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A new political poll suggest that the pro-Russian parties lead the political scene in terms of favourability with 19.8% for Renato Usati and his party, followed by the socialists – Igor Dodon with 12.8%.

Moldova: End of the political riddle?

By: EBR | Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Moldova still suffers from a profound political crisis and the new Government still has some important steps to make to renew credibility at home and abroad: from stability to hope the road is a long one

Online gaming of any kind is a sensitive issue in Russia. Last October, authorities began blocking dozens of unregistered domestic and international gaming sites.

Multi-billion dollar online gaming industry presents a taxing problem for governments

By: EBR | Friday, February 19, 2016

Well away from the headline-grabbing diplomatic tensions over the Middle East, Nato and Ukraine, policy makers of the East and West share something even they may not be fully conscious of -- the challenge of taxing global business

Driving home to global public opinion that Europe is well-prepared and capable of neutralising terrorist assaults is as important as taking the steps to do so.

“Brussels” must break its silence on tackling terrorist threats

By: EBR | Thursday, January 14, 2016

The tragic events in Paris on the evening of November 13 have once again shown that Europe has no concerted counter-terrorism plan

In retrospect, Merkel could not have relied on the European Commission, the EU’s executive, to steer the union through the euro crisis.

Angela Merkel’s second decade

By: EBR | Wednesday, January 13, 2016

More than ever before, Merkel needs Europe and vice versa.

As he pointed out in his speech, Mr Cameron is no novice on EU affairs. While his speech presents negotiating demands as sine qua nons, every political indication is that the Prime Minister will support Britain’s continued EU membership, regardless of the outcome.

Will Cameron get what he wants and will it matter if he does?

By: EBR | Friday, January 8, 2016

After several months of reluctance to play his hand, David Cameron has now released his list of demands to ensure that the UK government supports Britain remaining in the EU

Dealing with the crisis and coping with austerity together is understandably difficult for people, who in times like these are wont to turn increasingly inward and show much less generosity.

The changes essential to the EU’s Future

By: EBR | Monday, January 4, 2016

What’s needed for the future of the European Union was written into its very foundations as our common values of democracy, solidarity and the rule of law

The 5G-PPP is a joint initiative between the European ICT industry and the European Commission, which began with the promise of €700 million in EU funding.

5G in Europe: designing the network of tomorrow

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Huawei is playing a leading role in two new European 5G projects aimed at defining and building 5G

"Attacking Europe had not previously been on their agenda but the bombing was like an invitation for them to attack us".

Picking up the pieces after Paris

By: EBR | Friday, December 18, 2015

The fight against Jihadism is, today, the "main threat" facing Europe but there are no "quick fixes" to eradicate the problem, the conference heard.

They noted that growth has not picked up enough to deliver a marked improvement in job creation and that international developments add to existing uncertainty about the European Union’s economic prospects.

Returning Europe to competitiveness through energy productivity and efficiency

By: EBR | Friday, November 6, 2015

This is a smart way to drive a return to competitiveness and growth in the EU.

If even ′Eurocrats’ and university professors struggle with trawling through clunky EU document libraries, then surely that says something about accessibility?

EU institutions are less transparent than many member states

By: EBR | Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Providing access to legislative documents should be standard practice for a well-functioning democracy, but the European Union is less transparent than many of its member states.

After Tspiras’ turnaround, Mélenchon is utterly disillusioned. The French left had put great hopes in the revolutionary mindset of Greece’s prime minister. It was almost as if they were envisioning the coming of another Che Guevara, this time in Europe.

National Liberation Fronts: United Against the Euro

By: EBR | Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Why establishment parties in Europe are increasingly left defenseless against a hardening opposition against the euro.

Angela Merkel recently celebrated her tenth year as German Chancellor. For most of her time in office, she has seemed to tower over the German — and European — political scene.

Angela Merkel and the 10-Year Rule

By: EBR | Friday, October 30, 2015

If there is an iron law of European politics, it is for leaders to get out at the top as the ten-year rule completes its cycle

It is therefore unfortunate that the German federal government has blocked negotiations within the Council of the EU regarding the draft directive, and has so far refused to hold a substantive debate on this topic, which 27 out of 28 EU member states are willing to have.

NGOs call on Germany to stop blocking the Equal Treatment Directive

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, July 27, 2015

A large coalition of NGOs have joined forces to call on the German Federal Government to stop blocking the proposed Equal Treatment Directive and work towards a consistent level of protection against discrimination in Europe.

Signed in February these call for the implementation of various measures, including the withdrawal of heavy weapons by both sides, an effective monitoring and verification regime for the ceasefire, the start of a dialogue on the holding of local elections and the release of all hostages and other illegally detained people.

European Parliament told “Western powers, including the UK and U.S., are not respecting the Minsk 2 Agreements"

By: EBR | Monday, July 13, 2015

Minsk 2 was signed by Vladimir Putin, Poroshenko, Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel, and followed the collapse within days of a similar deal last September.

The EU needs a point of reference, and this role cannot but be assumed by the president of the European Commission. The EU cannot be allowed to be caught up in the power games of nations. Now is the time for all concerned parties to assume their historic responsibilities, set aside their selfish considerations and move forward.

EU needs leadership

By: EBR | Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Once upon a time in Europe there was a group of independent and well-developed states. Having fought against each other for centuries, they finally realised that in a globalised world they were not really independent and that it would be better for them to join forces.

Mobbing in the workplace

By: EBR | Friday, June 26, 2015

A hostile working environment, in which offensive or insulting remarks, persistent criticism, personal abuse, or even physical abuse and threats prevail, is a reality for many employees in both public and private organizations and has become increasingly common in Europe over the recent years.

Coincidently, an important opportunity is being presented for Greece as the European Commission, since 2014, has started the legislative preparation for the official turn into a Circular Economy.

Circular economy and productive reform

By: EBR | Tuesday, June 23, 2015

If the country had the necessary production infrastructure, it could turn the Use of Sustainable Materials, an initiative supported by the EU, into a source of wealth.

Speaking not long ago to students in Taipei, I remembered how in my youth all the toys coming from China were “Made in Taiwan”. Then in the 1980s I witnessed the economic and industrial turnaround that upscaled the Taiwanese economy. The government’s policy was focused on technology, research and development, engineering, manufacturing and human resources.

The competitiveness of Europe is the priority

By: EBR | Monday, June 15, 2015

For Europe, there are lessons to be learned from Taiwan. When there is the political will that stems from consensus among economic and social actors on what to achieve, and when there is a consistent and a well-defined roadmap, delivery is possible. The competitiveness of a country is manageable.

The main reason for concern is an unreasonably broad definition of "trade secrets". Companies could sue anyone who "unlawfully acquires, uses or discloses" a secret business information. Trade unions criticised that even informations about future mergers or redundancies could fall under the EU-directive.

Why the new EU directive on trade secrets protection is a threat to media freedom

By: EBR | Monday, June 15, 2015

A new EU-directive is likely to threaten investigative journalism throughout Europe. Its main objective is the protection against disclosure and theft of secret business information like patents, innovative technologies or recipes.

Ukraine, it is argued, has to resolve "huge" internal problems, establish genuine and lasting peace in Donbass and the rest of Ukraine society, solve all ethnic and inter-regional disputes and introduce "desperately needed" constitutional reforms.

Ukraine conflict puts spotlight on country′s "suitability" for EU accession

By: EBR | Monday, June 8, 2015

The current crisis of power in Kiev has now triggered demands by many other regions in trouble-torn Ukraine for autonomy and special status.

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