"Social Europe Interview with EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn
Social Europe Interview with EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn
In the last years, the number of EU member states has almost doubled from 15 to 27 members. This major extension has obviously had economic, political and cultural consequences. How do you think this enlargement was absorbed by the Union? And were there any political consequences?Gazprom Hardens Its Grip on Europe
Marek Swierczynski: Greece and Russia signed an agreement to build the southern branch of the South Stream natural gas pipeline. President Putin’s last victory hardens Gazprom’s grip on Europe and makes any energy diversification projects more difficult. Unless the EU looks at the map and acts.Extremist violence rocks Hamburg
Street battles lasting several hours grip the German city of Hamburg - said to be the worst riots there for years.Europe's CAP the 'answer' to food crisis
Africa and Latin America should adopt their own versions of the Common Agricultural Policy as a response to the rising demand for food, according to France's farm ministerA profitable Union: enlarged Europe finds new ways to work
Far from rendering the EU unmanageable as many feared, the 'Big Bang' expansion of four years ago has even helped to streamline decision-making – though not to everyone's likingLabour suffers big UK election losses
Gordon Brown admits to "bad and disappointing" results, as Labour has its worst election showing in decades.Solving Europe's population crisis
France and Spain have two very different answers to the problem of Europe's shrinking birth-rate, reports the BBC's Paul Henley.How Europe can shape the global system
We need to focus on the issues where the bloc can make a difference, rather than thinking in terms of a superstate, writes Zaki LaïdiEU to create new diplomatic service
The EU is set to acquire a so-called External Action Service uniting officials in Brussels with diplomats from national foreign ministriesMap: EU growth will slow down in 2008
The EU’s economy will grow slower than expected, falling from 2.7% in 2007 to 2.0% in 2008. Things will worsen in 2009. Take a look at your countries’ growth ratesCrisis looms over Kosovo plan
Uncertainty surrounds the involvement of the EU and the UN in Kosovo after independence on 15 June.Payment Services Directive: The end of the cash era?
From November 2009 new EU rules will allow alternative providers such as mobile phone operators to deliver new payment services alongside banks and credit card firms, paving the way for a more efficient non-cash economy. However, details of the actual implementation of the rules in member states remain unclear.'Moment of truth' approaching for lobbying transparency
The European Parliament is widely expected to approve a landmark report on lobbying during its Brussels plenary session next week (8 May), representing a key moment in the drive to improve the transparency of the EU institutions and the estimated 15,000 lobbyists who seek to influence them.EU Presidency upset over Lithuanian veto of EU-Russia accord
The Slovenian government, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, has heavily criticised Lithuania for not withdrawing its objections to initiating talks on a new partnership pact between the EU and Russia.Privacy chief: EU research must consider data protection
The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) wants EU research projects to take account of privacy and data protection requirements from early on, in particular when developing information and communication technologies.DOSSIER: Russia mounts pressure on Georgia | 02/05/2008
The conflict between Georgia and Russia over the secessionist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and Georgia's wish to join NATO has been smouldering for a long time. On Thursday Russia strengthened its troops in Abkhazia. What consequences will this demonstration of power have for the region?
Spain and Italy: More alike than we think?
By Dexter Thillien
Over the past two months, Spaniards and Italians voted in, it may seem, very different governments. On the one hand, a progressive government, mostly made up of women ministers and headed by a young leader, won the election while on the other hand, an older conservative politician got elected to his third victory in the past 15 years. I am not going to deny there are genuine differences between Zapatero and Berlusconi but I believe both polls showed similarities between the situations of the two countries.
DOSSIER: An association agreement with a proviso | 30/04/2008
The EU and Serbia have signed a stabilisation and association agreement. However it will only take effect if Serbia cooperates with the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. The EU hopes this will serve to bolster the pro-European forces in Serbia's parliamentary elections on May 11.
A deal for Serbia
The EU must stay the course, despite pressures to go slow on enlargement. Leaving the Balkans out of the union would leave a dangerous hole in the heart of EuropeSignature of SAA with Serbia opens door to Europe
Commenting on today's signing of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the EU and Serbia, Jelko Kacin MEP (LDS, Slovenia) and EP rapporteur on Serbia welcomed the EU's flexible approach towards the challenges of stabilising the countries of the Western Balkans.Rethinking European Defense Policy
Daniel Rackowski: With Sarkozy contemplating bringing France back into the NATO fold, the need for a strong European defense force is at the forefront, writes Daniel Rackowski for ISN Security Watch.Swedes start to question their welcome for refugees
Nader will not give his real name but he does not hide why he chose Sweden as a refuge after Islamic gunmen threatened to murder him unless he fled Mosul in northern...Britain’s best commuter train: Eurostar
It goes at 300km/h, has 18 air conditioned carriages, runs on its own dedicated tracks, no-one ever has to stand up, it doesn’t smell, and it arrives at the fabulous St Pancras International station. It’s Eurostar - Britain’s best commuter train.
'Old' Europe dropping opposition to new EU workers
Access to documents is a test of EU commitment to transparency
The European Commission today is due to outline proposals for updating Regulation 1049/2001 on public access to documents held by the EU Institutions following recommendations from Parliament and a ruling by the European Court of Justice that criticised Member States' objections to disclosure. Currently a Member State can veto the disclosure of any document held by the Commission which it considers sensitive. The proposals would also aim to relax existing rules on the details of names of office holders and interest groups mentioned in documents but double the time available for responding to appeals against refusal.
