DOSSIER: Cyprus chooses a communist president | 25/02/2008

Demetris Christofias, General Secretary of the progressive workers party (AKEL), won Cyprus' presidential election on February 24th. On the second round of the elections, he obtained 53,36 % of votes ahead of conservative Ioannis Kasoulides' 46.64%. Will the new Head of State manage to unblock negotiations and bring on the reunification of the divided island?

Cyprus elections: Harbinger of a solution?

Ariana FERENTINOU

Communist takeover in Cyprus!

By Douglas Muir

Well, okay — they just elected a Communist as their President.

And AKEL, Cyprus’ sort-of Communist Party, isn’t exactly a bunch of ragged proletarians.

Cyprus Elects Communist President

By Post on Washington, DC

NICOSIA, Cyprus, Feb. 24 -- Communist leader Demetris Christofias won a crucial presidential runoff in Cyprus on Sunday. He pledged to restart moribund talks to reunify the island and immediately agreed to meet the leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots.

The EU in Kosovo: Learning to let go

By Centre for European Reform

By Tomas Valasek

Here’s a secret about Kosovo’s independence – it is not real; not yet anyway. Without outside help, Kosovo would not function today. But at the same time, the new EU mission will have to justify its presence in the eyes of the Kosovo people. It must make every effort to transfer responsibility for running the new country to the Kosovars.

McCain-Sarkozy similarities

By Boz

The UK's Independent has a new take on Republicans favorite foreign political comparison thanks to a NYT's story implying that John McCain had an affair with a Washington lobbyist:

Afghanistan: Merkel Has "No Time" for Burden Sharing Proposals

By Joerg Wolf

Chancellor Merkel attacked suggestions that Germany had taken the easy option in Afghanistan: "We're not just digging wells and building houses; we also have a military mission."  Hugh Williamson reports in the Financial Times:

EU in Cyprus reunification plea

The EU Commission urges Cyprus President-elect Christofias to work to reunite the island.

Scandale au Parlement européen: un besoin de transparence

By Thomas Lefebvre

Les différents parlements nationaux européens sont régulièrement touchés par des scandales sur la rémunération des députés. Le manque de transparence, exposé par la remarquable enquête de Rue89 sur le budget alloué aux assistants des députés de l’Assemblée Nationale, est un facteur qui favorise ces dérives.

gimmick

By The Evil European

Educating children about the Holocaust is a gimmick, according to the Tory leader...

EU translation policy 'here to stay'

The multilingual nature of the EU institutions is "too politically sensitive" an issue to be dramatically reformed and is thus "here to stay", according to the Commission's translation chief, Juhani Lönnroth.

EU universities 'too homogeneous' to be competitive

A lack of autonomy and diversity in the European higher education system is harming the competitiveness and quality of European universities and driving EU industry and business to make R&D investments outside the EU rather than within the bloc, businesses and universities have warned.

This week in Network Europe

 

The Perils of translation

By Boz

A blogger over at the Guardian examines the difficulties in translating Sarkozy's various provocative statements, from racaille to casse-toi:
The BBC politely translates this as "Get lost then you bloody idiot, just get lost!"

Sarkozy's insult hits the newstands

By Boz

EU frames Kosovo's independence

Unemployment, professional opportunities and the Lisbon treaty: the latest news from Brussels, where all eyes are on the world's newest state

European guilt

By Richard Laming

I was at a talk today about the history of the state of Israel – this year marks 60 years since it was founded – and I asked about the relationship between Israel and Europe. We hear a lot about the connection between Israel and America, but what about Europe (which is rather nearer, after all). The speaker, Colin Shindler, had something interesting to say on the subject, namely that the Europeans had been hampered by, on the one hand, their guilt about the Holocaust, and on the other by their more extensive commercial links with the Arab countries. It has made for some difficult and sometimes diffident policy-making. It is an area where I am convinced that Europe can and should do more.