Though a solution to the euro crisis continues to elude European leaders, the foundations of one are not difficult to discern. In fact, Europe’s recent soccer experience – in the EURO 2012 tournament and this year’s World Cup – provides insight into how to revive Europe’s economy and address its deeper identity problem.
MAIN FOCUS: EU imposes strict sanctions on Russia | 30/07/2014
The 28 EU ambassadors on Tuesday agreed on a package of economic sanctions against Moscow. The measures will target key sectors like banking, defence and energy. Finally the EU is reacting appropriately to the aggression against Ukraine, some commentators write approvingly. Others warn of unpredictable reactions in Russia
On religion, EU and UN ‘dialogue’ with civil society is distinguished by egregious bias; far from serving democracy, it serves conservative religious voices and abjectly fails to address the consequences of ideological intransigence.
The world has seen far more handshakes and meetings between Pristina and Belgrade than in the first years after the conflict. Is all this to be put at risk by Clint Williamson‘s part-endorsement of the Marty report?
Anti-Semitism comes back to haunt EuropeBBC News | EuropeNew wave of hostility to Jews alarms European leadersThe Trauma of France’s JewsProject Syndicate by Dominique Moisi /In the aftermath of recent attacks on synagogues in France, British and American media reports made comparisons to the Nazi era
The Russian myth of Europeopen Democracy News Analysis – by Mikhail Shishkin
Can the current Ukraine crisis unite Europe in facing down the threat of war?Europe. The word is a homonym. Homonyms sound the same but have different meanings. How many? I am afraid that no dictionary covers it.For which Europe did Ukrainians turn out on Maidan? Some of the ‘Heavenly Hundred’, sons, husbands and fathers, gave their lives for Europe. Would the civilians of Brussels, Strasbourg or the Hague be prepared to die for the EU? Personally, I doubt it. It is a question of different Europes.
Russia, Germany in diplomatic battle over Ukraine sanctionsEurActiv.comAs fighting intensified in Ukraine on Monday (28 July), a diplomatic battle also raged, with Berlin warning that new European sanctions would send a “strong signal” to Moscow, and Russia saying the measures could only boost its economic independence.