Supporters and foes gathered in Strasbourg on Sunday (4 October) on the occasion of a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has apparently turned his European tour into part of his election campaign.
Those who wish Europe well will be hoping that Merkel can emulate Kohl’s leadership, and that Hollande can cut a more commanding figure than the wily Mitterrand, writes Andrew Duff.
The existing European approach to migration does not match reality or recognise the evolving complexity of human mobility. In our People Flow pamphlet of 2003, openDemocracy and Demos proposed a model that does.
The Portuguese general election will take place on Sunday 4 October. It may well deliver an inconclusive outcome, with neither the centre-right governing coalition nor the Socialist Party securing an absolute majority in the Portuguese parliament. A primer by our policy analyst Vincenzo Scarpetta.
All you need to know about the Portuguese election
According to François Decoster, it’s time for European citizens to demand from their national leaders a clear answer to a fundamental question: “Who governs?”
In a recent report on Germany, Nils Muižnieks, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, criticises the fact that democratic control of the intelligence services is practically impossible and that mass surveillance can be carried out virtually unchecked.
Pedros Passos Coelho, leader of the PAF (PSD/CDS) coalition and António Costa, leader of the opposition (PS). Sapo Photos: all rights reserved.
“Facing an increasingly self-centered centre, we stand for citizens who are open to the world and to the present time, capable of organizing and cooperating according to their abilities and aspirations.”
Colmenas» de la M-30 (Madrid, 1953). Flickr/Alvaro Ibáñez. Some rights reserved.
Regling, right, with European Central Bank president Mario Draghi at a press conference
Fear of the unknown and threats of retaliation have replaced prosperity as the force maintaining cohesion in Europe. This will progressively weaken Europe’s balance of power, writes Andrea Bosoni.
Unlike Scotland, Catalonia has not been given the chance to have a definitive say on its independence. Does this further the cause for secessionists?
Artur Mas, Carme Forcadell and Oriol Junqueras during the Catalan plebiscitary election day celebrations in Barcelona. Joan Cros/Demotix. All rights reserved.Democracy, and by that I mean the modern, Western understanding of it, is a near-sacred concept. The right for people to freely and fairly elect their leaders – and for their leaders to therefore possess a legitimate mandate for governance – is seen as inalienable in the Western world.
Disagreement is growing over the plan to introduce transit zones for asylum seekers on the German border. Federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizière has been criticised for breaking agreements.
Russian fighter jets attacked targets in Syria on Wednesday. The Defence Ministry in Moscow has said the attacks were aimed at IS positions. According to US government sources they targeted areas controlled by moderate rebels. Moscow’s military intervention is an admission of failure by the West, some commentators write. Others believe that Washington will benefit from the mission.
Plenty of literature coming out on the UK-EU relationship. Here I’ll quickly list four reports.
In January of this year the Czech EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy published a policy brief on what the EU can do to contain the risk of Brexit: http://www.europeum.org/en/eu-politics-and-institutions/107-analyses-articles-comments/2306-jan-vaska-what-can-the-eu-do-to-contain-the-risk-of-the-brexit
European carmakers have lobbied behind the scenes in Brussels for a one-year delay to the introduction of planned EU limits on nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, despite
On a blustery afternoon, three German tourists emerge from the Brussels metro, seeking the very heart of Europe in all its grandeur.
In this guest editorial Maurizio Albahari considers the refugee crisis, Europe’s worst since WWII. Does this crisis represent a critical turning point?
A guest contribution by Moses Onyango and Jean-Marc Trouille.
It will take time to organise elections in Ukraine that respect international standards and as a result, the so-called Minsk peace process will run into next year, French President François Hollande said yesterday (2 October).
Spain cannot continue ignoring the democratic, peaceful and repeated demands of Catalans for a referendum; continued obstinacy will ensure the rupture.
Catalan independence rally on Catalan National Day. Roger De Marfa/Demotix. All rights reserved.The vote count in the Catalan regional election is not yet finalized, but initial estimates give the pro-independence parties an electoral plurality that translates into a substantial parliamentary majority. This is at best a mixed result for Artur Mas and Oriol Junqueras, who were much criticized for the begrudging manner in which the separatist coalition came together earlier in the year and who failed to recapture the sum of votes given to their parties separately in 2012. However, it remains a heavy blow for Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, whose consistent mishandling of Catalan affairs have acted as a spur to Spain’s prickliest region. His government was responsible for numerous wholly avoidable gaffes that undermined the pro-union position just days before the election and undoubtedly contributed to the record turnout of 77 percent of the electorate. As of 11:15 p.m., with 96 percent of the ballots counted, the election stands as follows:
The political situation in Catalonia will be extremely tense in the weeks ahead, following Sunday’s victory (27 September) by separatists Junt pel Sì. EurActiv Spain reports.
The revelation of Volkswagen’s deception has left consumers, politicians, national authorities, and environmental organisations reeling. Trust in big business and industry has taken a nosedive, but it is not the first time a big company has deceived consumers and authorities, and it is unlikely to be the last scandal. Given the lobbying power of car manufacturers in both the EU and USA one should not be surprised that companies cheat to avoid complying with legislation, what might be surprising is that Volkswagen spends money on developing a software system aimed at deceiving instead of actually developing technologies to reduce emissions. The reactions have been one of condemnation and discussions about how to prevent this in the future is slowing emerging.
Refugee crisis: EU ministers to discuss binding quotas – as it happened
- Central European states resisting refugee quotas
- Ban Ki-moon urges European leaders to show compassion
- Hungarian army given power to block migrants
- Read the latest summary
Even though Slovenia is “no longer under Communism” critical journalism in that country is still under siege and often subjugated to political power.
Radio Televizija Slovenija log. Wikipedia/free to use and share.Recent decisions taken by some of the most influential public mediao organisations in Slovenia regarding the employment and dismissal of journalists have ignited debate within the country. The issues of needing to secure objective communication, pluralism, quality of information and also better working conditions for those working in the media have been raised.
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