Latest posts
Norge må matche EUs klima- og energimål
(to my English readers – my contribution to the European Movement Congress on the European Energy Policy, in Norwegian) Mens FNs klimaforhandlingene står i stampe, går EU foran både gjennom å oppfylle sine Kyoto-forpliktelser, og stake ut k...
The EU at the local level
The decisions made by the EU affect in various ways the people at the local level. When Members of the European Parliament and Member States agreed to a revised Directive on Industrial Emissions last July, it is ultimately the citizens at the local l...
Friends Going Global with Microstock
I have some great friends who started a new company, Yaymicro, some years ago. This is now one the largest, so-called Microstock companies in the world. They basically provide cheap photos (microstock) that can be used commercially by bloggers, websi...
Medlemskap i EU vil gje målrørsla eit unikt høve til å påverke språkpolitikken i EU
(for my English readers: one off article in Norwegian (nynorsk) on the issue of language and the EU, previously published in the periodical Dag og Tid) Målsaka har alltid vore inspirert av internasjonale og spesielt europeiske impulsar. Fleire av de...
The next ‘big thing’ for the EU?
I have been asked to make a presentation at the end of the week at a conference in Norway for around 50 youths who in their spare time are advocating Norwegian EU membership. The topic of my presentation is the following: “What is the next big thin...
Haiti and humanitarian protection: the US should give temporary protection to the most vulnerable groups
The horrible tragedy that struck Haiti a few days ago has shocked the world, due to the immense scale of the damages and human suffering the earthquake caused. Aid efforts are slowly coming into place, but alarming reports of criminal gangs killing a...
Finding a place to live in Brussels
It is summer time in Brussels and everything is very quiet here as all the institutions are more or less closed. The only thing that is increasingly filling up my inbox are requests from friends and acquaintances who are looking for a place to live,...
Will Norway join the EU after Iceland?
Being Norwegian and working in Brussels, I’ve been approached by other international friends many times with the question, when will Norway join the EU, and more recently, will the Icelandic application “push” a Norwegian application as wel...
Climate Change and Migration: July update
The Copenhagen summit is approaching and the amount of news articles covering the topic of climate change and migration is increasing, as the last posts on this blog can attest to. The latest news I have caught up on is as follows: The renowned NGO...
Publication: Environmental Displacement in European Asylum Law
I am happy to announce that a re-written version of my dissertation from LSE last year on environmentally displaced person and the EU, will be published in the European Journal of Migration and Law in their 3rd or 4th edition this year. The final p...
German Marshall Fund, Climate Change and Migration
The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) launches a new transatlantic grantmaking initiative that investigates the impact of climate change on migration patterns. The initiative will convene leading experts on climate-induced migration to...
A new report on climate change and displacement
Short update here. Yet another report was published this week on the issue of climate change and displacement. Have a read about it at the Euractiv pages. I can also recommend this website (towardsrecognition.org) advocating recognition of environ...
Climate change and forced migration discussed in Bonn next week
The talks on a global climate change agreement continues this and next week in Bonn. One of the many side-event will focus only the issue of forced migration/displacement. The event is organized by the Norwegian Refugee Council and has many high leve...
A Norwegian in the European Parliament?
Yes, it might become a reality next year. Eva Joly, a Norwegian-born woman with both a French and Norwegian passport, have been suggested to top the French Green's list for the European Parliament elections next year, according to several media repor...
An overview of Norwegian blogs on EU-affairs
This recent article from the Norwegian Mission to the EU gives a good overview of Norwegian bloggers on EU-affairs. Composed by their skill-full information officer Frode Dal Fjeldavli, the article contains a non-exhaustive list of the most up-dated...
Labour party trumps the services directive through
Despite of the fierce opposition from the minority parties in Government (the Socialist Left (SV) and the Centre Party (SP)), Jens Stoltenberg (prime minister and leader of the Labour Party) today forced through a vote to adopt the disputed Services...
Norway a de-facto member of the EU
A recent Norwegian study argues that the EEA agreement has ‘made Norway a de facto EU member', implementing most of the rules without a say in the decision-making. This is a very interesting paper that deserves much more attention than it so far ha...
Will Iceland push the Norwegian EU debate?
The EU-debate in the former euro-sceptic fishing nation Iceland is heating up, as banks, business interests and labour unions are all calling for EU-membership and adoption of the Euro. An Icelandic membership may also trigger a new debate on Norwegi...
Climate Change, displacement and Poznan
The Climate Change Summit in Poznan kicked off yesterday, with a side event on climate change and displcement hosted by the UNHCR planned for Monday 08 December. There are currently no agenda or papers online, but the description from the Poznan side...
EU aims to develop policy on climate change and migration?
The EU's Global Approach to Migration is formulated these days in the EU. The Commission released in October a Communication with proposals on how the EU can have a more comprehensive and all encompassing policy towards all forms of migration. The in...
