This is, of course, light by an order of magnitude but the EU rulers (alas, they think of themselves as rulers, not servants of the people) are masters of the "Camel's nose under the tent" school of government. They know that if they told the populace the truth they might be treated rougher than Louis XVI was.
When MEP's dream, are they Capetian or Carolingian?
Capetian, methinks.
I've always liked the Carolingians better,
they seemed more human-
Charles II, the Bald
Louis II, the Stammerer
Charles, the Fat
Charles III, the Simple
Along the lines of the Brit's Aethelred II, the Unready
(my fav. royal nickname)
Anyhoo, from the Economic Times (India):
Europeans were asked on Wednesday to pay an extra euro3 (US$4.35) a week as part of tough new measures to fight global warming, which EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said was a small price to pay to help slow down climate change.
The European Union plans to slash greenhouse gases by a fifth by 2020, eventually imposing euro 50 billion (US$72.47 billion) a year in costs on major polluters and rapidly scaling up how much energy it draws from more expensive, alternative sources such as windmills, solar panels and energy crops.
But Barroso bowed to industry worries that extra costs would see them lose pace with other parts of the world, warning Europe would look at setting import allowances if trade partners don't manage to strike a global pact to cut carbon emissions.
"If our expectations about an international agreement are not met, we will look at other options such as requiring importers to obtain allowances alongside European competitors, as long as such a system is compatible with WTO requirements,'' he told the European Parliament.
He said the EU program was good for the planet, good for the economy and good for EU citizens, who would see household bills rise by an average of euro150 (US$217) a year by 2020....MORE
