cafebabel.com

Political husbands' and wives' circus in Europe

('Ja\xc5\xa1a Pipan',) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:03:46 -0000

On 24 January the wife of disgraced former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Anne Sinclair, made her debut as the editor of the first European version of the American news website Huffington Post. Our French, Spanish, Polish, German, Italian and British editors react on the choice

Britain-Europe: confessions of an angry Lib Dem

('dominicmaciver',) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:42:58 -0000

Type 'What Defines an English Person' into google right now and see the top result - this is how unpopular we are with the rest of the world, especially after the UK chose not to join a new EU treaty governing the finance system. Europe has divided a two-headed monster, 'Clammeron', in half: the government led by David Cameron and Nick Clegg since 2010 has been spliced together by iron threads of political contingency

Europe day 2011: Robert Schuman's dream: is it yours?

('Nettah',) — Mon, 09 May 2011 13:11:55 -0000

After drifting aimlessly for some time, the European union has reached crisis point. It has lost its way and with it popular legitimacy. Anti-Europeanism is now the currency of choice in many EU state

Confused, Cameron? Don’t abandon multiculturalism just yet

('Daniel G. Ross',) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:23:39 -0000

There's nothing particularly new in the British prime minister's 5 February claims that multiculturalism has failed. But there is something worrisome about his speech, and not only because other English-speaking countries are looking to Britain as they debate the merits of their own multiculturalism policies. View from Canada

Ireland, bailout and latest cafebabel.com blog 'Euromyths'

('ggbrunt',) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:45:34 -0000

Once again the presentation in the media of the financial rescue package of a eurozone country is plainly wrong. The so-called 'bailout' does not consist in a gift of capital to Ireland, and taxpayers are most likely not to pay anything as a consequence. Extract from cafebabel.com's blog in the dock

Belfast riots 2010: Orange Order, not girl guides

('Tim Mac an Airchinnigh',) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:01:16 -0000

More bad news from the North? On the evening news in the Irish Republic, a report on the Belfast riots in catholic districts came third after a local car crash and economics reports. In the shadow of the 1998 peace process, the riots are the product of raging frustration in a shattered community

Cafe Niesen in Prenzlauer Berg: no children please

('Emily Corfe',) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:20:44 -0000

Prams, buggies, babies, toddlers, kids... you name it, anything child related, Prenzlauer Berg will have it. This includes a cafe which has been open since 2005 but is getting media attention now - extract from the official blog of the cafebabel.com team in Berlin

President dead: what political future for Poland?

('Dave Keating',) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:16:51 -0000

An election for a new president will need to be held in sixty days, but it’s hard to see how Polish society can pull itself together so quickly since their top illuminaries were largely killed in a plane crash on 10 April. Extract from cafebabel.com's Belgium-based American blogger 'Gulf Stream Blues'

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

Unions, strikes and snow: Europe's 12 days of christmas discontent

('Tim Mac an Airchinnigh',) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:09:41 -0000

Is spreading the misery really the best way to get what we want? Inspired by the British High Court banning British Airways’ cabin crew's decision to take twelve festive days of industrial action, we take a look at the latest glut of stars and strikes to hit Europe

Copenhagen climate: what the EU is being asked to commit billions for

('Chris Coxon',) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:20:51 -0000

Confused by talk of CO2 concentration and parts per million? In the run up to Copenhagen, what is all the fuss about climate change?

Babelblogs on bureaucracy: a Lithuanian looks for medical help in Tel Aviv

('Daiva Repe\xc4\x8dkait\xc4\x97',) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:16:21 -0000

Health insurance is not institutionally universal here in Israel. My advice? Don't go to live in Israel unless you're perfectly healthy and have no inclination towards extreme sports, and so on. And don't wear high-heels, just in case

Historical dinner live: on the menu, one president

('Arnaud Houdmont',) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:32:18 -0000

Tony Blair? (or David Miliband?) Herman van Rompuy? Peter Balkenende...? The culmination of a long, outdrawn and rather undemocratic process that is shaping the future of Europe is nigh; 19 November, to be precise, and the cafebabel.com Brussels team are invited - check their blog out this evening

European bloggers describe their Berlin walls

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:20:11 -0000

Monday is 9 November, the day when the Berlin wall was brought down. To reflect on this iconic modern historical event for the eurogeneration, citizen journalists from five cafebabel.com local teams - Sofia, Budapest, Turin, Strasbourg and Istanbul - simultaneously blogged one day about the walls they see in their cities

Calling Europe’s anarchist class 2008-2009: no need to smash bank windows

('james whyte',) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:42:38 -0000

Today, anarchy has nothing to offer the public; a five-year-old sat in McDonalds could think of a better way to govern the people. Those that push it – the protesters on Europe's streets, as most popularly depicted in the media - are merely self-serving fools who ignore what democracy has done for us, and who are driven by some sort of warped fantasy of idyllic life

67% in Ireland say 'yes' to the Lisbon treaty

("Daniel O'Leary",) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:15:44 -0000

On 2 October, the Irish public allowed changes to the constitution to ratify the Lisbon treaty. The 'resounding' and 'convincing' vote dispels fears that the referendum would pass by a slim margin and demonstrate a lack of Irish faith in the democratic process, and in the EU

Five reasons why Italian should be Europe's lingua franca

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:00:00 -0000

There are various solutions to fortifying Europe and creating mutual understanding. As far as I am concerned, Dante’s language is perfect for the common good of all Europeans

Lisbon vote no: a second referendum? How democratic

("Daniel O'Leary",) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:16:40 -0000

It’s ironic that the Irish 'No' to Lisbon in June 2008 was taken as a blow to Europe and a step away from democracy, when the treaty would take away our right to vote at all. Focus on media bias and the illusion of choice

Lisbon treaty: I'm voting yes for jobs and climate change

('bartstoran',) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:11:05 -0000

Democracy, cross-border crime and climate change are issues that resonate with young Irish people, a 'yes' campaigner says, which is why people should vote for the EU reform Lisbon treaty in a referendum on 2 October

Lisbon treaty: Ireland shouldn't feel obliged to vote yes

('Tim Mac an Airchinnigh',) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:22:57 -0000

Remember that other time that Irish voters were told they had returned the wrong result in Nice in 2001? Citizens shouldn't feel they 'owe' anyone on 2 October

Eurovision 2009: kitsch but politically correct

('Gemma Turner',) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:02:26 -0000

Watching the best party that a flagging Europe is supposed to provide reminds me more of watching the antics at an elderly relative’s birthday party. Extravaganza, my eye. The only aspect that continues to emerge like a beast year in, year out is its political censorship from Spain to Russia

2 days in Warsaw: Solidarnosc, cult Polish documentaries and Berlusconi

('Lydia Bigos',) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:42:13 -0000

For two days at the end of April 2009, the Polish capital becomes the 'centre of Europe' as the EU's largest centre-right party descend on the city. Quality time spent between British, Spanish and Polish colleagues raises an understanding of what the last twenty years mean, and the gap between east and west. Opinion

The European parliament should have a stronger role

Mon, 04 May 2009 12:15:00 -0000

Tommaso Padoa Schioppa, economist and former Italian finance minister, has launched an appeal for MEPs and candidates to reinforce the parliament's strength against a backdrop of crisis and global instability. This manifesto has been signed by: Jerzy Buzek, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Jean-Luc Dehaene, Jacques Delors, Wim Kok, Paavo Tapio Lipponen, Péter Medgyessy, Wolfgang Schüssel, Mario Soares, Peter Sutherland and Guy Verhofstadt

Island fever: Martinique and Guadeloupe’s 'people are suffocating'

('Fiona Herdman Smith',) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:48:42 -0000

The fuse lit in Guadeloupe in reaction to high living costs and an alienating 'cultural integration' has ignited Martinique. Could French Guiana in South America and La Réunion in the Indian Ocean follow, before the flames reach mainland France? Opinion from a young Martinican

Bologna Process: French universities react

('bellaonbabel',) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:59:55 -0000

At the end of 2008, Spanish, Italian and Greek universities showed their discontent. In 2009 it is France’s turn to denounce the consequences of the Bologna Process, which recommended a more hierarchical ‘management’ of universities. A professor explains why

ETA kill again: Bombay's terrorist echoes in Europe

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:36:17 -0000

I hear the echo on 3 December less than 100km from my house. A man falls to the floor after repeated shots in the chest and head. It hurts to be Basque at these moments, when the pride of belonging to this magic and milenial people is torn out of you again; the terrorist group condemn us to living in the hell of identity

Teachers in France and Germany: not lazy sacks

('Emily Griffins',) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:00:00 -0000

Spending your time passing on your knowledge of and passion for language and literature - what a wonderful job! However in German and French society, the profession is still unable to shake off its crop of clichés. Vies from two teachers from either side of the Rhine

Europe: between pragmatism and utopia

('Igor Caldeira',) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:15:06 -0000

Dutch, French, Irish - synonymous with ‘eurosceptic’? Does 'No' mean 'No Europe', 'No to Europe' or 'No to this Europe'? What other Europe could there be if there is just one geographical, political, historical and cultural reality?

Too much English spoken in Europe?

('Sarah Gray',) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:33:10 -0000

The European Day of Languages on 26 September has prompted some to ask whether we need to re-assess the dominance of the English language in Europe, and in the European economy. Should there be a linguistic tax on English speakers?

Expresso: 'scandalous' use of asbestos-ridden EU parliament building

('Marios Matsakis',) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:47:09 -0000

The Cypriot environment and health MEP Marios Matsakis, a professional forensic pathologist, calls for transparency on the health risk to all MEPs in the ten-year old building

Expresso: do we say gypsies, Roma or Rroma?

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0000

Saimir Mile, president of the 'La Voix des Rroms' (The Voice of the Roms) association in France, says that the European media should spell Roma like the people themselves do. First in our 'expresso' series launching common linguistic bones of contentions

The Caucasus war viewed through Europe's blogs

('Ole Skambraks',) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:35:50 -0000

Blogospheres are vibrating in the aftermath of the war in the Caucasus. The need to understand and debate is huge, as spin doctors have been manipulating the news on both sides

If Belgium became the new Czechoslovakia

('Roman Moravcik',) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:21:58 -0000

Are the Flemish and Walloons against a split like the Slovaks and Czechs were in 1992? Would it be down to politicians to decide a split? Economic repercussions, language problems and sports ratings – a Slovak perspective on how a country dissolves

French EU presidency: vox-pop on the streets of Paris

('Sarah Meleleu',) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:56:49 -0000

What do Europeans (and not just Europeans) think of the French European Union presidency’s journey through Paris? Will it be able to solve the European Union’s current problems?

Typically Italian elections in April

('Sarah Gray',) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0000

On 13 and 14 April the Italians go to the polls under an electoral law that no-one is happy with. Majority rule or proportional representation? A two percent or four percent cut-off clause? What is the best solution for Italy?

No Lisbon treaty referendum for the Brits

('Adriano Farano',) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

A Europhile goes against the British PM's masquerade, as the bill has its first reading in the House of Lords on 12 March

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

Opening the EU to the people

Thu, 06 Apr 2006 12:00:00 -0000

That the EU has rarely been more misunderstood can be seen in the rejection of the Constitution in France and Netherlands last year. In this climate, it is vital to improve the transparency of the EU