This was not the first time Erdoğan’s bodyguards got involved in a brawl in US. However, this seems to be the wildest one. The only rational explanation is that intended audiences are back in Turkey. Turkish authorities have long lost caring about what Western audiences will think about. They know they will somehow evade consequences but we, … Read more
Debate: EU at 60: celebrations in turbulent times euro|topics On March 25, 1957, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands signed the Treaties of Rome – effectively the birth certificate of the European Union. Sixty years on the leaders of 27 EU states will once again convene in Rome and address the question of where … Read more
EU leaders embrace multi-speed Europe amid tensions BBC News | Europe | World Edition The EU needs flexibility as well as unity, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain say. The Dutch-Moroccans at the centre of an election campaign BBC News | Europe | World Edition When Dutch populist leader Geert Wilders accused young Moroccans of … Read more
Debate: Should Germany ban AKP election campaign? euro|topics The city of Gaggenau in south-west Germany has cancelled an event at which the Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ was to appear, stressing that this was not a political decision against the campaign for Turkish constitutional reform but a decision based on security concerns. President Erdoğan plans to … Read more
Romania leaders under growing pressure amid protests BBC News | Europe | World Edition A new decree to free officials jailed for corruption has sparked outrage across Romania. Romania protests continue against government ‘thieves’ Aljazeera.com–3 hours ago “I do not want to divide Romania,” a pale and tired-looking Grindeanu said in a televised address, sparking … Read more
Martin Schulz’s rapid rise from Brussels man to chancellor candidate EurActiv.com by Albrecht Meier Martin Schulz is known in Germany mainly as a European politician and an ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel. But later this year they will face off in the country’s leadership race. Trump will be a gift to Europe’s lost unity EurActiv.com by … Read more
Romania readies itself for first female and first Muslim prime minister EurActiv.com by Samuel Morgan Romania could appoint its first female and first Muslim prime minister after the Social Democratic Party (PSD) put its support behind Sevil Shhaideh, in a shock move following the Eastern European country’s 11 December elections. EurActiv Romania reports. Debate: A Muslim … Read more
Martin Schulz to run in German election, leaving EU parliament BBC News | Europe | World Edition The head of the European Parliament is to return to German national politics next year. The Brief: Schulz gives up European Parliament to return to politics EurActiv.com by James Crisp Martin Schulz is giving up the European Parliament to return … Read more
European Brides in the Islamic State SAPIENS by Martijn de Koning, Aysha Navest, and Annelies Moors What factors are motivating Dutch women to relocate to Islamic State strongholds at all costs? Three anthropologists set out to find the untold stories behind their emigration. Michelle Jones/SAPIENS Obama and Merkel BBC News | Europe | World Edition A look … Read more
Soft or hard Brexit: do the UK’s political parties know what they want? open Democracy News Analysis – by Kirsty Hughes On the single market, Labour, the Tories, and UKIP, appear to agree: good access to the single market not membership of it – in disagreement with the SNP, LibDems and Greens. Scottish Independence activists take … Read more
Once asylum beneficiaries in 1956, Hungarians now reject migrants EurActiv.com Sixty years ago, Soviet tanks crushed an anti-communist uprising in Budapest, sending 200,000 Hungarians – men women and children – fleeing across the border into Austrian refugee camps, then onwards into a welcoming Western world. A Progressive Political Alliance for Europe Project Syndicate by Kemal Derviş If … Read more
EU accepts Bosnia and Herzegovina’s membership application EurActiv.com by Georgi Gotev The European Union’s 28 member states yesterday (20 September) accepted Bosnia and Herzegovina’s membership application and ordered the Commission to prepare an assessment of the Balkan country’s readiness to join the bloc. Fancy Bears hackers: What we have learnt from the leaks BBC News | Europe … Read more
International organisations condemn crackdown on freedom of expression in Turkey A delegation of international civil society organisations visited Istanbul to demonstrate solidarity with writers, journalists and media outlets in Turkey. The failed coup of 15 July, in which at least 265 people were killed, has traumatised the Turkish population and the government must bring those responsible … Read more
Merkel faces home truths Brussels Blog by Alex Barker To receive the Brussels Briefing in your inbox every morning, sign up here. It is Angela Merkel’s home state. There aren’t even many refugees there (23,000 in 2015 to be precise). But on Sunday rural Mecklenburg-Vorpommern earned a small footnote in post-war history, becoming the first state … Read more
France burkini highest court suspends ban BBC News | Europe | World Edition France’s highest administrative court suspends a ban on controversial full-body “burkini” swimsuits in a town on the Mediterranean coast. The burkini as a mirror open Democracy News Analysis – by Adam Seligman Unless we are willing to live with the discomfort of what is … Read more