Current Affairs

JEF France supports the Polish MEP Bronislaw Geremek

Bronislaw Geremek, a great figure of the anticommunist opposition, refuses to be subjected to a new Polish law of lustration (“Decommunization”) to the risk to be deposed of its mandate as Europarliamentarian at the request of the Polish authorities. Geremek received a majority support of his (…)

Saturday 28 April 2007

Europe is waiting for our leaders to take action

Last Sunday the presidents of the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council signed the Berlin Declaration to mark the 50th anniversary of the Rome Treaties. The text sums up Europe’s biggest achievements but also the necessity to push forward with the Constitutional (…)

Tuesday 27 March 2007

“Give a Voice to the Citizens of Belarus!”: young people in 60 cities mobilise for democracy in Belarus

Young people in over 30 countries and 60 cities muzzled statutes all over Europe and even across the Atlantic to denounce the absence of democracy in Belarus. Last night - on the night of the anniversary of Lukashenka’s condemned re-election on March 19th, 2006 – young people, NGOs as well as (…)

Monday 19 March 2007

Muzzled Europeans deserve more attention

In Minsk, a European city closer to my home in Stockholm then Brussels, civil society engagement is illegal, journalists work under threat and state critique can lead to long prison sentences. On the 19th of March, JEF, just as last year, leads the way in a massive Pan-European action demanding (…)

Sunday 18 March 2007

Merkel opts for fast-track diet - Citizens left out again

Chancellor Merkel presented her first Constitutional road map to the Heads of State. She proposes to change the debate on two fronts. Firstly, she wants to speed up and have a text agreed by February 2008. Secondly, Merkel prefers to move on with a much shorter text that will no longer be called (…)

Saturday 10 March 2007

Should the voters be content with a candidate speaking only about France?

In a few weeks the French will elect their president of the Republic for 5 years. The campaign tackles many subjects such as housing, environment, youth, immigration, economy… However, the candidates are forgetting an essential subject: Europe. Because Europe is an active part of the French (…)

Friday 2 March 2007

2007: European Year of Equal Opportunities for All

Each year the European Union (EU) chooses a particular topic which touches upon the concerns and expectations of Europeans. The year 2007 has been proclaimed the European year of equal opportunities for all. The question of the fight against discrimination in all its forms is an essential (…)

Tuesday 20 February 2007

Long Live the Euro!

After the double negative vote on the Constitution Treaty in France and the Netherlannds, Europe is plagued by a lack of self-confidence and doubts about its strength and its future. It was not by chance that scarcely a few weeks had passed after these referenda before Europe’s most successful (…)

Saturday 3 February 2007

Mama Merkel Keeps Sherpas Secret

The European citizens are being excluded from one of the most important political processes in the EU. The list of high level bureaucrats (“Sherpas”) who will negotiate the road ahead for the Constitutional Treaty is being kept secret by the German government. JEF-Europe (Young European (…)

Wednesday 31 January 2007

Serbia Elects New Parliament

Serbia held its first parliamentary elections as an independent state. Elections took place on January 21st and the results were more or less expected. The new Serbian Parliament will consist of 6 political parties and coalitions (SRS, DS, DSS-NS, G17, SPS and LDP) as well as 8 representatives (…)

Sunday 28 January 2007

Slovenia introduces the Euro

On January 1st Slovenia will become the first of the 10 new member states, who joined the EU in May 2004, to introduce the Euro. Unlike Denmark, Sweden and the UK, the new member states cannot opt-out from the European Monetary Union. Why Slovenia decided to speed up the process of introducing (…)

Sunday 31 December 2006

Bulgaria in the EU: What are the challenges?

In the course of the last 17 years Bulgaria underwent a complete political transformation and enjoys steady economic growth, macroeconomic stability and clear geopolitical perspectives. Nevertheless, problems are too many: low salaries, slow reforms in education and health care, bloated (…)

Friday 29 December 2006
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