"EU: the most peaceful region in the world
EU foreign policy 'undermined' by flurry of national initiatives
Following France's example with the EuroMed proposal, Poland and Sweden are due to present an 'Eastern Initiative' at a meeting next week, in a move which diplomats warned could ruin the EU's patient efforts to craft a common external policy.EU: the most peaceful region in the world
The Economist Intelligence Unit has compiled a ranking of the peacefulness of countries, measuring both domestic and international violence. The results are very favorable for the EU. How do you interpret this? First of all, the European Union was designed to create stable peace in a continent that had gone through the worst wars of mankind,Europe's old boys need to make way for women
The scarcity of women in top jobs is not about a shortage of capable female politicians, but a question of men choosing men, writes Margot WallströmEurope is a geopolitical dwarf
Most European geopolitical gurus believe that the EU can survive well as a free-rider on US power, counting on it to keep the world safe while Europe tends to its internal gardens. The paucity of European strategic thinking is stunning, writes Kishore MahbubaniTop five Eurovision hits
Since its first broadcast on 24 May 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest has seen hundreds of songs battle it out for the titles of the worst, the funniest and above all the best
Interview: Europe has problems accepting 'New Russia'
Growing tensions in EU-Russia dialogue are inevitable as Russia's developing economic, military and energy resource strength lends it a much stronger bargaining position in international relations than in the past, according to Piotr Dutkiewicz, director of the Institute of European and Russian Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. He spoke to EurActiv Slovakia in an interview.Parliament under pressure for shunning free software
The European Parliament is discriminating against EU citizens by using commercial software which is not freely available to everyone for its digital services, according to the open source community. But Parliament cited technical and security reasons to justify its decision.European banks: The silent (r)evolution
Despite the impact of recent global financial turmoil on European banks, the structure of the banking industry in Europe that has been built up over the last decade will secure its future, argues Jan Schildbach in an April research paper for Deutsche Bank.EU urges Club Med focus on trade links, environment
A planned Euro-Mediterranean Union should start by upgrading sea and road links, cleaning up the Mediterranean Sea and developing solar energy, the European Commission said yesterday. LayingRonja Kempin
Could France Bring NATO and the EU Closer Together?
Options for the French EU Presidency
SWP Comments 2008/C 11, May 2008, 4 pagesHannes Adomeit | Frank Kupferschmidt
Russia-Nato Relations
Stagnation or Revitalization?
SWP Research Paper 2008/RP 02, May 2008, 32 pagesCommission plans mandatory car-safety technologies
A draft regulation, due to be presented by the Commission on Friday (23 May), seeks to impose the fitting of advanced safety features on all road vehicles in a bid to cut the number of road deaths in Europe, according to an early copy of the text seen by EurActiv.Immigrants battle against Fortress EU
Huddled on mattresses on the floor of a church in central Brussels, some 240 illegal migrants have embarked on a hunger strike to demand the right to stay in the European Union. The answer theyMAIN FOCUS: Georgia: a small country with big problems | 22/05/2008
President Mikheil Saakashvili's party has won a clear victory in Georgia's early parliamentary elections. But the political and economic problems facing the small republic in the Caucasus are far from over. What do the election results portend for Georgia's relationship with Europe?
IEA questions role of markets in climate change fight
With global energy demand on the rise despite significant fossil fuel price hikes, the EU should "not expect too much" from carbon pricing and other market-based instruments in their green economy quest, says the International Energy Agency (IEA).Intercultural dialogue through sport 'essentially a local process'
Intercultural dialogue through sport happens mainly at local level, so local and national governments must therefore commit to supporting long-term initiatives by sports clubs, organisations and individuals on the field, concluded a two-day seminar.MAIN FOCUS: A new debate on nuclear energy | 23/05/2008
Debate on the use of nuclear energy has once more flared up in Europe. Italy now plans to build new nuclear power plants after a 20-year ban, while in Sweden a bomb scare in an accident-sensitive reactor has fears running high. What should Europe's energy policy look like in the future?
Sarkozy in uphill battle over living standards
The French president's main pledge in his election campaign last year was to improve "le pouvoir d'achat", or purchasing power, but French consumer confidence has since hit a 21-year lowEurope's mixed reaction to state funds
Big economies respond differently to the rise of sovereign wealth funds, despite shared suspicions that they make investments for political reasonsLet's hear it for the Transatlantic Economic Council
by Philip WhyteSome institutions get less attention than they deserve. Arguably, one of these is the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC). On May 13th it met for the second time since its launch in 2007. Its existence is still only known to a small group of initiates. Its obscurity is partly a reflection of its youth. But the TEC’s profile is not helped by the perception that its agenda is dull and that transatlantic relations are no longer as important as they used to be. The TEC’s agenda may be unglamorous. But the transatlantic axis remains as important as ever: it is still the world’s pivotal economic relationship. As protectionist sentiment rises on both sides of the Atlantic, the TEC deserves both greater visibility and political support.
Exhibition Madrid: images of anger
The ‘Lest we forget: 34 images’ exhibition, organised by Médecins du Monde, has been in the Spanish capital since 12 May. Both enlightening and necessary, it relaunches the debate on humanitarian crises which fade into the background in the modern world
Thoughts on the "Global Hub"
I've been pondering Foreign Secretary Miliband's notion of the UK seeking to project influence by being a "global hub."The UK has major advantages--stability, infrastructure and trustworthy institutions, that encourage people to do business and to form meaningful interconnections. The UK benefits from hosting these transactions and extends its global reach as a result. There is also a "soft power" possibility--that people return from the UK and are more inclined to pursue reforms.
Will a woman ever run the EU?
Yes, but not Margot Wallstrom
MARGOT WALLSTROM, the European Union commissioner in charge of communications (ie selling the project to the public) has published a cross piece in Le Monde this week, asking why only men are being proposed for the new top jobs of the EU.[Comment] Europe on the cusp of change
[FOCUS] EU in global spotlight for emissions trading scheme
The European Parliament must get more involved in the supervision of the EU's agencies
The European Parliament approved today during its plenary session in Strasbourg, a report on the European training foundation drafted by Bernard Lehideux (MoDem, France). This report calls for closer parliamentary involvement in the control of EU agencies. In this case, the Parliament supports having representatives on the governing board and intends to formalise the hearings of the director of this foundation before Parliamentary committees.