Dutch election offers huge relief for other EU governments EurActiv.com by Georgi Gotev Exit polls showing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD) far ahead of Geert Wilders and his Freedom Party (PVV) were greeted with relief in Brussels yesterday night (15 March), amid fears of a surge in populism in Europe, with elections in France and … Read more
Why the Pirate Party could end up running Iceland Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow With the Icelandic Pirates crushing it in the polls and set to form the next government of a sovereign, carbon-neutral, strategically located nation, it’s worth asking how a party whose two issues — internet freedom and copyright reform — are wonky, minority … 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
Big data meets politics EurActiv.com by Davide Patteri Politicians across Europe often look suspiciously at the “big data” revolution as a trend imported from the US, which encroaches on their privacy. Europe’s rude awakening to big data politics EurActiv.com by Frédéric Simon To many in the Brussels bubble, the big data revolution came as a rude awakening, … Read more
As a non-EU citizen, I had to get a separate visa for UK and I could not use Euro and I did not have much chance to work there. Nothing much will change for me but I guess UK and her citizens will have more to lose in this relatively beneficially partnership with EU…. Britain votes to … Read more
Timeline of a crisis: Europe’s economic strategy from 2008 to today EurActiv.com by Aymone Lamborelle, Jorge Valero, Laura Fernández Álvarez At the outset of the economic crisis in 2008, the EU mirrored the rescue packages seen in the US and elsewhere. In total, more than €1.6 trillion was used to save the banks and €200 billion … Read more
Debate: The Böhmermann case: Did Merkel make the right decision? euro|topic Chancellor Angela Merkel has given the green light for criminal proceedings against German satirist Jan Böhmermann. His “smear poem” about Erdoğan is now the subject of a criminal investigation on charges of insulting a foreign head of state. Is Merkel kowtowing to Ankara? Brussels seeks €50 … Read more
Should environmentalists think twice about their support for the EU? open Democracy News Analysis – by Harry Blain Brussels is a haven for the fossil fuel and motor industry lobbies, while the EU is increasingly undermining its own environmental protections. Migrant crisis: Pope to visit Lesbos BBC News | Europe | World Edition Pope Francis will … Read more
Merkel, Hollande urge unified EU response to refugee crisis EurActiv.com A new wave of migrants began entering the European Union from Serbia Monday (24 August), as the leaders of France and Germany called for a unified response to the continent’s biggest migrant crisis since World War II. Migrants in Kos Inspire Both Hospitality and Anger in Greeks … Read more
MAIN FOCUS: Schäuble’s plans to reform EU Commission | 31/07/2015 euro|topics German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has put forward proposals for reforming the European Commission. According to media reports he wants to strip it of powers such as budget supervision and antitrust monitoring and transfer them to other authorities. While some commentators see a politically independent … Read more
Teen jailed for German student death BBC News | Europe | World Edition An eighteen year-old man is given three years in youth custody over the death of a German student teacher who was hailed as national hero. Dissolve the eurozone, says new extreme right group EurActiv.com Marine Le Pen has presented her new Polish and British … Read more
MAIN FOCUS: Plane crash in southern France | 25/03/2015 euro|topics One day after the crash of a Germanwings Airbus A320 flying from Barcelona to Düsseldorf, French President François Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will travel today to the crash site in the French Alps. The press is shocked by the … Read more
MAIN FOCUS: Syriza forms coalition with right-wing party | 27/01/2015 euro|topics Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras was sworn in as new Greek prime minister on Monday, just 21 hours after the voting booths closed, to lead a coalition with the Eurosceptic and right-wing populist Independent Greeks party. The impoverished middle classes have brought this unusual alliance to … Read more
Northern Ireland’s incomplete peace: young feminists speak out open Democracy News Analysis – by Claire Pierson and Maria Deiana Organising around a belief in feminism’s ability to articulate and represent visions of peace and politics, a new generation of feminists is emerging to challenge the traditional rigidity of Northern Irish politics. Pipes for South Stream … Read more
VIDEO: Pope claims Europe appears ‘elderly’ BBC News | Europe | World Edition Pope Francis warns that the world sees Europe as “somewhat elderly and haggard” during a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Pope complains of ‘haggard’ Europe BBC News | Europe | World Edition Pope Francis warns that Europe appears “somewhat elderly” and … Read more