

The ‘Greek story’ simply diverts attention from the real task ahead which is the correction of the serious ‘design faults’ of the monetary union in Europe.
In Monastiraki Square, actors in a mock Euro match between Germany and Greece. Reporter#36588/Demotix. All rights reserved.Events in Greece sparked off the eurozone crisis in 2009 and continued to have a dominant influence on the course of the crisis ever since.

Nearly three years since entering parliament after rousing rallies and food handouts,Greece‘s far-right Golden Dawn is running a much quieter campaign for Sunday’s election (25 January) from a high-security prison.

Perhaps it is not the Muslim communities of France that must change, so much as the notion of laïcité.
The Grand Mosque, Paris, France. Ramadan, 2010. Tom Craig/Demotix. All rights reserved.Laïcité is a concept that enjoys acceptance by all factions of the French political sphere; it is considered a cornerstone of the Republic. Loosely interpreted, this concept concerns the secular nature of the state and the elimination of public religious expression to preserve ‘French identity’.

Western fighters in Syria and Iraq have found some of their most willing recruits in tiny Belgium, a chilling trend highlighted by the killing of suspected terrorists by police on Thursday (15 January) and which likely has its roots in the despair many feel at home.


For years, policymakers have been wondering whether the exit of a small, fiscally weak country like Greece could undermine the euro. Now, policymakers will have to deal with even bigger risks, stemming from the exit of a small, fiscally strong country that is not even a member of the European Union.

The Swiss National Bank abandoned its policy of capping the Swiss franc against the euro in a surprise move on Thursday. In reaction the Swiss share index dipped by 14 percent intermittently, while the euro dropped to its lowest exchange rate in eleven years. Switzerland’s carefree decades have come to an abrupt end, some commentators observe. Others see the decision as completely understandable in view of the dramatic problems in the Eurozone.

There are more questions than answers to the Crimean ‘question’.
Gay kiss ban sparks Austria protest



EU member states have reacted in different ways to the security threat highlighted by the Paris terrorist attacks, pointing to how difficult it would be to put in place a common European response to the challenge. The EurActiv network reports.


France and Germany are both outspoken in their criticisms of the inclusion of the Investor State Dispute Settlement mechanism in the ongoing trade talks with the US. The two countries are discussing throwing their combined weight behind a common position onthe matter. EurActiv France reports.
Report: Health in the EU improves, but remarkable inequalities remain

EU member states have achieved significant gains in population health over the past decades, but large inequalities remain both inside and across countries, a new report concludes.
The report, Health at a Glance: Europe 2014, compares health data in Europe, including risk factors to health and access to high-quality care across the EU, with the selection of European Core Health Indicators (ECHI), developed by the European Commission.
MAIN FOCUS: Police ban Pegida rally in Dresden | 19/01/2015

The police department in the German city of Dresden has banned all public gatherings in the city for today, Monday, owing to suspicions of a plan to attack a demonstration by the anti-Islam alliance Pegida. In a prior move Pegida had itself called off its march for security reasons. Now the movement’s supporters will be able to cast themselves as martyrs, commentators fear, and call for a halt to the spiral of fanaticism among Islamists and anti-Islamists alike.
Beware Davos predictions, recent experience suggests
As the world’s business and political elite ascends the Swiss Alps for an annual bout of crystal-ball gazing this week, history suggests the Davos pundits are likely to get plenty of things wrong.
More than 1,500 business leaders and 40 heads of state or government will attend the 21-24 January meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) to network and discuss big themes, from the price of oil to the future of the Internet.
Uber promises 50,000 jobs in Europe
The chief executive of controversial online taxi-sharing firm Uber says he wants to make 2015 a year of rapid expansion in Europe.
Piotr M. Kaczyński: The attack on Charlie Hebdo was an attack on Europe
With the exception of Martin Schulz, European leaders missed their opportunity to be heard by citizens following the Paris attacks, Piotr M. Kaczyński told EurActiv Czech Republic in an exclusive interview.
Belgium: A free speech and religion debate
After police ‘anti-terror’ raids, Belgians struggle to overcome ‘misunderstandings’ on religion and speech freedoms.
Confusion in Frankfurt or Athens
European Central Bank statement last October in reaction to a New York Timesarticle about Emergency Liquidity Assistance management in Cyprus –
The ECB neither provides nor approves emergency liquidity assistance. It is the national central bank, in this case the Central Bank of Cyprus, that provides ELA to an institution that it judges to be solvent at its own risks and under its own terms and conditions. The ECB can object on monetary policy grounds; in order to do so at least two thirds of the Governing Council must see the provision of emergency liquidity as interfering with the tasks and objectives of euro area monetary policy.
Reuters story today based on Bank of Greece source –
Leader debates: Cameron’s calculations
The broadcasters can’t “empty chair” the Prime Minister – he may well get what he wants.
Many in the Conservative leadership believe that David Cameron made a serious mistake in agreeing to three election debates between the three main party leaders in 2010.
VIDEO: Arrests as Europe tightens security
Greek police arrest four terror suspects as security precautions are stepped up across Europe.
Second Paris gunman buried in secret
Cherif Kouachi, the second gunman who attacked French magazine Charlie Hebdo, is buried amid tight security in an unmarked grave in a Paris suburb.
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