Le nombre d’immigrants clandestins interceptés aux portes de l’Union européenne a nettement diminué depuis le début de l’année en raison de la crise économique, a expliqué un responsable de Frontex, l’Agence européenne de contrôle des frontières. Au total, 51 600 émigrants illégaux ont été interceptés aux frontières terrestres et maritimes de l’UE durant les six [...]

The Swedish EU Presidency’s proposal for the 5-year programme for freedom, security and justice, most notably the Stockholm Programme, has raised divergent opinions by the Members of the European Parliament. Mr. Albrecht from Greens considered that the Programme contains more and more preventive measures when Mr. Borghezio claimed that the programme “lacked a judicial response [...]

Fourth inter-parliamentary meeting between delegations from Montenegrin and European Parliament took place in Podgorica this week. Eduard Kukan, chief of EP Delegation expressed his hope that Montenegro will fulfill the remaining obligations for the visa liberalization, so that citizens of this country could travel freely into Schengen countries, starting from January 1st, 2010. He also [...]

One of the topics I’ve been developing on this blog for quite some time came up at last week’s get-together organised by the Belgian IABC chapter: the need (or not) for social media guidelines for EU staff. I actually think such guidelines are needed not just for EU staff, but for everyone serious about using [...]

Ahem! In 1993 maakte het team van ‘Kinderen voor Kinderen’ van de VARA een filmpje over de verscheurdheid (en de rijkdom) van het hebben van twee vaderlanden. Voor kinderen. Marokkaanse kinderen. Nu neemt ‘Esther’ (Islam in Europe) gretig de parlementaire vragen van de Wilders-valet Martin Bosma over (English version in this next post): De PVV [...]

EU leaders are already running into problems with the ambiguity of the Lisbon Treaty, as they battle it out over whether or not the post should be, as David Cameron put it, “all-singing, all dancing” (Tony Blair), or more low-key and more akin to the k…

Conversation surréaliste avec le service de presse du parti socialiste français, à la veille du Conseil européen des 29 et 30 octobre: (le journaliste) – Bonjour, savez-vous si Martine Aubry sera présente à Bruxelles pour la réunion organisée par le PSE, demain? (le service de presse) – Non, elle n’y sera pas. (le journaliste) – [...]

Yesterday’s report by Thomson Reuters on the real causes of excessive costs in the US healthcare system make interesting reading. Centre stage is over-treatment generated by a litigious culture which encourages patients to sue and, from that, doctors to perform tests and procedures, not because in their clinical judgement the patient needs them but because [...]

50 days ahead of the Copenhagen Climate Conference a new theme re-enters the debate between developed and developing countries: free transfer of green energy technologies to developing countries. India and China are particularly vociferous in demanding such technologies to be made accessible to their companies free of license fees, citing the example of anti-retroviral drugs [...]

I would like to share this inspiring and thought-provoking presentation with you. What’s it about? Prof Luc Soete, Director UNU-MERIT, Maastricht, Member DG Research Expert Group sees a new trend and challenge to technology and innovation policy: from the political obsession with technological competitiveness to a new global view in which access, diffusion and effective [...]

Les institutions européennes donnent souvent l’impression de vivre sous cloche, en circuit fermé. Les députés et fonctionnaires européens restent cependant peu présents sur le web 2.0, même si la Commission et le Parlement européen ont récemment trempé un orteil sur le réseau social Twitter. Les réseaux sociaux sont pourtant une opportunité unique pour l’Europe de [...]

Almost a year ago some folks in Europe emailed to “congratulate” me on the individual who now is president of the United States. The present seems like an appropriate time to recap. This offspring of a U.S. white slaveowner family and a chap from Kenya has no right to give the entire world an impression [...]

A three-day conference “Justice in the Balkans: Equality for sexual minorities” was held in Podgorica. Prominent experts in this field discussed about rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender people in the region of South-Eastern Europe. This is considered one of conditions for the complete democratization in societies and necessary step in the process of [...]

Dear friends of innovation. You are kindly invited to join our ERRIN Mind Forum on 18 November 2009 at VLEVA (Liaison Agency Flanders Europe), Kortenberglaan 71, B-1000 Brussels. Background to the event: Europe’s economy is slowly coming out of troubled waters and what some have described as ‘a perfect storm’. However, it will not be [...]

Our new Europe Minister Chris Bryant (the 12th Europe Minister in 12 years of Labour government, no less), has gone immediately on the attack, beginning his new job with an interview with the Sunday Telegraph in which he accused the Conservatives of ly…