Eurosphere agenda: “Leaders gather in Warsaw for climate talks…”EU agrees ?135.5bn budget for 2014

Leaders gather in Warsaw for climate talks

Delegates expected to make only modest progress in halting global warming, but could lay the groundwork for comprehensive agreement in two years? time

‘Realism’ to dominate climate talks

Over the next fortnight, negotiators from all over the world are meeting in Warsaw in the hope of advancing discussion on a new global climate deal.

14 Inspiring 1-Minute Films About the Environment

TVE (Television for the Environment) presents the videos of 14 finalists in its global environmental film competition.

Participants from around the world have produced 1-minute long movies on topics related to climate change, sustainable development and biodiversity.

German parties seek votes on EU issues

Merkel?s dominant CDU opposes the policy, put forward by conservatives and centre-left, for the right to hold referendums

EU agrees ?135.5bn budget for 2014

Plans to cut Brussels? spending by 6% leave some countries still convinced the budget reduction is insufficient in the continuing economic climate

Historic EU budget cut one step closer, but still plenty of scope to reform how it is spent

Following a reported 16 hour marathon negotiation, representatives from member states, the European Commission and the European Parliament struck a deal on the 2014 annual budget in the early hours of this morning.

The EU’s ‘yellow card’ comes of age: Subsidiarity unbound?

EU law-making is undergoing a profound change in an oddly-shaped annex to the European Parliament building in Brussels. Here, officials working on behalf of 28 national parliaments are helping their members flag up draft EU laws that may fail to respect ?subsidiarity?. That is the idea that the Union should act only when strictly necessary, and that the national governments should act where possible. The 2009 Lisbon treaty gave national parliaments the right to police subsidiarity through the creation of a so-called ‘yellow card’ system. This allows a third or more of them, acting together, to vet and temporarily block draft laws proposed by the European Commission. (For legislation in the sensitive area of justice and home affairs, the threshold is only a quarter.)

Spanish students force their Government to revert ERASMUS cuts

An earthquake shook during last week the Spanish society, when the ministry of Education published in the Spanish official Bulletin (BOE) the ministerial decision of cutting back the national support to the ERASMUS students from the current year on, except on the cases they had received a ministerial grant on the previous year.

Debating the European Elections of 2014

It is to my great surprise that until now there is nothing to discuss on the forthcoming European Elections on May. Probably it is early to deal with, but the only information we have concerns the possible candidacies for the head of the European Commission. I firmly believe that the debate over the issues of our European concern should be launched, both in national and European level. These issues are plenty, and it is evident that the European citizens lack considerable information when it comes to the European Union and the proposed solutions to pending problems.

Post-election Prague: a new Czech EU policy?

France: A troubled Republic

Conservative culture and the far right in Poland

France?s unfinished business in Mali

Terrorism, extremism, and independence were, and remain, marginal nuisances nibbling on the Malian political and security scenes.

The European Green Primaries Open

The primaries of the European Greens opened yesterday, and anyone in the EU over 16 and who supports Green values can register and vote in them. The primaries will be open until January 28th.

EU and US resume trade deal talks

The EU and US have started a second round of negotiations towards creating the world’s biggest free-trade deal.

MAIN FOCUS: Still no solution to nuclear dispute with Iran | 11/11/2013

The nuclear talks in Geneva between Iran and the five UN veto powers as well as Germany were postponed on Sunday. The three days of negotiations failed to produce the hoped-for agreement on a temporary freeze to Iran’s nuclear programme. Some commentators blame France and its attempts to pose as the new global policeman for the breakdown in negotiations. Others say the onus to act is now on Iran.

Who are the ?illegals??

The UK Immigration Bill has no clear targets: it gives ordinary individuals the power to decide. Will we use an accurate legal definition, or act on what we read in the papers and hear from the Home Secretary herself? Asks Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi

Business leaders and entrepreneurs across Northern Europe add weight to EU reform agenda

When a group of business people who, amongst them, have helped to lead companies that employ around one million people, say something, it’s a good idea to listen.

In an unprecedented joint initiative, leading business men and women from across Northern Europe used a letter to the Sunday Times and op-ed articles published in today’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Dagens Industri to call on EU leaders to grasp the nettle and embrace reform.