EU roundup: Van Rompuy insulted and more…

20 women who run the EU (blogosphere) by Julien Frisch In the German blogosphere, we have recently seen a controversial debate (started by annalist) about the question why only men were among the so-called “alpha bloggers” in a video series about important bloggers, a debate that has led to the inclusion of female bloggers in … Read more

Euro roundup: European Young Journalist Award 2010 etc

European Young Journalist Award 2010

from Stephen Spillane

Again this year DG Enlargement are running the European Young Journalist Award 2010. (post on last years competition is here). Its simple, if your aged between 17-35 you can enter the competition. All you need to do is send them a copy of your published work and your in the competition. The work must be published between the 1 October 2007 to 28 February 2010. This means you can still get stuff done for it. The 28 February is also the dealine for submissions. The competition is open to citizens of the 27 EU Member States, Candidate Countries (Croatia, Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), or Potential Candidate Countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia andKosovo under UNSCR 1244/99) and Iceland and the must be written / presented in an official language of one of the EU Member States, Candidate Countries or Potential Candidates or in Icelandic.

See more of the rules here

Read more

A new study on Germany’s Muslims

New Study Looks at Challenges Faced by Germany’s Muslims

By Sheila Lalwani in Berlin

It’s no secret that many immigrants have a hard time in Germany. A new study has found that women wearing headscarves have a particularly hard time on the job market and a quarter of those with Turkish backgrounds face discrimination when looking for work.

It is early afternoon at Internet Treffpunkt, a convenience store in Kreuzberg, a neighborhood in Berlin that is home to many Turks and other minorities. Hedi Dashti, the store’s proprietor, is busy. One customer hands over her parcel to send through his DHL counter. Another customer buys cigarettes. The door swings open, ushering in the blustery winter wind, and a third customer waves hello.

in other news:

Read more

More tweeting Eurocrats…

Jerzy Buzek is on Twitter: Welcome, Mr (European Parliament) President!

by Julien Frisch

Since today, Jerzy Buzek, European Parliament President, is on Twitter.

At this moment, he has 50 followers, the number is quickly growing. He himself (probably the press team) isn’t following anyone by now – waiting to see how this develops.

Read more

Oh boy, “Greece condemned for falsifying data

Greece condemned for falsifying data

from FT.com – World, Europe
The European Commission has condemned Greece for falsifying data about its public finances and allowing political pressures to obstruct the collection of accurate statistics.

Read more

“Bono’s filesharing hypocrisy…E-reader market… Nexus and more…

More on Bono’s filesharing hypocrisy: Gigi Sohn of Public Knowledge

from Boing Boing by Xeni Jardin

Public Knowledge founder Gigi Sohn tackles Bono’s recent NYT op-ed, in which the rock star suggested we follow China’s lead on net-filtering technology to limit the scourge of file sharing. Ms. Sohn writes: bonohed.jpgBut the most absurd thing about Bono’s endorsement of draconian copyright enforcement is that it undermines just about everything else he professes to stand for. Look at the activities and goals of One, the nonprofit organization Bono co-founded. One is “committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa.” It “campaign[s] for better development policies, more effective aid and trade reform. We also support greater democracy, accountability and transparency to ensure policies to beat poverty are implemented effectively.” Among the specific issues One works on are the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDs and malaria, increasing access to quality education and ensuring trade policies that “create economic growth and opportunities for the poorest people.”

Read more

Spanish Council Presidency (begins with a failing website acc to Eurobloggers)

Spanish Presidency official site.

Spain takes over EU presidency as Turkey eyes progress

Spanish Council presidency website is a failure

by Julien Frisch

I totally agree with The European Citizen and Grahnlaw that the website of the Spanish EU Council presidency is a failure, uninspiring and absolutely not useful for the public.

Read more

NGOs not so happy with the Copenhagen summit

NGO fury after Copenhagen ban

from cafebabel.com by Dave Keating

Yesterday?s decision by the UN to ban a large number of NGO delegates from the main summit venue for the Copenhagen climate change talks was, to say the least, unpopular on the ground.

Copenhagen climate talks: Main issues and state of play

from EurActiv.com
About 120 world leaders and 193 countries are meeting in Copenhagen to agree a new global climate deal, the basis for a full climate treaty next year.

Photos from Copenhagen protests

from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow:Treehugger photographer Matt McDermott happened to be in the right place when the massive climate demonstrations in Copenhagen broke out, and the site has a great gallery of shots of the action.

Swiss minaret ban goes to court

An appeal against a decision by Swiss voters to ban minarets is submitted to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Read more

live blogging from the Copenhagen protests and…

more from the EU agenda…Our neighbor, Greece is having real economic problems, aftermath of Berlusconi attack and more…

Reclaim Power Cop15

Danish police abuse climate-change demonstrators

from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow

Zoran sez, “Earlier this week (12th Dec), a massive, peaceful protest of 100,000 people — the largest demonstration for climate justice in world history — was met with a heavy-handed response by the Danish police. Thousands of riot police swarmed the march route, blocked off streets surrounding large groups of protestors, and arrested almost 1,000 people. Arrestees were cuffed and forced to sit in rows for hours, as the temperatures dipped below freezing; numerous people urinated on themselves after being denied use of toilets.”

climateflood1

Dispatch from Copenhagen: Demands for Climate Justice

from Global Voices Online by Saffah Faroog

Read more

Copenhagen Summit and EU agenda roundup

Arrested demonstrators sit on the ground as they are surrounded ...

Arrested demonstrators sit on the ground as they are surrounded by police during a rally outside the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen December 12, 2009. REUTERS/Christian Charisius

Hot topic

from BBC News | Europe | World Edition
Climate pressures cloud two-day EU summit

Read more

Copenhagen Summit and Euro updates

1

#147 | Photos / videos from tonight in Athens:

apopsi_poreias

In pictures

Athens police clash with youths

Copenhagen Climate Change

All eyes in the world should be on the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference as we wait with a stuttering heartbeat to learn about the policies that will guide humanity through the next great evolutionary bottleneck. The topic I will be keeping an eye on is overpopulation.

Read more

Copenhagen Climate Summit begins…

I?m sorry, we could have stopped catastrophic climate change #COP15

from Osocio Weblog by Marc

I'm sorry, we could have stopped catastrophic climate change? We didn't

Next monday, dec 7, the COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference finally start in Copenhagen. All visitors who came by aeroplane (…) will see these billboards at the Copenhagen Airport. They campaign from Greenpeace shows our world leaders in 2020.
The leaders: Sarkozy (FR), Merkel (Ger), Obama (USA), Tusk (PO), Lula (Br), Zapatero (Es), Brown (UK) and Harper (Can). See them all after the break.

Copenhagen sees pros and cons of host role

from FT.com – World, Europe
As the eyes of the world focus on Copenhagen, there is reputational danger in attaching the Danish capital’s name to a conference that could end in failure

Read more

"EU's Lisbon Treaty comes into force

EU’s Lisbon Treaty comes into force

and more from the European agenda…

Read more

"EU institutions on Twitter

EU institutions on Twitter

from EU Pundit by Andis Kaulins

EU institutions on Twitter

The E.U. as a surveillance society,

from open Democracy News Analysis – by Anthony Barnett

For the first time the EU wide moves towards a surveillance society and a database state set out in all their appalling glory. A major report has recently been published NeoConOpticon. It has its own webpage . The authors, with Ban Hayes of Statewatch in the lead, have put together the military and the domestic aspects of the European Security Research Programme.

Berlusconi is ‘rock star of 2009’

Italy’s PM Silvio Berlusconi has been named ‘rock star of the year’ by his country’s Rolling Stone magazine.

Read more

"Who will be EU president?… Gender balanced Commission and more from the EU…

Who will be EU president?

from BBC News | Europe | World Edition
Europe correspondent Jonny Dymond profiles the runners and riders for the EU president

Leaders set to pick EU president

from BBC News | Europe | World Edition
European Union leaders will gather in Brussels later to select their first full-time president and foreign affairs chief.

Ideas on Europe: Britain & the EU Presidency: Idealism versus Effectiveness

David Miliband is out, but Tony Blair is still in with a shout. Those whom shriek with horror at the thought of a Blair presidency, but also want a stronger more coherent EU might want to consider the potential contradictions in their respective posi.

 

What’s in an EU anthem?

from FP Passport by Mardy Shualy