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The Committee of the Regions had urged for EU funds to be allocated directly to local and regional authorities

Youth unemployment: regions should be given flexibility to use EU funds

By: EBR | Tuesday, June 17, 2014

An opinion drafted by Mattia Tarsi, Member of Italy’s Pesaro and Urbino Provincial Council, pointed out that the number of developers creating applications in Europe was expected to rise from 1 million in 2013 to 2.8 million in 2018

A recent survey by strategy consultancy WorldThinks showed there is huge support for South Stream with 68% of Bulgarians backing it and only 5% against.The potential beneficial effects of South Stream were apparent to survey respondents, not just in terms and increased supply security, but overall economic benefits such as job creation, taxes and transmission fees.

Experts back Bulgaria in dispute over South Stream Gas Pipeline

By: EBR | Wednesday, May 7, 2014

The rapidly unfolding crisis in Ukraine has put the spotlight firmly on another burning issue that has dogged EU/Russia relations for years - energy security.

As ethnic Russians continued their celebrations across Crimea on Monday, Sroja Trifkovic, a Chicago-based Serb-American, "It is ironic that we have seen the Russian President upholding the principles of self-dertermination while the West,including the EU, seems to have been upholding the legacies of the Soviet past."

International election monitors refuted suggestions of violations in the Crimean referendum

By: EBR | Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Our colleague Martin Banks was election monitor of the Crimea referendum on March 16. In this article he reports about the pressconference of the election monitors after the referendum

The economic plight of Crimea is a topic that cropped up time and again with the many people we spoke to as we travelled from one polling station to another to monitor the proceedings. And judging by the rundown condition of many homes, the terrible state of most public highways and general sense of fatalistic depression hanging over both the region and its inhabitants, it is hard not to sympathise with the case they argue.

Crimeans turn to Russia to turn round "economic mess"

By: EBR | Monday, March 17, 2014

Our colleague Martin Banks was election monitor of the Crimea referendum on March 16. He had the chance to meet some interesting people and to hear opinions that usually not come through to the European media ...

The UK government, which sees itself as a champion of press freedom, now finds itself in the dock internationally. The World Association of Newspapers (WAN-IFRA), the body which represents the global newspaper industry, has accused it of conflating terrorism and the legitimate work of journalists. If that became a reality, the Association wrote in a letter to David Cameron, the UK would be putting itself on the same level as Turkey and Ethiopia as countries where governments misuse anti-terror legislation to silence critics.

An unholy mixture: surveillance, the law and a setback for journalism

By: EBR | Tuesday, September 3, 2013

We should not underestate the seriousness of the government's attacks on those seeking to expose its surveillance secrets. At stake is not only what the state is entitled to do to the public, but what journalists are entitled to do to expose it and perform the vital role of public watchdog

$The roles of Greece and Cyprus in the West′s political and security framework offer U.S. policy makers an arc of stability in the eastern Mediterranean, and bring the EU to within 45 minutes of Israel′s borders. Port usage, naval facilities, and strategic airbases that Cyprus and Greece have long extended to the United States permit a U.S. Sixth Fleet — if the U.S. should decide to return that once-powerful naval force to even a fraction of its former strength — to safeguard the region′s sea lines of communication.$

Mediterranean Gas Find: A Chance for U.S. to Break with Turkey

By: EBR | Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Politics and alliances in the eastern Mediterranean are shifting, and the region's security framework is splintering. The region is now divided as much within the Muslim world as between it and the non-Muslim states.

Most Europeans are profoundly concerned about the state of their economies. Just 1% of the Greeks, 3% of the Italians, 4% of the Spanish and 9% of the French think economic conditions are good. Only the Germans (75%) are pleased. Since before the euro crisis began positive sentiment is down 61 percentage points in Spain, 54 points in Britain, 22 points in Italy and 21 points in both the Czech Republic and France. And most Europeans are almost as gloomy about whether their national economic situation will improve in the next year.

The New Sick Man of Europe: the European Union

By: EBR | Tuesday, May 14, 2013

The European Union is the new sick man of Europe. The effort over the past half century to create a more united Europe is now the principal casualty of the euro crisis, and the European project now stands in disrepute across much of the continent.

Based on these political developments in Germany, many European observers point out that, on the one hand, Europe has embarked on a very slippery slope and, on the other hand, the German chancellor Mrs. A.Merkel elections next September is now facing very seriously the specter of defeat. This is because the new party can achieve an electoral score of around 10%, which mainly comes from the Christian Democrat area.

IF GERMANY LEAVES THE EURO ZONE

By: EBR | Friday, April 5, 2013

This time the situation is indeed very serious. A new party made its appearance in German politics and is composed of economistes, lawyers and Christian Democrat politicians who believe in the dissolution of the euro area before this, they say, breaks Germany.

Having Europe-wide economic synergy creates stronger corporate players, leads to lower-priced goods for consumers, and rewards innovation. Conversely, European economic fragmentation could subject companies — along with their managers, employees, unions, and regulators — to greater competitive pressures and hurdles.

The Business Case for the European Union

By: EBR | Wednesday, July 25, 2012

To corporate leaders, this year’s economic crisis is a sign that a more unified Europe is a solution, not a problem.

It is interesting to read a just published report about Russia by Pew Research Center. This leading institute, based in Washington DC and Democratic Party leaning, concluded on base of a nationwide survey that: ‘following a winter of discontent, Russians express an increased appetite for political freedom and at the same time strongly endorse Vladimir Putin’!

Russians Back Political Freedom and Putin Too

By: EBR | Thursday, June 28, 2012

'Country begins to tire of Putin’s reign' was the heading of a special Financial Times report about Russia. Is that news? Just after the French sent their President home after 1 term and with a chance that the Americans will do the same with their one in November, I would answer no on this question

Remember that Greece and Cyprus both have modern European histories mainly because they were claimed by Western powers for strategic reasons.In other words, from the point of geography and geopolitics, Greece will be in play for years to come.

Is Greece European?

By: EBR | Wednesday, June 6, 2012

It is not entirely an accident that Greece is the most economically troubled country in the European Union. The fact that it is located at Europe's southeastern back door also has something to do with it.

So what is the role of the European Union in all this? Almost none. Europe′s distance from the South China Sea is not only a question of geography. Asia is also distant from the hearts and minds of many Europeans. In many southern European countries, protectionist rhetoric depicts Asia as an enemy rather than an opportunity.

South China Sea politics more complex than the EU

By: EBR | Tuesday, May 29, 2012

As sabres rattle in the long-lasting territorial disputes over the South China Sea, now considered by many to be the new Persian Gulf due to its potential reserves of oil and gas, the European Union remains a marginal actor in the region.

In short, during those last decades, we have witnessed a complete and profound modification of both fundamental and critical points allowing this « culture gap » to operate in the advantage of the elites in contrast with the civil society. It seems that this alteration shall be a long lasting one, too...

The Fullness of Time ?

By: EBR | Wednesday, May 9, 2012

This crisis emphasizes the absence of a clear vision in order to inspire trust to people in agony, of a well-defined policy track in order to provide sense to active forces in the economy and to compose the heated spirits in the society, of a leadership advantage in order to create the difference.

While some may argue that the EU is an unfinished project, that there is still potential for everyone′s ideas, there is an increasing feeling among many that the core values of the EU are being put aside. They are the disappointed Europeanists: the new threat to European identity.

From Eurosceptics to disappointed Europeanists

By: EBR | Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Four or five years ago, nearly every European Union official was looking to make national newspaper headlines. Today, the EU is a fixture on the front page — but not in a way we expected.

During the debt crisis, democracy has become the forgotten factor on the national as well as the EU level. Both Italy and Greece have acquired heads of government who are "apolitical" technocrats. This fact may mark a transition to political systems that are less corrupt and "client-oriented", but in difficult political situations, technocracies must be regarded with considerable scepticism.

Where were you when Europe fell apart?

By: EBR | Monday, February 13, 2012

Too many Europeans have too long avoided the question of Europe, says Swedish writer Per Wirtén. To prevent the EU from turning into a "post-democratic regime of bureaucrats", intellectuals need to stop mumbling and take the fear of Europe seriously.

Our forecast for 2012 is framed by the idea that we are in the midst of what we might call a generational shift in the way the world works. The processes are still under way, and we will therefore have to consider the future of Europe, China and the Middle East in some detail before drawing a conclusion.

Stratfor: Annual Forecast 2012

By: Stratfor - Strategic Forecasting | Monday, January 23, 2012

There are periods when the international system undergoes radical shifts in a short time. The last such period was 1989-1991. During that time, the Soviet empire collapsed. The Japanese economic miracle ended. The Maastricht Treaty creating contemporary Europe was signed.

Contrary to appearances, the principal aspect of the Greek problem for Europe is not economic but geopolitical.

Greece: The history behind the collapse

By: EBR | Saturday, December 24, 2011

Greece's economic crisis has its roots in a political pact dating back to the foundation of the modern state. Historically positioning themselves between an unruly, oriental population and the western powers, since 1981 Greek elites have siphoned off EU funds into a bloated public sector.

Domingo Cavallo at the CEO Summit, “Doing More on Less”, Athens, November 22, 2011 organised by the Hellenic Management Association (HMA)

Greece in light of Argentinean Experience exactly ten years ago

By: EBR | Thursday, December 22, 2011

Greece has been overspending during many years and excessive increases in labor costs have significantly reduced competiveness. As a consequence two costly adjustments are inevitable, whatever the circumstances and whatever the government.

Blaming Greece makes even less sense when we focus on more than just the last week. Since the stock market high this spring, for example, U.S. stocks have lost approximately $2.5 trillion in market cap. Once again, the prime suspect is concern over Europe’s debt situation.

Stop blaming Greece!

By: EBR | Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Not only that, if you believe the financial headlines, Greece is responsible for almost every financial ill that has beset the investment arena over the last 18 months. I say it’s time the headline writers came up with a new story to “explain” what’s happening to the stock market.

Estonia has, after the restoration of independence 20 years ago, applied for a model of open economy that is free of undue bureaucracy, now it scores well in business friendliness and clean government rankings.

Estonia: goodbye to eastern Europe and welcome to the north?

By: N. Peter Kramer | Friday, September 23, 2011

Since the beginning of this year, Estonia is the youngest member of the Eurozone family. Compared with its Baltic neighbours Latvia and Lithuania but also compared with some other EU member states Estonia is doing quite well. GDP growth rate in the first half of the year was the highest in EU.

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EU Actually

In foreign affairs, the EU is on the sidelines

By: N. Peter Kramer

The European Union is increasingly on the sidelines. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU seemed to regain its role. It reacted quickly and unanimously with heavy sanctions against Russia.

Europe

Europe has ’maybe 6 weeks of jet fuel left’, energy boss warns

Europe has "maybe 6 weeks of jet fuel left", the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned.

Business

Where Romania can build excellence: the sources of future competitiveness

Romania has been, for most of its recent history, a story of potential deferred. The standard account of Romanian competitiveness, to the extent one exists in international business literature, is a cost story: cheap labor, low corporate taxes, a large domestic market for Central and Eastern European standards.