Print Edition

Issue 1307: Enlargement Kaput (Print Edition)

October 18, 2019

New Green Deal panacea for what ails EU

October 21, 2019

ATHENS – The New European Green Deal can open up new possibilities for development, employment, boost EU energy security and send a strong message...

Bringing colour to the ‘Painted Bird’

October 21, 2019

New Europe sat down for an interview with Director Václav Marhoul. who presented his movie The Painted Bird in competition at the 76th Venice...

Europe reacts as UN elects serial abuser Venezuela to Human Rights Council

October 22, 2019

Activists across Europe have responded with outrage after Venezuela controversially won a fiercely contested vote for a seat on the UN's Human Rights Council...

Johnson asks for clear “yes” or “no” from Parliament on Brexit deal

October 21, 2019

Although UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson managed to secure a new deal with the EU on 17 October, the British Parliament had other plans...

Action needed on migration, before it’s too late

October 21, 2019

The most recent European Council meeting was all about Brexit and saw the EU and the UK come to an agreement at the 11thhour...

France unyielding on EU Enlargement, elections triggered in North Macedonia

October 19, 2019

The scenario that emerged late last week with multiple reports that France would oppose immediate decisions on EU Enlargement has come to pass. EU European...

EU calls for transparency amid Bolivia election chaos

October 22, 2019

Rioting broke out in at least nine cities in Bolivia amid ongoing confusion about the result of the country's presidential election on 20 October. The...

Reported sexual assault cases up in Germany since reform of legal statutes

October 22, 2019

The number of preliminary investigations into acts of sexual self-determination in Germany has increased by more than a third since stricter laws on sexual...

Brussels confirms Croatia’s Schengen preparedness

October 22, 2019

Based on the results of the evaluation process initiated in 2016, the EU Commission confirmed on 22 October that, after applying in 2015, Croatia...

EU Commission welcomes Bulgaria’s judicial reform

October 22, 2019

The European Commission adopted on 22 October its latest report on steps taken by Bulgaria to meet its commitments on judicial reform, the fight...

EIB to support climate action projects in Brazil

October 22, 2019

The European Investment Bank agreed on 22 October to provide €100m to Banco de Desenvolvimento de Minas Gerais, to support climate action projects in...

Juncker Plan greatly transforms European economy

October 22, 2019

According to the latest calculations by the Joint Research Centre and the Economics Department of the EIB Group, presented by the EU Commission on...

Issue 1307: Enlargement Kaput (Print Edition)

October 18, 2019

New Green Deal panacea for what ails EU

October 21, 2019

ATHENS – The New European Green Deal can open up new possibilities for development, employment, boost EU energy security and send a strong message...

Bringing colour to the ‘Painted Bird’

October 21, 2019

New Europe sat down for an interview with Director Václav Marhoul. who presented his movie The Painted Bird in competition at the 76th Venice...

EU Affairs

Reported sexual assault cases up in Germany since reform of legal statutes

October 22, 2019

The number of preliminary investigations into acts of sexual self-determination in Germany has increased by more than a third since stricter laws on sexual...

Norway and Brussels agree on interim appeal arbitration arrangement for WTO

October 22, 2019

The European Union and Norway have notified the World Trade Organization about an interim arrangement that was agreed by both sides on 21 October...

UNICEF says at least 16 million children are malnourished in the Middle East and North Africa

October 22, 2019

More than 16 million children under five years of age suffer from acute malnutrition in the Middle East and North Africa, a trend that...

End of an era for gay marriage and abortion legislation in Northern Ireland

October 22, 2019

Northern Ireland woke up to a new human rights regime on Tuesday, which allows access to abortion and same-sex marriage. That means that until abortion...

Opioid manufacturers settle to avoid trial in the US

October 22, 2019

Four drug manufacturers have reached a €235 million ($260m) deal two Ohio counties over their role in fueling the US opioid crisis. The counties had...

House of Commons begins three-day Withdrawal Agreement Debate

October 22, 2019

Boris Johnson will urge the House of Commons to back new Withdrawal Agreement published on Monday, as he launches a final bid to get...

Johnson asks for clear “yes” or “no” from Parliament on Brexit deal

October 21, 2019

Although UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson managed to secure a new deal with the EU on 17 October, the British Parliament had other plans...

IMF calls an Italian medium-term plan to reign over Italian debt

October 21, 2019

Italy requires a credible medium-term plan to reign over its public debt, the head of the International Monetary Fund’s Europe department Poul Thomsen said...

Dutch health minister compares dementia to AIDS epidemic

October 21, 2019

Dutch health minister Hugo De Jonge likened the growth of neurological conditions linked to dementia the 1980s epidemic of HIV and Aids on Friday. During...

A week of protests in Barcelona

October 21, 2019

The capital of Catalonia, Barcelona, entered the seventh day of protests on Sunday. Spain’s acting prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, is expected in Barcelona on Monday...

Action needed on migration, before it’s too late

October 21, 2019

The most recent European Council meeting was all about Brexit and saw the EU and the UK come to an agreement at the 11thhour...

Leaders' Perspectives

Klaus Schwab

Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum

Ending short-termism by keeping score

As finance ministers gather in Washington, DC, for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s annual meetings, they will face no shortage of urgent matters… Read More »

Egemen Bağış

Former EU Minister and Chief Negotiator of Turkey

What is Turkey’s military doing in Syria? Building peace, safety, stability and prosperity

My beloved country, Turkey has been fighting a number of terrorist organizations that present risk and threat to our national security for decades. The whole… Read More »

Jayati Ghosh

Lagarde’s edge is Europe’s opportunity

KASSANDRA

Enlargement dezinformatsia

October 21, 2019

France is taking the lead in filling the vacuum as a result of Brexit and several EU political leaders made a series of false...

Let’s get one thing straight: Reforms are, first and foremost, for national benefit

October 21, 2019

We can all argue about whether enlargement of the European Union is a good thing or not, but let us not try to sell...

Enlargement Kaput

October 17, 2019

As New Europe wisely predicted in recent weeks, neither Albania nor North Macedonia received a date at the EU Summit to launch negotiations for...

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...

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

IMF calls an Italian medium-term plan to reign over Italian debt

October 21, 2019

Italy requires a credible medium-term plan to reign over its public debt, the head of the International Monetary Fund’s Europe department Poul Thomsen said...

EU countries stall EIB plans to phase out funding for fossil fuels

October 18, 2019

The European Investment Bank (EIB) on 15 October postponed taking a decision to next month on whether to phase out lending to fossil fuels,...

Green light for Brexit deal from Brussels, but will London see it through?

October 17, 2019

The EU and the UK government have a deal. The parliament is a different question. "We have arrived at an agreement with the British government...

Waiting for Romania

October 16, 2019

Romania's Social Democrats-led government collapsed on 10 October after failing to secure a confidence vote. This now leaves the country's president Klaus Johannis in the...

Von der Leyen faces cabinet deadlines as Romania, Hungary and France delay new EU Commission

October 16, 2019

Deadlines are fast approaching for the formation of Ursula von der Leyen's cabinet are the confirmation process has yet to come to an end. The...

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...

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

Johnson asks for clear “yes” or “no” from Parliament on Brexit deal

October 21, 2019

Although UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson managed to secure a new deal with the EU on 17 October, the British Parliament had other plans...

Action needed on migration, before it’s too late

October 21, 2019

The most recent European Council meeting was all about Brexit and saw the EU and the UK come to an agreement at the 11thhour...

EU Council finds agreements, disagreements, and relief

October 21, 2019

With major issues to resolve, the EU Summit kicked off on 17 October with few doubts that Brexit would dominate the discussions; and it...

Johnson defies parliament and refuses Brexit delay negotiations

October 20, 2019

Britain will leave the European Union on October 31 despite an unsigned formal letter that Prime Minister Boris Johnson submitted on Saturday. The House of...

France unyielding on EU Enlargement, elections triggered in North Macedonia

October 19, 2019

The scenario that emerged late last week with multiple reports that France would oppose immediate decisions on EU Enlargement has come to pass. EU European...

DUP stands in the way of a Brexit deal

October 17, 2019

A tentative, technical Brexit deal between the European Union and Britain was nearing conclusion on Wednesday evening, which appeared to have the backing of...

EU National News

Reported sexual assault cases up in Germany since reform of legal statutes

October 22, 2019

The number of preliminary investigations into acts of sexual self-determination in Germany has increased by more than a third since stricter laws on sexual...

End of an era for gay marriage and abortion legislation in Northern Ireland

October 22, 2019

Northern Ireland woke up to a new human rights regime on Tuesday, which allows access to abortion and same-sex marriage. That means that until abortion...

Politicians receive death threats ahead of regional elections in Germany

October 22, 2019

Death threats have been sent to Green MP Dirk Adams and the Christain Democrat (CDU), Mike Mohring by a Neo-Nazi group ahead of local...

House of Commons begins three-day Withdrawal Agreement Debate

October 22, 2019

Boris Johnson will urge the House of Commons to back new Withdrawal Agreement published on Monday, as he launches a final bid to get...

Johnson asks for clear “yes” or “no” from Parliament on Brexit deal

October 21, 2019

Although UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson managed to secure a new deal with the EU on 17 October, the British Parliament had other plans...

IMF calls an Italian medium-term plan to reign over Italian debt

October 21, 2019

Italy requires a credible medium-term plan to reign over its public debt, the head of the International Monetary Fund’s Europe department Poul Thomsen said...

Dutch health minister compares dementia to AIDS epidemic

October 21, 2019

Dutch health minister Hugo De Jonge likened the growth of neurological conditions linked to dementia the 1980s epidemic of HIV and Aids on Friday. During...

A week of protests in Barcelona

October 21, 2019

The capital of Catalonia, Barcelona, entered the seventh day of protests on Sunday. Spain’s acting prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, is expected in Barcelona on Monday...

Spain offers citizenship to Sephardic Jews

October 21, 2019

Over 500 years after their descendants were expelled from Spain in 1492, more than 132,000 Jews have applied for Spanish nationality under a limited-term...

Greece’s Energean to sell Edison E&P North Sea assets

October 21, 2019

Greece’s Energean Oil and Gas announced on 14 October it has entered into a conditional Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) to sell Edison Exploration...

World News

UNICEF says at least 16 million children are malnourished in the Middle East and North Africa

October 22, 2019

More than 16 million children under five years of age suffer from acute malnutrition in the Middle East and North Africa, a trend that...

Kazakhstan to invite Vietnamese sewing industry experts

October 17, 2019

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan - The ninth meeting of the Kazakh- Vietnam intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation was held in the capital of Kazakhstan,...

Georgia’s last hope

October 16, 2019

It’s hard to imagine now, but Georgia was once an improbable success story. After the Rose Revolution in 2003, the small South Caucasus country...

UN-Google report shows that AI can help governments deliver public services

October 16, 2019

The way artificial intelligence can be leveraged for public services in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond is the focus of a new study of...

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...

THE ENLARGEMENT MONITOR

Enlargement dezinformatsia

October 21, 2019

France is taking the lead in filling the vacuum as a result of Brexit and several EU political leaders made a series of false...

France unyielding on EU Enlargement, elections triggered in North Macedonia

October 19, 2019

The scenario that emerged late last week with multiple reports that France would oppose immediate decisions on EU Enlargement has come to pass. EU European...

Enlargement Kaput

October 17, 2019

As New Europe wisely predicted in recent weeks, neither Albania nor North Macedonia received a date at the EU Summit to launch negotiations for...

France defies EU majority on enlargement

October 15, 2019

Only days after the leaders of the European Union's main institutions put pressure on the bloc to start accession talks with North Macedonia and...

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...

Germany defies US allowing Huawei to bid for 5G projects

October 17, 2019

German regulators released on Tuesday a set of network security guidelines allowing companies developing 5G infrastructure to engage China’s Huawei. Huawei will not be excluded...

UN-Google report shows that AI can help governments deliver public services

October 16, 2019

The way artificial intelligence can be leveraged for public services in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond is the focus of a new study of...

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...

NCOC and Shell drop Kalamkas-Sea and Khazar projects in Kazakhstan

October 21, 2019

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan - The North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC) consortium, whose shareholders are Kazakhstan’s Kazmunaygas (16.88%), Royal Dutch Shell, US’ ExxonMobil, France’s Total and...

Russia’s year-to-date gas supplies to Hungary exceed 2018 total

October 21, 2019

Russia gas monopoly Gazprom’s supplies to Hungary over nine and a half months of 2019 totaled 8.9 billion cubic metres of gas, 17% more...

Finland’s Hanhikivi-1 NPP main equipment manufacturing begins in Japan

October 21, 2019

GE Steam Power has started turbine-generator manufacturing for Finland’s Hanhikivi-1 nuclear power plant with generator rotor forging at the Japan Steel Works facilities in...

Turkish Stream branch from Belgrade to Srpska to start in 2020

October 21, 2019

Gazprom plans to supply Bosnia and Herzegovina with Russian gas that will be delivered to Europe via the Turkish Stream or TurkStream natural gas...

ENEL inaugurates largest wind farm in Greece

October 21, 2019

Italy’s Enel, through its Greek renewables subsidiary Enel Green Power Hellas (EGPH), said on 15 October the company has connected to the grid its...

Russian gas pipe to China being filled up with gas as scheduled

October 21, 2019

Russian gas monopoly Gazprom said the company is making preparations for the first pipeline supplies of Russian gas to China via the Power of...

EU countries stall EIB plans to phase out funding for fossil fuels

October 18, 2019

The European Investment Bank (EIB) on 15 October postponed taking a decision to next month on whether to phase out lending to fossil fuels,...

Spain offers citizenship to Sephardic Jews

October 21, 2019

Over 500 years after their descendants were expelled from Spain in 1492, more than 132,000 Jews have applied for Spanish nationality under a limited-term...

US’ religious landscape is changing at a rapid pace

October 21, 2019

The proportion of US adults who describe themselves as being members of a Christian denomination has fallen to two-thirds, a drop of 12 percentage...

ODIHR releases freedom of religion policy guide

October 21, 2019

During the recent Human Dimension Implementation Meeting of the Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe in Warsaw, the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions...

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...

Supported by the Faith and Freedom Summit Coalition

STAKEHOLDER VIEWS

Association of European Journalists(AEJ)
By Otmar Lahodynsky

Poland’s rainbow of enemies

October 8, 2019

A young bank employee, Dorota, looks around anxiously before quietly saying, "Under the current government, we already have less freedom than we had during...

NOVA COMPETITIVIDADE
By Francisco Jaime Quesado

Once upon a time in Europe

October 21, 2019

Ursula von der Leyen and the new European Commission will formally face the challenge of creating a new strategic challenge for Europe on 1...

New Europe Columns

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

France unyielding on EU Enlargement, elections triggered in North Macedonia

October 19, 2019

The scenario that emerged late last week with multiple reports that France would oppose immediate decisions on EU Enlargement has come to pass. EU European...