European Parliament

The elections to the European Parliament over the weekend, in which the right-leaning parties scored big gains, have dealt a blow to the left-leaning governments of key European Union countries, especially Britain and Germany. That will not make decision-making in Europe easier, considering that most of the important issues are decided in London or Bonn.

Left-leaning parties across Europe were apparently swept from posts in the European Parliament after elections marked by low turnout and a paucity of riveting issues. Center-right parties emerged victorious for the first time in two decades, striking a blow at the Socialists who run 11 governments in the 15 European Union nations. Preliminary results gave center-right Christian Democrats 224 seats in the new 626-member assembly; the Socialists plunged to 180.

The Internet Society is urging the European Parliament to modify a proposed directive aimed at protecting copyrights that could make Web caching illegal. Internet service providers make caches, or copies, of popular Web sites and store them close to end users to reduce overall traffic on the Internet. Otherwise, the route to a popular site can clog up, resulting in slower transmission speeds and hogging the resources of the network.

European Union leaders, long accustomed to British skepticism about a united Europe, came to London with nagging questions Friday but went home smiling. After a week in office, Prime Minister Tony Blair is moving quickly--but cautiously--to smooth ruffled feathers among continental partners who admire his winning political flair but wonder how deep his commitment runs to their dream of a united Europe.

Austria's far right triumphed in European Parliament elections Sunday, bolstering its position as Europe's most popular nationalist party at the expense of Chancellor Franz Vranitzky's Social Democrats. The conservative People's Party led by Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schuessel notched up the top score in Austria's first European election Sunday. But the rise in far-right support saw one of the most dramatic shifts in voter allegiance in Austria's democratic history.

Hurried parties, school ceremonies and cheering election-time crowds greeted the European Parliament's approval Wednesday of a free-trade agreement with Turkey that both sides hope will help better bind this pivotal Muslim country to the West.

EU Extends Broadcast Quota Directive: Backing France's call to continue restrictive quotas on Hollywood imports, the European Union agreed to extend the restrictive system and make enforcement easier. In a compromise move, the 15 EU culture ministers decided to continue for at least five years the essence of the current Television Without Frontiers measure, which limits non-European imports to less than 50% of air time on EU screens.

It has been billed as a de facto constitutional convention for Europe, a major event that proponents of a more unified Continent hope will bring a single defense force, a united foreign policy and a dominant European Parliament. But as the leaders of the European Union's 15 member states gather informally today and Saturday on the Spanish island of Majorca to consider agenda options for the convention, signs point to a much more mundane affair.

One of the most bizarre chapters in the annals of the California Legislature soon will end when Jim Brulte of Rancho Cucamonga steps down as Assembly Republican leader. The strange saga of the lower chamber will continue, however, and nobody can predict how the rest of this tale will unfold. Since the ascension of rebel Republican Doris Allen to Speaker on June 5, the Assembly has been organized more like a European parliament than an American legislature.