This editions editors
On his facebook’s profile pictures, Kai wears an unusual T-shirt. The inscription on it : “Mister easy.” Kai easy? Yes of course. He is easy to speak with. He answers to all the questions without any problem. Ask him anything, and smiling, he will always find a way to help you. He became easily...
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Bobbie van der List is the younger of three children and he grew up with “three mothers” as his older sisters took care of him too and advised him in, for example, going on a long trip to get to know himself. After finishing high school, at the age of eighteen, all on his...
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I got my first impression of The Netherlands, and of Utrecht itself, in the train on the way from Amsterdam to Utrecht. Seeing the city from the outside, one of the things that attracted my attention is that those low typical Dutch houses shaping the city are surrounded by some huge buildings, probably belonging...
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Politics, anthropology, journalism- and a somewhat less serene leisure time. 24-year-old Anouk Mentink is used to the noble art of simultaneous capacity. This hasn’t always been the case, though. - I did a lot at high school, but not studying. I was a bit lazy back then I guess, Anouk admits with a smile....
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Dear Caroline This morning (or to be more honest- early this afternoon) I woke up to my eighth day in Utrecht. I have merely been here for a week, but it feels much more like three months. New city, new room, new school, a Lot of new people- as you can imagine everything is...
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By Kai Heijneman Dom & Domplein The Dom in Utrecht is the most important eye-catcher of the city. It is impossible to go to Utrecht and notice it. The tower I like it because the Domplein is a meeting point but also because it is a landmark. It helps me not to get lost....
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Michael Huguenin age 26, Australia Born in Korumburra Victoria By Kai Heijneman Huguenin is a sports fanatic. Being passionate about sports means he is willing to try just about every sport he gets in touch with. “The reputation of Australians being crazy about sports is completely true.” At least its true for Huguenin. “When...
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By Andrew T. Codd , I.Miguel Durán de Barbozza and Margot Perrier Transforming the Ruhr from a dying industrial center to a lively cultural area came just in time to preserve the areas history, channeling it into new means without forgetting the area’s heritage, but many hours of organazing meetings were needed to achieve...
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By Anna Buch, Ana Muñoz Padrós, Beatriz Paúl Naya and Anna Rydholm. The solution to problems is not always to start from the beginning. That is what they thought in the Ruhr area when the coal industry when died and significant mines were abandoned. Many years of history and work for the people of...
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By Bart de Bruijn, Bobbie van der List and Kai Heijneman. German coal and steel was the motor of the German economy. It made France and the rest of Europe fear the German military potential, but it also turned out to be the start of european integration. Now the Germans want to preserve their...
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Agreements made at this years UK-France summit herald a new age of military cooperation between Europes top military spenders. Aimed at keeping military spending costs low in a time of deep budget cuts, many see the move as one of the only options to ensure these nations’ safety, without spending beyond their means. The...
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The last opponent of the accession of Serbia to the EU played its part. In the end, the Netherlands gave in, in blocking the next application round for the Serbs. Now no Member State seems to be focused on the capturing of the war criminals Mladic and Hadzic, Serbia has got less obstacles to...
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By Anna Buch, Ana Muñoz Padrós, Beatriz Paúl Naya and Anna Rydholm For over fifty years, Turkey has been knocking on the door to Europe. But negotiations have proved sluggish, obstructed by conceptions like religion, law and identity. Yesterday was an important day in the history of Turkish accession to the European Union, since...
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On October 25th European Union foreign ministers agreed to pass Serbia’s request for membership to the European Commission. It sounded like a dry act of bureaucracy. In fact, it carried huge significance. By Bart de Bruijn, Bobbie van der List and Kai Heijneman The Serbian government has been waiting for this day since it...
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Stay home or shut up Previous reforms aren’t enough to keep up with the increasingly borderless community of the European Union. Within the Single market of Europe, there is still at least one huge obstacle to overcome, The telecommunications market. There are regulations for all European players in this field, but it’s not enough....
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Karoline Hansen, Camille Lepage and Anouk Mentink Yesterday we had landlines phones, today mobile phones, and tomorrow access to the Internet from their pockets. Not only the evolution is fact but it also requires international regulations in order to avoid abuses for greedy phone company taking advantage of the market. The telecom markets in...
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By Anna Buch, Beatriz Paúl Naya, Ana Muñoz Padrós and Anna Rydholm Before telecommunications liberalization, the market was fragmented and calls to international phones were too expensive. However, the inclusion of this sector in the single market did not change the situation as it was expected. Contacting someone abroad could be a nightmare. In...
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By Michael Huguenin, Piers d’Orgee and Steffen Hesseldal Windfeld-Hansen European Union budget commissioner Janusz Lewandowski has indicated the EU will continue to provide rebates to member states that are net contributors. Speaking at his presentation of the 2009 EU Budget, Lewandowski warned that the EU couldn’t ignore the sacrifice made by net contributing member...
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Since the crisis appeared the EU is in need of a stable financial policy. Before a new fiscal policy can be launched there is a need for more unity on competitiveness between the rich and the poor states. Camille Lepage, Karoline Hansen and Anouk Mentink The euro-zone compared to the USA In the article,...
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The budget is central to EU decision-making and politics. In fact, more than just the principal source of funding, it also targets the EU’s priorities and influences sets whether the EU institutions can operate or not. By Camille Lepage Anouk Mentink and Karoline Hansen A bit of history Since the Treaty of Rome in...
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