Silvio Berlusconi has said Italy is "in the front lines of an economic battle" Italy's economic battle from BBC News | Europe | World Edition Growing concern over euro member's debt crisis Morning Brief: Debt crisis threatens Italy from FP Passport by Joshua Keating VIDEO: Will Italy's debt crisis worsen? from BBC News | … Read more
A Turkish band, REDD, put the models of imprisoned journalists Ahmet Şık and Nedim Şener on the stage recently. photo source. Strasbourg, 12 July 2011 CommDH(2011)25 Original version REPORT by Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe Following his visit to Turkey, from 27 to 29 April 2011 Freedom of expression … Read more
MAIN FOCUS: EU attacks rating agencies | 07/07/2011 The downgrading of Portugal’s creditworthiness to junk status by the rating agency Moody’s on Wednesday prompted harsh criticism from European governments and the EU Commission. While some commentators accused the agencies of being irresponsible amid the euro crisis, others thought the EU’s reaction was hypocritical. MAIN FOCUS: … Read more
Poland takes over EU presidency from BBC News | Europe | World Edition Poland assumes the six-month rotating presidency of the EU for the first time since it joined the bloc in 2004. Polish PM Donald Tusk: New EU visionary? from Nosemonkey’s EUtopia by nosemonkey European Council: ?Ambition and additional efforts? by Grahnlaw In the … Read more
A protester in front of the Greeck parliament during a rally against the new austerity package. Reuters VIDEO: Greek crisis dominates EU summit from BBC News | Europe | World Edition The threat of a Greek debt default undermining the euro is overshadowing the European Union summit in Brussels. What’s the worst case scenario for … Read more
Grassroots Politics Flourish In Greek Turmoil | The New Significance from Social Network Unionism by OrsanSenalp The #SpanishRevolution discussed at IN3, Barcelona from media/anthropology by John Postill Quick notes in preparation for a discussion that will use an op-ed by Manuel Castells, one blog post by Pedro Silverio Moreno, and two other short pieces, as … Read more
Europride and Gaga in Rome from Boing Boing by Jasmina Te?anovic (Lady Gaga performs during a gay pride concert in downtown Rome. Stefano Rellandini / Reuters) The gay icon Lady Gaga was there wearing her green wig, together with up to one million people marching chanting singing in a carnival gay pride march. Rome is … Read more
It?s not normal that Europeans go looking for serious debate and see MEP?s cucumber from Public Affairs 2.0 by fhbrussels Image courtesy of European Parliament From our bent bananas to nutritious and safe Spanish cucumbers we love our fruit and vegetables here in the Brussels bubble. So much so it seems that our elected representatives … Read more
Five reasons why Europe is cracking up, José Ignacio Torreblanca from open Democracy News Analysis – by José Ignacio Torreblanca In Germany, France and Italy, but also in many other places, we find ourselves confronted with a generation of leaders ever more shortsighted and given over to electioneering: among them, none speak to Europe nor … Read more
EU has reached its ‘lowest point in history’ from EurActiv.com Despite having achieved peace and prosperity, the European project has reached its “lowest point in history,” according to policymakers gathered in Florence to celebrate the 61st anniversary of the Schuman Declaration. Why there is no serious blogging scene in Brussels from Ideas on … Read more
Internet Giants Take France to Court Over Personal Data Policy by Stan Schroeder Moderate secularism: a European conception, Tariq Modood from open Democracy News Analysis – by Tariq Modood The question of religion?s place in modern secular societies is intellectually contested and politically divisive. Here, the scholar Tariq Modood argues that European experience and institutional … Read more
The EU: the real sick man of Europe? from Eurozine articles by Eurozine News Item Democratic deficit, enlargement fatigue and ever more rescue funds. Is there still a future for a common Europe? At the concluding event in the series “Europe talks to Europe”, taking place in Vienna on 13 April, prominent intellectuals and … Read more
A protestor waves a GMB union flag alongside an Egyptian flag from a statue in Trafalgar Square. Photograph: Getty Images. In What really happened in Trafalgar Square Sarkozy faces test as Socialists triumph from FT.com – World, Europe The Socialists secured about 36 per cent of the vote while the National Front fared less … Read more
FT video: Eurozone crisis nears crux from Brussels Blog by FT Portugal?s prime minister has resigned on the eve of an EU summit that is supposed to move towards a ?grand bargain? to bolster the eurozone and strengthen its crisis prevention ability. The currency bloc is in a bind. Lex?s Edward Hadas and Vincent Boland … Read more
The euro pact and Germany: Triumph or a coming bust-up? by Open Europe blog team The Telegraph‘s Ambrose Evans-Pritchard describes the weekend deal at the EU summit as a “total German triumph”. He paraphrases Chancellor Angela Merkel saying that “whoever wants credit must fulfil our conditions”. 2011-03-18 Bulgarian Organized Crime Uncensored from WL Central by … Read more