Belgium last week took one step closer to becoming the first European country to outlaw the burqa, the Islamic veils that completely hide a woman’s face. Over the week-end, MEP Silvana Koch-Mehrin (ALDE, Germany) called for a Europe-wide ban on the burqa because covering women, as she said, “openly supports values that we do […]

I’m on record for thinking that European Citizens Initiatives (ECIs) could backfire, or, as Simon Blackley put it recently: “the words ’shoot’ and ‘foot’ spring to mind” My reasoning a couple of months ago was that people would be set up to be disappointed by organisers of badly conceived ECIs, who would blame the EU… » read more

I’ve decided to be a grouch until Spring fully arrives, which is why I am going to do the unthinkable and criticise the European Citizens Initiative against poverty. Like my previous post on the first ECI, my criticism is not about the content at all – who could criticise any initiative to reduce poverty? My… » read more

Last week MEP Martin Kastler (EPP-CSU) launched the first European Citizen’s Initiative (ECI). Is this a slow-motion train wreck, or the dawn of a new era of democracy? Two things immediately caught my eye when I checked out “Mum and dad belong to us on Sunday” (via @Kosmopolit via @andrewjburgess). First, apparently: Recently, the European… » read more