Eurosphere agenda: Volkswagen scandal… “Refugees in Edirne and İstanbul Bus Terminals…

The US Justice Department is investigating German carmaker Volkswagen, according to news reports. The company admitted on the weekend that it had manipulated emissions tests for diesel vehicles in the US. Germany’s much touted reliability has been exposed as a myth, some journalists comment. Others say consumers are also to blame for the shoddy work in the automotive industry.

VIDEO: VW boss: ‘We have totally screwed up’

The President and CEO of Volkswagen’s US group admits that the company “totally screwed up” in using software to rig emissions tests.
VIDEO: German anger at migrant numbers

A growing number of Germans are expressing their opposition to the record number of asylum seekers being accepted by Germany.

Refugees protest in Turkey, appealing for passage into Greece – video

Hundreds of refugees hold a protest in the Turkish city of Edirne on Wednesday night. Chanting and holding banners in English, the group is calling to be allowed to cross the border into Greece.

Syrian refugees spend the night in bus terminals and at the waysides. The police don’t allow refugees carrying bags to enter the mosque in İstanbul Bus Terminal.

Syrian Refugees: All You Need to Know

The world can only absorb so many millions of refugees. The civil war in Syria demands a political solution facilitated by international leadership that will bring stability and enable refugees to return to home.

Other countries have followed Germany’s example and re-introduced border controls in recent days. Some politicians are calling for sanctions in the dispute over refugee quotas. As the EU displays its lack of consensus on the refugee issue some commentators draw attention to the Union’s foreign policy and point out that it failed years ago.

Turkey threatens to oust refugees camped near Greek border

Authorities warn hundreds of people trying to reach Europe by land they will be forcibly removed in three days if they refuse to leave

Between 2,000 and 3,500 migrants now reach the Greek island daily, riding on about 100 inflatable rafts.

Migrants tear-gassed by Hungary police

Hungarian riot police fire tear gas and water cannon to force back migrants, some of whom were throwing missiles, at the now closed Serbia-Hungary border.

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HORGOS, Serbia — Hungarian police used tear gas and water cannons on hundreds of migrants who broke through a razor wire fence on the border with Serbia on Wednesday, while migrants prevented from moving through Hungary increasingly began taking a longer route into Western Europe through Croatia.

 

MAIN FOCUS: Still no refugee quotas | 15/09/2015

The EU interior ministers failed again on Monday to reach an agreement on the Commission’s proposal for refugee quotas and postponed the decision on how a total of 160,000 refugees should be redistributed throughout the EU. Some commentators complain that the photo of little Aylan has done nothing to change the stance of individual states. Others hope that the heads of state and government will set aside their differences.

VIDEO: Viktor Orban – Europe’s gatekeeper?

Who is Viktor Orban, the man determined to stop the flow of migrants through Hungary?

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My latest post on the refugee crisis in Europe.

Jeremy Corbyn and women: a matter of policy not appointment

Media responses have pointed to the lack of women in the new shadow cabinet, but the policy response to austerity will have more impact on women’s lives in the UK.

Jeremy Corbyn at the Refugees Welcome rally after winning the Labour leadership race. Credit: The Weekly Bull/Flickr.

Eviction and housing racism in Bucharest

A community has been living on the streets for one year in protest against a racist and dysfunctional Romanian state that does not care about them or the thousands of others in their situation.

People shortly after the eviction. Photo used with author’s permission. Click to enlarge.

Will Hungary’s clampdown on migrants work?

Will Hungary’s clampdown stem migrant tide?

Ukraine and the postcolonial condition

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What does the debate over Ukraine’s postcolonial status reveal about the future of the country’s domestic and international politics? на русском языке

VIDEO: Migrants enter Hungary at new crossing

A new border crossing has opened between Serbia and Hungary for migrants wanting to cross into Hungary.

The European Commission fears that Germany’s new electricity market reforms will breach EU guidelines by giving environmentally-harmful brown coal power plants special treatment. EurActiv Germany reports.

Looking through the fence: Hungary’s refugee psyche

The Hungarian reaction to the refugee crisis has caused a media storm. But before we join in the castigation, let’s try and understand the reasons behind Hungary’s actions.

EU ministers on Friday (18 September) agreed upon the bloc’s negotiating mandate for the upcoming COP21 talks, including a 40% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 over 1990 levels, overcoming resistance from eastern member states.

Jeremy Corbyn’s rise to the Labour leadership heralds an era of ideological contest that threatens Britain’s membership of the EU – and the United Kingdom itself.

Hungary’s interior minister, Sandor Pinter, arrives at the migration council Monday afternoon

Diplomacy and development are the foundations of the EU’s influence in the world. But they can only be effective if we truly understand the cultural and political landscapes of the countries we are trying to influence, writes Hans Gustaf Wessberg.

As the run up to the Catalan elections gets under way, Spain and Europe are starting to consider what impact independence for Catalonia would have.EurActiv Spain reports.


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