"a pretty trainee with long legs and blonde hair"

can be a spy, warns the European Commission. I googled for an image of "long  legs and blonde hair" just to make this post more attractive but there are many people in the office right now and I could not dare to look at the findings. Have the post without the image, sorry.

European Commission warns staff of ‘pretty blonde spies’

The European Commission says it is being targeted increasingly by spies, who may include a "pretty trainee with long legs and blonde hair".

The EU, UK and civil liberties

By nosemonkey on UK

Via the Convention on Modern Liberty’s Twitter feed and following yesterday’s post on German concerns about the EU being used as a democratic bypass comes news of a worrying development for the freedom of every EU citizen:

EU tries to spread the word on 112

The EU institutions called on national authorities to raise citizens’ awareness of 112, the new EU-wide emergency telephone number, at a conference in the European Parliament today (11 February).

Breaking: Armed robbery inside the European Parliament building

By nosemonkey on EU

A bank inside the European Parliament building in Brussels has been robbed at gunpoint. Yes, *inside* the European Parliament building. The robber in question is still on the run – possibly hiding in the EP itself.

Nothing much from the news media yet, so how do we know? Thanks to this tweet from Tony Robinson, Head of Press and Communications for the European Parliament Socialist Group, who followed up with a photo of the search.

Gun drama at European Parliament in Brussels

Germany, the EU and democracy

By nosemonkey on Lisbon Treaty

The European Union emerged, as we all know, as a response to the Second World War. One of the earliest aims of the founding fathers was to prevent France and Germany from ever going to war again by integrating their economies so closely that to do so would become impossible.

MAIN FOCUS: The new protectionism | 11/02/2009

In MAIN FOCUS

In the face of the persistent financial and economic crisis individual countries are increasingly resorting to protectionist measures. Most recently France announced plans to spend billions on a rescue package for its auto industry. The European press observes this new protectionist trend with concern.

Barroso Overboard? by GILES MERRITT

By GILES MERRITT

BRUSSELS – It is time for José Manuel Barroso to start selling himself. His chances of being reappointed as president of the European Commission depend on the case he makes.