Miliband denies EU 'power creep'

The EU Treaty will strengthen, not undermine British foreign policy, the foreign secretary has said.

Brown: Britain 'at the centre of Europe'

Britain's Gordon Brown used his first official visit to Brussels headquarters as prime minister to shake off his eurosceptic image and present himself as a staunch European, stressing that Britain and the EU are mutually dependent.

Danish Muslims despair

Danish Muslims are dismayed but determined after the reprinting of a cartoon satirising the Prophet Muhammad, the BBC's Frances Harrison reports.

DOSSIER: Youth violence in Denmark | 21/02/2008

Denmark is embroiled in debate about the causes of recent youth violence. Are Danes questioning their integration policy, and their long-standing model of tolerance ?

Are Europeans Hiding in the Bush, or is Transatlantic Panacea to Come?

By Kyle Atwell

There has been speculation on both sides of the Atlantic about whether America’s next president will be able to revitalize the acidulated transatlantic partnership.  Con Coughlin has captured a common sentiment in an op-ed published by the Telegraph:

Europe must speak with one voice to Russia

Implementation of EU treaty provisions on common security and foreign policy offers new co-operation prospects, writes Donald Tusk

Swiss apology for 'Nazi' tax insult

Swiss banking association forced to apologise for comparing Germany's intelligence agency to the Gestapo in its crackdown on tax evaders using Liechtenstein

Study sheds light on Europeans' future skills requirements

European workers will have to "re-skill" in coming years as technological and organisational changes push up the demand for increased qualifications, even in the most elementary jobs.

GMO debate continues to divide EU

European agriculture ministers were unable to reach any kind of agreement regarding five requests for approval of new strains of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), highlighting strong divisions with regard to the benefits and dangers of these controversial products.

The economics of climate change adaptation

There are clear similarities between climate change adaptation and economic behaviour and thus the issue can be dealt with within the framework of economic analysis, argues a policy brief by Asbjørn Aaheim and Marianne Aasen for the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS).

EU multilingualism strategy to focus on language learning

Encouraging European citizens to learn two foreign languages should be the basis of the EU's new multilingualism strategy due in September, concluded a ministerial conference last Friday (15 February).

Nicolas Sarkozy, Gramsci reader

By Jérôme Sgard

Nicolas Sarkozy has professed admiration for the Gramscian notion of "cultural hegemony" -- political domination via domination of ideas. The difference is that Sarkozy seeks hegemony not over ideas so much as values.

 

SPIEGEL Interview with Henry Kissinger: 'Europeans Hide Behind the Unpopularity of President Bush' - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

Potocnik: EU-US comparisons on R&D spending 'not always helpful'

With 95% of public research carried out at member state level, comparisons with the United States and Japan do not reflect Europe's true R&D capacity, EU Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik told EurActiv Turkey in an interview.

Speech by Bilyana Raeva MEP (ALDE-ADLE) on : The Lisbon Strategy

Plenary Speech:  Tuesday, February , 19th.

Dear Guests,
Dear Colleagues,

Three years have passed since the re-launch of the Lisbon strategy which put the emphasis on achieving sustainable economic growth and creating better and more jobs. The overall picture looks promising. National reforms are accelerating, the European economy is growing steadily, and unemployment is at its lowest since 1998. However, a lot remains be done to meet the targets.

Transatlantic Security Agenda 2008

Benjamin Lucas Schoo of the Atlantic Community identifies 4 major tasks for 2008 and asks you to select which of these should be at the top of the transatlantic security agenda. Vote now!

A European Culture of Religious Tolerance
Source: EUI LAW Working Paper

In the European integration process, the European Union continues to struggle for an identity that can generate widespread support amongst its peoples. In this context it has been suggested by some that the European Union should embrace the Christian values that underpin its national traditions and cultures. I shall argue that, instead of relying on a communitarian vision of a ‘Christian Europe’, a European identity should build on a culture of religious tolerance. A European culture of religious tolerance draws on the enduring of difference and the acknowledgement of persisting and intractable conflict as essential experiences of Europe’s Christian past. Thus understood, tolerance lies at the roots of a European identity. At the same time, and through the conditional inclusion of religious diversity in the European nation-states, a European culture of religious tolerance creates over time new commonalities between Europe’s religiously permeated national traditions. Thus understood, tolerance only brings about the conditions for the development of a genuine European identity that amounts to more than (the sum of) its national counterparts.

Denis M. Tull

The Chad Crisis and Operation EUFOR Chad/CAR

SWP Comments 2008/C 02, February 2008, 4 pages

Timo Noetzel | Benjamin Schreer

The German Army and Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan

The Need for Strategy

SWP Comments 2008/C 01, February 2008, 4 pages

DOSSIER: Liechtenstein criticises German tax investigations | 20/02/2008

The German scandal over tax evasion and the procurement of client data from Liechtenstein by the Federal Intelligence Service have led to a conflict between Liechtenstein and Germany. Liechtenstein wants to take action against the Intelligence Service's course of action, while Germany and the OECD are criticising the country's unwillingness to cooperate in tracking tax evaders.

EP shenanigans: Hannan out of the EPP and Treaty adopted as sceptics cry fowl

By Jon

Daniel Hannan was expelled from the EPP-ED group in the European Parliament last night. It’s not known how decisive the vote was as the numbers are not stated in the EPP-ED’s press release. Reading between the lines I imagine it was all the MEPs of the EPP-ED in a group meeting in Strasbourg voting with a show of hands.

Eight EU states clash with Brussels over energy liberalisation

EU terror list criticised

Joseph S. Nye: Europe’s Power to Lead

CAMBRIDGE -- At this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, the buzz was about Asia’s growing power. One Asian analyst argued that by 2050, there will be three world powers: the United States, China, and India. He did not mention Europe, but underestimating Europe’s power is a mistake.

Melvyn Krauss: Sarkozy’s Société Générale Myopia

SAN FRANCISCO -- The French government should be honoring Bank of France Governor Christian Noyer for saving Société Générale from certain bankruptcy in the current rogue trader scandal, not criticizing him, as some high government officials have done. “Loose lips sink ships” is received wisdom in central banking circles. But if President Nicolas Sarkozy’s team in the Élysée Palace had had its way, Noyer would have immediately informed the government of Société Générale’s troubles.

Daniel Gros : Is Europe’s Housing Market Next?

A bubble in the American housing market – fueled in part by so-called “sub-prime” mortgages – was the catalyst for today’s financial market turbulence. But the bubble was not confined to the United States. In Europe, house prices have also increased sharply over the last decade – more dramatically than in the US in many cases. The same is true of other OECD countries and emerging markets, where rapidly increasing incomes have put pressure on asset prices.

Club Med's got a new name

By Boz

The Mediterranean Union, aka Club Med, has gotten a new name before birth. According to Reuters, French diplomats have been frantically working out the details to Sarkozy's campaign pledge, and faced with EU resistance, have scaled back plans. One such revision has been the name, now officially the "Union for the Mediterranean." Good one. That's rather pointless.

Vondra: 'Europe without barriers' top priority for Czech Presidency

Completing the internal market for labour, goods and services will be a priority for the Czech Republic when it assumes the six-month rotating presidency of the EU in January 2009 on the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain, Czech Vice-Premier and EU Affairs Minister Alexandr Vondra told EurActiv France in an interview.

NZherald: Europe's weaknesses laid bare (+video) - Catherine Field

By A-News

For the complete report from the NZ Herald click on this link

Europe's weaknesses laid bare (+video) - Catherine Field

A craze of fault lines appeared across the political map of Europe yesterday as the continent grappled with Kosovo's proclamation of independence. European Union foreign ministers struggled to agree on a statement that would paper over cracks within the 27-nation bloc. The major EU powers declared they would recognize Kosovo as a sovereign state, but some dragged their feet or even branded the declaration of independence as illegal.

MEP fraud allegations: critique gaining credibility

By Jon

So apparently MEPs are on the make. Well, that’s according to Chris Davies, Lib Dem MEP for the North West. Some bloggers follow up in a similar vein: Matt Wardman, Norfolk Blogger, and there’s a less pro-Davies line from The Yorkshire Guidon.

European absurdities: France likes Moldova, Benn likes large farmers, UK singers might like Kosovo

By Jon

A tale of two scandals: McCain & Sarkozy

By Boz

The latest New York Times' bombshell on a supposed romantic link and special favors between Senator John McCain and a Washington lobbyist offers an interesting contrast to the recent SMS story in France. Both victims of the anonymously sourced charges strongly denied the accusations, but in one case a sitting head of state launched a formal complaint - which could lead to criminal charges - while the other, though he lobbyied the NYT not to run the piece, is unlikely to take any legal action.