By Carlos Encinas and Wyatt McCall. The Little Northern European Island is the EU’s Key Step for the Arctic. The melting Arctic is more than a problem, it’s also soon to be a hot spot of economic eruption. Where once was ice, there now churns liquid assets. Where once only the bravest of explorers trekked, venture capitalists are now the ones roaming with the polar bears. As the harsh...
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Up to 43 gambling firms stand ready to invade the Danish gambling market, after the European Commission cleared the Danish Government’s plan for liberalization of the market which includes lower taxes for online casinos. Meanwhile the traditional gambling providers brace themselves for the new competition, which they call highly unfair. “How would you feel, if your neighbor had to pay far less than you in taxes?” Asks John Brochstedt,...
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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, a UK citizen, was arrested at Gatwick Airport on an EAW from Italy. He was...
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ENLARGEMENT Iceland was shaken, and this time it was not because the eruption of a volcano.The financial crisis spread all over the world at the end of 2008 and Iceland was close to becoming its first victim. The country was at the edge of collapse and suddenly the people put their prayers to the EU. By: Thomas Pickelner and Annica Lindström Cold winds are often passing Iceland, but in the...
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After France and Belgium, the Netherlands prohibited the wearing of the veil in September. The same month, the first criminal convictions took place in France, the first country to have passed the law. Today, Muslims sentenced to pay a fine want to turn to the European Court of Human Rights. Can France be condemned? Is French law really legal? An Explanation… That’s what we call the irony of...
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The coffee is alright, but it’s the cannabis that has long attracted tourist from around the world to the famous Dutch coffee shops. In these designated places, marijuana and hash can be bought and smoked legally and without the fear of prosecution. Since cannabis use is still grounds for criminal activity in much of the world, the leniency of Dutch law toward “soft-drugs” like cannabis has long been a...
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BRUSSELS – What’s interesting about the latest and most far-reaching attempt to thwart internet piracy in the world isn’t its name, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), but that it might be in violation of fundamental rights in the EU.
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EU Enlargement: Albania’s future is within the European Union. If only its leaders concurred.
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BELGIUM – Brussels north train station at 7 am. In the corner sits a woman. The pouches under her eyes give away that she had a restless night. On her lap sits a little girl, not older than two. She’s holding on to the woman like grim death. The woman closes her eyes as she tries to comfort the kid with a lullaby. Around her lie several old mattresses. Some...
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