Turkey’s EU-admission case is one of the most controversial, as well as one of the most exciting and interesting ones. Even though the country is trying to meet the criteria that the EU requires for admission, there are still some points that need to be improved, polished, or worked forward. Due to the complexity...
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Brussels remains untouched by the Occupy movement, as protestors are absent, and the EU is turning a blind eye to demonstrations across the continent. It’s been almost two months since the occupy movement took to European streets, and two months of silence from the European Union. Tim Noonan, Director of Communications at the International...
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After a year and a half of debate and negotiations between the Flemish and the Walloons, Belgium will finally have a government with full executive powers in the coming days. Still, Belgium is not out of crisis. The country which houses the heart of the EU may explode at any time, sowing discord in...
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The 6th annual European Forum on the Rights of the Child was held in Brussels last week, on the 23rdof November. The key actors from European Institutions, EU Member States, and Ombudspersons for children, international organisations and NGOs were sharing their experiences and ideas, exchanging views and providing examples of the best practices of...
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Business and industry has a strangle-hold on the world’s climate efforts. To avert a humanitarian catastrophe we need ambitous climate policy, but the veto of business stand in the way.
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BRUSSELS – The EU is running out of Dutch interpreters. If nothing is done, many Dutch interpreting booths might by 2020 remain silent.
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Things are not going really good nowadays in Spain. Recession, economic stagnation, upcoming elections and not knowing what is going to happen in the following years are some of the main issues that worry Spanish society at this moment. The biggest one is unemployment, which is over 20% now. Almost 5,000,000 people in Spain...
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On Thursday, October 20th, Ukraine and the EU finalized the technical negotiations on the creation of the deep and comprehensive free trade area, even though the EU had cancelled the visit of the president of Ukraine Victor Yanukovych, which was planned to be held on the same day. Yanukovych was not welcome in Brussels...
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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...
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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?...
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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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By Agatha Akhabue & Enora Régnier The 28th of September, the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, made his annual speech about the state of the Union and solutions he proposed to end the crisis. A discourse that didn’t really empassion Europeans, who often missed it entirely. Barroso? Who’s that guy?...
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Ask the average Brit what their opinion is on the European Union and they will either be honest of embarrassed by the fact that they know little to nothing at all. For example, I left a Facebook status asking for opinions and thoughts, I received not a single comment. I doubt that it is...
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HELSINKI, Finland – Timo Soini, party leader of the EU-sceptic and populist party True Finns, was the big winner when Finland held elections in April. With 19,1 percent of the vote, the True Finns became Finland’s third biggest party.
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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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Ask an average African about his perception of Europe. What comes to his mind is a heavenly description. A place where everything works. A land flowing with milk and honey. Good education, Good health care, good everything, in-fact perfect. Although the description may sound unrealistic, Be that as it may, it is good to...
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France has always played an important role in the European Union, since its creation. Yet, the French have an increasingly negative picture of the European Union, which is not doing enough for their tastes. An image that can be explained by the fact that they do not know much about how it functions. No...
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It was late Thursday night on the 15th of September, before Helle Thorning Schmidt could take the traditional walk up the stairs to the Folketing, the Danish parliament, as the electoral victor and future Prime Minister of Denmark. She had just won a close election, with 92 seats for the left wing and 87...
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Spain has been a member of the European Union since 1986, when it entered along with Portugal after some years of negotiation and preparation for the admission. By that time, that was a really good opportunity for Spain because the country could receive a lot of funds for rural and agriculture development. Former dictator...
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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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