European Geostrategy | 14:09, 28 November 2009

Now that the Treaty of Lisbon has entered force, the European Union should begin developing a more cohesive and active Grand Strategy. The new High Representative, working in partnership with the other European institutions, should be tasked with this endeavour, to enable Europeans to speak with a louder voice in the twenty-first century.

European Geostrategy | 23:37, 23 November 2009

In a recent article, Riccardo Alcaro and Emiliano Alessandri argued that Europeans should re-engage with Russia. In a reply, James Rogers suggests that we must first jettison outdated Cold War thinking, and acquaint ourselves with new realities, not least regarding the role of the European Union as the dominant power on our continent.

Jaanika Erne | 2:48, 23 November 2009

I happened to read from the Preamble of the Directive 2006/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006 on the implementation of the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation that the aim of the Directive was to recast by [...]

cosmopolitan | 10:34, 20 November 2009

Gulay Icoz has raised a critical aspect of the appointment of Herman von Rompuy as president of the European Council which has not received enough emphasis.
According to the Guardian, van Rompuy believes: “The universal values which are in force in Europe, and which are also fundamental values of Christianity, will lose vigour with the entry [...]

Pietro De Matteis | 1:48, 20 November 2009

Brussels, 19 November 2009
Author: Pietro De Matteis
Many words have been written about the appointment procedure of the two new positions set up by the Lisbon treaty and on the possible candidates.  What we have experienced on 19th December is once again a process carried out behind closed doors despite the fact that some Member States had [...]

monnetmusings | 0:24, 20 November 2009

So after almost a decade of discussing reforms to increase the effectiveness and profile of the European Union last night it ended with the dampest of squibs. The EU Heads of State and Government have elected their own President for the first time and chosen a candidate, Mr van Rompuy, whose name has little currency [...]

gulayicoz | 22:36, 19 November 2009

It is rather disheartening that a fairly unknown political leader has been chosen as the first President of the European Council. I have reservations about how well he will able to accomplish the aims of this very new presidential position, created by the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty couple of weeks a go. While [...]

Simon Orth | 13:36, 16 November 2009

David Miliband is out, but Tony Blair is still in with a shout. Those whom shriek with horror at the thought of a Blair presidency, but also want a stronger more coherent EU might want to consider the potential contradictions in their respective positions. For example, I wonder whether all those anti-Blair commentators have as [...]

EUoplocephalus | 12:42, 4 November 2009

So here we are, a mere 8 years after Laeken, with an outcome from the whole sorry process.  At one level, one has to admire the determination of those involved in persisting with an increasingly fraught situation, even if the basic objective of Laeken to reconnect with the people went out of the window several [...]