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Archives for EU Politics

4 years of simulation games about the EU – some reflections

It has been a while since I last wrote about teaching about the EU through simulation games. Now, in light of further experience, it is high time to return to this topic. I’ve now run 4 negotiation simulations at the College of Europe in Bruges (together with my colleagues Pierpaolo Settembri and Costanza Hermanin), and… » read more

Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog

blogactiv, EU Politics

Greek austerity was wrong and Europe should learn from it

September 14, 2018

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has told European Parliament that the Greek bailout programme, which ended last month, was a success and “Greece is back on its feet”. But the eight-year programme may have caused more harm than good and can hardly be called a success, argues Stavros Papagianneas. Guest blog post by Stavros Papagianneas, managing… » read more

Alexis Tsipras, alternative, assistance, Athens, austerity, Austerity Politics, economic governance, economic policies, economic union, Economy & Euro, Employment, EU Politics, Euro Crisis, Future EU, Grèce, Grecia, Greek crisis

Candidates for Commission President 2019 (Spitzenkandidaten)

September 4, 2018

Prior to the 2014 European Parliament elections I examined all the runners and riders for President of the European Commission and other EU top jobs (2014 posts on President of the Commission: EPP, PES, Others | President of the European Council | High Rep for EU Foreign Policy). Now, with 9 months to go until… » read more

Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog

Alexis Tsipras, blogactiv, Enda Kenny, EU Politics, federica mogherini, Frans Timmermans, Guy Verhofstadt, Martin Schulz

, Editor's Choice

If you want to talk about getting rid of the clocks changing, you need to talk about time zones – and then it gets messy

September 3, 2018

So 84% of Europeans want to stop changing the clocks in spring and autumn. And 3.79% of the German population participated in a European Commission consultation. A summary of the details can be found here. So stop changing the clocks then! Hang on, not so fast. The question then is to stick with Central European… » read more

Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog

blogactiv, EU Politics

We now know where May wants to go with Brexit. We still do not know how to even begin to get there. Or if the road to Brexit is remotely worthwhile.

March 5, 2018

As anyone who has ever read this blog, or follows me on Twitter, knows, I am no fan of Theresa May or her government’s position on Brexit. So it was then not without a little surprise that I did not find myself shouting at the screen while listening to the UK Prime Minister’s latest Brexit… » read more

Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog

blogactiv, EU Politics

Theresa May, getting high on theoretical sovereignty

The superficial difference between a Hard Brexit and a Soft Brexit is political control – taking back control, to coin a phrase. A Soft Brexit leaves the UK having to abide by the rules of the Single Market or the Customs Union or both but, as a non-EU Member State, having no say on how… » read more

Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog

blogactiv, Brexit, EU Politics, switzerland

Transnational Lists: a small step towards a more democratic EU

February 12, 2018

Tomorrow – Wednesday 7th February – the plenary of the European Parliament votes on a proposal from the Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) committee about the rules for the 2019 European Parliament elections, now just 16 months away in May 2019. What makes this matter controversial this time is the issue of what to do with… » read more

Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog

blogactiv, EU Politics

Gianni Pittella and his “caro amico” Joseph Mifsud

November 6, 2017

The world has been asking themselves who the “mystery professor” Joseph Mifsud is. The British press – Byline and Carole Cadwalladr in The Guardian – have been connecting Mifsud to Alok Sharma and Boris Johnson. Mifsud has good Russian connections and is supposed to be the person who facilitated the transfer of the Clinton emails… » read more

Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog

blogactiv, EU Politics

Joseph Mifsud. The “professor” in the Papadopoulos – Manafort revelations.

November 2, 2017

I’m not really into United States politics, but that a Maltese professor by the name of Joseph Mifsud was somehow connected to the Papadopoulos/Manafort revelations caught my eye. So who is this Joseph Mifsud guy? The New York Times tried to find out – and did not get very far. He’s a Professor, right. So… » read more

Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog

blogactiv, EU Politics, Malta

Ranked 5th in the Euractiv-ZN #EUInfluencer league table – but what does this mean?

October 23, 2017

Every once in a while a Brussels media outlet or public affairs firm tries to show they are digital-aware by publishing a kind of league table of something to do with social media in the EU bubble. Yesterday it was Euractiv and ZN’s turn – they held an event called #EUInfluencer, put up a methodology,… » read more

Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog

blogactiv, EU Politics, EurActiv, Twitter

Catalan referendum: violence is never the answer, but politicians on both sides are getting it wrong

October 3, 2017

I’ve spent the last three days in Barcelona, observing the 1st October independence referendum, not in any sort of official capacity, but as an interested politics nerd. Political tourism if you like. After my fascinating trip to Scotland prior to the independence referendum there in 2014, it was obvious that seeing Catalonia’s referendum first hand… » read more

Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog

Barcelona, blogactiv, Catalonia, Direct Democracy, EU Politics, participation

, Editor's Choice

May’s Florence Speech: an impossible balancing act

September 19, 2017

Theresa May is due to give a big Brexit speech this coming Friday 22nd September in Florence. With Boris Johnson having jumped the gun and penned his own Brexit vision a couple of days ago (fisked by me here), and with frustration on the EU side growing about the slow progress of negotiations, this speech… » read more

Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog

blogactiv, Brexit, EU Politics

, Editor's Choice

Tories breaking the law on how they replace MEPs leaving the European Parliament?

June 27, 2017

A story caught my eye in The Guardian this morning. “Former candidates sue Conservative party after missing out on MEP posts” it is titled. Remember that MEPs are elected on regional lists, and each party puts up as many candidates as there are to be MEPs elected in a particular region. The Guardian story explains… » read more

Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog

blogactiv, EU Politics

4th June 2017: Ferme Olivier Cemetery (Part 2)

June 7, 2017

(Part 1 of this remembrance story explaining the background can be found here. This blog entry recounts the trip.) The train from Kortrijk to Poperinge rumbles its way through little villages and across the potato fields and pastures of West Flanders. Past the obligatory Frituur beside each small station. Cows munch grass. Sheep stand under… » read more

Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog

blogactiv, EU Politics