"The EU and the US in the 21st Century
Abolish 12 unnecessary EU departments
Twelve directorate generals at the European Commission should be abolished, claims Alex Singleton in a paper for the Globalisation Institute.Sarkozy vows to punish saboteurs
France's president calls for those who sabotaged the TGV rail network to be punished with "extreme severity".
CSIS The EU and the US in the 21st Century
RFE/RL A Watershed In EU Human Rights Policy?
Central Asia has become a testing ground for a more hard-nosed EU foreign policy, which -- if successful -- could be here to stay for the long term, says our Brussels correpondent.
Immigration: the plight of Poles in France
Poland has been an official EU country since 1 May 2004. While Poles have the right to move freely around France, things get a lot more complicated when it comes to getting a job
AND more on Di's orientation in Belgium:
Social Orientation in Antwerp and And then there's the informal Social Orientation of Di in Belgie....
DOSSIER: Cutting Europe's farm subsidies | 21/11/2007
The EU wants to spend less money on farm subsidies in future, and more on environmental protection and conservation of the countryside. The planned measures were outlined in a draft proposal for the simplification and modernisation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) put forward by EU Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel yesterday.
Even in Europe, reform is possible
Changes need to be launched quickly after an election, communicated consistently and opposition endured until positive results materialise, says Johnny Munkhammar
Kosovo: then what?
by Douglas Muir
Okay, so Kosovo is likely to declare some sort of independence in the near future.
“Some sort” covers a lot of ground, but it will be something formally unacceptable to Serbia, and thus to Russia. The negotiations have another three weeks to run, but it’s clear they’re going nowhere; the Kosovar Albanians want independence, and Serbia will never agree to that. So, at some point the knot will have to be cut.
French Strikes and the poverty of riches
by Kiki
Marc Steel makes the case that the French strikes are an example of the poverty in rich countries. Steel argues that strikers are expected to accept globalization without making too much of fuss, to just work more and get on the program without the rich having the same obligation. Sugary excerpt:
Belgium the model European?
Not to its comedians
European Movement re-launch today
by Jon
Good news today regarding Britain’s relationship with the European Union (I don’t get to say that very often!) The European Movement is re-launching this afternoon in Westminster, with Charles Kennedy as its new Chair. Whatever Kennedy’s background, it cannot be denied he is a high profile and charismatic politician - a good appointment.
Creative sector 'forgotten and marginalised' by the EU
EDM THE EU COMMISSION BETWEEN MOL AND OMV: ANOTHER “SLEEPWALKING” CASE?
European Group Won't Monitor Russian Vote
by Peter Finn
MOSCOW, Nov. 16 -- Europe's principal election watchdog group said Friday it will not send a delegation to observe parliamentary elections in Russia next month, citing "delays and restrictions" imposed by the Russian government.Panel Decries Terrorism Blacklist Process
by Molly Moore
PARIS, Nov. 12 -- The methods used by the United Nations and the European Union for blacklisting terrorism suspects are "totally arbitrary" and "violate the fundamental principles of human rights and rule of law," a European human rights panel said Monday.
Denmark to hold new referendum on euro
Denmark is to hold a fresh referendum on whether the country should adopt the euro, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the newly re-elected prime minister, told reporters
DOSSIER: The Roma's situation in Europe | 22/11/2007
After the last round of enlargement, the Roma now constitute the EU's largest minority. Not only in Eastern Europe are they the target of discrimination; migration has created a mood of strong anti-Roma sentiment in Italy too. On November 13th, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favour of 18 Czech Roma families who brought a suit alleging their children were discriminated against when they were sent to special schools.
'Green' transport projects to receive fresh EU cash
Railways and inland waterways will receive the lion's share of EU funding for trans-European transport network (TEN-T) projects for the period 2007 to 2013, the Commission has announced.
Europe narrows transatlantic productivity gap
The EU outperformed the US in terms of productivity growth in 2006, but much of the gain stemmed from a cyclical upturn in economic growth, according to the 2007 EU Economy Review, presented by the Commission on 21 November.
Two Visions of Europe?
By Dexter Thillien
Earlier this month, two major speeches were made concerning the future of the EU. The French president Nicolas Sarkozy spoke to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on November 13th while a couple of days later, the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband made a speech to the College of Europe in Bruges.........
Old EU economies losing ground
Europe and America
by James Rogers
Reprioritising the European Commission
From Channel Four News's website (http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/report+eyes+brussels+job+cuts/1080462) today:
