The EU Perspective Small Talkjurnan@hotmail.com
Europe
Britain’s World of Bluff; Merkel & co. Call
TweetYesterday the Council faced the choice of a two-tier structure within Europe or a two-speed Europe, today we have a bit of both thanks to the uncompromising stance of British prime minster David Cameron. With ‘key national interests’ threatened, Cameron saw no other option than to opt-out from signing a new Treaty, which was agreed [...]
EU Council: The Fifth Last Chance
Tweet Top German and French officials (the vague term offered to readers by Dutch news station NOS that did not regard mentioning names a must) do not expect EU leaders to agree on substantial measures, substantial being a substitute for action that brings positive consequences lasting longer than a fortnight.Pessimism abound, yet there is some [...]
Kosovo’s EU Perspective
TweetKosovo’s candidate status for the EU is more problematic than any of the previous states that are in preparation for entrance to the 27 counting political body, except maybe for Turkey’s yet undecided political-geographical nature. Both inside and outside of Kosovo, we are confronted with a staggering list of problems, some of which are sensitive [...]
European Wordfeud
Tweet All right, we’ll give investors this much: They keep track of politics and pumped hopeful oxygen into the dull, lifeless saga of horse trading and electoral survival that is taking place on Brussels’ scene. A little swing upwards by the markets, and our spirits rise. Maybe this time European Council leaders have reached something [...]
MFF: More than an economical task lays ahead
TweetThe conference on the European Union’s multiannual financial framework (MFF) has just ended. In it, a listener could find three intertwining trends: (1) National governments face times of austerity, (2) while the European Union budget faces a financial era, not just because its own budget needs deciding on, but of course also because of lingering [...]
Euro: legitimize the political economy
TweetForcing an economical reality into a new political mould, against the will of many, cannot be done without legitimacy. Legitimacy is just what Eurozone members seem to be lacking at this precise moment, equalled only by their lack of determination and decisiveness. What newspapers such as the Economist argued for over sixteen months ago, European [...]
Ayn Rand and Greece. But what about solidarity?
TweetThe memory of Any Rand lives. Newspapers, conservatives, libertarians, politicians – or in fact anyone else not fond of Hobbes’ Leviathan’s presence in contemporary politics – will find recognition, ideals and justification for drafting an account of self-determination and ultimate individual freedom. In Holland I have read her objectivism serve the goals of cutting subsidies [...]
The significance of symbols & symbolism in EU politics
Tweet Contrary to popular belief, the European Union (EU) does not have an official flag, only a symbol or a logo. Politicians pulling the strings of those who were drafting the Lisbon treaty prevented it from becoming a theoretical justified reality, but why doesn’t the EU have a flag? After the turbulent years in which [...]
TFEU: Euro governance foreseen and unforeseen
TweetOk, I must admit – I was worrying about this just a little. Franco-German pacts on economic governances within the Eurozone aren’t just unpopular with those who want to join that monetary zone, but also those that do not want to be excluded in an ongoing integration process. The sound of silence coming from the [...]
The possibility of a cost/benefit analysis of the EU
TweetIn reply to an article found on ‘Nosemonkey’s EUtopia‘ (personally, I think the content is much better than the name makes you think). The question is whether or not it is possible to make a cost/benefit analysis of European Union membership. While neither of us has offered insights that give an actual comprehensive answer, the [...]
GM crops: politicizing the debate
TweetWhy genetically modified crops endanger not the environment, but the functionality of a single, open market economy is a truth not many people have grasped. The politicians on European level that deal with this issue do not just face severe pressure from their home countries, who all have since long set out their own preferences, [...]
The Lisbon amendments
TweetNobody said it was easy, nobody thought it’d go this quick. One session of the council turned out to be enough for a hard-headed Merkel to persuade her other European counterparts to give in to her wishes. She did not get what she wanted for free. Like stated in a report by the Guardian, it [...]
The daunting task of a new treaty
TweetWe ought to have seen this one coming.: David Cameron thinks he has found a new opportunity to reign in EU spending, now that Germany – the engine of this continent at the moment – has hopes in finding another path to make sure foul economic games are strictly prohibited in the future. A classical political [...]
U.K. & Netherlands: Foreign aid
TweetThe Netherlands is set to save 19 billion euros, but that record pales in comparison to what U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron is going to treat his voters with. Not just do the Tories and Liberal Democrats aim for cuts that are greater in real terms than that of the newly baptized Dutch government, they [...]
No Trojan horse in Europe
TweetThe outlines of a financial deal to save Greece from default have been publicized by the European Union. Despite confident anticipation in political spheres, many heave a great sigh of relief. As time passed by it became ever more unrealistic to think Greece would manage on its own. Rumours of proposals that were circulating – [...]
GM crops in Europe
TweetAfter thirteen long years, the European Commission has finally adopted a bill approving the use of four different genetically modified (GM) crops, three of which are species of corn and one a species of potato. It has been a stubborn case; an example wherein many interests meet scepticism and fear, and where prejudices meet the [...]
US’s anti-missile shields in Europe
TweetAmerica’s defense plans suddenly look a lot less cowardly than they did last year when it was announced that the anti-missile plans in Poland and the Czech Republic would not go through after all. It seems Obama was serious when he stressed his rejection of the choice between ideals and safety, as plans have been [...]