Germany’s Greens divided over coalition with Merkel
Germany’s Greens divided over coalition with Merkel
Why a coaliion with Angela Merkel shouldn’t worry Germany’s left | Henning Meyer
The chancellor’s tactics leave little to choose between the parties; a grand coalition is likely, and may help the SPD
The main conclusion of the German TV debate between the German chancellor Angela Merkel and her social democratic challenger Peer Steinbrück on Sunday night is that another grand coalition is the likely outcome ? and that this could also be beneficial for the SPD. Let me explain.
Is it politicians or the press creating anti-immigrant sentiment in Britain?
It is the main parties that are responsible for the public?s increasingly hardening attitude, not the Daily Mail and UKIP.
Russia threatens Moldova over its EU relations
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has warned Moldova that signing an Association Agreement with the European Union would have ?serious consequences? for the country?s future, echoing similar threats levelled at Ukraine.
In an interview for Rossiya-24, published ahead of his visit to the Moldovan capital Chi?in?u yesterday (2 September), Rogozin said that such a move would jeopardise the future of Transnistria, a breakaway territory unrecognised by the international community located on the border between Moldova and Ukraine.
Bilateral links in the Channel/Manche area
Since the late 1980s local and regional authorities in southern England and northern France have co-operated on a bilateral basis. These links differed from the traditional post-war twinning links between cities, towns and other smaller communities. Rather than a narrow focus on civic or cultural exchange each council entered into a co-operation agreement or accord, agreeing to work together in certain areas of policy, share information and working practices or deliver joint projects. As a result they usually involve the ?higher? levels of local government.
The government’s new gagging law is a serious attack on Britain’s civil society
While doing virtually nothing to fix the real problems of money in politics, the government is trying to introduce a new law that will shut down vast swathes of political commentary and scrutiny for a whole year before general elections.
MAIN FOCUS: Final spurt in Germany’s election campaign | 03/09/2013
In a TV debate broadcast live on Sunday and watched by more than 17 million viewers, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her opponent Peer Steinbrück tried to woo voters. Thanks to her reputation as manager of the euro crisis Merkel is in the lead in the run-up to the elections, some commentators say. Others criticise that the chancellor sees herself as infallible and is ignoring the true complexity of politics.
Europe threatened by greater water risks: OECD report
In Europe, the outlook for water-related disasters over the coming decades is bleak due to stress on water systems, increased demand and pollution, says a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The report coincides with World Water Week, a yearly event by the Stockholm International Water Institute to highlight the global challenges linked to water.
NATO chief calls for closer European cooperation on defence
Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called on European countries to step up cooperation on defence yesterday (2 September), arguing in favour of moves towards a borderless EU defence market and intensified integration on military matters.
The Nato chief will join EU defense ministers for an informal meeting in Lithuania this week (5-6 September) where defense cooperation will feature high on the agenda.
How to kill off successful environmental schemes in Europe?s agriculture policy
As Brussels returns from its summer break there is one piece of unfinished business before the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) political saga for 2014-2020 can be put to rest. Negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council will lock horns in trilogue on two different ways to use the funds, one of which is more green than the other, writes Tony Long.
Tony Long is director of the European Policy Office at WWF, the global conservation organisation.
The negotiators will choose whether to allow the funds to pass through the direct payments system, which environmental NGOs regard as far from green, and the Rural Development Fund which improves the long term viability of the farming sector and directly supports environmental projects in the countryside.
The Influence of Francophone Africa on the French Language
The news site Afrik.com features an article on the way in which African slang has influenced the French language [fr], and informs us that Verlan is no longer a preferred language of rappers :
Structural Cohesion Funds for energy efficiency in buildings 2007-2013: An overview
In light of the current economic situation, one way the public sector can invest in building energy efficiency is by using European Structural and Cohesion Funds, financial tools set up to implement the regional policies of the European Union (also known as Cohesion Policy).
EU unveils shadow banking plan
Proposal aims to bolster defences of money market funds, but is being met with resistance in the industry
European Convention on Human Rights – 60 years old today
Despite government rhetoric, human rights are a thoroughly British affair.
Today marks 60 years since the European Convention on Human Rights came into force. The UK government?s relationship with the Convention and its Court in Strasbourg has always been fraught ? now so more than ever before. There is a certain irony to this, since Britain was a founding member of the post-WWII body responsible for the Convention, the Council of Europe, and was the first state to ratify the Convention in 1951. Indeed many of the rights in the Convention are indebted to English common law. There are 47 state signatories to the Convention, affording rights protection to more than 800 million people.
Goldman Sachs exec warns European banks will quit London if UK leaves EU
European banks would leave London “in very short order” if Britain voted to exit the European Union, a senior Goldman Sachs executive said in a newspaper interview published yesterday (2 September).
Michael Sherwood, a vice-chairman at the bank, said the prospect of a British withdrawal was a real worry given Prime Minister David Cameron‘s plans to hold a referendum on the subject if re-elected in 2015.
Discover more from Erkan's Field Diary
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.