Did you really think that Christmas 2015 would be the perfect chance to travel abroad in Europe, do your shopping in London or Paris and call your folks back home for wishes at zero roaming cost? More so, did you really think that Christmas 2015 would be the perfect chance for you to Skype with your pal without […]Mobile World Congress 2015 first to debate EU’s new stance on Net Neutrality and Roaming Charges
March 7, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Did you really think that Christmas 2015 would be the perfect chance to travel abroad in Europe, do your shopping in London or Paris and call your folks back home for wishes at zero roaming cost? More so, did you really think that Christmas 2015 would be the perfect chance for you to Skype with your pal without […]Parliament votes reform for better European Co2 market but critics want it sooner than later
February 25, 2015 by 1 Comment
Yesterday at the European Parliament a crucial vote for environmental protection was cast. The Environment Committee of the Parliament made a decisive step towards the limitation of greenhouse gas emissions in the Old Continent, combatting climate change. What is known as the biggest carbon emission market in the world, the EU, will be tackling the issue with […]Breaking news: Juncker’s Commission mutant trojan horse is on the loose in Strasbourg
January 14, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Yesterday in Strasbourg the Parliament, allegedly, took a decisive stance against GMOs in Europe after so many years of letting the matter linger. Almost all European media came out to congratulate the vote that gives the right to the local governments of the member states to “opt-out” and be able to ban “locally” GMO production […]European Youth Forum welcomes steps towards raising awareness of youth rights by EU ministers
December 13, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Brussels, 12th December 2014 // The European Youth Forum welcomes positive steps proposed today by the European Union’s 28 Youth Ministers, as they adopted a series of conclusions regarding promoting young people’s access to rights. The Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council met today in Brussels in order to discuss young people’s access to rights […]
European Youth Forum welcomes establishment of new Youth Intergroup in the European Parliament
December 12, 2014 by 1 Comment
Brussels, 11th December 2014 // The European Youth Forum welcomes the re-establishment, by the European Parliament, of an Intergroup on Youth Issues, helping to give young people the voice within Parliament that is desperately needed. Strong support was received for the re-establishment of this intergroup. Though not official Parliament committees, intergroups are formed by MEPs […]
EU to Google: How to dismantle European search engines in 13 steps
December 3, 2014 by Leave a Comment
It seems that the search engine thriller that we are watching with horror in the Old Continent goes on. Last week the Sting reported on how parliamentarians were planning to “break up with reality in the Google antitrust case”. This week we are counting the votes and the list of “guidelines” to Google and all […]European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, who gets it and who pays the bill?
September 12, 2014 by
The Budgets Committee of the European Parliament (EP) announced yesterday that they approved financial aid to the Netherlands, Greece, Romania and Spain, whose workers were laid off as redundant due to globalisation or the financial crisis. It seems that the applications of the authorities of each country to the EU were fruitful, however it remains […]The scary EU elections result and the delayed Council’s repentance
June 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The European elections on 25 May revealed the rise of extremist parties in Europe. 12 countries out of 28 will send ultranationalists deputies to the new European Parliament. France chose the radical Front National (French Nationalist Party) to represent its citizens at the European Parliament. Around 25% of the French votes were in favour of the Front National; […]The 28 EU leaders show contempt for the European Elections results
June 2, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Despite the fact that the European Elections sent a resounding message of disenchantment and distrust for the European institutions, the leaders of the member states of the Union, in their last Summit in Brussels earlier last week, practically refused to take seriously the communication of the citizens, who voted or abstained from the balloting. […]Will Europe be a different place this Monday?
May 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment
According to the latest projections, the four traditional and clearly pro-EU parties or rather Parliamentary groupings, that is the center-right European Peoples Party (EEP), the center-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D), the centrist Alliance of Liberals & Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and the ecology group Greens-European Free Alliance (G/EFA) are expected to win a clear victory […]EU voters not interested in the European Parliament elections. What’s behind this European Titanic?
May 14, 2014 by 1 Comment
It’s just a matter of few days, and around 350 million European voters will be called upon to choose their representatives. They are expected to go the polls to vote in elections to the European Parliament, the EU’s only directly elected body. Think about it, almost 5% of the globe’s population called to express its preference […]The completion of the European Banking Union attracts billions of new capital for Eurozone banks
April 16, 2014 by 1 Comment
The European Parliament adopted yesterday with large majorities three legal texts completing the European Banking Union, two years after the initial decision to create a common system, at least in the euro area, of regular bank supervision and resolution of failing lenders. In two separate votes and an approval at second reading without a new […]European Banking Union: no one is perfect
March 27, 2014 by 1 Comment
Europe came to an agreement last Thursday 20 March to complete the second pillar of the European Banking Union with the establishment of the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM). After months and months of negotiations between the European Parliament and the member states, Europe will have as of now the relevant legislation and the mechanisms to function a banking […]Draghi indirectly accuses Germany of using double standards in financial issues
March 5, 2014 by 1 Comment
Last Monday, Mario Draghi, the President of the European Central Bank appeared in his last hearing in the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament, before the present legislature dissolves in view of the May elections. In his introductory speech he seized the opportunity to underline a few things that some European […]European Citizens’ Initiative: A game of much publicity and one big lie
February 12, 2014 by Leave a Comment
On April Fools Day 2011, the Regulation (EU) No 211/2011, under the title of “European Citizens’ Initiative” (ECI), entered into force. According to it, one million EU citizens residing in at least one-quarter of the Member States can ‘invite’ the Commission to submit a proposal for a legal act which “they consider to be required […]The Swiss will pay dearly for voting out fellow Europeans
February 11, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Xenophobics, racists and far right political extremists all over Europe have celebrated a razor-thin win of 50.3% in a Swiss referendum last Sunday, favoring an initiative “against mass immigration”. The vote was introduced by the country’s far right-wing Swiss People’s Party and was meant to block the free entry of EU citizens in the country, […]ECB tied in the anti-monetary German ideology
February 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The European Central Bank President Mario Draghi had a very difficult job yesterday in bridging the Germanic insistence for monetary austerity with the need of supportive measures for the Eurozone real economy to grow. After yesterday’s meeting, the Governing Council of the central bank left the basic interest rate unchanged at 0.25% but it was […]Commission criticised member states on blocking financial transaction tax
February 5, 2014 by 1 Comment
European Commissioner Algirdas Šemeta, responsible for Taxation and Customs Union, while speaking yesterday at the plenary of the European Parliament, accused openly some of the 11 member states which have initially agreed to introduce the Financial Transaction Tax, that they are dragging their feet, letting those lobbies which oppose the tax to actually block any […]2014 will bring more European Union for the big guys and less for the weak
December 31, 2013 by Leave a Comment
During 2014 Europeans will be confronted with at least two major developments. Firstly, the completion of the political control of the EU financial market will materialize during the next year, after the adoption, before March 2014, of the Resolution Board a body like the EU council, which will decide which banks will fail. A second […]Microsoft’s YouthSpark: a kiss of Life to European Youth from the European Parliament
December 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Two weeks ago, on 14 November, the European Sting attended the event at the European Parliament, organized by the European Youth Forum and YouthIntergroup, titled “Internships: a Call for Quality”. Here we present the third piece of our Special Edition “European Youth & Employment”. This piece reflects the Industry’s perspective, and particularly the ICT sector’s […]The European Youth Forum needs better signal for its “call” for Quality Internships
November 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment
It was Thursday 14 November, just one day after the European Employment Forum, and the European Sting received the invitation to attend an event with the title “Internships: a call for quality” at the European Parliament, co-organized by the European Youth Forum and YouthIntergroup. Given the Sting’s significant interest and sensitivity to youth and particularly […]The EU Parliament sidesteps the real issues about banks, while the US target the Eurozone lenders
October 28, 2013 by 3 Comments
Last week, The Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee – ECON of the European Parliament approved a draft legislation to ostensibly protect small investors from risks hidden in investment products sold by banks. However, this development coincided with J.P. Morgan’s agreement with the American authorities over a payment of a record fine of $13.5 billion, regarding […]Warmongers ready to chew what is left of social protection spending
October 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Before the EU having even started a serious discussion about the historical issue of political unification or having decided to enact a European Banking Union containing some traces of risk sharing between the haves and have-nots, the forthcoming, “December EU summit must make clear that the European dimension is more relevant in defence and security […]Parliament asks for the termination of EU-US bank data deal
October 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The European Parliament finally voted in favour of the suspension of EU-US bank data deal, in response to NSA snooping. “The EU should suspend its Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP) agreement with the US in response to the US National Security Agency‘s alleged tapping of EU citizens’ bank data held by the Belgian company SWIFT”, […]The European Parliament wants to stay in one place
October 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment
At last – it was high time that the European Parliament took the responsibility to determine its own agenda and of course to decide where it sits! For decades now legislators travel incessantly to and from between Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg, running after timetables and squandering taxpayers’ money in travel expenses and hotel bookings. Thank […]The Council unblocks all EU budgets
October 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The Permanent Representatives Committee of the European Union (COREPER) approved yesterday an increase of the 2013 EU budget by €3.9 billion in order to cover outstanding payment needs. This amount complements the €7.3bn of the draft amending budget no. 2 approved by the Council on 9 July. The Council’s position on this draft amending budget […]Parliament cuts own spending to facilitate agreement on EU budget
October 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The Budgets Committee of the European Parliament made yesterday a new proposal on the 2014 EU Budget, that the European Council cannot deny. Law makers cut down the legislative’s own expenses, but reversed the Council’s proposed cuts in investments to stimulate growth and jobs. In detail Budgets Committee MEPs voted yesterday in favour of cutting […]Eurozone: Uncertain future with unemployment ravaging the South
October 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Unemployment in Eurozone remained unchanged last August at 12% in relation to July, when it had slightly receded, compared with the 12.1% in June. This marginal reduction of unemployment in July was hailed as an indication that Eurozone is about to abandon its long term recession, an estimate also based on a marginal increase of […]Snowden is the “EU nomination” for this year’s Oscars
September 30, 2013 by 4 Comments
After last June’s revelations about the PRISM scandal you can actually feel it that the air in world politics has less oxygen. The leaders of the major world powers, EU, USA and Russia faced severe respiratory issues during this period. Obama is still suffering from severe panic attacks, Putin broke the window to get some […]Draghi: A bridge from Brussels to Berlin
September 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Past the German elections, the President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, must have left free to take some steps forward in his quest for the accomplishment of the European Banking Union, and promote the defragmentation of Eurozone’s financial markets. Speaking yesterday in a hearing at the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of […]Germany may prove right rejecting Commission’s bank resolution scheme
September 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Commissioner Michel Barnier, responsible for financial services, had a rough time yesterday at the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON) of the European Parliament, when he told the legislators that the Commission will press ahead with its proposal about the creation under its own roof of the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) for Eurozone’s failing banks. […]The cuts on 2014 Budget will divide deeply the EU
September 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Janusz Lewandowki, the EU Commissioner for Budget joined yesterday the European Parliament in repelling the severe cuts on EU funding for 2014 proposed by the Council. The usually low tone Polish Commissioner appeared rather shocked when he understood that the Council proposal was infested with deep reductions in crucial items of the 2014 budget. For […]EU unfolds strategy on the Egypt question
July 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The European Union seems to have finally concluded that the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ is a basic ingredient in Egypt’s political future and there will be no long-term viable solution of the present stalemate in this country without it. Despite the fact that the EU’s High Representative Catherine Ashton has adopted, along with the rest of the […]
