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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Brussels, what about Brussels? What is so special about it, isn’t it just the capital of Belgium, a small country in Europe about to get a government to end 535 days without one. An un-informed person may talk that way. However, beyond being the capital of Belgium, Brussels is also the seat of power...
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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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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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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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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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By Piers d’Orgee, Steffen Windfeld-Hansen and Michael Huguenin Keeping in touch with people abroad used to be thought of as a pretty expensive process. To directly call someone by phone across a border often leaves one with a phone bill comparable to a mortgage payment. It still can be arduous on the wallet if...
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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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By Anna Buch, Anna Rydholm, Ana Muñoz Padrós and Beatriz Paúl Naya If managing home economics to reach the end of the month might be an achievement for the major part of the world population, managing the budget of the Europe of the twenty seven must be a great challenge. Discontent and complains have...
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By Bart de Bruijn, Bobbie van der List and Kai Heijneman With the economic crisis having made voters much more sensitive to how their money is being spent, Brussels is promising to craft a long-term budget that national politicians can defend. “We should structure the flows in and out in such a way that...
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By Anna Rydholm, Beatriz Paúl Naya, Anna Buch and Ana Muñoz Padrós As the financial turmoil eventually seems to be ceasing, the European Union is shifting focus from sustaining to development. Economists are hazarding remedies; beyond them, preventing a reiteration of problems, is, with no doubt, the main demand, but also a new policy...
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By Steffen Hesseldal Windfeld-Hansen, Michael Huguenin and Piers d’Orgee The Eurozone’s current overall growth is in stark contrast to the condition of some individual states. Their situation is altogether less than acceptable. While Germany, the economic powerhouse, sits somewhat appeased with its best quarter for economic growth since the reunification, there are a few...
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By Steffen Windfeld First impression of Beatrice – or Bea, as she likes to be called – is not of the typical Spanish student. With her blond hair and shy way, she seems very far from the regular, loud-speaking, dark-haired Spanish, that you would expect, sitting there, in one of the few hours of...
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