Europe is shocked by the Italian election results, because of Silvio Berlusconi’s return and Beppe Grillo’s incredible success. The European establishment is not really trying to comprehend the Italian situation, rather to exorcise it. Italy’s and Greece’s current political situations signal a flaw in the way Europeans relate to each other. In fixing macroeconomic unbalances,… » read more
Archives for EU Institutions
By Andrew Duff MEP And why Britain and Turkey may end up in much the same place. The Great Recession pitches the European Union full tilt into a period of great change. In all probability, a Convention will be called in spring 2015 to install a federal economic government for a fiscal union. The chance… » read more
Why state still matters?
March 5, 2013
The post was written by Ivan Bielik (email ivan.bielik at windowslive.com) In recent times we are witnessing diminishing role of state in the society. There can be various reasons for this process. Globalizing economic relations that surpass national borders, emergence of supranational organizations or international justice all mean that state slowly loses its competencies. But […]
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English, EU Institutions, EU Priorities 2020, Global Europe, Member States |
Of Whales and Budgets
March 3, 2013
“Very like a whale” – Hamlet (Shakespeare) The whale species and the European Union’s budget have quite a lot in common. No really, they do. First, the survival and existence of both whales and the budget are dependent upon a complex arrangement of international treaties. Let’s begin with the whales. Each year around 3,000 whales… » read more
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English, EU Institutions, EU Priorities 2020, Euro & Finance |
No more free lunches at EU summits
March 1, 2013
The Council will no longer offer free food to journalists during EU summits. This is also the end of the free croissants, soft drinks and sandwiches, available at every corner of the press centre. The decision is part of a belt-tightening in expectation of a EU budget with deep cuts in the category of administration.… » read more
Law, politics and the economy are core determinants of the success of the European integration project and of the welfare of Europeans. None of these three determinants can be made sense of in an isolated national or European context. The recent Italian elections demonstrate the particular political temptation of opposition in a compound Union of… » read more
After the cap of the bankers’ bonuses the next step is to combat tax evasion and fraud
February 28, 2013
The decision last night of the European Union to cap the bankers’ bonuses is a true step in the right direction to regulate the financial markets. Today’s harsh reaction of the City of London shows clearly how necessary this decision was and how outraged these so-called elite-bankers are. This strong opposition has also been supported… » read more
By Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP Under the 2009 Lisbon Treaty, the British government must by 2014 decide whether the UK will remain a participant in, or exercise a mass ‘opt-out’ from, a set of about 130 existing (pre-Lisbon) EU laws in the field of policing and crime-fighting. These were decided under the old ‘Third Pillar’… » read more
Can anyone be a MEP? What if we could all be MEPs, at the same time, all the time? While some would argue that I’m rooting for building the largest Parliamentary Assembly hall ever, this is not what this is about! Because the largest Parliamentary Assembly space is already in place, and in many ways… » read more
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Communications, English, EU Citizens and Media, EU Institutions, EU Priorities 2020 |
A study: Romania and the future of the European institutions
February 26, 2013
Romania is one of the 25 EU member states that decided to sign the Fiscal Treaty. But where is Romania placed in the debate about the future of the European institutions and the European Union in general? What will it mean for Romania, as an EU member state, when a new EU treaty is negotiated?… » read more
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English, EU Citizens and Media, EU Institutions, EU Priorities 2020, Europe's East, Member States |
Hungry? The EU biofuels industry has feed for you
February 25, 2013
Oxfam has long been concerned that increasing production of biofuels pushes up food prices, encourages land grabs and in many cases increases rather than reduces dangerous greenhouse gas emissions. Within the GROW campaign, we are fighting to end policies promoting biofuels and threatening food security and the climate. This issue was in the spotlight in… » read more
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Climate & Environment, Energy Supply, English, EU Institutions, EU Priorities 2020, Sustainable Dev., Transport |
1st of January 1973, Denmark joined the EU back when it was called the European Economic Community (EEC) along with Ireland and Great Britain. This was the Community’s first enlargement, after it was created in 1957 by Belgium, Luxemburg, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy. The six nations, as we have been told over and… » read more
Eurobills: On the joint issuance of European debt instruments
February 24, 2013
One of the schemes that is being contemplated in the chambers of European politics, is that of the joint issuance of sovereign debt instruments. This is currently related to the negotiations on the so-called “two-pack”, where the legislative reports from the European Parliament suggested schemes for the pooling of Member States’ debt and the consequent… » read more
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English, EU Institutions, EU Priorities 2020, Euro & Finance |
Reporting
February 22, 2013
One of the most demanding periods of the year from the project coordinator’s point of view is the annual reporting period. This is the time when you are getting an overall feedback from your partners about the progress of the various aspects of the initiative. In an ideal world the coordinator just sends out the… » read more
I have always found it strange when others say Europeans are pessimistic about their own fate and that, from outside, Europe is seen in a much better position, especially when discussing the current economic crisis. This is due to my personal experience so far. I have to admit that when I talk about the problems… » read more
Η Ευρωζώνη χρειάζεται προϋπολογισμό
February 19, 2013
Με την ανάληψη των καθηκόντων της η κυβέρνηση Σαμαρά είχε να αντιμετωπίσει εκτός από την ανάγκη βελτίωσης των πολιτικών του Μνημονίου, εκτός από την αντιστροφή ενός ιδιαίτερα αρνητικού κλίματος στο εξωτερικό, που μιλούσε ανοιχτά για την έξοδο από το ευρώ και ένα ιδιαίτερα αρνητικό κλίμα στη διαπραγμάτευση για το νέο ΕΣΠΑ και τη νέα Κοινή… » read more
Bjørn Lomborg shows how environmental activist groups like Greenpeace have held up trials on Golden Rice for twelve years for no good reason, arguing they should be held in part responsible for the loss of around eight million lives in that time from vitamin A deficiency. The Risk-Monger has a problem with a basic premise… » read more
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Climate & Environment, Communications, English, EU Citizens and Media, EU Institutions, Science & Policymaking |
Horsemeat Scandal and the Weaknesses of the Single Market: Does the European Court of Justice (ECJ) Have the Philosophers’ Stone in its Pocket?
February 16, 2013
Why is the Single Market a disaster for consumer protection? The EU common market became a threat and a real danger for consumers. With harmonised legislation and without border control the 4 basic freedoms brought not only economic prosperity but also permanent threat to all EU citizens. With the free movement of capital, humans, services… » read more
Rethinking education: the European students ideas
February 13, 2013
Last november the European Commission released the communication Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes. This document has been read carefully by several stakeholders in the education sector, as marks the Commission’s guidelines for the European policies in one of the most sensitive fields of national and European politics. AEGEE’s opinion on the… » read more
Le 4 février, lors de la session plénière du Parlement Européen, le Président de la Commission des droits de la femme et égalité des genres Mikael Gustafsson (GUE/NGL) a posé une question orale adressée à la Commission Européenne, représentée par la Vice-Présidente aux droits fondamentaux Viviane Reding. La question orale a été suivie par une… » read more