the govern- velopment and welfare. Even so, ment will be forced to comply with it will be hard for those countries global norms of human rights and as they would have to change fun- improve labor conditions and the damental regulation and will also rule of law, especially in regards be harder for the people to adapt with the human traf›cking as the with the new situation within their country has not made much prog- countries. ress to tackle the issue. Brunei, (DMH)

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