Not a babelian yet?
On 13 November, Germany followed Italy with news of an official shrinking economy. It’s the first time the 15-nation region is hit since it was created in 1999
The Danish prime minister was the star of the annual European Liberals Congress in Stockholm between 30 - 31 October. They met to prepare their strategy in view of the June 2009 European elections. Exclusive interview
The time has come for a self-indulgent Spain to face up to a critical self-evaluation and structural reforms
In the EU, leaders struggle to commit to one package. In the US, presidential elections breathe priority back into the issue. As Nordic environmental ministers meet in Helsinki on 28 October, a side glance on where the climate sands in the hourglass are turning. An UN summit will be held in December, in the Polish city of Poznan
From Bulgaria to Germany, European politicians analyse the consequences of the global crisis
Addressing the European parliament on 21 October, the French hyperpresident called for an EU 'economic government'. His proposal for the partial nationalisation of key European companies has triggered controversy
The social scientist, advisor to the European commission and water activist on why the wars over blue gold have already begun
As European markets are fleeced by the US mortgage yak, institutions plunge, member states show levels of 'unEuropean' solidarity and citiziens scramble for their savings. 'The only solid reality is the word of God', Pope Benedict pipes in - we might just be finding out this autumn. Amen
Pulling together; the official word from the president of the European commission, which hit Europe's national dailys on 2 October
Ukraine accepts the aid it receives from the EU, but does not want to be considered a country merely situated 'close' to Europe. After events in South Ossetia and the EU-Ukraine summit on 10 September, the EU should give Ukraine a clear perspective of membership. Perspective
The environmentally-powered model is well established in the USA and Japan. Can it make the transition in Europe as well?
Europe’s privileged geopolitical situation is under threat. In the context of globalisation, climate and demographic change and the high cost of energy and food, Europe has to rethink its strategies
Spain lives with the feeling that economic crisis is hot on its heels. This is the prefect occasion to redefine its growth model that is currently based in tourism and construction
From 29 June to 3 July, the 19th World Petroleum Congress takes place in Madrid is attended by representatives from governments across the world, oil companies and international organisations
For an economy to reduce its carbon emissions whilst still continuing to grow requires certain flexibility. Such malleability is going to be necessary when the European Climate and Energy Package comes into being.
Euro 2004 was a huge commercial success, grossing 760 million euros in income. What are the prospects for Euro 2008, whose over one million tickets have already been sold?
Bertil Huger, director of Airbus Russia, answers young Europeans’ questions about the ambitious global strategy of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company
The EU’s economy will grow slower than expected, falling from 2.7% in 2007 to 2.0% in 2008. Things will worsen in 2009. Take a look at your countries’ growth rates
Associations like Generation Precarity or Fairwork expose an exploited flexible labour force with intermittent incomes and no job security
Background on the terrestrial fiscal paradise bordering Belgium, France and Germany
We’re more used to tightening our purse strings after the loss in purchasing power in countries like Spain. It’s become a veritable challenge to get to the end of the month for those who having to do a balancing act with their current accounts. How to buy for less?
Frozen incomes and an inflation rate above the European average - purchasing power is at a breaking point in a country where poverty particularly affects the younger population
Deep at the heart of the political debate the euro is often held responsible. Life is more expensive, but whose fault is it?
Of the world’s 50 cities with the highest costs of living, more than half, 27, are in Europe. London and Copenhagen head the list
The price of gas has already reached 100 dollars (70 euros) per Brent barrel. But inflation figures in Europe are getting out of control. The situation in each EU country
Magazines in auction rooms, high consumption in the art market - trend review
To shop or be shopped? The EU wants to tighten up the 2004 Intellectual Property Rights Directive. Many member states have already agreed on appropriate measures
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
Portuguese no to reform treaty referendum, the pan-EU music marketplace and Sarkozy’s press conference
Since December 21 2007, border controls have vanished inside the EU. The eastern border now seems like a fortress - what's 'big brother' in Slovak?
From 1 January 2008, Malta and Cyprus changed their currency to the euro, bringing the total number of member states in the eurozone to fifteen. Report from the capital of Europe's smallest state
With unemployment at more than 40%, the black market economy and a lack of political clarity acting as weights around the country's neck, the Kosovar market is searching for a way into the wider world and a definitive boom in its growth levels
Call a plumber for leaking Balkan and Turkey progress reports, bye-bye Bosnians! aka Lidija Topic's 'total recall' and EU Wining and Dining Day
Airbus A380 problems, an inside-trading scandal, delays in the delivery of the new A400M military carrier: it seems Franco-German industrial cooperation is having trouble taking off. However…
EU finance ministers come together on 9 October for the EcoFin meeting, where they will be putting member states’ levels of debt and national deficits under the microscope. They have France in their sights
On 19th September 1946, British Wartime leader Winston Churchill called for a ‘United States of Europe’ during a speech in Zurich. Sixty years later, the British still do not want to join a federalist project – time for reflection?
11% growth, 4.5% unemployment and a lot of liberalism: how the Baltic Tiger catches investors. Inflation means the euro won't be in place before 2012
Liberal reforms over the past decade have catapulted Estonia into one of the fastest-growing market economies of the European Union. But can the Baltic tiger keep up on the social agenda?
Insular for a long time, Albania has not always been a prime destination for travel agents. The current tourist craze for the Adriatic could benefit this little country on the Yugoslav peninsula
US mortgage crisis. On 6 September the European Central Bank choose between reducing interest rates or arresting inflation in Europe-27, and are keeping the official rate on standby
Having finally awoken to the danger faced by our planet due to global warming, politicians and citizens are working to build green and sustainable living spaces. From ecologically-friendly homes to ‘eco-neighbourhoods’, Europe is going greener by the day.
What do you Europeans really think of rising prices and inflation in the Eurozone?
60% of Europeans choose the summertime to escape from their daily routine and go on holiday. Of those, 55% take their car according to Eurostat
Malta and Cyprus win approval from the European Commission and the European Central Bank to become the respective 14th and 15th Eurozone members by 1 January
A journey of discovery through the city’s infrastructure – with a focus on young businessmen
In three years, Spain will be the first country in the world to have a 2.230km long railway network for high speed trains
The European Parliament approved funds for the new European transport networks on 23 May, leaving Italy with two months to prepare its proposals
Spanning north to south, stretching east to west: travelling in Europe as of 2020 will be easier and faster thanks to the upcoming Trans-European Transport Network (TEN)
France's 'transport revolution' takes place on 10 June, when the first phase of 'TGV Est', Europe's fastest railway link, opens
After Europe created the Space Policy, its principal satellite navigation project 'Galileo' is still paralysed by disputes between private companies in the international consortium
The atmosphere from within Iran is increasingly hostile - president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s nuclear ambitions don't help
An undercurrent of Euroscepticism circles the European Union. According to the Eurobarometer, only 54% of Europeans see the EU as something positive, whilst 34% consider it negative
Turkey is Germany's official partner country 2007 at the world famous technology trade fair from April 16-20. European partners - in more ways than one?
EU President Barroso calls for a common European energy policy, as Russian president Putin amongst others propose a gas cartel
The longtime neighbours and latest EU members know precious little about each other
The concept of working abroad has changed hugely - two generations explain why they left their countries. Third in our 'Crossed Portraits' series, marking 50 years of Europe
As riots hit Copenhagen after the demolition of a legal youth culture house, Barcelona considers its 300 squats in the look up to May’s municipal elections
A Spanish-speaking immigrant between immigrants - in Catalan Barcelona
A long tradition of international events and Olympics throwbacks - like Fòrum 2004 - have regenerated urban Barcelona, but haven’t always helped improve its European image
Sausages without pork - a Turkish businessman tries conquering the EU
Independent or not, today the people of Kosovo want only one thing: the end of the United Nations’ ‘occupation’ of their territory
In pre-civil war ambience, how are the Lebanese making a living?
Corruption stops German businesses settling in Bulgaria. But Mitko Vassilev of Sofia's German-Bulgarian Industry and Trade Council is optimistic
The new European regulation on chemical substances is here, both for industries and animals. But research does not get the last word
Italian MEP and REACH Rapporteur Guido Sacconi on the long haul for the regulation on chemical substances
400 million Euros from the Commission, $770 million from the US. But Lebanon remains consumed by instability
Longer hours of daylight, groomed slopes, cheap fares and a chance to explore über-foreign cuisine and culture. More and more are taking to Slovenian, Bulgarian, Czech and Bosnian slopes
In the style of Ski Dubai, the indoor skiing resort in the middle of the desert, ski domes are sprouting like mushrooms throughout Europe
The five-year-old Euro may be trading above the dollar, but a stronger currency can damage Europe
Winter is becoming disturbingly mild, humid and snow-less, a fact which is making the ski industry sweat
A whopping three out of four employees in Europe suffer from anxiety. How much is stress costing the Union?
Car manufacturers will have to reduce petrol consumption in all new vehicles, say the European Commission. Yet Angela Merkel wants to defend the interests of the German car industry
Integration must happen in-situ, with your neighbours - not with Brussels, says Slovak Ján Figel', European Commissioner for Education, Training and Culture
In 1896, Budapest welcomed the first metro line on the European mainland. Well over a century later, and the Hungarian capital’s public transport network desperately needs upgrading.
The city of Budapest wants to build a science park on the site of the former Óbuda gasworks
Seventy gambling rooms in Tallinn and 3,800 active gambling machines for its 5,000 inhabitants. It's a big game of chance in the little Baltic republic
10 million online gamblers, 2, 000 websites: the online gaming community is ever-expanding, becoming a huge phenomenon in Europe. But in legal speak, things are far from harmonised
From casinos and shops to television and the internet - the poker craze is taking off in France, leading to huge growth in the industry
On the eve of the global Davos Economic Forum, North American intellectual David Calleo describes his vision of the role Europe plays in globalisation
By building pulp mills, Finnish global corporation Botnia 'is willing to export pollution' along the binational stream, Argentina claims. Their announcements of further highway blockades is disrupting trade and travel
Name: Erasmus. Date of birth : 1987. Birthplace: Brussels - the European institutions are rather proud of their baby, which celebrates 20 years in 2007
On January 21 2007, Serbia sees its first general elections since the new democratic constitution was approved in October last year. The big parties are favourites to win in a country that seems unsure of where it’s going
Romania is regarded as the poorhouse of Europe. It's booming economy is dividing it into a small upper class and a larger emergent underclass
The Parc de la Villette in Paris is one of Europe’s leading art centres. Here art, music, science and technology all rub shoulders
Wealthy families in Bulgaria are using gated communities to protect themselves from the poor majority
The constitution, energy security, detangling bureaucracy: Germany dampened expectations as they took over the EU presidency on January 1
The CDU is firmly against Turkey’s accession to the EU. Its Turkish-German members are now campaigning for a change of policy
In May, the Bolivian president Evo Morales gave European companies six months to acccept the nationalisation scheme of the country's energy resources
Recycling the 'ostalgia' fashion, a young Polish entrepreneur organises tours around the last ruins of the soviet era
While the 25 heads of states and governments discuss a common front to fight clandestine immigration in Lahti, NGOs say the EU policy is "expensive and inhuman"
Young Europeans court EU parliamentarians for internships, an ritual of initiation in the world of diplomacy. But these golden opportunities come at a cost
Despite the new EU’s new fishing agreement with Morocco, fishermen in Andalusia fear for their future
The European Central Bank (ECB) maintains low interest rates, boosting growth and property prices. For economist José García-Montalvo, national governments should tax home buyers to control speculation
Kazakhstan holds a key position on the Asian highway network which criss-crosses 32 Asian states. At the used car market “Barys”, traders discuss the merging of Europe and Asia
As regional integration accelerates in Asia, ASEAN might one day resemble the former EEC. I talked to Ludo Cuyvers, professor of economics at the University of Antwerp, who says such comparisons are premature.
As trade flourishes between the EU and Asia and regional integration accelerates, the Asian highway opens new routes to the East
Dr. Willem van der Geest, President of the European Institute for Asian Studies in Brussels, one of the most authoritative voices in the field, gives us the keys to understanding the ASEM meeting and the new season of EU-China Relations
In the 1980s, a political movement of squatters changed the face of the Dutch capital. Today, young apolitical Eastern Europeans are joining the squatter movement
Once a favourite of the flower power generation, living on a canal boat has become a privilege for the young and affluent. Today modern houseboats are not longer dingy eccentric dwellings for the marginal, but fully equipped modern pads
Following the adoption of resolution 1701, European countries are preparing a peacekeeping force for Lebanon. The European Jewish Congress explains to us why resolution 1701 brings hope but no tangible guarantees
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
Passed unanimously, UN Resolution 1701 aimed at ending the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign says it will add fuel to the conflict and tells us why
Lidl supermarkets are a familiar sight in malls around Europe, popular among students and cash-strapped families. But according to the German services employees’ union, ver.di, Lidl supervisors repress their workers and enforce 45-hour work weeks.
Is being single a flaw? It is becoming less so if you consider Europeans’ new demands for their love lives.
February 14th is a special “day of love” in most places in the world. Do we really need it or is it just a marketing scam?
More and more Europeans are looking for true love through the keyboard. Could finding a soul mate be just a mouse-click away? Through the internet, borders and inhibitions can be overcome in the flash of an eye.
Yalcin Vehit, head of the Turkish Cypriot representation to the EU, speaks to cafebabel.com about the problems in Cyprus, and its position in the EU.
Guido Montani explains why the nationalist route is a dead end street for Europe.
Between new-found nationalism and rediscovered confidence, are the Germans beginning to see themselves in a different light, without having fully dealt with their past?
It is not easy to establish a national identity when foreigners make up 38% of a country’s population, especially when it is a country that has to sit between France and Germany. However, sometimes a small country can teach the European Union a wonderful lesson on integration.
In old Europe, people are fearing an influx of cheap Polish labour and the relocation of businesses to Poland. But are these fears justified? We take a look at the facts.
The organic lobby is suspicious of GM and biotechnology, but the European Commission wants the know-how.
Brussels has announced a truly European food policy. They call it ‘From Farm to Fork’. And of course they wish you ‘bon appétit!’
Many EU countries have ordered farmers to keep their chickens indoors. Such action has a familiar ring. The past decade has been marked by crises in the food chain in Europe.
A new chapter to Orwell's classic. Animal Farm recruits sickly birds in a Jihad against human-kind.
As the nuclear crisis deepens, isn't it time that Europe put aside its differences with Iran's opposition party, asks MEP Paulo Casaca.
Catalonia’s draft statute changes Spain’s fiscal system.
Belgium's autonomous regions aren't speaking the same language.
Europe's twenty- and thirty-somethings are enjoying the era of low-cost consumerism, particularly in air travel, telecommunications and food; a spending revolution which is increasing their sense of European identity.
Advertising
In joining the European Union Lithuania signed the Treaty of Accession Protocol No. 4, according to which, our country commits itself to phase out the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) by 2009. However, it was suddenly realized, that closing the nuclear plant means leaving Lithuania without a sufficient nuclear power ...
“I hope that the Vytis, riding through the stars with his head raised high, on our new money will not be shameful for Lithuania” says Antanas Žukauskas, the author of the Lithuanian Euro coins.Lithuania was not able to adopt euro in 2007. High inflation rates and coming Parliamentary and ...
The author pictured the masculine effort to provide the family with goods. Because the relocation was inconceivable, couple of years ago the sportive sweating with the home-backpack could seem even absurd.
Copyright & mentions
cafebabel.com is a place for open debate: the opinions expressed in articles are those of the author alone. All published facts are verified.
To find out more, click here, and read the and our privacy policy.
Copyright © 2007 Babel International All rights reserved
