The much awaited succession ceremony at the EU Council took place yesterday in Brussels. Herman Van Rompuy, leaving President of the EU Council, handed over Europe’s top job to Poland’s Donald Tusk. Mr Tusk, who served as Premier Minister of Poland two times, is considered to be one of Europe’s most successful politicians of the past […]“Who do I call if I want to call Europe?” Finally a name and a number to answer Henry Kissinger’s question
December 2, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The much awaited succession ceremony at the EU Council took place yesterday in Brussels. Herman Van Rompuy, leaving President of the EU Council, handed over Europe’s top job to Poland’s Donald Tusk. Mr Tusk, who served as Premier Minister of Poland two times, is considered to be one of Europe’s most successful politicians of the past […]10 months were not enough for the EU to save the environment but 2 days are
October 21, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The highlight in Brussels this week is certainly the EU Council of tomorrow, Thursday 23 October. The reason is not because it will be the last one presided by Mr Van Rompuy, but because the major topic to be discussed in the agenda is the EU climate targets 2030. It has been 10 months that the […]Obama, Crimea and the TTIP pill
March 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment
It was two days ago, Wednesday 26 March, that the President of the USA paid us a visit here in Brussels and caused a congestion chaos in the Belgian capital. The reason of his visit was to sell. To sell ideas about freedom, NATO membership ‘upgrades’ and a bit of shale gas. As sales are […]Social Committee slams the 28 EU leaders for false promises
October 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The president of the European Economic and Social Committee, Henri Malosse, accompanied by the presidents of the Committee’s Employers’ group, Jacek Krawczyk, the Workers’ group, George Dassis and the vice-president of the Various Interests group, Ariane Rodert, met yesterday with the European Council president, Herman Van Rompuy, ahead of the European Summit of 24-25 October. […]The Irish Presidency bullies the Parliament over EU budget
June 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment
It is unbelievable how strongly and some-times unduly the Irish Presidency of the EU Council presses the European Parliament in the negotiations over the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020, which sets the limits for the EU budget spending for the next seven years. The Irish government ministers who are conducting those negations act as if Ireland […]European Business Summit 2013: Where Business and Politics shape the future
May 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The time of the year for possibly the biggest and more prestigious event in Brussels came and the European Sting was present to cover it. Last Wednesday the 15th and Thursday the 16th of May the top European leaders gathered at Autoworld, only a breath’s distance from Berlaymont where the headquarters of the European Commission are based. […]3+1 issues to haunt tomorrow’s EU Summit
February 6, 2013 by 1 Comment
Tomorrow’s European Council Summit has a very loaded agenda, with first item on it the pending agreement over EU’s proper budgets for the next seven years. Apart from this there are another two crucial matters the 27 leaders have to tackle, namely the bilateral trade agreements with Europe’s main trading partners (meaning Japan, US and […]London to say hello or goodbye to Brussels this week
February 4, 2013 by 2 Comments
Towards the end of this week, on 7 and 8 February, the 27 EU leaders will gather again in Brussels in a most crucial Summit, which is supposed to decide the financial means all the EU institutions will have at their disposal over the next seven years. In this respect this Summit will be different, […]EU presses India for a free trade agreement
February 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment
India is the most populous democracy of the world and over the past thirty years had to overcome a universe of political and economic problems. For decades the country followed an inward looking politico-economic strategy, keeping its trade and investment borders almost shut to the rest of the world. Its vast size permitted that up […]EU: Centralised economic governance and bank supervision may lead to new crisis
January 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
In the first Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) of the year on January 22, the two first and more important items on the agenda were the “enhanced economic governance and policy coordination” (the “two-pack” economic governance) and secondly the “financial regulation and bank supervision”. On both accounts the Council made giant steps forward setting […]Social Committee teaches Van Rompuy a lesson
January 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
During this months’ European Economic and Social Committee’s plenary session, EU Council president Herman Van Rompuy and EESC members held a very important debate on the current guidelines of the European Council and future efforts to reinforce the social dimension of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Obviously the EESC members wanted to cover the […]London, Berlin, Paris to fight over EU budget
January 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The British Prime Minister, David Cameron is about to announce today in London, that if the conservative party wins the 2015 election, the UK should opt for a different relation with the European Union and then put it on a referendum for Britons to decide. In this case the relations between London and the mainland […]EU, Brazil to hold high level Summit in Brasilia
January 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The European Union and Brazil are holding a bilateral Summit in Brasilia on 24 January. Already from 2007 the EU and the largest South American country have established a strategic partnership in recognition of both sides’ political and economic importance. According to a Commission Press release, bilateral Summits are held annually and focus on key […]Can the Americans alone determine the future of Syria?
January 14, 2013 by 1 Comment
The last speech of Bashar al Assad on the first Friday of New Year, which deeply disappointed the West and the Sunni Arabs in the oil rich countries of the Persian Gulf, was about an all-out war. He spoke of “a full scale war” against the enemies of his regime, mainly the Sunni Muslims. But […]
