URL: Latest posts
Why we trust bankers more than builders
The Economic Sentiment Survey for January is out, and while browsing through the data Eurobee has picked out some interesting trends. First of all it is remarkable how well you can see the dot.com bubble crash in 2000 and the 2008 financial crisis on...
EU funding – who loses and who wins
The Guardian has released this fantastic table showing where the EU gets its money from, who pays in what and who gets what out. It illustrates one of the EU-critics favourite topics – that the EU swallows national money. That’s not the case for...
Britain must open up to EU before it’s too late
With Germany and France tackling the Eurocrisis seemingly on their own, Britain lately feels even more on the sidelines than usual. It is easy to see why your British average Joe, or average Dave, would see some kind of conspiracy there. Euro-less Br...
How Martin Schulz breaks stereotypes
Yesterday, Martin Schulz, a bookseller from a small town in Germany, was confirmed as president of the European Parliament. He is a socialist, therefore not from the conservative majority in the Parliament, and a fervent supporter of Europe. Both fac...
Europe acts on looming ageing crisis
… while member states turn a blind eye. According to the latest release from Eurostat, the European statistics agency, there are now more people between 60 and 64 in employment than ever before. Over 30 per cent of Europeans in this age group w...
Stop sending the dumbest to Brussels
Bavaria is holding its breath for the return of Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Germany’s ex defence minister who was ousted last year when his PhD thesis was found to contain widespread plagiarism. But even more interesting than where zu Guttenberg is...
Common memories – divided memorials
Today is no ordinary Tuesday. Today is the first-ever European memorial day for the victims of totalitarian regimes. This memorial day has been introduced by the Polish Council of Ministers presidency, and developed together with Hungary, Latvia, Lit...
Citizens keen on EU information
When you look at the daily news coverage of European politics you might be forgiven to think that Europe’s citizens don’t care much. If there is any reporting on Europe – the Eurozone Crisis excluded – it is often short, slopp...
Growing pains – Europe’s migration dilemma
Last year over 5 million children were born in Europe. Since only 4.5 million people died, Europe’s population, despite worrying decline of childbirth in some countries, is still on the rise. On top of natural growth, there’s also been so...
How Climate is becoming a common responsibility
The Eurobee is just back from Brussels with some hot, new data. Here is a list of EU spending on potential accession countries (Turkey, Iceland and the Western Balkans). This is part of the EU’s Neighbourhood Policy, which includes regular sp...
The curious case of Croatia’s accession
Eurobee has welcomed the news that Croatia is to join us in the EU in 2013 after access negotiations were completed on 30 June. This is great, the EU will gain a 28th member on 1 July 2013, and hopefully the accession will encourage other eastern Eur...
EU budget breakdown
More budget links: The European Parliament has a fascinating breakdown of where the EU budget comes from. There is also a transcript of José Manuel Barroso’s speech out there. And a Q&A on the multi-annual financial framework. Especially u...
The big bad budget
First of all sorry for the long silence, I’ve been buzzing elsewhere. But now on to the latest: It’s budget time! The European Commission has just released its draft budget for the next multi-annual financial framework, which runs from 20...
Representin’ (or not)
Excuse the long absence – Eurobee has been buzzing about quite a bit these days (and is still trying to escape the royal wedding frenzy). The latest stop-over locations for Eurobee were Aarhus in Denmark, Brussels, and Kiel in Germany, for some...
Exodus from the countryside
Ever so often a topic surfaces the policy seas of Europe that makes you rub your eyes in disbelief. The situation of women in rural areas, under debate at the Council of Ministers this week, is just such a topic. Generally you would think that Europe...
Who deserves Europe’s money?
This week’s big unnoticed EU story will probably the budget discussions between the Committee of the Regions and the budget commissioner Janusz Lewandowski, which are taking place on Thursday. During these discussions, the CoR will present Lewa...
The impenetrable Parliament
The Eurobee buzzed over to good old Brussels last week (it’s been a while), and was delighted to sit in a pavement restaurant in the sunshine in March – impossible in London! How nice to have a relaxing meal and watch the bustle on Leopol...
Freedom to be safe
There are few inventions that have increased the freedom and mobility of humans in quite the same way as the car. Especially in Europe and the United States, the car has become the most signifiant cultural icon of the 20th century. The creation of...
Let the Middle East get on with it
The popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and, most importantly right now, Libya have left European policymakers scratching their heads. Europe has been quietly following, not speaking out loudly – voicing its support for democracy, but at the sa...
Enhanced cooperation seems to work
Eurobee is impressed – the European Parliament has actually approved of a member state initiative to create a common European patent through “enhanced cooperation”. A Common Patent has been in the works for decades, but the negotiat...
