Print Edition

Issue 1306: A ruling the mafia can’t refuse (Print Edition)

October 11, 2019

Grenell kick-starts stalled Belgrade-Pristina dialogue

October 14, 2019

In a move aimed at kick-starting the stalled Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, the US’ Special Presidential Envoy, Ambassador Richard Grenell, wound up his impromptu visit to...

France unmoved on EU Enlargement

October 14, 2019

Recent diplomatic exchanges cited by Reuters indicate France has not backed off of its opposition to the immediate launch of EU accession talks with...

interview

A ruling the mafia can’t refuse

October 14, 2019

The Italian public has has reacted angrily to a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that it should relax conditions for mafia...

Enlargement yes, but why…

October 14, 2019

Western Balkan countries are anxious to get a date to start entry negotiations and this is good because most of the countries of the...

editorial

Do it the European way and forget Sylvie Goulard quickly – the EU has work to do

October 14, 2019

Those who’ve been in Brussels for a couple of decades might barely remember Rocco Buttiglione, the Italy Commissioner-designate that got rejected over his not...

Greece concerned as tensions rise after Turkey’s moves in Syria and Cyprus

October 14, 2019

Donald Tusk, the Polish-born former Prime Minister of his home country and now-outgoing President of the European Council, used one of his public addresses...

Opposition candidate wins Budapest

October 14, 2019

The 44-year old Gergely Karacsony ousted the incumbent Istvan Tarlos from the Budapest on Sunday’s regional elections in Hungary. That is the first significant...

The price of a Corbyn government is a second Scottish independence referendum

October 14, 2019

Nicola Sturgeon warned Jeremy Corbyn on Sunday not to "pick up the phone" for a coalition government unless he was willing to grant Scotland...

CDU youth questions the authority of Merkel’s anointed successor

October 14, 2019

The youth wing of the Christian Democrats in Germany (CDU) has rejected the nomination of their party leader, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, as the party’s candidate...

Germany introduces arms embargo on Turkey

October 14, 2019

The German government is halting arms exports to Turkey as its incursion in Northern Syria is alienating its NATO partners. On the one hand, Turkish...

Ruling conservatives triumph in Poland

October 14, 2019

With 72% of the ballots counted by Monday morning, Poland’s incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) party secured just under 46% of the vote, outperforming...

A ruling the mafia can’t refuse

October 14, 2019

The Italian public has has reacted angrily to a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that it should relax conditions for mafia...

Issue 1306: A ruling the mafia can’t refuse (Print Edition)

October 11, 2019

Grenell kick-starts stalled Belgrade-Pristina dialogue

October 14, 2019

In a move aimed at kick-starting the stalled Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, the US’ Special Presidential Envoy, Ambassador Richard Grenell, wound up his impromptu visit to...

France unmoved on EU Enlargement

October 14, 2019

Recent diplomatic exchanges cited by Reuters indicate France has not backed off of its opposition to the immediate launch of EU accession talks with...

EU Affairs

Germany introduces arms embargo on Turkey

October 14, 2019

The German government is halting arms exports to Turkey as its incursion in Northern Syria is alienating its NATO partners. On the one hand, Turkish...

Ruling conservatives triumph in Poland

October 14, 2019

With 72% of the ballots counted by Monday morning, Poland’s incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) party secured just under 46% of the vote, outperforming...

Enlargement yes, but why…

October 14, 2019

Western Balkan countries are anxious to get a date to start entry negotiations and this is good because most of the countries of the...

editorial

Do it the European way and forget Sylvie Goulard quickly – the EU has work to do

October 14, 2019

Those who’ve been in Brussels for a couple of decades might barely remember Rocco Buttiglione, the Italy Commissioner-designate that got rejected over his not...

MEPs express concern over climate change

October 14, 2019

The European Parliament in Brussels voted on 10 October for an increase of climate action spending in the next EU budget, calling for a...

Interview

Mexico’s most political actor

October 14, 2019

Mexican actor Gael García Bernal who was in Vencie to present his film Ema by Chilean director Pablo Larraín, who is best known for Neruda...

France unmoved on EU Enlargement

October 14, 2019

Recent diplomatic exchanges cited by Reuters indicate France has not backed off of its opposition to the immediate launch of EU accession talks with...

Eliud Kipchoge makes history as first human to break two-hour marathon barrier

October 12, 2019

With metronomic precision Eliud Kipchoge raced into history on Saturday, 12 October, in Vienna by becoming the first man to achieve the barrier-breaking sub-two-hour...

Tough close to second week of hearings for von der Leyen Commission

October 11, 2019

The second week of the European Parliament’s confirmation hearings for the next European Commission came to an end on Tuesday 8 October. The process was...

At Cairo summit, Turkey slammed for drilling in Cyprus’ EEZ

October 11, 2019

At a trilateral summit between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece in Cairo on 8 October, the leaders of the three countries slammed Turkey's drilling in...

Publication of ECB minutes unveils deep policy polarisation

October 11, 2019

The European Central Bank’s deep division over the second wave of quantitative easing decided on September 12 was known, not least from public statements...

Leaders' Perspectives

Otmar Lahodynsky

President of the Association of European Journalists (AEJ) and European Editor of the Profil news magazine in Austria

Poland’s rainbow of enemies

A young bank employee, Dorota, looks around anxiously before quietly saying, “Under the current government, we already have less freedom than we had during Communism… Read More »

Dr Christian Koch

Senior Advisor at the Bussola Institute in Brussels

Europe needs a comprehensive policy approach in the Gulf

The 14 September attacks on Saudi oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais have significantly raised tensions in the Gulf region. While the international community have… Read More »

Katharina Pistor

The impeachment trap

KASSANDRA

Enlargement yes, but why…

October 14, 2019

Western Balkan countries are anxious to get a date to start entry negotiations and this is good because most of the countries of the...

France unmoved on EU Enlargement

October 14, 2019

Recent diplomatic exchanges cited by Reuters indicate France has not backed off of its opposition to the immediate launch of EU accession talks with...

Good-bye Downing Street, bienvenue Élysée!

October 14, 2019

After so many good-byes, though without leaving, I think that the time for the United Kingdom has come to say a final adios! to...

Enlargement tales: Albania, North Macedonia, and influencers of a different kind

October 8, 2019

On October 15, the General Affairs Council may decide whether to issue a starting date for EU Membership negotiations with Albania - the first...

LIFE is easy with spaghetti con salsa italiana (abbondante)

October 8, 2019

Margrethe Vestager is the new Executive Vice-President for Competition, plus Digital, who was graciously nicknamed by Donald Trump as “tax lady” and who earned...

Scary Movie in Cine Beijing

October 7, 2019

Whoever thinks that last week’s shooting of a Hong Kong demonstrator while Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed - in a Mao Zedong-style suit, no...

Scary Movie (Part II) (update Oct. 3 08:47 CET)

October 3, 2019

Whoever thinks that the shooting of a Hong Kong demonstrator while Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed - in a Mao Zedong-style suit, no less...

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Do it the European way and forget Sylvie Goulard quickly – the EU has work to do

October 14, 2019

Those who’ve been in Brussels for a couple of decades might barely remember Rocco Buttiglione, the Italy Commissioner-designate that got rejected over his not...

Tough close to second week of hearings for von der Leyen Commission

October 11, 2019

The second week of the European Parliament’s confirmation hearings for the next European Commission came to an end on Tuesday 8 October. The process was...

Brussels intensifies its analysis of third-party cybersecurity threats in 5G networks

October 10, 2019

5G networks are a key asset for Europe as it hopes to become a global leader in the cellular network technology sector as fifth-generation...

60% of Europeans are unaware of EU-funded regional projects

October 9, 2019

Major deficiencies in the communication process between the EU, the bloc's 28 national governments, and the local authorities recently came to light when a...

Europe needs to move quickly towards sustainability

October 8, 2019

The EU must immediately move towards sustainability, according to the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), which also raised the alarm about the lack...

Their discontent, our problem

October 7, 2019

If we have learnt anything from the last decade of European elections, it is that with all certainty we can say two things: (a)...

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

MEPs express concern over climate change

October 14, 2019

The European Parliament in Brussels voted on 10 October for an increase of climate action spending in the next EU budget, calling for a...

Vestager is ready to reign in Big Tech

October 9, 2019

The question of Europe's digital transformation has been a key topic for many of last the Commission confirmation hearings. By the end of the...

Sassoli: UK’s Brexit proposals are not immediately operable, long way from something European Parliament could agree to

October 8, 2019

The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, met today with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, and discussed the facets of...

Kyriakides with a clear path to take over the Commission’s health portfolio

October 3, 2019

The Cypriot Commissioner-designate charged with managing the EU’s Health Portfolio, Stella Kyriakides, a trained clinical psychologist and cancer survivor, spent three hours on 1...

Wojciechowski flops during confirmation hearing, puts von der Leyen’s Eastern European vision in doubt

October 3, 2019

The Polish candidate to take over the European Commission’s Agriculture portfolio, Janusz Wojciechowski, failed to live up to his potential future boss’ expectations by...

Hungary and Romania need to send other Commissioner candidates after new European Parliament vote

September 30, 2019

In a morning vote on 30 September 2019, the European Parliament Legal Affairs Committee voted that Commissioners-designate from Hungary and Romania cannot stay on....

EUROPEAN COUNCIL

EU braces for no-deal Brexit while Johnson faces cabinet rebellion

October 10, 2019

While the EU braces for a no-deal Brexit, British prime minister Boris Johnson is faced with the prospect of a rebellion by his own...

Brussels tells budget surplus states to spend more

October 10, 2019

With Eurozone economic growth in negative territory and inflation subdued, the European Central Bank and the European Commission are putting pressure on countries to...

EU fails to seal migrant redistribution deal

October 9, 2019

An EU interior minister meeting on migrants in Luxembourg does not appear to have yielded a final deal on migrant redistribution. Earlier on Tuesday, French...

UK markets plummet as Brexit deal appears “impossible”

October 9, 2019

The UK stock market nosedived on Tuesday as the UK government appears to be politically ready for a no-deal Brexit. The President of the European...

Eurozone unemployment continues to slide even as growth decelerates

October 1, 2019

Unemployment is falling even as the economy is slowing down in the eurozone. The biggest decline in countries with the highest jobless rate: Spanish unemployment...

Italy seeks expansionary budget

October 1, 2019

The political parties supporting Premier Giuseppe Conte's coalition government have come to a consensus over budgetary policy. Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri of the Democratic Party...

EU National News

Opposition candidate wins Budapest

October 14, 2019

The 44-year old Gergely Karacsony ousted the incumbent Istvan Tarlos from the Budapest on Sunday’s regional elections in Hungary. That is the first significant...

The price of a Corbyn government is a second Scottish independence referendum

October 14, 2019

Nicola Sturgeon warned Jeremy Corbyn on Sunday not to "pick up the phone" for a coalition government unless he was willing to grant Scotland...

CDU youth questions the authority of Merkel’s anointed successor

October 14, 2019

The youth wing of the Christian Democrats in Germany (CDU) has rejected the nomination of their party leader, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, as the party’s candidate...

Germany introduces arms embargo on Turkey

October 14, 2019

The German government is halting arms exports to Turkey as its incursion in Northern Syria is alienating its NATO partners. On the one hand, Turkish...

Ruling conservatives triumph in Poland

October 14, 2019

With 72% of the ballots counted by Monday morning, Poland’s incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) party secured just under 46% of the vote, outperforming...

A ruling the mafia can’t refuse

October 14, 2019

The Italian public has has reacted angrily to a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that it should relax conditions for mafia...

Greece concerned as tensions rise after Turkey’s moves in Syria and Cyprus

October 14, 2019

Donald Tusk, the Polish-born former Prime Minister of his home country and now-outgoing President of the European Council, used one of his public addresses...

Italy to upgrade Naples-Bari line with EU funds

October 14, 2019

A €124 million investment from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to upgrade a 16.5-kilometre section of the Naples-Bari railway line, between Cancello and...

Cohesion Fund provides financial support for 5,000 businesses

October 14, 2019

Romania’s decision to allocate an additional €150 million from their Cohesion Policy budget to the SME Initiative, which uses EU funds to leverage private...

US Democrats conclave in Athens

October 12, 2019

Arriving in Athens a week after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited, the US Democratic Party’s overseas arm (Democrats Abroad) is holding its 2019...

World News

Ethiopia PM Abiy Ahmed beats climate activist Greta Thunberg to win Nobel Peace Prize

October 11, 2019

Abiy Ahmed, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, is the winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, which is awarded to people who have conferred...

Meeting Erdogan at UN, Mitsotakis eyes calmer waters

September 26, 2019

The meeting between Greece's newly elected Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the United Nations General...

Drone strikes on Saudi oil fields spike prices

September 20, 2019

Geopolitical tensions and fears of longer-than-expected supply shortfalls led to Brent crude oil prices rising more than 1% on 19 September following the drone...

Houthi drone attack on Saudi energy infrastructure affects global oil prices

September 15, 2019

Drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure on Saturday by Yemen’s Houthi rebels reduced oil production by 5,7m barrels a day which, according to...

EU wants progress in Russia-Ukraine gas talks

September 13, 2019

The European Union will host a fresh round of Trilateral Gas Talks between Russia and Ukraine on 19 September in Brussels with European Commission...

Experts warn that religious freedom around the world is worsening

September 13, 2019

In August, Iraq’s ethnoreligious Yazidi minority marked the five years since ISIS militants overran northwestern Iraq and murdered at least 5,000 Yazidi men and...

Brussels concerned by deadly Saudi airstrike in Yemen

September 2, 2019

A Saudi airstrike in Yemen's southwestern province of Dhamar on 1 September killed at least 100 people and wounded dozens more, an incident that...

Russia’s influence in Georgia has grown since the 2008 war

August 23, 2019

At exactly the same time that French President Emmanuel Macron was hosting his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, at his summer home in the south...

North Korea money laundering in Russia puts European banks at risk

August 23, 2019

Elvira Nabiullina, the governor of the Russian Central Bank, has reportedly been reforming the bank sector and cracking down on financial institutions engaged in...

Say “No” to a technocratic government

August 23, 2019

The EU’s economy has essentially been flat over the past year. The slump in manufacturing is deepening. Companies are cutting work hours and issuing...

THE ENLARGEMENT MONITOR

Enlargement yes, but why…

October 14, 2019

Western Balkan countries are anxious to get a date to start entry negotiations and this is good because most of the countries of the...

France unmoved on EU Enlargement

October 14, 2019

Recent diplomatic exchanges cited by Reuters indicate France has not backed off of its opposition to the immediate launch of EU accession talks with...

Enlargement tales: Albania, North Macedonia, and influencers of a different kind

October 8, 2019

On October 15, the General Affairs Council may decide whether to issue a starting date for EU Membership negotiations with Albania - the first...

Secretary of State Pompeo begins short Balkan swing

October 5, 2019

Despite the turmoil in Washington which has practically everything except his current European trip in focus, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo departed Italy on 4...

Zaev-Mitsotakis New York meeting – breaking the ice

September 24, 2019

The prime ministers of Greece and North Macedonia held their first face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the 74th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)...

Tusk makes final push in support of Western Balkans enlargement

September 19, 2019

Outgoing European Council President Donald Tusk devoted his time on 16 September to make a final push in support of the EU accession aspirations...

The mother of all hearings

September 13, 2019

As soon as the new European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, revealed on 10 September that Hungary’s former Minister of Justice Laszlo Trocsanyi...

Brussels intensifies its analysis of third-party cybersecurity threats in 5G networks

October 10, 2019

5G networks are a key asset for Europe as it hopes to become a global leader in the cellular network technology sector as fifth-generation...

EU states divided over OECD’s online taxation plan

October 10, 2019

The OECD has proposed on Wednesday a global shake-up of corporate online taxation. The plan would see digital groups such as Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix...

Vestager is ready to reign in Big Tech

October 9, 2019

The question of Europe's digital transformation has been a key topic for many of last the Commission confirmation hearings. By the end of the...

Vestager plans second wave of measures against digital monopolies

October 7, 2019

In her second term as EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager is bracing for a second wave of anti-trust measures against US digital monopolies, beginning with...

Regulators take hard line against Facebook’s Libra

September 18, 2019

Facebook faced the grilling of 26 central bank representatives over its Libra currency plan on Monday; Libra is a virtual currency considered a threat...

US States initiate anti-trust probe against Google

September 10, 2019

Google’s dominant market position is now the subject of state investigations after 50 states and territories opened anti-trust probes that are looking at Google’s...

Online selling VAT fraud could see a Brexit headache for UK’s HMRC

August 29, 2019

Officials are preparing for an uptick in VAT compliance problems as the UK leaves the European Union. Online platforms like Amazon Marketplace and eBay...

Growth of wind energy in Europe to 2023 remains uncertain

October 14, 2019

It’s getting harder to secure permits for new wind farms in many countries, a new report by WindEurope’s shows, noting that there is significant...

Italy’s ENI, Mozambique sign MoU on sustainable development, decarbonisation

October 14, 2019

Mozambique’s Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Ernesto Max Tonela and ENI CEO Claudio Descalzi signed on 7 October a Memorandum of Understanding for the...

EU companies propose solar PV manufacturing project for hydrogen production

October 14, 2019

At the Hydrogen for Climate Conference in Brussels on 10 October, EU companies Hydrogenics from Belgium, Meyer Burger from Germany, Ecosolifer from Hungary, and...

Union for the Mediterranean calls for greater efforts tackle climate change

October 14, 2019

The Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) agreed on 10 October on the need to prioritise the actions of the...

MEPs express concern over climate change

October 14, 2019

The European Parliament in Brussels voted on 10 October for an increase of climate action spending in the next EU budget, calling for a...

Russia, Germany discuss gas transit across Ukraine

October 14, 2019

Russia and Germany discussed in Moscow on 9 October issues related to supplies of Russian natural gas to Europe in the period from 1...

Novatek launches East-Urengoyskoye+North-Esetinskoye field

October 14, 2019

Russia’s largest independent gas producer announced on 10 October that Arcticgas, a joint venture between Novatek and PAO Gazprom Neft, commenced commercial production at...

Far-right gunman kills two in synagogue attack on Yom Kippur

October 14, 2019

Jewish community leaders said a synagogue in the German city of Halle was targeted by a gunman who tried to gain entry but were...

Chinese officials sanctioned for ‘campaign to erase religion’ in Xinjiang

October 14, 2019

The United States has imposed visa restrictions on Chinese government and Communist Party officials accused of being involved in the mass internment of more than...

Pope Francis calls for ‘daring prudence’ during Amazon synod

October 14, 2019

At the recent Synod on the Pan-Amazon Region, Pope Francis urged the assembled bishops to embrace “daring prudence” rather than settle for the status...

Mosque construction becomes battle over religious minority rights in Georgia

October 1, 2019

A court in Georgia’s Black Sea port city of Batumi has ruled that a recent decision to deny a building permit for the construction...

Australia’s new religious discrimination are not designed to protect believers

September 30, 2019

Australia’s Attorney-General Christian Porter says incoming laws on religious discrimination are not designed to protect believers from blasphemy. "The religious discrimination bill is designed to...

Eritrean government crackdown leads to growing concerns over wider religious persecution

September 30, 2019

An ongoing crackdown on Catholic Church activities, as well as the arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of Orthodox and other Christian congregation members in Eritrea...

Religious communities in Vietnam honour victims of violence

September 29, 2019

Numerous religious communities in Vietnam observed the summer’s International Day Commemorating Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief by responding to...

Supported by the Faith and Freedom Summit Coalition

STAKEHOLDER VIEWS

Association of European Journalists(AEJ)
By Otmar Lahodynsky