ndmckinney|net

In what is perhaps the most important advance towards a new reform treaty for the European Union, the Dutch cabinet in the Hague today announced that it will not hold a new referendum on the upcoming EU reform treaty.

For those who may not remember, the first attempt at a constitution for the EU was killed by the Dutch people, who overwhelmingly voted against the new treaty in 2005.

The move also puts a damper on UK efforts to hold a similar referendum, a vote likely to be against acceptance of the new treaty.

[From nrc.nl - Europa - Kabinet: geen nieuw referendum over EU]
[English language report from BBC News - Dutch cabinet rules out EU vote]

The Court of First Instance (CFI) upheld the 2004 fine imposed by the European Commission today for an “abusing a dominant position” (Article 82 TEC). The Court upheld the previous decision holding that, once a dominant position is established, “the refusal by the holder of a dominant position to grant a licence may infringe Article 82 EC unless the refusal is objectively justified.” (Case T-201/04, para. 333). Microsoft will have to pay its € 497 million fine.

In English [IHT]
En français [Le Monde]

It’s cliché, but true; you can never really go back home after all.
I flew home from Amsterdam last Friday (01/06/07) via London Heathrow. Coming back to the US after 5 months of being away certainly opened my eyes to my own lifestyle, not to mention those of my fellow Americans. The stereotype of the US as fat, lazy, and arrogant is somewhat well deserved.

Before I left, I used to think that Washington, DC was one of the most sophisticated cities in the U.S. To some extent, I still think that’s true. But having been in Europe, and lived among the Europeans, I noticed that DC is really not any different from the rest of the US. Certainly, as I was told by my international friends who have visited Washington, it is the most European-like city, but it is a far cry from Paris or Den Haag.

Since my return, I’ve had an interesting time readjusting to being home. In some ways, it feels like I never left; in other ways, however, I feel completely detached from society. I’ve certainly never been one for popular culture or trends, and having been away from US culture for a while, I feel even less in touch with the general culture. I’m not sure exactly where I fit in, but I’m not so sure it’s here anymore.

I’m certainly not claiming to want everything to be European. I think that the European approach to life is very nice, but it is radically different from the US, and I do not think that it would do well here. In some ways, European attitudes are quite backwards from those in the US (for example, European life still revolves very much around the home, and many public arenas are closed quite early), although the US is not exactly leading the way in every area (we are quite conservative socially, as a general rule).

Overall, I would like to say that I had a great experience. I’m now to the last stage of my study abroad experience: reflection. Maybe after a few more weeks, I’ll be able to make more out of the entire trip.

The BBC is reporting that the EC Competition Authority has fined a cartel of Dutch brewers (Heineken, Grolsch, and Bavaria) over €273 million. A fourth brewer, InBev, was granted leiniency in exchange for providing information regarding the cartel. The firms were all found to have violated [EC Treaty] Article 81′s prhobitions on restrictive business practice.

According to the BBC, the fine levied against Heineken is the seventh-largest ever; the largest fine to day was imposed against Microsoft. Heineken plans to appeal the fine as “excessive”.

Link to the DG Competition Notice, IP/07/509, Released 18 April 2007.