cafebabel.com

Paris, Krakow: the crop of Europe's pretty urban green

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:29:13 -0000

The tallest building in the world, the 828 metre (2716 ft) high Burj Khalifa skyscraper, was unveiled in Dubai at the beginning of January. Nowadays the question is more of building outwards rather than upwards, with four buzzwords - happiness, ecology, smartness and economy - via two city models

EU-US: 'If this was Formula One, Europe would still be working on its motor'

('euro topics',) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:30:00 -0000

US president Barack Obama will not be attending the EU-USA summit planned for May. The official explanation given is that he wishes to devote himself to domestic problems. The German, Belgian and Czech press, however, suspects that he doesn't want to waste time in Europe, which still hasn't found a collective voice

The Italian malaise: 'a country for old folks, run by old folks'

('k8transl8',) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:21:59 -0000

The 27 stories in Italian journalist Sergio Nava's 'Brain Drain' (2009) share one common thread: every single interviewee decided to leave Italy. In the book-cum-blog, the 34-year-old tries to find the origins of an injustice now afflicting young Italians, and speaks of the angst of a generation who have felt forced to export their talent abroad - and successfully at that. Interview

Pierre Schellekens: ‘EU is partnership of member states, not rule of the strongest'

('Guy Dammann',) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:23:04 -0000

At 2 metres 09, the 37-year-old cuts an imposing figure. Politically active whilst a student in Gothenburg in the early nineties, he was appointed head of the Swedish EU delegation in February. At home in his apartment in the leafy, quiet area around Stockolm's Odengatan, he talks Sweden’s presidency of the EU, which runs from July to December

Modern pirates use GPS in Somalia

('Erin Woycik',) — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 -0000

Recent attacks on Spanish and French ships highlight the insecurity of maritime activities. The EU is confronted by a challenge which puts its capacity to create a policy protecting common security into question

Radar station for US anti-missile defence on Czech soil?

('Susannah Readett-Bayley',) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0000

But it hadn’t banked on such a large opposition from two thirds of the population and such an angry reaction from its future neighbours. A return to the cold war?

Exploiting unpaid interns: rites of passage?

('c\xc3\xa9dric AUDINOT',) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Associations like Generation Precarity or Fairwork expose an exploited flexible labour force with intermittent incomes and no job security

Greece, Portugal and Romania: save your species!

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Is Europe acting fast enough to halt irreversible biodiversity loss?

Albania: 'Nato yes, PM Berisha no!'

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0000

Whilst Tirana celebrated an invitation to join the Nato alliance alongside Croatia on 2 April, the opposition mobilised itself to denounce the government

Batman, goats and internet in Cavas do Monte, Portugal

('Martyn Hawkins',) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

The living conditions in the north Portuguese mountaintops of S. Pedro do Sul have hardly changed in hundreds of years. Bit by bit, however, the uniting, modernising world is moving in, and the children are moving out

The future is death metal-inspired art in Kosovo

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Contemporary art is just one bright face of the Kosovo prism, from which the works of the likes of 29-year-old visual artist Artan Balaj refract

Young Europeans on love, brothels and Beach Boys in Kosovo

('Pim de Kuijer',) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Despite the lack of vegetables and electricity, or precisely because of it, young Swedes, Dutch and French Europeans enjoy working in this remote, recently independent, spot of Europe

An Oscar for Geert Wilders please

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:31:00 -0000

'Fitna' the film means evil, European parliament has a fake birthday and ousted gay Iranians - it's your latest news from Brussels

Kosovo independence: your reactions

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

On 17 February, the state declared independence from Serbia, amidst a split EU outlook. Kosovar, Serb and Russian youth sound out their reactions on the day

Ireland: 64% unsure on ratifying Lisbon treaty

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Debates continue in the EU - to partner or accede Turkey? Plus a new 'Justice Forum' from the European commission - the latest news from Brussels

Eco-suburbs: Vauban, Freiburg

('Sarah Gray',) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0000

The district in south-west Germany is a pioneering development that puts into action innovative rules for communal living in a unique environment. But this paradise of purity is not without its faults

Rennes: 'Helloo, immigrants'

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0000

The scene is set: Place de l’Europe, shops, blocks of flats on the horizon and 'Le bar de l'Europe'. At the heart of this little tarmacked tower of babel, Europe is not the stuff of dreams

Immigration: the plight of Poles in France

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Poland has been an official EU country since 1 May 2004. While Poles have the right to move freely around France, things get a lot more complicated when it comes to getting a job

Europe in 2007

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:00:00 -0000

What is in store for new year's Europe? We look at the upcoming leaders, movers and shakers who will transform the face of the EU in 2007

Meeting Middle Eastern challenges

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 12:00:00 -0000

Water shortages and technological underdevelopment are ruffling feathers in Arab countries. The Euro-Arab Conference on Environment, from November 27 - 29 in Kuwait, tries to smooth them out

Montenegro goes on sale

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 12:41:00 -0000

For years the unspoiled beauty of Montenegro used to be the best kept secret in Europe. Now the sights of old Venetian squares, spectacular mountains, bays, sandy beaches are once more a favourite destination for globe-trotters around the world

Poor education levels spur reading programmes in Spain

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 02:00:00 -0000

In Andalusia, a new school year has just begun. Town councils strive to introduce and fund more innovative efforts to promote reading

Spain: Between bombs and calls for freedom

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 16:25:00 -0000

192 deaths and thousands of injuries was a harsh wake up call for Spain. On March 11, the country started their fight against Jihadist terrorism

Squabbles and wrangles in the Muslim world

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 07:29:00 -0000

Despite a population of 15 million Muslims in Europe, stereotypes are still strong: Islam = terrorism. Muslim organisations fail to tackle the identity crises that destabilise their communities

Europe’s anti-terror alert systems are out of tune with each other

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:24:00 -0000

The planned terror attacks uncovered in London are putting the alert systems of every European country to the test. Find out how these work and which alert levels are currently in place.

Membership brinkmanship in the Balkans

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 12:37:00 -0000

For years we promised to accept the Balkan states’ bid to enter the EU. As politicians slow down the integration process, the region is further destabilised

Europe and the Middle East: brothers in arms

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 12:00:00 -0000

Though European governments have been quick to criticize the escalation of violence in the Middle-East, the EU still sells weapons to Israel and Lebanon. Europe needs to strengthen its arms trade Code of Conduct

Why Europe should dare to be dull

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 11:00:00 -0000

Over a year after the French and Dutch referenda said no to the constitution, commentators continue to talk about a ‘crisis.’ Yet the European project is alive and well. Andrew Moravcsik tells us why

Looking for a cure for the European crisis

Mon, 06 Feb 2006 02:00:00 -0000

Europe is working to find a lasting cure for the crisis.