Katinka Barysch of Centre for European Reform explains why EU enlargement is in trouble and there is more from the EU in the roundup…
EU Foreign Policy
Czech president shakes up the EU Parliament…
It is now certain that the Czechs encolor the otherwise boring EU politics. His recent speech in the EU Parliament was sensational as the roundup shows.. In the roundup there is more about the EU- as usual…
"Populists defeated in Swiss EU labour poll
While populists are defeated in Swis EU poll, German judges study Lisbon Treaty. And there is more from Europe… A roundup…
Populists defeated in Swiss EU labour poll
With most mainstream political parties and the economic establishment pushing for a ‘yes’ vote, anti-immigration populists suffered a defeat yesterday (8 February) in a referendum to open up the country’s labour market to Bulgarian and Romanian workers.
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) commissioned OgilvyOne to develop a website campaign to encourage people across the EU to take action to reduce their environmental impact. The site is called the changers.found in The Changers
"Europe?s hierarchy of aliens
Europe’s hierarchy of aliens
A few days ago Jovan wrote about Gabriele Marranci’s blog. When I was in Singapore I had a chat with Gabriele about xenophobia in Italy, and to my surprise he told me that the main xenophobic party, Lega Nord, which is part of the current government, has recently upgraded Chinese immigrants to being as dangerous as Muslims. I had thought that in the last few years Muslims have become the unchallenged embodiment of the dangerous Other. This does have its flip side, though. At a conference today in Amsterdam I heard a paper by Gargi Bhattacharya denouncing Britain’s criminalization of forced marriage as a step to stigmatize Muslims/South Asians further. But, commenting on her paper, anthropologist Jacob Rigi reminded us that “slavery” (combatting which was one of the rationales for the legislation) really does exist; just look at all those trafficked Chinese. In other words, even those in the academia who are sensitive towards “security talk” about Muslims may not be so critical when the same type of rhetoric crops up with regard to other migrants.
A huge round up follows:
"Interview: EU political dimension 'painfully lacking'
European gas supplies disrupted
Several EU countries report major disruption to their gas supplies from Russia as Moscow accuses Ukraine of shutting pipelines.
"Anti-Bologna movement spreads in Spain…
Anti-Bologna movement spreads in Spain
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – Opposition to the Bologna Process, an EU-inspired series of university and college reforms, has expanded substantially across Spain in recent weeks, as students protest, occupy school buildings and even block rail lines.
In the last week, demonstrations and occupations have in particular stepped up in Madrid with sit-ins taking over faculties or otherwise protesting at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), the rectorate of the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) and University of Alcalá de Henares northeast of the capital. Actions have also taken place in Valencia, Seville and further afield. In Barcelona, students blocked railway lines. The Bologna Process has also provoked significant student opposition in Italy, Finland and Croatia.
The charming city of Leyden in the Netherlands (’Leiden’ in Dutch, pop. 120,000) could without much hyperbole be called the Dutch Oxford. The town boasts the country’s oldest university and is home to museums, libraries, botanical gardens and other institutions connected to its position as the country’s prime centre of learning. Leyden is also home to Oudt Leyden, Europe’s (and possibly the world’s) oldest pancake house. VIA