Earthquakes are more common in Greece than they are anywhere else in the European Union. During recent months, there have been several small earthquakes all over Greece, but most of those tend to cause only slight inconvenience. They last for a few seconds and disappear. Bigger earthquakes, like the 1999 one in Athens, can destruct [...]

This webinar will discuss the EU’s policy on energy efficiency, focusing on the recent National Energy Efficiency Action Plans (NEEAPs) submitted in the context of the Energy Services Directive. These NEEAPs from the 27 Member States offer for the first time a unique panorama on energy efficiency in Europe, as well as an ultimate compendium [...]

President Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to the French Agricultural Show in Paris on 23 February was far more eventful than expected. This is not the place to compete with YouTube’s video clip of his extraordinary conversation with a visitor who refused to shake his hand. On the WTO trade negotiations, the French President brought up CAP [...]

The number of supporters of the UK ‘I Want a Referendum’ campaign reached 40 000 this morning according to its website, that is to say 0.09% of the electorate. ‘I Want a Referendum’ is organising a mass lobby of Parliament tomorrow. “This is your chance to come to Westminster and tell your MP that […] [...]

As a current affairs journalist with an extensive portfolio on Wider Europe, the EU and EU integration, including EU enlargement and well knowing the issues (I am a former Convenor of a Pan-European Group at the FPA in London), I would suggest: to the mass media, please allow a much wider contributions from freelance professional [...]

2004 was a magic year for sports in Greece. The Greek national football team won the European Championships and the Olympic Games returned to their birth place Athens. While few Athenians were bothered to stay in town to see the Olympics, the unexpected football victory sparked a seemingly endless chain of celebrations across the country. [...]

There are many examples of the failure to use the precautionary principle in the past, which have resulted in serious and often irreversible damage to health and environments. Appropriate, precautionary and proportionate actions taken now (e.g. children using mobile phones, WiFi, ICNIRP Guidelines revision or installation of mobile masts on residential properties revision)to avoid plausible [...]

Greece is known to be a very conservative country when it comes to religion and traditions. Although young people are turning away from the Orthodox Church, especially in Athens and on some of the islands, the influence of religion resonates in their everyday behaviour and in the way they take the important choices of life. [...]

There is overwhelming consensus since only yesterday that mankind is indeed massively impacting our planet and its climate. While latest evidence from the world of science is cause for great concern demanding urgent action, there are many signs of growing understanding and effort to move from business as usual to new paths of mitigation and [...]

If you are Norwegian you would be inclined to say ‘yes’ and you would also be able to show good technological evidence to support this stand-point. If you are not, you may be allowed the benefit of a doubt. But mind you, such a doubt could be based on envy rather than facts! Because there [...]

In a recent interview with EurActiv, Jeremy Rifkin expressed his belief that “Europe can lead the third industrial revolution”. In the closing debate of this year’s European Business Summit, the American author repeated his admiration for the EU’s policies but added cautiously that “the EU might well tell the right narrative, but the US could [...]

BLOGACTIV CYPRUS Congratulations President Christofias! The easy part is over. Now you have to face the difficult, very difficult, part. A huge weight rests on your shoulders as another failure to settle the inter-communal dispute will surely be the end of the reunification story. “The Annan Plan is dead: Long Live the Annan […] Original [...]

When I started `Us Europeans`, I decided that I would try to leave my Dutch mindset behind and write stories as if I could be from anywhere. Many people I meet do not recognise me as Dutch at a first glance, but oftentimes, speaking about this project, they suspect that I can`t be from anywhere [...]

Luca Lo Schiavo from AEEG (the Italian Regulatory Authority for Electricity and Gas) presents his organization and its major contribution to EU works in this domain in this interview. He also gives an overview of possible future trends in service quality regulation as well as some examples from Italy and France. He discusses the appeal [...]

The following paragraph is lifted from a serious  “alternative energy” website promoting development of hydrogen power for vehicles as a replacement for “fossil fuels” – and promoting it’s suitability for massive investment. “Hydrogen is one of two natural elements that combine to make water. Hydrogen is not an energy source, but an energy carrier because [...]