Věra Jourová, Europe’s ‘lonesome sheriff’
POLITICO – Under fire in battles over EU values, Commission VP shoots from the lip.
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All eyes on EU court for decision on religious slaughter
EU OBSERVER – Stunning animals before slaughter and avoiding unnecessary suffering is surely the least we owe these fellow sentient beings.
EU representatives and voters without borders
EURACTIV – Almost 30 years after the first transnational European party was formed, the European Parliament has proposed that in the 2024 European elections, all voters should be able to vote, in addition to their national representatives, for a second set of representatives, elected in a single European college.
Von der Leyen admits ‘mistakes’ in Croatian campaign video
POLITICO – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s soundbite for a Croatian political campaign video lasted all of two seconds. But the repercussions have already lasted much longer and won’t be over anytime soon.
We lived the European dream. Will any politician stand up for open borders?
THE GUARDIAN – Millions of us built our lives on the promise of free movement. Under cover of coronavirus, that dream is disappearing…
Trump’s travel ban on many European countries is ‘politically motivated,’ analysts say
CNBC – “The U.S. travel ban against the EU Schengen is a politically motivated, and largely ineffective measure,” Alberto Alemanno, a professor of EU law at H.E.C. Paris Business School, told CNBC Friday. The travel ban comes at a time when the number of cases is rising in both the Europe and the United States. The two countries agreed in January to improve their trade links, by negotiating a deal before the end of the year.
The EU won’t fix its democratic deficit with another top-down ‘conference’
THE GUARDIAN – Europe needs a new mechanism for involving citizens, not another talking shop chaired by the polarising Guy Verhofstadt.
Choosing Ursula von der Leyen Weakens the European Parliament
BLOOMBERG – Parliament has been building its authority lately. Accepting the Council’s decision for Commission President reverses that.
What the EU elections will — and won’t — tell us about the future of Europe
CNBC – Ahead of this year’s EU elections, Macron finds himself fighting the nationalist and Euroskeptic party of Marine Le Pen once again. In Italy, the elections will be a test on the anti-establishment coalition government, which has been in power for roughly a year.
There are 17 million mobile EU citizens. We deserve a political voice
THE GUARDIAN – Those of us who reside in another member state live more ‘European’ lives than anyone. Yet we feel disenfranchised.