cafebabel.com

Spain, country in a (property) bubble

('ckb',) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:38:45 -0000

Dearest European neighbours: I am sorry to inform you that the crisis in Spain does not have anything to do with the crisis in your countries. Our case is not simply rooted in 'structural problems', as it were, but literally in cement

My Zagreb Vitriol: remembering Croatia’s anti-government protests

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:15:00 -0000

As France, the UK and the Netherlands keep the country at arm’s length, the fact is that its almost six-year candidacy to the European union is almost complete in 2011. Anti-government protests against corruption and political incompetence marked the Croatian capital in February, and cafebabel.com sampled the ongoing street passions in March

Seville’s photovoltaic energy, as invented by Archimedes

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 20 May 2011 11:00:00 -0000

In March 2011 wind energy production surpassed that of nuclear energy production, marking a first in the history of renewable energy in Spain. Yet the underlying paradox is that wind has supplied 16% of the electricity produced in 2010 in the sunniest country in Europe - but the sun is responsible for a mere 2.7%...

Iberian, Italian and German press on: No Zapatero for Spain 2012 election

('euro topics',) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 12:58:39 -0000

On 2 April José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, prime minister of Spain and the leader of the Spanish socialist workers' party, announced that he will not run for re-election next year. Zapatero leaves with dignity, but his policies were dashed on the rocks of the economic crisis, Europe's press writes

Konik: life in biggest Balkan Roma refugee camp, Montenegro

('Bella3726',) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:00:00 -0000

This important refugee camp in Podgorica of Roma hailing from Kosovo had their homes referred to by The Guardian as a 'stinking rubbish tip'. Yet the ambitious young people living there are future masters of hip-hop and their destiny

Editors parents speak: Generations 1950 and 1960 on Generation 1980

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:45:00 -0000

A generation separates us. The space of two decades allows our parents an affectionate but criticial vision on our generation, born in the eighties. From video games and unemployment to travel and money, time for one last pan-European lecture

Job hunting in Brussels: serenity of the hopeless

('gem',) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:40:49 -0000

Anna is a German university student who has just turned twenty and is looking for a job in the European capital. She ould like to remain anonymous – but her story is representative of an entire generation of young Europeans

81 billion pounds later: Brits avoid bankruptcy

('euro topics',) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:02:44 -0000

The British government announced a barrage of drastic austerity measures on 20 October: major cuts in social welfare and almost half a million jobs in the public sector axed. British, Finnish, Danish and Dutch commentators find these public sector cuts, the biggest since world war two, harsh, unfair and extremely dangerous for the economy

Europeans terrorised by unemployment, not by terrorism on TV

('Nettah',) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:30:00 -0000

Particularly in Italy, European television is obsessed with crime and terrorism,but the economic situation and the employment crisis are our real concerns. A recent report on the 'fears of Europeans' seeks to explain why

Changing job? Everyone can do it

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:40:48 -0000

What do Carla Bruni, Angela Merkel, Sean Connery or J.K. Rowling have in common with Marta, Jesus, Joanne, Jose Ramon and Miriam...

Young graduates: 'generation lost' describe ideal and worst jobs

('Silvia Alexe',) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 11:29:44 -0000

People dream about their ideal job whilst working in the furthest removed ones. Four young Europeans from Paris and Athens via Brussels and Vienna speak

Emilie Turunen on unpaid interns: ‘we risk losing our generation’

('Andrew Burgess',) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:34:42 -0000

In her soon-to-be-adopted youth unemployment rapport, the 26-year-old Dane has surely rewritten the tune of an infernal chorus. At 26, who better than the youngest member of the current European parliament to discuss a disenchanted population?

Irish artists in Berlin, a city 'always and never in crisis'

('M\xc3\xa9abh Mc Mahon',) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:45:00 -0000

Whilst Irish artists like Paul Diamond and You're Only Massive become better known in Berlin, stages in Irish bars remain empty. With less people investing in upcoming Irish talent, the young generation will continue to migrate to artistic-friendly places like Berlin to follow their musical dream

To be or to be in Berlin: poor but (creatively) rich

('Camelia Ivanova',) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:22:59 -0000

Money and the crisis are not on the agenda for Berliners who can focus on different things, such as art. 'Being poor is not cool, but OK,' is the word on the street. It all looks very promising for someone from Bulgaria, the EU's officially poorest country, where a lack of money, unlike cheap glamour, can never be a virtue

Spain's EU presidency: Numantian resistance?

('James Friscia',) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:33:21 -0000

The Numantians burnt their own city down when they lost a thirteen-month Roman siege. There are references to Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's similar resistence with the current Spanish presidency of the European Union, which ends on 1 July. The term has limped along with more grief than glory, despite propaganda efforts in Brussels. Opinion

Minimum European income to fight poverty?

('James Friscia',) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:35:47 -0000

Given persistent shortcomings of minimum wage policies, legislators and organisations instead debate the merits of ‘minimum income’ to combat poverty in Europe. But it remains to be seen whether the EU parliament will force continent-wide reforms

Europe’s graduates: lecture halls to poverty lines

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:00:00 -0000

At best, many graduates find themselves facing a marathon of internships, and at worst a life under the poverty line. Unemployment in times of crisis brings social consequences too. The EU is reacting to prove that a degree is for life, and not just for christmas

PIIGS unwelcome in the EU parlour: war of words rocks Eurozone

("naomi o'leary",) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:00:00 -0000

Despite Silvio Berlusconi’s dreams, the next member of the Eurozone is unlikely to be Israel; even Croatia or Turkey have taken a back seat. The current pan-EU squabble is over who should have been admitted to the eurozone in the first place

Anderlecht, Molenbeek, Schaarbeek: spot the crime in Brussels

('Thimi Samarxhiu',) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:21:47 -0000

Petty crime and unemployment rates (17.6%) are high in inner city Brussels, which registers a low violent crime rate in Europe. Nevertheless, police arrested 12 Belgian Albanians linked to a crime gang on 15 February*, whilst certain districts remain dangerous. Is this down to the crisis?

Marc Guerrero: Catalan MEP on Spain, unemployment and van Rompuy

('theroxbox',) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0000

Youth unemployment has become one of the biggest challenges facing the EU. In Spain the figure has reached 43% amongst those aged 15-26. We discuss this problem and the new era that Europe faces with the youngest ever leader of the European liberal democrats (ELDR)

Slash your bonus wrists: what bankers want for christmas

('Lindsey Evans',) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Quite a remarkable christmas list found its way into my hands recently in France. 'Basically, Father Christmas, I just don’t know what more I can do to get decent payment for my hard work and the hard work of my brothers and sisters. That’s why I’m counting on you to change things.' At first glance, who would you assume these people were? Unemployed young people hit by the recession? Generation precarity? Underpaid interns?

Startups, ethics and the crisis: focus on young people in Turin

('Elaine Jordan',) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:33:30 -0000

After the crisis months of unemployment, training and scholarship schemes, some Italian youngsters decide to swap 'instability' for life as an entrepreneur. Examples from the industrial city of Turin

European social funds and the case of start-ups in France

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:45:00 -0000

Setting up in business without any advice can be a little like doing sports without any training. There’s professional help available in the form of an entrepreneurial incubator; the ESF’s purpose is to finance these intermediary structures. In the 2007 French film ‘The Grocer’s Son’, a youth takes over his father’s rural travelling store - like Caroline

Film review Germany: interns feature in 'Résiste - Aufstand der Praktikanten'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0000

'A Quantum Revolution' has been screening in German cinemas since 12 November

Europe's youth stack up the degrees to shun the dole

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:02:27 -0000

With one out of five under-25s job-hunting in Europe, many opt to continue studying as long as it takes to avoid signing up on the dole. Diverse realities of a generation in the middle of the crisis

2009's graduate flavour comes in crisis: part one, England and Ireland

('Eimear Blee',) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:05:04 -0000

Two language and literature graduates compare their experiences of entering the work world in 2009. Part one in a job testimony series of young Europeans based at home

Europe's five million unemployed youth

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:00:00 -0000

The impact of the world economic crisis is being felt on the European workforce. Since the start of 2009, 18.3% of people under 25 have been out of work. It's a figure that's been on the rise since 2008

Young Spaniards escape crisis by moving around in Europe

('Astrid vW',) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:40:22 -0000

Three out of ten Spaniards under 25 are unemployed. This group is the hardest hit by the crisis and has the highest unemployment rate in the EU (35.4%). Unfair dismissals, businesses closing, poor wages and working conditions... Young Europeans and specifically the Spaniards, don’t have it easy, but they are facing up to it. Those that can, leave their country in search of a more promising future in Europe, seeing this adventure as a long-term investment

15.5% unemployment, diaspora: Lithuanians try luck elsewhere

('Darren Thompson',) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:13:39 -0000

Whilst Vilnius welcomes visitors from around the world because of its status as the European capital of culture 2009, countless are leaving the country in an attempt to escape widespread unemployment and salaries which are under the European average for the most part

European elections night: I was watching TV

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:55:58 -0000

The night that most centre-left governments took their batterings, you might have caught a show about an unemployed mother-of-two in Spain or the final of 'The Apprentice' in the UK. Glance at the programmes for which viewers gave up the EU election coverage ghost on the evening of 7 June; results came out at 8pm, signalling a lower voter turnout than 2004

Languages: Dutch amidst French in bilingual Brussels

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:27:21 -0000

On the footpaths of Brussels your ears catch a litany of languages. In this European city, the official status of the bilingualism can be seen everywhere, especially in job advertisements. Is this a question of identity or discrimination in recruitment?

Brussels crisis: be creative, become an entrepeneur

('Sarah Pybus',) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0000

The crisis is confronting young entrepreneurs in Brussels. Whilst some have excellent qualifications, those who don’t have a battle on their hands

Brussels: a city of life-long interns

('rhiannon_nicolson',) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:26:52 -0000

We meet young foreigners in a capital full of multinationals, institutions and the need for multilingual interns

Lívia Járóka: female, Roma and Euro MP

('rhiannon_nicolson',) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:33:52 -0000

The first female Roma member of the European parliament takes stock of her first term in office and announces that she will run in this year’s European elections in June. We talk women, Roma statistics and the EU institutions

Seville: Cuba, communists and anticapitalists for the elections!

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:59:50 -0000

Spotlight on the epicentre of southern Spain, whose ruling socialist-communist government leans more towards Cuba than Europe. In the land of the mileuristas - so-called '1000 euros a month-ers' - the rude gap is being bridged with an increasingly politically alternative feeling before the European elections in June 2009

Europe's unemployment freefall

('Darren Thompson',) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 11:00:00 -0000

Guess what Eurostat, the statistical office of the European commission, says in its latest unemployment figures for the last trimester of 2008 ...

'The Wonderous World of Laundry': forgiving free market in Berlin and Warsaw

('Lydia Bigos',) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:37:44 -0000

The global credit crunch has quickly established it self to be a test of European solidarity. The government in Berlin faces a particularly difficult challenge as 2009 brings them the presidential elections and the elections for European parliament. This is also the time to fulfil the promise of opening up the German labour market to the ten new EU states, including Poland. Will pre-election fever deal with the ever-increasing unemployment on both sides of the Odra River – without compromising the strong relationship between Berlin and Warsaw?

Riots in Latvia: the dream of a fast buck is over

('Andrew Christie',) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:39:45 -0000

During Latvia’s economic miracle period many people lived beyond their means. Now it is payback time. 14 January saw the fraught situation in the country escalate. A mass demonstration against the centre-right government ended in violent rioting; 'everything is not ok'

Morale at half mast as the EU enters recession

('Michelle Williams',) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:00:00 -0000

Consumers or businesses? They both have the same problems. The terrible unemployment figures do not help morale. Latest titbit news from Brussels

Unemployment in Europe

('Hayley Worsley-Carter',) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:20:32 -0000

The financial crisis has meant that unemployment is back amidst the problems Europeans are facing - statistics, provided by the latest Eurostat report

America: five eurosceptic myths about sick old EU

('Steven Hill',) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:00:11 -0000

With the stock market jittery over Iraq, the housing crisis and huge trade deficits, investors are wringing their hands about the US economy. Chinese and Indian economies roar, but what about Europe on the eve of the EU-US summit in Slovenia on 9-10 June

Eurostat: unemployed in Paris, but not in London

('Andrew Burgess',) — Thu, 29 May 2008 02:00:00 -0000

The EU publishes its official figures on unemployment in the 27 Europe countries on 30 May. But are the socioeconomic realties really comparable from one country to another? Debate

Suicide and stress in the workplace

('John Smith',) — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:45:00 -0000

Enslaved into the rhythm of work, are employees mere instruments of their jobs? Stress clogs up the cogs of any enterprise. What are the causes of this troubling phenomenon?