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Questions remain about the long-term impact of the deal and the ability to enforce the quotas, the agreement was hailed by investors.

OPEC reached a landmark deal

By: N. Peter Kramer | Friday, December 2, 2016

After two years, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) made on Wednesday a historic decision to avoid cutting output and allow prices to fall, the group said that it agreed to cut production by 1.2 million barrels a day from the current 33.6 million barrels

On this basis, from May 2017, France will enter a new phase of a more liberal economic policy and it is not impossible the next Prime Minister to be Emmanuel Macron, whose economic program is really radical in all respects. In such a case and taking into account that the approaching German election of 2017 will end up with a new “marriage” between Christian and Social democrats, the strong economic axe of Europe will move in directions radically different than those that the Greek government is planning to.

Behind Fillon’s victory in France

By: Athanase Papandropoulos | Tuesday, November 29, 2016

More than 3 million of French people chose the liberal Francois Fillon for the central-right leadership, who is considered already as almost the certain winner of the approaching presidential election of May 2017

Migrants and refugees have special stories. They are not just numbers. And migration brings continents closer together, requiring them to work together at different stages of the migration journey.

A first step towards a better approach to migrants and refugees

By: EBR | Monday, November 28, 2016

At last: the international community finally acknowledged the need for coordinated action and an international agreement on how to handle the unprecedented wave of migration that has hit Europe and elsewhere

The connection that remains to be made is explicitly linking skill-based volunteering to EU democracy. To make that connection, we recently established The Good Lobby, a platform enabling anyone, be they a student, academic, lawyer or other professional, to provide assistance to NGOs advocating for important social issues. The Good Lobby intends to unleash the potential in each of us to contribute to a more equal representation of interests in the policy process.

Citizens Empowerment: Good lobbying

By: EBR | Friday, November 25, 2016

European citizens feel disconnected from EU institutions, and NGOs and civil society’s influence on European decision-making process cannot compete with the well-organised corporate lobbies. A new movement aiming at filling this gap is emerging, tells one of its founders

In many ways, the symptoms of DAD resemble impulse-control disorders or even obsessive-compulsive disorders. Though prevalent in society, and emerging as a problematic phenomenon, DAD still needs a considerable amount of research. Studies of this disorder fail to agree whether DAD is a disorder in its own right or a symptom of other underlying conditions such as an obsessive-compulsive or impulse-control disorder. Whatever it’s called, DAD presents a compulsive behaviour pattern that can completely take over the addict’s life.

When does the obsession with digital technology become a health problem?

By: EBR | Friday, November 25, 2016

Digital technology has greatly enhanced our lives both inside and outside the workplace. But it is not all positive. Recently, when I was running a workshop, one of the participants (let’s call him Phil) had to excuse himself regularly from the room

Trumps policies seem designed to let the US seize victory in the global game of investment banking, at the expense, of particularly European rivals. Richard Buxton, CEO of UK equities at Old Mutual Global Investors, said recently in the London Times, ‘Trump’s presidency will be hugely positive for US banks.

Trump, Wall Street and European banks

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Campaign promises often disintegrate when confronted with the realities of office. Trump has pledged to shred bank regulations which he blames for America’s anaemic recovery from the 2008 financial conflagration

The new Democratic minority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer of New York, has spoken with Donald Trump, also a New Yorker, several times and it is expected that Democrats plan to announce populist economic and ethics initiatives they think Trump might like. The leftist Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said ‘I will work with Donald Trump’; Senator Bernie Sanders: ‘I and other progressives are prepared to work with him’.

Democrats try to align with Trump

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, November 21, 2016

Whilst Europe is still in disarray and most journalists can’t stop writing about US President-elect Donald Trump, his wife, children and victory, politicians in Washington DC are looking forwards, trying to find their way how to handle the new situation

Dive deeply in the developments reading experts’ opinions and get a real taste of the actuality based on thoughtful arguments. Among other topics, you will meet ideas about how “Taiwan seeks to join fight against global warming” by Ying – Yuan Lee, Minister for Environmental Protection in Taiwan, “The Junker Plan and funding opportunities for public works” by Nikos Kostopoulos and don’t miss out two special opinion articles: “The last thing Europe needs right now is an army” by Judy Dempsey and last but not least “Four leadership principles for the fourth industrial revolution” by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

New EBR issue released

By: EBR | Monday, November 21, 2016

Another fascinating issue is out full of interesting topics

Trump’s win -- stretching across the battleground states of Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania – seemed likely to set of financial jitters and immediate unease among international allies, many of which were startled when Trump in his campaign cast doubt on the necessity of America’s military commitments abroad and its allegiance to international partnerships.

President Trump sells America as a brand?

By: EBR | Thursday, November 10, 2016

Against all odds Donald Trump has been elected as President of the United States. Voter scorn for status quo propels upset of Clinton. The American people choose Donald

The alleged shortcomings of the scheme are highlighted by the case of Alexander Adamescu who was arrested on the basis of a warrant issued by Romanian authorities who have accused him of complicity with his businessman father in allegedly bribing judges.

Romanian case highlights ”shortcomings” of European Arrest Warrant

By: EBR | Tuesday, November 8, 2016

The controversial arrest of a leading German playwright has sparked fresh controversy about alleged abuse of the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) by some EU member states

The government still asserts that it alone has the right to invoke Article 50 under the royal prerogative which give it sole authority over foreign policy and over the making of treaties. And it was Parliament that decided to hold the referendum.

British High Court disturbs smooth start of Brexit process

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, November 7, 2016

In the morning of November 3, the British High Court ruled that only Parliament has the authority to trigger Article 50 of the European Union treaty, the legal route for Britain to leave the EU

In time, with mutual knowledge and increased friendship and trust, Romanians and Moldovans will come to cherish both their common features and distinct traits and be able to manage their relationship maturely. This does not exclude passion, but one should be aware of the dangers of redirected passion. In the absence of strategic planning in between the two States, there is a risk that misunderstandings harm the relationship.

Romanian-Moldovan Reunification, between passion and realism

By: EBR | Thursday, November 3, 2016

Romanian-Moldova Unification is an idea periodically brought to the fore by those passionate for this project

The post-Delors years have gotten worse and worse, with Commission Presidents poorly chosen or rather well chosen to do badly or do nothing at all. The list is long: Santer, Prodi, Barosso I and II, and now Juncker. The Juncker Commission, now in place for 18 months, has got everything wrong. Whether on Grexit or Brexit, a proactive approach on these issues was required, to see them as an opportunity and not a threat. Making Greece leave the Euro while cancelling the country’s debt and assisting its recovery would have been the right EU solution for sustaining the single currency. Instead, the Greek crisis goes on, still unsolved.

The European Union: 20 years in the wrong direction

By: EBR | Thursday, November 3, 2016

Brexit on 23 June, glyphosate on 24 June… On issues big and small, the EU needs to re-build itself from top to bottom

Chernozubov, the president of the National Foundation for Mass Sports Development and a Russian national champion in gymnastics, is a strong believer in the power of social sports and the role of the new media and the Internet in popularizing sports. He envisions making the competitive processes in sports, both at the amateur and professional levels, more enriched by the new technology.

Former top gymnast champions fight against cyber warfare

By: EBR | Monday, October 31, 2016

A former gymnastics champion has developed a new system designed to help the IT community stay one step ahead of cyber criminals

Europe has roughly four people actively in work for every retired pensioner. By the middle of this century, if not before, that ratio will have dwindled to 2:1. The implications for virtually bankrupt pension and social security systems are horrendous. So the first step is to get unemployed young people into work, whatever the cost. They are among Europe’s most precious assets.

Europe’s real crisis is complacency and inertia

By: EBR | Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Europe’s political and economic troubles make headlines daily, but its real handicap is complacency

Asia’s emerging economic giants are understandably eager to revise the post-World War 2 Bretton Woods arrangements that still favour the West, and the EU has a crucially important role to play. Europe’s credibility in this process is reinforced by decades of global leadership in development assistance, with two billion people raised out of poverty over the past quarter-century.

Slippery Slope – EU’s troubled future

By: EBR | Monday, October 24, 2016

Sometimes deservedly, but often not, it is assailed by political disagreements among its members, policy differences over governance of the eurozone, and popular discontent (now intensified by the Brexit vote)

The event heard that in 1993, the International Fund for saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) was established. The main objectives of IFAS are to finance programs to save the sea, and to bring about the ecological rehabilitation of the region and the Aral Sea Basin as a whole taking into account the interests of all states. In recent years, huge efforts have been put into reversing this disaster.

More effort needed to save Aral Sea from ’environmental disaster’

By: EBR | Thursday, October 20, 2016

The EU has a "key role" to play in ensuring that all efforts are made to save the Aral Sea from an "environmental disaster"

Pavel, one of Romania’s leading MEPs, has now intervened, insisting on transparent and fair elections in December.

Romanian MEP calls for transparency in the country’s upcoming general election

By: EBR | Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Leading Romanian Socialist MEP Emilian Pavel has called for the upcoming parliamentary elections in his country to be “transparent and fair”

Contrary to the image of an “unreformable state”, Greece is capable to change its fate by its own just by correcting the mistaken attitudes and reforming the series of burdens regarding the state apparatus which is now dysfunctional, ineffective and after all, failed.

The truth about Greece: A Greek tragedy and a European drama

By: EBR | Monday, October 17, 2016

That was precisely the title of the report conducted by ALDE, the “Institute for Regulatory Policy Research” and the Greek party “To Potami”, presented by the head of ALDE, Mr. Guy Verhofstadt, during the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg on October 4, 2016

Many previous efforts to create an alternative index, from the Human Development Index through to the OECD Better Life Indicators, have been focused on replacing GDP by co-mingling the measurement of economic and social factors. The Social Progress Index takes a different approach, creating a measure of social performance that is independent of economic factors as a complement to, not as a substitute for, GDP. This allows for comparisons with GDP trends, for example showing that countries sharing a certain GDP level may substantially differ on social progress.

Moving beyond GDP will improve policymaking and drive social progress

By: EBR | Monday, October 3, 2016

Since its introduction more than eighty years ago, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has assumed unrivalled authority as the de facto measure of a country’s progress

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EU Actually

Has the EU diplomatic service EEAS had its day?

By: N. Peter Kramer

In his weekly column, N. Peter Kramer writes about proposals for a radical overhaul of the EEAS and the power struggle between Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas.

Europe

European Security Strategy: In Search of a New Ambition

The EU is putting together a new security strategy to meet today’s myriad challenges. But for any proposal to be effective, the union needs to grapple with its identity and ambitions.

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