Under the U.S. Lobbying Disclosure Act Guidance, is considered lobbying an organization that 'actively participates' in the planning, supervision, or control of lobbying activities of a client or registrant when that organization (or an employee of the organization in his or her capacity as an employee) engages directly in planning, supervising, or controlling at least some of the lobbying activities of the client or registrant.

The criteria here below are taken from an excellent article titled ‘How to tame a budget crisis’ by Göran Persson. Mr. Persson was Finance Minister of Sweden from 1994 to 1996 and Prime Minister from 1996 to 2006. Politicians at the EU and national level would be well advised to consider these criteria as they embark on profound reform programmes.

To design and implement reforms politicians at both the EU and national level must  have three personal and non-negotiable commitments.

Five cornerstones of reform

Judging from the latest debate on U.S. Foreign Policy, it seems the Old Continent is no longer a priority for the United States. Europe was hardly mentioned and U.S. EU Relations are not high on the agenda of either Obama or Mitt Romney. Ignoring the significance in improving closer ties will only help jeopardize European and American interests.

A recent decree at the federal level now obliges all Russian strategic enterprises to agree their foreign economic activity with the government. Russian strategic companies include Russian state unitary enterprises and Russian state-woned companies that are active in certain specific sectors of the Russian economy and are considered to be of importance to Russian national defense and security.

It is perhaps the ultimate irony that a bipartisan group of Norwegians would award the Nobel Peace Prize to the EU, since Norwegians have themselves rejected membership in the EU twice, in 1972 and 1994. Recent public opinion polls have shown that opposition to joining the EU is stronger than ever before. 

"Fiscal cliff" is the popular short term used to decsribe the situation the U.S. will face at the end of 2012, when the terms of the Budget Control Act of 2011 are scheduled to go into effect.

The World Economic Outlook Report was released at the IMF's annual meeting in Tokyo on 8 October 2012. The world economy is expected to grow 3.6% next year. Here below are the 2013 projections by major countries:

Five years after the Great Financial Crisis of 2007-2009 began, there is still no sign of  a full recovery of the world economy. Consequently, concern has increasingly shifted from financial crisis and recession to slow growth or stagnation, causing some to dub the current era the GREAT STAGNATION. Indeed, the global economy has entered a dangerous and uncertain phase. According to the IMF, global growth in advanced economies is too weak to bring down unemployment and what little momentum exists is coming primarily from central banks.

Greece is broke, under a mountain of debt, on the verge of collapse, being kept afloat by European loans and yet, it is moving forward with plans to construct a € 94.6 million Formula 1 race track. The Greek government will subsidize one-third of the construction costs equivalent to € 30 million.

Everything the EU does to foster unity seems to only further infighting, divisive rethoric and finger-pointing. There is squabbling over bailouts, multicultural woes, bloody protests and even serious discussions about member states exiting the eurozone etc. Europe appears to be fracturing under the weight of each bailout.