SWEDEN| ”I had to make sure my brother survived the weekend. He was just a baby,” says Caroline while describing her childhood as partly a struggle for survival. She is the daughter of an alcoholic, and was left uncared for during long periods of her childhood. ”Nobody dressed me in the morning. I could...
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Weathering the storm of childhood
It’s just another day for lobbyists in paradise
BRUSSELS | In front of a small tree, just a stone’s throw from the magnificent European Parliament building is Martin Pigeon adjusting the sound on his early model portable microphone. His French accent shines through when he starts speaking to his audience; “this tree was planted a couple of years ago by SEAP, the...
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City center on the water
SWEDEN | Gothenburg’s city centre lacks unanimity. The Gota Canal divides the city in two, and citizens seems to be mentally distanced between the banks and its neighbourhoods. The urban development project “Rivercity Gothenburg” will build the new centre around the Canal Harbour. The vision and the strategy for the project are being built...
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Child pornography should be tracked down – not hidden away
It is rare that the European Parliament is unanimous. But when the Parliament voted on a legal proposal on child pornography it was exceptionally concordant. Over five hundred MEP’s voted in favour for a new directive. Two voted against. Europe in the Worlds-editorial office wanted to know why. One of the two MEP’s who...
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Video: A priest and a pirates day in the European parliament
In the corridors of power works a former priest and a former political activist that today is a pirate. Follow two Swedish members of the parliament at a normal day in Brussels.
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To ban “snus”or not to ban “snus”
My father has a problem. He is, as well as around 1,2 million other people in Sweden, a user of snus. The damp tobacco that you place under your lip is banned all over the EU except for Sweden, which makes it complicated when users go abroad. - It is discrimination, says the Swedish...
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Opinion: EU not an environment for Muslim states
When the European Union was discussing what to put in a proposed constitution, the three pillars suggested were Christianity, Judaism and humanism. Although the pillars (and the constitution) were eventually turned down the idea is still very much alive. In a community where the top players (Britain, France and Germany) carry out policies considered...
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Trust is not a good value when it comes to the European Arrest Warrant
The European Arrest Warrant (EAW), meant to speed up the process of extradition in the EU, depends on a country’s willingness to trust another country’s legal system. Yet this shared recognition of judicial decisions without a shared recognition of fundamental rights is compromising and drawing criticism to the entire system. In 2009 Edmond Arapi,...
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Lessons From a Dutch Correspondent
Name: Herman Stam Function: Dutch EU-Correspondent since June 2009 Media: Newspaper, De Telegraaf Dutch civil servants in Brussels. “I find these civil servants to be very helpful, because they do a lot of preparation work for for example European summits or meetings of the Council of Ministers. Because of this, they often...
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The “Offs” are a very common practice in Brussels
Margot Perrier is working with French correspondents for Radio France internationale in an European affairs office, in Brussels. Her job consist in looking for information, proposal writing topics and forms for the team and interviews. She explains how the sources of its informations are chosen to be compatible with the requirements of the French...
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Journalists are Your Best Friends in Brussels
Living and working in Brussels, radio correspondent Jens Möller tells about where you find the journalistic drama, the engine of the EU and who to network with in Brussels. These are his three tips on sources you absolutely cannot afford to miss. First – The Journalistic Drama What: Briefings by Sweden’s permanent...
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The European Union has a positive influence on the world
In a big opinion survey with respondents from 27 different countries from all over the world, 57 % of the people asked believe the European Union has a mainly positive influence on the world. Only one out of five believe it has a mainly negative influence on the world. The European Union is often labeled...
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We’re not European – we’re British
For as long as I can remember, the press in Britain has always had a reputation of being negative, un-trustworthy, aggressive – and the case with the News of the World in recent months didn’t help to change that perception, neither does the need to involve topless women in order to sell copies. However,...
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EU Reputation: How a Belgian became a European
53 years ago, Belgium stood, together with five other countries , at the cradle of the European Economic Community – later known as the European Union. As every parent – child relationship it was one of laughter and tears, joy and sorrows , ups and downs. But despite the troubles they had, most Belgians...
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Postcard: The street that never sleeps
An old city, founded by the Romans and with a city center which dates back from medieval times, it would be easy to choose a favorite place in Utrecht near the Oudegracht or somewhere around the Dom Church. However, there is one place that makes me feel more at home in this city than...
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A ferret owning, Dracula loving journalism student
The room is a cozy one. There’s a small desk in the corner with a couple of books and a laptop on top of it, there is a black lounge chair you can just sink in to and there are some small posters on the wall. It’s hard to believe that 23-year old French...
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How to blend in?
So, you’ve arrived in Utrecht. “Welkom”, as the dutch would say. First of all – don’t worry. Depending on where you come from, the Netherlands may seem like an odd and confusing place, with people speaking fast in an incomprehensible language. Nevertheless, this is a hospitable country. It won’t take long before you are...
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Miss Restless in Utrecht
One of the negative effects of more students wanting to study abroad, is the fact that it is getting harder to find a place to stay in popular cities. The lack of cheap rooms and apartments requires students to become even more ingenious than before. 26-year-old Evelina Bergström is used to looking for apartments....
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Going Dutch. Or: how to blend in as an international student
By Enora Regnier and Tim Hersevoort 09:00 a.m. The annoying sound of your alarm clock wakes you up. It means that another long day of studying is ahead. But of course being a Dutchman you can’t study on an empty stomach. So you head down to the kitchen to make breakfast, in the meantime...
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Flying Dutchmen and Belly Flops
Used to getting wet every time you step outside, we could think of no better way than spending the first sunny day in a week getting soaked. With clear blue sky and late summer heat we decided to spend our day wake-boarding at Down Under, an artificial lake for sunbathing, swimming and water-sport activities....
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