Communists and royalty fight farm subsidy cuts

The UK and Germany attacked plans from the European Commission to slash aid to the biggest farms, saying they were unworkable and undesirable.

No agreement in Kosovo discussion

Serbian and Kosovo Albanian leaders fail to reach agreement at talks aimed at settling the status of the province.

UPI- Analysis: European defense contracts - by LEANDER SCHAERLAECKENS

European business leads on scientific research

American universities continue to attract European scientists and engineers but, in the private sector, Europe may have an edge, says Sami Mahroum

Brown, Miliband and the EU

by nosemonkey

Well, he may have ignored it for months, but now it’s finally taking shape - although it hardly seems to be overly well thought-out.

Common agricultural policy under pressure

The current surge in farming prices has led to a reconsideration of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Can the CAP, put in place following the Second World War, adapt itself to the new rules of the market?

Populism in eastern central Europe

by Jacques Rupnik

Directly after the fall of communism, hopes burgeoned for democracy in the "new" eastern central Europe. What does the current climate of populism mean for these hopes and how does it affect these countries' relations with the EU?

Normality or normalities?

by Mircea Vasilescu

For eastern Europeans, the myth of a free and prosperous West, of western normality, has been replaced by the observation of normalities, writes Mircea Vasilescu. Having joined the EU, Romanians are discovering that the West has problems by no means as exotic as they once believed.

Brussels seeks to charm citizens in EU market vision

Commission wants to criminalise child 'grooming' on the Internet

To mark 'Universal Children's Day', the Commission has urged member states to do more to protect children from sexual exploitation and said it was considering criminalising the solicitation of children for abuse through the Internet.

 

Are Americans More Willing to Make Sacrifices Than Europeans?

by Joerg Wolf

According to Henry Kissinger, the real transatlantic difference is that "European governments are not able any more to ask their people for great sacrifices." That's why Europe readily opts for a "soft power" approach to so many foreign policy issues. This will, of necessity, make it harder for Europe to reach a consensus with the U.S.

The Presidential Candidates on Nuclear Policy - Democrats

by Cheryl Rofer

Continuing my series. I’ve been adding other goodies to my presidential issues page. Check it out.

The Republicans are a pretty sorry bunch on the subject of nuclear policy. Only John McCain looked a little bit serious about it. The Democrats have published more words, but they aren’t very adventurous. There are a number of low-hanging fruit in nuclear policy that could immensely improve the United States’ standing in the world: take missiles off alert, ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and bring the nuclear numbers down to totals of a few hundred. Those goals have been analyzed and recommended by many national-security specialists, not least George Shultz, William Perry, Henry Kissinger and Sam Nunn in the January 4 Wall Street Journal, followed by Margaret Beckett, in her last days as the UK’s Foreign Secretary.

 

ROYAUME-UNI: LES TENSIONS ENTRE MILIBAND ET BROWN PARASITENT LE RAPPROCHEMENT FRANCO-BRITANNIQUE SUR LA DEFENSE EUROPEENNE

The (Euro)Land of Opportunity

Casey S Butterfield of the Atlantic Initiative argues that income mobility in the United States is a dubious achievement. If the US economy is so excitingly dynamic, why do children in Canada and Europe have a better chance of surpassing their parents' incomes?

 

Daniel Cohn-Bendit: Europe’s Moment of Decision

Many European leaders have grown accustomed to declaring their commitment to enlarging and strengthening the EU while doing everything in their power to subvert these goals. This form of political racketeering may win elections, but the EU's proposed Reform Treaty, if implemented, will force governments to choose which side they're really on.

EU will identify 23 lagging economic sectors The review is part of an effort to extend the EU regulatory framework

The Soft Underbelly of Europe By: Mark Helprin | The Wall Street Journal
Though no longer the chief delinquent of Europe, and though not much thought is given to its strategic position, Germany is still Europe's center of gravity, territorially contiguous to more nations than any state other than Russia, with compact interior lines of communication, Western Europe's largest population, and Europe's leading economy.

The search for common ground: Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media (PDF; 605 KB) Source: Mayor of London/Greater London Authority

Ethnic strife in Europe...

[ MANFRED GERSTENFELD ]