The Brits’ comeback

October 31, 2019

I see no Brexit. Indeed, once the bloc unanimously granted an extension for Brexit requested, both pundits and politicians feel relieved as the have perceptualised the trap that they had fallen in with the self-inflicted blunder that they committed three and half years ago. It was one of the biggest...

Print Edition

Issue 1317: The road ahead for the Green Deal (Print Edition)

January 17, 2020

A Nobel approach to tackling poverty: Interview with Nobel Prize winner Abhijit Banerjee

January 17, 2020

Indian-American Abhijit Banerjee, along with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer, won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics for their work on finding new ways...

Trump, China, the New Ideology and the “Useful Idiots”

January 17, 2020

The two dominant issues these days are both of great future importance and after a year’s time may come one and will signify the...

Kosovo is Our Masada and Jerusalem

January 17, 2020

With the culture of remembrance, we fight against the revision of history. This is the instrument of “soft diplomacy” – reliable facts which advise...

The road ahead for the Green Deal

January 17, 2020

Becoming the world's first carbon-neutral bloc by 2050 requires more than mobilising €1 trillion in sustainable investments over the next decade. If Europe wants...

Embattled Erdogan enters Libyan quagmire as world condemns his actions

January 17, 2020

Turkey has signed a pact with the Tripoli government as the rebels advance on the Libyan capital after failed peace talks in Moscow, a...

Kazakhstan sets up Council to actively reduce imports

January 17, 2020

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – The Kazakh government and Kazakhstan’s Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs have created a new structure - the Council on Import Substitution,...

Issue 1317: The road ahead for the Green Deal (Print Edition)

January 17, 2020

Trump, China, the New Ideology and the “Useful Idiots”

January 17, 2020

The two dominant issues these days are both of great future importance and after a year’s time may come one and will signify the...

Kosovo is Our Masada and Jerusalem

January 17, 2020

With the culture of remembrance, we fight against the revision of history. This is the instrument of “soft diplomacy” – reliable facts which advise...

A Nobel approach to tackling poverty: Interview with Nobel Prize winner Abhijit Banerjee

January 17, 2020

Indian-American Abhijit Banerjee, along with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer, won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics for their work on finding new ways...

The road ahead for the Green Deal

January 17, 2020

Becoming the world's first carbon-neutral bloc by 2050 requires more than mobilising €1 trillion in sustainable investments over the next decade. If Europe wants...

Issue 1317: The road ahead for the Green Deal (Print Edition)

January 17, 2020

A Nobel approach to tackling poverty: Interview with Nobel Prize winner Abhijit Banerjee

January 17, 2020

Indian-American Abhijit Banerjee, along with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer, won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics for their work on finding new ways...

Hollywood icon:Interview with Brad Pitt

January 10, 2020

Fresh off his Golden Globes win for his role in Quenin Tarantino's film. Once Upon a time in Hollywood, iconic America actor Brad Pitt...

EU Affairs

Kosovo is Our Masada and Jerusalem

January 17, 2020

With the culture of remembrance, we fight against the revision of history. This is the instrument of “soft diplomacy” – reliable facts which advise...

The road ahead for the Green Deal

January 17, 2020

Becoming the world's first carbon-neutral bloc by 2050 requires more than mobilising €1 trillion in sustainable investments over the next decade. If Europe wants...

Embattled Erdogan enters Libyan quagmire as world condemns his actions

January 17, 2020

Turkey has signed a pact with the Tripoli government as the rebels advance on the Libyan capital after failed peace talks in Moscow, a...

East Med Gas Forum makes Cairo HQ

January 17, 2020

Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan and Palestinian Authority signed in Cairo on 16 January the East Med Gas Forum (EMGF) foundation charter, creating...

MEPs want global CO2 binding targets to save biodiversity

January 17, 2020

Members of the European Parliament want the upcoming global biodiversity conference COP 15 to agree on legally binding targets, as was the case for...

EU to assess if US-China deal is compatible with WTO rules

January 17, 2020

The EU will assess whether the newly signed US-China Phase One deal is compatible with WTO rules. The deal opened a new, quieter phase...

European companies ask EU to toughen its approach to China

January 17, 2020

The business organization BusinessEurope complained that China was the most restrictive of the EU’s trading partners. The EU is China’s biggest trading partner. The organisation...

Commission asks EU’s top court to suspend chamber disciplining Polish judges

January 17, 2020

The European Commission decided on Tuesday to ask the European Court of Justice (CJEU) to temporarily suspend the functioning of the disciplinary chamber of...

Turkey lifts ban on Wikipedia after 3 years

January 16, 2020

After nearly three years, a Turkish court has lifted the government’s ban on the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia. The ban was imposed when Turkey accused Wikipedia...

Commission says Portugal fails to meet EU fiscal targets

January 16, 2020

The EU Commission told Portugal that its draft budget for 2020 was at risk of breaking EU fiscal rules because of insufficient progress in...

Sale of Piraeus Bank’s Bulgarian subsidiary to Eurobank did not breach EU state aid rules, EU Commission says

January 16, 2020

After examining a complaint received in January 2019 that led to the opening of a formal investigation procedure, the European Commission confirmed on Wednesday...

Leaders' Perspectives

Basil A. Coronakis

Founder of New Europe

Trump, China, the New Ideology and the “Useful Idiots”

The two dominant issues these days are both of great future importance and after a year’s time may come one and will signify the years… Read More »

Ljiljana Nikšić

Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia.

Kosovo is Our Masada and Jerusalem

With the culture of remembrance, we fight against the revision of history. This is the instrument of “soft diplomacy” – reliable facts which advise us… Read More »

Dani Rodrik

Ukrainian minister involves EU expert in political game over journalist’s murder

John Andrews

Erdoğan Wades into the Libyan Quagmire

Barry Eichengreen

Democratising the ECB

Mohamed A. El-Erian

Central banks face a year of mounting challenges

KASSANDRA

Trump, China, the New Ideology and the “Useful Idiots”

January 17, 2020

The two dominant issues these days are both of great future importance and after a year’s time may come one and will signify the...

From the Revolution of 2020 to the Evolution of 2050

January 10, 2020

European societies are already on the move and 2020 will shape the direction that they go in. Within 30 years, in one way or...

L’ancienne alliance resumes

December 13, 2019

The result of the UK election of December 12, which gave the Conservative party a clear majority, is a further confirmation that Europe is...

17 Black: From Daphne to Dalli

December 9, 2019

Daphne Caruana Galizia. The name has become so familiar in the EU capital, that everyone (even European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at...

An optimistic view of enlargement

December 1, 2019

The concept of a perfectly disciplined, regulated, and technocratic Europe, admittedly, must succeed. The operation was successful, but the patient is about to die. It’s true...

The weeks before the first 100 days of President von der Leyen: Dilemmas and troubles of leadership

December 1, 2019

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen went from zero to hero, with her College of Commissioner’s being approved by the European Parliament with...

Tono takes Zabreb by storm, stands up for EPP’s values

November 25, 2019

It took a strong showing of EPP Secretary General Antonio López-Istúriz to set the tone of the entire congress of the EPP, and give...

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

The road ahead for the Green Deal

January 17, 2020

Becoming the world's first carbon-neutral bloc by 2050 requires more than mobilising €1 trillion in sustainable investments over the next decade. If Europe wants...

East Med Gas Forum makes Cairo HQ

January 17, 2020

Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan and Palestinian Authority signed in Cairo on 16 January the East Med Gas Forum (EMGF) foundation charter, creating...

Commission asks EU’s top court to suspend chamber disciplining Polish judges

January 17, 2020

The European Commission decided on Tuesday to ask the European Court of Justice (CJEU) to temporarily suspend the functioning of the disciplinary chamber of...

Commission says Portugal fails to meet EU fiscal targets

January 16, 2020

The EU Commission told Portugal that its draft budget for 2020 was at risk of breaking EU fiscal rules because of insufficient progress in...

Sale of Piraeus Bank’s Bulgarian subsidiary to Eurobank did not breach EU state aid rules, EU Commission says

January 16, 2020

After examining a complaint received in January 2019 that led to the opening of a formal investigation procedure, the European Commission confirmed on Wednesday...

Former EU diplomat suspected of spying for China

January 16, 2020

German prosecutors said they were investigating three people suspected of working as secret agents and spying for China. The suspects include a former EU...

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

MEPs want global CO2 binding targets to save biodiversity

January 17, 2020

Members of the European Parliament want the upcoming global biodiversity conference COP 15 to agree on legally binding targets, as was the case for...

EU supports Poland in its dispute with Russia over WWII

January 15, 2020

Commissioner Vera Jourova told the EU parliament that she rejects claims that paint Poland as a perpetrator instead of a victim of World War...

Scotland could return to the EU after Brexit, MEP says

December 30, 2019

David McAllister, the German chair of the EU parliament's foreign affairs committee, said that the return of an independent Scotland into the European Union...

Timmermans writes ‘love letter’, says goodbye to the UK

December 27, 2019

European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans wrote a letter to Britain, expressing his "deep hurt" over Brexit. "Since I went to a British school, you have...

Sassoli requests investigation over Bulgarian MEP’s xenophobic comments

December 19, 2019

The European Parliament's President, David Sassoli has requested an investigation over Angel Dzhambazki's xenophobic remarks posted on his Facebook page. The request came after two MEPs, Karima...

O’Reilly re-elected as European Ombudsman

December 19, 2019

Emily O'Reilly, the incumbent EU Ombudsman since 2013 has been re-elected on Wednesday by the European Parliament with 320 votes in favour out of...

EUROPEAN COUNCIL

Private sponsorships of Council presidencies ruin EU’s reputation, ombudsman warns

January 10, 2020

The European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly announced it had launched an investigation into the private company sponsorship of the rotating presidencies of the Council of...

Croatia takes over EU Presidency, faces “challenging” 2020

January 9, 2020

Croatia officially assumed for the first time since it joined the bloc, the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 January...

Austria to reject Mercosur deal

January 6, 2020

The new Austrian government will not support the trade deal between the EU and South American nations. The EU and the South American trade bloc...

EU extends economic sanctions against Russia for six months

December 20, 2019

The European Union extended economic sanctions against Russia by six months until 31 July, the European Council announced on 19 December. “Given that the Minsk...

Poland asks for more time to align with EU’s climate objectives

December 16, 2019

Last week's Council meeting found EU countries but Poland signing up to the bloc’s 2050 net zero carbon target, Ursula's von der Leyen ambitious green plan...

Greece’s Balkan diplomacy currently a sideshow

December 13, 2019

While keeping up the appearances of an active diplomatic campaign in Southeast Europe, the net impact of Athens’ recent initiatives will yield next to...

EU National News

French far-right leader Le Pen to run for president in 2022 election

January 17, 2020

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen announced she would run for president in the 2022 presidential election, when current president Emanuel Macron’s five-year term...

ENI’s Vår Energi gets 17 new exploration licenses in Norway

January 17, 2020

Italian energy major ENI through Vår Energi, jointly owned by ENI (69.6%) and by HitecVision (30.4%), will participate in a total of new 17...

East Med Gas Forum makes Cairo HQ

January 17, 2020

Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan and Palestinian Authority signed in Cairo on 16 January the East Med Gas Forum (EMGF) foundation charter, creating...

MEPs want global CO2 binding targets to save biodiversity

January 17, 2020

Members of the European Parliament want the upcoming global biodiversity conference COP 15 to agree on legally binding targets, as was the case for...

Commission asks EU’s top court to suspend chamber disciplining Polish judges

January 17, 2020

The European Commission decided on Tuesday to ask the European Court of Justice (CJEU) to temporarily suspend the functioning of the disciplinary chamber of...

Commission says Portugal fails to meet EU fiscal targets

January 16, 2020

The EU Commission told Portugal that its draft budget for 2020 was at risk of breaking EU fiscal rules because of insufficient progress in...

Sale of Piraeus Bank’s Bulgarian subsidiary to Eurobank did not breach EU state aid rules, EU Commission says

January 16, 2020

After examining a complaint received in January 2019 that led to the opening of a formal investigation procedure, the European Commission confirmed on Wednesday...

UK, France, Germany pull diplomatic trigger on Iran deal dispute

January 16, 2020

Nearly a week after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing everyone on board, France, Germany and the UK...

Greece to elect its first female president

January 16, 2020

On the afternoon of January 15, political correspondents covering the activity of the Greek government were notified on WhatsApp that Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the country's...

Former EU diplomat suspected of spying for China

January 16, 2020

German prosecutors said they were investigating three people suspected of working as secret agents and spying for China. The suspects include a former EU...

World News

World Report: Namibia-The lying-down school

January 17, 2020

While observing her mother's grave, Flora pulls aside the kids who, unintentionally, fall and step on it. "Her name was Maria Claudia," says the...

France and Sahel partners step up jihadist fight

January 14, 2020

France and Africa's Sahel countries have agreed to step up military cooperation to fight the jihadist presence in the region. The G5 Sahel framework for...

EBRD, IRENA agree to rapidly increase share of renewables

January 13, 2020

During the 10th IRENA Assembly in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, at United Arab Emirates, the International Renewable Energy Agency and the European Bank for...

In Abu Dhabi, Simson to discuss global efforts to deploy renewable energy

January 10, 2020

On 11-12 January, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson is expected to travel to Abu Dhabi to attend the 10th session of the IRENA Assembly. The...

Lebanon issues travel ban for Ghosn, ex-Nissan boss

January 9, 2020

Lebanon's State Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Oueidat imposed on Thursday a travel ban on Carlos Ghosn, former boss of Nissan, to prevent him from leaving...

Kazakhstan airlines divert flights over Iran and Iraq airspace

January 8, 2020

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan - Two Kazakh airlines, Air Astana and SCAT, decided to change routes in connection with the situation in Iran, the press services...

Oil price jump: an inevitable knee-jerk reaction to the killing of Soleimani

January 3, 2020

Oil prices spiked on 3 January on news that Qassem Suleimani, commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force and architect of its growing military influence...

Netanyahu asks for immunity from corruption charges

January 3, 2020

Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday his decision to file a request for legal parliamentary immunity from prosecution in corruption charges he's facing. In November,...

Iran’s top commander Soleimani killed in US drone strike

January 3, 2020

Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force and the mastermind behind the Islamic Republic’s military and foreign policy in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon,...

Taiwan military chief killed in helicopter crash landing

January 2, 2020

Taiwan’s chief of the general staff, general Shen Yi-ming, has been killed along with seven other people after a helicopter crash-landed into mountains near...

THE ENLARGEMENT MONITOR

Greece’s Balkan diplomacy currently a sideshow

December 13, 2019

While keeping up the appearances of an active diplomatic campaign in Southeast Europe, the net impact of Athens’ recent initiatives will yield next to...

An optimistic view of enlargement

December 1, 2019

The concept of a perfectly disciplined, regulated, and technocratic Europe, admittedly, must succeed. The operation was successful, but the patient is about to die. It’s true...

Greece champions EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans

November 30, 2019

As a consequence of French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision in October to call for a temporary hold on EU accession discussions for Albania and...

Zaev-Mitsotakis Thessaloniki meeting explores EU Enlargement delays

November 15, 2019

The prime ministers of Greece and North Macedonia met on the sidelines of the Thessaloniki 2019 Summit on November 14. This was their second...

Brussels casts Zaev a thin lifeline

November 11, 2019

Brussels cast a thin Italian-flavoured political lifeline to North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev over the last ten days, something sorely needed after Zaev...

Zaev fumbles after EU Enlargement let-down

October 31, 2019

North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev fumbled badly this week when discussing the relationship between his country’s now-frozen EU accession bid and the standing...

The domino effect of the French veto

October 28, 2019

French President Emmanuel Macron’s veto of the start of EU accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia at the EU Summit has caused massive...

Google parent Alphabet becomes $1 trillion company

January 17, 2020

Google’s parent company, the online giant Alphabet Inc., achieved a $1 trillion market value on 16 January. Shares in Alphabet rose 0.76% for the day...

Former Google executive raises concerns about tech giant’s human rights policies

January 16, 2020

Ross LaJeunesse, a former Google executive has expressed his concerns about the human rights policies that the firm follows as it moves to expand...

Johnson says Huawei critics should suggest alternatives

January 15, 2020

British PM Boris Johnson said that opponents of Chinese tech company Huawei should suggest alternatives. The comment comes as US officials arrived in Britain to...

Commissioner urges EU to build up its digital sector

January 14, 2020

The European Union’s Commissioner for the internal market, Thierry Breton, said that, in order to not fall behind on its rivals, Europe needs to...

UK Security Service ‘not worried’ about Huawei impact on intelligence sharing

January 13, 2020

Andrew Parker, the chief of the UK Security Service - MI5, said in an interview that he had 'no reason to think' the intelligence...

Facebook, eBay to crack down on fake reviews

January 9, 2020

Britain’s competition watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, said that, after it had warned them, Facebook and eBay pledged to remove accounts, pages and...

Google sued for infringing patents

January 9, 2020

The American consumer electronics company Sonos is suing Google for patent infringement. The company announced it filed a lawsuit on 7 January. It says Google...

IEA: Global oil supply tumbles in December

January 17, 2020

Global oil supply tumbled 780,000 barrels per day in December as biofuels production declined seasonally and Saudi Arabia reduced output, the International Energy Agency...

ENI’s Vår Energi gets 17 new exploration licenses in Norway

January 17, 2020

Italian energy major ENI through Vår Energi, jointly owned by ENI (69.6%) and by HitecVision (30.4%), will participate in a total of new 17...

East Med Gas Forum makes Cairo HQ

January 17, 2020

Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan and Palestinian Authority signed in Cairo on 16 January the East Med Gas Forum (EMGF) foundation charter, creating...

Rosneft, Russian Environment Ministry ink biodiversity agreement

January 17, 2020

Russian state oil giant Rosneft and Russia’s Natural Resources and Environment Ministry signed on 14 January a Cooperation Agreement as part of the national...

MEPs want global CO2 binding targets to save biodiversity

January 17, 2020

Members of the European Parliament want the upcoming global biodiversity conference COP 15 to agree on legally binding targets, as was the case for...

Ukraine to boost renewables, energy efficiency with EU help

January 14, 2020

Ukraine can focus in developing the country’s renewable energy sector and improve the much-delayed energy efficiency now that the former Soviet republic has concluded...

Poland leads European onshore wind growth at the moment

January 14, 2020

Poland held the largest European dedicated onshore wind auction ever in December with a total volume of 2.2GW, WindEurope said on 13 January, adding...

Egypt reopens historic synagogue in Alexandria

January 15, 2020

After undergoing extensive renovations, the Egyptian government reopened to much fanfare a six-hundred-year-old synagogue in the country's Mediterranean coastal city Alexandria on January 10,...

Dutch city wants Georgian floating monastery to leave its harbour

January 11, 2020

An unusual boat with a tiny makeshift Georgian Orthodox church on its deck has been moored in the small Dutch port city of Vlissingen,...

China tightens regulations that forces religious groups to conform to Communist Party principles

January 10, 2020

The Chinese government plans to introduce new provisions on all religious groups, organisations, and events that would restrict their freedom to worship if they...

Muslims surround and attack Sikh holy sites in Pakistan

January 10, 2020

Hundreds of Muslims in Pakistan recently besieged a prominent gurdwara, a place of assembly and worship, trapping Sikhs for hours in the process. The violence...

Serbia accused of threatening peace in Montenegro

January 3, 2020

120 officials, academics, and cultural figures in the Balkans have signed an online petition that warns of regional "threats to peace" from Belgrade. The move...

Montenegro adopts law on religious rights amid nationwide protests

December 27, 2019

Montenegro’s parliament adopted the controversial law on religious rights, sparking widespread chaos. Supporters of the Serbian Orthodox Church gathered to protest the law, that they...

Putin accuses Poland of anti-Semitism, colluding with Hitler

December 27, 2019

Russia’s president Vladimir Putin accused Poland of colluding with Hitler and of anti-Semitism. The move raised further tensions between the two countries, after last week...

Supported by the Faith and Freedom Summit Coalition

STAKEHOLDER VIEWS

Association of European Journalists(AEJ)
By Otmar Lahodynsky

An alpine role-model for Europe?

January 10, 2020

Austria’s newly-inaugurated ‘Turquoise-Green’ coalition government of Christian Democrats (ÖVP) and Greens has high hopes of pioneering a different kind of politics in Europe. Hammered...

NOVA COMPETITIVIDADE
By Francisco Jaime Quesado

The new public value

January 17, 2020

More than ever before, public value is a part strategic of society. The concept of public value as a so-called “platform of centrality” demands...

Monnet Matters
By Editorial

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)...

ICI Washington
By Alec Mally

Greek Prime Minister meets President Trump amid Mid-East turmoil

January 8, 2020

The January 7 White House meeting between US President Donald J Trump and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis did not yield any new US...

Energy Insider
By Kostis Geropoulos

East Med Gas Forum makes Cairo HQ

January 17, 2020

Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan and Palestinian Authority signed in Cairo on 16 January the East Med Gas Forum (EMGF) foundation charter, creating...

Eurasia Watch
By Nicholas Waller

In partnership with Aspria Bruxelles

Print Edition

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EU Affairs

Leaders' Perspectives

KASSANDRA

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

EUROPEAN COUNCIL

EU National News

World News

THE ENLARGEMENT MONITOR

Internet & ICT

Energy

Faith and Religious Freedom

STAKEHOLDER VIEWS