Eurogeneration

Another 'new wave' of young European cinema

In the 1950s journalist Françoise Giroud coined the term ‘nouvelle vague’ in the columns of French weekly magazine 'l’Express' to describe a new group of insolent, revolutionary and incredibly talented directors. Now François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard are 'out of fashion', a new generation of directors are shaping the seventh art. These include a 22-year-old 'bobo' and pedantic Quebecer who is stirring up European cinema, whilst other French(wo)men jacks-of-all-trades act, produce, direct and sing in their own feature films. The award-winning Danes and Bulgarians pinpoint the problems of their times, be it about substances, sex or the sad end of the world, whilst one German director turns his nose up at the past and its worn-out refrains. Read the special edition (Image: © Kristof)

• Read the special edition Another 'new wave' of young European cinema
• Hipster director, Quebecer, who cares? Welcome to Xavier Dolan's world
• Von Trier, Bier, Mikkelsen: Denmark cleans up at European Film Awards 2011
• Twins who row – more East Germany than The Social Network in ‘Westwind’
• French actress and singer Melanie Laurent’s directorial debut: ‘The Adopted’
• Lowdown on Bulgarian cinema in 2011

Eurozone summit: perspectives on economic crisis

We have heard these words so often that they have lost all meaning: global crisis, market failure, bank recapitalisation. Tonight once again, European governments will be searching for a way to minimise the crisis. Yet even if grounded in good faith, these decisions could simply stimulate current problems and protests

by blog Bruxelles @ // 26/10/11

eurogeneration, economic growth, angela merkel, belgium, politics, european institutions, economy

'Eurogeneration': 'Warriors' conquer Europe's metropolises

They are pictured standing proudly in front of the setting sun on the anonymous urban stages of Europe. They are all warriors, young champions of the first European generation. This generation still hasn’t figured out what makes up a European identity, but nonetheless embody this identity subconsciously, whether they are from Budapest, Vilnius or Lisbon

by cafebabel.com @ // 24/10/11

eurogeneration, photogallery, photo, europe, lifestyle, art, exhibition

When I was at the EU in the seventies...

For Europeans to find courage, we first have to be scared. So far it’s taken three big shocks to shake Europe into life: war in the 40s, an economic crisis in the 70s and the fall of the Berlin wall at the end of the 90s. The financial crash retakes the baton in the noughties. Time for the ‘euro-generation’ to take things into hand

by Beppe_Severgnini_Italians @ // 30/09/11

eurogeneration, jacques delors, politics, josé manuel barroso, europe, erasmus

English, British or European? My grandparents on UK in the EU

According to the Eurobarometer survey of autumn 2009, only 30% of UK citizens believe that our membership of the EU is 'a good thing'. Whilst this meagre piece of one of Eurobarometer’s many brightly-coloured and informative pies is up two points from the last survey, the fact remains that Joe Public fails to engage with the mysterious, supranational, sovereignty-gobbling entity that resides somewhere beyond the Channel

by Richard Vale @ // 23/03/11

eurogeneration, great-britain, identity, belgium, flag, politics, youth

cafebabel.com, ten years of generational citizen media...but of which generation?

Call us 'precarious', sling that 'hyper-connected' stick at us. Oh yes did we mentioned we are 'facebook addicts'? After Generation X, we're 'Generation Y', but we don't know WHY. The one thing we know is that it is 'our generation', though it seems our parent's generation know us better than we know ourselves. Theirs was a heady mix of communism, addictions, and more face-to-face interaction. Just look at the cinema marking our generation, which hasn't fully tried to depict an era of erasmus, facebook, budget flights or lifelong internships. Whilst one notable French activist-cum-politician rues the lack of a new generation with a voice, we try to go looking for what the current generation is about

• Read the special edition cafebabel.com, ten years of generational citizen media...but of which generation?
• Erasmus, 9/11, social networks mark unnamed eighties generation
• Ireland’s expat-emigrants: silver spoon diaspora
• Book review Germany: 'degree Facebook internship' generation
• Editors parents speak: Generations 1950 and 1960 on Generation 1980
• Psychology of Europe's youth: generation ‘no subject’
• French activist Julien Bayou on Europe's youth: 'Obvious to see why you’d be disenchanted'

Job hunting in Brussels: serenity of the hopeless

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

by Katja Heise @ // 16/12/10

eurogeneration, labour, lifestyle, youth, unemployment, society, brussels

Europe’s graduates: lecture halls to poverty lines

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

by Tanja Toplak @ // 26/04/10

eurogeneration, university, labour, germany, minimum wage, poverty, internships

Julien Frisch: quick chat about blogging in Europe

Believe in the European concept? Fantasise about a more transparent bureaucracy in Brussels? The answer is to blog. Well, this German does. The Berlin-based editor of bloggingportal.eu, a European blog portal, predicts what online European news will bring us in the coming years

by Emmanuel Haddad @ // 31/03/10

eurogeneration, censorship, european institutions, europe, european parliament, journalism, european commission

Paris: living cheaply in an expensive city

The crisis is an opportunity of redeeming a more democratic economy, capable not only of satisfying the individual, but especially the community. Young people in Paris are finding solutions based on reciprocity and co-operation

by Silvia Barbotto @ // 19/03/10

eurogeneration, labour, europe on the ground, paris, youth, economy, financial crisis

Brussels: young, gifted and going nowhere fast

They’re over-qualified, multilingual and come from every corner of the European Union. They moved to the Belgian capital to find an internship or job. A short report from the heart of this bustling microcosm

by céline Vigouroux @ // 24/02/10

eurogeneration, labour, belgium, languages, european institutions, youth, europe

Overqualified graduates desperately seek internships

They would be willing to pay to work: from the private sector to the European institutions, interns are the only category of 'workers' that we rarely hear complain. This is the story of the debate organised by cafebabel.com Brussels in the Belgian capital

by blog Bruxelles @ , Pablomombo @ , Mana Livardjani @ // 05/02/10

eurogeneration, bruxelles, jeudi noir, precarity, society, job, blogs

‘University mafia’ cut corners in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany and France

On 1 February, a new rector was allegedly appointed to the Alexander Dubcek university of Trencin in western Slovakia, after a spate of corruption scandals forced his predecessor to resign. Fake diplomas are nothing new, but these events multiplied across Europe in 2009, with Miss Worlds and prominent politicians standing accused: how can such a reality be explained?

by Sebastien Vannier @ , Michal Dimitrov @ // 04/02/10

eurogeneration, university, germany, czech republic, slovakia, students, professor

Meet the Erasmus elite: bright stars in a global recession?

What do a loud-mouthed English ladette, a svelte Ukrainian vamp, a dashing Polish casanova and a bagpipe-playing Frenchman all have in common? Bar-stool jokes aside, they're all members of YRN - the association of European regions' youth network. About 150 people meet annually to discuss how to use Europe to hoist them out of the economic doldrums. cafebabel.com caught up with them in Paris this December

by Tim Mac an Airchinnigh @ // 29/01/10

eurogeneration, paris, youth, regions, society, economic crisis, language

'Generation 112': the civic erasmus programme

The 'euro-militants' of this French initiative feel the need to expand the erasmus student exchange programme, by adding a spirit of civic service 

by Jane Mery @ // 26/01/10

eurogeneration, civil society, european voluntary service , expresso, euweek, society, volunteer

cafebabel's most commented articles of 2009

Imlaq on the Israel-Palestinian conflict: 'cafe babel is biased in writing only about Israelis.' Bob on French language learners: 'Americans and Britons probably don't do much better than the French when it comes to languages.' Oriane about the extreme right in Europe: 'It’s a pity to throw nazillon in everywhere.' Georges on the Erasmus programme: 'Most of the french students are afraid.' Peter about parlorama.eu: 'Miss Koch-Mehrin is one of the worst - she’s never at parliament!' A small compilation of the best reader comments in 2009 - be sure to leave us yours for 2010! Happy new year

• Read the special edition cafebabel's most commented articles of 2009
• Why would you not do Erasmus?
• Europe's far-right youth: '10 years ago we were 'Nazi losers'. Now it’s ok to be a Nazi'
• Eyewitness Israel: Gaza, war and the wall of incomprehension between Europe
• Parlorama.eu portal reopens despite EU politician threats
• Take back your Portuguese worker: how racist is Europe?
• French citizens ‘Balkan-level’ skill at the English language