Breivik sentenced to 21 years in prison for Norway attacks
from Hurriyet Daily News
An Oslo court on Friday found Anders Behring Breivik guilty of “acts of terror” and sentenced him to 21 years in prison…
Breivik court verdict: security lessons?
from open Democracy News Analysis – by Robert Lambert
Now that the legal question of Anders Breivik?s sanity has been resolved it should be possible to focus more closely on his political motivation and the security lessons that arise from this case. This should help inform a debate about how best to tackle the growing problem of far right violence in Europe and the US
MAIN FOCUS: Maximum punishment for mass murderer Breivik | 27/08/2012
from euro|topics
A court in Oslo on Friday sentenced the perpetrator of the attacks in Oslo and Utøya, Anders Breivik, to 21 years in prison followed by preventive detention. It declared him as sane and ruled out his being sent to a psychiatric clinic. Commentators see the sentence as a new start for Norway but warn that Breivik’s ideas may still spread across Europe.
Norway?s democratic example
from open Democracy News Analysis – by Cas Mudde
The process and result in the trial of Anders Breivik are a vindication of Norway?s liberal democracy and a lesson for the world, says Cas Mudde.
The verdict of 24 August 2012 in the case of Norway?s most (in)famous citizen, Anders Breivik, has provoked a lot of confusion and rage – mostly outside of the country itself. The defendant killed seventy-seven people on 22 July 2011 in a bombing in Oslo and a shooting on the nearby island of Utoya, by far the deadliest terrorist attack in Norwegian history and one of the largest in European history.
MAIN FOCUS: Samaras campaigns to delay austerity package | 24/08/2012
from euro|topics
Greece’s Prime Minister Antonis Samaras wants to win German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s support for a postponement of the austerity measures planned for his crisis-ridden country during talks today in Berlin. But if at all, Germany would only accept this if stricter controls are applied, commentators say, arguing that the Greeks themselves are to blame for their image as beggars.
Robin Hood? mayor begins march today
from Hurriyet Daily News
A Spanish mayor who became a cult hero for staging robberies at supermarkets and giving stolen groceries.
France: Stories of Everyday Sexism
by Savannah Goyette
[All links in French unless otherwise stated]
After being harassed and insulted by men in the streets of Brussels, Belgian student Sofie Peeters made a hidden-camera film [nl] to denounce the male chauvinism experienced every day by unaccompanied women in the streets.
Minister booed after riots in France
from Hurriyet Daily News
French Interior Minister Manuel Valls was booed in the northern city of Amiens on Aug. 14, when he promised to restore law…
Anti-Semite MP learns he is a Jew
from Hurriyet Daily News
Political career of Hungary?s far-right politician, notorious for his incendiary comments.
Dos and Don?ts for the European Central Bank
from Project Syndicate by Martin Feldstein
Recent statements by European Central Bank President Mario Draghi and Bank Governor Ewald Nowotny have reopened the debate about the desirable limits to the ECB?s policy. The issue is not just the ECB?s legal authority under the Maastricht Treaty, but, more importantly, the appropriateness of alternative measures.
Romanian interior minister resigns amid impeachment row
from Hurriyet Daily News
Romanian Interior Minister Ioan Rus resigned, citing “unacceptable” pressures amid controversy.
France raids Roma, raising fears
from Hurriyet Daily News
French police raids a makeshift Roma camp, evicting 200 people, and set to deport 240 others, as the Socialist government quietly follows the former conservative administration?s policy of repatriating illegal immigrants
Failing Roma, again
from open Democracy News Analysis – by Valeriu Nicolae
Roma need to become respected but also responsible citizens in their own countries. There are solutions. But none of those solutions are immediate or cheap.
August 7 – 9, 2010 ? French authorities started once again dismantling ?illegal? Roma camps. 300 Euros and free plane tickets were offered to any Romanian Roma that wanted to return to Romania.
A complex conflict constellation : distributional conflict in the euro crisis
from open Democracy News Analysis – by Georg Vobruba
Beyond its political and economical ramifications, the euro crisis has had a profound impact on European society. Georg Vobruba examines it from a distributional conflict perspective, and argues that these turbulent times redefine who gets into conflict with whom.
The Spanish dilemma: a blessing in disguise?
from open Democracy News Analysis – by Somdeep Sen
Spain?s crisis is not one of public debt per se. It is of private debt being transformed into a national burden.
People only accept change when they are faced with necessity, and only recognize necessity when crisis is upon them ? Jean Monnet
European Regional Development Funds
from The European Citizen by Eurocentric
The BBC Radio 4 programme, File on 4, had an episode on the European Regional Development Funds recently. I’d recommend it – you can listen to it here. (Since it’s BBC radio it’s accessible outside of the UK, unlike TV programmes on iPlayer).
A few points from the programme:
MAIN FOCUS: Berlin remains firm vis-à-vis Athens | 21/08/2012
from euro|topics
In a meeting with his Greek counterpart Dimitris Avramopoulos on Monday, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle rejected the idea of softening the terms of the reform package for Greece. Some commentators criticise that Berlin’s attitude of refusal will exacerbate social and political tensions in Greece. Others accuse Athens of gambling away all its credibility by violating earlier agreements.
European Regional Development Funds
from The European Citizen by Eurocentric
The BBC Radio 4 programme, File on 4, had an episode on the European Regional Development Funds recently. I’d recommend it – you can listen to it here. (Since it’s BBC radio it’s accessible outside of the UK, unlike TV programmes on iPlayer).
A few points from the programme:
Elections-2012: losing the last signs of democracy in Ukraine
from Blogactiv by Ivan Matiyeshyn
On August 13 the submission of documents to the Central Election Commission for registration of party lists and candidates in majority districts has officially ended in Ukraine. According to the legislation, already on August 20 all participants of the electoral process, who will start their pre-electoral campaign the next day, will become known.
Italy after the summer break: Monti?s last round?
from open Democracy News Analysis – by Pietro Battistella
Intensely scrutinised by other euro zone members, in a context of economic turmoil and growing public discontent, Mario Monti’s government has a lot on its plate for the next months.
Germany faces some tough decisions on the ECB
Open Europe blog team
As the next ECB meeting approaches on 6 September, the debate about potential ECB intervention is heating up. This past weekend was particularly interesting with two key German players weighing in with their views ? even more importantly these views turned out to be increasingly divergent.
European Union Website: Index Newsroom Blogs
from EU Pundit by Andis Kaulins
MAIN FOCUS: Constitutional Court rules in B?sescu’s favour | 22/08/2012
from euro|topics
Romanian President Traian B?sescu is free to stay in office after the Constitutional Court declared thereferendum on his impeachment invalid due to low voter turnout. The referendum had been initiated by the government under Prime Minister Victor Ponta. While some commentators say that there are only losers in the conflict, others see the Court’s decision as a sign that the rule of law still applies in Romania.
The Romanian summer of discontent
from open Democracy News Analysis – by George Frederick Jewsbury
In Romania, a ruling by the Constitutional Court may finally bring an end to the preposterous political soap opera that has held the country’s institutional life hostage for a decade. But Romania’s corrupt past still stands in the way of aspirations for a brighter future.
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